Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of bioactive compounds of three sea buckthorn cultivars (Hippophaë rhamnoides L. ‘Askola’, ‘Leikora’, and ‘Orangeveja’) with HPLC and spectrophotometric methods

Sea buckthorn (SBT) fruit is rich in biologically active compounds. It has considerable health benefits, thus it can serve as functional food ingredient. The aim of this study was to comprehensively characterize the fruit quality traits of three SBT cultivars (‘Leiko-ra’, ‘Askola’, ‘Orangeveja’) grown in Hungary by determining their physicochemical (refraction, titratable acid content, sugar/acid ratio, carbohydrate profile) and antioxidant parameters (by spectrophotometric methods: FRAP, DPPH, and by HPLC method: β-caro-tene content, phenolic compounds). The statistical analysis was made by SPSS 14.0. Univariate analyses were made to separate the homogenous groups using the Duncan test. Significant differences were shown in the refraction of the cultivars (5.6–7.9 °Brix) and in their titratable acid content (2.35–3.07%), but no statistically significant difference has been found in the sugar/acid ratio (2.41–2.57). Glucose (9.56–12.9 mg L -1 ) was the main carbohydrate component of the studied cultivars. In addition to that, we detected fructose (1.39–5.4 mg L -1 ) and mannitol (1.77–9.24 mg L -1 ). The antioxidant state of the studied cultivars could be well-characterized by their TPC (186–381 mg GAS 100 g -1 ), DPPH (60.37–79.1 µg Trolox L -1 ), FRAP (3335–4887 µg AA mL -1 ) and by their β-caro-tene content (0.37–0.92 mg mL -1 ); however no significant correlation was found among these antioxidant parameters. We determined the content of quercetin derivatives in the fruits of the SBT genotypes, such as the rutin (22.12–27.52 mg 100 g -1 ), quercitrin glucoside (50.19–57.72 mg 100 g -1 ), quercetin dihydrate (5.11–6.45 mg 100 g -1 ), quercitrin hydrate (1.59–3.34 mg 100 g -1 ) content, cinnamic acid (78.18–88.93 µg 100 g -1 ) and epicatechin (456.73–488.05 mg 100 g -1 ). We concluded that the antioxidant properties are defined by both the genotype and by the climatic and growing conditions. The fruits of the cultivars ‘Leikora’ and ‘Orangeveja’ can be used as raw material of functional food products, according to their fruit quality traits.
Haematological and Biochemical Characteristics of Broiler Finisher Fed Different Feed Forms (Pelleted and Mash)

A 56-day study was carried out to evaluate the effects of two different feed forms on the haematology and serum biochemistry of broiler finisher birds. A total of 90 day old "Sayed" chicks were assigned to three dietary treatments, T1 (mash diet) served as control, T2 (50% mash+50% pelleted) and T3 (pellet diet) in a completely randomized design (CRD) with 30 birds per treatment and each treatment replicated three times with 10 birds per replicate. Feed and water were served ad-libitum throughout the experimental period. Data were collected for haematological and biochemical parameters analysis. The haematological parameters include packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell (RBC), white blood cell (WBC), haemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH). The biochemical parameters include urea, total protein, albumin, globulin, creatinine, cholesterol and glucose. The haematological parameters showed non-significant (P>0.05) differences among treatment means, while that of biochemistry showed non-significant (P>0.05) differences in all the parameters except urea that differed significantly (P<0.05). Feed forms to a large extent do not pose any deleterious effect on the birds.
When spirits speak: absorption, attribution, and identity among spiritualists who report “clairaudient” voice experiences

ABSTRACT For mental health researchers and others committed to a bio-cultural understanding of religious experience, there is a need for empirical studies capable of shedding light on the interplay between beliefs, personalities, and the occurrence of anomalous sensory experiences. Absorption, a trait linked to one’s tendency to become immersed in experience or thought, may be key for understanding that relationship. Spiritualist mediums (N = 65) completed an online questionnaire assessing the timing, nature, and frequency of their auditory (clairaudient) spiritual communications – including scales measuring paranormal beliefs, absorption, hallucination-proneness, and aspects of identity. These measures were compared to a general population group (N = 143), with results showing higher levels of auditory hallucination-proneness and absorption among the Spiritualists as well as correlations between spiritual beliefs and absorption, but not spiritual beliefs and hallucination-proneness, for the general population. Findings are discussed in relation to attribution models of religious experience and the complexity of “absorption” as a construct.
The Validation of the North American Indigenous College Students Inventory (NAICSI)

