Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Folate contents, nutritional quality and consumer acceptability of yogurt fortified with red beetroot extract

Folate is one of essential vitamin which plays an important role in human life. This vitamin cannot be synthesized by humans and must be obtained externally from foods to prevent folate deficiency. Folic acid, which is chemically synthesized form of folate, is often used for food fortification and supplementation, but higher intake can result into adverse effects such as vitamin B12 deficiency. Therefore, novel methods to increase concentrations of naturally occurring folate in foods have grabbed the interest of researchers. Bio-fortification of B vitamin folic acid in plain yogurt by using red beetroot as a novel strategy to increase “natural” folate levels was explored in this study. Yoghurt samples A (Control), B, C and D were produced at 0%, 5%, 10%, and 20% of milk substitutions with red beetroot powder. Proximate compositions, folate content and sensory analyses were determined to ascertain the quality attributes of the products. Folate content increased significantly (p<0.05) by 84.3, 84.4 and 88.8% with blended red beetroot extract samples at 5, 10 and 20%. The pH of samples containing 20% red beetroot extract significantly (p<0.05) decreased by a factor of 0.86; while titratable acidity was increased by a factor of 2.07 relative to the plain yoghurt. At 20% beetroot extract inclusion level, the protein content of the samples was significantly (p<0.05) increased by 21.25% relative to the control while fat content shows no significant difference. On the other hand, carbohydrate content of the plain yoghurt was significantly (p<0.05) reduced by 33.7 – 44.0% in the presence of red beetroot after the fermentation period. In sensory evaluation, there were no significant change of sensory attributes up to 10% additional with exception of texture. Overall, the study shows that fortification of yoghurt with red beetroot up to 10% enhances folate levels with minor physical and chemical changes. Keywords: Folate, red beetroot, bio-fortification, yoghurt
Effect of alkaline pre-treatment on the anaerobic biodegradability of coffee husk

The present paper deals with the mono-digestion of coffee husk during the operation of batch reactors and semi-continuous stirred tank reactor (S-CSTR) using both pre-treated residual at 3% Ca(OH)2 and without pre-treatment. The semi-continuous operation was carried out in 4 stages at different organic loading rate (OLR, [gVS L-1 d-1]) and hydraulic retention time (HRT, [d]) (OLR:HRT) ratios (0.1:90, 0.2:90, 0.2:45 and 0.2:30). As a result of the pre-treatment, up to 223% of the organic matter solubilisation was obtained. However, pre-treatment did not provide better results in biodegradability, observing a negative trend in methane yield when operating in S-CSTR, due to the accumulation of compounds from the fractionation of the lignin as is the case of polyphenols. The operation was further developed using the residual without pre-treatment. The highest methane yield was obtained at 45:0.2 when using the residual without pre-treatment being with 277 mLCH4 gVS -1, for a methane productivity of 1.1 L L-1 d-1. When implementing the 30:0.2 ratio, a biomass washout was observed in the system, so it is recommended to operate at low OLR and high HRT when treating solid coffee wastes.
Engineering study program compliance evaluation to guidelines for software engineering curriculum

Improvement of engineering study programs in relation to constant changes to company and organization wishes, association guidelines, student demands, university policies, etc. raise various difficulties. Information and communications technology (ICT) industry is developing in a fast pace and requirements for skills and knowledge expected from graduates are constantly changing. The leading ICT Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) joined forces to develop multiple documents that are regularly revised, published and available to public and include guidelines for development of undergraduate level study programs curricula. These documents cover such ICT fields as computing, computer engineering, computer science, cybersecurity, information systems, information technology and software engineering. In this article software engineering undergraduate study program compliance with ACM and IEEE guidelines executed at the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LLU) has been evaluated and compared to similar programs at the University of Ostrava, the University of Malaga and the University of Debrecen. Compliance is evaluated using ACM and IEEE defined knowledge areas that must be included in the curricula, including computing essentials, mathematical and engineering fundamentals, software modelling and analysis, requirements analysis and specification, software design, software verification and validation, software process, software quality and security. The study program knowledge area share compliance with ACM/IEEE guidelines is calculated and association by the Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient is presented. The results show that the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, the University of Debrecen and the University of Ostrava study program design is in compliance with ACM/IEEE guidelines.
Role of Prostaglandins in the Vasodilator Effect of the Aqueous Extract from Artemisia annua Plant in Streptozotocin-induced Diabetic Rats

