Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fusarium culmorum mycotoxin transfer from wheat to malting and brewing products and by-products

The objectives of this study were to establish the impact of Fusarium culmorum infection and fungicide treatment on the occurrence of deoxynivalenol (DON), 3-acetyl deoxynivalenol, T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, nivalenol, fusarenon-X, diacetoxyscirpenol and zearalenone in wheat, wheat malt and wort (beer). The concentrations of these compounds were also measured in the germ/rootlets, spent grains and spent yeast because these are the most important by-products and are further used as food or feed additives. Two wheat genotypes were obtained from the Agricultural Institute in Osijek, Croatia. The Osk.110/09 genotype, the genotype more susceptible to Fusarium infections, and Lucija, the genotype less susceptible to Fusarium, were analysed in this research. Each genotype was treated in four different ways at the field: (A) control, (B) treated with fungicide Prosaro® 250, (C) inoculated with F. culmorum spores and treated with fungicide Prosaro® 250, and (D) inoculated with F. culmorum spores. All samples were malted and brewed according to standard procedures, products and by-products were analysed for the mycotoxins by using LC-MS/MS. Since the majority of trichothecenes are polar molecules, the water after steeping was also analysed with LC-MS/MS. Mycotoxin concentrations were lower in malt samples treated with the fungicide. Elevated mycotoxin concentrations were observed in samples of both genotypes exposed to F. culmorum. Fungicide treatment was observed to suppress mycotoxin production and accumulation. However, samples with notably high mycotoxin concentrations, especially DON, retained elevated mycotoxin concentrations throughout the entire beer production process, even after a six-month storage period. DON proved to be the most frequently occurring mycotoxin in all of the by-products. The highest concentration of this compound was found in the steeping water from sample D (Osk.110/09), at 20,326 μg/l, leaving the spent grains of this sample with no detectable levels of DON.
Factors Affecting Lecturers’ Commitment to their University – A Study in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Resulting from the globalization, there exists the fierce competition in all of organizations in Vietnam. In higher education, education quality are built up by many factors in which lecturers are the cornerstone for the determination and the development of the education quality, organization performance and competitive advantage, especially for sustainable development. This study is to identify factors and their impacts on job satisfaction, organizational trust and lecture’s commitment and to formulate recommendations on the lecturer’s commitment to universities in Ho Chi Minh City. Both of the qualitative and quantitative methods have been used with techniques as EFA, CFA, SEM from the 772 surveyed samples as university lecturers. The finding expresses job satisfaction and organizational trust have a positive impact on the lecturer's commitment. Additionally, the research shows it limitations by its samples the new researches.
The effect of self efficacy on students’ motivation and learning outcome of class 8 in build flat side space material

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of self efficacy on student’s motivation and learning outcomes in the topic of build flat side space. This study was conducted at class 8 of SMP Negeri 12 Jember east Java, Indonesia in the 2019-2020 academic year. This research used a quantitative approach in the type of survey research. Simple random sampling was used as the sampling technique. Data collection technique used were questionnaires and tests. Simple linear regression test was used to analyse the data. The research finding showed that there is an influence of self efficacy on student learning motivation (sig 0.000) but there is no influence on student learning outcomes (sig 0.062). The influence of self efficacy on learning motivation is 49.7%, while 50.3% is influenced by other factors not discussed in this study
Identification of Tuberculosis (TB) Disease Based on Lung X-Rays using Extreme Learning Machine

Tuberculosis is a disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. Most Tuberculosis bacteria not only attack the lungs, but also attack other organs. Tuberculosis disease can spread and contaminate through the salivary and bacterial when the sufferer coughs and sneezes. Thus, the contagion of tuberculosis can take place either through contact directly with the sufferer or through the air. The examination system of Tuberculosis is still done manually. Therefore, a computational method is necessary to examine and identify Tuberculosis suffered by the patient through X-ray images of human lungs. The method used in this research is the Extreme Learning Machine. Lung X-ray images are used as input for image processing. The steps taken before identification were image pre- processing and Thresholding. The external results of this research include HKI in the form of software (registered), international conference presenter (done). In addition, the results of this study can assist public in determining the types of tuberculosis suffered so that it will be more efficient in early treatment of the disease.
Assessment of the Royal Decree 244/2019 in the Spanish Electrical Regulatory Framework Considering Power Quality Issues related to Harmonic Distortion associated to Nonlinear loads in Grid-connected Microgrids