Abstract:The North American Indigenous College Students Inventory (NAICSI) was designed to measure cultural integrity (preservation of cultural tradition and cultural identity) through six support factors (family, tribe, peers, staff, faculty, and institution) and the effects of these support factors on cultural reciprocity, cultural resiliency, GPA, and persistence for Native American college students through the lens of transculturation. Transculturation is a socialization process that assesses how Native American college students maintain their cultural integrity through different dimensions of support. Statistical analyses revealed the NAICSI yielded high levels of internal consistency, content validity, and construct validity. Additionally, the confirmatory factor analyses supported the hypothesized factor structure. The NAICSI was validated on 1,066 Native American college students from 75 institutions and representing more than 200 tribes. The NAICSI could be used as a valid metric for evaluating on-campus support factors for Native American college students.
SPATIAL VARIATION OF SOIL MOISTURE CONTENT OF A STEPPED SLOPE UNDER SPRINKLER IRRIGATION AND ITS AFFECTING FACTORS

In this study, the soil moisture migration pattern was studied under the sprinkler irrigation method with different modes of a stepped slope with 3 steps and its affecting factors. The results showed that at the early stage of the vegetation reconstruction, natural precipitation was enough to ensure the normal growth. This was found valid as long as the soil moisture content (SMC) was higher than 2.45% of the wilting coefficient at the non-irrigation stage. At the non-irrigation stage and at the stage of irrigation once every two days, the SMC increased with depth in the three slope surfaces. However, at the stage of irrigation once daily, the SMC decreased with depth. As the irrigation frequency decreased, the SMC dropped and the coefficient of variation (CV) of SMC rose. The order of CV of SMC within depths in 0-50 cm soil layer was the depths of 40-50 cm > 0-2 cm and 0-20 cm > 20-40 cm. The average soil moisture content (ASMC) increased from the top to the bottom of the stepped slope under different frequencies of sprinkler irrigation. The slope position and hardness and vegetation cover correlated negatively with the SMC (P < 0.01). Whereas, the slope gradient correlated positively with the SMC (P < 0.05).
Study of Aerobic Bacterial Isolates and Their Antibiogram from Pus Sample in Government General Hospital, Guntur

Introduction: Pyogenic wound infection is a major cause of morbidity because of emergence of multidrug resistant bacterial strains. Hence it is important to know the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of the isolates from pus samples to choose right antibiotics for the management of patient. Aim: To isolate the aerobic bacteria from pus samples and study their antibiotic sensitivity pattern. Methods: 524 samples received in the Department of Microbiology, Guntur medical college were processed as per the standard guidelines in the laboratory . All the bacterial isolates obtained were tested for antibiotic sensitivity by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method and interpretation was done as per CLSI guide lines. Results: Out of 524 samples tested 476 (90.8%) were culture positive and 48 (9.2%) were culture sterile. Out of 476 culture positive samples 73.7% were Gram negative bacilli and 26.3% were Gram positive cocci. Majority of GNB were Klebsiella pneumoniae (29.5%) followed by Pseudomonas (23.3%), Escherichia coli (14.4%) and Proteus (3.5%). Staphylococcus aureus (22%) and Coagulase negative staphylococci (3.8%) were isolated. Pure cultures were obtained in 88.2% and mixed cultures in 11.8%. Most of the GNB were sensitive to aminoglycosides, carbapenems, Piperacillin Tazobactum , third generation cephalosporins and floroquinolones. MRSA were isolated in 27% of Staphylococcus aureus strains. Conclusion: Empirical and appropriate use of antibiotics is very crucial in preventing emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria. Hence there is a need for such studies to know the current status of bacterial etiology and their antibiogrm
Learning to Drive by Imitation: An Overview of Deep Behavior Cloning Methods

There is currently a huge interest around autonomous vehicles from both industry and academia. This is mainly due to recent advances in machine learning and deep learning, allowing the development of promising methods for autonomous driving. The gap toward full autonomy is incrementally being reduced with essentially three main existing approaches. First, Modular systems that combine a pipeline of methods with each solving one specific sub-task of driving. Second, Direct Perception techniques that directly estimate affordances (car orientation, distances between lane borders, etc) used to compute control commands through a simple logic. Finally, end-to-end frameworks that automatically map raw sensor data to actuation values. The objective of this paper is to review some recent works focusing on end-to-end deep learning models for lane stable driving, as well as some publicly available real world datasets and open-source simulators that enable the development and evaluation of such methods.
Analysis of anatomical and functional traits of xylem in Humulus lupulus L. stems

Hop plants have unusually low values of the ratio between internal area of xylem conducts and leaf area, indicating that their xylem conducts solutes very efficiently. In the present study we analyzed the structure and function of xylem in stems of field-grown hop plants.We discuss differences and non-linear relationship between measured hydraulic conductivity (Kh) and Kh calculated from vessel diameters and suggest a simplified approach suitable for routine evaluation of theoretical Kh of hop cultivars.
Foreign bank ownership and business cycle synchronization in the European Union