Aims: One of the most important causes of mortality is vascular complications resulting from diabetes mellitus. Herbal medicines are commonly used for the treatment of cardiovascular conditions in diabetes. Artemisia annua (A. annua) as a medicinal plant has vasculature protective effects in diabetic rats. In the present study, the role of prostaglandins in the vasodilator effect of A. annua aqueous extract in diabetic rats has been studied. Study Design: This animal study was conducted on diabetic rats. Aqueous extract of Artemisia annua was used for diabetic rats. Then, isolated thoracic aortic rings were exposed to indomethacin and after exposure, the contractile responses were measured. Methodology: The studied animals were male Wistar rats (n=36) which were randomly divided into intact, untreated-diabetic, and A. annua aqueous extract treated-diabetic groups. For the induction of diabetes, streptozotocin was intraperitoneally (i.p.) administered (60 mg/kg). A. annua extract-treated group received i.p. 100 mg/kg of extract for one month. After one month, the dose contractile response of isolated aortic rings to phenylephrine (doses of 10-9-10-4 mol/L) in the absence and presence of indomethacin as a prostaglandins inhibitor was determined using isolated tissue setup. Results: Comparison of contractile responses before and after adding indomethacin in treated extract diabetic rats, showed that contractile responses of aorta ring with and without endothelium after adding indomethacin significantly increased at all concentrations of phenylephrine (P<0.05–P<0.0001) while indomethacin in diabetic rats did not effect on contractile response. Conclusions: Since the vasodilator effect of the aqueous extract of A. annua with a concentration of 100 mg/kg of body weight was pronounced even after endothelium removal, it can be claimed that the vasodilator effects of the extract are related to inhibition of prostaglandin generation both indirectly and directly.
Tomato Pomace Alleviated Motor Abnormality, Oxidative Impairments and Neurotoxicity Induced by Lead Acetate in Male Rats

The brain is highly sensitive to lead intoxication. Plant-derived products with antioxidant activity have been useful in reducing lead-induced neurotoxicity. The present study investigated the possible protective effect of tomato pomace powder (TPP) on brain damage induced by lead acetate (LAc) in rats. Thirty rats were divided equally into five groups: control; propylene glycol; TPP (50 mg/kg), LAc (50 mg/kg), and LAc+ TPP. All treatments were administered orally by gavage for 42 days. Rats were euthanized on day 43 of experiment. Behavioural tests, oxidative and blood parameters were done and brain tissue was examined with regard to histological parameters. Results indicated that LAc significantly (p<0.05) induced increased levels of lipid peroxidation and activity of SOD, but reduced GSH level. Similarly LAc caused alteration in the haematological and behavioural parameters, and microscopic anatomy of the cerebellum, dentate gyrus, and Cornu Ammonis3 of rats. These alterations were significantly (p<0.05) reversed by 50 mg/kg co-treatment of TPP with LAc when compared with the LAc group. In conclusion, co-treatment with TPP offered relative protection from LAc-induced neuropathy, motor abnormality and oxidative impairment. Our data suggest that TPP may be useful in the modulation of lead acetate-induced intoxication in rat.
LETTERS. A pressure-induced phase transition in MgSiO3-rich garnet revealed by Raman spectroscopy

