Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nocturnal Behaviour of Three Zoo Elephants (Loxodonta Africana)

Few studies have investigated the behaviour of zoo elephants and how their personality is expressed when exposed to different stimuli e.g. a higher number of visitors. Observing the nocturnal behaviour is especially important, because it reveals information about the welfare of the elephants when they are not normally observed. The nocturnal behaviour of three female African elephants (Loxodonta africana) in Aalborg Zoo, Denmark, was studied to create activity budgets and to evaluate if 1) a period with a 4.8 times increase in visitors affected the nocturnal behaviour; and 2) the three elephants exhibited differences in personality. Behavioural data were collected for six nights between 20:00-06:00, and all-occurrence sampling was used to record all types of behaviour. The average of the three elephants showed that the most common behaviours observed during the night was feeding (43±6%) followed by lying (28±5%) and inactive behaviour (16±5%). The elephants laid down an average of 2.4-3.1 hours per night starting at 20:00, and they never laid down before 22:00. No clear pattern of behavioural changes of the elephants was found when there was an increased number of visitors in the zoo. When comparing the intervals of time, the individuals spent on a certain behaviour, and thereby comparing the individuals, several significant differences were found between the medians and interquartile range (IQR). Significant differences were also found in the slopes of the medians, IQR, skewness, and kurtosis for the distribution of the time intervals of the behaviours between the period with lower number of visitors and the period with a higher number of visitors. In an overall perspective, the results indicated that the elephants displayed distinct personalities.
The Effect of Diflufenican and Its Mixture with S-metolachlor and Metribuzin on Nitrogenase and Microbial Activity of Soil under Yellow Lupine (Lupinus luteus L.)

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of the active substance of diflufenican and its combination with s-metolachlor or metribuzin, applied to yellow lupine, on the nitrogenase activity, the population size of selected groups of microorganisms, the activity of soil enzymes and their sensitivity to the tested preparations. All analysed preparations caused a reduction in the total number of bacteria and the number of actinobacteria and oligotrophic bacteria at the beginning of the vegetation period of yellow lupine. In the combination where diflufenican was used separately a stimulatory effect on nitrogenase activity was observed. The research revealed very high sensitivity of dehydrogenases and acid phosphatase to the soil contamination caused by application of all the tested herbicides. The dehydrogenases activity values were closely correlated with reduced populations of the groups of microorganisms. Diflufenican applied separately caused a relatively small negative effect on biological soil properties and consequently could have a smaller negative effect on soil environment contamination in comparison to other variants.
Impacts of vermicomposting rates on growth, yield and qualities of red seedless watermelon

A study was conducted at the teaching and research farm of the Faculty of Bioresources and Food Industry at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA) with an objective of determining the best rates for vermicompost application on red seedless watermelon var. Crimson sweet. In this research, watermelon crimson red flesh seedless variety was used as planting materials and different application rates of vermicompost were the major factor of the experiment. The research was a potted layout experiment in a completely randomized design (CRD). Sixteen (16) pots were randomly arranged in a nursery and 10 kg of BRIS soil was added into each pot until 10 cm of soil furrow slice was achieved. Application of vermicompost at the rates of 5, 10, 15, 20 t ha -1 and untreated control were applied, with four replications each, single plant was taken as an experimental unit from each replicate. Vermicompost treatment at the rate of 15 t ha -1 increased stomatal conductance, transpiration rate and the least days required to 50% flowering was significantly different compared with other treatments and control. The vermicompost application at the rate of 20 t ha -1 positively influences leaf area, net photosynthetic rate, internal carbon dioxide, number of flowers and fruits weight of watermelon. This findings also revealed that quality properties of watermelon like rind thickeness, TSS, pH, anthocyanin, juice and ash contents were improved with the application rate of 20 t ha -1 . Vermicompost application rate of 15-20 t ha -1 is recommended for watermelon production.
Effect of Pelvic Floor Exercises on Urinary Incontinence Related To Menstrual Cycle and Quality of Life

