Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Zinc Sulfate and Organic Chromium Supplementation on the Performance, Meat Quality and Immune Response of Japanese Quails under Heat Stress Conditions

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different levels of zinc sulfate and chromium picolinate on the performance, immune response and meat quality of Japanese quails under heat stress condition. The birds (n = 540; 7-d-old) were randomly assigned to 9 treatment groups consisting of 3 replicates of 20 birds each in a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments [zinc (0, 40, 80 mg/Kg); chromium (0, 500, 1000 μg/Kg)]. Birds were kept in floor cages in a temperature controlled room and subjected to heat stress for 8 h/d (9.00 to 17.00) from 7 d to the end of the study. Zn was supplemented to the basal diet as ZnSO4 and Cr as chromium picolinate. A linear decrease in feed intake and an improvement in feed conversion ratio were found by supplementing Zn and Cr to the quails diets. Chromium supplementation increased daily weight gain linearly. By increasing the level of dietary Zn and Cr in the diet, heterophil to lymphocyte ratio and meat quality parameters were improved linearly. The results of this study revealed positive effects of Zn and Cr supplementation on the performance, immune responses and meat quality of quails under heat stress condition. It seems that supplementation of the quail's diets with 80 mg/Kg Zn and 1000 mg/Kg Cr can be greatly helpful for improving the adverse effects of heat stress.
Clapping jumping jacks to improve endothelial function in obese adults: if you're happy and you NO it, clap your hands

Physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyle are risk factors for obesity which may lower quality of life and increase risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Obesity detrimentally alters vascular structure and function. Individuals who are obese and sedentary tend to exhibit lower capillary density. This is important because after ingesting food or exercising, obese individuals may show altered rates of skeletal muscle vasodilatation. Thus, vascular dysfunction inhibits the ability of skeletal muscles to meet metabolic demands. Metabolic supply-demand imbalances can lead to microvascular abnormalities and insulin resistance. An impaired vasodilatory response is reported in obesity and is marked by decreased nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability; there is an altered balance between NO producing enzymes (eNOS) and NO quenching enzymes ((NAD(P)Hoxidase). Imbalance between NO formation and NO quenching leads to the increase of superoxide anions that act as free radicals in the body to induce oxidative stress. Oxidative stress propagates further reduction in NO availability. While exercise has many health benefits such as improving cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and reducing metabolic risk factors, many individuals do not engage in a regular exercise regimen, citing ‘lack of time’ as the underlying culprit. High intensity training (HIT) is a time-effective and aerobically beneficial mode of exercise, alternative to moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT), for cardiometabolic disease risk management. However, low-volume protocols at a high-intensity have been reported as strenuous, presenting complex barriers to obese individuals. Without supervision, adherence can be low. Laboratory-based HIT protocols may not accurately mimic the applicability and feasibility of home-based HIT protocols. In an article recently published in The Journal of Physiology, Scott and colleagues evaluated the effect of a virtually supervised at-home HIT programme on muscle capillarization and muscle microvascular eNOS/NAD(P)Hoxidase ratio in obese individuals with elevated CVD risk (Scott et al. 2019).
Development of Symbiotic Yoghurt

