Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of coat colour on morphological characteristics of Red Sokoto, Sahel and West African Dwarf goats

The need to classify animals into breeds has necessitated the study of coat colour and its overall impact on livestock productivity. There exists paucity of information on the impact of coat colour on morphometrics of goats in Nigeria and this study was designed to fill that knowledge gap. Color morphological character was used to determine the relationship among Red Sokoto, Sahel and West Africa Dwarf at different ages (Less than one year, one to two years and above two years). 300 each of Red Sokoto, Sahel and WAD goats, with 150 males and females per breed and 100 across ages (<1year old, 1-2 years old and 2-3 years old) from Sokoto, Borno and Ogun state were sampled and were sorted into colour groups within breeds and different age groups and the effect of this on body measurements and body weight were evaluated. It was generally observed that coat colour influence varied with sexes and ages and moderately influenced many body mensuration traits with no definite pattern between breeds, ages and sex. Brown goats with white spots weighed heavier (body weight), grew taller (height at wither and stature) and had greater depth (D) and girth (HG); followed by white and brown, brown (B) and dark red (DR) coat coloured goats. The black with black spotted pigments had the least figures for production parameters on the average. It was concluded that although, coat colour appeared as a weak factor influencing body growth, it nevertheless, is a moderate factor that influences body morphometry.
Permeation and Mechanical Properties of Porous Supports Intended for Asymmetric Membranes Based on La(0.2)Sr(0.8)Fe(0.8)Al(0.2)O(3-δ)

Production of asymmetric ceramic membranes intended for oxygen gas separation was done by producing porous supports made from coarse La(0.2)Sr(0.8)Fe(0.8)Al(0.2)O(3-d) powder produced by the solid state reaction method. The porous support was made by adding 40 vol% carbon black as a pore former to a slip which was tape casted. The tape casted green body was dip-coated with a solution of nano-sized La(0.2)Sr(0.8)Fe(0.8)Al(0.2)O(3-d) particles produced by spray pyrolysis, and fired. The asymmetric membranes produced during this work was not gas tight, and thus not viable to use for oxygen gas separation. Phase pure La(0.2)Sr(0.8)Fe(0.8)Al(0.2)O(3-d) was not prepared by the solid state reaction method in this work, and possible reasons for this is discussed. The gas permeability of the porous support was measured at room temperature. The gas permeability at elevated temperatures was calculated for different pressure drops across the porous support and the estimated gas permeability at elevated temperatures seems promising (58 mL/min cm2 at 1000C, p = 10mbar). The porosity of the porous support was determined to 62.3% by Archimedes method, this seems plausible when comparing the results with SEM micrographs. Due to time restraints no mechanical testing was done
Global seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background. Studies reporting estimates of the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies have rapidly emerged. We aimed to synthesize seroprevalence data to better estimate the burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection, identify high-risk groups, and inform public health decision making. Methods. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched publication databases, preprint servers, and grey literature sources for seroepidemiological study reports, from January 1, 2020 to August 28, 2020. We included studies that reported a sample size, study date, location, and seroprevalence estimate. Estimates were corrected for imperfect test accuracy with Bayesian measurement error models. We conducted meta-analysis to identify demographic differences in the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, and meta-regression to identify study-level factors associated with seroprevalence. We compared region-specific seroprevalence data to confirmed cumulative incidence. PROSPERO: CRD42020183634. Findings. We identified 338 seroprevalence studies including 2.3 million participants in 50 countries. Seroprevalence was low in the general population (median 3.2%, IQR 1.0-6.4%) and slightly higher in at-risk populations (median 5.4%, IQR 1.5-18.4%). Median seroprevalence varied by WHO Global Burden of Disease region (p < 0.01), from 1.0% in Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania to 18.8% in South Asia. National studies had lower seroprevalence estimates than local (p = 0.02) studies. Compared to White persons, Black persons (prevalence ratio [RR] 2.34, 95% CI 1.60-3.43) and Asian persons (RR 1.56, 95% CI 1.22-2.01) were more likely to be seropositive. Seroprevalence was higher among people ages 18-64 compared to 65 and over (RR 1.26, 95% CI 1.04-1.52). Health care workers had a 1.74x [95% CI: 1.18-2.58] higher risk compared to the general population. There was no difference in seroprevalence between sexes. There were 123 studies (36%) at low or moderate risk of bias. Seroprevalence estimates from national studies were median 11.9 (IQR 8.0 - 16.6) times higher than the corresponding SARS-CoV-2 cumulative incidence. Interpretation. Most of the population remains susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Public health measures must be improved to protect disproportionately affected groups, including non-White people and seniors. Measures taken in SE Asia, E Asia and Oceania, and Latin America and Caribbean may have been more effective in controlling virus transmission than measures taken in other regions. Funding. Public Health Agency of Canada through the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force.
Using electronic health records for population health sciences: a case study to evaluate the associations between changes in left ventricular ejection fraction and the built environment