Background-Urinary continence is the ability of the urinary bladder to hold the urine. In situations where this ability is lost, there can be a reflexive or involuntary loss of urine, which is termed as urinary incontinence. Incontinence is a social and hygienic problem and is demonstrable objectively Though it is not a threat to life, it could possibly affect the person’s quality of life, and may restrict social activity. Method- 30 nulliparous females having symptoms of urinary incontinence were screened using Questionnaire for Urinary Incontinence Diagnosis and Kings Health Questionnaire. Consent was obtained from them. They were given pelvic floor exercises 3 times a week for one month period. Second screening was done after completion of one month. Conclusion – Pelvic floor exercises have a significant effect in reducing the severity of urinary incontinence related to menstrual cycle in nulliparous females of 18-25 years. They are more effective on stress urinary incontinence component than urge. Pelvic floor exercises have also been effective in improving the quality of life of the females of 18-25 years of age.
DNA methylation and breast cancer risk factors: insights from twin and family studies

i DECLARATION . iii PREFACE . iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . ix TABLE OF CONTENTS . x LIST OF TABLES . xiv LIST OF FIGURES . xvi Background and research aims . 1 1.1 Background . 1 1.1.1 Epigenetics . 1 1.1.2 DNA methylation . 2 1.1. 3 Methods for genome-wide DNA methylation profiling . 3 1.1. 4 Epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) . 5 1.1. 5 Values of twin and family studies in DNA methylation research . 6 1.1. 6 Influences of unmeasured genetic and environmental factors on variation in DNA methylation . 10 1.1. 7 DNA methylation and breast cancer . 13 1.1. 8 DNA methylation and breast cancer risk factors . 18 1.1. 9 Causal inference methods applied to epigenetic associations . 24 1.2 Research questions and aims . 28
An efficient in vitro shoot regeneration protocol from embryo explants of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important grain legume in the world. Development of reliable tissue culture protocols is very important for genetic transformation studies. Direct shoot bud differentiation and multiple shoot induction from embryonal axes explants of chickpea varieties with combination of growth regulators in NBeG-3 and NBeG-72 was tried at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Nandyal in 2015-16. Explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium augmented with different concentrations of Benzyl amino purine (BAP), Napthalene acetic acid (NAA), Kinetin and Indole acetic acid (IAA). The frequency of shoot bud regeneration was influenced by the preconditioning of explants with 6mg/l BAP and 0.5mg/l thidiazuron (TDZ) for 10 days resulted in enhanced frequency of multiple shoots. Among the various concentrations tested, 4.0 mg/l BAP and 2.0 mg/l Napthalene acetic acid (NAA) were found to be the best for maximum shoot bud differentiation. Elongation of multiple shoots were obtained in MS medium with the concentration 0.5 mg/l gibberillic acid (GA3). Among the tested varieties there was a variation in regeneration ability with fastest shoot bud initiation (18.5 days), and highest number of shoots per explant (5.3) and highest shoot length (3.5 cm) in NBeG 3.
Potential of Leaves of Eighteen Cultivars of Ficus carica as Antioxidants and Profiling of Phenolic Compounds as an Active Molecules

Ficus carica is a worldwide important crop. Its different parts such as leaves, stem barks, fruit and roots are used in traditional medicine from ancient age to treat the various diseases. In this research, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, yield of extract and profiling of phenolic compounds of maturated leaves of different cultivars of F. carica were investigated by using two different extraction processes: ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and maceration. The total phenolic content (TPC) was calculated by using Folin-Ciocalteu assay, while DPPH and ABTS assays were used for analysed the antioxidant capacity. Additionally, liquid chromatography (LC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) was used to study the individual phenolic compounds present in leaves. Using DPPH assay, the percentages of inhibition and Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity were found to vary from 66.19 ± 1.01 to 87.06 ± 0.93 % and 53.67 ± 0.81 to 70.25 ± 0.74 mg TE/g DL, respectively, for extracts obtained by maceration. In the case of ultrasonication extraction, these values ranged from 72.84 ± 1.26 to 92.04 ± 1.24 % and 60.73 ± 0.92 to 74.19 ± 0.99 mg TE/g dry leaves (DL). While ABTS assay the latter parameters were found to vary from 96.61 ± 0.22 to 99.33 ± 0.23 % and 56.81 ± 0.12 to 58.32 ± 0.13 mg TE/g DL for maceration, as well as from 97.82 ± 0.23 to 99.79 ± 0.13 % and 57.48 ± 0.13 to 58.57 ± 0.07 mg TE/g DL for ultrasonication extraction. The total phenolic contents varied between 10.70 ± 0.20 to 21.18 ± 0.68 mg GAE/g DL, and 12.94 ± 0.23 to 23.04 ± 0.30 mg GAE/g DL, respectively for the latter extraction processes. The percentages of yields varied from 7.20 ± 0.20% to 13.05 ± 0.23% and 8.25 ± 0.25% to 15.20 ± 0.20 %, respectively, for maceration and ultrasonication extraction. In conclusion, extracts from leaves of F. carica obtained by UAE process showed the highest antioxidant activity, phenolic contents and extraction yields as compared to maceration process. In comparison amongst the leaves, the ‘Violette solise’ cultivar showed the highest antioxidant activity and contain highest phenolic contents. Finally, the extract of this cultivar contained phenolic acids (dihydroxybenzoic acid di-pentoside, caffeic acid, caffeoylmalic acid, coumaroylmalic acid, ferulic acid malate, and psoralic acid glucoside), C-glycosides flavones, rutin and prenylgenistein.
Seroprevalence of Viral Hepatitis (B and/or C) Among Health Care Workers (HCWs) in Federal Medical Center Jalingo

