Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EFFECTS OF A PROPRIETARY PREMIX ON PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE AND EGG QUALITY OF WHITE AND BROWN EGG LAYING HENS FED DIETS HIGH IN DISTILLERS DRIED GRAINS WITH SOLUBLES (DDGS)

OF THESIS EFFECTS OF A PROPRIETARY PREMIX ON PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE AND EGG QUALITY OF WHITE AND BROWN EGG LAYING HENS FED DIETS HIGH IN DISTILLERS DRIED GRAINS WITH SOLUBLES (DDGS) Abstract The objective of this thesis was to evaluate inclusion of up to 35% by-product DDGS (with reduced Ca and P) with and without addition of a proprietary premix (enzyme and antioxidant; Alltech Inc.) on productive performance and egg quality of white and brown egg laying hens. A total of 288 white or brown hens were randomly allocated to one of the following treatments: 1) corn-soybean meal (control), 2) 25% DDGS, 3) 25% DDGS plus premix, 4) 35% DDGS, and 5) 35% DDGS plus premix. Hen body weight values were impaired with addition of 25 and 35% DDGS when compared to the control. Premix helped maintain body weight comparable to control in the brown hens; however was not noted in white hens. In the second dietary phase, addition of DDGS increased feed intake in white egg laying hens and was maintained with the premix. Brown hens on premix came into lay faster than the control and DDGS diets, but DDGS reduced overall egg production. Haugh units, yolk color, and purchase intent scores were increased in brown eggs with DDGS diets. White eggs had increased yolk color with DDGS. In conclusion, up to 35% DDGS is acceptable in white laying hen diets.The objective of this thesis was to evaluate inclusion of up to 35% by-product DDGS (with reduced Ca and P) with and without addition of a proprietary premix (enzyme and antioxidant; Alltech Inc.) on productive performance and egg quality of white and brown egg laying hens. A total of 288 white or brown hens were randomly allocated to one of the following treatments: 1) corn-soybean meal (control), 2) 25% DDGS, 3) 25% DDGS plus premix, 4) 35% DDGS, and 5) 35% DDGS plus premix. Hen body weight values were impaired with addition of 25 and 35% DDGS when compared to the control. Premix helped maintain body weight comparable to control in the brown hens; however was not noted in white hens. In the second dietary phase, addition of DDGS increased feed intake in white egg laying hens and was maintained with the premix. Brown hens on premix came into lay faster than the control and DDGS diets, but DDGS reduced overall egg production. Haugh units, yolk color, and purchase intent scores were increased in brown eggs with DDGS diets. White eggs had increased yolk color with DDGS. In conclusion, up to 35% DDGS is acceptable in white laying hen diets.
ROOFTOP PV SYSTEM POLICY AND IMPLEMENTATION STUDY FOR A HOUSEHOLD IN INDONESIA

This paper discusses the recent solar rooftop PV system policies in Indonesia, particularly for the implementation of the residential sector. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the rooftop PV system for a household based on the current related policies. The study is conducted by literature reviews and computer simulation for a typical rooftop PV system for residential in Surabaya, Indonesia. The most recent solar energy policy in Indonesia is the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) Regulation No. 49, the year 2018, which establishes net metering for the residential, commercial and industrial National Grid (PLN) customers that have excess power from solar rooftop installations. The simulation shows the average values global solar irradiation on a horizontal surface in Surabaya vary between 6.81 kWh/m2 and 4.82 kWh/m2 with an average of 5.54 kWh/m2 per day. Energy output by 3 kWp rooftop PV system in Surabaya is found about 4,200 kWh per year, with an average of 11.67 kWh/day. Economically, under present conditions, rooftop on-grid PV system investment would give about 9-10 years of the payback period.
Comparing the Efficacy of Herbal and Non-herbal Toothpastes in Controlling Plaque and Gingivitis: A Review

