Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimising mopane worm (Gonimbrasia belina) processing for improved nutritional and microbial quality

Mopane worms (Gonimbrasia belina) is an important source of food and contribute to the nutrition of people who consume them. However, the traditional processing methods may have detrimental effects on the nutritional value and should also guarantee microbial quality. In this study, the nutritional composition and microbial quality of mopane worms processed under different boiling time (0-20 min) and drying temperature (40-60 °C) conditions were investigated and optimised using response surface methodology. An increase in the boiling time at the lowest drying temperature resulted in an increase in protein content and reduction in coliform counts. The optimum conditions of boiling for 20 min and drying at 40 °C resulted in mopane worms with a protein content of 49.4% DW and coliform counts <1.5 log cfu/g. In addition, high concentrations of crude fibre (13.6% DW) and fat (20.2% DW), as well as Fe (19.0 mg/100 g) and Zn (17.9 mg/100 g) were also recorded. A decrease in the total bacterial count, Escherichia coli and yeasts and moulds at the boiling time ≥20 min irrespective of the drying temperature suggested that exposure to heat reduced the microbial growth and contamination. Reduction of the mopane worms’ moisture content (<7%) due to drying further slowed down the rate of microbial growth. The optimal processing conditions (boiling for 20 min and drying at 40 °C) are recommended for pretreatment of mopane worms prior to further processing into various products.
Odontostomatological Traits in North-Eastern Italy’s Isolated Populations: An Epidemiological Cross-Sectional Study

Malocclusions and temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) are oral health problems that are spread worldwide. To date, few studies focused on their prevalence and associated risk factors are available. This study aims to define the prevalence and distribution of odontostomatological traits and evaluate specific risk factors in isolated villages in north-eastern Italy, taking advantage of their environmental homogeneity. Nine hundred and forty-four participants aged six to eighty-nine years were enrolled. Thirty-one odontostomatological phenotypes, classified into five domains (airways, bad habits, extraoral and intraoral parameters, TMDs, and teeth), were evaluated. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed; mixed logistic models were used to test the relationships among the traits. According to the study’s findings, Angle’s class I was prevalent (65.3%) followed by class II malocclusion (24.3%); class III and reversed overjet were the least frequent malocclusions (10.4% and 1.8%, respectively). Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) click/noise was prevalent among TMDs (34.7%). The statistically significant (p-value < 0.05) risk factors were ankyloglossia for phonetic issues (OR 1.90) and bruxism for TMJ click/noise (OR 1.70) and pain (OR 2.20). Overall, this work provides a picture of the prevalence of malocclusions and TMDs in a large Italian sample and reveals risk factors to take into account in the development of preventive strategies and treatments.
Turbulent Drag Reduction by Surface Plasma Through Spanwise Flow Oscillation

An experimental study has been undertaken to reduce skin-friction drag by applying a spanwise oscillation in the near-wall region of a turbulent boundary layer using RF glowdischarge surface plasma. Measurements were taken using hot-wire anemometry at Reτ = 380. The oscillatory plasma forcing was created using two opposing sets of asymmetric plasma actuators. By alternately activating the electrodes, skin-friction drag was reduced by up to 45% in the downstream of the actuators. The plasma action creates a tangential force very close to the wall surface, which creates alternating, co-rotating streamwise vortices in the inner region of the boundary layer. A 40% reduction in mean streamwise velocity and a 30% reduction in turbulent intensity were observed for y < 30. This was accompanied by over 50% reduction in sweep duration and a 30% reduction in sweep intensity. It is suggested that in addition to the spanwise oscillation drag reduction mechanism, the plasmainduced streamwise vortices may be interacting with the naturally occurring quasistreamwise vortices, thus disrupting the turbulence production cycle and leading to weakened near wall events.
The Metallicity of Low-Redshift Lyα Forest Clouds