Health care workers are at risk population to viral hepatitis infection due to constant exposure to the source of infectious agent. This study aimed to determine the statuses of hepatitis B and C viral infections as both single and/or co-infection among HCWs in a bid to determine the level of endemicity of both viral infections for the study group as well as add to the burden of knowledge available for viral hepatitis. The population of the study included HCWs at Federal Medical Center, Jalingo. The sample size was calculated using Cochran’s formula for determining sample size. Ethical clearance was obtained from the hospital management. Demographic data as well as blood samples were collected between December 2018- May 2019 from patients who met the inclusion criteria and willingly agreed to participate. Viral hepatitis tests were carried out using rapid diagnostic kits as described by the manufacture. Data collected were entered into Microsoft Excel 2016 and moved to statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 25 and R for analysis. Out of the 160 participants, 5.60% and 10.60% were found to be positive for HBV and HCV respectively. Only 0.6% of the entire population were found to be co-infected with both HBV and HCV. Participants within the age bracket of 18-34 were found to have the highest prevalence of both the viruses. Male participants had the highest prevalence for HCV as the female had the highest for HBV. The findings of this study confirms that HCWs are at risk population to viral hepatitis infection with intermediate and high prevalence being reported for HBV and HCV positivity respectively, though several other factors including vaccination, knowledge, attitude and practices towards the viral infection by the participants might have played pivotal role in the endemicity.
Weight status of children aged 2-5 years old, attending a paediatric outpatient clinic and its association with parental feeding style and parental perceptions of weight status

Recommended Citation Lee, Aisling; Callaghan, Helen; Gallagher, Dara Dr; Lalor, Annette; Rattigan, Louise; Greaney, Hilary; and Keaver, Laura (2020) "Weight status of children aged 2-5 years old, attending a paediatric outpatient clinic and its association with parental feeding style and parental perceptions of weight status," Sure-J: Science Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 1. Available at: https://arrow.tudublin. ie/sure_j/vol2/iss1/1
Prevalence of Bovine trypanosomosis in Lafia Abattoir, Lafia