Background and aim: Dental plaque, a well-organized biofilm, is the established cause for gingivitis. Chronic gingivitis is the second most common disease of oral cavity which may progress to periodontitis. A mechanical plaque control method along with dentifrices is the most recommended method for plaque removal and controlling gingivitis. The aim of this review is to estimate and compare the effectiveness of herbal and non-herbal toothpastes in controlling plaque and gingivitis. Materials and methods: The primary focus of this study was to compare randomized control trials and clinical trials which used herbal toothpaste with non-herbal toothpaste in prevention of plaque and gingivitis. Clinical trials without randomization and other experimental studies were also included. The outcome measures were improvement in duration, objective and subjective difference in plaque accumulation, and gingivitis. Results: Randomized control trial and nonrandomized control trial has shown a remarkable reduction in plaque and gingival scores on an average duration of using herbal toothpaste. Studies (five randomized control trials and four clinical trials) state statistically equal reduction in plaque and gingival scores on using herbal and non-herbal toothpastes. No reports of adverse reactions (bad taste and odor, hard to accept, and allergic reactions) on using herbal toothpaste are evident. Conclusion: Nowadays, there is an increased interest on using herbal products among people. Herbal toothpastes are as effective as non- herbal toothpastes in controlling plaque and gingivitis. There are also no adverse reactions on using herbal toothpaste and can be used as an alternative to conventional (non-herbal) toothpaste. Henceforth, it depends upon the preference of people to choose natural (herbal) or conventional (non-herbal) toothpaste.
Secondary higher invariants and cyclic cohomology for groups of polynomial growth

We prove that if $\Gamma$ is a group of polynomial growth then each delocalized cyclic cocycle on the group algebra has a representative of polynomial growth. For each delocalized cocyle we thus define a higher analogue of Lott's delocalized eta invariant and prove its convergence for invertible differential operators. We also use a determinant map construction of Xie and Yu to prove that if $\Gamma$ is of polynomial growth then there is a well defined pairing between delocalized cyclic cocyles and $K$-theory classes of $C^*$-algebraic secondary higher invariants. When this $K$-theory class is that of a higher rho invariant of an invertible differential operator we show this pairing is precisely the aforementioned higher analogue of Lott's delocalized eta invariant. As an application of this equivalence we provide a delocalized higher Atiyah-Patodi-Singer index theorem given $M$ is a compact spin manifold with boundary, equipped with a positive scalar metric $g$ and having fundamental group $\Gamma=\pi_1(M)$ which is finitely generated and of polynomial growth.
Molecular characterisation of the NAM-1 genes in bread wheat in Australia

Abstract. The wheat NAM-B1 and NAM-A1 genes are positively associated with grain protein content (GPC) in wheat. We conducted molecular characterisation of the NAM-1 genes in 51 Australian wheat varieties (Triticum aestivum L.), with the aim of improving GPC and nitrogen-usage efficiency in Australian wheat. In summary, the wild type NAM-B1 gene, which originated from Israel, was identified in two Australian wheat varieties. Five varieties contained a deletion allele, whereas the majority (43) harboured a non-functional NAM-B1 allele and one variety contained both functional and non-functional alleles. Twenty-six Australian wheat varieties contained the NAM-A1a haplotype, which was similar to its well-characterised homoeolog NAM-B1 wild type and associated with high GPC. The NAM-D1 gene in the 51 wheat varieties was also characterised, and no gene variation in the exon regions was noted; only two single-nucleotide polymorphisms in introns 1 and 2 were found among the 51 varieties.
Automatic breast cancer detection based on optimized neural network using whale optimization algorithm

