Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of climatic conditions on the performance of a new configuration of solar chimney

In this study, a new configuration of the solar chimney is introduced and its performance is compared with the conventional one. Using numerical simulation, the effect of different climatic conditions (cold and dry, hot and arid, hot and humid) on the performance of the new solar chimney is studied using the weather information of three cities of Iran including Tabriz (cold and dry), Yazd (hot and arid), and Bandar Abbas (hot and humid). It is found that the new solar chimney has 13-20% better performance than the conventional one, depending on climatic conditions. Also, the results showed that the performance of the new configuration is better in cold and dry climate zone than that in the other zones. Additionally, in this study, a new correlation for the estimation of the mass flow rate of solar chimney is introduced using four non-dimensional parameters.
Preslaughter handling with water shower spray inhibits PSE (pale, soft, exudative) broiler breast meat in a commercial plant. Biochemical and ultrastructural observations

The objective of this work was to investigate the influence of water spray treatment before broiler slaughtering on the quality of breast meat (Pectoralis major) and to observe ultrastructural changes promoted by the biochemical/physiological events during rigor mortis onset. Commercial Ross chickens were divided into two groups: Untreated Group (UG) (n = 608) and Treated Group (TG) (n = 611), without and with water shower treatment, respectively. Drip and cook losses, pH and color measured after 24 h postmortem demonstrated that antemortem water shower treatment inhibited PSE development in chicken breast meat. Histological studies of the PSE samples from UG birds after 72 h postmortem revealed under light microscopy a shrinking of muscle cell diameter by approximately 10% in relation to TG samples and an extracellular enlargement of endomysium and perimysium sheaths. By electron microscopy of PSE meat, Z-lines appeared fragmented, A-bands including the M-line disappeared and a super-contraction of sarcomeres was observed, indicating that proteins were adversely affected by heat stress.
Reproductive and Growth Performance of Rabbit Fed Different Inclusion Levels of African Yam Bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa)

A feeding trial was conducted to determine the effect of dietary inclusion of Processed African Yam Bean (AYB) at 0%, 10%, 20% and 30% levels respectively, on the growth and reproductive performance of Rabbits. The AYB inclusion was to ascertain the best (%) level that would give better performance in rabbits. Complete randomized design was used to allot twenty (20) grower rabbits of both sexes into four treatments in three replicate with each group having three does and two bucks. Each of the treatment diets formulated at different growth stages was fed to the rabbits. The rabbits were kept in hutches inside the rabbit house and given feed and water ad libitum. Growth and reproductive parameters were measured. The proximate analysis and anti-nutritional factor of processed AYB showed that it contained values of 26.88%, 92.97%, 5.26%, 61.89%, 7.04%, 3.79% and 2.17% for Crude protein, Dry matter, Crude fibre, Nitrogen-free extract, Moisture content, Ash content and Ether extract respectively while the anti-nutritional factor contained 0.11%, 14.02 mg/g, 0.19 mg/g, 0.21 mg/g, 0.14 mg/g, 0.21 mg/g, 0.13 mg/g and 0.01 mg/g of Tannin, Alkaloid, Oxalate, Phytate, Saponin, Flavonoids, Trypsin inhibitor and Lectin. From this study, the rabbit group on 10% AYB inclusion significantly (p 0.05) affected by the diets. The results of this experiment concluded that AYB can be included in the diet of rabbits with 10% inclusion giving a better reproductive performance and growth rate without any negative effect.
Muscari turcicum (Liliaceae/Hyacinthaceae), a new species from south Anatolia, Turkey

Muscari turcicum Uysal, Ertugrul & Dural (Liliaceae/Hyacinthaceae) is described and illustrated from south Anatolia, Turkey. This species grows on alpine steppe in the Middle Taurus (C4 Konya Province). Muscari turcicum, an endemic confined to the Middle Taurus, is closely related to M. discolor Boiss. & Hausskn. and M. anatolicum Cowley & Ozhatay. Diagnostic morphological characters are discussed and compared with those of closely related taxa. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 154, 233–236.
Authority or Impersonality: A Mixed-Methods Study of Authorial Identity in Iranian Context