Trypanosome prevalence in cattle was estimated in May, 2016 in Lafia abattoir, Nasarawa State of Nigeria. The study was subsequent to reports of Trypanosomosis outbreaks, which had resulted in deaths of cattle that led to yearly migration of seminomadic Fulanis out of the area, especially during the rainy season. Blood samples randomly from 150 cattle were examined for presence of trypanosomes using the buffy coat technique and Giemsa thin blood smears. The common breeds identified were the White Fulani and Sokoto Gudali. The White Fulani had higher infection status (55.81%) than the Gudali (38.09%). Cattle one to two years old had a significant (P<0.05) infection rate of 59 high compared to cattle above two years 15 and to 6 obtained in animals less than one year old. The infections were mainly due to T. vivax, T. congolense and T. brucei. Infections were higher among the females than the males but not statistically significant (P > 0.05). From this study, it is clear that trypanosomosis is still a major obstacle to livestock production in Lafia and its environs and that the incidence rate is similar in young and adult animals. The diagnosis of trypanosomosis in tsetse or domestic livestock is a basic requirement for epidemiological studies as well as for planning and implementing control operations. Keyword: Bovine, Trypanosomosis, Lafia abattoir. Introduction Africa trypanosomosis is responsible for 3 million livestock death and 55,000 people death annually in agriculture and mixed farming (ILRAD, 1990; Mulumba, 2003; Abenga et al., 2003). About 35 million doses of trypanocidal drugs are administered annually in Africa (Geerts and Holmes, 1998). In Nigeria, eleven of the twenty-two species of tsetse flies are known to infest over 80% of the 928,300km2 of landmass, and are widely distributed from latitudes 4oN and13oN in the country (NITR, 1989; Onyiah, 1997). The most important trypanosome species in Nigeria are Trypanosoma brucei, T. congolense, T. vivax, and T. evansi in livestock, while T. gambiense infect human. In the last three years, the disease is most devastating in terms of poverty and lost of agricultural production (Hursey, 2000). Other losses include; reductions in herd sizes as a result of deaths, drop in calving rate, reduced market value of animals as a result of emaciation, drop in milk production and reduced work efficiency of drought animals (Swallow, 2000; Danbirni et al., 2010). In some instances, infected animals show no overt signs of disease but can succumb if stressed, for example, by work, pregnancy, milking or adverse environmental PAT June, 2016; 12 (1): 204-210 ISSN: 0794-5213 Online copy available at www.patnsukjournal. net/currentissue
CompensatingWage Differentials and the Introduction of Smoking Bans in Germany

Using the staggered introduction of smoking bans in the German hospitality industry over 2007/08, I find a robust 2.4% decline in the daily earnings of workers in bars and restaurants associated with the most comprehensive smoking ban. is effect is unlikely to be driven by a decline in hospitality revenues or hours worked, but is consistent with a simple model of compensating differentials.
The Iraqi Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 43(1):50 – 58

50 Estimation of Aflatoxin M1 Levels in Some Dairy Products Manufactured from Raw Milk Experimentally Inoculated with Toxin H. S. Alnaemi Department of Veterinary Public Health , College of Veterinary Medicine, Mosul University, Iraq. hibaalnaemi@gmail.com : mail E Received: 5/3/2019 Accepted: 13/5/2019 Publishing: 04/08/2019 Summary Fate of AflatoxinM1 in soft white cheese and its by-product (whey) and in yogurt locally made from raw sheep's and goat's milk experimentally inoculated with 0.05 and 0.5 μg/l AflatoxinM1 were investigated using ELISA technique. Results reported that AflatoxinM1 was concentrated in cheese at levels significantly higher than that recorded in the raw milk that used for its processing, with a significant decrease in AflatoxinM1 levels in its by-product (whey) comparable to the raw milk used in manufacturing at both inoculated levels. Yogurt produced from raw sheep's milk at second inoculated level exerted AflatoxinM1concentration significantly lower than that present in the milk. Significant differences in AflatoxinM1distribution in cheese and whey produced from sheep's milk comparable to their counterparts produced from goat's milk were recorded. Finally, results revealed the efficacious role of the various dairy manufacturing processes in AflatoxinM1 distribution and the necessity to issue of local legislations concerning the maximum permissible limits for AflatoxinM1 in milk in order to stay within the universal permissible levels for AflatoxinM1 in dairy products to provide greater protection for consumer health.
A comparative case study on the quality of transferred tacit knowledge

3 Preface . 4 Introduction . 7 1.1 Research problem . 7 1.2 Research question . 8 1.3 Research relevance . 8 1.4 Structure of the thesis . 9 2. Theory . 10 2.1 Dependent variable: quality of transferred tacit knowledge . 10 2.2 Independent variable (1): affective commitment. 11 2.3 Independent variable (2): goodwill trust . 12 2.4 Moderator: Dyad vs. Triad . 13 2.5 Conceptual model . 18 3. Method . 19 3.1 Research context . 19 3.2 Research design . 20 3.3 Data collection and sample strategy . 20 3.4 Measurements of the variables . 22 3.5 Data analysis . 24 3.6 Research quality indicators . 27 4. Results . 29 4.1 Quantitative results . 29 4.2 Qualitative results . 32 5. Discussion . 37 5.1 Limitations and future research directions . 42 6. Conclusion . 46 References . 47
Submitted to MNRAS

