Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Condensed Tannins in Some Tropical Legumes Residue

The objective of this study was to compare condensed tannin (CT) and nutritive values of two edible legumes residue (leaf and stem) i.e. Vigna unguiculata, ‘KVC7’ cultivar (KVC7) and Arachis hypogaea, ‘KKU 60’ cultivar (KKU60) with two tropical legumes i.e. Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT 184 cv. Tha pra (Tha pra stylo) and Centrosema pascuorum cv. Cavalcade (Cavalcade). The Randomized Completely Block Design (RCBD) with four replications was conducted in this study, and data were analyzed by the analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed that condensed tannin (CT) (total CT, soluble CT, and bound CT) and percentage of either soluble CT or bound CT - varied with legume species. The residue of KKU60 had highest total CT (70.5 g/kg DM) and soluble CT (68.9 g/kg DM), while Cavalcade had the lowest total CT (8.4 g/kg DM). All legumes were found to possess 8.4-70.5 g/kg of dry matter (DM) of total CT. The residue of KVC7 cultivar had lowest DM (24.0%) and had relatively lower values in other traits, such as neutral detergent fiber (NDF, 33.5%), acid detergent fiber (ADF, 20.0%), and acid detergent lignin (ADL, 4.2%). The residue of KVC7 had high CP content (14.4%) similar to the residue of KKU60 (15.3%) but higher than Tha pra stylo (11.2%) and Cavalcade (11.5%). KVC7 and KKU60 had lower fiber and higher CP, comparing with Tha pra stylo and Cavalcade. The vegetative parts of KVC7 and KKU60 were recommended to use as feed stuff for the ruminants.
Making a difference: Assessing the impact of the EIB's funding to SMEs

We look at the impact of intermediated funding provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB) on the performance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the 28 member countries of the European Union between 2008 and 2014. We use a combination of propensity score matching and difference-in-differences to evaluate the impact of EIB lending on corporate performance using firm-level data. We find that EIB lending had a positive effect on employment, firm size, investment and innovation capacity, and it also increased firms’ leverage. We also find that the positive impact of EIB funding is higher in the countries of Central and East Europe and also in South Europe, while somewhat smaller, yet still significant, in West and North Europe. All in all, our results indicate that EIB-supported funding made a significant and positive difference to the economic and financial performance of the beneficiary SMEs.
Effect of androgen on bone metabolism in hyperuricemic rats

Introduction This study aimed to investigate the effect of androgen on bone metabolism in hyperuricemic rats. Material and methods Forty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham operation group, simple hyperuricemic group, hyperuricemic castration group, and simple castration group. A rat model of chronic hyperuricemia was established using potassium oxonate and ethambutol. Blood was sampled from the vena angularis at week 0, 4, 6, 8 and 12 after surgery to detect for uric acid, calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase, and investigate the effect of androgen on bone metabolism in hyperuricemic rats. Results From the 4th week, compared with the sham operation group, the differences in uric acid levels between the simple hyperuricemic group and hyperuricemia castration group were statistically significant (p < 0.05), suggesting the successful establishment of the model of hyperuricemia. At the 6th week, uric acid levels decreased in the two hyperuricemic groups, and the difference from the sham operation group decreased (p = 0.05), showing that the modeling method had deteriorated. At the 8th week, the differences in uric acid levels between the two castration groups and sham operation group were statistically significant (p < 0.05). At the 12th week, the differences in serum levels of phosphorus between the simple hyperuricemic group and hyperuricemic castration group were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusions Androgen can induce bone metabolism changes in rats with hyperuricemia.
Sharp Moment-Entropy Inequalities and Capacity Bounds for Symmetric Log-Concave Distributions

We show that the uniform distribution minimizes entropy among all one-dimensional symmetric log-concave distributions with fixed variance, as well as various generalizations of this fact to Rényi entropies of orders less than 1 and with moment constraints involving <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$p$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-th absolute moments with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$p\leq 2$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. As consequences, we give new capacity bounds for additive noise channels with symmetric log-concave noises, as well as for timing channels involving positive signal and noise where the noise has a decreasing log-concave density. In particular, we show that the capacity of an additive noise channel with symmetric, log-concave noise under an average power constraint is at most 0.254 bits per channel use greater than the capacity of an additive Gaussian noise channel with the same noise power. Consequences for reverse entropy power inequalities and connections to the slicing problem in convex geometry are also discussed.
Micro- and macromixing studies in two- and three-phase (gas-solid-liquid) stirred chemical reactors

