Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Size and mass prediction of almond kernels using machine learning image processing

After harvesting almond crop, accurate measurement of almond kernel sizes is a significant specification to plan, develop and enhance almond processing operations. The size and mass of the individual almond kernels are vital parameters usually associated with almond quality, particularly head almond yield. In this study, we propose a novel methodology that combines image processing and machine-learning ensemble that accurately measures the size and mass of whole raw almond kernels (California type; cultivar - Fritz) simultaneously. We have developed an image-processing algorithm using recursive method to identify the individual almond kernels from an image and estimate the size of the kernels based on the occupied pixels by a kernel. The number of pixels representing an almond kernel was used as its digital fingerprint to predict its size and mass. Various popular machine learning (ML) models were implemented to build a stacked ensemble model (SEM), predicting the mass of the individual almond kernels based on the features derived from the pixels of the individual kernels in the image. The prediction accuracy and robustness of image processing and SEM were analyzed using uncertainty quantification. The mean error in estimating the average length of 1000 almond kernel was 3.12%. Similarly, mean errors associated with predicting the 1000 kernel mass were 0.63%. The developed algorithm in almond imaging in this study can be used to facilitate a rapid almond yield and quality appraisals.
The Effect of Amaranth Seeds, Sea Buckthorn Pomace and Black Chokeberry Pomace in Feed Mixtures for Broiler Chickens on Productive Performance, Carcass Characteristics and Selected Indicators of Meat Quality

Abstract The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of amaranth seeds, dried sea buckthorn pomace and dried chokeberry pomace on the growth performance of broiler chickens and on the fatty acid profile and oxidative stability of meat lipids. The study was conducted on 480 Ross 308 chickens assigned in the second production phase to 4 experimental groups. The birds from the control group received 3% flax oil, while the chickens from the experimental groups were fed with mixtures containing: 3% flax oil and 8% amaranth seeds (group II), 3% flax oil and 3% dried sea buckthorn pomace (group III), and 3% flax oil and 3% dried chokeberry pomace (group IV). Basic production parameters were evaluated for each feeding period. At 42 days of age, 8 birds with body weight close to the average from each group were slaughtered. A simplified analysis of the chicken carcasses was conducted and samples of the breast muscles were collected for further analysis. The addition of 8% amaranth seeds into the feed mixtures in the second feeding phase decreased body weight gains (P<0.05) and increased the feed conversion ratio compared with groups receiving sea buckthorn or chokeberry pomace. However, the addition of amaranth seeds into the feed mixtures increased breast muscle yield (P<0.05) and decreased fat content in comparison to the other experimental groups. Moreover, sensory analysis of the breast muscles from chickens fed the diet with amaranth seeds revealed that they were characterised by a better aroma (P<0.05) and flavour. The studied feed additives did not significantly affect the physicochemical properties of the breast muscles. Sea buckthorn pomace efficiently slowed down lipid oxidation in the breast muscles. The obtained results indicate that using tested plant additives in feed mixture may be an effective way to improved production parameters of broiler chicken and effectively enriched meat in n-3 fatty acid and protect against excessive oxidation of lipids.
Hippocampal remapping as hidden state inference

Cells in the hippocampus tuned to spatial location (place cells) typically change their tuning when an animal changes context, a phenomenon known as remapping. A fundamental challenge to understanding remapping is the fact that what counts as a “context change” has never been precisely defined. Furthermore, different remapping phenomena have been classified on the basis of how much the tuning changes after different types and degrees of context change, but the relationship between these variables is not clear. We address these ambiguities by formalizing remapping in terms of hidden state inference. According to this view, remapping does not directly reflect objective, observable properties of the environment, but rather subjective beliefs about the hidden state of the environment. We show how the hidden state framework can resolve a number of puzzles about the nature of remapping.
White, blue and red LED lighting on growth, morphology and accumulation of flavonoid compounds in leafy greens

