446494 research outputs found
Sort by
Effects of Burahol Fruit Flour (
No full textThis study aims to determine the effect of providing burahol fruit flour (Stelechocarpus burahol) in feed on the blood biochemical profile and performance of Cihateup Ducks raised without access to water. Ducks were raised in the Jaya Organik livestock group pen, Ciseupang, Kasomalang, Subang from 2 to 5 months of age. This study used an unpaired T-test. The number of Cihateup Ducks raised was 300 with 150 ducks per treatment. Ducks were randomly assigned to two treatments, namely treatment P0 in the form of rations provided without burahol fruit flour and treatment P1 in the form of rations provided with feed additives burahol fruit flour combined with flavonoids, methionine, linoleic acid and allicin from garlic essential oil as much as 15 g/kg ration. The research data showed that the administration of burahol fruit flour had a significant difference (P<0.05) on the biochemical profile of Cihateup ducks, namely uric acid 19.67 mg/dL, urea 2.19 mg/dL, albumin 2.75 mg/dL, total protein 8.23 mg/dL, glucose 217.18 mg/dL, triglycerides 101.89%, RNA 7.05%, and MDA 1.06 nm/M-1cm-1, as well as the performance of Cihateup ducks, namely an average egg production of 88.97%, an average egg weight of 84.92%, an average shell thickness of 3.15 mm, and an average hatchability of Cihateup ducks of 88.66%
The Potential of Sunflower Oil as Fat Replacer in Beef Sausages
No full textThis study was conducted to assess the proximate and sensory characteristics of beef sausages prepared with sunflower oil as fat replacer. The sausages were prepared using 7.5kg of minced beef divided into five batches of 1.5kg each. Each batch was spiced with mixed spices. Sunflower oil was included at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% to represent T0, T1, T2, T3 and T4 respectively. They were stuffed into natural casing, smoked for about 15 minutes at temperature of 105°C. Sausages were allowed to cool and then vacuum sealed in transparent polythene bags and refrigerated at -2°C for sensory and proximate analysis. Nine-point category scale was used for the sensory evaluation while the proximate analysis was conducted following methods of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC, 2000). The sensory data were analysed using Kruskal-wallis test whereas proximate data were analysed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) of GENSTAT version 12. Differences among treatments means were separated by Tukey pairwise comparison test at 5% level of significance. The result from texture indicate significant differences (<0.05) among treatment means, Significant differences existed between T0 and T4, but not between T1, T2 and T3. However, except for texture, there was no significant difference among the treatments for all the other parameters (colour, flavour intensity, flavour liking, juiciness and overall acceptability) measured. There were significant differences (P<0.05) for all the proximate parameters measured which were, moisture, fat, ash and protein. Although, the proximate composition of the products was affected as a result of the incorporation of sunflower oil, the changes did not cause any detrimental effect on the sensory characteristics and nutritional qualities of the products
Functions of bounded variation and Lipschitz algebras in metric measure spaces
No full textGiven a unital algebra of locally Lipschitz functions defined over a metric measure space ,
we study two associated notions of function of bounded variation and their relations: the space ,
obtained by approximating in energy with elements of , and the space , defined through
an integration-by-parts formula that involves derivations acting in duality with . Our main result provides a sufficient
condition on the algebra under which coincides with the standard metric BV space
, which corresponds to taking as the collection of all locally Lipschitz functions. Our result
applies to several cases of interest, for example to Euclidean spaces and Riemannian manifolds equipped with the algebra
of smooth functions,
or to Banach and Wasserstein spaces equipped with the algebra of cylinder functions.