The product was developed with both probiotic and Prebiotic incorporation. The probiotics used were Lactobacillus Bulgaricus and Sreptococcus Thermophilus as live starter cultures and the prebiotic was Fructo – oligosaccharide. In addition to this Sweet potato was also added for the stabilization of yoghurt. So the study was conducted to develop a symbiotic yoghurt incorporating sweet potato, to know the consumer acceptability, to determine the shelf life, to evaluate the physico chemical and nutritional parameters of product. In the research work product was formulated and standardised with live probiotics and prebioic combinaion. The product formulations were done in three combinations with different proportions of ingredients. As T1, T2 and T3, the proportions prepared as T1( Plain yoghurt ), T2 ( Plain Yoghurt + FOS ), T3 (Live Active Culture 3%). So the double tonned milk was used for the development of low fat yoghurt. The milk was pasteurized, homogenised and stabilized with boiled and mashed sweet potato divided into three samples with different formulations. The respective formulations are made and kept in incubator for 3 hours, at 41 – 42C and immediately transferred to refrigerator, stored at 4C for further analysis. All the three formulations were subjected to evaluation for Physico chemical and nutritional analysis. Microbial analysis was done to know the shelf life of product. The microbial count estimation were done for bacteria, yeast and Mould count for twice keeping the product for 21 days of storage life. The results from sensory analysis showed that there was a difference in colour attribute T1 sample was more attractive than T2 and T3. In flavor T3 scored high compared to T1 and T2 as the live active culture incorpaorated in 1:1 ratio. In appearance T2 scored more thanT1 and T3. In texture and acceptability T3 sample was the best accepted from consumers. The product T3 sample yoghurt was the best suited with correct proportion of ingredients, 30% sweet potato was suited for good quality product development.
Cryobacterium soli sp. nov., isolated from forest soil.

A taxonomic study was performed on strain GCJ02T, which was isolated from forest soil from Baishan City, PR China. The bacterium was Gram-stain-positive, catalase-positive and weakly oxidase-positive, rod-shaped and non-motile. Growth was observed at salinities of 0-6.0 % and at temperatures of 4-26 °C. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that GCJ02T represented a member of the genus Cryobacterium, with the highest sequence similarity to Cryobacterium arcticum SK1T (99.5 %) and Cryobacterium zongtaii TMN-42T (99.5 %), followed by Cryobacterium psychrotolerans CGMCC 1.5382T (97.7 %), and other species of the genus Cryobacterium (96.4-96.9 %). The ANI and the DNA-DNA hybridization estimate values between GCJ02T and all type strains of species of the genus Cryobacterium were 72.5-84.5 % and 19.6-28.7 %, respectively. The principal fatty acids (>10 %) of GCJ02T were anteiso-C15 : 0(53.0 %) and anteiso-C17 : 0 (18.8 %). The G+C content of the chromosomal DNA was 68.4 mol%. The respiratory quinone was determined to be MK-10. Phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, glycolipid, and one unidentified phospholipid and three unidentified polar lipid were present. The combined genotypic and phenotypic data indicated that strain GCJ02T represents a novel species within the genus Cryobacterium, for which the name Cryobacterium soli sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain GCJ02T (=MCCC 1K03549T=JCM 32391T).
Marc ] On : 1 April 2010 Access details : Access Details : [ subscription number 920459067 ]

The dynamics of unforced turbulence at high Reynolds number for TaylorGreen vortices generalized to MHD A. Pouquet ab; E. Lee ac; M. E. Brachet ad; P. D. Mininni ae;D. Rosenberg a a Turbulence Numerics Team/NCAR, CO 80307-3000, USA b Earth and Sun Systems Laboratory/NCAR, CO 80307-3000, USA c Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA d École Normale Supérieure, 75005 Paris, France e Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Física, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
NXT Workshops: Constructionist Learning Experiences in Rural Areas

This paper will present the educational initiative called NXT Workshops implemented at the International Centre for Advanced Technologies (CITA). Its aim is to promote an attractive and dynamic view of science and technology in rural areas. At pedagogical level, arguments are given to establish the main learning theory upon which these workshops are based, being this theory "constructionism". Equally, their objective is to remark the importance attached to project-based learning in robotics for developing technological fluency. Generally speaking, some progress has been observed with regard to team work, in areas such as taking responsibility and developing creativity and self-esteem, as well as the ability to learn from challenges and to express opinions clearly. These first results of the study allow robotics to be considered a key factor in the development of personal competences in the new century.
Global Surveillance of trans-Fatty Acids