Using archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Faint Object Spectrograph spectra of 15 quasars, we measure an average metallicity for Lyα forest absorption clouds between redshifts of 0.3 and 0.8. A composite spectrum of all Lyα systems shows an average rest equivalent width of ∼0.06 Å for C IV λ1548. 20. This is a factor of 10 larger than the value found by Lu at redshifts between 1.7–3.0 using spectra with comparable resolution. Our results show that [C/H] ∼ -1.6 ± 0.1 at z ∼ 0.5 if C+3 is the dominant form of carbon and line clustering and extremely narrow or wide lines do not significantly affect our column density estimates. Allowing for these effects, we find [C/H] ≳ -1.9. If line clustering is comparable in the low- and high-redshift forest, we estimate [C/H] ≳ -1.3. Our derived [C/H] is an order of magnitude larger than values derived at z ∼ 2.4. It is unlikely that this difference is solely the result of ionization or line-clustering differences. We conclude that the average metallicity has increased either because of a new population of Lyα absorbers at low redshift and/or because of star formation directly or indirectly enhancing the metals in the Lyα clouds. Using 97 Lyα lines with rest equivalent widths greater 0.32 Å, we confirm the results of previous surveys that show that the number density of absorbers at z < 0.8 is larger than predicted by a extrapolation from data at z > 1.6.
Do Experiences of Success and Failure Influence Beliefs about Inequality? Evidence from Selective University Admission

Previous research suggests that beliefs about inequality are often biased in ways that serve people’s own interests. By contrast, people might uphold system-justifying beliefs, such as meritocratic beliefs. We test these assumptions against real-life experience of highly selective university admission. Using panel data on German medical school applicants allows us to measure belief changes through experiences of success or failure in admission. We find support that self-serving bias in beliefs outweighs the motivation for system justification: success strengthens the belief that admission depends on effort, while failure reinforces the belief that admission depends on luck. These patterns partly manifest themselves in beliefs about societal inequality. Additionally, we argue that previous experiences (long-term experiences of social upbringing and short-term experiences in university admissions) provide a frame for new experiences, examine respective effect heterogeneity, and discuss implications of our findings of diverging paths in inequality beliefs of winners and losers for the persistence of inequality.
The equation $x^{2n}+y^{2n}=z^5$

Nous montrons que l'equation diophantienne ci-dessus n'admet pas de solutions entieres x, y, z, telles que (x, y) = (y, z) = (x,z) = 1 et xyz # 0. La demonstration utilise les courbes de Frey et des resultats lies a la modularite des representations galoisiennes.
The Effect of Training and Incentives on Employee Performance Through Work Productivity at the Public Health Center in Bissapu Sub-district Bantaeng Regency

This study aims to determine and analyze training and incentives on employee performance through work productivity at the Public Health Centre (PHC or PHC) in Bissapu Sub-district, Bantaeng Regency. This research was conducted at the PHC in Bissapu Sub-district, Bissappu Health Center and Campagaloe Health Center. This research design is a survey with a quantitative approach. The population in this study were all employees, State Civil Apparatus (ASN) and Non-ASN at the PHC in Bissapu Sub-district, Bantaeng Regency, with 115 employees. The sampling technique is total sampling by involving all members of the population as a sample. Data were collected through observation, interviews, questionnaires
Serum Levels of Myonectin Are Lower in Adults with Metabolic Syndrome and Are Negatively Correlated with Android Fat Mass

