Novel optimal temperature profile for acidification process of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus in yoghurt fermentation using artificial neural network and genetic algorithm

The acidification behavior of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus for yoghurt production was investigated along temperature profiles within the optimal window of 38-44 degrees C. For the optimal acidification temperature profile search, an optimization engine module built on a modular artificial neural network (ANN) and genetic algorithm (GA) was used. Fourteen batches of yoghurt fermentations were evaluated using different temperature profiles in order to train and validate the ANN sub-module. The ANN captured the nonlinear relationship between temperature profiles and acidification patterns on training data after 150 epochs. This served as an evaluation function for the GA. The acidification slope of the temperature profile was the performance index. The GA sub-module iteratively evolved better temperature profiles across generations using GA operations. The stopping criterion was met after 11 generations. The optimal profile showed an acidification slope of 0.06117 compared to an initial value of 0.0127 and at a set point sequence of 43, 38, 44, 43, and 39 degrees C. Laboratory evaluation of three replicates of the GA suggested optimum profile of 43, 38, 44, 43, and 39 degrees C gave an average slope of 0.04132. The optimization engine used (to be published elsewhere) could effectively search for optimal profiles of different physico-chemical parameters of fermentation processes

Modelling of digesta passage rates in grazing and browsing domestic and wild ruminant herbivores

Ruminant utilization of poor-quality feeds is governed by rates of digestion and of passage through the rumen. The passage rate of feed material determines the quantity of bypass nutrients and the efficiency of synthesis of microbial protein in the rumen, making modelling of passage rate important. Artificial neural networks were used to develop models of liquid and solid passage rates. Studies that reported fractional passage rates, along with class and body mass of ruminants, were included in the dataset. Factors that affect rates of passage in all the studies were identified, which included animal and feed factors. The dataset was composed of observations of domestic and wild ruminants of variable body mass (1.5 to 1238 kg) from 74 studies and 17 ruminant species from various climatic regions. Observations were randomly divided into two data subsets: 75% for training and 25% for validation. Developed models accounted for 66 and 82% of the variation in prediction of passage rates for solid and liquid, respectively. On validation with an independent dataset, these models attained 42 and 64% of precision in predicting passage rates for solid and liquid, respectively. Liquid and solid prediction passage rate models had no linear and mean bias in prediction. This study developed better prediction models for solid and liquid passage rates for ruminants fed on a variety of diets and/or feeds from different climatic regions.Keywords: Artificial neural networks, intake, mean retention time, prediction equation, rume

French Language and the Teaching of Cameroonian National Languages in Secondary Schools of the West Region: Asset or Obstacle?

The syllabus of Cameroonian national languages in secondary education provides for the teaching of basic notions in linguistic and the General Alphabet of Cameroonian Languages at the observation sub-cycle and the teaching of a specific language, that of the locality where the school is found, from the orientation sub-cycle, i.e. from the 4e. This paper tries to answer the following question: What is the role of the French language in the teaching of Cameroonian national languages? The main objective of the study is to examine the role of the official language, more specifically French, and its impact on the acquisition of communicative skills in the national language. Based on Hymes' (1984) theory of Communicative Approach, we analysed data obtained from questionnaires administered to 42 teachers and 320 students, and from semi-structured interviews with Regional Pedagogic Inspectors. Conducted in 23 public secondary schools in the West Region that have teachers trained in National Languages and Cultures, the study found that the French language is very prominent in national language classes. This is due to the multilingual context of the classrooms, the sometimes approximate mastery of the national language by teachers, the inability of national languages to express all realities, among others. This strong presence of French does not favour communication in the national language. The reduction or even cancellation of French from national language classes would make it possible to stop teaching about national languages in order to truly develop the language skills of young Cameroonians in their mother tongues; this requires a certain number of measures on the part of all members of the education community

Effect of CO2 enrichment on phytoplankton photosynthesis in the North Atlantic sub-tropical gyre.