Trans-fatty acid (TFA) intake can increase the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) morbidity and mortality and all-cause mortality. Industrially produced TFAs and ruminant TFAs are the major sources in foods. TFA intake and TFA-attributed CHD mortality vary widely worldwide. Excessive TFA intake is a health threat in high-income countries; however, it is also a threat in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Data on TFA intake are scarce in many LMICs and an urgent need exists to monitor TFAs globally. We reviewed global TFA intake and TFA-attributed CHD mortality and current progress toward policy or regulation on elimination of industrially produced TFAs in foods worldwide. Human biological tissues can be used as biomarkers of TFAs because they reflect actual intake from various foods. Measuring blood TFA levels is a direct and reliable method to quantify TFA intake.
When and How Video Games Can Be Good: A Review of the Positive Effects of Video Games on Well-Being

Video games are a source of entertainment for a wide population and have varied effects on well-being. The purpose of this article is to comprehensively examine game-play research to identify the factors that contribute to these disparate well-being outcomes and to highlight the potential positive effects. On the basis of existing literature, we argue that the effects of gaming on well-being are moderated by other variables, such as motivations for gaming and video-game characteristics. Specifically, the inclusion of social activity can benefit prosocial behaviors and affect the relationship between violent video games and aggression that some studies have demonstrated. Moreover, the research on the relationship between violent video games and aggression depends greatly on individual and sociocontextual variables outside of game play. The inclusion of physical activity in games can provide an improvement in physical health with high levels of enjoyment, potentially increasing adherence rates. Overall, following our review, we determined that the effects of gaming on well-being are moderated by and depend on the motivation for gaming, outside variables, the presence of violence, social interaction, and physical activity. Thus, we argue that there is potential for an “optimal gaming profile” that can be used in the future for both academic- and industry-related research.
BUILDING OUTLINE EXTRACTION FROM AERIAL IMAGES USING CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORKS

Abstract. Automatic detection and extraction of buildings from aerial images are considerable challenges in many applications, including disaster management, navigation, urbanization monitoring, emergency responses, 3D city mapping and reconstruction. However, the most important problem is to precisely localize buildings from single aerial images where there is no additional information such as LiDAR point cloud data or high resolution Digital Surface Models (DSMs). In this paper, a Deep Learning (DL)-based approach is proposed to localize buildings, estimate the relative height information, and extract the buildings’ boundaries using a single aerial image. In order to detect buildings and extract the bounding boxes, a Fully Connected Convolutional Neural Network (FC-CNN) is trained to classify building and non-building objects. We also introduced a novel Multi-Scale Convolutional-Deconvolutional Network (MS-CDN) including skip connection layers to predict normalized DSMs (nDSMs) from a single image. The extracted bounding boxes as well as predicted nDSMs are then employed by an Active Contour Model (ACM) to provide precise boundaries of buildings. The experiments show that, even having noises in the predicted nDSMs, the proposed method performs well on single aerial images with different building shapes. The quality rate for building detection is about 86% and the RMSE for nDSM prediction is about 4 m. Also, the accuracy of boundary extraction is about 68%. Since the proposed framework is based on a single image, it could be employed for real time applications.
The association between vaccination confidence, vaccination behavior, and willingness to recommend vaccines among Finnish healthcare workers

Information and assurance from healthcare workers (HCWs) is reported by laypeople as a key factor in their decision to get vaccinated. However, previous research has shown that, as in the general population, hesitancy towards vaccines exists among HCWs as well. Previous studies further suggest that HCWs with a higher confidence in vaccinations and vaccine providers are more willing to take the vaccines themselves and to recommend vaccines to patients. In the present study with 2962 Finnish HCWs (doctors, head nurses, nurses, and practical nurses), we explored the associations between HCWs’ vaccination confidence (perceived benefit and safety of vaccines and trust in health professionals), their decisions to accept vaccines for themselves and their children, and their willingness to recommend vaccines to patients. The results showed that although the majority of HCWs had high confidence in vaccinations, a notable share reported low vaccination confidence. Moreover, in line with previous research, HCWs with higher confidence in the benefits and safety of vaccines were more likely to accept vaccines for their children and themselves, and to recommend vaccines to their patients. Trust in other health professionals was not directly related to vaccination or recommendation behavior. Confidence in the benefits and safety of vaccines was highest among doctors, and increased along with the educational level of the HCWs, suggesting a link between confidence and the degree of medical training. Ensuring high confidence in vaccines among HCWs may be important in maintaining high vaccine uptake in the general population.
EVALUATION OF ANTIOXIDANT, ANTIBACTERIAL, ANTIHEMOLYTIC, AND PHYOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF FICUS BENJAMINA, FICUS INFECTORIA, AND FICUS KRISHNAE