Growth, morphology and accumulation of flavonoid compounds in greenand purple-leaved sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), lamb’s lettuce (Valerianella locusta (L.) Laterr. ) and garden rocket (Eruca sativa L.) grown in a greenhouse under natural day light supplemented with white, blue (440 nm) and red (660 nm) light-emitting diodes (LEDs), all at 130 μmol m-2 s-1, were studied in winter time. Under white and red LED lights, fresh weights of above-ground parts of lamb’s lettuce and garden rocket were the highest, whereas under blue light they were the lowest, in comparison to the control (natural light). For greenand purple-leaved basil no significant differences in biomass production were observed when different light spectra qualities were applied. Supplementation of daily light with blue light resulted in more compact growth of green-leaved basil, as compared to plants grown under natural light and those supplemented with white and red lights. A non-destructive method using an optical sensor was used for evaluation of flavonol, anthocyanin and chlorophyll indexes in plants. Blue light led to significantly increased flavonol index in both greenand purple-leaved basil, lamb’s lettuce and garden rocket plants.
Kokanee–sockeye salmon hybridization leads to intermediate morphology and resident life history: implications for fisheries management

Stocking programs designed to return extirpated species to their historical range have become increasingly prevalent, punctuating the need to better understand the risks posed to recipient ecosystems. Here, we investigated the genetic and biological consequences of an anadromous sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) stocking program in Skaha Lake, British Columbia, where substantial levels of hybridization and introgression with the native freshwater resident ecotype (kokanee) have been detected. We genetically assigned 543 individuals (adult spawners, age-0 juveniles) to estimate stock proportions (pure-stock sockeye, pure-stock kokanee, or hybrid) between 2010 and 2017, with a subset undergoing otolith microchemistry analysis to determine migratory life history and maternal ancestry. The proportion of hybrid spawners varied from 5% to 20% across sampling years, while that of hybrid age-0 juveniles remained relatively constant (∼11%). Hybrid spawners exhibited intermediate size relative to pure stocks, with the vast majority being nonanadromous (92%) and of resident maternal ancestry (76%). Our results provide empirical support for previously hypothesized mechanisms of hybridization between O. nerka life-history forms and underscore the importance of continued monitoring of stocking programs to quantify long-term fitness impacts of introgression and refine management strategies.
Variation in Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence: effects of site, sex, species and behaviour between insular and mainland macropods

Abstract Context Feral cats threaten wildlife conservation through a range of direct and indirect effects. However, most studies that have evaluated the impacts of feral cats on species of conservation significance have focussed on direct impacts such as predation; few studies have considered the indirect impacts of cat-borne disease. Toxoplasma gondii, a cat-borne parasite, causes both acute and latent disease in a range of wildlife species, and macropods are particularly susceptible. Kangaroo Island is Australia’s third largest island and supports a high density of feral cats and high seroprevalence of T. gondii in multiple species, relative to the mainland. This suggests that Kangaroo Island has a high environmental contamination with the parasite and a high risk of infection for other species. Aims We aimed to describe T. gondii seroprevalence in culled and road-killed macropods, so as to assess the effects of island versus mainland location, sex, species and behaviour. Methods Macropod sera were tested for T. gondii IgG antibodies using a commercially available modified agglutination test. Key results The seroprevalence of T. gondii in culled western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus) was significantly higher on the island (20%, 11/54 positive) than on the mainland (0%, 0/61 positive). There was no difference in T. gondii seroprevalence between culled and road-killed (21%, 21/102 positive) kangaroos from the island. The seroprevalence of T. gondii was significantly higher in female (32%, 12/38 positive) than in male (13%, 8/60 positive) kangaroos, but we observed no sex effect in tammar wallabies (Macropus eugenii), and no effect of species. Conclusions The higher T. gondii seroprevalence in insular macropods supports previous reports of higher T. gondii exposure in other Kangaroo Island fauna. The lack of difference in T. gondii seroprevalence between culled and road-killed kangaroos suggests that T. gondii-positive animals are not more vulnerable to road mortality, in contrast to that suggested previously. Implications Our findings suggest greater potential adverse conservation impacts owing to toxoplasmosis on the island than on the mainland. In light of a recent study demonstrating higher cat abundance on the island than on the mainland, the higher observed T. gondii seroprevalence in insular macropods is likely to be a consequence of higher cat density.
Eikemo TA, Bambra C, Huijts T, Fitzgerald R. The First Pan-European Sociological Health Inequalities Survery of the General Population: The European Social Survey Rotating Module on the Social Determinants of Health. European Sociological Review 2016