Myonectin has shown beneficial effects on lipid regulation in murine models; therefore, it may have implications in the pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome (MS). We evaluated the relationship between serum myonectin and serum lipids, global and regional fat mass, intramuscular lipid content, and insulin resistance (IR) in adults with metabolic risk factors. This was a cross-sectional study in sedentary adults who were diagnosed with MS or without MS (NMS). Serum myonectin was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, lipid profile by conventional techniques, and free fatty acids (FFA) by gas chromatography. Body composition was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and intramuscular lipid content through proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the right vastus lateralis muscle. IR was estimated with the homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR). The MS (n = 61) and NMS (n = 29) groups were comparable in age (median (interquartile range): 51.0 (46.0–56.0) vs. 53.0 (45.5–57.5) years, p > 0.05) and sex (70.5% men vs. 72.4% women). MS subjects had lower serum levels of myonectin than NMS subjects (1.08 (0.87–1.35) vs. 1.09 (0.93–4.05) ng·mL−1, p < 0.05). Multiple linear regression models adjusted for age, sex, fat mass index and lean mass index showed that serum myonectin was negatively correlated with the android/gynoid fat mass ratio (R2 = 0.48, p < 0.01), but not with the lipid profile, FFA, intramuscular lipid content or HOMA-IR. In conclusion, serum myonectin is lower in subjects with MS. Myonectin negatively correlates with a component relevant to the pathophysiology of MS, such as the android/gynoid fat mass ratio, but not with other components such as FFA, intramuscular fat or IR.
Categorical Evaluation of Alternative Index Weighting Schemes

The direction of this study is not to derive a conclusion on the superiority of single strategies from a pure risk-return perspective, but rather provide a guideline on a more accurate and representative categorisation on index weighting schemes. We start of by defining three categories of index construction methods and, thereon, allocate 16 alternative index weighting schemes. Empirical evidence confirms commonalities amongst peers in terms of the distributions of returns, portfolio concentration, a range of risk metrics and a return attribution analysis according to traditional and newly introduced industry-based risk factors. Furthermore, we consider static and dynamic norm constraints to shift sampling approaches closer to the pre-defined benchmark, whilst determining the impact of a substitution from the classical value-weight point of reference to an equally-weighted benchmark portfolio.
Occurrence of High-Risk Clonal Lineages ST58, ST69, ST224, and ST410 among Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli Isolated from Healthy Free-Range Chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) in a Rural Region in Tunisia

Antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli isolates have emerged in various ecologic compartments and evolved to spread globally. We sought to (1.) investigate the occurrence of ESBL-producing E. coli (ESBL-Ec) in feces from free-range chickens in a rural region and (2.) characterize the genetic background of antimicrobial resistance and the genetic relatedness of collected isolates. Ninety-five feces swabs from free-range chickens associated with two households (House 1/House 2) in a rural region in northern Tunisia were collected. Samples were screened to recover ESBL-Ec, and collected isolates were characterized for phenotype/genotype of antimicrobial resistance, integrons, and molecular typing (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST)). Overall, 47 ESBL-Ec were identified, with the following genes detected: 35 blaCTX-M-1, 5 blaCTX-M-55, 5 blaCTX-M-15, 1 blaSHV-2, and 1 blaSHV-12. Resistance to fluoroquinolones, tetracycline, sulfonamides, and colistin was encoded by aac(6′)-Ib-cr (n = 21), qnrB (n = 1), and qnrS (n = 2); tetA (n = 17)/tetB (n = 26); sul1 (n = 29)/sul2 (n = 18); and mcr-2 (n = 2) genes, respectively. PFGE and MLST identified genetic homogeneity of isolates in House 1; however, isolates from House 2 were heterogeneous. Notably, among nine identified sequence types, ST58, ST69, ST224, and ST410 belong to pandemic high-risk clonal lineages associated with extrapathogenic E. coli. Minor clones belonging to ST410 and ST471 were shared by chickens from both households. The virulence genes fyuA, fimH, papGIII, and iutA were detected in 35, 47, 17, and 23 isolates, respectively. Findings indicate a high occurrence of ESBL-Ec in free-range chickens and highlight the occurrence of pandemic zoonotic clones.
Weed Species Composition in Paddy Field of Usur Town, Bade Local Government, Yobe State, Nigeria

