Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Volatile compounds produced by Lactobacillus fermentum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida krusei in single starter culture fermentations of Ghanaian maize dough.

AIMS To identify and compare the volatile compounds associated with maize dough samples prepared by spontaneous fermentation and by the use of added starter cultures in Ghana. METHODS AND RESULTS The starter cultures examined were Lactobacillus fermentum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida krusei. For identification of aroma volatiles, extracts by the Likens-Nickerson simultaneous distillation and extraction technique were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and using a trained panel of four judges by GC-Olfactometry (GC-sniffing). Compounds identified by GC-MS in maize dough samples after 72 h of fermentation included 20 alcohols, 22 carbonyls, 11 esters, seven acids, a furan and three phenolic compounds. Of the total 64 volatile compounds, 51 were detected by GC-sniffing as contributing to the aroma of the different fermented dough samples. Spontaneously fermented maize dough was characterized by higher levels of carbonyl compounds while fermentations with added L. fermentum recorded the highest concentration of acetic acid. S. cerevisiae produced higher amounts of fusel alcohols and increasing levels of esters with fermentation time and C. krusei showed similarity to L. fermentum with lower levels of most volatiles identified. CONCLUSION The present study has given a detailed picture of the aroma compounds in fermented maize and demonstrated that the predominant micro-organisms in fermented maize dough can be used as starter cultures to modify the aroma of fermented maize dough. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY The study has documented the advantage of using starter cultures in African traditional food processing and provided a scientific background for introducing better controlled fermentations.
ASSORTATIVE MATE CHOICE AND DOMINANCE MODIFICATION: ALTERNATIVE WAYS OF REMOVING HETEROZYGOTE DISADVANTAGE

In genetic polymorphisms of two alleles, heterozygous individuals may contribute to the next generation on average more or fewer descendants than the homozygotes. Two different evolutionary responses that remove a disadvantageous heterozygote phenotype from the population are the evolution of strictly assortative mate choice, and that of a modifier making one of the two alleles completely dominant. We derive invasion fitness of mutants introducing dominance or assortative mate choice in a randomly mating population with a genetic polymorphism for an ecological trait. Mutations with small effects as well as mutants introducing complete dominance or perfect assorting are considered. Using adaptive dynamics techniques, we are able to calculate the ratio of fitness gradients for the effects of a dominance modifier and a mate choice locus, near evolutionary branching points. With equal resident allele frequencies, selection for mate choice is always stronger. Dominance is more strongly selected than assortative mating when the resident (common) alleles have very unequal frequencies at equilibrium. With female mate choice the difference in frequencies where dominance is more strongly selected is smaller than when mutants of both sexes can choose without costs. A symmetric resource-competition model illustrates the results.
The effects of high-fat diets composed of different animal and vegetable fat sources on the health status and tissue lipid profiles of male Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

Objective The current study aimed to investigate the impact of high-fat diets composed of different animal and vegetable fat sources on serum metabolic health markers in Japanese quail, as well as the overall lipid content and fatty acid profiles of the edible bird tissues following significantly increased dietary lipid supplementation. Methods Fifty seven male quail were divided into six groups and fed either a standard diet or a diet enriched with one of five different fats (22% coconut oil, lard, palm oil, soybean oil, or sunflower oil) for 12 weeks. The birds were subjected to an oral glucose tolerance test following the feeding period, after which they were euthanized and blood, liver, breast, and thigh muscle samples collected. Total fat content and fatty acid profiles of the tissue samples, as well as serum uric acid, triglyceride, cholesterol, total protein, albumin, aspartate transaminase, and total bilirubin concentrations were assessed. Results High-fat diet feeding had no significant effects on the glucose tolerance of the birds. Dietary fatty acid profiles of the added fats were reflected in the lipid profiles of both the liver and breast and thigh muscle tissues, indicating successful transfer of dietary fatty acids to the edible bird tissues. The significantly increased level of lipid inclusion in the diets of the quail used in the present study was unsuccessful in increasing the overall lipid content of the edible bird tissues. Serum metabolic health markers in birds on the high-fat diets were not significantly different from those observed in birds on the standard diet. Conclusion Thus, despite the various high-fat diets modifying the fatty acid profile of the birds’ tissues, unlike in most mammals, the birds maintained a normal health status following consumption of the various high-fat diets.
Heads and Hearts: Three Methods for Explicating Judgment and Decision Processes

