Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Socioeconomic Determinants of Dietary Diversity among Rural Households in Jaunpur District of Uttar Pradesh, India

--Inadequate nutritional consumption is one of the decisive factors for weak immunity, a higher probability of various diseases and infections, weak mental and physical growth, and less working capability. The present study was conducted to assess the dietary diversity pattern and its correlates in a rural setting of Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted during August-November 2017, among 316 households. Women from these households were interviewed to know the variety of foods consumed in the past 24 hours. Descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression analysis have been used to meet the objective of the study. Results portray that, about 14 percent of the households were in the category of low dietary diversity, and 58 percent were under medium dietary diversity. A higher proportion of SCs and poor households were more prone to have low dietary diversity. Landless households or less than one bigha of agricultural land and household without livestock or less number of livestock were more prone to low dietary diversity. Results of ordered logistic regression analysis confirm that caste, working status of heads, family type, socioeconomic status of the household, agricultural land, and livestock showed a significant association with the dietary diversity pattern of households. There is a necessity for the informed rural population on the importance of a diverse diet to improve nutrient consumption and to achieve food and nutrition security. National or regional level surveys will be helpful to understand the food related challenges in India. Keywords--Households, Dietary Diversity, Dietary Diversity Score and Food Security _________________________________________________________________________________________________
Multivariate Hawkes process for cyber insurance

In this paper, we propose a multivariate Hawkes framework for modelling and predicting cyber attacks frequency. The inference is based on a public data set containing features of data breaches targeting the US industry. As a main output of this paper, we demonstrate the ability of Hawkes models to capture self-excitation and interactions of data breaches depending on their type and targets. In this setting, we detail prediction results providing the full joint distribution of future cyber attacks times of occurrence. In addition, we show that a non-instantaneous excitation in the multivariate Hawkes model, which is not the classical framework of the exponential kernel, better fits with our data. In an insurance framework, this study allows to determine quantiles for number of attacks, useful for an internal model, as well as the frequency component for a data breach guarantee.
Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Terminalia superba Engl. and Diels (Combretaceae) Bark Extracts

Medicinal plants are recognized as the most popular form of alternative medicine (Ogbonnia et al., 2011). Herbal prescriptions and natural remedies are commonly employed in developing countries for the treatment of various diseases, this practice being an alternative way to compensate for some perceived deficiencies in orthodox pharmacotherapy (Zhu et al., 2002). In Benin, they offer a wider available and affordable alternative to pharmaceutical drugs and natural food supplements. International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 7 Number 07 (2018) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Business networking and internationalization: testing the mediation role of organizational learning

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to establish the mediation role of organizational learning in the relationship between business networking and internationalization of manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using evidence from Uganda.Design/methodology/approachThis study is cross sectional and correlational. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey of 96 manufacturing SMEs. Data were analyzed through correlation coefficients, hierarchical regression and mediation analysis using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and MedGraph - Excel Version.FindingsFindings indicate that organizational learning partially mediates the relationship between business networking and internationalization of SMEs. Results further reveal that business networking and organizational learning significantly predict internationalization of SMEs.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the already existing literature on internationalization of SMEs as it provides initial empirical evidence on the mediating role of organizational learning in the relationship between business networking and internationalization of SMEs using evidence from a developing country – Uganda.
The persisting legacies of imperial elites among contemporary top-ranked Vietnamese politicians

This study investigated how the legacies of Vietnamese elites continue to affect top-ranked politicians in Vietnam. We therefore compared a list of elites who passed the imperial examination (1075–1919) at the national level with a list of currently active Vietnamese top-ranked politicians (1930–2020) by matching their home districts. We used the average distance from each district to imperial test venues as instrumental variables for estimating possible connections at the district level. Results showed strong and persistent imperial legacies based on these home districts. This suggests the existence of persistent transmissions via informal institutions and channels of home favoritism.
Enclosing a pen to improve response rate to postal questionnaire: an embedded randomised controlled trial