Abstract Raman spectra of two synthetic, noncubic garnet samples rich in MgSiO3 component were measured in a diamond-anvil cell to 200 kbar at room temperature. Sample 1 was pure MgSiO3 majorite; sample 2 was a solid solution with 93.4 mol% MgSiO3 and 6.6 mol% Mg3Al2(SiO4)3. Although the X-ray patterns of both samples can be indexed assuming tetragonal symmetry, it cannot be completely ruled out that sample 2 is orthorhombic. High-pressure Raman spectra of sample 1 show a continuous shift of all bands to higher frequency with increasing pressure; there are no indications of phase transitions. Sample 2, however, undergoes a phase transition between 51 and 85 kbar on compression; this phase transition is completely reversible between 54 and 38 kbar on decompression. In the frequency range between 300 and 800 cm-1, several bands that are present in the low-pressure phase disappear or merge in the high-pressure spectra, whereas some of the remaining bands intensify. The high-pressure spectrum of sample 2 is very similar to the room-pressure spectrum of sample 1. The phase transition could possibly be the result of a symmetry change from an orthorhombic to a tetragonal space group.
Employers' Perceived Importance And Use of Skills That Are Specific to Health Educators: A Replication Study in a Rural Setting

This study examined the perceptions of rural community health employers in regard to the importance of specific skills defined as the roles of entry-level health educators. A survey developed by Sondag, Taylor, and Goldsmith (1993) was modified and used to gather information from 16 public, private, and nonprofit health agencies. Additional data concerning who performed these roles within the organization and future plans to hire health educators were also obtained. Results showed that almost all listed skills were perceived to be important to the organization. The most important skill was communicating health and health education needs, followed by assessing needs, planning programs, implementing planned programs, coordinating, acting as a resource person, and evaluating programs, in that order. The majority (50% to 75%) of the health officials reported that the listed skills were performed by someone other than professional health educators. Only 25% of the respondents reported that health educators evaluated programs in their organizations. About 69% of the respondents indicated that they may hire health educators with described skills in the future.
Superspreading on Hydrophobic Substrates: Effect of Glycerol Additive

The spreading of solutions of three trisiloxane surfactants on two hydrophobic substrates, polyethylene and polyvinylidenefluoride, was studied with the addition of 0–40 mass % of glycerol. It was found that all the surfactant solutions spread faster than silicone oil of the same viscosity, confirming the existence of a mechanism which accelerates the spreading of the surfactant solutions. For the non-superspreading surfactant, BT-233, addition of glycerol improved the spreading performance on polyvinylidenefluoride and resulted in a transition from partial to complete wetting on polyethylene. The fastest spreading was observed for BT-233 at a concentration of 2.5 g/L, independent of glycerol content. For the superspreading surfactants, BT-240 and BT-278, the concentration at which the fastest spreading occurs systematically increased with concentration of glycerol on both substrates from 1.25 g/L for solutions in water to 10 g/L for solutions in 40% glycerol/water mixture. Thus, the surfactant equilibration rate (and therefore formation of surface tension gradients) and Marangoni flow are important components of a superspreading mechanism. De-wetting of the solutions containing glycerol, once spread on the substrates, resulted in the formation of circular drop patterns. This is in contrast to the solely aqueous solutions where the spread film shrank due to evaporation, without any visible traces being left behind.
Detection of human enterovirus 71 genotypes in meningoencephalitis in Iran

R PCR has for many years been an important diagnostic tool for infectious diseases. Recently, the development of fully automated systems has generated the possibility for walk-away analyses that give rapid diagnosis, and save personnel resources. Evaluation of the performance and convenience criteria is important to find the most cost-effective solution in the routine setting. Norovirus infection can cause severe diarrhea and vomiting. It is highly contagious and requires Droplet Precautions in hospitals. Atypical pneumonia, especially Legionella pneumophila (Lpn) can cause severe pneumonia and needs specific antimicrobial treatment. Therefore, there is a growing need for rapid, sensitive methods for these pathogens. We evaluated the fully automated BD MAX rapid multiplex PCR assays developed by Diagenode: Enteric Viral Panel and Atypical Pneumonia assay. BD MAX has shorter turn-around-time and hands-on-time than our routine methods. One technician can process 24 specimens in 30 min. Results are ready after approximately 3 hours. For the Atypical Pneumonia assay, the overall concordance was 93.4% (298/319) between Atypical Pneumonia assay and our routine methods (real-time PCR based assays). Nine out of 16 Lpn positive samples (56.3%) was found positive by Atypical Pneumonia assay. The sensitivity for Lpn detection should be optimized before converting to this assay in the routine. For the Enteric Viral Panel, the overall concordance was 71.7% (33/46) between Enteric Viral Panel and our routine method (antigenic based assay). The reason for the low concordance was that the Enteric Viral Panel was more sensitive than our current method.
Facebook usage by students in higher education