Distributed Generation (DG) in Spain has recently been boosted through the impact in the regulatory framework of the electrical grid and the electrical market provided by the Royal Decree 244/2019. One important novelty is that it incorporates to the Royal Decree 842/2002 a modification establishing that prosumers associated to a self-consumption Grid-connected Microgrid (GCMG) classified as without energy surplus, cannot deliver energy to the electrical network. The criteria for ensuring this restriction only consider classical Power Factor (PF) calculation, Overvoltage and DC current injection and do not consider Power Quality (PQ) issues related to Total Harmonic Distortion (THD). In the recent years, nonlinear loads are increasing its presence in the electrical installations consumption side. Nonlinear loads such as lighting, electronic devices and others can pollute with harmonics the GCMG and, therefore, the Grid. This work proposes an assessment of the modifications of the Royal Decree 842/2002 considering PQ issues related to THD due to the Nonlinear Loads existing on a GCMG in the context of the Smart Grid (SG).
Bird community of upper-montane rupestrian fields in South of Minas Gerais State, Southeastern Brazil

Studies about the birds of rupestrian fields in the south of Minas Gerais State in Southeastern Brazil are incomplete, although this region is ornithologically well studied. This bird community has closely associated ecology with fields and the most endangered species of the Cerrado domain. The objective of this manuscript is to create a list of birds which occur in the rupestrian fields of seven municipalities in the south of Minas Gerais State, and further to analyze the birds’ distribution, the endangered species (and their conservation status), and generate bases for future conservation actions. We evaluated seven cities in the south of Minas Gerais State between 2012 and 2018 by using binoculars and cameras. We found a high richness in relation to other open areas, with the Tyrannidae and Trochilidae families being the most representative. We highlight the endangered species in the Cerrado domain which of these species are closely linked to rupestrian fields. The composition is similar to closer areas, with exception to São Thomé das Letras city because it suffers an influence of mining areas. We suggest creating a wildlife protected area to preserve and conserve a great area of rupestrian fields and consequently the associated biota, especially the bird communities.
Inquiline social parasites as tools to unlock the secrets of insect sociality

Insect societies play a crucial role in the functioning of most ecosystems and have fascinated both scientists and the lay public for centuries. Despite the long history of study, we are still far from understanding how insect societies have evolved and how social cohesion in their colonies is maintained. Here we suggest inquiline social parasites of insect societies as an under-exploited experimental tool for understanding sociality. We draw on examples from obligate inquiline (permanent) social parasites in wasps, ants and bees to illustrate how these parasites may allow us to better understand societies and learn more about the evolution and functioning of insect societies. We highlight three main features of these social parasite–host systems—namely, close phylogenetic relationships, strong selective pressures arising from coevolution and multiple independent origins—that make inquiline social parasites particularly suited for this aim; we propose a conceptual comparative framework that considers trait losses, gains and modifications in social parasite–host systems. We give examples of how this framework can reveal the more elusive secrets of sociality by focusing on two cornerstones of sociality: communication and reproductive division of labour. Together with social parasites in other taxonomic groups, such as cuckoos in birds, social parasitism has a great potential to reveal the mechanisms and evolution of complex social groups. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The coevolutionary biology of brood parasitism: from mechanism to pattern’.
Ion kinetic effects on linear pressure driven magnetohydrodynamic instabilities in helical plasmas

The linear MHD (magnetohydrodynamic) stability for high beta plasmas in the inward shifted Large Helical Device (LHD) configurations has been investigated for a wide range of magnetic Reynolds numbers $S$ using numerical simulations based on the kinetic MHD model with kinetic thermal ions where the beta is the ratio of the plasma pressure to the magnetic pressure. It is found that the dependence of the linear growth rate of the resistive ballooning modes on the $S$ number changes from $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}\propto S^{-1/3}$ to $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FE}\propto S^{-1}$ by the kinetic thermal ion effects so that the resistive ballooning modes are significantly suppressed as the $S$ number increases. For a high $S$ number comparable to experimental values, the most unstable modes are interchange modes. The kinetic thermal ion effects change the most unstable interchange mode from the ideal mode to the resistive mode. This transition of the interchange modes by kinetic thermal ion effects is consistent with the shift of the marginal stability boundary for the ideal interchange modes observed in the LHD experiments.
Pembrolizumab versus chemotherapy for microsatellite instability-high/mismatch repair deficient metastatic colorectal cancer: The phase 3 KEYNOTE-177 Study.