Agent-based models are more likely to generate accurate outputs if they incorporate valid representations of human agents than if they don't. The present article outlines three research methodologies commonly used for explicating the cognitive processes and motivational orientations of human judgment and decision making: policy capturing, information seeking, and social choice. Examples are given to demonstrate how each methodology might be employed to supplement more traditional qualitative methods such as interviews and content analyses. Suggestions for encoding results of the three methodologies in agent-based models are also given, as are caveats about methodological practicalities.
Comparative Study on the-Carotene ,-Tocopherol and Pectin Values from Three Cultivars of Pumpkin ( Cucurbita maxima )

Pumpkins are very versatile in their uses for cooking. Most parts of the pumpkin are edible, including pulp and the fleshy shell (peel). Three pumpkin cultivars (Cucurbita maxima D.) namely: Kafr El-Battikh-2 (KB), El-Zarka (EZ) and Faraskour (FK), cultivated in Assiut, Egypt were studied for their pectin, beta carotene and tocopherol contents. The pectin content was determined spectrophotometrically, -carotene and -tocopherol were determined by HPLC. Pectin content ranged from 7.17 to 27.33 mg galacturonic acid/100 g D.W for both pulp and peels of the fruit. The beta carotene was found in substantial amounts which ranged between 1374.57-3313.46 μg/100g for pulp and 145.39-493.15 μg/100g for peel on dry weight basis. The -tocopherol content of the samples under study was ranged from 167.30 to 1547.35 μg/100g D.W. Significant differences (P<0.05) were observed among the cultivars for pectin, -carotene and -tocopherol contents. In this study, the pumpkin jam was prepared from pumpkin pulp with 100% and 50% sugar, while hard sweet biscuit was prepared by partially replacing the wheat flour (72% extraction) with 10% and 20% of pumpkin peel. Sensory evaluation was conducted to evaluating the jam and biscuits. The results showed that there were a significant differences (P<0.05) in all sensory attributes among jam samples, also between the biscuits supplemented with 10% and 20% of dried pumpkin peel. The results showed that consumption of whole pumpkin fruits without peeling can enhance the amounts of pectin, vitamins A and E consumed. Also, the significance of the study is to produce pumpkin jam or biscuits that will give desirable characteristics that will be accepted by consumer.
Variability in the immunoreactive and bioactive follicle stimulating hormone content of human urinary menopausal gonadotrophin preparations.

The within- and between-batch variation in the immunoreactive and in-vitro bioactive FSH content of Pergonal, Metrodin and Metrodin-HP was investigated. Three batches of Pergonal and Metrodin, consisting of three ampoules in each batch, and three batches of Metrodin-HP, consisting of between one and three ampoules per batch, were selected at random. The follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) content of Pergonal, Metrodin and Metrodin-HP was determined by radioimmunoassay (R-FSH) and the in-vitro rat Sertoli cell bioassay (B-FSH) using the international urinary standard 70/45. The variability in the FSH content of the preparations was evaluated within and between batches by analysis of variance. Within-batch variability of B-FSH was not observed in Pergonal or Metrodin-HP but was seen in two batches of Metrodin in which the potency varied by up to 2.4 fold (P = 0.03). The between-batch R-FSH potencies of Pergonal (P1-P3) varied, with P2 (59.8 +/- 0.6) and P3 (61.7 +/- 0.9) being higher than P1 (47.1 +/- 1.5 mean +/- SEM IU/ampoule, P < 0.01). A similar pattern of variability was observed for B-FSH. For Metrodin, each of the batch R-FSH potencies was dissimilar (P < 0.02), with estimates ranging from 34.9 +/- 1.2 to 64.3 +/- 1.8 IU/ampoule. Furthermore, the extensive within-batch B-FSH variation from two batches confounded any meaningful comparison of between-batch variability. For Metrodin-HP, there was no between-batch B-FSH variation (29.0 +/- 6.1 to 33.0 +/- 0.3 IU/ampoule) and the R-FSH content was also well controlled (41.2 +/- 0.5 to 46.9 +/- 1.1 IU/ampoule). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Cognitive and functional decline in African Americans with VaD, AD, and stroke without dementia