In this paper I measure first year student Facebook usage as part of a broader PhD study into the influence of social media usage on the success of students in higher education. A total of 906 students were asked to complete 3 surveys on Facebook usage with their peers, for two consecutive years (2011-2012 and 2012-2013). The different purposes for Facebook usage, in addition to whether or not students used (self-created) Facebook-groups, were measured and the relationship between the use of pages compared to the purpose of Facebook usage. This resulted in significant correlations between the purpose of Facebook usage and the use of different pages, as well as correlations between the purpose and use of different pages. This study hereby explores the variances in student Facebook usage and provides valuable insight into the potential value of Facebook for students in an educational setting, without the interference of teachers. It is also the next logical step in revising existing integration and engagement theories that predict student success in higher education in contemporary society. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.4995/HEAd15.2015. 395
Genomic and transcriptomic investigations into the feed efficiency phenotype of beef cattle

x List of Tables . xii List of Supplementary Tables . xiii List of Figures . xiv List of Supplementary Figures . xv List of Appendices . xvi List of Abbreviations . xvii Chapter 1 . 1
Response of Common Purslane to Dicamba

The effect of 3,6-dichloro-o-anisic acid (dicamba) on common purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) was studied under growth room conditions. Common purslane was quite sensitive to dicamba. The lethal rate depended on the age of the plants and increased with their development. The visual responses included bending of young stems, epinasty of leaves, and inhibition of nyctinasty, followed by necrosis of leaves, defoliation, swelling of stems, and death of the growing tips with loss of apical dominance. Stem elongation was inhibited and fresh weight of tops was markedly reduced by dicamba application to either the roots or foliage. Carboxyl-labeled dicamba-7-14C was absorbed slowly by common purslane leaves. However, translocation appeared rapid, with accumulation of dicamba observed in the young tissues. A small amount of dicamba was exuded through the roots. There was no indication of dicamba degradation in common purslane during 8 days following treatment.
Communities of Helminth Parasites in Sciaenid Fish From the Alvarado Coast, Veracruz, Mexico, Southern Gulf of Mexico

A helminthological examination was performed on 114 specimens of sciaenids that were captured on the Alvarado coast, Veracruz, Mexico, between August 2004 and July 2006. Bairdiella chrysoura (n = 15); Cynoscion arenarius (n = 31); Menticirrhus americanus (n = 16); Menticirrhus littoralis (n = 33) and Umbrina coroides (n = 19). 26 parasites were identified at the species, 12 genus and 5 family levels, as follows: 21 digeneans (14 adults and 7 metacercariae), 9 monogeneans, 7 nematodes (4 adults and 3 larvae), 2 cestodes (larvae), and 4 acanthocephalans (adults). Digeneans and monogeneans were the most abundant. Helminths with the highest prevalence in all five communities were Pseudorhamnocercoides stichospinus and Tetraphyllidae. The species with highest mean intensity were Diplomonorchis leiostomi and Tetraphyllidae, and Hysterothylacium sp. , were registered in the five communities. Significant correlations between the host total length and species richness, U. coroides (r = 0.54), and total length and abundance, M. americanus (r = 0.63), were found. The highest similarity was recorded among communities of M. americanus and M. littoralis. The infracommunities and component communities in species richness and diversity, in all cases, were within ranges observed in most marine fish helminth communities.
What does it Take to Teach Online? Towards a Pedagogy for Online Language Teaching and Learning