LBA4 Background: KEYNOTE-177 (NCT02563002) is a phase 3, randomized open-label study evaluating the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab (pembro) versus standard of care chemotherapy ± bevacizumab or cetuximab (chemo) as first-line therapy for patients (pts) with microsatellite-instability high/mismatch repair deficient (MSI-H/dMMR) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). We present results of the final PFS analysis. Methods: A total of 307 pts with MSI-H/dMMR mCRC as determined locally and ECOG PS 0 or 1 were randomly assigned 1:1 to first-line pembro 200 mg Q3W for up to 2 years or investigator’s choice of mFOLFOX6 or FOLFIRI Q2W ± bevacizumab or cetuximab (chemo chosen prior to randomization). Treatment continued until PD, unacceptable toxicity, pt/investigator decision to withdraw, or completion of 35 cycles (pembro only). Patients receiving chemo could crossover to pembro for up to 35 cycles after confirmed PD. Primary end points were PFS (RECIST v1.1, central review) and OS. Key secondary end points included ORR (RECIST v1.1, central review), and safety. The data cutoff date for this interim analysis was Feb 19, 2020. The study will continue without changes to evaluate OS. Results: At data cutoff, 153 pts were randomized to pembro and 154 to chemo. Median (range) study follow-up was 28.4 mo (0.2-48.3) with pembro vs 27.2 mo (0.8-46.6) with chemo. Pembro was superior to chemo for PFS (median 16.5 mo vs 8.2 mo; HR 0.60; 95% CI, 0.45-0.80; P=0.0002). The 12- and 24-mo PFS rates were 55.3% and 48.3% with pembro vs 37.3% and 18.6% with chemo. Confirmed ORR was 43.8% vs 33.1%; median (range) duration of response was not reached (2.3+ to 41.4+) with pembro vs 10.6 mo (2.8 to 37.5+) with chemo. Grade 3-5 treatment related adverse event (AE) rates were 22% vs 66% for pembro vs chemo. One pt in the chemo arm died due to a treatment-related AE. Conclusions: Pembro provided a clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvement in PFS versus chemo as first-line therapy for pts with MSI-H/dMMR mCRC, with fewer treatment-related AEs observed and should be the new standard of care for these pts. Clinical trial information: NCT02563002 .
Physico-Chemical and Thermal Characterization of Some Lignocellulosic Fibres: Ananas comosus (AC), Neuropeltis acuminatas (NA) and Rhecktophyllum camerunense (RC)

This paper focuses on the study of the physical, biochemical, structural, and thermal properties of plant fibres of Rhecktophyllum camerunense (RC), Neuropeltis acuminatas (NA) and Ananas comosus (AC) from the equatorial region of Cameroon. The traditional use of these fibres inspired researchers to investigated their properties. This study aims at improving the state of knowledge with a view to diversifying applications. The fibres are extracted by retting. Then, their apparent density was measured following the ASTM D792 standard and their water moisture absorption and moisture content were also evaluated. Their molecular structure was studied by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. A quantitative analysis of the biochemical composition was performed according to the analytical technique for the pulp and paper industry (TAPPI). A TGA/DSC analysis was also performed. The results reveal that the AC, NA and RC fibres have densities of 1.26 ± 1.06, 0.846 ± 0.13 and 0.757 ± 0.08 g·cm-3 respectively. They are also hydrophilic with a water absorption rate of 188.64 ± 11.94%, 276.16% ± 8.07% and 198.17% ± 20%. They have a moisture content of 12.21%, 10.36% and 9.37%. The studied fibres exhibit functional groups that are related to the presence of hemicellulose, pectin, lignin and cellulose. The cellulose crystallinity index was found to be 67.99%, 46.5% and 59.72% respectively. The fibres under study have the following chemical composition: an extractive content of 3.07%, 14.77% and 8.74%; a pectin content of 4.15%, 7.69% and 3.45%; a hemicellulose content of 4.90%, 15.33% and 7.42%; a cellulose content of 68.11%, 36.08% and 65.15%; a lignin content of 12.01%, 25.15% and 16.2%; and an ash content of 0.27%, 1.53% and 0.47% respectively. The thermal transitions observed on the thermograms correlate with the TAPPI chemical composition. It is observed that these fibres are thermally stable up to temperatures of 200°C, 220°C and 285°C. These results make it possible to envisage uses similar to those of sisal, hemp and flax fibres.
The Excretion of Ca, Mg, Zn and Cu Through Excreta of Laying Hens Fed Two Different Levels of Protein with and without Phytase

