Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing alternative methods for conjoint analysis: a case of tomatoes in the German market.

Conjoint analysis is a multi-attribute, decompositional and analytical method for estimating the consumer’s preference structure from a global evaluation of a set of alternatives on the basis of a series of different attributes and their possible combinations. Conjoint analysis is mature and widely used in the study of consumer goods, recently, this analytical technique is been used in the study of food, and to date, few studies have used the technique in the study of fruits and vegetables. In this paper, the authors used three alternative methods (ordinary least squares, ordered Logit, and doubly-censored Tobit) for estimating preference through conjoint analysis with respect to one of the most highly consumed vegetables in the world: Tomatoes. In particular, the authors studied the tomato market in Germany. They consider four particularly important attributes in vegetable purchase behaviour among German consumers: Level of freshness, country of origin, price, and production method. The results obtained using these three estimation methods provide significant coefficients in all cases, although significant differences do exist in the importance of the different attributes in function of the estimation methods used. Nevertheless, two of the three methods coincide in pointing to the level of freshness as the most important attribute of tomatoes for German consumers. Key words: Conjoint analysis, vegetables, consumer preferences.
Hysterothylacium, Iheringascaris and Maricostula new genus, nematodes (Ascaridoidea) from Australian pelagic marine fishes

The state of knowledge of Australian fish parasitic ascardioids is briefly reviewed. The following species are described in full: Hysterothylacium cornutum, H. pelagicum, H. scomberoidei n. sp. Additional data are provided for Iheringascaris inquies. Maricostula n. gen. is established for those species that have lips with lateral flanges, deep postlabial grooves, interlabia, and elongate intestinal caecum, pyriform ventriculus, long sac-like ventricular appendix, an expanded filamentar excretory system and excretory pore near the nerve ring. The males of all the species have precloacal crests. Species included are: M. caballeroi (Deloya), M. cenatica n. sp. , M. histiophori (Yamaguti), M. incurva (Rudolphi), M. makairi n. sp. and M. tetrapteri n. sp. All are recorded from billfishes, and all but M. caballeroi are recorded from Australian waters. The systematic position of the genus is discussed. New characters of taxonomic utility used in the discrimination of fish parasitic ascaridoids are discussed. Thes.
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy in the treatment of patellar tendinopathy: the ASSERT database

for pain perception, the VISA-P scale for functional limitation assessment, and the 6 scores of the EuroQol-5D questionnaire (EQ-5D) for quality of life. Results : There was a significant improvement over time in 4 of the 8 analysed scores (all with at least p= 0.0001). The scores that significantly improved were VAS, VISA-P, and 2 scores of EQ-5D (Pain/Discomfort and Usual Activities). Conclusion : ESWT showed beneficial effects on PT over a 24-month follow-up period.
EFFICIENCY OF BERLESE-TULLGREN FUNNELS FOR REMOVAL OF THE RUSTY GRAIN BEETLE, CRYPTOLESTES FERRUGINEUS, FROM WHEAT SAMPLES

Abstract The efficiency of Berlese-Tullgren funnels in removing the rusty grain beetle, Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens), from wheat samples was tested by adding adults and larvae to wheat samples. The recovery of adults from 300 g samples was 79% at 12.3% moisture content (m.c.) and 49% at 16% m.c. ; from 150 g samples the recovery was 84% at 16% m.c. The number of adults recovered represented at least 98% of those that did not escape from the top of the samples. The number that escaped varied with sample size and moisture content. The recovery of fourth instar larvae was 78% from samples of 300 g at 16% m.c. The percentage of first and second instar larvae recovered was 5.8 when larvae alone were mixed with the wheat sample and left for 65 h, 10.6 when larvae in flour were added to the surface of the wheat sample, and 27.9 when larvae in flour were added to the centre of the wheat sample.
Learning to Progressively Plan

For problem solving, making reactive decisions based on problem description is fast but inaccurate, while search-based planning using heuristics gives better solutions but could be exponentially slow. In this paper, we propose a new approach that improves an existing solution by iteratively picking and rewriting its local components until convergence. The rewriting policy employs a neural network trained with reinforcement learning. We evaluate our approach in two domains: job scheduling and expression simplification. Compared to common effective heuristics, baseline deep models and search algorithms, our approach efficiently gives solutions with higher quality.
Packaging of Olive Oil: Quality Issues and Shelf Life Predictions