The effects of changes in CO2 concentration in seawater on phytoplankton community structure and photosynthesis were studied in the North Atlantic sub-tropical gyre. Three shipboard incubations were conducted for 48 h at ∼760 ppm CO2 and control (360 ppm CO2) from 49°N to 7°N during October and November 2010. Elevated CO2 caused a decrease in pH to ∼7.94 compared to ∼8.27 in the control. During one experiment, the biomass of nano- and picoeukaryotes increased under CO2 enrichment, but primary production decreased relative to the control. In two of the experiments the biomass was dominated by dinoflagellates, and there was a significant increase in the maximum photosynthetic rate (PmB) and light-limited slope of photosynthesis (αB) at CO2 concentrations of 760 ppm relative to the controls. 77 K emission spectroscopy showed that the higher photosynthetic rates measured under CO2 enrichment increased the connection of reversible photosystem antennae, which resulted in an increase in light harvesting efficiency and carbon fixation

Impact of the global financial crisis on low birth weight in Portugal: a time-trend analysis

Background: The 2007–2008 global financial crisis had adverse consequences on population health of affected European countries. Few contemporary studies have studied its effect on perinatal indicators with long-lasting influence on adult health. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the impact of the 2007–2008 global financial crisis on low birth weight (LBW) in Portugal. Methods: Data on 2 045 155 singleton births of 1995–2014 were obtained from Statistics Portugal. Joinpoint regression analysis was performed to identify the years in which changes in LBW trends occurred, and to estimate the annual per cent changes (APC). LBW risk by time period expressed as prevalence ratios were computed using the Poisson regression. Contextual changes in sociodemographic and economic factors were provided by their trends. Results: The joinpoint analysis identified 3 distinct periods (2 jointpoints) with different APC in LBW, corresponding to 1995–1999 (APC=4.4; 95% CI 3.2 to 5.6), 2000–2006 (APC=0.1; 95% CI −050 to 0.7) and 2007–2014 (APC=1.6; 95% CI 1.2 to 2.0). For non-Portuguese, it was, respectively, 1995–1999 (APC=1.4; 95% CI −3.9 to 7.0%), 2000–2007 (APC=−4.2; 95% CI −6.4 to −2.0) and 2008–2014 (APC=3.1; 95% CI 0.8 to 5.5). Compared with 1995–1999, all specific maternal characteristics had a 10–15% increase in LBW risk in 2000–2006 and a 20–25% increase in 2007–2014, except among migrants, for which LBW risk remained lower than in 1995–1999 but increased after the crisis. The increasing LBW risk coincides with a deceleration in gross domestic product growth rate, reduction in health expenditure, social protection allocation on family/children support and sickness. Conclusions: The 2007–2008 global financial crisis was associated with a significant increase in LBW, particularly among infants of non-Portuguese mothers. We recommend strengthening social policies aimed at maternity protection for vulnerable mothers and health system maintenance of social equity in perinatal healthcare.Statistics Portugal (INE) is appreciated for providing the database used for the analysis. This study was funded by FEDER through the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Internationalization and national funding from the Foundation for Science and Technology – FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education) (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016874), under the project “Migrants and Perinatal Health: Barriers, Incentives and Outcomes (baMBINO)” (Ref. FCT PTDC/DTP-SAP/6384/2014) and the Unidade de Investigação em Epidemiologia - Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto (EPIUnit) (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006862; Ref. UID/DTP/04750/2013)

West African Dwarf Goat Response to Supplementary Feeding in Cameroon

The production of the West African Dwarf goat (WADG) in Cameroon is very low, because of lack of proper nutrition. Nitrogen content is generally very low and fibre content is high, both in the grass and the crop residues which form the basis of their diet particularly during the dry season. Supplementation of these roughages is a promising way of alleviating nutrient deficiencies. Different types of supplementary feeding have been advocated to boost goat production (Leng, 2003), of which supplementary feeding with leguminous tree leaves is of high merit. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of supplementary feeding of Calliandra calothyrsus and Leucaena leucocephala leaves on growth and reproduction of WADG

Pengaruh Kecepatan Angin Blower Dan Jumlah Pipa Pemanas Terhadap Laju Pengeringan Pada Alat Pengering Padi Tipe Bed Dryer Berbahan Bakar Sekam Padi