Objective: To compare the rates of cognitive and functional decline in African American patients diagnosed at baseline with vascular dementia (VaD) (n = 79), AD (n = 113), or stroke without dementia (SWD) (n = 56) and followed for up to 7 years with annual neuropsychological and other examinations. Methods: Study patients were diagnosed using established criteria for dementia and were administered cognitive screening, functional screening, and neuropsychological measures. Baseline dementia severity was rated using the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale. Random effects modeling was used to examine rates of decline and to compare the rates of decline in the three groups. Results: Both patients with VaD and those with AD showed significant cognitive and functional decline during follow-up; patients with VaD declined at a slower rate than patients with AD; and patients diagnosed with SWD at baseline did not show cognitive or functional decline during follow-up. Conclusions: Patients with VaD decline at a slower rate than patients with AD. Patients who do not meet criteria for dementia soon after stroke may not be at high risk for developing dementia. Future studies are needed to follow VaD patients with longitudinal, specialized MR protocols, concurrent neuropsychological examinations, and neuropathologic examination to determine possible neuroimaging predictors of progressive cognitive and functional decline and to assess the contribution of Alzheimer’s pathology to decline in patients diagnosed with VaD.
Evidence for a transport carrier of nitrogen mustard in nitrogen mustard-sensitive and -resistant L5178Y lymphoblasts.

Summary Uptake of nitrogen mustard (HN2)- 14 C by HN2-sensitive and -resistant L5178Y lymphoblasts followed simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics and demonstrated chemical specificity. Hydrolyzed HN2 and the monofunctional analog, dimethyl 2-chloroethylamine, inhibited uptake of HN2- 14 C, and the kinetics were those of competitive inhibition. Other structural analogs of HN2 such as chlorambucil, melphalan, and cyclophosphamide did not inhibit drug uptake. Transport proceeded against a concentration gradient as high as 35-fold and was almost completely inhibited at 4° and partially inhibited by ouabain and 2,4-dinitrophenol. These findings suggest that transport of HN2 is carrier-mediated and is an active process. The K m for resistant cells was higher than that of sensitive cells, suggesting a decreased affinity of the transport carrier for drug. The V max of resistant cells was lower than that of sensitive lymphoblasts, suggesting decreased transport capacity in resistant cells. The binding of HN2- 14 C to DNA, RNA, and protein of resistant lymphoblasts was significantly lower than that observed in each of the corresponding fractions of HN2-sensitive cells. The data suggest that resistance to HN2 is multifactorial, one factor being decreased uptake of HN2 by resistant cells.
The Impact of Mild Emotional Stress Induced by the Passive Avoidance Procedure on Immune Reactivity

It has currently been substantiated in humans as well as in animals that stress induced by psychosocial demands can affect the immune system. "* During stress as well as during the adaptation process, a cascade of events takes place which originates in the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS responds with the release of hormonal and neuronal substances. The altered hormonal and neuronal state of the organism may be sensored specifically by the immune system and results in a modulation of the immune response. In animal models the influence of stress on the immune system has been investigated, applying a variety of stress paradigms. These studies indicate that most of the stress models applied result in a decrease of immune reactivity. '-' In addition, a relationship between the intensity of the stressor (e.g., electric footshock) and the level of the modulation of the immune system has been clearly documented. The controllability of the stressor (avoidable versus unavoidable, escapable versus inescapable) also determines the outcome of the immune response. Visintainer et d6 showed a higher incidence of tumor rejection in rats subjected to a regimen of inescapable footshock compared with rats subjected to escapable footshock. Also, Laudenslager et al.' using a slightly different shock procedure, reported that lymphocyte proliferation
Direct Synthesis of Carbon Nanotube Field Emitters on Metal Substrate for Open-Type X-ray Source in Medical Imaging