Olive oil has gained much appreciation among consumers worldwide leading to increased markets as well as greater consumer expectation and thus more challenges for the relevant food sector. By understanding the product, its interactions with the environment, and the protective role of the package, decisions can be made on the barrier properties required of the packaging materials to achieve the desired shelf life. To this end, the shelf life of packaged olive oil under various storage and distribution environments can be predicted by mathematical modeling. This review examines the basic factors affecting the shelf life of olive oil in different packaging systems and describes the main oxidative degradation mechanisms for them. Since an experimental investigation to correlate the basic quality factors and the shelf life of a product is time- and effort-consuming, the use of mathematical modeling for the prediction of packaged olive oil shelf life is also discussed. In the presented works, shelf life predictions were based on the most consumer-related attributes; namely, the evolution of olive oil flavor compounds under various packaging and storage conditions. The validation of the simulations against known experimental results showed a very good correlation, confirming the value of the mathematical approach for a quick and accurate prediction of shelf life of oxidation-sensitive products.
Recuperación estructural en bosques sucesionales andinos de Porce (Antioquia, Colombia)

Structural recovering in Andean successional forests from Porce (Antioquia, Colombia). Places subjected to natural or human disturbance can recover forest through an ecological process called secondary succession. Tropical succession is affected by factors such as disturbances, distance from original forest, sur- face configuration and local climate. These factors determine the composition of species and the time trend of the succession itself. We studied succession in soils used for cattle ranching over various decades in the Porce Region of Colombia (Andean Colombian forests). A set of twenty five permanent plots was measured, includ- ing nine plots (20x50m) in primary forests and sixteen (20x25m) in secondary forests. All trees with diameter ≥1.0cm were measured. We analyzed stem density, basal area, above-ground biomass and species richness, in a successional process of ca. 43 years, and in primary forests. The secondary forests' age was estimated in previ- ous studies, using radiocarbon dating, aerial photographs and a high-resolution satellite image analysis (7 to >43 years). In total, 1 143 and 1 766 stems were measured in primary and secondary forests, respectively. Basal area (5.7 to 85.4m 2 ha -1 ), above-ground biomass (19.1 to 1 011.5 t ha -1 ) and species richness (4 to 69) directly increased with site age, while steam density decreased (3 180 to 590). Diametric distributions were "J-inverted" for primary forests and even-aged size-class structures for secondary forests. Three species of palms were abun- dant and exclusive in old secondary forests and primary forests: Oenocarpus mapora, Euterpe precatoria and Oenocarpus bataua. These palms happened in cohorts after forest disturbances. Secondary forest structure was 40% in more than 43 years of forest succession and indicate that many factors are interacting and affecting the forests succession in the area (e.g. agriculture, cattle ranching, mining, etc.). Rev. Biol. Trop. 58 (1): 427-445. Epub 2010 March 01.
Establishment of an efficient protocol for micropropagation of stem explants of Tylophora indica , an important medicinal plant

An efficient reproducible protocol has been developed for in vitro propagation of endangered medicinal plant ( Tylophora indica ). The concentration of plant growth regulators and explant types exhibited discrete roles in the efficiency of plant regeneration. Stem explants cultured on 8.8 μM 6- benzylaminopurine (BAP) resulted in formation of nodular meristemoids, which developed into green leafy shoots 6 to 8 weeks after culturing on the same medium. 29.4 μM α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 4.65 μM kinetin (Kn) induced green solid callus within 7 to 8 days of culturing. Callus thus formed, revealed the presence of cells of variable shapes and sizes together with xylogenesis. Calli when subcultured on MS medium supplemented with 8.8 μM BAP developed adventitious shoots, however, initially, few shoots were formed but the number increased further on subsequent subculturing. Microshoots thus formed, were cultured on indole 3-butyric acid (IBA) and half strength basal MS media for induction of roots. Regenerated plantlets with healthy shoots and roots were acclimatized in moist cotton followed by their hardening in soil : vermicompost potting mixture with 90% survival rate. Key words: Tylophora indica, organogenesis, 6-benzylaminopurine, α-naphthalene acetic acid, indole 3- butyric acid.
POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION FOR THE DETECTION OF TOXIN A ( TCD A ) AND TOXIN B ( TCD B ) GENES OF CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE ISOLATED FROM DIARRHOEAL CASES AND ANALYSIS OF THE CLINICAL SPECTRUM