Breast cancer is the second deadliest type of cancer. Early detection of breast cancer can considerably improve the effectiveness of treatment. A significant early sign of breast cancer is the mass. However, separating the cancerous masses from the normal portions of the breast tissue is usually a challenge for radiologists. Recently, because of the availability of high‐accuracy computing, computer‐aided detection systems based on image processing have become capable of accurately diagnosing the various types of cancers. The main purpose of this study is to utilize a powerful image segmentation method for the diagnosis of cancerous regions through mammography, based on a new configuration of the multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network. The most popular method for minimizing the errors in an MLP neural network is backpropagation. However, this method has certain drawbacks, such as a low convergence speed and becoming trapped at the local minimum. In this study, a new training algorithm based on the whale optimization algorithm is proposed for the MLP network. This algorithm is capable of solving various problems toward the current algorithms for the analyzed systems. The proposed method is validated on the Mammographic Image Analysis Society database, which contains 322 digitized mammography images, and the Digital Database for Screening Mammography, which contains approximately 2500 digitized mammography images. To assess the detection performance of the proposed system, the correct detection rate, percentage of identification with false acceptance, and percentage of identification with false rejection were evaluated and compared using various methods. The results indicate that the proposed method is highly efficient and yields significantly better accuracy compared with other methods.
Eyespot resistance of winter wheat breeding lines evaluated with marker-assisted selection and inoculation tests at the seedling and adult plant stages

Eyespot is one of the most important fungal diseases of the stem base of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The presented study clearly demonstrated that the Pch1 gene was the main effective source for reducing the eyespot disease score in the analyzed winter wheat lines. Nevertheless, Pch1 was present only in 8−9% of the investigated lines. Using an isoenzymatic marker and molecular markers, the presence of the Pch1 gene and lack of the Pch2 gene was identified in six lines. Two lines, SMH 9409 and DL 358/13/4, were polymorphic in an isoenzymatic marker study. In the remaining three lines, C 3373/11-1, KBH 15.15 and KBP 1416, the Pch1 gene was identified only with the use of an isoenzymatic marker. Both genes Pch1 and Pch2, as well as the resistant variety Rendezvous, were found in three lines: DD 248/12, KBP 15.2 and STH 4431. In line DD 708/13, the presence of the Pch1 and Pch2 genes was identified, where the association between the Pch1 and the locus of the Xorw5 marker was broken. It was shown that the presence or absence of Pch1 and Pch2 genes did not significantly affect the grain yield (from the plot), although the yield was highest in the presence of both genes. A significant effect of the presence of the Pch1 gene on thousand kernel weight (TKW) was observed. Lines with the Pch1 gene showed significantly higher TKW values than lines without both genes or with the Pch2 gene only.
Analysis of salinity tolerance of "Vitis vinifera" 'Thompson Seedless' transformed with "AtNHX1"

Several transgenic plant species expressing AtNHX1, coding for a vacuolar Na+/H+ antiporter from Arabidopsis thaliana, have shown their ability to cope with salinity. The aim of this study was to analyze the response of Vitis vinifera cv. 'Thompson Seedless' transformed with AtNHX1 to salt stress, using soil substrate or hydroponic media, and to compare the response with untransformed 'Thompson Seedless' and allegedly tolerant 'Criolla' cultivars: 'Pedro Gimenez' and 'Criolla Chica'. 'Thompson Seedless' embryogenic calli were transformed with Agrobacterium tumefaciens carrying AtNHX1 under the control of CaMV 35S promoter. Transgenic and untransformed plants were grown in a greenhouse under hydroponics or in pots with soil, and were subjected to increasing concentrations of sodium chloride (NaCl) up to 150 mM for a period of 7 weeks. Growth and toxicity symptoms were less affected in transgenics as compared to the untransformed grapevines, and transgenic lines had higher shoot length, leaf area and dry weights at the end of the experiment. Root concentrations of Na in transgenics were similar or lower than that observed in untransformed genotypes. Growth impairment and toxicity symptoms were observed in all genotypes under both conditions, but effects were more severe in plants growing with hydroponic culture. Potassium content and shoot to root dry weight ratio decreased with NaCl in hydroponics but not in pots. 'Criolla' cultivars grew less than the other genotypes, although 'Pedro Gimenez' always exhibited highest shoot/root ratios.
Effect of KNL1 on the proliferation and apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells

Objective: To identify the expression of kinetochore scaffold 1 (KNL1) in colorectal tumor tissues and to clarify the role of this gene in the proliferation capability of colorectal cancer cells. Methods: A total of 108 paired colorectal tumor and normal tissue samples were collected from patients with colorectal cancer and subjected to quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry analyses. Expression levels of KNL1 mRNA and protein were compared between tumor and normal tissues, and KNL1 levels were evaluated in relation to the patients’ tumor differentiation, sex, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, infiltration depth, age, and tumor location. Survival curves were also constructed and compared between patients with tumor samples with and without KLN1 protein expression. KNL1 was under-expressed in colorectal cancer cells in vitro using lentiviral transfection with short hairpin RNA, and its function was evaluated by proliferation, colony-formation, and apoptosis assays. Expression levels of BUB1 protein were also compared between tumor and normal tissues, and the correlation between KNL1 expression and BUB1 expression in colorectal cancer tissues was examined. Results: KNL1 mRNA and protein were both highly expressed in colorectal tumor tissues compared with paired normal tissues. KNL1 downregulation significantly inhibited colorectal cancer cell proliferation and colony formation, and promoted apoptosis. KNL1 protein expression was significantly associated with tumor differentiation, but not with sex, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, infiltration depth, age, or tumor location. KNL1 protein expression was also significantly associated with poorer survival. Moreover, there was a significant correlation between KNL1 and BUB1 in colorectal cancer tissues. Conclusions: KNL1 plays an effective role in decreasing apoptosis and promoting the proliferation of colorectal cancer cells, suggesting that its inhibition may represent a promising therapeutic approach in patients with colorectal cancer.
Impact of human activities on the reproduction of Hooded Vultures Necrosyrtes monachus in Burkina Faso

During the last decades, the critically endangered Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus has strongly declined across its African range. Although direct persecution has been suggested as a major cause of this decline, little is known about the impact of humans on reproductive output in West Africa. We studied the impact of human activities on the reproductive output of Hooded Vultures in the Garango area of Burkina Faso. Twenty and 56 nesting attempts were monitored, respectively, during the breeding season in 2013/14 and 2014/15, to determine reproductive success and identify causes of nest failure. Annual breeding success varied between 0.68 and 0.71 chicks fledged per breeding pair per year and productivity was assessed at 0.57 chicks fledged per territorial pair in 2014/15. The main threats imposed by humans were poaching of eggs, chicks and collection of nest materials, leading to 20% (13 out of 64 breeding attempts) of nest failures over the two years. An additional important reason for nest failure was the pruning and (partial) cutting of nest trees. Despite this high level of human interference, we found that Hooded Vulture nest success increased with proximity to human settlements, probably because breeding vultures benefit from protection by people against persecution and disturbance.
Exploring how student motivation relates to acceptance and participation in MOOCs

ABSTRACT In recent years, MOOCs have become firmly established as valid e-learning environments and, as such, have been developed by many universities using different types of platform. Given the voluntary nature of MOOC enrollment, motivation is crucial to our understanding of why students register for and complete these courses. The present study explores the motivations that characterize MOOC participants and how they relate to technology acceptance variables (data collected via questionnaires) and participation variables (observational data collected via the platform). Our results indicate that students show exceptionally high levels of intrinsic motivation. However, extrinsic motivation also plays a relevant role, suggesting that the two are not mutually exclusive. Although only intrinsic motivation appears to be systematically associated with differences in technology acceptance, both are associated with differences in participation, but in contrasting ways. Our results provide insights that will enable us to improve MOOC design in order to enhance participant satisfaction, particularly when different sources of motivation are involved. Future research based on the modeling of technology acceptance and participation will also benefit from this study.
Vesicular Emulgel Based System for Transdermal Delivery of Insulin: Factorial Design and in Vivo Evaluation