We report the design, fabrication and characterization of a carbon nanotube enabled open-type X-ray system for medical imaging. We directly grew the carbon nanotubes used as electron emitter for electron gun on a non-polished raw metallic rectangular-rounded substrate with an area of 0.1377 cm2 through a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. The stable field emission properties with triode electrodes after electrical aging treatment showed an anode emission current of 0.63 mA at a gate field of 7.51 V/μm. The 4.5-inch cubic shape open type X-ray system was developed consisting of an X-ray aperture, a vacuum part, an anode high voltage part, and a field emission electron gun including three electrodes with focusing, gate and cathode electrodes. Using this system, we obtained high-resolution X-ray images accelerated at 42–70 kV voltage by digital switching control between emitter and ground electrode.
Harassment Based on Sex: Protecting Social Status in the Context of Gender Hierarchy

I conceptualize sex-based harassment as behavior that derogates an individual based on sex. I propose that sex-based harassment is fundamentally motivated by the harasser's desire to protect or enhance his or her own sex-based status, a desire that stems from the fact that social status is stratified by a system of gender hierarchy. This theory explains currently identified forms of sexual harassment and predicts others, including nonsexual harassment between women.
Cross country evidence on the linkages between financial development and poverty

This paper presents empirical evidence of a direct relationship between financial development and poverty. The empirical modeling employs an efficient panel data estimation technique called fixed effect vector decomposition (FEVD) which is applied to a poverty determination model designed to explain poverty in term of financial development and financial instability. This technique can efficiently estimate time-invariant and rarely changing variable which traditional panel data models cannot. Using panel data the study finds that on average financial development is conducive for poverty reduction but the instability accompanying financial development is detrimental to the poor. This result holds for both measures of financial development namely the ratio of money to GDP (M3-GDP) and the ratio credit to GDP.
Bacteriological Effects of Dentifrices with and without Active Ingredients of Natural Origin

ABSTRACT Compounds of natural origin are increasingly used as adjuncts to oral hygiene. We have adopted four distinct approaches to assess the antibacterial activity of dentifrices containing natural active ingredients against oral bacteria in several test systems. Corsodyl Daily (CD), Kingfisher Mint (KM), and Parodontax fluoride (PF) were compared to a dentifrice containing fluoride (Colgate Cavity Protection [CCP]) and one containing triclosan (Colgate Total [CT]). The growth inhibitory and bactericidal potency of the formulations were determined for 10 isolated oral bacteria. Effects of single exposures of simulated supragingival plaques were then determined by epifluorescence and confocal microscopy, while the effects of repeated exposures were quantified by viable counting. Additionally, dense plaques, maintained in continuous culture, were repeatedly dosed, and the outcome was assessed by viable counting and eubacterial DNA profiling. The test dentifrices exhibited variable specificity and potency against oral bacteria in axenic culture. Of the herbal formulations, KM caused the largest viability reductions in simulated supragingival plaques, with CT causing the greatest reductions overall. Following single exposures, CD caused moderate reductions, while PF had no effect. After multiple dosing, all formulations significantly reduced numbers of total, facultative, and Gram-negative anaerobes, but only KM and CT caused greater reductions than the fluoride control. KM also reduced counts of streptococci (rank order of effectiveness: CT > KM > CCP > PF > CD). Marked changes in eubacterial DNA profiles were not detected for any herbal formulation in dense plaques, although KM markedly reduced viable counts of streptococci, in agreement with supragingival data. While both nonherbal comparators displayed antibacterial activity, the triclosan-containing formulation caused greater viability reductions than the herbal and nonherbal formulations.
Transistor matching and silicon thickness variation in ETSOI technology