Abstract Objective Electronic health record (EHR) data linked with address-based metrics using geographic information systems (GIS) are emerging data sources in population health studies. This study examined this approach through a case study on the associations between changes in ejection fraction (EF) and the built environment among heart failure (HF) patients. Materials and Methods We identified 1287 HF patients with at least 2 left ventricular EF measurements that are minimally 1 year apart. EHR data were obtained at an academic medical center in New York for patients who visited between 2012 and 2017. Longitudinal clinical information was linked with address-based built environment metrics related to transportation, air quality, land use, and accessibility by GIS. The primary outcome is the increase in the severity of EF categories. Statistical analyses were performed using mixed-effects models, including a subgroup analysis of patients who initially had normal EF measurements. Results Previously reported effects from the built environment among HF patients were identified. Increased daily nitrogen dioxide concentration was associated with the outcome while controlling for known HF risk factors including sex, comorbidities, and medication usage. In the subgroup analysis, the outcome was significantly associated with decreased distance to subway stops and increased distance to parks. Conclusions Population health studies using EHR data may drive efficient hypothesis generation and enable novel information technology-based interventions. The availability of more precise outcome measurements and home locations, and frequent collection of individual-level social determinants of health may further drive the use of EHR data in population health studies.
Changing epidemiology of COVID-19

Background: We analyzed the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Regensburg after the first wave ended in June 2020 and compared it with patients’ characteristics and symptoms in late summer/early autumn 2020. Methods: Retrospective analysis of epidemiological data from Regensburg (city/county) on age and initial symptoms as reported during case investigation for containment. Observed periods: March 7, 2020 to June 6, 2020 and August 12, 2020 to October 9, 2020. Results: The proportion of asymptomatic persons who tested positive for SARS-COV-2 in the second period was 55% (286 of 520 cases), whereas during the first wave from March to June 2020 this percentage was 14.4% (169 of 1,170 cases). A comparison of typical symptoms shows that the most common symptoms of COVID-19 in the first wave (cough, fever and generally feeling ill) were less often reported in the second period: cough 14% vs. 42%, fever 17% vs. 38%, general signs of illness 14% vs. 22% in the second vs. first period, respectively overall cases were younger in the second period, the median age of asymptomatic cases was comparable in both periods. The case fatality rate for the first period was 2.1%, in the second it was 0.2%. Discussion: The epidemiological situation in the second period is different from that during the first wave. We observed a considerable proportion of questionable cases in August/September 2020 (asymptomatic cases, high ct values, often only detection of one gene). False positive cases/non-contagious cases have to be taken into account for this period. On-demand or free-of-charge testing for asymptomatic persons will lower the positive predictive value of tests and place a high burden on finite capacities.
Management of Enteral Nutrition in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: Prokinetic Effects of Amoxicillin/Clavulanate in Real Life Conditions

Purpose Malnutrition is a common feature in critically ill children. Enteral nutrition (EN) is the main strategy to nutritionally support critical ill children, but its use can be hindered by the development of intolerance. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of amoxicillin/clavulanate (A/C) to treat EN intolerance. Methods We retrospectively evaluated patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit from October 2018 to October 2019. We conducted a case-control study: in the first 6 months (October 2018-April 2019) we implemented the nutritional protocol of our Institution with no drug, whereas in the second half (May 2019-October 2019) we employed A/C for 1 week at a dose of 10 mg/kg twice daily. Results Twelve cases were compared with 12 controls. At the final evaluation, enteral intake was significantly higher than that at baseline in the cases (from 2.1±3.7 to 66.1±27.4% of requirement, p=0.0001 by Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test) but not in the controls (from 0.2±0.8 to 6.0±14.1% of the requirement, p=NS). Final gastric residual volume at the end of the observation was significantly lower in the cases than in the controls (p=0.0398). The drug was well tolerated as shown by the similar safety outcomes in both cases and controls. Conclusion Malnutrition exposes critically ill children to several complications that affect the severity of disease course, length of stay, and mortality; all may be prevented by early EN. The development of intolerance to EN could be addressed with the use of A/C. Future prospective clinical trials are needed to confirm these conclusions.
Different soil structure and water conditions affect the growing response of Lolium perenne L. and Bromus valdivianus Phil. growing alone or in mixture

