Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of inulin, carrot and cellulose fibres on the properties of raw and fried chicken meatballs

The effects of inulin, carrot, and cellulose fibres (3%, 6%, and 9%) on raw and fried chicken meatballs were studied. Meatball pH, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and colour values were determined for raw samples in refrigerated storage on the 1st, 5th and 10th days. The effects of fibres and their various levels on frying characteristics such as yield, diameter reduction, moisture retention, fat absorption, colour and sensory properties of fried chicken meatballs were evaluated. Fibres caused significant differences in the pH and TBARS values of the raw meatballs owing to their sources and levels. They improved colour properties (L: lightness, a: redness, b: yellowness) of the raw and fried samples. In addition, cellulose and carrot fibres affected the yield, moisture absorption, and diameter reduction values of the fried samples positively. In conclusion, the use of fibres in such products can affect product quality positively. The use of 3% inulin, 9% carrot, and 6% and 9% cellulose fibres had more beneficial effects on chicken meatballs.Keywords: Dietary fibre, frying, poultry products, product quality, storage stability
Impact of heat stress on milk yield and composition in early lactation of Holstein Friesian crossbred cattle

The aim of the study was to know the effect of heat stress on milk yield and its composition of Holstein Friesian crossbred dairy cows rearing under intensive management system.Heat stress in dairy cows is caused by a combination of environmental factors i.e. temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation and air movement, etc. Grading-up of local cattle by temperate breeds for greater performance results to increase the sensitivity to heat stress. The trial was conducted during hot (May-July) and cool period (December-February) on a total of 12 crossbred dairy cows in early lactation period (first 60 days of lactation). The selected cows were divided into two groups namely as G 1 (Holstein-Friesian 50% × Local 50%) and G 2 (Holstein-Friesian 75% × Local 25%) and each group containing three cows of 3rd lactation in both periods of trail. Cows of each group were offered same quality and quantity of feed and reared in same management condition in both the trail periods. The mean average temperature humidity index (THI) of the stanchion barn were 70.83± 0.535 and 83.87± 0.375 in cool and hot period, respectively. The differences of THI of cool and hot season was significant (p<0.05). The average rectal temperature ( 0 F) of G 1 group was 101.51± 0.027and 102.15±0.049 in cool and hot period, respectively. On the other hand, the average rectal temperature ( 0 F) of G 2 group was 101.68± 0.035 and 102.5±0.052 in cool and hot period, respectively. The differences of rectal temperature of both groups between cool and hot season were significant (p<0.05). The average milk yield (Liter/day) of both groups was significantly (p<0.05) higher in cool period (14.92±0.019 and 19.54± 0.116 for G 1 and G 2 group, respectively) than in hot period (12.84±0.152 and 15±0.137 for G 1 and G 2 group, respectively). The milk yield of G 2 group hampered more compare to G 1 group due to higher THI during hot season. The milk fat, protein and lactose of both groups were significantly higher (p<0.05) during lower THI period compare to higher THI period, while the higher values of minerals detected in higher THI period but the differences were not statistically significant (p<0.05). From the result it is evident that the milk yield and composition are greatly affected by the heat stress during early lactation period. Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2017. 46 (3): 192-197
Telomere length set point regulation in human pluripotent stem cells critically depends on the shelterin protein TPP1

Telomere maintenance is essential for the long-term proliferation of human pluripotent stem cells, while their telomere length set point determines the proliferative capacity of their differentiated progeny. The shelterin protein TPP1 is required for telomere stability and elongation, but its role in set point establishment remains elusive. Here, we characterize the contribution of TPP1 isoforms and residues outside the TEL patch, TPP1’s telomerase interaction domain, to telomere length control. We demonstrate that TPP1L, the longer minor isoform of TPP1, can partially compensate for loss of the more abundant shorter isoform, TPP1S. Both TPP1S knockout and complete TPP1 knockout cell lines (TPP1 KO) show telomere shortening. However, TPP1S KO cells are able to stabilize short telomeres while TPP1 KO cells do not and die. We compare these phenotypes with that of TPP1L104A/L104A mutant cells that like the TPP1S KO have short stable telomeres. In contrast to TPP1S KO, TPP1L104A/L104A cells respond to increased telomerase. However, TPP1L104A/L104A’s sensitivity to shelterin-mediated feedback is altered, revealing TPP1L104A/L104A as a new type of shelterin mutant with aberrant set point regulation.
Multinuclear MAS NMR identification of fluorine species on the surface of fluorinated γ-alumina