Analogous results for metric Sobolev spaces of exponent were previously obtained by several different authors
From Practice to Reduced Agrochemical Dependence: Psychosocial Pathways Linking Pro-Environmental Livestock Integration and Coffee Farming
No full textThis study explores the psychosocial mechanisms through which Green Livestock Action (GLA) influences farmers' self-tolerance toward synthetic agrochemical use in integrated goat-coffee farming systems. Data were collected from 100 farmers in Kare Subdistrict, Madiun Regency, East Java, Indonesia, and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS). The findings show that GLA has a positive and significant effect on key psychosocial drivers, including Environmental Self-Identity, Eco-Guilt, Injunctive Norms, Descriptive Norms, and Perceived Risks and Constraints. However, GLA does not have a significant direct effect on farmers' self-tolerance toward synthetic inputs, indicating that behavioral change does not occur automatically through technical adoption alone. Instead, the influence of GLA is fully mediated by psychosocial pathways: Environmental Self-Identity, Eco-Guilt, Injunctive Norms, Descriptive Norms, and Perceived Risks and Constraints all significantly shape farmers' tolerance toward synthetic agrochemicals and transmit the indirect impact of GLA. These results highlight that farmers' decisions regarding chemical input use are primarily driven by identity-based motivation, moral emotions, and social normative pressure, while perceived risks and constraints remain an important behavioral determinant within the transition process. This study contributes to the sustainable agriculture literature by confirming that scaling integrated goat-coffee farming requires strengthening psychological and social foundations alongside technical interventions, particularly by enhancing environmental self-identity, fostering ecological awareness, leveraging supportive social norms, and addressing farmers' perceived barriers to green practice implementation
Constructing mathematical models from small data sets: Cell-viability model of melanoma under inhibition by MAZ-51
No full textThe synthetic indolinone derivative MAZ-51 is a selective inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR-3), a tyrosine kinase receptor essential for lymphangiogenesis and tumor progression. By competing with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) for VEGFR-3 binding, MAZ-51 blocks VEGF-C activity, thereby suppressing melanoma cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis. In this study, we employ mathematical modelling to quantify the inhibitory effects of MAZ-51 on the growth of B16-F10 melanoma cells. Cell viability is modeled as a function of both treatment duration and inhibitor concentration, providing a dynamic framework for assessing therapeutic efficacy. Our approach addresses a central challenge in mathematical biology: developing models that remain interpretable and predictive despite limited and variable data. By integrating biological insight with experimental data, we derive a parsimonious model that avoids overparameterization and yields biologically meaningful parameters. The model allows straightforward computation of pharmacological measures such as the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) and provides deeper insight into the growth rate reduction of melanoma cells under VEGFR-3 inhibition. This work highlights the utility of mathematical modelling in elucidating drug action mechanisms and in quantitatively evaluating targeted cancer therapies
Interaction between disk and extended corona in a general relativistic framework
No full textContext. The energy equilibrium between the corona and the underlying disk in a two-phase accretion flow sets a lower limit on the achievable photon index. A slab coronal geometry may not adequately explain the hard state observations of X-ray binaries (XRBs).
Aims. We incorporated energy feedback to the accretion disk resulting from illumination by an extended corona, and vice versa. The interaction between these two components makes it possible to find an energetically self-consistent equilibrium solution for a given disk–corona system.
Methods. We upgraded the existing Monte Carlo radiative transfer code, MONK, to incorporate the interaction between the disk and the extended corona within the general relativistic framework. We introduced an albedo parameter to specify the fraction of the incident flux that is reflected by the disk, while the remainder is absorbed and added to the intrinsic dissipation. Reflection was modeled assuming a semi-infinite electron atmosphere. For a given disk–corona system, Comptonization by the corona and disk illumination are iteratively computed to reach equilibrium, under the constraint that the total observed luminosity equals the total available accretion power.
Results. We find global equilibrium solutions not only for the hard state but also for intermediate states, with partial contributions from the disk and from the corona. A higher black hole spin, higher coronal temperature, and higher albedo all lead to harder spectra. For typical coronal temperatures and disk albedos, the lowest achievable photon index with a static slab corona fully covering the disk is approximately 1.7−1.8. Under the assumption of a spatially uniform, extended slab corona, energy must flow from the inner to the outer annuli if local equilibrium is imposed between the disk and the corona at each radial annulus, in addition to the global equilibrium condition.
Conclusions. With the upgraded version of MONK, we are now able to achieve global energy equilibrium for a given disk–corona system. This approach holds significant potential for constraining the coronal geometry using not only the observed flux, but also polarization. A static slab does not appear to be a favorable coronal geometry for the hard state of X-ray binaries, even when global energy balance between the disk and corona is taken into account. In future work, we will explore truncated disk geometries and outflowing coronae as potential alternatives
Symmetry energy effect on rotating neutron stars
No full textWe explore the symmetry energy effect on the bulk properties of static neutron stars and rotating millisecond pulsars (MSPs). The unified equations of state (EOSs) are constructed self-consistently within the relativistic mean-field framework from the inner crust to the outer core. To investigate the impact of a unified EOS, which uses the same nuclear interaction for both the crust and core, we compared the results of MSPs with those obtained using non-unified EOSs. These non-unified EOSs match the crust and core EOSs, which have different slopes of symmetry energy. For a given rotational period, we examined how symmetry energy influences the maximum mass, equatorial radius, and deformation from sphericity in MSPs. Our findings indicate that a softer EOS is favored by a higher Keplerian frequency, which corresponds to a smaller L for unified EOSs, but a larger L for the crust in matching EOSs. However, under the slow rotation approximation, there is no significant effect from the symmetry energy slope on the bulk properties of 2 M⊙ MSPs. In contrast, clear differences are observed for those around and below 1.4 M⊙
PDRs4All
No full textContext. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), with its high spatial resolution and sensitivity, enabled the first detection of several v = 1–0 rovibrational emission lines of hydrogen deuteride HD in the Orion Bar, a prototypical photodissociation region (PDR). This provides an incentive to examine the physics of HD in dense and strongly irradiated PDRs.