Farmers are eager to know the various types of weeds in paddy fields. This will help in choosing the best weed management practice for effective weed control as well as reducing rice yield losses. The objectives of the study are to identify the weeds species affecting the rice field, to assess the composition of weeds species, to classify the weed species into different families, genera, species, common names, Hausa names, lifecycles, life forms, native/exotic species, propagation and uses, and to determine the dominant weed species. Random vegetation surveys were conducted. Weeds observed were photographed, and prepared as herbarium specimens. Standard key manuals and checklists were utilized for weed identification and later organized using the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) classification system. A total number of 72 plants species distributed within 16 families and 50 genera were inventoried. The annuals (66.67%) were the dominant weed followed by perennials (33.33%) while biennials were the least. The broad leaves were the dominant weed (44.61%) identified followed by Poaceae (27.7%) and Sedges (11.11%). Results obtained from this study could be useful in choosing the best management practice and in making a decision on the choice of herbicides and directing research towards improved weed control measures.
Meshless solution of laminar flow in a 2D backward-facing step

A meshless procedure for 2D incompressible laminar flows is presented. The velocity-pressure coupling is done with the flow equations in their original form and no approximations or simplifications are done in the boundary conditions. Additionally, all needed interpolations are done with the effective Radial-Based Functions (RBF). The method is tested with the 2D backward-facing step and this new procedure predicts correctly the transition stage, in which the reattachment decreases and stabilizes as the flow enters in the turbulent regime.
Description length guided nonlinear unified Granger causality analysis

Abstract Most Granger causality analysis (GCA) methods still remain a two-stage scheme guided by different mathematical theories; both can actually be viewed as the same generalized model selection issues. Adhering to Occam’s razor, we present a unified GCA (uGCA) based on the minimum description length principle. In this research, considering the common existence of nonlinearity in functional brain networks, we incorporated the nonlinear modeling procedure into the proposed uGCA method, in which an approximate representation of Taylor’s expansion was adopted. Through synthetic data experiments, we revealed that nonlinear uGCA was obviously superior to its linear representation and the conventional GCA. Meanwhile, the nonlinear characteristics of high-order terms and cross-terms would be successively drowned out as noise levels increased. Then, in real fMRI data involving mental arithmetic tasks, we further illustrated that these nonlinear characteristics in fMRI data may indeed be drowned out at a high noise level, and hence a linear causal analysis procedure may be sufficient. Next, involving autism spectrum disorder patients data, compared with conventional GCA, the network property of causal connections obtained by uGCA methods appeared to be more consistent with clinical symptoms.
Photoassociation spectroscopy of Ca 40 measured with kilohertz accuracy near the 3 P 1 + 1 S 0 asymptote and its Zeeman effect

We report on measurements of narrow photoassociation lines of $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}$ near the ${}^{3}{P}_{1}$ + ${}^{1}{S}_{0}$ asymptote related to the molecular states ${}^{3}{\ensuremath{\Pi}}_{u}$ and ${}^{3}{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}_{u}^{+}$ at about 1 $\ensuremath{\mu}$K. From the measured binding energies an accurate description of the long-range interaction potentials was obtained; it was found to be crucial to also include the precisely measured molecular Zeeman splittings. Our analysis is a first step towards application of optical Feshbach resonances in $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}$ to modify the scattering length significantly with small losses.
The Role of Supply Chain Agility in Mediating the Effect of Knowledge Sharing Innovation and Absorptive Capacity on Competitive Advantage