Restricting plant available water in the soil can negatively affect pasture growth. Lolium perenne L. (Lp) and Bromus valdivianus Phil. (Bv) are important components of the permanent pastures in southern Chile. The aim of this study was to investigate the growth response of Lp and Bv when subjected to soil water restriction, contrasting soil structure conditions and growing as a single species pasture or in a mixture. The treatments were two soil physical conditions (undisturbed (US) and disturbed soil (DS)), two soil water restriction levels (optimum PAW and very-dry PAW), and three pastures (Bv, Lp and Bv+Lp). The US provided more water to plants regardless of the soil water restriction, and Bv and Lp presented more development (highest accumulated herbage mass) in US than in DS, under a similar soil water restriction. The soil structure and soil water restriction did not modify the tiller number of Bv, although Lp showed different tiller numbers under each condition, soil structure and soil water restriction. The conservation of the soil structure (undisturbed soil) has an important role in pasture productivity by providing a continuous pore system, which certainly improved the water accessibility for the growing species.
Early periprosthetic infection: dilution, jet dilution or local antibiotics. Which way to go? A meta-analysis on 575 patients

Objective: Periprosthetic infections (PPI) after total hip and total knee arthroplasty (THA, TKA) are subdivided into early and late infections. Early PPIs are defined as the occurrence of infection within 6 weeks following the primary surgery. Aim of therapy in early PPI is the retention of the prosthesis using dilution, jet dilution or local antibiotics. However, as of yet, no evidence is available supporting these procedures. The aim of this study was to evaluate their success rates. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review of studies reporting on early PPI. Clinical trials published after 1990 that reported success or failure rates as the primary outcome were included. A meta-analysis using the Scheffé-Test showed if there are any advantages of single treatment concepts. Results: We identified 575 patients over 10 studies. Success rates were diverse: Undergoing dilution without jet lavage revealed treatment success in 49.48%, using jet dilution increased the success rate to 78.26%. Local antibiotics were successfully used in 55% of the cases. The meta-analysis compared the three interventions and showed no significant difference in using dilution, jet dilution or local antibiotics. Even combining local antibiotics and dilution/jet dilution does not provide significantly higher success rates. Conclusion: Previous studies showed differences in methods and results, however pooling the data of these studies for our meta-analysis didn’t show significant advantages. We therefore conclude that studies conducted until thus far cannot provide any recommendation as to whether using dilution, jet dilution, local antibiotics or any combination of three is better for treating early PPI cases.
Effect of Organic Acid Treated Diets Fed During Finisher Phase on Gut Microbiota and Blood Profile of Broiler Chickens

Intensive poultry production has been adjudged the best system of production to achieving better productivity [1]. Higher productivity is attained because more of the energy generated from digestion is channeled to production rather than maintenance [2]. However, still under the system, poultry farmers and nutritionists are faced with challenges to improve feed utilization for better performance. The gut environment (pH, viscosity and bacterial population) could affect feed utilization; hence nutritionists are adopting certain strategies to favor the gut mechanism to process the feed. Such strategy is addition of feed additives to diets and one of the earliest feed additives used is pharmaceutical antibiotics [3], but the practice is currently either restricted or banned in certain countries because of reported problem of antibiotic resistance [4].
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders among Saudi orthopedic surgeons: a cross-sectional study

Introduction Studies have addressed the issue of increasing prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal (MSK) pain among different occupations. However, contributing factors to MSK pain have not been fully investigated among orthopaedic surgeons. Thus, this study aimed to approximate the prevalence and predictors of MSK pain among Saudi orthopaedic surgeons working in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods A cross-sectional study using an electronic survey was conducted in Riyadh. The questionnaire was distributed through email among orthopaedic surgeons in Riyadh hospitals. Standardized Nordic questionnaires for the analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms were used. Descriptive measures for categorical and numerical variables were presented. Student’s t-test and Pearson’s χ2 test were used. The level of statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Results The response rate was 80.3%, with a total number of 179 of Saudi orthopaedic surgeons (173 males and six females). Of our sample, 67.0% of the respondents complained of having MSK pain. The most commonly reported MSK pain was lower back (74.0%), followed by neck (58.2%). Age and body mass index were implicated in the development of more than one type of MSK pain. Increased years of experience (≥ 6 years) was linked to shoulder/elbow, lower back, and hip/thigh pain. Smoking is widely associated with lower back pain development, whereas physicians who do not smoke and exercise regularly reported fewer pain incidences. Excessive bending and twisting during daily practice have been correlated with increased neck pain. Conclusion MSK pain was found to be common among Saudi orthopaedic surgeons. Further extensive research should be conducted to understand and analyze the risk factors involved and search for possible improvements to avoid further complications. However, ergonomics education during surgical training could be effective at modifying behaviors and reducing MSK pain manifestations.
Scale, Scope and Spillovers: The Determinants of Research Productivity in Ethical Drug Discovery