Increasingly, fundamental questions are being asked of online language learning: In what ways can online teaching benefit the language learner most? How can online environments be designed, or redesigned, to suit the purposes of language learners? Finally, what does the language teacher need to know to become a successful online tutor? In other words, questions of pedagogy for online language teaching are coming to the fore. They will need to assume even greater—and more sustained—importance, if online language learning is ever going to shed the image of being “second best” to face-to-face teaching and lose the peripheral status which it still seems to have for many researchers (Coleman, 2005).
Identification of Chili Pepper Genotypes (Capsicum spp.) Resistant to Meloidogyne enterolobii

Chili pepper has economic importance and is the dominant Solanaceae in the market of spicy spices. Among the pathogens that affect this crop, Meloidogyne enterolobii is one of the most important because it presents a wide range of hosts and there are no resistance genes identified that are efficient against this species. The present study aimed to evaluate the reaction of chili pepper genotypes (Capsicum spp.) to M. enterolobii in order to identifify genetic resistance. Three experiments were conducted in a completely randomized design under greenhouse conditions: Experiment I, with 53 genotypes with ten replications; Experiment II, with twenty genotypes with ten replications; Experiment III in a 16 × 4 factorial scheme, with sixteen Capsicum spp. genotypes and four inoculum concentrations of M. enterolobii and eight replications. Inoculation was performed seven days after transplanting the Capsicum spp. seedlings into 2L plastic bags filled with sterilized soil and sand (2:1), using 4,000 eggs + J2/plant. Ninety days after inoculation (DAI) (Experiments I and II) and 60 DAI (Experiment III) nematode population density, reproduction factor (RF), fresh root mass, egg mass index (EMI) and gall index (GI) were evaluated. Genotypes with RF < 1.0 were considered resistant according to Oostenbrink (1966). Thirty one genotypes of Capsicum spp. showed resistance to M. enterolobii with RF ranging from 0.87 to 0.08. Seventeen resistant genotypes of C. chinensis presented RF lower than 0.85, ten genotypes of C. annuum had the RF lower than 0.75, three genotypes of C. frutescens had the RF lower than 0.87 and only one genotype of C. baccatum was resistant to M. enterolobii, presenting RF = 0.6. EMI and GI weren’t considered reliable variables to determine resistance and susceptibility. Fourteen genotypes rated as resistant in Experiments I and II were submitted to increasing concentrations of inoculum and, nevertheless, remained resistant.
An Intelligent Vision System for Detecting Defects in Micro-Armatures for Smartphones

Automatic vision inspection technology shows a high potential for quality inspection, and has drawn great interest in micro-armature manufacturing. Given that the inspection process is highly influenced by the lack of real standardization and efficiency performed with the human eye, thus, it is necessary to develop an automatic defect detection process. In this work, an elaborated vision system for the defect inspection of micro-armatures used in smartphones was developed. It consists of two parts, the front-end module and the deep convolution neural networks (DCNNs) module, which are responsible for different areas. The front-end module runs first and the DCNNs module will not run if the output of the front-end module is negative. To verify the application of this system, an apparatus consisting of an objective table, control panel, and a camera connected to a Personal Computer (PC) was used to simulate an industrial position of production. The results indicate that the developed vision system is capable of defect detection of micro-armatures.
Germination and Herbicide Susceptibility of Six Pigweed Species

The germination and growth of six pigweeds (Amaranthus spp.) were studied in the germinator and greenhouse. Treatments with sulfuric acid, acetone, sodium hypochlorate, and potassium nitrate variously influenced species germination. Seedlings emerged more rapidly at 100 F than at other soil temperatures. Variation in seedling characteristics was noted. Some species were more susceptible to 4-(methylsulfonyl)-2,6-dinitro-N,N-dipropylaniline (nitralin) and 2,4-bis (isopropylamino)-6-(methylthio)-s-triazine (prometryne) than others in the greenhouse. In the field little variation in susceptibility to several preplant and preemergence herbicides was found; but there were differences when postemergence herbicides were used.