In this work we examine threshold voltage matching as a function of silicon thickness variation in ETSOI (Extremely Thin Silicon On Insulator) transistors. Analysis of silicon thickness data in terms of threshold voltage and direct experimental measurements of matching lead to several specific observations: that mismatch due to silicon thickness variation is not random and is not therefore to be described by the conventional area dependence; that adjacent transistors are very closely matched; that silicon wafer processing can modulate the variation and therefore the matching.
Efficient Discontinuous Phrase-Structure Parsing via the Generalized Maximum Spanning Arborescence

We present a new method for the joint task of tagging and non-projective dependency parsing. We demonstrate its usefulness with an application to discontinuous phrase-structure parsing where decoding lexicalized spines and syntactic derivations is performed jointly. The main contributions of this paper are (1) a reduction from joint tagging and non-projective dependency parsing to the Generalized Maximum Spanning Arborescence problem, and (2) a novel decoding algorithm for this problem through Lagrangian relaxation. We evaluate this model and obtain state-of-the-art results despite strong independence assumptions.
5-Lipoxygenase Interacts with Coactosin-like Protein*

We have recently identified coactosin-like protein (CLP) in a yeast two-hybrid screen using 5-lipoxygenase (5LO) as a bait. In this report, we demonstrate a direct interaction between 5LO and CLP. 5LO associated with CLP, which was expressed as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein, in a dose-dependent manner. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments using epitope-tagged 5LO and CLP proteins transiently expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells revealed the presence of CLP in 5LO immunoprecipitates. In reciprocal experiments, 5LO was detected in CLP immunoprecipitates. Non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and cross-linking experiments showed that 5LO binds CLP in a 1:1 molar stoichiometry in a Ca2+-independent manner. Site-directed mutagenesis suggested an important role for lysine 131 of CLP in mediating 5LO binding. In view of the ability of CLP to bind 5LO and filamentous actin (F-actin), we determined whether CLP could physically link 5LO to actin filaments. However, no F-actin-CLP·5LO ternary complex was observed. In contrast, 5LO appeared to compete with F-actin for the binding of CLP. Moreover, 5LO was found to interfere with actin polymerization. Our results indicate that the 5LO-CLP and CLP-F-actin interactions are mutually exclusive and suggest a modulatory role for 5LO in actin dynamics.
Transport and magnetic properties of FexVSe2 (x = 0–0.33)

We present the results of the effect of Fe intercalation on the structural, transport and magnetic properties of 1T-VSe2. Intercalation of iron suppresses the charge density wave transition at 110 K in 1T-VSe2. And for more than 10% Fe concentration a new kind of first-order transition appears below 160 K in our resistivity results. The transition becomes stronger with a broad hysteresis (80–160 K) for 33% Fe intercalation. The anomalies are absent in the thermopower measurements of polycrystalline FexVSe2 compounds (x = 0–0.33). The susceptibility measurements between 2 and 300 K and the magnetization in a high magnetic field up to 14 T at 2 K are reported. The Fe atoms are in the low-spin ( S = 1/2) state of Fe3+ and the compounds show the absence of any magnetic order at low temperatures.
State Space Parameterization of Stabilizing Multirate Controllers for MIMO Linear Time - Invariant Plants

In this paper, a parameterization of stabilizing multirate controllers which communicate with given plant via a communication channel is proposed. The communications channel does not have any quantizer and the limitation of the communication rate of the channel is model by a projection operator which is defined with the well-known lifting operator. Explicit forms of stabilizing multirate controllers are derived by solving dual periodically weighted model-matching problems with linear periodically time-varying (LPTV) control. The causality constraint of periodic controllers is automatically satisfied without any additional requirement on direct terms of the controllers. A numerical example with 5-periodic control is also provided.