bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Aspectos comparativos entre milho (Zea mays L.) e sorgo (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench): diferenças e semelhanças
Authors: Cleisson Lopes de Souza Willian , Silva Luana Gomes da , Silva Luiz Eduardo Bezerra , Silva Rafael Lima Vieira da , Lima Luan Lucas Cardoso , Brito Dacio Rocha
Published: November 2020

RESUMO: O milho e sorgo se constituem como duas das principais culturas utilizadas pelo agronegócio brasileiro. Tratam-se de plantas pertencentes a família Poaceae, tendo aplicações na alimentação animal e humana, produção de xaropes e outras usualidades. Apesar de apresentarem muitas semelhanças, também possuem distinções. Essas distinções, podem determinar qual das gramíneas pode ser mais vantajoso cultivar. Nesse contexto, o principal objetivo desta revisão de literatura é expor características individuais e compartilhadas entre o milho e sorgo, visando evidenciar para a população urbana e rural, o conhecimento acerca das duas culturas e suas possibilidades. O referencial teórico foi baseado nas bases de dados do Google Acadêmico, Scielo, Embrapa Milho e Sorgo, e Capes, onde a partir do conteúdo, formulou-se tópicos sobre ensilagem e alimentação animal, produção e importância econômica, subprodutos do milho e sorgo, alimentação humana, e cultivo do milho e do sorgo, no qual foram abordados o clima, solo, irrigação e adubação adequados. Através da realização desta revisão bibliográfica, ficou nítido o potencial a ser explorado com tais culturas, ressaltando a importância de agregar informações dispersas afim de conhecer as características que rodeiam tais culturas, visto que foi observado que a maneira com a qual os grãos são cultivados e o lugar, podem determinar o nível de produtividade e auxiliar na seleção de qual das gramíneas cultivar, considerando o interesse do produtor para possuir um aprimoramento dos cultivos e um menor risco de frustração após o plantio.

PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Revisão, cultivo, gramíneas.
Horticultura convencional em Arapiraca-AL: caracterização do uso de agrotóxicos
Authors: Lira Thaynnara Paula dos Santos , Barbosa João Pedro Ferreira , Santos Maria Isabel Gomes dos , Silva Rosineide Nascimento da , Alencar Victória Endy Moura de
Published: November 2020

RESUMO: O uso indiscriminado de agrotóxicos é um grave problema ambiental e de saúde pública. O objetivo desse estudo foi caracterizar as práticas de uso de agrotóxicos na horticultura, bem como o perfil dos horticultores do município de Arapiraca-AL. Foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas, entre março e maio de 2019, em 25 propriedades, localizadas em quatro povoados da zona rural. A análise de frequência dos dados foi efetuada no Microsoft Excel for Windows®. Alguns resultados observados foram: 40% dos horticultores eram da faixa entre 20 e 29 anos; 48% possuíam o ensino fundamental incompleto; 50,62% das hortaliças mais cultivadas foram alface (Lactuta sativa L.), coentro (Coriandrum sativum L.) e pimentão (Capsicum annum L.); os principais agrotóxicos utilizados foram o Roundup®, o Amistar Top® e o Premio®; 56% dos entrevistados utilizavam agrotóxicos, semanalmente; 88% dos horticultores utilizavam equipamentos de proteção individual durante a aplicação dos agrotóxicos; 12% dos horticultores informaram apresentar alguns sintomas, após a aplicação dos agrotóxicos, etc. Embora a maioria dos horticultores esteja ciente de alguns riscos provenientes do uso de agrotóxicos e utilizarem, em sua maioria, EPI’s, torna-se preocupante o fato desses trabalhadores utilizarem agrotóxicos não recomendados aos tipos de cultivos. Por fim, os resultados alcançados podem auxiliar os órgãos públicos competentes na elaboração de métodos eficazes para melhorias na produtividade da horticultura da região de Arapiraca.

PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Veneno agrícola, hortaliças, saúde pública.
Percepção populacional dos determinantes ambientais em câncer no município de Maceió/AL
Authors: Silva Maria Edislândia Nunes da , Santos Claudimary Bispo dos
Published: November 2020

RESUMO: Uma das medidas para evitar o aumento do número de cânceres são as ações educativas envolvendo a identificação dos fatores de risco, entretanto, é pertinente conhecer quais os saberes que a população tem sobre o assunto. Nessa perspectiva, esse estudo objetivou identificar o conhecimento populacional acerca dos determinantes ambientais preveníveis entre os cânceres mais incidentes no município de Maceió. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo qualiquantitativo, realizado no período de julho de 2018 a agosto de 2019, com a participação de 68 voluntários residentes em área urbana do município de Maceió, de ambos os sexos, entre 18 e 65 anos de idade. Utilizou-se instrumento contendo os dados sociodemográficos, hábitos de vida e questões de conhecimento sobre os fatores de risco evitáveis para os cânceres de: colo do útero, pulmão, intestino e estômago. A análise dos dados do presente estudo consiste na identificação e exploração das variáveis eleitas e critérios descritos de inclusão e exclusão, buscando as possíveis associações entre as variáveis por meio da distribuição percentual obtida em cada resposta, descartando as questões não respondidas, utilizando-se o programa Microsoft Office Excel e análise das falas. Dentre os resultados, afirmaram saber como se prevenir dos diferentes tipos de câncer: 50% câncer de colo de útero; 80% câncer do pulmão; câncer de intestino (cólon e reto) e estômago, 25% e 32% respectivamente. Os resultados diferem entre si, explicitando a importância que cada um deles vem recebendo no quesito prevenção. Concluindo que é notável a deficiência do conhecimento populacional acerca dos determinantes ambientais preveníveis entre os cânceres mais incidentes no município de Maceió, e que a melhora de ações voltadas para a educação em saúde é necessária, com um olhar informativo, a fim de construir o entendimento pessoal sobre os fatores de risco.