The European Social Survey (ESS) is a biennial, academically driven, cross-sectional, pan-European social survey that charts and explains the interactions between Europe’s changing institutions and the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour patterns of its diverse populations. As part of the seventh round of the ESS, we successfully developed a rotating module that provides a comprehensive and comparative pan-European data set on the social determinants of health and health inequalities. In this article, we present the rationale for the module, the health outcomes, and social determinants that were included, and some of the opportunities that the module provide for advancing research into explaining the distribution and aetiology of social inequalities in health in Europe. Thus far, no health survey has had sufficient data on the stratification system of societies, including rich data on living conditions, and there is no sociological survey with sufficient variety of lifestyle factors and health outcomes. By including unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, childhood conditions, housing conditions, working conditions, and variables describing access to healthcare, together with an extensive set of mental and physical health outcomes, the ESS has strengthened its position tremendously as a data source for sociologists wanting to perform European cross-national analyses of health inequalities.
ceptability of a Task-Shifted Intervention to Enhance Adherence to HIV Medication and Improve Depression in People Living with HIV in Zimbabwe, a Low Income Country in Sub-Saharan Africa. AIDS

Using a pilot trial design in an HIV care clinic in Zimbabwe, we randomised 32 adults with poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy and at least mild depression to either six sessions of Problem-Solving Therapy for adherence and depression (PST-AD) delivered by an adherence counsellor, or to Enhanced Usual Care (Control). Acceptability of PST-AD was high, as indicated by frequency of session attendance and through qualitative analyses of exit interviews. Fidelity was[80% for the first two sessions of PST-AD but fidelity to the adherence component of PST-AD dropped by session 4. Contamination occurred, in that seven patients in the control arm received one or two PST-AD sessions before follow-up assessment. Routine health records proved unreliable for measuring HIV viral load at follow-up. Barriers to measuring adherence electronically included device failure and participant perception of being helped by the research device. The study was not powered to detect clinical differences, however, promising change at 6-months followup was seen in electronic adherence, viral load suppression (PST-AD arm 9/12 suppressed; control arm 4/8 suppressed) and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire— 4.7 points in PST-AD arm vs. control, adjusted p value = 0.01). Results inform and justify a future randomised controlled trial of task-shifted PST-AD.
Review on Sperm Sorting Technologies and Sperm Properties toward New Separation Methods via the Interface of Biochemistry and Material Science

Successful fertilization in mammals requires spermatozoa to efficiently traverse the female reproductive tract to meet the egg. This process naturally selects high quality sperm cells for fertilization, but when artificial reproductive technologies are used such as in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or intrauterine insemination, other methods of sperm selection are required. Currently, technology enables sperm sorting based on motility, maturity as defined by zeta potential or hyaluronic acid binding site expression, absence of apoptotic factors, appropriate morphology, and even sex. This review summarizes current knowledge on all known methods of sperm cell sorting, compares their efficiency, and discusses the advantages and limitations of each technique. Scope for further refinement and improvement of current methods are discussed as is the potential to utilize a variety of materials to innovate new methods of sperm separation.
Cables2 Is a Novel Smad2-Regulatory Factor Essential for Early Embryonic Development in Mice