BACKGROUND: Molecular methods for detection of toxigenic Clostridium difficile have been established in the developed countries though not very common in our country. AIMS: The study was intended to determine the presence of toxin A and toxin B genes of Clostridium difficile isolates by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and analysis of clinical picture of the patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The prospective study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital, South India from January 2012 to December 2014. Stool samples were collected consecutively from 563 in patients with diarrhoea from various wards. Clostridium difficile was isolated and identified by semi quantitative culture, latex agglutination and biochemical reactions. These isolates were then subjected to PCR for the detection of toxin A and toxin B genes. In addition, enzyme immunoassay was performed on stool samples for the detection of toxins A and B. The clinical spectrum of PCR positive patients was also analyzed. RESULTS: From 563 stool specimens, 113 (20.07%) Clostridium difficile isolates were grown by culture and identified by latex agglutination and biochemical reactions. Out of 113 isolates, 94 were subjected to PCR. 50 (53.19%) isolates out of 94 were found to be positive. Three toxigenic types obtained were A+B+, A-B+ and A+Bwhich accounted for 6.38%, 42.55% and 4.26% respectively. A-Bisolates were 46.81%. 30 (26.55%) out of 113 stool samples (which were culture positive) was also enzyme immunoassay positive. 32 (64%) out of 50 PCR positive patients exhibited antibiotic usage (p<0.05) and 39(78%) revealed the presence of underlying illnesses/conditions (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The study highlights the usefulness of PCR for detection of toxigenic Clostridium difficile and for determination of its molecular epidemiology.
Some Enlightments of Level-of-Processing Theory on English Vocabulary Teaching

level-of-processing theory proposes that whether the new information is stored in long-term memory is not determined by the length of time that it is held in short-term memory but rather by the shallowness or depth with which it is initially processed and that analysis proceeds through a series of sensory states to levels associated with pattern recognition to semantic-associative stages. On the basis of this theory, the writer presents the idea that vocabulary learning would be more efficient if the teachers put emphasis on the teaching of vocabulary and guide the students to have a deeper processing of the new words from different perspectives as pronunciation, morphology and semantics.
Rapid Change in Sapling and Seedling Layers in an Otherwise Stable Hardwood Forest: an Effect of Deer Browsing

Abstract The College Woods in Williamsburg, Virginia (a.k.a. Matoaka Woods) contains a maturing post-cultivation upland hardwood forest (oaks, beech, tuliptree, hickories). In 1994 four size classes of woody stems were sampled on 27 permanent plots, and those same plots were re-sampled in 2003. Cluster analysis revealed that between samplings there was little change in the composition of the large tree (≥10 cm dbh) or small tree (2.5–10 cm dbh) size classes. There was great change in the density of certain species in the sapling (1.4 m tall, <2.5 cm dbh) and tall seedling (0.5–1.4 m tall) size classes, even though the sapling size class was initially similar to the small tree layer. In these two smaller size classes, change was mostly great decrease in some species (Viburnum acerifolium, Cornus florida, Acer rubrum, and Euonymus americana) rather than increase in the remaining abundant taxa (Fagus grandifolia, Ilex opaca, Gaylussacia spp. and Vaccinium spp.). Preferential browsing by an increasing deer population likely caused these dramatic changes.
Susceptibility of Highbush Blueberry Cultivars to Cranberry Fruitworm and Japanese Beetle