The current study aimed at investigating the authorial identity of Iranian academic writers, who came from three different fields of English, Biology, and Engineering, plus examining the influence of disciplinary conventions on their stance taking in research articles. The main objectives of this study were achieved by going through two main phases, viz. survey administration and corpus study. First, the authorial identity questionnaire was administered to 150 academic writers, 50 from each of the selected fields. Following that, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) was run to locate the difference between authorial identities of academic writers among these groups. Second, as a complementary phase to survey administration, NVivo was utilized to conduct the corpus study phase. In so doing, Hyland’s (2005) model of interaction in academic discourse was applied to analyze academic writers’ stance taking in a corpus comprising 90 articles from the three selected fields. Triangulating the findings, we concluded that academic writers in the field of English rely more on authority, self-representation, and personal projection, while those in the fields of biology and engineering try to take less stance markers and portray their findings more impersonally.
An in vitro evaluation of tensile strength of synthetic sutures used in nasal surgery

Amaç: Bu çalışmada cerrahi sentetik emilebilen [poliglaktin (PG) sütür (Vicryl®)] ve emilmeyen [polipropilen (PP) sütür (Prolene®)] sütürlerin gerilme dayanımı simüle edilmiş interstisyel dokuda 10 günlük bir süre boyunca değerlendirildi. Gereç ve Yöntemler: İki sütür malzemesi, PG sütür (Vicryl®) ve PP sütür (Prolene®), 4-0 ölçüsünde kullanıldı. Her iki sütür malzemesinin gerilme dayanımları herhangi bir işlem olmaksızın düğümsüz ve düğümlü olarak ölçüldü. Sütür malzemeleri Instron 3369 Universal test cihazı kullanılarak düğümlü ve düğümsüz gerilme testine tabi tutuldu. Malzemeler daha sonra in vitro bir ortamı simüle etmek için 10 gün boyunca plazmada tutuldu ve gerilme dayanımı düğümlü ve düğümsüz olarak ölçüldü. Bulgular: Polipropilen sütürlerin PG sütürlerden daha dayanıklı olduğu bulundu (p<0.01). Bu sonuç hem düğümlü hem düğümsüz ölçümlerde benzerdi. İmmersiyon öncesi ve sonrasında düğümlü ve düğümsüz değerler arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı farklılık yoktu (p>0.05). Sonuç: Düğümsüz ve düğümlü PG sütürlerin gerilme dayanımı PP sütürlerden daha düşüktür. Bu özellik dokuyu simüle etmek için plazma immersiyonundan sonra değişmedi. Sütüre bağlı komplikasyonlar emilebilen sütürlerde emilmeyen sütürlere göre göreceli olarak daha azdır. Tüm bu özellikler nedeniyle PP sütürlerin nazal cerrahide kıkırdak şekillendirmesinde ve stabilizasyon gerektiren olgularda güvenle kullanılabileceğini düşünüyoruz.
Correlation among yield stability parameters in common bean

Phenotypic yield stability is a trait of special interest for plant breeders. Many statistical procedures are available for stability analysis, each of them allowing for different interpretations. The objective of the present study was to determine the degree of correlation among the 13 statistical parameters that can be used for the analysis of phenotypic stability. Such correlations could be used for the analysis of phenotypic stability. Such correlations could be used to assess the extent to which these 13 parameters identify unique genetic effects. Yield data were obtained from 12 yield trials involving 76 common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes and 12 location-year production environments in Brazil. The stability statistics were divided in four groups according to the structure from which they were derived. On the basis of rank correlation, it was concluded that (i) there were highly significant correlations between many of the stability statistics (among and within groups) indicating that several of the statistics probably measure similar aspects of phenotypic stability; (ii) mean yields were positively correlated with many of the stability statistics; (iii) there was an association between the group A statistics (variances and ranges) and the group C statistics (regression and determination coefficients), and a similar association between the group B (ecovalence) and group D (variance of deviations from regression) statistics; (iv) the segmented linear regression coefficient (b1 i ) was overall the most independent parameter, indicating that the other stability statistics do not satisfactorily reflect genotypic responses in poor environments; (v) the strong correlation between the regression coefficients and the coefficients of determination indicates that the latter are not needed to measure the predictability of the estimated genotypic response; and (vi) the variance of the deviations from regression can provide assessment of the relative contribution of the genotype to the genotype X environment interaction as well as its biological stability
DOES ORGANISATION BEHAVIOUR AFFECT PERFORMANCE OF AUDITING FIRMS?