Background: Poor response to questionnaires collecting outcome data in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) can affect the validity of trial results. The aim of this study within a trial (SWAT) was to evaluate the effectiveness of including a pen with a follow-up postal questionnaire on response rate. Methods: A two-armed RCT was embedded within SSHeW (Stopping Slips among Healthcare Workers), a trial of slip-resistant footwear to reduce slips in NHS staff. Participants were randomised 1:1 to receive a pen or no pen with their follow-up questionnaire. The primary outcome was the proportion of participants who returned the questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were: time to response, completeness of response, and whether a postal reminder notice was required. Data were analysed using logistic regression, linear regression and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: Overall, 1466 SSHEW trial participants were randomised into the SWAT. In total, 13 withdrew from the host trial before they were due to be sent their follow-up questionnaire, 728 participants received a pen with their questionnaire, and 725 did not receive a pen. A questionnaire was returned from 67.7% of the pen group and 64.7% of the group who did not receive a pen. There was no significant difference in return rates between the two groups (OR 1.15, 95% CI 0.92 to 1.43, p=0.22), nor level of completeness of the questionnaires (AMD -0.01, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.05, p=0.77). There was weak evidence of a reduction in the proportion of participants requiring a reminder and in time to response in the pen group. Conclusion: Inclusion of a pen with the follow-up postal questionnaire sent to participants in the SSHeW trial did not statistically significantly increase the response rate. These results add to the body of evidence around improving response rates in trials. Trial registration: ISRCTN 33051393 (for SSHEW). Registered on 14/03/2017.
Ethnobotanical Survey Of Medicinal Plants In Ughelli North Local Government Area Of Delta State

Indigenous medicinal plants form an important component of the natural wealth and culture of a geographical area, the study of plant began with tribal efforts to identify edible, medicinal and poisonous plants. Many of the traditional methods and general knowledge of medicinal plants are being lost to time as healers and tribal elder’s age and die. Scientists are searching for ways to preserve this knowledge and to test them against contemporary diseases. This is a descriptive study that investigated the use of medicinal plants for the treatment of diseases in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta state. Information was obtained through interviews using structured questionnaires. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. The analyzed data was presented in descriptive statistics using tables, charts and frequency and inferential statistic using chi-square and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Result showed that most of the respondents 270 (77.14%) were above age 30 years while most 250 (71.43%) were males and almost two-third 230 (65.71%) were married. Majority 150 (42.86%) attained O level as their highest level of education. Majority of the respondents (270) 75.0% affirmed to be aware of medicinal plant, 55% of the respondents got their information about medicinal plant from their parents, while 35% undergo training for usage of medicinal plant, 91.43% affirmed to use of medicinal plants very often. The most prevalent disease conditions treated with medicinal plants were malaria 92 (26.29%). Trees 44.59% were the most used forms of plants for the treatment of ailment and the most used of part of plant for the treatment of ailment were leaf 128 (36.84%). The main route of administration of medicinal plants is the mouth and decoction was the main method of preparation by 254 (72.46%). It is concluded that most persons in the rural area prefer the use of medicinal plants in the treatment of diseases for the reason of affordability, effectiveness, availability and accessibility of practitioners. It is recommended for this reasons or advantages, traditional medicine is useful to the health of the nation and should be integrated or co-recognized with modern or orthodox medicine practice and its operation should be re-evaluat-ed and standardized for optimal effects.
Investigate the effectiveness of 15 PrEST monoclonal antibodies in detecting Cancer Biomarkers with Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Proteins

Western blotting is a widely used scientific method used for the analyses of specific target proteins in complex samples (13). Epidemiologic studies have shown a decrease in the death and suffering with early detection and treatment of cancer (15). Since its emergence, cancer biomarkers have become a leading site of investigation in cancer research due to their profound ability of being able to detect cancer at all stages (20). Molecular imaging strategies are used to assess cancer biomarkers for their reliability. Western blotting is used for both quantitative and qualitative analysis of proteins (17). Qualitative analysis can identify the presence of specific proteins and make estimations of their abundance in a complex sample of proteins. Past research has shown a superiority of PrEST monoclonal mouse antibodies over normal antibodies in proteomic research (18). The following study uses western blotting techniques to investigate the use of PrEST monoclonal mouse antibodies as a potential cancer biomarker. The focus protein of the study was Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), a protein-coding gene, the EGFR is a member of the ErbB group of receptors associated with some physiological processes of cancer (3). The western blotting assay displayed a positive protein-protein interaction between EGFR and the cancer cells. Western blotting is an effective technique however it is not the only methods applied to determine specific protein-to protein interaction. Future research could expand testing to using other methods such as crosslinking on PrEST antibodies.
Phylogeny and classification of the Bucconidae (Aves, Galbuliformes) based on osteological characters