The fluorination on the γ-alumina surface was studied by multinuclear MAS NMR and BET measurements. The fluorine species on the fluorinated γ-alumina can be identified by 19F MAS NMR combined with 1H MAS NMR and 27Al MAS and CP/MAS NMR. As proven by 1H MAS NMR, fluorination of the alumina preferentially replaced the basic hydroxyl groups. Quantitative analysis showed that, at lower fluoride loadings, one alumina hydroxyl is substituted by one fluoride without breaking the bridging Al−O−Al bonds. At high fluoride content, more of the acidic hydroxyl groups are displaced by fluorine, and the number of added fluorine atoms exceeds the number of lost hydroxyl groups. Bridging Al−O−Al bonds are broken at high fluoride loading, and isolated AlxFy·nH2O fractions appear as observed by 19F MAS and 27Al MAS NMR. Three types of fluorine species were detected in the 19F MAS NMR spectra of the fluorinated γ-alumina, which could be assigned to the fluorine species bound to one, two, and three octahedral aluminum atoms.
Description of two new species of Xiphocentron Brauer, 1870 (Trichoptera: Xiphocentronidae) from southeastern Brazil

In addition to the six species of Xiphocentron Brauer, 1870 currently recorded in Brazil, two new species of X. (Antillotrichia) are described and illustrated in this work: X. (Antillotrichia) acqualume n. sp. and X. (Antillotrichia) jaguare n. sp. Caddisflies in the genus Xiphocentron usually present diurnal activity and are not readily attracted to lights. However, all species included here were collected using light traps during nighttime. The new species can be easily distinguished by having a small cell enclosing the nigma on the forewing. The specimens were collected in the Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, a significant mountain range located in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3DBCFECD-7CBD-4A80-9A3C-9C2FCD8FCEA1
Parent-parent and parent-offspring distances in Spondias radlkoferi seeds suggest long-distance pollen and seed dispersal: evidence from latrines of the spider monkey

Abstract: Pollen and seed dispersal are key ecological processes, directly impacting the spatial distribution, abundance and genetic structure of plant populations; yet, pollen- and seed-dispersal distances are poorly known. We used molecular markers to identify the parental origin (n = 152 adult trees) of 177 Spondias radlkoferi (Anacardiaceae) seeds deposited by the spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) in latrines located beneath 17 sleeping-trees in two continuous forest sites (CF) and two forest fragments (FF) in the Lacandona rain forest, Mexico. We estimated mean parent-offspring (PO) distances per latrine and, for those seeds (54% of seeds) with more than one candidate parent (i.e. the potential maternal and parental parents), we also estimated parent-parent (PP) distances per latrine, and tested if PO and PP distances differed between forest types. Global PO and PP distances per latrine averaged 682 m (range = 83–1741 m) and 610 m (range = 74–2339 m), respectively, and did not differ significantly between CF and FF. This suggests that pollen dispersal is extensive in both forest types and that long seed dispersal distances (>100 m) are common, thus supporting the hypothesis that the spider monkey is an effective seed disperser of S. radlkoferi in continuous and fragmented forests.
Assessment of land degradation using machine‐learning techniques: A case of declining rangelands