The susceptibility of ten highbush blueberry cultivars, Vaccinium corymbosum L. , to infestation by two key insect pests was compared. Over 5 years of assessing infestation by cranberry fruitworm, Acrobasis vaccinii (Riley), in a replicated field planting, “Duke” received the greatest infestation in 3 of the 6 years. Susceptibility of the 10 cultivars to Japanese beetle feeding was measured over 3 years in laboratory assays designed to measure relative feeding on fruit and foliage. “Brigitta” was the most susceptible cultivar to fruit feeding, while “Elliott” and “Legacy” were the least susceptible cultivars to foliage feeding. “Elliott” and “Legacy” also had the lowest level of Japanese beetle feeding on leaves of blueberry bushes in the field. These results suggest the presence of plant-based resistance to foliage and fruit feeding insect pests in some cultivars of V. corymbosum, which could be exploited within integrated pest management strategies.
Evaluation of somatic embryogenesis from immature cotyledons of Japanese soybean cultivars

To examine the capacity for plant regeneration through somatic embryogenesis, Japanese soybean cultivars were investigated by 3-step-somatic embryogenesis: 1) induction of somatic embryos (SEs) from immature cotyledons, 2) proliferation of SEs in liquid medium and 3) differentiation of SEs into cotyledon-stage embryos. At each step, properties of the cultures varied among cultivars. Notably, significant differences were observed on 1) efficiencies of SE induction, 2) compactness of individual SEs during proliferation, and 3) yields of differentiated embryos (numbers of cotyledon-stage embryos differentiated from 100 mg globular SEs). We found that the compactness of SEs in liquid medium was very important factor for the recovery of well differentiated embryos. In fact, Yuuzuru and Yumeyutaka which indicated high ratios of compact SEs at proliferation step showed high yields of well differentiated embryos. The abilities of these Japanese cultivars to yield cotyledon-stage embryos were superior or comparable to North American cultivar 'Jack', which is used as one of the most preferable genotypes for somatic embryogenesis, indicating their high potentials for plant regeneration.
A systematic estimation approach for the importance of engineering characteristics based on online reviews

Online reviews are a new source for the valuable voice of customers. By identifying the customer’s opinion, designers can comprehend the important features of a product to satisfy customer demand, thus enhancing the market competitiveness of the product. Customers have opinions on multiple aspects of products hidden in reviews, and sentiment divergence may exist. Moreover, there is a gap between customer requirements and the product’s system requirements. How to effectively analyze a large number of reviews to extract the aspect-level customer opinion and thus determine the most important product engineering characteristics in design are the critical challenges for market-driven design. A systematic requirement analysis framework is proposed in this work. First, a convolutional neural network and sentiment analysis are used for opinion mining of online reviews. Then, based on fuzzy logic, the customer sentiment divergence (which is quantified by controversy indexes) and the average sentiment of a requirement are used to determine the degree of satisfaction. Finally, based on the product’s quality function development matrix, the satisfaction and frequency of the customer requirements are used to estimate the importance of the product’s engineering characteristics, which identifies the focus of product design. A case study of a hair dryer is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
The Design and Implementation of a Batteryless Wireless Embedded System for IoT Applications

With the increasing popularity of embedded systems that consist of identifying, sensing, processing, and communication capabilities, the Internet of Things (IoT) has enabled many new application scenarios in diverse scientific fields and provided a significant opportunity to build efficient industrial systems and applications. Most embedded systems consume power provided by fixed batteries with limited capacity. However, the main disadvantage of batteries is that they must be periodically replaced with new ones or recharged when they are depleted. This kind of maintenance process increases the cost and restricts the use in inaccessible places. When considering the limitations of battery power, alternative energy sources are required for interconnected devices to operate efficiently and effectively. Harvesting or scavenging energy from the environment is an important strategy to design self-powered systems employed in the IoT domain. Traditional energy harvesting applications use large energy storage devices to supply the power to the system whenever needed. Batteryless energy harvesting techniques have advantages to operate long periods without maintenance. In this study, we designed and implemented a supercapacitor-based, solar-powered wireless embedded system that can operate autonomously without the need of maintenance and battery replacement. Our goal is to explore and analyze the applicability of batteryless wireless data communication and the usefulness of self-powered smart devices employing an energy harvesting technique in the IoT environment. In our experiments, we observed that our prototype boards operate well with low-power consumption without any performance degradation.
Relationship between rheological properties and degree of κ-casein proteolysis during renneting of milk