CDK5 and Abl enzyme substrate 2 (Cables2), a member of the Cables family that has a C-terminal cyclin box-like domain, is widely expressed in adult mouse tissues. However, the physiological role of Cables2 in vivo is unknown. We show here that Cables2-deficiency causes post-gastrulation embryonic lethality in mice. The mutant embryos progress to gastrulation, but then arrest, and fail to grow. Analysis of gene expression patterns reveals that formation of the anterior visceral endoderm and the primitive streak is impaired in Cables2-deficient embryos. Tetraploid complementation analyses support the critical requirement of Cables2 in both the epiblast and visceral endoderm for progression of embryogenesis. In addition, we show that Cables2 physically interacts with a key mediator of the canonical Nodal pathway, Smad2, and augments its transcriptional activity. These findings provide novel insights into the essential role of Cables2 in the early embryonic development in mice.
Structure and dynamics of a nanodisc by integrating NMR, SAXS and SANS experiments with molecular dynamics simulations

Nanodiscs are membrane mimetics that consist of a protein belt surrounding a lipid bilayer, and are broadly used for characterization of membrane proteins. Here, we investigate the structure, dynamics and biophysical properties of two small nanodiscs, MSP1D1ΔH5 and ΔH4H5. We combine our SAXS and SANS experiments with molecular dynamics simulations and previously obtained NMR and EPR data to derive and validate a conformational ensemble that represents the structure and dynamics of the nanodisc. We find that it displays conformational heterogeneity with various elliptical shapes, and with substantial differences in lipid ordering in the centre and rim of the discs. Together, our results reconcile previous apparently conflicting observations about the shape of nanodiscs, and pave the way for future integrative studies of larger complex systems such as membrane proteins embedded in nanodiscs.
Implementing the Econometric Methods in "Efficient Tests of Stock Return Predictability"

Section 1 is a user guide for constructing confidence intervals for the largest autoregressive root of a time series using the DF-GLS statistic. Section 2 is a user guide for implementing the Bonferroni Q-test, used to test the predictability of stock returns in Campbell and Yogo (2005).
Dimensional and chemical characterization of airborne particles in schools: Respiratory effects in children

This work reports the detailed characterization of child exposure to particles in three naturally-ventilated Italian schools. Two polluted urban schools and a rural one are considered in this study. Dimensional and chemical analyses of particles were performed by measuring particle number concentrations, particle size distributions, OC/BC concentrations and relative inorganic and organic fractions, both indoors and outdoors.Respiratory function, exhaled Nitric Oxide (eNO) and Prick Skin tests were also performed on 75 children attending the three schools in order to evaluate the effects of such exposure on the children’s respiratory systems. Exposure to particles at the urban schools was found higher than at the rural one, from both dimensional and chemical perspectives. Indoor particle number concentrations ranged from 1.95 × 104 to 3.49 × 104 part. /cm3, whereas indoor black carbon concentrations varied between 1.9–13.9 μg/m3, with the lowest levels of both measured at the rural school.In contrast to the dimensional and chemical results, the respiratory function and eNO test results were statistically similar among children attending all the three schools: the lung function values were within 20% of the European Community for Steel and Coal predicted ones, with the eNO data for healthy children ranging from 10.1 to 11.5 ppm. Medical outcomes indicate that these levels of school exposure did not significantly affect the children’s respiratory outcomes.
MICROBIAL AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF UV-C PROCESSED Aloe vera GEL BLENDS AT DIFFERENT pHs USING A CONTINUOUS FLOW UV SYSTEM