T he properties of the gas in halos of galaxies constrain global models of the interstellar medium. Kinematical information is of particular interest since it is a clue to the origin of the gas. Up-to now mostly massive galaxies have been investigated for their halo properties. Here we report on deep HI and Hα observations of the edge-on dwarf galaxy UGC 1281 in order to determine the existence of extra planar gas and the kinematics of this galaxy. This is the first time a dwarf galaxy is investigated for its halo characteristics. We have obtained Hα integral field spectroscopy using PPAK at Calar Alto and deep HI observations with the WSRT of the edge-on dwarf galaxy UGC 1281. We have made a model for the 3D distribution of the
Socioeconomic factors that favour forest conservation reducing forest dependency of local communities in developing countries: Lesson learnt from the Rangamati hill district in Bangladesh

Forests provide direct and indirect economic benefits to forest dependent communities in the world, especially in the developing countries contributing to the national economy. Present study was conducted to explore the socioeconomic status and factors favoring forest conservation and influencing people’s dependency on forest resources in the Rangamati hill district of Bangladesh. The study was based on Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and socioeconomic survey through semi-structured questionnaire. Using generalized logistic regressions (GLR), this study has investigated the socioeconomic factors that favour forest conservation and influence people’s dependency on forest resources. The study revealed that peoples’ income from forest and forest-related occupations were positively aligned with their forest dependency. However, their education level significantly reduced their dependency on forest resources. Thus, educating the forest-dependent people, empowering the local and co-management communities and supporting alternative income generation activities may be an option for effective forest management and conservation. This study represents an important pioneer step in taking a holistic view of the peoples’ dependency on forest resources which might be helpful for policy makers in future to ensure sustainable forest management and conservation in developing countries like Bangladesh.
EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON INFLUENCE OF SiC NANOPOWDER BLENDED DIELECTRIC IN ELECTRIC SPARK MACHINING

AISI D3 Die steel is cold worked steel manufactured for high strength and impact toughness with hardness between 54 to 61 HRC. It lacks in widespread industrial applications due to low machinability, low toughness and high resistance to softening. Electric Spark Machining (ESM) is most preferred non-conventional machining process to manufacture unique purpose tool dies, punches, etc. In the current research, an effort is made to amend AISI D3 steel’s machinability by introducing SiC nanopowder in dielectric during ESM. Experiments are conducted by varying four different parameters namely powder density, peak current, pulse-on time, along with gap voltage according to the Central Composite Design (CCD) technique. Effects of these parameters were investigated on ESM response assessors such as Tool Wear Rate (TWR) along with Material Extraction Rate (MRR). Results indicated that added nanopowder to dielectric has significantly improved MRR and reduced TWR compared to the pure dielectric.
On a generalization of contact metric manifolds

We consider a metric f -structure on a manifold M of dimension 2n+ s and suppose that its kernel is parallelizable. We give a sufficient condition for such a structure to be an S-structure, that is a generalization of the Sasakian structure. Then we prove some identities for the Ricci operator. We exhibit also some examples.
Consolidation of Cooperative Banks (Shinkin) in Japan: Causes and Consequences

We investigate the motives and consequences of the consolidation of cooperative banks (Shinkin) in Japan during the period 1984-2002. Our major findings are as follows. First, acquiring banks and target banks were less profitable and less cost efficient than peers, though the acquiring banks were more profitable, cost efficient and larger than target banks. Second, acquiring banks improved cost efficiency after the consolidation. M&As also raised the loan interest rate and improved profitability particularly since the latter half of the 1990s. Nonetheless, the improvement of ROA after the merger was not sufficient to fill in the initial gap of the capital ratio between merging banks and peers, resulting in the deterioration of the capital ratio of consolidated banks relative to peers. These results are consistent both with the acquirer’s value-maximizing motive and the regulators’ bailout policy, though the M&As did not contribute to sufficiently stabilize the local banking system. Third, the consolidation tended to improve the profitability of merging banks when the difference in profitability and healthiness between acquiring banks and target banks were large, which is consistent with the relative efficiency hypothesis (e.g., Akhavein, Berger, and Humphrey, 1997).