The study examines the effect of organizational behaviour on auditing firms’ performance. It investigates the influence of Software Technology and customer relationship management on financial performance of PwC, Deloitte and KPMG testing four hypotheses. The data was from secondary sources of financial reports and statements of PwC, Deloitte and KGPM (2011-2016) and statistica.com. Hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis and Pearson correlation. SPSS version 17 was used to perform the multiple regression analysis while Smart PLS version 3.2. 6 was used to carry out SEM. The first hypothesis revealed that relatively customer relationship negatively predicted financial performance of PwC while software technology positively predicted the financial performance of PwC. Hypothesis two shows that customer relationship and software technology did not jointly and relatively predicted financial performance of Deloitte while in hypothesis three, customer relationship and software technology did not jointly predicted financial performance of KPMG and in hypothesis four, customer relationship management and software technology positively jointly influenced financial performance of both PwC and Deloitte. There have been few studies to made use of Structural Equation Model (SEM) to examine the organizational behaviour in the auditing firms. In this paper, SEM was used to test the effect of Software Technology and Cost on customer relationship on financial performance of the auditing firms. This paper contributes to the impact of organizational behaviour in the auditing firms.
Correlation of Muscle Invasion in Bladder Cancer with Cell Adhesion Properties and Oncoprotein Overexpression Using E-Cadherin and HER2/neu Immunohistochemical Markers.

BACKGROUND: Most of bladder cancers are proven to be of urothelial origin (transitional cell carcinomas). Above 75% of them are of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) type at presentation and the remainder are MIBC. Recent studies suggest that both are most probably two different categories based on both the histopathological and molecular features. The comprehensive understanding of the biomarkers expression in both categories will help in understanding the molecular event underlying each of them and may provide possible chances for targeted therapeutic options. AIM: This study aims to study the differential expression of both E-cadherin and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) in the two categories of bladder cancer NMIBCs and MIBCs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 40 blocks were collected retrospectively from cases of cancer bladder, segregated as 20 cases NMIBCs and 20 cases MIBCs, subjected for E-cadherin and HER2 immunostaining. RESULTS: E-cadherin showed positive expression in 65% of cases of NMI group and in 10% of the MI group, with high statistical significance (p < 0.001). Regarding HER2, positive expression was seen in 25% of NMI cases and in 90% of MI cases, with statistical significance (p < 0.001). Comparison of the results of both markers and their correlation per case showed that 90% of tumors with muscle invasion were E-cadherin negative and HER2 positive. CONCLUSION: The significant association of loss of E-cadherin immunohistochemistry expression and positive HER2 overexpression in MIBC versus NMIBC figured out more differences between the two categories and added to the understanding of their biology. The possibility of validation of HER2-targeted therapy in MIBC cases is now strongly suggested.
IDENTIFICAÇÃO DE LEVEDURAS NO PROCESSO DE FERMENTAÇÃO ALCOÓLICA EM USINA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO, BRASIL

The aim of this research was the evaluation of yeast species present in the fermentation process for alcohol production. Yeast identification was carried out during a semester in the cropping season of 94/95 in the Usina da Pedra at Serrana - SP . Samples of primary juice, must and yeast cream were monthly collected. The identification of isolated yeasts was carried out according to numerical taxonomy proposed by Griffiths (1981) and 72 yeast species, belonging to 5 genera, were identified. The Saccharomyces cerevisiae species: S. uvarum (S. cerevisiae) was the dominant yeast in the sugar cane industry unit studied, and the Saccharomyces genus, was the dominant one.
Predicting survival in malignant pleural mesothelioma using routine clinical and laboratory characteristics