PALAVRAS-CHAVE: saúde coletiva, promoção da saúde, fatores de risco.
Prevalence of human papillomavirus genotypes in women treated by the Unified Health System in a population from Northeast Brazil
Authors: Farias Karol Fireman de , Moura Edilson Leite de , Silva Adriely Ferreira da , Tanabe Ithallo Sathio Bessoni , Tanabe Eloiza Lopes de Lira , Silva Denise Macedo da , Santos Ana Caroline Melo dos , Nascimento Cristiane Araujo do , Andrade Tiago Gomes de , Martins Danyelly Bruneska Gondim , Figueiredo Elaine Virginia Martins de , Lima Filho José Luiz
Published: November 2020

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to present the circulating HPV genotypes in a population from northeast Brazil. HPV was detected by nested-Polymerase Chain Reaction (nPCR) method using primers MY09/11 and GP5+/6+. HPV sequencing was performed by the method of Sanger. The HPV 16 was the most frequent (35.7%), followed by HPV 58 (14.3%). In conclusion, we identified, in one population from Northeast Brazil, a low prevalence of HPV 18 present in the vaccine provided by Unified Health System and a high prevalence of HPV 58 which is not present in this vaccine.

KEYWORDS: HPV, Oncology and Woman Healthy.
COMMUNICATIVE ECHO QUESTIONS IN UKRAINIAN DISCOURSE
Authors: Artemenko A. I.
Published: November 2020

This article researches communicative echo-questions in Ukrainian discourse. A communicative echo-question is a unique linguistic phenomenon which is used in the dialogue speech and has different pragmatic meanings and gives the speech communicative features.

Communicative echo-questions are classified according to the pragmatic, structural and semantic aspects. They need the future research in Ukrainian discourse. Communicative echo-questions are a specific type of interrogative sentences, which repeat the previous phrase in the interrogative form and can follow different intentions.

The research shows that communicative echo-questions can express indirect meanings of the communication and help resolve a conflict situation between speakers.

In the research communicative echo-questions are identified on the basis of communicative relations between speakers. They can be used in different communicative situations of microdialogues. Communicative echoquestions can express politeness, rudeness, surprise and etc. The are divided into the following types, such as mental echo-questions, echo-questions which express surprise and echo-questions which are used for communicative pause.

Echo-questions can be used by different groups of people, i.e. by men and women, old and young people, polite and rude persons etc. Echo-questions can be used in their speech to show their different inner state. It helps them to communicate positively avoiding conflict situations.

Echo-questions are very interesting phenomenon which helps speakers to be polite with each other and communicate deeply.

Social characteristics of echo-questions are also very important because they show different social features of situations and speakers with various status roles.

Echo-questions help speakers to understand each other better and makes Ukrainian discourse more diplomatic. Pragmatic characteristics of communicative echo-questions show their functional role in Ukrainian discourse.
EPITHETS AS A CHARACTERISTIC MEANS OF ADDRESSEE IN PANEGYRICS OF THE XVII CENTURY
Authors: Hrytsyna S. V.
Published: November 2020

The article analyzes epithets as one of the aestheticization means of baroque text, used to characterize panegyrics addressee of the XVII century. The functional load of epithets and their main source have been found out. As most individuals to whom panegyrics are devoted had high church status and/or have expressed themselves in matters of faith and church support, the epithets of religious orientation prevail.

A review of epithets compatibility is made, which is divided into direct and indirect according to the addressee. The epithets of direct compatibility are mainly correlated with the name of the addressee or his metaphorical characteristic. Indirect compatibility occurs when epithets do not form a phrase with the name of the addressee, but characterize its virtues on a semantic level. Also, an analysis scheme of epithets variable compatibility with the words in panegyrics of the XVII century is given.

In accordance with the text-centric principle, the article presents the epithetical characteristics of specific addressees in comparison with other texts (panegyrics or sermons of the XVII century). The virtues of panegyric addressees, mainly clerics, were determined based on the analyzed text material (Mykhailo Rohoza, Yelysei Pletenetskyi, Petro Mohyla, Arsenii Zhelyborskyi, Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachnyi).

The analysis of the epithets shows that the mental space of the Baroque conditioned the epithetical characteristics of the panegyric addressees of the ХVІІ century, emphasizing such constants as piety, the defense of faith, devotion to faith and a church, justice, patronage, mercy, leniency, strength of character, etc.