Transdermal delivery of insulin is a great challenge due to its poor permeability through the skin. The aim of the current investigation was to evaluate the prospective of insulin loaded niosome emulgel as a noninvasive delivery system for its transdermal therapy. A 23 full-factorial design was used to optimize the insulin niosome emulgel by assessing the effect of independent variables (concentration of paraffin oil, Tween 80 and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose) on dependent variables (in vitro release, viscosity and in vitro permeation). The physical characteristics of the prepared formulations were carried out by determining viscosity, particle size, entrapment efficiency, drug loading, drug release and kinetics. In vitro permeation studies were carried out using rat skin membrane. Hypoglycemic activity of prepared formulations was assessed in diabetic-induced rats. It was observed that the independent variables influenced the dependent variables. A significant difference (p < 0.05) in viscosity was noticed between the prepared gels, which in turn influenced the insulin release. The order of permeation is: insulin niosome emulgel > insulin niosome gel > insulin emulgel > insulin gel > insulin niosomes > insulin solution. The enhancement in transdermal flux in insulin niosome emulgel was 10-fold higher than the control (insulin solution). In vivo data significantly demonstrated reduction (p < 0.05) of plasma glucose level (at six hours) by insulin niosome emulgel than other formulations tested. The results suggest that the developed insulin niosome emulgel could be an efficient carrier for the transdermal delivery of insulin.
Ecological condition of coral reef assemblages in the Cuban Archipelago

ABSTRACT The condition of coral reefs in the Cuban Archipelago is poorly known. We aimed to analyse coral assemblages across 199 reef sites belonging to 12 localities. Crest and fore reefs were assessed using six metrics: species richness, density, coral cover, mortality, coral size and reef complexity. The condition of reefs varied across the archipelago from healthy to depleted reefs. The localities with best scores were Cienfuegos, Bahía de Cochinos and Cazones. These reefs have values of living coral cover (>20%) and complexity (>50 cm) similar to the best preserved Caribbean reefs. However, the majority of crest biotopes suffered important deterioration with old mortality of Acropora palmata populations and moderate coral cover (15%); although crest reefs still maintained their structural complexity. Despite moderate levels of coral cover in fore reefs (18%), their condition was alarming because 25% of the sites had cover below the recovery threshold of 10%, accumulated mortality and structural flattening. Compared with the 1980s, the species richness was roughly the same (42) for crest and fore reefs, although dominance has changed to widespread tolerant species. Coral reef assemblages varied at local and regional scales in similar magnitude, suggesting the combined effects of natural and anthropogenic drivers.
Understanding Parent Support for Physical Activity among Parents of Children and Youth with Disabilities: A Behaviour Change Theory Perspective

Parent support facilitates physical activity among children and youth with disabilities (CYD). Parent physical activity support is a behaviour unto itself which requires motivation and effort, yet its predictors are not well understood. Guided by the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and multi-process action control (M-PAC) framework, the study aimed to identify predictors of physical activity support among parents of CYD (N = 95; 83.2% female). TPB and M-PAC variables were assessed, followed by parent physical activity support behaviour four weeks later. Regression analysis identified TPB (i.e., perceived behavioural control for child physical activity, intention) and M-PAC (i.e., behavioural regulation, habit, and identity) predictors of parent physical activity support. The inclusion of M-PAC variables into the model explained an additional 18% variance in parent physical activity support. There is value in understanding both pre- and post-intentional predictors of parent physical activity support. This study can inform future research and interventions to support parent physical activity support to facilitate physical activity among CYD.
How good is your mobile (web) surfing?: speed index inference from encrypted traffic

We address the problem of Web QoE monitoring, in particular Speed Index (SI), from the Internet Service Provider (ISP) perspective, relying on in-network, passive measurements. Given the wide adoption of end-to-end encryption, we resort to machine-learning models to infer the SI of individual web-page loading sessions, using as input only packet-level data. Our study targets the analysis of SI in mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper addressing the inference of SI from encrypted network traffic in mobile devices.