Introduction The prognosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is poor, with a median survival of 8–12 months. The ability to predict prognosis in MPM would help clinicians to make informed decisions regarding treatment and identify appropriate research opportunities for patients. The aims of this study were to examine associations between clinical and pathological information gathered during routine care, and prognosis of patients with MPM, and to develop a 6-month mortality risk prediction model. Methods A retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with MPM at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth, UK between December 2009 and September 2013. Multivariate analysis was performed on routinely available histological, clinical and laboratory data to assess the association between different factors and 6-month survival, with significant associations used to create a model to predict the risk of death within 6 months of diagnosis with MPM. Results 100 patients were included in the analysis. Variables significantly associated with patient survival in multivariate analysis were age (HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.56), smoking status (current smoker HR 3.42, 95% CI 1.11 to 4.20), chest pain (HR 2.14, 95% CI 1.23 to 3.72), weight loss (HR 2.13, 95% CI 1.18 to 3.72), platelet count (HR 1.05, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.10), urea (HR 2.73, 95% CI 1.31 to 5.69) and adjusted calcium (HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.94). The resulting risk model had a c-statistic value of 0.76. A Hosmer-Lemeshow test confirmed good calibration of the model against the original dataset. Conclusion Risk of death at 6 months in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of MPM can be predicted using variables readily available in clinical practice. The risk prediction model we have developed may be used to influence treatment decisions in patients with MPM. Further validation of the model requires evaluation of its performance on a separate dataset.
Spatial spillover effects of public health and education expenditures on economic growth: evidence from China’s provinces

ABSTRACT This study examines the effects of public health and education expenditures on economic growth using a panel dataset of Chinese provinces from 1996 to 2015. Provincial and local governments in China assumed responsibility for public expenditures, which can be essential for promoting economic growth. Furthermore, this study employs a spatial autoregressive model to examine whether strategic spatial interaction exists between provinces and whether it has a positive spillover effect on economic growth. The estimated results show that strategic spatial interaction between provinces are positive and significant to growth. Additionally, the results show that health and education expenditure is positive and significant to growth. The results suggest further delegation of responsibility to provincial and local governments to fund productive public expenditure and encourage policies that focus on health and education reforms.
Diet selection and liveweight performance of steers on Stylosanthes hamata-native grass pastures

Diet selection in S. hamata-native grass pastures was studied over 25 months at Lansdown, north Queensland, In oesophageally fistulated steers. The results were uscd to interpret the relationship between winter rainfall and liveweight gain of steers on pastures with and without S. hamata. Steers selected green grass leaf early in the wet season (December-February), but preferred S. hamata in March when stem elongation and flowering occurred in the native grasses. They then continued to eat a high proportion of legume during the dry season until rain fell. At Lansdown, this may occur from 4 to 23 weeks after the pastures hay off. After the rain, the steers ignored the large bulk of mouldy dry legume, selecting instead both green and dry grass. Seed and green leaf of S. hamata made their greatest contribution to the diet at the end of the wet season when retained on the standing plant and easily accessible to cattle. Small amounts of seed and dried leaf were licked off the ground before rain fell. The nitrogen content of the diet in the S. hamata-native grass pastures rose to a peak in April and did not fall below 1.0% during the study. The level in July was twice that recorded for the native pasture. Cattle gained weight during the wet season at a similar rate for all pastures. After March steers on S. hamata-native pasture continued to gain weight longer onto the dry season than those on native pasture in three out of four years. Much of the additional weight gains of steers on S. hamata were lost with the advent of winter rain, especially at the high stocking rate from which the perennial grass component had been lost. The value of S. hamata cv. Verano in the greatly differing climatic environments existing in northern Australia is considered.
Do Firms React to Uncertainty by Doing Good Deeds? Uncertainty and CSR Investment