Thus, the specificity of epithets in panegyrics is defined by the religious discourse of the Baroque times. Holy Scripture as a source of epithets guaranteed the authoritativeness of the characteristics attributed to the addressees of high church status (in panegyrics and sermons). Baroque innovations of epithets are in reinterpretation, creation of new meanings.
Elemento vital e garantia interna da Constituição: vontade de constituição, sentimento constitucional e patriotismo constitucional
Authors: Bielschowsky Raoni Macedo
Published: November 2020

Resumo: toda Constituição vive sobre um paradoxo. Por um lado, sua normatividade, em boa medida, depende de sua correspondência com certa normalidade existente na vida da comunidade que pretende reger; por outro, sendo norma, toda constituição sempre tem uma dimensão essencialmente contrafactual. Não apenas a legitimidade/validade de uma constituição coloca-se de forma (jurídico-)política, mas a própria dimensão da eficácia também se faz possível, em grande parte, politicamente, estando bastante relacionada àquilo que por vezes pode ser tratado como o elemento vital de toda Constituição. Vários são os conceitos recorrentemente vinculados a essa dimensão e todos eles referem-se, de uma forma ou de outra, à relação dos cidadãos com a própria constituição e vida de sua comunidade jurídico-política. Tais chaves têm recebido pouco tratamento detido, mas quase nunca articulados analiticamente em conjunto, quando muito, são rapidamente mencionados. Este trabalho pretende, através de uma revisão bibliográfica, contextualizar de forma crítica alguns desses conceitos, levantando seus desenvolvimentos mais importantes e originais com o condão de apresentar uma reconstrução de três das principais formulações nesse sentido: vontade de constituição, sentimento constitucional, patriotismo constitucional.Palavras-chave: elemento vital da Constituição, vontade de Constituição, sentimento constitucional, patriotismo constitucional.Abstract: every Constitution lives under a paradox. By one hand, its effective normativity depends of some correspondence between the norms and some normality pre-existent in the community's life; by the other hand, as norm, every Constitution always has a contrafactual dimension, as well. Not only the legitimacy/validity of a Constitution is related to a political element, but even the very dimension of effectiveness also largely depends on the political aspect of constitutional reality and it is closely related to what sometimes is treated as the vital element of every constitution. There are many concepts linked to it and all of them refer, in many ways, to the relation between the citizenship and Constitution itself. These keys have received little detained treatment, but they almost have never been analytically articulated together. Thus, this work intends, through a bibliographical review, to critically contextualize some of these main concepts, presenting theirs most important and original developments with the aim of introduce a reconstruction of three of the main formulations in this sense: constitutional will, constitutional sentiment (constitutional sense), constitutional patriotism.Keywords: vital element of the constitution, constitutional will, constitutional sentiment (constitutional sense), constitutional patriotism.
The Realization of an Earthquake Early Warning System for Schools and Its Performance during the 2019 ML 6.3 Hualien (Taiwan) Earthquake
Authors: Hsu Ting-Yu , Kuo Chun-Hsiang , Wang Hsiu-Hsien , Chang Yu-Wen , Lin Pei-Yang , Wen Kuo-Liang
Published: November 2020

This article discusses the earthquake early warning system (EEWS) for schools of the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering, Taiwan (NCREE’s EEWS, earthquake early warning system [NEEWS]) that was recently completed. The system consists of 98 seismic stations with a complete set of system capabilities and 3514 broadcast stations with only the associated alert broadcast system capabilities. The broadcast stations receive both any on-site alerts issued by the seismic stations and any regional alerts issued by the Central Weather Bureau and then broadcast whatever alert is received earliest. Shortly after the establishment of the NEEWS, the ML 6.3 Hualien earthquake, which had a maximum measured peak ground acceleration (PGA) of 515.17 Gal, struck Taiwan on 18 April 2019. During the earthquake, the performance of both the seismic stations and the broadcast stations of the system was documented. The current study analyzes and discusses the accuracy of the PGA predictions, lead times, and classification performance at both the seismic stations and the broadcast stations of the NEEWS. The results show that the NEEWS is a cost-effective and promising system of EEW.
Responding to the 2020 Magna, Utah, Earthquake Sequence during the COVID-19 Pandemic Shutdown
Authors: Pankow Kristine L. , Rusho Jon , Pechmann James C. , Hale J. Mark , Whidden Katherine , Sumsion Rebecca , Holt James , Mesimeri Maria , Wells Daniel , Koper Keith D.
Published: November 2020

Two days after the University of Utah Seismograph Stations (UUSS) staff were required to leave campus and work remotely, an Mw 5.7 earthquake struck the Salt Lake Valley near the town of Magna, Utah. This event was the largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in the Salt Lake Valley and the largest earthquake ever felt by most residents. The timing of this event—at the start of a lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic—made the UUSS response to this earthquake an extra challenge. Other factors such as a toxic plume caused by the ground shaking, inclement weather, and a mountain lion also impacted the work. The response tested the continuity of operations plan that had been in place since 2007, response protocols, and communications with partners and the public. Overall, the UUSS earthquake response was successful: A valuable and arguably unprecedented dataset of strong ground motions from normal faulting was generated, magnitudes and locations of thousands of earthquakes were shared in a timely fashion, unfounded rumors and general questions were promptly responded to via traditional and social media, and initial scientific results were submitted for publication.
Examination of Voluntary Compliance with New FDA Cigar Warning Label Requirements
Authors: Wackowski Olivia A. , Kurti Marin , Schroth Kevin R.J. , Delnevo Cristine D.
Published: November 2020