We examine the relationship between firm size and research productivity in the pharmaceutical industry. Using detailed internal firm data, we find that larger research efforts are more productive, not only because they enjoy economies of scale, but also because they realize economies of scope by sustaining diverse portfolios of research projects that capture internal and external knowledge spillovers. In pharmaceuticals, economies of scope in research are important in shaping the boundaries of the firm, and it may be worth tolerating the static efficiency loss attributable to the market power of large firms in exchange for their superior innovative performance.
ASSESSMENT OF DERMAL PESTICIDE EXPOSURE INSIDE GREENHOUSES USING FLUORESCENT TRACER METHOD

The main object of the search work is to assess the dermal pesticide exposure inside greenhouses during its application and to compare pesticide pollution resulted from handgun sprayer with its values of a vertical boom sprayer prototype. Fluorescent tracer, is semi-quantitative dermal exposure assessment method based on visual observations of fluorescence images, had been used to demonstrate the extent to which dermal exposure can occur under inadequate protective conditions. 22 body segments (˃ 90% of the total body surface area) scored for all workers. Prototype is superior to handgun sprayer, contaminated area ratio of glasses was 0.28% - no pollution for the mask versus 8.11% and 9.15% respectively. Trunk, buttock, chest and shoulder contaminated area with handgun sprayer were 1.75, 1.60, 0.60 and 6.69 % (front view) and were 1.79, 9.51, 0.73 and 0.00 at back view versus no pollution (0.00 %) in all previous cases with vertical boom sprayer prototype. No pollution in any area of worker’s arms compared to polluted area ranged between 0.00 and 8.17% for handgun sprayer. Contaminated area of gloves (​​5% of total body area) ranged between 0.00 and 0.92 % for vertical spray boom prototype versus 11.72 % - 19.50 % for handgun sprayer. Worker’s legs exposed to some pollution (0.42 % and 0.82%) against more detected exposure extended to 13.36 % for handgun sprayer. Regrettably, workers did not wear safety boots, though no data for feet area, which form about 7 % of total body area, was taken. Tested prototype maintained more working safety conditions when compared to handgun sprayer.
PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF FODDER BEET IN RELATED TO CUTTING PROCESS

The aim of this research work was to determine the physical and mechanical properties of fodder beet that related to cutting process.The physical properties include dimensions, mass and volume of root. The mechanical properties of fodder beet root include static coefficient of friction (µs), Firmness (Fness), shearing stress (τ) and shearing energy (Esc). The µs was measured at different moisture contents of root (15, 25, 45, and 85% w.b.) with different friction surface (rubber, plywood, steel and plastic. The Fness, τ andEsc were measured at different moisture contents of root and cutting region. The results showed that the values of µs, Fness, τ and Esc ranged from (0.413 to 0.886), (69.6 to 355.8 N), (0.189 to 0.967 MPa) and (3.31to16.92 mJ mm-2) respectively. All mechanical properties were significantly affected by moisture content and cutting regions.
Displacement of Colloidal Dispersions in Porous Media: Experimental & Numerical Approaches

The main objective of this paper is to give more insight on colloids deposition and re-entrainment in presence of a rough surface. Experiments on retention and release of colloids in a porous medium are first presented. The influence of physicochemical and hydrodynamic conditions is investigated. The experimental results cannot be qualitatively interpreted using the DLVO theory and knowledges at pore scale are then needed. A 3D numerical simulation approach at the pore scale is therefore proposed where the motion of colloids is solved in presence of collector surfaces bearing various kinds of asperities and by taking into account physico-chemical interactions calculated at each time step during colloid movement. It is obviously observed that both deposition and mobilization of particles are dependent on solution chemistry and hydrodynamic conditions and are significantly affected by the form and size of the local roughness of the pore surface. Therefore, depending on solution ionic strength and surface topography, colloids may be adsorbed or not and when a particle is retained an increase of flow strength is then needed to remove it and such an increase is specific to the location of occurrence of the adsorption step. In general, simulation results allow us to explain our experimental results that show that by steeply increasing the flow strength, more and more fractions of particles retained inside the porous medium are released until all particles are removed.
HYDRAULIC PERFORMANCES OF VARIOUS DRIPPERS USED IN IRRIGATION SYSTEMS IN NORTH SINAI

The hydraulic performances of five commonly on-line emitters (Em1, Em2, Em3, Em4; Em5) were evaluated at the hydraulic laboratory of Agricultural Engineering Department, Agriculture Faculty, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt in October 2011. The test was under five operating pressure between 20 to 130 kPa. Em1, Em2, and Em3 were imported; the first type had pressure compensating flow, and the others with turbulent flow. While Em4, and Em5 types were locally manufactured with turbulent flow regime. Em5 is the most common in Sinai region because of its cheap price, although it had unacceptable coefficient of variation values. The measured or/ actual discharges for most emitter types were excess than the nominal discharge under 100 kPa operating pressure, by these percentages: 6.93, 0.0, 5.5, 165, and 640% for Em1, Em2, Em3, Em4, and Em5, respectively.