In this article the impact of foreign bank ownership on the synchronization of business cycles between the euro area and EU countries is analysed with the use of data for 28 EU member states from 1998 to 2016. The main finding is that economies with a higher share of assets owned by foreign banks are more cyclically synchronized with the euro area which is chiefly the result of greater alignment in investment cycles. It suggests that foreign banks, originated mainly in other EU member states, treat host countries largely as an extension of their domestic markets, and their lending behaviour at home and in the host countries is similar. Our results show that greater foreign bank ownership reduces the costs of European monetary integration.
The distributive cycle: Evidence and current debates

This paper surveys current debates on the distributive cycle. The literature builds on R.M. Goodwin’s seminal 1967 chapter titled “A growth cycle. ” We review theoretical motivations for the distributive cycle, which, despite signif-icant differences, all imply that macroeconomic activity leads the labor share in a counter-clockwise cycle in the activity-labor share plane. Subsequently, we summarize and update evidence on the existence of a distributive cycle, with a focus on the post-war US macroeconomy. We analyze activity and labor share series and their interaction in the frequency domain, and also employ stan-dard vector autoregressions. Results confirm the distributive cycle for the US post-war period. We contextualize results vis-`a-vis current debates: (1) we consider a financial cycle, to rebut the theoretical possibility of “pseudo-Goodwin” cycles, (2) demonstrate that a suppressed labor share and stagnation are com-patible with short run Goodwin cycles, and argue that this link presents the way forward for research on secular stagnation.
A General Steady-State Voltage Stability Analysis for Hybrid Multi-Infeed HVDC Systems

As large-scale offshore wind farms are integrated into the power grid, a hybrid multi-infeed HVDC (HMIDC) system including both LCC-HVDC and VSC-HVDC links is facing a critical steady-state voltage stability problem which mainly stems from a weak AC system under high-level DC power injections. To overcome this challenge, this paper proposes a general steady-state voltage stability analysis to accurately measure the critical voltage stability point of HMIDC systems. In this paper, a typical HMIDC system is firstly modeled as a general dual-infeed system composed of an LCC-HVDC, a VSC-HVDC, and a virtual equivalent voltage source behind a virtual equivalent impedance at the AC side. Then a hybrid power sensitive factor (HPSF) is established to indicate the critical voltage stability point with the consideration of dynamic power-voltage characteristics of HVDC links, as well as operational changes in AC system (e.g. dynamics of excitation voltage control in generator and network topology change). Finally, a general voltage stability index, called hybrid generalized short circuit ratio (HGSCR), is further derived to effectively explain the critical voltage stability point of HMIDC systems. Moreover, multiple comparative studies with existing voltage stability indices are conducted in this paper to verify the effectiveness of the proposed general steady-state voltage stability analysis by using both PSCAD/EMTDC™ power flow and time-domain simulations.
Studies on pre- and post-weaning growth performance of Hampshire x Desi half-bred pigs

Records pertaining to 51 sows and 464 progeny of Hampshire x Desi half-bred pigs maintained at ICAR-Mega Seed Project (MSP) on Pig located at College of Veterinary Science, Assam Agricultural University, Khanapara, Guwahati, Assam were utilized to study the Pre – and Post –weaning growth. The overall least-squares means in Hampshire x Desi half-bred pigs for body weight at birth, weaning, 3 months and average daily gain during 0-42 days, 42-90 days and 0-90 days were found to be 1.149 ± 0.010 kg, 7.060 ± 0.024 kg, 13.539 ± 0.166 kg, 140.721 ± 0.443 g, 131.753 ± 3.450 g and 137.154 ± 1.823 g, respectively. Effect of sex, season of birth and parity on growth performances were also studied.
The Characteristics and Management Practices of Public Toilets in Wa, Ghana

Public toilets are an important sanitation option that responds to the sanitary needs of the urban poor and transient populace. This research, therefore seeks to explore the characteristics and, the operation and maintenance practices of public toilets in Wa Township. All the public toilet facilities in Wa were purposively selected and considered under this study. The use of qquestionnaires, survey and key informant interviews were employed to solicit the required data that were analysed to generate the desired outcomes. The results indicate that sanitary conditions of most public toilet facilities were in a sorry state and need urgent improvement. The findings of the study further suggested that poor supervision, lack of regular and adequate on-site water supply, lack of training on toilet management and maintenance has contributed to the sorry state of most toilet facilities. In line with the findings, the study recommends the resourcing and tooling of Environmental Health Officers of the Municipal Assembly for effective and intensive monitoring of the public toilet facilities to ensure operators comply with the guidelines for the provision, operation, and maintenance of public toilets The study further recommends the establishment of a sludge treatment plant or a dedicated and regulated site for the dumping of faecal sludge. Key words Public Toilet, Faecal, Sludge, Management DOI: 10.7176/CER/12-6-08 Publication date: June 30 th 2020
Players’ physical performance in LaLiga across the season: insights for competition continuation after COVID-19