Increased use and increasing demands pose serious threats to rangelands. In this study, we document a pronounced downward trend in rangeland quality in the Alborz Mountains in Firozkuh County, Iran using analysis of three machine‐learning models (MLMs). A total of 1,147 transects were established to evaluate the rangeland quality trends from field data collected over a 7‐year period. Twelve independent conditional factors were analyzed for their relationships to range quality through three MLMs—Random Forest (RF), classification and regression tree (CART), and support vector machine (SVM). Based on assessments of the trained and validated models, RF, with a ROC‐AUC = 0.96, was determined to be the most robust. The results show that about 20% of the rangeland in the study area is in a critically degraded condition. Distances from roads and livestock density are the two factors most strongly linked to degradation. These results, in combination with field observations, indicate that the rangelands of the study area face two major challenges (overgrazing and early grazing) that require new strategies to mitigate and prevent damages. This study may provide important guidance for evaluating rangeland conditions in other regions of the world.
Ready for the World? Measuring the (Trans-)National Quality of Political Issue Publics on Twitter

This article presents a multi-method research design for measuring the (trans-)national quality of issue publics on Twitter. Online communication is widely perceived as having the potential to overcome nationally bound public spheres. Social media, in particular, are seen as platforms and drivers of transnational communication through which users can easily connect across borders. Transnational interactivity can be expected in particular for policy fields of global concern and elite or activist communication as practiced on Twitter. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of evidence for the enduring national structuration of political communication and publics as it results from a shared language (mostly), culturally defined media markets, established routines of social and political communication, and sociocultural stocks of knowledge. The study goes beyond measuring user interaction and also includes indicators of cross-referential cohesion. It applies a set of computational methods in network and discourse analysis and presents empirical evidence for Twitter communication on climate change being a prime issue of global concern and a globalized policy agenda. For empirical analysis, the study relies on a large Twitter dataset (N ≈ 6m tweets) with tweet messages and metadata collected between 2015 and 2018. Based on basic measurements such as geolocation and language use, the metrics allowed measurement of cross-national user interactions, user centrality in communicative networks, linking behaviour, and hashtag co-occurrences. The findings of the exploratory study suggest that a combined perspective on indicators of user interaction and cross-referential cohesion helps to develop a better and more nuanced understanding of online issue publics.
Risk factors associated with honey bee colony loss in apiaries in Galicia, NW Spain

A cross-sectional study was carried out in Galicia, NW Spain, in order to estimate the magnitude of honey bee colony losses and to identify potential risk factors involved. A total of 99 samples from 99 apiaries were collected in spring using simple random sampling. According to international guidelines, the apiaries were classified as affected by colony loss or asymptomatic. Each sample consisted of worker bees, brood and comb-stored pollen. All worker bees and brood samples were analysed individually in order to detect the main honey bee pathogens. Moreover, the presence of residues of the most prevalent agrotoxic insecticides and acaricides was assessed in comb-stored pollen. The general characteristics of the apiaries and sanitary information regarding previous years was evaluated through questionnaires, while the vegetation surrounding the apiaries sampled was assessed by palynological analysis of comb-stored pollen. The colony loss prevalence was 53.5% (CI 95% = 43.2-63.9) and Nosema ceranae was found to be the only risk factor strongly associated with colony loss. The decision tree also pointed out the impact of the Varroa mite presence while variables such as apiary size, the incorrect application of Varroa mite treatments, and the presence of Acarapis woodi and Kashmir bee virus (KBV) were identified as possible co-factors.
Xylitol Production from Exhausted Olive Pomace by Candida boidinii

In this work, the production of xylitol from a hemicellulosic hydrolysate of exhausted olive pomace (EOP), a residue originated in the olive oil production process by Candida boidinii, was assessed. The hydrolysate was obtained by dilute acid pretreatment of EOP at 170 °C and 2% H2SO4 (w/v). A previous detoxification step of the hydrolysate was necessary, and its treatment with activated charcoal and ion-exchange resin was evaluated. Prior to fermentation of the hydrolysate, fermentation tests in synthetic media were performed to determine the maximum xylitol yield and productivity that could be obtained if inhibitory compounds were not present in the medium. In addition, the glucose existing in the media exerted a negative influence on xylitol production. A maximum xylitol yield of 0.52 g/g could be achieved in absence of inhibitor compounds. Fermentation of the hemicellulosic hydrolysate from EOP after detoxification with ion-exchange resin resulted in a xylitol yield of 0.43 g/g.
Government Reward-Penalty Mechanism in Dual-Channel Closed-Loop Supply Chain