The iodide/iodate reaction scheme was used to study the effect of gas sparging and/or solid particles on micromixing in a stirred vessel. A literature review illustrated the need for focused work on this matter and gave valuable ideas for the experiments. For this, the experimental method was first validated for using the added gaseous and solid phases air and glass beads, respectively. The experiments covered a range of conditions for micromixing in single-phase, for validation, in gas-liquid, solid-liquid and gas-solid-liquid systems: power inputs up to 1.94 W/kg, gas sparge rates up to 1.5 vvm and up to 11.63 wt. % solids with diameters from 150 to 1125 μm. For comparison, the power inputs from the impeller were kept constant when affected by the added phase(s). In order to allow better quantification of the experimental data, variations of the Incorporation model were evaluated for taking recent suggestions for the reaction scheme into consideration. The second dissociation of sulphuric acid was included in the model and different kinetic rate laws from the literature on the Dushman reaction were implemented. These variations allowed order-of-magnitude estimates and further comparisons of local specific energy dissipation rates.
"Black Female Teachers Are Our School Parents!!": Academic Othermothering Depicted in Multicultural Young Adult Texts.

: This study examines the ways in which fictional Black female teachers enact their academic othermother identity in support of Black adolescent female students’ academic, socioemotional, and cultural needs in urban secondary literacy contexts. Sharon Flake’s The Skin I’m In and Sapphire’s PUSH were the multicultural young adult texts used in this study. Black Feminist Thought (Academic Othermothering) was the theoretical perspective that drove this study. Critical Content Analysis was the analytical tool employed to interpret data. This study found that fictional Black female literacy teachers depicted in multicultural young adult literature texts enact their academic othermother identity by: (1) disrupting the dominance of formal literacy assessments and curricula, (2) incorporating dialogic journal writing in literacy instruction, (3) creating spaces for Black girls to author their lives and re-imagine self, and (4) negotiating multiple identities and external influences. This study provides pedagogical strategies designed to support teachers working with Black girls to infuse an ethic of care in the urban secondary literacy classroom.
A Model for the PTX Properties of H2O-NaCl

In many geologic environments, fluids have compositions that are approximated by the H2O-NaCl system. When minerals grow in the presence of such fluids, some of the solution is trapped in the growing mineral as fluid inclusions. The salinity, temperature of homogenization, and pressure of homogenization are required to predict the trapping conditions of the fluid inclusion. In the laboratory the salinity and the temperature of homogenization of the trapped fluid are easily determined however, the pressure of homogenization cannot be determined directly, and must be calculated from an equation of state. A statistical model that relates the vapor pressure of H2O-NaCl to the fluid temperature and composition has been developed. The model consists of equations that predict the vapor pressure of H2O-NaCl from the eutectic temperature (–21.2oC) to 1500oC and for all compositions between the pure end-members. The model calculates the vapor pressure based on the composition (wt% NaCl) and the temperature of homogenization, which can be directly obtained from laboratory studies of fluid inclusions. This information in turn can be used to construct the isochore, or line of constant volume, along which the fluid inclusion was trapped. Finally the isochore can be used to determine the temperature and pressure at which the host mineral of the fluid inclusion was trapped.
Effect of the process, temperature, light and oxygen on naringin extraction and the evolution of its antioxidant activity

Citrus co-products are rich in flavonones among them naringin. This compound exhibits several biological activities. These properties are mainly due to its antioxidant activity. The purpose of this work was in one hand to compare five technics of extraction conducted under different operating conditions and in the other hand, to analyse the effects of temperature, light and oxygen on naringin degradation and on the evolution of its antioxidant activity. The results obtained showed that the ultrasound assisted extraction leads to the highest naringin content and the thermal degradation of naringin occurs only for higher temperatures above 100 °C. Moreover, the naringin appears to be sensitive to an exposure to visible light (16.5 klux). The effect of the oxygen is less pronounced due to the lack of the enone structure and a hydroxyl group in position 3. The antioxidant activity of naringin is significantly affected by the light and high temperature.
The diet of free-ranging male Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) in the eastern Bering Sea: a retrospective analysis based on stomach contents of an endangered pinniped

This study illuminates historical diet and foraging locations of endangered western U.S. stock Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus (Schreber, 1776)). Prey were identified from stomachs of 22 males collected in the eastern Bering Sea from the ice edge in March 1985 and nearshore St. Paul Island in September–October 1985 and 1986. Percent frequency of occurrence (PFO) and percent number (PN) were highest for walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus Pallas, 1814; PFO 69%, PN 15%, mean length 17 cm), Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1847; PFO 62%, PN 16%, mean length 26 cm), shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius (Linnaeus, 1758); PFO 54%, PN 30%), and Pacific giant octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini (Wülker, 1910); PFO 39%, PN 8%, mean weight 31 kg) in spring, and northern rock sole (Lepidopsetta polyxystra Orr and Matarese, 2000; PFO 78%, PN 47%, mean length 35 cm), Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus Tilesius, 1810; PFO 56%, PN 12%, mean length 62 cm), walleye pollock (PFO 44%, PN 7%, mean length 49 cm), and red Irish lord (Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus (Tilesius, 1811); PFO 11%, PN 9%) in fall. Species of Cryptacanthidae, Liparidae, and Zoarcidae were highly represented and exclusive to spring collections. Predictable seasonal concentrations and movements of mature prey along frontal boundaries of the continental shelf and ice edge may be critical to male Steller sea lion fitness during the non-breeding season.
A 120 mV Supply, Triode-Regulated Femto-Watt CMOS Voltage Reference Design