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, professional football players competing in LaLiga were confined at home for ~8 weeks and then they were allowed to train to prepare the first competitive match for 4 weeks. As the duration of summer break in the prior four seasons of LaLiga (from 2015-2016 to 2018-2019) was of similar length to the suspension of the championship due to COVID-19 (~12 weeks), we have analysed the running performance of teams competing in LaLiga in these four seasons to anticipate players’ physical performance after the resumption of the competition. The analysis includes the average running distance per game for each of the 38 matchdays that compose LaLiga. One-way ANOVA revealed that there was a main effect of the matchday on total running distance per match (p = 0.001), and in the distance covered between 14.0 and 20.9 km/h (p < 0.001), between 21.0 and 23.9 km/h (p < 0.001) and at above 24.0 km/h (p < 0.001). Overall, the post-hoc analysis revealed that the running patterns progressively increased during the first 8-10 matchdays and then reached a plateau which was significantly different to matchday-1 (p < 0.05). This analysis reveals that, in the prior four competitive seasons of LaLiga, players’ physical performance was lower at the beginning of the season and the teams needed approximately 8-10 matchdays to reach a steady state running performance. These data suggest that football players will progressively increase their performance across the 11 matchdays remaining to complete LaLiga.
Means-End Chain theory: a critical review of literature

Summary: This study provides the first critical and systematic investigation of the literature on Means-End Chain theory after the ground-breaking book “Understanding Consumer Decision Making: The Means-End Approach to Marketing and Advertising Strategy” by Olson and Reynolds (2001). The sample of 157 articles published in the Science Direct, Emerald, and Wiley databases was investigated. The period covers scientific literature published from 2001 to 2018. The paper shows the main theoretical concepts, methodological approaches, research problems, and findings. The results of the literature review demonstrate that the Means-End Chain theory is an evolving area of research and is gaining importance in academia and management. Some important gaps in the knowledge of theoretical and methodological levels were identified, and the most important directions for further studies were proposed.
Stabilisation of peat with colloidal nanosilica

Colloidal nanosilica hydrosols are electrochemically stabilised polymerised amorphous silica in low viscosity suspensions. They have no known adverse impact on soil health and ecosystem service functions, thereby having a scope for use in groundworks as an alternative low-viscose stabilising material. Six grades of colloidal nanosilica are synthesised through an in-house procedure and introduced to a natural peat soil. The peak and residual compressive strength of compacted and modified soils are measured immediately after treatment and in four strain levels post treatment. Findings suggest that, despite the direct correlation between the nanosilica content and compressive strength, an increase in nanosilica content does not necessarily offer stability at larger strains. This is a major limitation. The particle-level kinematics in modified peat is discussed to gain a new insight into the role played by silica flocs on the build-up of macro-mechanical quantities such as peak and critical state strength. Overall, modification of peat with nanosilica leads to improvements in strength and formation of composites with generally more dilative behaviour. When used as a single stabiliser, a design 15 % to 20 % grade nanosilica solution yields a reasonably high strength although precautions against excessive straining of modified peat soils need to be taken in the first seven days post treatment. At this optimum grade, the loss of strength on further straining is capped to 9 % at plastic strains 1.5 times the peak strain.
Authentic Leadership, Organizational Identification and Citizenship Behavior in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries

The purpose of this empirical research is to explore the impact of authentic leadership on organizational identification and citizenship behavior in addition to exploring the mediating role of organization virtuousness and collective psychological capital between authentic leadership and organizational identification. In this quantitative and cross-sectional study five-point Likert scale survey was used to obtain primary data opting purposive sampling technique from professionals working in the banking industry of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The analysis revealed that all tested propositions except mediating role of organization virtuousness between authentic leadership and organization citizenship behavior are accepted. Psychologically empowered employees stimulate pro-social behavior in organizations in addition to showing transparency, self-awareness, and unbiased behaviors at high ethical and moral standards. Banks operating in the GCC countries need to focus more on authentic leadership in relation to collective psychological capital and organizational virtuousness to operate with employees having organization citizenship behavior. This combination will make the banks competitive and sustainable in the short and long run.