UV-C irradiation doses (12.8, 24.2, 35.8, and 54.6 mJ · cm − 2 ) on the physicochemical and microbiological properties of 10% Aloe vera gel at di ﬀ erent pHs (3.5, 4.5, and 5.5) were evaluated. An unprocessed treatment (UP) and a short (45 s) thermal treatment (TT) at 90 °C were used as controls. The irradiation doses and pH levels a ﬀ ected ( p < 0 . 05) the elimination of coliforms and aerobic mesophilic microorganisms with the same e ﬃ ciency as TT. Molds and yeasts were successfully eliminated at doses ≥ 24.2 mJ · cm − 2 regardless of pH. Reducing sugars, total polyphenols, and aloin A content decreased as pH increased ( p < 0 . 05). Although, the antioxidant activity was signiﬁcantly reduced at doses ≥ 35.8 mJ · cm − 2 . TT and UV-C treatments a ﬀ ected the a ∗ color parameter ( p < 0 . 05), resulting the UV-C with the highest values. In both treatments, a reddish color was present at pH ≥ 4.5. The UV-C treatment resulted in minimal changes in most physicochemical properties, compared to UP treatment. However, TT signiﬁcantly a ﬀ ected most physicochemical properties of A. vera gel blends. These results suggest that dose of 24.2 mJ · cm − 2 in a continuous ﬂow UV system is a non-thermal alternative for the stabilization of 10% A. vera gel blends at pH of 3.5.
The Effects of Real Exchange Rate Volatility on Thailand's Exports to the United States and Japan Under the Recent Float

This paper investigates whether the real exchange rate uncertainty depresses Thailand's exports to the United States and Japan and thus causes the trade balances to deteriorate under the floating exchange rate regime. Monthly data from July 1997 to December 2007 are utilized. Industrial production indexes are used as proxies of real income of the two major trading partners. The results from bounds testing for cointegration show that the variables in the export demand are cointegrated, and the Marshall-Lerner condition still holds in the case of United States. Real exchange rate volatility generated by the ARCH(1) process as a measure of uncertainty has a negative effect on exports to Japan, but has no effect on exports to the United States. However, total exports can be harmed by real exchange rate uncertainty for exports to Japan.
INSTITUTIONAL THEORY FOR EXPLAINING CORRUPTION: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS IN CHINA AND INDONESIA

Many researches on corruption examined macro factors such decentralization, political democracy, press freedom, and economic freedom, as shown by Lecuna (2012), Alexeef and Habodazzova, (2012) and Goel and Nelson (2005). However, there are limited studies on corruption that examine this topic from organizational approach. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate existing institutional theories describing corrupt behaviour in Asian public sector organizations. A total of 171 questionnaires were distributed to public service officers who were currently enrolled as accounting postgraduate students in both China and Indonesia. The results support the institutional theoretical model used to explain corruption in public sector organizations. However, cultural differences in democracy was not a significant factor on respondent’s perception concerning corruptions in both of countries.
A Novel Silent Mutation in the L1CAM Gene Causing Fetal Hydrocephalus Detected by Whole-Exome Sequencing

X-linked hydrocephalus (XLH), a genetic disorder, has an incidence of 1/30,000 male births. The great proportion of XLH is ascribed to loss-of-function mutations of L1 cell adhesion molecule gene (L1CAM), but silent mutations in L1CAM with pathogenic potential were rare and were usually ignored especially in whole-exome sequencing (WES) detection. In the present study, we describe a novel silent L1CAM mutation in a Chinese pregnant woman reporting continuous five times pregnancies with fetal hydrocephalus. After fetal blood sampling, we found c.453G > T (p.Gly151 = ) in the L1CAM gene of the fetus by WES; RT-PCR of the messenger RNA (mRNA) from cord blood mononuclear cells and subsequent sequence analysis identified the mutation created a potential 5′ splice site consensus sequence, which would result in an in-frame deletion of 72 bp from exon 5 and 24 amino acids of the L1CAM protein. Heterozygous mutations were confirmed in analyzing DNA and mRNA from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of the woman, and a severe L1 syndrome was confirmed by fetal ultrasound scan and MRI. Our study first indicated c.453G > T (p.Gly151 = ) in L1CAM could be disease causing for hydrocephalus, which would aid in genetic counseling for the prenatal diagnosis of hydrocephalus. Meanwhile, it suggested some silent mutations detected in WES should not be ignored; splicing predictions of these mutations were necessary.