An 8-week experiment was conducted to study the effect of added Natuphos® 5000 phytase in corn–soybean meal-based diets on laying hens fed different levels of crude protein (CP) (14 and 17%). Two levels of phytase enzyme were used: 0 and 600 Phytase Units (FTU)/kg feed. The experiment used 144 Hisex Brown laying hens in a 2 × 2 factorial design. Four treatments and three replicates per treatment with 12 hens per replicate were used. Egg production was recorded daily while egg weight was assessed on 13th and 14th day of each two-week period to calculate total egg mass. Total excreta were collected and approximately 10% of the amount was used for analysis after drying in a forced draft oven. The results showed no significant effect of added phytase on excreta Calcium (Ca) content, but significantly lower Magnesium (Mg) content was observed with phytase (3.54, 2.48, 3.13 and 2.75 % for hens fed 14% CP no phytase, 14% CP + phytase, 17% CP no phytase, and 17% CP + phytase, respectively). Added phytase also significantly decreased Mg excretion measured as grams/kg of egg mass (21.43, 12.47, 16.76 and 14.75 g/kg egg mass for hens of respective dietary treatments. Phytase had a strong effect on Zink (Zn) levels with 438.96, 369.17, 434.38 and 374.58 mg Zn/kg dry excreta of hens. Similar results were observed with Cu. Added phytase significantly reduced the excreta content and the excretion of Cu. The results of this experiment indicate that adding 600 FTU to laying hen diets containing 14% CP decreases the excretion of Mg, Zn and Cu without any adverse effects on the egg mass produced of laying hens.
Assessment of operational facilities and sanitary practices in Zangon Shanu abattoir, Sabon Gari Local Government Area, Kaduna State, Nigeria

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the operational facilities and sanitary practices in Zangon Shanu abattoir, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Semi structured questionnaires were administered to the workers and also observational studies on facilities and sanitary practices in the abattoir were conducted. The results showed that 75.00% of the abattoir workers were between the ages of 25 to 35 years, with majority (P<0.05) not well educated. Also 60.00% of the workers are working in the abattoir for more than 6 years (P<0.05), with only 40.00% were well trained on abattoir operations. Observational assessment of abattoir facilities revealed that the size and sitting of the abattoir were very satisfactory, however not cited close to livestock market. Facilities such as lairage, evisceration section, guttery and tripery section, cold room, detained meat section and condemned meat section are present but non-functional. There is ample supply of water from the overhead tank and also hand pump borehole. Most of the solid wastes (bones, horns and undigested ingesta) were packed in sacks and transported out of the abattoir for other uses, while the rests were burnt in the abattoir and the ashes packed for other uses. Liquid wastes was normally done manually by sweeping with brooms and directed into the drainage system which was opened into the nearby stream and bush. All blood from the slaughtered animals were collected into containers, boiled and taken out of the abattoir for other uses. Cleaning and disinfection of the slaughter slabs, premises and floors were done daily and the wastewater and its effluents directed into drainage. The study recommends renovation of some facilities; provision of sanitary sections with well-equipped facilities and provision of bins and dumpsites for proper disposal of wastes. Key words: assessment, operational facilities, sanitary practices, solid and liquid wastes, Zagon Shanu abattoir.
EFFECT OF DIFFERENT POSTHARVEST TREATMENTS ON PROLONGING SHELF LIFE AND MAINTAINING QUALITY OF SWEET ORANGE (Citrus sinensis Osbeck.)