Objectives: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued new requirements to strengthen and increase the size of cigar warnings. Although these requirements were challenged in court by the cigar industry, and later struck down, cigar manufacturers had the option of voluntarily
complying during the injunction. In this study, we examined voluntary warning compliance on a sample of discarded cigar wrappers. Methods: Warnings were examined on a sample of 1352 discarded cigar wrappers and packs obtained from 15 census tracts in Oakland, California in February
2019. Warnings were coded for new requirement compliance (ie, sized at 30% or more on front and back of pack). Results: Overall, 67.3% of wrappers displayed compliant warnings – other wrappers had smaller warnings only on the front (30.6%), only on the back (1.5%) or no warning
(0.4%). Cigar warning placement was significantly associated with brand (p < .01), cigar type (p < .01), and unit size (p < .01). The prevalence of warning compliance was at least 90% for 6 brands but ranged from 0% to 65% for others. Compliance was lowest for cigarillos (62.1%) and
packs of 3 (27.6%). Conclusions: Strengthening cigar warnings can help increase their effectiveness, but cigar manufacturers may not voluntarily implement changes fully. Continued surveillance and renewed regulatory efforts are warranted.
E-cigarette Perceptions among HIV-positive Smokers in a Switching Study
Authors: Cioe Patricia A. , Tidey Jennifer W. , Mercurio Alana N. , Costantino Catherine , Kahler Christopher W.
Published: November 2020

Objectives: Cigarette smoking is highly prevalent among persons with HIV (PWH), which is concerning due to their increased risk of developing smoking-related cancers compared to those without HIV. Smoking cessation rates are substantially lower among PWH compared to the general
population and less than half report a goal of total abstinence. Given these factors, a switch to electronic cigarettes (ECs), as a form of tobacco harm reduction, may be a viable approach to decreasing tobacco-related morbidity and mortality in PWH. The US Food and Drug Administration has
the authority to implement product standards for cigarettes, including ECs and favors. Methods: This qualitative study enrolled 19 HIV-positive smokers into an EC switch study. At Week 12, qualitative interviews were conducted to examine EC perceptions and favor preferences. Results:
ECs were viewed as a less harmful, cost-effective method of reducing or eliminating CC smoking, and non-tobacco favors were an essential part of EC appeal and use. Conclusions: Flavored EC liquid seems to enhance the user experience and may influence the user's ability to make a complete
switch. Tobacco harm reduction, as a strategy, will only be effective if current evidence guides tobacco regulatory decisions.
Realtors as Partners in Tobacco Control: Results from a Pennsylvania Survey
Authors: Klassen Ann C. , Lee Nora , Lopez Jessica P. , Bernardin Chloe , Coffman Ryan , Tefferi Muna
Published: November 2020

Objectives: Despite success of clean indoor air efforts, home smoking exposes residents to secondhand smoke (SHS) and thirdhand smoke (THS). Home sales offer sellers opportunity to establish smoke-free homes, to improve salability, and promote both exposure reduction and cessation.
We explored realtor experiences with smoking-permitted home sales, views on SHS and THS, and attitudes towards mandatory disclosure of in-home smoking in sales. Methods: In 2019, 329 realtors in four Philadelphia-area counties completed on-line surveys capturing both closed-ended and
open text responses, regarding the impact of smoking on sales. Results: Virtually all (96%) of respondents reported greater difficulty selling smoking-permitted homes, and buyers with young children or health concerns least likely to consider such properties. Although 65% saw client
concerns as primarily aesthetic, 30% felt health concerns played a role. Only 20% saw mandatory disclosure of tobacco use history as negative, with 27% viewing this as positive, and 53% predicting mixed impact. Conclusions: In-home smoking negatively impacts realtors. Tobacco control
should consider disclosure as one policy strategy. Advocates and realtors should help sellers establish smoke-free properties and address tobacco-related residue, with long-term goals of maintaining smoke-free homes to support cessation.
Feasibility of Manufacturing Tobacco with Very Low Nicotine Levels
Authors: Havermans Anne , Pieper Elke , Henkler-Stephani Frank , Talhout Reinskje
Published: November 2020

Objective: In this paper, we evaluate the effectiveness of agricultural approaches and manufacturing techniques that can be applied to reduce nicotine content of tobacco to minimally addictive levels (< 0.4 mg/g). Methods: Using a semi-structured approach, we searched
scientific and grey literature including patents and internal industry documents, using keywords like tobacco, nicotine, alkaloids, denic(otinized) tobacco, reduced nicotine content, very low nicotine tobacco. Results: Nicotine can be reduced via genetic modification or traditional
breeding techniques. Contents and emissions are similar to regular cigarettes, but consumers rated them as less satisfactory. Extraction techniques yield less palatable tobacco too, due to co-extraction of favor components in tobacco. Microbial and enzymatic degradation lead to other, mostly
undesirable, changes to tobacco. Supercritical extraction resulted in a taste most similar to regular cigarettes, but still failed in the marketplace. Conclusions: Most of the available techniques are successful in reducing nicotine levels, sometimes to levels lower than 0.4 mg/g. However,
in almost all cases, the resulting tobacco leads to a less satisfactory smoking experience. Although reduction of nicotine to a non-addictive level is feasible from a technical perspective, it is not clear whether such measures could be successfully implemented.
Methods Development and Modeling Research: Contributions to Advancing TRS and Informing Regulations
Authors: Price Simani , Chansky Melanie C. , Meissner Helen I. , Engstrom Martha C. , Dunderdale Tara , Mayne Rachel Grana , Bahde Ami L. , Frechtling Joy A. , Mandal Rachel
Published: November 2020