We find that firms invest more to build up corporate social capital, as measured by corporate social responsibility (CSR) intensity, when facing high economic policy uncertainty (EPU). The results are robust to endogeneity concerns. The effects are more pronounced for firms in consumer-oriented industries, firms headquartered in high social capital regions, and for firms in industries with higher levels of irreversible investments. Overall, our results suggest that investment in social capital affects trust between a firm and its stakeholders and this provides a cushion when firms face high levels of uncertainty.
Effects of mycorrhizae and phosphorus on growth and nutrient uptake of millet, cowpea and sorghum on a West African soil

Despite numerous reports on the positive effects of vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) on plant growth in temperate soils, surprisingly little data exist on the importance of VAM for crop growth on acid sandy soils of West Africa. A pot experiment conducted with local genotypes of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) with and without phosphorus (P) application in a sterilized sandy soil from a farmer's field in Niger showed large growth-enhancing effects of VAM. Phosphorus application led to 18- and 24-fold increases in pearl millet root and shoot dry matter independently of VAM, whereas the shoot and root dry matter of sorghum and cowpea depended largely on the interaction between P application and VAM. With P, VAM increased total uptake of P, K, Ca, Mg and Zn by 2·5- to 6-fold in sorghum and cowpea. On severely P deficient West African soils P application can lead to large increases in early root growth, a prerequisite for early mycorrhizal infection and a subsequent significant contribution of VAM to enhanced plant growth and nutrient uptake.
Orobanche crenata resistance and avoidance in pea (Pisum spp.) operate at different developmental stages of the parasite

Summary Orobanche crenata (broomrape) is an important constraint to pea (Pisum sativum) cultivation in the Mediterranean area, because little resistance is available in commercial crop varieties. Field experiments have demonstrated that some resistance is present in a number of P. sativum and P. fulvum accessions. The goal of this work was to characterize such resistance. The Pisum–O. crenata interaction and the resistance symptoms were studied under controlled conditions by using Petri dish and polyethylene bag assays. The content of phenolics and peroxidase activity in host tissue from infected and non-infected plants were also measured. Resistance and avoidance mechanisms, acting at different developmental stages of the parasite, have been identified, including low stimulation of O. crenata seed germination, unsuccessful penetration of host roots, delay in post-attachment tubercle development and necrosis of the attached tubercles. Infection caused an increase in the content of total soluble phenolics in some Pisum genotypes. Peroxidase activity was higher in resistant than in susceptible accessions. Results obtained with different Pisum genotypes showed that resistance is the result of several mechanisms acting at different stages of the infection process. Resistance is also related to increased levels of peroxidase activity in host roots.
In Vitro Binding Capacity of Various Fiber Sources for Magnesium, Zinc, and Copper

Sixteen fiber sources provided by different commercial suppliers were analyzed for moisture, acid detergent fiber (ADF), lignin, and endogenous minerals. They were further acid washed to strip them of their endogenous minerals and tested for their total binding capacity for magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu). ADF content ranged from 14.5% for rice bran to 65.5% for pea fiber and lignin content from 0.5% for soy bran to 66% for pea fiber. Endogenous Mg varied from 250 μg/g for corn bran to 7995 μg/g for wheat bran. Zn levels were from 1.1 μg/g (oat bleached fiber) to 156 μg/g (wheat bran) ; those of Cu ranged from 1.0 μg/g (apple fiber) to 67.6 μg/g (peanut fiber). Acid washing was efficient in removing most endogenous minerals from fiber sources. The amounts of minerals bound varied significantly (P < 0.05) among fiber sources. Levels of Mg bound to acid-washed fibers ranged from 525 μg/g (oat hulls) to 4420 μg/g (pea fiber Centara), while those of Zn and Cu varied from 1861 μg/g (oat hulls) to 6990 μg/g (wheat bran) and from 639 μg/g (corn bran) to 7976 μg/g (barley fiber), respectively. Correlations and intercorrelations between the amount of minerals bound and protein, ADF, and lignin contents of acid-washed fiber sources were low because of the variation in the chemical composition and chemical structure of the fiber sources.