This brief presents the design and sizing of a femto-watt voltage reference based on the temperature compensation of N-type and P-type standard transistors. A short-channel dimension transistor working in triode region is added between the source and gate terminals of the traditional self-bias structure, which demonstrates efficient low-power and low-voltage operations. The circuit design was carried out in a 180 nm process. Post-layout simulation results verified the proper circuit operation and produced a reference voltage of 65.7 mV. With a minimum supply voltage of 120 mV, the circuit consumes 252 fW at room temperature, has mean and best temperature coefficients (TCs) of 89.81 ppm/°C and 10.61 ppm/°C, respectively, from −40 to 120°C, and presents a power supply rejection ratio (PSRR) of −61 dB.
Impact of Influencers to the Selection of Certain Products and Services

Social networks such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, blog, and/or Twitter are already recognized as welcome starting points for influencers ready to start their business. "Influencer" refers to people with intensive activity on social networks, people with many followers but also candidates willing to pay for their influence and to promote some brands. This paper research goal is to determine to what extent the influencers on social networks affect the customers when selecting certain products and services. Within the theoretical background, it is elaborated as follows: (i) the relationship between "influencers" activities and the business sector, (ii) influencers' domain of affecting the business, (iii) influencers 'mode of doing business, and (iv) the predictions related to "influencers" business model development. The empirical part provides descriptive statistics of the impact-induced within one social network (i.e. Instagram) on the demand for particular products, namely tourist destination. The practical contribution of the paper derives from analysing of one social network "influencing potential" toward a particular market segment, while the academic contribution presents new insights into dynamics between business and influencers as phenomena.
The institutional and political ontology of the firm

The paper begins by specifying that it examines the institutional ontology of the firm, not only that of the corporation. It views firms as structured cooperative endeavors, emergent entities ontologically irreducible to their composing elements that exist by virtue of two distinct kinds of institutions: i) cooperative behavioral norms that emerge from interpersonal interactions between workers and account for horizontal cooperation, and ii) compliance with authority norms, related to the constitutive rules that ground organizational structures and account for vertical, subordinate, cooperation. The argument is that the deontic nature of these two institutions explains both firms’ cohesiveness and efficiency, an argument that radically breaks with agency theory’s denial of authority and individualistic ontology. A theory of the firm qua corporation (regarded as constituted by three parties shareholders, workers and authority structures) as well as appropriate governance forms (industrial democracy, codetermination) are derived from the advanced ontological claims.
Classification of Alcoholic EEG Signals Using a Deep Learning Method

Most of the traditional alcoholism detection methods are developed based on machine learning based methods that cannot extract the deep concealed characteristics of Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals from different layers. Hence, this study aims to introduce a deep leaning-based method that can automatically identify alcoholic EEG signals. It also explores if a hand-crafted feature extraction method is worth applying to deep learning techniques for classification of alcoholism. To investigate this, this paper presents two deep learning-based algorithms for classification of alcoholic EEG signals for comparison. In Algorithm 1, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based feature extraction technique has been applied to extract representative components and then the extracted features are used as input to Artificial neural network (ANN) for classification. In Algorithm 2, the raw EEG data are directly used as inputs to a deep learning method: ‘long short-term memory (LSTM)’ for detection of alcoholism. The proposed algorithms were tested on a publicly available UCI Alcoholic EEG dataset. The experimental results show that the proposed Algorithm 2 could achieve an average classification accuracy of 93% while this accuracy is 86% for the proposed Algorithm 1. The comparative evaluations with the state-of-the-art algorithms indicate that Algorithm 2 also outperforms other competing algorithms in the literature. Thus deep learning algorithm when applied to raw data, can produce better performance than the combination of the hand-crafted feature method and the deep leaning algorithm. Our proposed system can be used to determine the extent of alcoholism-related changes in EEG signals and the effectiveness of therapeutic plans.
Immunoinformatic analysis of glycoprotein from bovine ephemeral fever virus