Aims. Using the latest data available on HD excitation by collisional, radiative, and chemical processes, our goal is to unveil HD formation and excitation processes in PDRs by comparing our state-of-the-art PDR model with observations made in the Orion Bar and discuss if and how HD can be used as a complementary tracer of physical parameters (thermal pressure and intensity of the UV field) in the emitting region.
Methods. We computed detailed PDR models using an upgraded version of the Meudon PDR code (including radiative, collisional, and formation pumping excitation of HD rovibrational levels). Model results were then compared to spectro-imaging data acquired with the NIRSpec instrument on board JWST using population–excitation diagrams and synthetic emission spectra.
Results. The models predict that HD is mainly produced in the gas phase via the reaction D + H2 → H + HD at the front edge of the PDR, contrary to H2 (which forms on grain surfaces), and that the D/HD transition is located slightly closer to the edge than the H/H2 transition. Rovibrational levels are excited by UV pumping. In the observations, HD rovibrational emission is detected close to the H/H2 dissociation fronts of the Orion Bar, and it peaks where vibrationally excited H2 peaks, rather than at the maximum emission of pure rotational H2 levels. We detected lines emitted from five different levels of HD (v = 1) from which we can derive an excitation temperature around Tex ~ 480–710 K. Our comparison to PDR models showed that a range of thermal pressure P = (3–9) × 107 K cm−3 with no strong constraints on the intensity of the UV field G0 are compatible with HD observations. This range of pressure is consistent with previous estimates from H2 observations with JWST.
Conclusions. This study provides a new detailed analysis of HD formation and excitation in PDRs. State-of-the-art PDR models with parameters best reproducing other tracers’ emission are compatible with HD observations, highlighting the coherence of the different studies. This is also the first time that observations of HD emission lines in the near-infrared have been used to put constraints on the thermal pressure in the PDR, even though the lines are very faint
Addressing the cold start problem in privacy preserving content-based recommender systems using hypercube graphs
No full textThe initial interaction of a user with a recommender system is problematic because, in such a so-called cold start situation, the recommender system has very little information about the user, if any. Moreover, in collaborative filtering, users need to share their preferences with the service provider by rating items while in content-based filtering there is no need for such information sharing. A content-based model using hypercube graphs has recently been proposed and appears to be able to estimate user profiles based on a very limited number of ratings while preserving user privacy. In this paper, we confirm these findings on the basis of experiments with more than 1000 users in the restaurant and movie domains. We show that the proposed method outperforms standard machine learning algorithms when the number of available ratings is at most 10, which often happens, and is competitive with larger training sets. In addition, training is simple and doesn’t require large computational efforts
Temperature anisotropy, instabilities, and thermal processes in low-
No full textInterplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) are large-scale magnetic structures that influence heliospheric dynamics and space weather. While wave activity has been observed within their low-β (≪1) magnetic obstacles, the role of temperature anisotropy and instability remains underexplored. This study examines proton temperature anisotropies, heating, cooling, turbulence, and collisional effects within ICME magnetic obstacles, which are low-β plasmas. Using Wind spacecraft data from 382 ICME magnetic obstacles at 1 au (spanning 1995–2021), we observe that proton temperature and proton βp follow log-normal distributions. The anisotropy within these regions is primarily constrained to the stable parameter regime below the thresholds for the mirror-mode and oblique firehose instabilities. Additionally, plasmas unstable to proton cyclotron and firehose instabilities exhibit temperatures that are significantly higher – 50 to 100 times higher than those of stable plasma. Notably, enhanced magnetic fluctuations and low collisional age are observed near instability thresholds, regardless of beta. Although a clear relationship exists between temperature and collisional age, the correlation between turbulent amplitude and collisional age is weak, differing from trends observed in the solar wind. Our results suggest a causal chain whereby high turbulence amplitudes are associated with enhanced heating, linked to reduced collisions, causing increased temperature anisotropy, and ultimately favouring the development of instabilities within ICME magnetic obstacles