The US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) funds a wide range of research studies. Methods development and modeling research (MDMR) are 2 areas of interest, as they can help advance tobacco regulatory science (TRS) by fostering data synthesis and exploration
of complex relationships. Our analyses of the CTP portfolio found that 13% of publications focused on MDMR, and the most commonly addressed CTP priority research domains were knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, and toxicity and carcinogenicity. MDMR publications were cited by 1,186 publications,
5 FDA proposed rules and guidance documents, and 3 dockets. MDMR publications are characterized as foundational research and help build the evidence base that informs policy. While MDMR represents a small portion of the CTP research portfolio, they have made important contributions to advancing
TRS and informing regulatory actions.
Trees as sentinels of metallic pollution induced by mining along the Odiel River (Southern Iberian Peninsula)
Authors: Delapierre A. , Ballesteros-Canovas J.A. , Buzzi Marcos J. , Slaveykova V.I. , Stoffel M.
Published: November 2020

Mining activity is often responsible for the drainage of acid or metal-enriched waters to fluvial systems. The release of metals is especially disturbing due to the toxicity and persistence of these products and their accumulation in the biosphere. Hence, a systematic detection and delimitation of highly polluted floodplains and linkages between pollution and high-flow stages would likely assist the improvement of land management and ease the design of mitigation or rehabilitation measures. Here we test how trees growing in different geomorphic positions along a fluvial system uptake metal during floods and how these uptakes can be documented “a posteriori”. To this end, we apply dendrogeochemical analyses to twenty Pinus pinaster Ait. trees growing on the banks of Odiel River (south-western Spain) as well as to five reference trees growing outside the river channel. In the field, trees were sampled with a large-diameter (1 cm) increment borer. In the lab, tree-ring series were dendrochronologically cross dated and separated into 5-yr blocks, so that wood blocks contained the dates of major floods. Then, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPM) was employed to evaluate toxic metal concentrations in trees. Results point to clear correlations between the accumulation of toxic metals and the geomorphic position of trees within the fluvial network. We show that morphological units along a river exert control on toxic metal concentrations in trees, with uptake being much higher in trees located on meander cut banks than in trees growing on point-bar structures. Besides, we detect chemical signatures in trees located farthest away from the main river channel after the largest floods, but not in the aftermath of smaller events. We conclude that tree position is the single-most important determinant for metallic pollution in an environment controlled by fluvial processes, but also find that more studies are still needed to determine linkages with individual floods and interactions of metal uptake in roots via the water table in the river corridor.
COMPETÊNCIAS DE ESTUDO E ADAPTAÇÃO ACADÊMICA – ESTUDO CORRELACIONAL ENTRE MEDIDAS
Authors: Pacheco de Oliveira Carla Aparecida , De Brito Cunha Neide
Published: November 2020

Os estudantes devem ter competências de estudo para atender às muitas demandas de adaptação à nova etapa de estudos no ensino superior. Nesse sentido, este artigo tem como objetivo geral investigar as relações entre as competências de estudos e a adaptação acadêmica por meio de instrumentos. Participaram 464 estudantes de seis cursos de graduação de uma universidade particular do Sul de Minas Gerais. Foram utilizados a Escala de Avaliação de Competências de Estudos (ACE) e o Questionário de Adaptação Acadêmica ao Ensino Superior (QAES). Os resultados mostraram correlações entre os fatores e os totais das médias obtidas pelos participantes nos dois instrumentos, em sua maioria de fracas a moderadas. Espera-se que esses resultados possam auxiliar na reflexão tanto por parte dos alunos como das instituições para que se estabeleçam programas de auxílio aos estudantes.
Examining Selected Theoretical Distributions of Life Expectancy to Analyse Customer Loyalty Durability. The Case of a European Retail Bank
Authors: Kubacki Dominik , Kubacki Robert
Published: November 2020

One of the key elements related to calculating Customer Lifetime Value is to estimate the duration of a client’s relationship with a bank in the future. This can be done using survival analysis. The aim of the article is to examine which of the known distributions used in survival analysis (Weibull, Exponential, Gamma, Log‑normal) best describes the churn phenomenon of a bank’s clients. If the aim is to estimate the distribution according to which certain units (bank customers) survive and the factors that cause this are not so important, then parametric models can be used. Estimation of survival function parameters is faster than estimating a full Cox model with a properly selected set of explanatory variables. The authors used censored data from a retail bank for the study. The article also draws attention to the most common problems related to preparing data for survival analysis.
A Multivariate Extension of McNemar’s Test Based on Permutations
Authors: Kończak Grzegorz
Published: November 2020