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different postharvest treatments on maintaining quality and shelf life of sweet orange from Feb-Apr 2019 under completely randomized (CRD) with four replications and five treatments (T1= Aloe vera gel @100%, T2= Paraffin wax @100%, T3= Corn Starch @4%, T4=Tragacanth Gum @4%, T1=Control i.e. untreated fruits) at ambient room condition (15.15±0.33ºC, 58.16±1.69% RH). The parameters recorded were Physiological loss in weight (PLW), total soluble solid(TSS), titratable acidity(TA), Shrinkage, Juice content, Marketability, Disease Incidence and Shelf life in every 5 days’ interval till 40 th day. Minimum percentage of PLW was observed in the fruits treated with paraffin wax (5.83% in 40 th day) which was statistically at par with the findings of all other coated fruits. Corn starch showed minimum shrinkage (4.27%) which was statistically at par with Paraffin wax (100%) and tragacanth gum (4%). Wax treated fruits recorded the maximum juice recovery percentage (31.43%) whereas the minimum juice recovery percentage (27.81%) was observed in control fruits. The control fruits (untreated) showed the maximum TSS (15.03º brix) which was statistically at par with Aloe Vera and Corn starch. Higher acidity was found in the fruits treated with Aloe Vera (100%) (0.917) which was statistically par with corn starch (4%) and tragacanth gum (4%). The marketability value of tragacanth gum treated fruits was reported to be maximum (4.445). Minimum disease index (2.25) was observed in the fruits treated with tragacanth gum which was statistically at par with Aloe vera gel and corn starch treated fruits whereas postharvest life was found maximum (69 Days) in fruits treated with Aloe vera (100%) while it was only 46 in control fruits.
ISS’s Proxy Voting Guidelines and ROE Management

We examine the impact of the proxy voting guidelines of the Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) on managers’ opportunistic reporting behaviours. In January 2015, the ISS introduced a new advisory guideline based on firms’ return on equity (ROE), and started to recommend that shareholders should vote against the proposed director election for firms whose ROE is lower than 5%. Focusing on this benchmark, we find that managers are more likely to achieve this threshold since the publication of the guideline and, in particular, they do so by accrual management and increased dividends. Moreover, firms with higher institutional ownership are more likely to beat the threshold. This paper thus contributes to the literature by providing new evidence that earnings management can be motivated by a unique soft law and detects managers’ discretions in the context of ROE.
Alternations of NMDA and GABAB Receptor Function in Development: A Potential Animal Model of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental disorder that affects up to 3% of the world population. The behavioral symptoms are categorized into positive and negative symptoms, which appear during late adolescence/early adulthood. Unfortunately, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of the disease are poorly understood. Several hypotheses exist to explain mechanisms contributing to these behavioral alterations. One model proposes that a reduced function of the NMDA glutamate receptor on specific GABAergic interneurons may be responsible for deficits in schizophrenia. Post-mortem investigations provide evidence of reductions in both glutamate and GABA-related proteins in patients with schizophrenia. Further, GABAergic interneurons that are activated by glutamate via NMDA receptors are important for oscillatory activity involved with sensory processing and cognitive function. Alterations in the function of NMDA receptors on GABAeric interneurons are implicated in regulating neural network activity and, if disrupted, could potentially lead to altered brain function and deficits seen in schizophrenia. Several investigations have demonstrated reduction in NMDA receptor function or GABA receptor function induces deficits consistent with schizophrenia. Recent approaches have also focused on changes in NMDA or GABA function related to iv schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental disorder. This approach suggests that alterations in either system during brain development may result in behavioral deficits later in life. The purpose of the below studies was to determine if changes in NMDA receptor function or alterations in downstream GABA receptor function during development in rodent pups results in behavioral or biochemical alterations in adulthood that are relevant to schizophrenia. The data reveal that altering these receptor systems in development produce deficits in adulthood. Changes in sensorimotor gating, spatial learning and memory, and differential expression of multiple GABA related proteins in the brain tissue were observed in these animals.