Objective: The study was conducted for the evaluation of antioxidant, antibacterial, antihemolytic, and phytochemical activity of Ficus benjamina (FB), Ficus infectoria (FI), and Ficus krishnae (FK). Methods: The antioxidant analysis of FB, FI, and FK was done by 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and nitric oxide (NO) scavenging assay. Evaluation was performed for antibacterial activity against Clostridium perfringens and Staphylococcus aureus by an agar well diffusion method. Hemolytic assay was performed with red blood cell suspension for evaluating antihemolytic activity. Standard protocols were used for phytochemical activity. Results: In the results of DPPH antioxidant activity assay, it was found that DPPH inhibition was significantly increased with increasing amount of extract. For NO scavenging assay, ANOVA revealed that the inhibition of NO is not significantly affected with an increase in the amount of extract used. Results of antibacterial activity revealed that methanolic extract of FI shows a maximum zone of inhibition (30.5 mm) against S. aureus and aqueous extract of FK shows a maximum zone of inhibition (28 mm) against C. perfringens. The antihemolytic activity of FB, FI, and FK was performed by measuring percentage inhibition of plant extracts at different concentrations. FK has shown maximum percentage inhibition activity, i.e., 28.64 % at 60 μg/ml, whereas FB shows minimum inhibition activity, i.e. 2.7 % at 40 μg/ml. Flavonoid content was found to be 0.593 μg/ml, 0.783 μg/ml, and 1.023 μg/ml, whereas phenolic content was found to be 0.267 μg/ml, 0.298 μg/ml, and 0.355 μg/ml for FB, FI, and FK, respectively. Conclusion: FB, FI, and FK extracts contain various phytochemicals which confirm that these plants can be used for therapeutic use and traditional medicine. The methanolic as well as aqueous extracts of the plants have shown the potential to kill the tested microorganism (C. perfringens and S. aureus) and hence can be used as an antibiotic and potential antibacterial.
Black parental involvement in education

The South African Schools Act of 1996 (SASA) provides formal power in education to parents as well as communities. SASA creates the expectation for parents to be meaningful partners in school governance. It envisages a system where school-based educators would collaborate with the parents to ensure quality education, including curriculum matters such as outcomes-based education (OBE). An ethnographic study was conducted in historically disadvantaged black secondary schools. The study focused on the effects of black parental involvement on the success of their children. For a period of twelve months spread over two years (2002/2003), 24 parents with learners in eight different historically disadvantaged secondary schools (HDSS) were investigated. The findings of the study revealed that the black parents' role is crucial in the enhancement of learner success. Parents who played little or no role in their children's homework and study programmes contributed to the poor performance of their children in the classroom. Also, the extremely limited success thus far in the implementation of OBE in historically black communities was significantly due to the absence of co-operation between the school and the home. This study affirms the view that community input is crucial in the development of curriculum in schools. Without proactive black community involvement, HDSS are less likely to succeed in their efforts to improve education. South African Journal of Education Vol.24(4) 2004: 301-307
Diversity and aboveground biomass in three tropical forest types in the Dja Biosphere Reserve, Cameroon