The purpose of this publication is to propose a permutation test to detect the departure from symmetry in multidimensional contingency tables. The proposal is a multivariate extension of McNemar’s test. McNemar’s test could be applied to 2 × 2 contingency tables. The proposal may be also treated as a modification of Cochran’s Q test which is used for testing dependency for multivariate binary data. The form of the test statistics that allows us to detect the departure from counts symmetry in multidimensional contingency tables is presented in the article. The permutation method of observations was used to estimate the empirical distribution of the test statistics. The considerations were supplemented with examples of the use of a multivariate test for simulated and real data. The application of the proposed test allows us to detect the asymmetrical distribution of counts in multivariate contingency tables.
Prevalence of Gynecological Disorders of Goat and Pattern of Drug used at Chuadanga, Bangladesh
Authors: Sayeed Md. Abu , Khatun Mst. Sawda , Bari Md. Saiful , Dash Amith Kumar , Haldar Prodip Kumar , Sarker Biplob Kumar
Published: November 2020

Background: Gynecological disorders are the major challenge for Goat production profitability in Chuadanga, a goat dominating district of Bangladesh. To control the gynecological cases of goats in Chuadanga district, it is of utmost importance to estimate the prevalence of them along with their current therapeutic management. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from May, 2018 to April, 2019 on a total of 89 gynecological cases of goat to estimate the prevalence of different gynecological disorders along with drug prescribing patterns at Chuadanga Sadar Upazilla, Chuadanga, Bangladesh. Relevant data on different gynecological cases of goat were collected from the registered sheets of Upazilla Veterinary Hospital (UVH) and used for this study. Result: The highest prevalence of gynecological case was of anoestrous (20.2%) followed by abortion (18.0%), retained placenta (16.9%), pyometra (10.1%), dystocia (9.0%), repeat breeding (6.7%) and prolapse of the vagina (5.6%). The prevalence of metritis was 4.5% followed by milk fever (4.5%), prolapse of the rectum (3.4%) and postpartum bleeding (1.1%). Prostaglandin (25.0%) followed by a combination of oxytocin and calcium (18.8%) and combination of oxytetracycline and metronidazole (18.8%) were commonly prescribed drugs for treating abortion cases. Vitamin AD3E (33.3%) was prescribed the highest for treating anoestrous. A combination of oxytocin and oxytetracycline (33.3%), followed by oxytocin (26.6%) were predominantly prescribed for treating retained placenta. This study reveals the overall burden of reproductive disorders of goat along with drug prescribing patterns at the Chuadanga, Bangladesh. This outcome will be supportive to know the better treatment strategy against reproductive disorders in goat.
ARIMA Modelling for Forecasting of Rice Production: A Case Study of India
Authors: Mahajan Sunali , Sharma Manish , Gupta Amit
Published: November 2020

Background: India has been the top exporter in global rice trade, accounting for more than 20% of the export in the last four years. With the increasing demand for rice globally, exports are increasing from India. This factor is helping to enhance the production capacities of rice in India. The rice production has increased by 3.5 times in the last 60 years. So, forecasting of any agricultural produce play a major role in optimal decision formulae for government and agricultural sector in India. This study aimed to increase the production of rice for next four years, by using an appropriate model. Methods: To develop an appropriate model for rice production, time series data from 1950-51 to 2016-17 have been used, through the Box Jenkins auto regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) methodology. Result: The diagnostic tests showed that ARIMA (0 2 2) model is appropriate for forecasting on the basis of the significance of the model, parameters, Akaike Information Criteria (AIC), Schwartz Bayesian Information Criterion (SBIC) and R2. The forecasted results suggested that there are expectations of increasing the rice production in India. The proposed forecasting model will help us to estimate the rice production for future and found that rice production of India would become 110.64 MT in 2020-21. This study clearly indicates that forecasting is very useful for policy makers to anticipate future needs of rice and its export. Moreover, this would also prove helpful in shaping the national policy of economic growth and self-sufficiency in food grain.
Effects of Rice Distillers Dried Grains with Soluble on Laying Performance of Khaki Campbell Duck
Authors: Soren S. , Biswas P. , Roy B. , Das A. K. , Gore J. A.
Published: November 2020

Background: In present scenario cost of common feed ingredients like maize and soybean are in rising trends due to less availability. Thus, the feed industry is forced to search the way to combat the feed cost. Rice Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles, is one of the best alternative source of feed ingredient. It has good source of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals. Presently, rice as subtract for bioethanol production is increasing due to its relative lower price, higher production and easy availability leads to increased availability of co-product rice distillers dried grains with solubles. In present study Nutrisigma® has been used. ‘Nutrisigma®’is rice distillers dried grains with solubles produced by IFB Agro Industries limited, Kolkata. In consideration of the above fact, the present experiment was designed to study the effects of “Nutrisigma®” on productive performance of Khaki Campbell ducks. Methods: A total of nine hundred female Khaki Campbell ducks of the same genetic background and of comparable body weight at 72 wks of age, were randomly assigned into 3 dietary treatments that is Control (C), Treatment 1 (T1) and Treatment 2 (T2) each with 3 replicates of 100 ducks and they were studied for 60 days. All the experimental ducks were fed 120gm/duck/day concentrate mixture. Treatment group received (T1 group @ 3 gm/duck/day and T2 group @ 5 gm/duck/day) ‘Nutrisigma®’ in addition to concentrate mixture. Result: In our experiment egg production (%), fertile egg production per day, fertility%, hatchable egg weight (gm) and hatchability% were increased significantly (p is less than 0.05) in treated groups compared with control group. Better economic efficiency was observed in T1 group compared to T2 and control groups. In conclusion, Nutrisigma ® with concentrate mixture could be used economically up to 5gm/head/day (T2) without any harmful effect on productive performance, however, the use of 3 gm/head/day (T1) is more economical than 5 gm/head/day.
Soil Nutrient Based Land Suitability Analysis for Lentil Crop in Tarakeswar, Hooghly, West Bengal
Authors: Swain Kishore Chandra , Singha Chiranjit
Published: November 2020