This study establishs a dual channel closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) model under a government–penalty mechanism (RPM) consisting a dual-channel manufacturer, a retailer, and the government. We consider a Stackelberg game between the manufacturer and the retailer, and the government rewards or punishes manufacturers on the basis of the collection rate of used products. This paper analyzes the influence of government RPM on the optimal decisions, the relationship between the two sales channels, and the total social welfare of the supply chain system. We find that the government RPM can improve the stability of the dual-channel supply chain and the collection rate of the used products. Moreover, we are the first to provide a method of deriving the optimal government RPM through a numerical example.
Testing a Popular Smartphone Application for Colour Vision Assessment in Healthy Volunteer Subjects

ABSTRACT We aimed to compare the Ishihara pseudoisochromatic colour vision test with a colour vision test from a popular smartphone application (EyeHandBook [EHB]) using digital image processing to simulate colour vision deficiencies. Three digital versions of the Ishihara and EHB slides were created: full colour; 32 bit- greyscale (removing all colour information); and blue channel (to simulate red-green colour vision deficiencies). Twenty healthy volunteers were shown each colour-edited plate. The answers they reported were compared with what would be expected for that colour-simulation scenario based on the answer key provided in the Ishihara booklet (“expected” answer). There were nine plates that had comparable patterns between the EHB and Ishihara test. We found no significant difference in the overall proportion of “expected” answers for the full colour (p = .35), 32 bit-greyscale (p = .39) and blue channel (p = .22) conditions. There were significant differences between the proportion of “expected” answers among six individual colour- edited plates (p < .05 for each). Colour vision assessment from the EHB is distinct from comparable Ishihara plates. Clinical scenarios that require serial assessment of colour vision may benefit from using the same modality consistently rather than exchanging between the two tests with the assumption of equivalence. Refinement of digital colour editing techniques beyond 32-bit greyscale and RGB channel splitting is necessary in order to accurately simulate colour vision deficiency.
The effects of video-annotated learning and reviewing system with vocabulary learning mechanism on English listening comprehension and technology acceptance

Abstract This study is aimed to design a novel vocabulary learning mechanism (VLM) in the previously developed video-annotated learning and reviewing system (VALRS) that allows learners to identify unfamiliar or unknown words when listening to the video and generate personalized input enhancement from English subtitles for vocabulary learning. It is expected that the VALRS with VLM (VALRS-VLM) can help learners improve their English listening comprehension in the recognition of speech sounds of individual vocabulary words and meaning understanding of vocabulary words and oral sentences. To investigate the learning effectiveness and learners’ experiences of the newly developed VLM, this study compared the outcomes of English listening comprehension performance and technology acceptance between the experimental group using the VALRS-VLM and the control group using the VALRS without the VLM (VALRS-NVLM). Analytical results show that the learners using the VALRS-VLM achieved remarkably better in both English listening learning outcomes and learning retention for vocabulary learning and overall English listening comprehension performance than those who used the VALRS-NVLM. Besides, according to the results of the questionnaire surveyed after the experiment, both the VALRS-VLM and VALRS-NVLM groups showed good technology acceptance. This study confirms that the proposed VALRS-VLM could effectively facilitate learners’ English listening learning as well as provide them with a positive learning experience.
Network-Cognitive Traffic Control: A Fluidity-Aware On-Chip Communication