The puffbirds (Bucconidae) are relatively poorly studied birds whose intrafamilial relationships have not yet been explored within a phylogenetic framework in a published study. Here, we performed a parsimony analysis of osteological data obtained following the examination of all the genera and 32 out of the 36 species recognized in Bucconidae currently. The analysis yielded eight equally parsimonious trees (426 minimum steps). Ambiguous relationships were observed only in Notharcus ordii, Malacoptila fusca, and Nonnula rubecula. Notably, Bucco was polyphyletic, leading to the resurrection of Cyphos and Tamatia. In addition, the osteological data provided a well-resolved phylogeny (topological dichotomies) and the support indices indicated that most of the nodes were robust at all hierarchical levels. We thus propose the first revised classification of the Bucconidae.
Parallel machine scheduling with multiple processing alternatives and sequence-dependent setup times

This paper examines a parallel machine scheduling problem in which jobs can be processed either in multiple parts or in a complete form and the number of possible job splitting alternatives of jobs is more than one. There are sequence-dependent setup times between different jobs (or parts), and the objective is to minimise makespan by choosing an appropriate processing alternative for each job, assigning parts (or jobs) to machines, and determining the sequence of parts on the machines. This work is motivated from a 3D printer-based manufacturing system that produces customised products for individuals or start-up companies. When 3D printers are used as processing machines, a product can be printed in diverse forms composed of different parts. To address the problem, we first propose a mixed integer programming model and then develop a hybrid genetic algorithm which is combined with a travelling salesman problem-based heuristic algorithm. The experimental results show that the average gap between a solution from the proposed algorithm and an optimal one solved with CPLEX or a lower bound is very small. The paired t-test shows that there is a significant improvement for processing jobs with multiple alternatives.
Antibiotic resistome in the livestock and aquaculture industries: Status and solutions

Abstract Since the introduction of antibiotics into clinical practices in the 1940s, antibiotics have become an integral part of animal production to meet the increasing human demand for animal-derived foods. As a result, industrial-scale animal production has emerged as a hotspot for the evolution and dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), thereby potentially contributing to a looming public health crisis. The knowledge of ARGs in livestock systems has been greatly expanded with the recent development of rapid molecular tools. However, comprehensive reviews on ARGs in the animal industry and possible mitigation solutions are still lacking from a One Health perspective. Here we provide this review focusing on human health risks associated with the antimicrobial (antibiotic and metal) usages, ARGs in livestock animals and aquaculture systems in a One Health perspective to untangle the complexities of ARGs across animals, environments and humans. Specifically, this review covers (1) antimicrobials usages in the animal industry, (2) ARGs in animals affected by selective agents, (3) animal-to-human direct/indirect ARG transmission pathways, and (4) mitigation approaches. We highlighted the burden of using antimicrobials in animals for public and environmental health, and also the urgent needs for mitigating the spread of antibiotic resistance from the livestock and aquaculture industries. Graphical abstract
Application of neural network for detection and classification of faults in gasoline internal combustion engine

This paper describes application of neural network for detection and classification of faults in internal combustion engine (ICE). There are several types of faults in ICE and some of them could be diagnosed through the change of ignition voltage on the spark plugs. Therefore, measuring of the ignition voltages in two faulty states and nominal mode of ignition system is performed. It is shown that neural network can recognize presence of faults with 100% accuracy.
Identification of origin of EC –0.6 eV electron trap level by correlation with iron concentration in n-type GaN grown on GaN freestanding substrate by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

The origin of E3 electron traps at EC –0.58 eV in GaN was investigated using Si-doped n-type GaN layers grown on freestanding GaN substrates using MOVPE. These layers contained impurity Fe at various concentrations depending on the growth conditions and the position within the wafer. Twenty E3 concentrations (NT,E3) determined by deep-level transient spectroscopy were plotted against the corresponding Fe concentrations ([Fe]) obtained from secondary ion mass spectrometry. A correlation was evident between NT,E3 and [Fe] in the range (0.4–12) × 1015 cm–3, suggesting that the E3 level in MOVPE-grown homoepitaxial GaN originates from the substitution of Fe atoms at Ga sites.
Further Results on Leader-follower Multi-agent Formation Control with Prescribed Performance Guarantees