Background: Land suitability assessment can inform decisions on land uses suitable for maximizing crop yield while making best use, but not impairing the ability of natural resources such as soil to support development. We assessed the suitability of lentil to be produce in 300 ha land of Tarakeswar block of Hooghly district West Bengal. Methods: Suitability criteria included eight criterion, such as: soil texture (ST), electrical conductivity (EC), organic carbon (OC), available nitrogen(N), available phosphorous (P),available potassium(K) and available zinc (Zn). We modiûed and used a novel set of techniques to assess suitability: Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) pairwise comparison matrixand Geographic Information System (GIS) software. Result: The exponential model generated by Ordinary Kriging was used to estimate the lentil land use suitability. Suitability distribution of deep layer found nearly 42% area under suitability class, i.e. S1-2 which may be used for growing the crop profitably.
Recent Advances in the Use of Tithonia diversifolia Green Manure for Soil Fertility Management in Africa: A Review
Authors: Opala P. A.
Published: November 2020

Tithonia biomass transfer was presented as a technology that would replenish infertile soils, enhance food security and eradicate poverty in Africa in the 1990s. Since then, a huge volume of research has been conducted and the agronomic effectiveness of tithonia unequivocally demonstrated. Its reported effects on soil properties have however been inconsistent. This has made it difficult to develop a predictive understanding of the effects of tithonia on soil properties. Socio-economically, tithonia failed to live up to the hype on its ability to increase the farmers’ incomes. Adoption rates have been dismal mainly because of high labor costs associated with its use. Two decades later, poverty and food insecurity are still widespread in Africa despite the enormous research and extension efforts that were devoted to popularizing the technology.
Mitigation Techniques for Agricultural Pollution by Precision Technologies with a Focus on the Internet of Things (IoTs): A Review
Authors: Narmilan A. , Puvanitha N.
Published: November 2020

The widespread of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the past decades brought numerous advantages to many individuals and most of the organizations everywhere in the world. In the 21st century, the most significant technology is the Internet of Things (IoTs) which has developed rapidly covering most of applications in the health, civil, military and agriculture sectors also. Precision Agriculture (PA), as the combination of information, communication and control technologies in agronomic practices, is emerging time by time. Also, precision agriculture is considered a smart farming system on the basis of modern technologies to regulate, examine and manage changes inside an agricultural field for cost-effectiveness, sustainability and optimal protection of environment. Meanwhile, agricultural practices are contributing to environmental pollution due to poor management which is further disturbing food security, health and climate. One of the best strategies to overcome this challenge can be introducing the deployment of precision technologies for the development of agricultural productivity while reducing the environmental degradation. Therefore, the key objective of this review was to discuss the mitigation techniques for agricultural pollution and enhance the agricultural production by smart technologies like IoTs. This paper summarizes the main categories of IoTs, Precision Agriculture, agricultural pollution and finally, mitigation practices on environmental degradation.
Effect of Supplementation of Several Edible Plant Oils on Nutrient Utilization and Blood Profile of Beef Cattle
Authors: Polviset W. , Prakobsaeng N. , Wetchakama N.
Published: November 2020

Background: In Southeast Asia a high level with the agricultural productivity, especially rice straw is produced for livestock feed such as buffalo and beef cattle. However rice straw is poor quality (low in protein and its high silica content). Subsequently, ruminant nutritionists have established to increase the potential of poor quality roughages for animal feeding such as Total mixed ration (TMR) using rice straw as a roughage source with vegetable oils to increase energy density in the diet, that can improve by produced for ruminant diet. Methods: In this field-laboratory investigation during 2017-2018. Three animals, one and half year old with live weight 120 ± 15.50 kg, were randomly assigned in 3 x 3 latin square design. Each period of feeding lasted for 21 days. During the experimental periods, all cattle were fed total mixed ration (TMR; containing rice straw: concentrate ratio as 40:60), adding soybean oil (SO), palm oil (PO) and sunflower oil (SFO) supplementations. Total fat in TMRs were at 3 percentages. Result: Our investigations were to evaluate the effect of soybean oil (SO), palm oil (PO) and sunflower oil (SFO) supplementations at 3 percentages of total fat in total mixed ration on voluntary feed intake, digestibility, blood profile and fatty acid compositions in the plasma of crossbred Thai native x American Brahman Cattle. The results revealed that treatments did not affect voluntary feed intake (kgDM/head/day; g/KgW0.75) (P is greater than 0.05), but feeding with soybean oil, it was non significantly higher (2.94 kgDM/day). Additionally, nutrient intake and apparent digestibility of organic matter (OM),crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and rumen fermentation except total volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were not affected among all the three treatments, but dry matter (DM) digestibility in soybean and palm oil group animals were recorded significantly higher (P is less than 0.01) than sunflower oil. However blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen, cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein and low density lipoprotein and fatty acid composition in plasma were not influenced due to treatments (P is greater than 0.05). Based on this study, feeding beef cattle with SO, PO and SFO should not exceed 3%? in TMR to achieve 7% without any adverse effect on nutrient utilization, rumen fermentation, blood profile and fatty acid compositions in plasma.
The Genetic Influence on Sheep Meat Quality, Growth and Body Weight: A Review
Authors: Pelmus Rodica Stefania , Grosu Horia , Rotar Mircea Cãtãlin , Gras Mihail Alexandru , Lazãr Cristina , Popa Florin
Published: November 2020