Simultaneous measurement of viscosity and degree of proteolysis of κ-casein, α, in skim milk at three different concentrations of rennet and three different concentrations of casein showed that viscosity was a function of α until the former reached its minimum value. Then the relation between viscosity and α depended on the enzyme concentration. This is considered to be caused by casein micelles starting to aggregate at this point. The minimum in viscosity was found when α was between 0·6 and 0·7, indicating that casein micelles started aggregating at a lower degree of proteolysis than was believed earlier. The rate of gel firming was found to depend on the concentration of added rennet even after κ-casein was completely proteolysed. The results demonstrated that both proteolysis of κ-casein and aggregation of casein micelles must be taken into account when modelling the renneting reaction.
Foraging at Wastewater Treatment Works Increases the Potential for Metal Accumulation in an Urban Adapter, the Banana Bat (Neoromicia nana)

Wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) are known to provide profitable foraging areas for insectivorous bats in Europe and the New World because of their association with high abundance of pollution-tolerant midges (Diptera). However, bats that feed on these insects may also accumulate metal pollutants such as cadmium and copper in their tissues, with acute or chronic effects on their health. Using a time expansion bat detector, the activity (number of passes and feeding buzzes) of Neoromicia nana (family Vespertilionidae) was quantified at three WWTW points - upstream, the point of wastewater effluent discharge, and downstream along three urban rivers in South Africa. In addition, metal concentrations in the kidney, liver and muscle tissue of N. nana caught at the sites were quantified. The diversity of aerial insects, sampled over the same period as the bat surveys, was measured using a black light trap and sweep-netting. Relative abundance and feeding activity of N. nana were higher at wastewater-polluted sites than at upstream sites. The most abundant insect order at wastewater-polluted sites and in the diet of resident bats was Diptera. Essential metals (copper, zinc and iron) were detected in all N. nana tissue samples, but the toxic metals cadmium, chromium and nickel were mostly present in tissue of bats at wastewater-polluted sites. Thus, although WWTWs provide an optimal food resource to bats in the short-term, it may pose serious long-term health risks for these top predators.
Évaluation de l’observance aux médicaments anti-infectieux chez les patients pédiatriques hospitalisés au CHU de Nîmes après retour à domicile

L’observance medicamenteuse joue un role important dans l’emergence des resistantes bacteriennes. Cette problematique est d’autant plus importante en population pediatrique pour laquelle le panel therapeutique est reduit. Ainsi, les objectifs de cette etude etaient de determiner le taux d’observance medicamenteuse globale aux anti-infectieux en population pediatrique prescrits en sortie d’hospitalisation et d’identifier secondairement les facteurs de risque de non-observance. Cette etude observationnelle a ete menee au CHU de Nimes sur 3 mois. Les patients inclus etaient âges de moins de 16 ans, admis en hospitalisation complete de pediatrie et sortant avec une prescription d’au moins un anti-infectieux prescrit pour une infection aigue. L’observance medicamenteuse et la connaissance aux antibiotiques ont ete evaluees a partir de donnees collectees par entretien telephonique. 75 patients ont ete inclus et les donnees de 63 patients ont pu etre exploitees dans l’evaluation et l’analyse de l’observance medicamenteuse. L’âge median etait de 1,4 ans [0,7 ; 3,3]. Le taux de patients observants aux anti-infectieux etait de 34.9 %. L’amoxicilline (29.3%), l’amoxicilline/acide clavulanique (25.3%), le cotrimoxazole (18.7%) et le Cefixime (12.0%) etaient les antibiotiques les plus prescrits. Le resultat du test de connaissance s’est avere etre significativement associe a une mauvaise observance medicamenteuse. En conclusion, notre etude revele que 65.1% des patients sont inobservants aux anti-infectieux pris a domicile. Nos resultats confirment la necessite de mettre en œuvre des mesures preventives a la sortie par le biais d’informations sur l’ensemble des modalites de prise.