This study investigates the role of supply chain agility in mediating the relationship between knowledge sharing, innovation capability, and absorptive capacity for competitive advantage. This research used structural equation modeling (SEM) methods to analyze the data. This study employs SmartPLS for data processing. Data were collected by distributing the questionnaire to respondents who met the requirements that the researcher had determined. The samples in this study were 200 coffee shops with more than 500 Instagram followers, while the research respondents were owners, managers, and supervisors who managed the coffee shop. The findings revealed that absorptive ability significantly and favorably impacted supply chain agility and competitive advantage. Supply chain agility had a positive and significant impact on competitive advantage. Absorptive capacity and competitive advantage were mediated by supply chain agility in a positive and significant way. On the other hand, there is no effect of knowledge sharing on competitive advantage or supply chain agility. Supply chain agility cannot mediate the relationship between knowledge sharing and competitive advantage. Likewise, innovation capability does not affect competitive advantage, and supply chain agility and supply chain agility cannot mediate the relationship between innovation capability and competitive advantage.
Residents of Mountainous Areas Have a Higher Low Back Pain Prevalence Than Flat Areas of Chongqing, China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Purpose Epidemiological studies on low back pain in residents living in mountainous areas are scarce. The study was aimed at investigating the prevalence and associated factors of low back pain in Chongqing, relatively impoverished mountainous areas of China. Materials and Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted at selected community or village health service centers in Chongqing over a 2-month period (May 2021 to June 2021), which included adults of Chongqing aged >18 years with or without low back pain (N=1820) chosen by stratified, cluster-sampling. Associated factors of low back pain including sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, and occupational features were collected, along with medical history, Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (ODI), and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) of patients with low back pain, and carried out for at least 20 minutes per respondent. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were utilized for statistical analysis. Results Overall, 30.5% of 1704 respondents presented with low back pain, with 26.3% living in flat areas and 35.6% in mountainous areas. The associated factors of low back pain were mountainous area residence (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1–1.8), advanced age (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3–2.5 for those aged 45–59 years, OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.6–3.4 for those aged 60–74 years, and OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2–3.6 for those aged ≥75 years), married or remarried (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.1–3.2), divorced or widowed (OR 2.7, 95% CI 14–5.4), moderate labor intensity (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1–1.8), frequent stoop (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1–2.4), and depressed mood (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2–2.1). Residents in the mountainous areas had a higher score on Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (8.3 [SD 6.3] vs 6.2 [SD 4.3]) than those in flat areas. Conclusion Mountainous areas in Chongqing had higher prevalence of low back pain as 35.6%, compared with 26.3% in flat areas, with more severe dysfunction in low back pain patients. Multifactorial analysis found that the factors associated with low back pain in Chongqing residents included mountain residence, labor intensity, stoop, psychological factors and frequency of exercise.
Anemia and COVID-19

Objectives: Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is an infective-inflammatory disease that mainly affects the lungs. Hematological symptoms such as thrombocytopenia, decreased eosinophil and lymphocyte counts are quite common and are of prognostic importance. Although it is known that the presence of anemia generally increases the severity of respiratory diseases, there is little data on the prevalence and importance of anemia in COVID-19. In this study, our aim is to evaluate the clinical features of patients with anemia in COVID-19 infection and to investigate the relationship between the presence of anemia and the prognosis of the disease. Methods: This retrospective, observational study included 353 patients who presented to our pandemic reference hospital between 15.04. 2020 and 15.05. 2020 and were diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and typical clinical symptoms. Results: Our study included 167 female and 186 male patients. The mean age was 54.54 ± 18.28 years (range 19-99). One hundred forty-eight (41.93%) patients had anemia. In patients with anemia, age was higher than others (p < 0.001). The percentage of women was significantly higher in the anemia group (p < 0.001). Comorbidities were observed more in the anemia group. The percentages of intensive care stay (p = 0.003) and mortality (p = 0.001) were significantly higher in the anemia group compared to the group without anemia. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the important risk factors of death. We found patients with high age (p = 0.001), high red cell distribution width-coefficient of variation (RDW-CV) levels (p = 0.009), high D-dimer levels (p = 0.012) and high ferritin levels (p < 0.001) have higher risk of death. Anemia was found to be non-significant. Conclusions: Anemia is frequently observed in patients with severe COVID-19 disease and low hemoglobin values at presentation are thought to be associated with a worse prognosis. Being more sensitive to the hemoglobin levels of COVID-19 patients is important for early recognition of the high-risk patient group and for successful patient management. However, in our study, the presence of anemia was found to be effective in mortality in univariate analysis, but not in multivariate analysis. According to the multivariate analysis of this study, advanced age, high D-dimer, high ferritin and RDW-CV determine death.