Background: Presently, the demand for sheep meat is directed mainly towards high quality products. Meat production improvement and meat quality are very important in sheep industry. The aim of this paper is focusing to review the papers to studies regarding the influence of genes to production and quality of meat. Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphism microarrays are a molecular genetic method in searching the markers associated with meat production and meat quality traits in animal breeding. Conclusions: Previous study had shown that genes like myostatin, leptin, calpastatin had influenced the meat production and meat quality traits. The meat production traits and meat quality traits have a moderate heritability and can be included in meat sheep breeding objectives.
Genetic Variability of Bharat Merino Sheep Derived from Pedigree Information
Authors: Mallick P. K. , Chauhan I. , Thirumaran S. M.K. , Pourouchttamane R. , Kumar Arun
Published: November 2020

Background: The genetic variability in a population is the raw material for selection, because the estimation of genetic parameters depends on the variability present within the population. The pedigree analysis is a method to assess population genetic variability. An increase in the level of inbreeding disturbs the production performance of the animals. Hence, it is essential to assess the effect of inbreeding on production performance of the animals at regular intervals. The present study was conducted on data of Bharat Merino (BM) sheep with twin objectives of evaluating the population structure by pedigree analysis and possible effect of inbreeding on lamb growth and heritability estimates.
Methods: The study was conducted on data consisting of a total of 9688 pedigree records of BM sheep born from 1975 to 2018 (43 years), out of which 9050 formed population reference (with both the parents known). ENDOG ver 4.8 program was used to generate different measures of genetic diversity. General Linear Model of SPSS 25.0 was used to ascertain the effect of inbreeding (Fi) or change in inbreeding (ÄFi) on the lamb live weights. Using animal model with software WOMBAT, single trait linear mixed model analyses were performed. The heritability estimates and breeding values were obtained by including or excluding the inbreeding coefficient in the model to observe how the estimates of heritability varied with inclusion or exclusion of the inbreeding coefficient.
Result: Effective number of founders (fe) was 56, constituting 11.39% founders in the population reference, while the effective number of ancestors (fa) was 43.The genetic contribution of the 15 most influent ancestors explained 50% of the genetic variability in the dataset. The ratio fe/fa, representing the effect of population bottleneck, was 1.302. The average inbreeding coefficients for the whole pedigree was 2.36%, while it was 3.84% for inbred animals. It was found that the inbreeding coefficient (Fi) increased with the addition of each generation to the pedigree. The average relatedness coefficient was 4.53% between members of the population.The effect of individual inbreeding (Fi) or the change in inbreeding (DFi) was not significant on the lamb live weights, except the effect of individual inbreeding (Fi) on three-month body weight and average daily gain (0-3month) and of change in inbreeding (DFi) on three-month body weight. From the analysis of the pedigree data of Bharat Merino sheep, it was found that the most of the measures of genetic diversity were within acceptable limits and the pedigree data was reasonably well maintained. When inbreeding was accounted for in the model, there were reductions in h2 estimates as well as the estimates of breeding values for both 3WT and ADG1 and consequently there were changes in ranking of animals for both 3WT and ADG1.
Histological Study on the Effects of Allogenic Bone Marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Along with Local Insulin Therapy on Osteosynthesis in Gap Defects of Radius in Diabetic Rabbit Model
Authors: Jaiswal Sonu , Jadon Narendra Singh , Pandey Priyanka , Bodh Deepti , Kaushal Sara
Published: November 2020

Background: Diabetes mellitus impairs fracture healing causing bone repair abnormality which is insulin dependent. Exogenous insulin can accelerate fracture healing in diabetes by promoting bone remodeling and bone formation. Mesenchymal stem cell loaded scaffolds having osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties, may be used as an alternative for autogenous bone grafting. The current study aimed to investigate the efficacy of cultured allogenic bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cell implantation with insulin therapy for increasing osteosynthesis in bone gap defects in experimentally induced diabetic rabbits.
Methods: Thirty six, New Zealand White rabbits were divided into four groups: A, B, C and D. Diabetes was induced experimentally in all rabbits, except group A. A 5 mm bone defect was created in right radii of all rabbits and following treatment was given: hydroxyapatite granules (group A and B), hydroxyapatite granules and insulin therapy (group C), cultured allogenic BMMSCs in hydroxyapatite scaffold and insulin therapy (group D). Histologic evaluation was performed on days 30, 60 and 90.
Result: Combined therapy of allogenic BMMSCs in hydroxyapatite scaffold along with local insulin (group D) provided best healing response followed by healthy control (group A), locally insulin treated group (group C) and diabetic control (group B).