A novel network-on-chip (NoC) integrated congestion control and flow control scheme, called Network-Cognitive Traffic Control (NCogn.TC), is proposed. This scheme is cognizant of the fluidity levels in on-chip router buffers and it uses this measurement to prioritize the forwarding of flits in the buffers. This preferential forwarding policy is based on the observation that flits with higher levels of fluidity are likely to arrive at their destinations faster, because they may require fewer routing steps. By giving higher priority to forward flits in high-fluidity buffers, scarce buffer resources may be freed-up sooner in order to relieve on-going traffic congestion. In this work, a buffer cognition monitor is developed to rapidly estimate the buffer fluidity level. An integrated congestion control and flow control algorithm is proposed based on the estimated buffer fluidity level. Tested with both synthetic traffic patterns as well as industry benchmark traffic patterns, significant performance enhancement has been observed when the proposed Network-Cognitive Traffic Control is compared against conventional traffic control algorithms that only monitor the buffer fill level.
Aligning Information Technology and Business: The Differential Effects of Alignment During Investment Planning, Delivery, and Change

Digital transformations often require firms to align and synchronize their information technology (IT) and business initiatives. In this context, one important question that managers face is where they should focus most when aligning IT and business for leveraging IT investment for firm performance. Authors argue that firms that focus on IT–business alignment at the later stages (i.e., IT delivery and IT change) are better able to translate their IT investment into revenue than firms that focus on IT–business alignment at the early stage (i.e., IT investment planning) of the IT lifecycle. They use archival data from more than 120 firms in India and find that the positive relationship between IT investment and firm revenue is stronger for firms that focus on IT delivery–business alignment or IT change–business alignment than for firms that focus on IT investment planning–business alignment. In addition, they find that at higher levels of IT investment, firms that focus on IT change–business alignment or IT delivery–business alignment have higher revenue than firms that focus on IT investment planning–business alignment, whereas at low levels of IT investment, firms that focus on IT investment planning–business alignment outperform firms that focus on IT delivery–business alignment or IT change–business alignment. Taken together, these findings can help managers to improve the success of their digital transformation efforts by tailoring their alignment efforts across planning, delivery, and change stages.
Indestructibility of Wholeness

The Wholeness Axiom (WA) is an axiom schema that asserts the existence of a nontrivial elementary embedding from V to itself. The schema is formulated in the language {∈ , j } , where j is a unary function symbol intended to stand for the embedding. WA consists of an Elementarity schema that asserts j is an elementary embedding, a Critical Point axiom that asserts existence of a least ordinal moved, and a schema Separation j that asserts Separation holds for all instances of j -formulas. The theory ZFC + WA has been proposed in the author’s earlier papers as a natural axiomatic extension of ZFC to account for most of the known large cardinals. In this paper we oﬀer evidence for the naturalness of this theory by showing that it is, like ZFC itself, indestructible by set forcing. We show ﬁrst that if κ is the critical point of the embedding, then ZFC+WA is preserved by any notion of forcing that belongs to V κ . This step is nontrivial because to prove Separation j holds in the forcing extension after lifting the embedding, it is necessary to incorporate j into the deﬁnition of the forcing relation. Then for arbitrary notions of forcing, we introduce a diﬀerent technique of lifting that lifts one of the original embedding’s applicative iterates.
The impact of human resource development (HRD) practices on job satisfaction and intent to leave: Moderating role of perception of organizational politics (POP)

This study uses a framework of social exchange theory and attempts to better understand the impact of human resource development (HRD) practices on job satisfaction and intent to leave. Furthermore, the perception of organizational politics (POP) is explored as a moderator between the relationships of HRD practices with employees’ job satisfaction and intent to leave. In earlier studies, the impact of HRD practices has been observed on employees’ job satisfaction and intent to leave, but this study extends the body of knowledge by empirically investigating the moderating role of POP on the relationship between HRD practices, job satisfaction, and intent to leave. Primary data from 40 respondents working in public sector departments are collected through a survey questionnaire. Results show that HRD practices have a significant impact on job satisfaction and intent to leave with the moderating effect of perception of organizational politics. This study can have a sizeable role in the current knowledge domain and may be helpful for organizations in formulating human resource management functions in the departments of the government of Punjab. As a future direction, this study may be moved further throughout Pakistan in the private sector with a larger sample size.