Distributed formation control for leader-follower multi-agent systems under prescribed performance guarantees is addressed in this paper. Leader-follower is meant in the sense that a group of agents with external inputs are selected as leaders in order to drive the group of followers in a way that the entire system can achieve the target relative position-based formation within certain prescribed performance transient bounds. In previous work, we have proposed a distributed control law for tree graphs to achieve consensus within certain prescribed transient performance when the decay rate of the performance functions is within a sufficient bound. In this paper, we further discuss the general graphs with cycles. Some necessary conditions on the graph topology are proposed in order to achieve the target formation while satisfying the prescribed performance bounds. We also discuss the roles of the cycles for the convergence benefits in this leader-follower framework. Finally, we illustrate the results with the simulation examples.
Relating excitatory and inhibitory neurochemicals to visual perception: A magnetic resonance study of occipital cortex between migraine events

Certain perceptual measures have been proposed as indirect assays of brain neurochemical status in people with migraine. One such measure is binocular rivalry, however, previous studies have not measured rivalry characteristics and brain neurochemistry together in people with migraine. This study compared spectroscopy-measured levels of GABA and Glx (glutamine and glutamate complex) in visual cortex between 16 people with migraine and 16 non-headache controls, and assessed whether the concentration of these neurochemicals explains, at least partially, inter-individual variability in binocular rivalry perceptual measures. Mean Glx level was significantly reduced in migraineurs relative to controls, whereas mean occipital GABA levels were similar between groups. Neither GABA levels, nor Glx levels correlated with rivalry percept duration. Our results thus suggest that the previously suggested relationship between rivalry percept duration and GABAergic inhibitory neurotransmitter concentration in visual cortex is not strong enough to enable rivalry percept duration to be reliably assumed to be a surrogate for GABA concentration, at least in the context of healthy individuals and those that experience migraine.
New insight on thecal plate development in early cambrian eocrinoids: an example from south china

ABSTRACT The gogiid eocrinoid Guizhoueocrinus yui is the most abundant member of the marine benthos in the Balang Fauna (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4) of Guizhou, China. To date, little attention has been paid to the morphological development of the thecal plates. Here, based on 120 specimens, we describe the morphological development of the primary large thecal plate in the widest part of the theca (WPT). These results demonstrate that the primary large thecal plates in different ontogenetic stages exhibit a unique trajectory within a space defined by size and shape. As the individual grows, the centroid size of the plates shows a continuous changing process. Moreover, the shape of the plate alters during the ontogeny: initially polygonal to oval, then develop a more sprocket-like shape. These results provide statistically supported differences among three pre-defined ontogenetic stages. However, the thecal plates show a gradual growth in seven divided sub-stages. These morphological changes prove that the margins of the primary large thecal plate in the WPT underwent a process of resorption and redeposition to produce more sutural pores. This study demonstrates that newborn sutural pores may help organism to get more oxygen for supporting individuals’ life activities.
Exopolysaccharides from Cyanobacteria: Strategies for Bioprocess Development

Cyanobacteria have the potential to become an industrially sustainable source of functional biopolymers. Their exopolysaccharides (EPS) harbor chemical complexity, which predicts bioactive potential. Although some are reported to excrete conspicuous amounts of polysaccharides, others are still to be discovered. The production of this strain-specific trait can promote carbon neutrality while its intrinsic location can potentially reduce downstream processing costs. To develop an EPS cyanobacterial bioprocess (Cyano-EPS) three steps were explored: the selection of the cyanobacterial host; optimization of production parameters; downstream processing. Studying the production parameters allow us to understand and optimize their response in terms of growth and EPS production though many times it was found divergent. Although the extraction of EPS can be achieved with a certain degree of simplicity, the purification and isolation steps demand experience. In this review, we gathered relevant research on EPS with a focus on bioprocess development. Challenges and strategies to overcome possible drawbacks are highlighted.
Jackknifed Liu-type Estimator in Poisson Regression Model

The Liu estimator has consistently been demonstrated to be an attractive shrinkage method for reducing the effects of multicollinearity. The Poisson regression model is a well-known model in applications when the response variable consists of count data. However, it is known that multicollinearity negatively affects the variance of the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) of the Poisson regression coefficients. To address this problem, a Poisson Liu estimator has been proposed by numerous researchers. In this paper, a Jackknifed Liu-type Poisson estimator (JPLTE) is proposed and derived. The idea behind the JPLTE is to decrease the shrinkage parameter and, therefore, improve the resultant estimator by reducing the amount of bias. Our Monte Carlo simulation results suggest that the JPLTE estimator can bring significant improvements relative to other existing estimators. In addition, the results of a real application demonstrate that the JPLTE estimator outperforms both the Poisson Liu estimator and the maximum likelihood estimator in terms of predictive performance.