Background: Bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) is an arthropod-borne virus that is highly infective for cattle and water buffalo. The infection has important economic losses and is common in tropical and subtropical regions. Surface glycoprotein (G protein) of BEFV is an immunogenic transmembrane G protein and responsible for attachment and entrance to host cells. The aim of this study was to determine immune dominant epitopes of the protein through immunoinformatics approaches. Methods: A reference sequence and some other related sequences of the G protein were retrieved. Three-dimensional structure of the protein was modeled and refined. Variation analysis of the protein sequences was done, and signal peptide and transmembrane topology were predicted. Finally, linear and conformational (discontinues) epitopes of the protein were predicted. Consensus linear and conformational epitopes were selected and reported as immunodominant epitopes. Results: Five regions were characterized as hyper variable regions (HVRs). Selected consensus epitopes included amino acids 46–60 (AA46–60), AA67–74, AA132–149, AA156–188, AA196–225, AA260–282, AA315–456, and AA487–503 were selected as consensus epitopes. Conclusion: Four determined epitopes including AA67–74, AA132–149, AA196–225, and AA315–456 were determined for the first time in this study. Other predicted epitopes in the current study, has been previously identified, however, new start and end regions for them were suggested here. The predicted epitopes may be experimentally tested to confirm as novel immunogenic candidates applicable in preventive and diagnostic tasks.
Mobile Banking in An Emerging Economy: Facilitating Factors and Challenges

In recent times, there has been a global surge in mobile-banking (m-banking). Surprisingly, emerging economies have taken a competitive and leading role in this new wave of banking. The continent of Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa is a leading region when it comes to this phenomenon, given the number of mobile device holders that accept to perform m-banking relative to other parts of the world. However, there is a gap between the numbers that initially accept m-banking and those who really use the concept. This paper highlights the factors that are encouraging this practice, and challenges confronting m-banking in an emerging economy (Durban Metro -South Africa), where the study was carried out. A cross-sectional, descriptive, and quantitative approach was adopted to collect data from 150 online m-banking respondents in Durban through the help of an online data agent. WarpPLS 5.0 structural equation modelling software for regression analysis was used to analyse data. The findings of this study showed that perceived quality of m-banking service delivery (β=0.439), followed by perceived trust (β=0.334) and then, social norm (β=0.038) have a positive and significant influence on m-banking generally. Recommendations towards addressing m-banking challenges and ways of improving m-banking applications are provided for practitioners. These could also be adopted in other emerging economies as these countries have common socioeconomic issues. This study was motivated by the number of mobile users who accept to use their devices for m-banking vis-a-vis those who are really using it. Thus, it addresses the questions of (1) What motivate initial m-banking adoption, and (2) what factors contribute towards its continuance usage and discontinuation? Hopefully, this will help banking practitioners to be aware of the facilitating factors and challenges of m-banking.
A Sequence‐Analysis Approach to the Study of the Transition to Adulthood in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries

Abstract This study investigates whether young people in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) have experienced processes of destandardization of the life course similar to those observed in high‐income societies. We provide two contributions to the relevant literature. First, we use data from 263 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) across 69 LMICs, offering the richest comparative account to date of women's transition to adulthood (TTA) patterns in the developing world. In so doing, we adopt sequence analysis and shift the focus from individual life‐course events—namely first sexual intercourse, first union, and first birth—to a visually appealing approach that allows us to describe interrelations among events. By focusing on the analysis of trajectories rather than the occurrence of single events, the study provides an in‐depth focus on the timing of events, time intervals between events, and how experiencing (or not) one event might have consequences for subsequent markers in the TTA in cross‐national comparative perspective. Second, we identify clusters of TTA and explore their changes across cohorts by region and household location of residence (rural vs. urban). We document significant differences by macro‐regions, yet relative stability across cohorts. We interpret the latter as suggestive of cultural specificities that make the TTA resistant to change and slow to converge across regions, if converging at all. Also, we find that much of the difference across cluster typologies ensues from variation related to when the transition begins (early vs. late), rather than from the duration between events, which tends to be uniformly quick across three out of four clusters.
Local augmentation efficiency of Anaphes nitens (Hymenoptera, Mymaridae), the egg parasitoid of Gonipterus platensis (Coleoptera, Curculionidae)

The efficiency of local augmentation releases of the egg parasitoid Anaphes nitens to control the Eucalyptus snout‐beetle Gonipterus platensis was tested in Eucalyptus globulus plantations in Galicia (NW Spain). On May–June 2006, at two localities of Pontevedra province, the release of host egg capsules parasitized by A. nitens at a potential rate of 300 adults/ha was compared with a release density of 900 adults/ha, and a control group of eucalypts not subjected to augmentation. Parasitism rate after 1–2 weeks did not significantly increase over the control plots at both localities. The high release rate did not ensure a higher crop protection and therefore could be not economically justified. On March–April 2017, at four localities of Pontevedra province, the test was replicated by releasing 300 parasitoids/ha. Parasitism level did significantly increase over the control just in one locality. Augmentation of A. nitens at small scale generally failed to achieve a higher protection from the pest, possibly due to the large extension of the E. globulus plantations, the magnitude of the G. platensis population and the fluctuations of the established parasitoid population, whose density is in turn affected by host egg availability and density‐dependent dispersal.