We present tree community diversity, species composition, basal area and aboveground biomass of three forest types in the Dja Biosphere Reserve, in South-East Cameroon, part of the contiguous tropical forest of the Congo Basin. A total of fourteen, 1 ha, plots were established in heterogeneous terra firme forests (TFF), Gilbertiodendron dewevrei forests (GDF) and periodically flooded forests (PFF). A total of 281 tree species with diameter ‡10 cm were recorded. The Shannon diversity index was significantly higher in TFF (5.7 ± 0.28) and PFF (5.6 ± 0.23) than in GDF (2.29 ± 0.48) (ANOVA, F2,11 = 139.75, P < 0.001). While tree density did not differ between forest types (F2,11 = 3.50, P = 0.06), basal area differed significantly (F2,11 = 7.38, P = 0.009), as did aboveground biomass (F2,11 = 17.95, P < 0.001). Mean AGB values were respectively, 596.1 ± 62.24, 401.67 ± 58.06 and 383.14 ± 61.91 Mg ha )1 in GDF, TFF and PFF. Variation in the abundance of trees with large diameter was the main reason for these differences. Few dominant species made the greatest contribution to the AGB. G. dewevrei, accounted for 83% of AGB in GDF, Penthaclethra macrophylla for 9.9% in TFF and Uapaca heudolotii for 10.6% in PFF. The importance of preserving G. dewevrei forest in the context of ‘Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation’ (REDD) policies is discussed.
Diversity in Xanthophyll Cycle Pigments Content and Related Nonphotochemical Quenching (NPQ) Among Microalgae: Implications for Growth Strategy and Ecology

Xanthophyll cycle‐related nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ), which is present in most photoautotrophs, allows dissipation of excess light energy. Xanthophyll cycle‐related NPQ depends principally on xanthophyll cycle pigments composition and their effective involvement in NPQ. Xanthophyll cycle‐related NPQ is tightly controlled by environmental conditions in a species‐/strain‐specific manner. These features are especially relevant in microalgae living in a complex and highly variable environment. The goal of this study was to perform a comparative assessment of NPQ ecophysiologies across microalgal taxa in order to underline the specific involvement of NPQ in growth adaptations and strategies. We used both published results and data acquired in our laboratory to understand the relationships between growth conditions (irradiance, temperature, and nutrient availability), xanthophyll cycle composition, and xanthophyll cycle pigments quenching efficiency in microalgae from various taxa. We found that in diadinoxanthin‐containing species, the xanthophyll cycle pigment pool is controlled by energy pressure in all species. At any given energy pressure, however, the diatoxanthin content is higher in diatoms than in other diadinoxanthin‐containing species. XC pigments quenching efficiency is species‐specific and decreases with acclimation to higher irradiances. We found a clear link between the natural light environment of species/ecotypes and quenching efficiency amplitude. The presence of diatoxanthin or zeaxanthin at steady state in all species examined at moderate and high irradiances suggests that cells maintain a light‐harvesting capacity in excess to cope with potential decrease in light intensity.
The Environmental Performance at Low Intensity, Low Temperature (LILT) of High Efficiency Triple Junction Solar Cells

A number of JPL missions, either active or in the p l d g stages, require the accurate LILT flew intensity low temperatme) clmracte* of tripk-jumtbn solar, Although triple ignetiOn LILT pwloraaanee was reported as recently as 2002, there has been an evolutionary advance in cell technology by both U.S. space cell manufacturers that, for mission design pnrposes, effectively obde&% the earlier data As a dt, JPL MWed a program to develop a database for the LILT performauce of tbe new high performance t s p k jMction sdnr eel4 apL obtained Emcore Advanced Triple J t i O a CIC assemblies and Spectrdab Ultra Triple JuactiOn CIC assemblies. 'These cells were tested at temperature-intensity ranges designed to cover applicatioas between 1 and 5.18 AU solar distances. 1 MeV deetron irradiatks from 25 E14 to 1 El5 w m performed on the d s to evaluate the COBdbiaed effect ol particulde radirdion m d LILT coQdiitio1l8, The e $ k t of IlLT conditions was OBServed to igcnr aq htcrerrse m the variptioe of d l pdomances tBpt at shula4ed 5.18 AU eonditkms the average perfonhance was approximately 3dY0 with the best cells measuring between 32 and 34% efficiency. The 30Ye average efficiency compares with appmximately BY0 average efffifiiency measured on earlier tahobgy