One of the stages of post-harvest handling is drying rice. The rice drying process for this is still done by direct drying under the sun. The drying process depends on the amount of solar radiation, especially the rainy winter weather. The results showed that the air flow rate and the number of heating pipes are very influential on the energy supplied air to evaporate the water in the grain. Where the highest energy 3.948.7353,979 Watt blower, wind speed 13 m / s with variations of two heating pipes, while the lowest energy 469,041.223 Watt blower, wind speed 13 m / s with variations of three heating pipes. The air flow rate and the number of heating pipes also affect the thermal energy which can be used for drying grain. Where the highest energy 85968.800 Watt at a speed of 13 m / s with variations of three pieces of pipe, while the lowest energy 31426.867 Watt at a speed of 13 m / s with variations of the pieces of pipe. The efficiency is very dependent on a hot air flow rate and the number of heating pipes, if the energy received high grain, the higher efficiency is obtained. Where the highest efficiency 98.73% at a wind speed blower 13 m / s with two heating pipes, while the low efficiency of 2.81% at a wind speed blower 7 m / s with a single heating pip

Identifikasi Kesulitan Peserta Didik Dalam Belajar Matematika Dan Sains Di Sekolah Dasar

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi kesulitan peserta didik dalam pembelajaran matematika dan sains berdasarkan daya serap dan tingkat kesulitan butir tes. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif eksploratif. Data utama yang digunakan adalah respons peserta didik terhadap tes INAP 2007 untuk mata pelajaran matematika dan sains di kelas 5 SD. Tes ini merupakan dokumentasi Puspendik Balitbang Kementrian Pendidikan Nasional untuk wilayah Yogyakarta. Data dianalisis melalui pendekatan deskriptif kuantitatif dengan menggunakan daya serap (proporsi menjawab benar) pada pendekatan teori tes klasik dan tingkat kesulitan model Rasch pada pendekatan teori respons butir. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa (1) kesulitan peserta didik dalam pembelajaran matematika berdasarkan daya serap meliputi 88,57% dari keseluruhan materi yang seharusnya dikuasai peserta didik; (2) materi untuk mata pelajaran matematika yang dianggap sulit yang dianalisis melalui pendekatan teori respons butir adalah perbandingan dan skala; jarak, waktu, dan kecepatan; operasi hitung campuran; serta luas bangun datar; (3) kesulitan peserta didik dalam pembelajaran sains berdasarkan daya serap meliputi 80% dari keseluruhan materi yang seharusnya dikuasai peserta didik; (4) materi untuk mata pelajaran sains yang dianggap sulit yang diketahui melalui pendekatan teori respons butir adalah proses fotosintesis tumbuhan air, magnet, katrol, Perubahan wujud, sistem aliran darah, adaptasi, lapisan bumi, dan tanda gunung berapi meletu

Analysis on the Effect of Management of Room Coordinator to the Accomplishment of Nursing Care in the Inward Room of Sunan Kalijaga District General Hospital of Demak District

Result of the implementation of nursing care standard (SAK) in Sunan Kalijaga district generalhospital (RSUD) of Demak district was 62.49% in 2011 and 69.42% in 2012; this situation wasstill below the SAK of RSUD Sunan Kalijaga Demak district (86%). Expectation of SAKimplementation accomplishment in 2015 was 100%.These facts indicated that there was a gap inthe accomplishment of the nursing care standard, and it was suspected that the management of room coordinator towards nursing care accomplishment was not optimal. Objective of this studywas to analyze the influence of management of room coordinator to the accomplishment ofnursing care in the inward room of RSUD Sunan Kalijaga of Demak district. This was anobservational study using cross sectional approach. Study instruments consisted of structuredquestionnaire and observation checklist of nursing care activity. The number of samples was 62nurses that were distributed in 14 inward rooms of the RSUD Sunan Kalijaga of Demak district.Bivariate analysis was done by applying chi square test, and logistic regression test was appliedfor multivariate analysis. Results of the study showed proportion of nurses who had goodplanning (56.5%), good organization (58.1%), good actuating (67.7%), and good supervision(56.5%) on UCI village. The accomplishment of complete nursing care implementation was80.6%. Results of bivariate analysis showed that planning (ρ=0.014), organizing (ρ= 0.010), andactuating (ρ= 0.0001) were associated with the accomplishment of nursing care. Multivariateanalysis indicated the influence of actuating (ρ= 0.002; Exp β= 10.636) towards theaccomplishment of nursing care. Suggestions addressed for RSUD Sunan Kalijaga of Demakdistrict are to improve distinct and effective communication, to involve in collaboration andcoordination activities in providing nursing care, and to improve good management byproviding motivation as a good feedback to nurses