Wholegrain Food Acceptance in Young Singaporean Adults

Previous epidemiological evidence suggests that habitual consumption of whole grains is associated with reduction of disease risk. While wholegrain food consumption appears to be increasing in Singapore, it is still low, with more infrequent consumption noted in younger Singaporeans. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to determine the knowledge of whole grains and barriers to consumption of wholegrain foods. Thirty participants (age range 21–26 year, 19 females) took part in two focus groups separated by a 2-week period in which participants trialled a range of wholegrain foods. Barriers towards whole grain consumption and experiences of products during this familiarization period were discussed during the focus groups and knowledge of whole grains was assessed by questionnaire. Potential barriers such as personal factors, product-specific factors and external factors were identified with sensory and habitual being stronger barriers. The whole grain familiarization period did not alter the taste expectations of the consumers but it did manage to increase acceptance for four of the wholegrain products tested (muesli, cookies, granola bars and wholewheat pasta). These findings suggest existing barriers to wholegrain food consumption should be considered by public health agencies and manufacturing companies

Dual input neural networks for positional sound source localization

In many signal processing applications, metadata may be advantageously used in conjunction with a high dimensional signal to produce a desired output. In the case of classical Sound Source Localization (SSL) algorithms, information from a high dimensional, multichannel audio signals received by many distributed microphones is combined with information describing acoustic properties of the scene, such as the microphones' coordinates in space, to estimate the position of a sound source. We introduce Dual Input Neural Networks (DI-NNs) as a simple and effective way to model these two data types in a neural network. We train and evaluate our proposed DI-NN on scenarios of varying difficulty and realism and compare it against an alternative architecture, a classical Least-Squares (LS) method as well as a classical Convolutional Recurrent Neural Network (CRNN). Our results show that the DI-NN significantly outperforms the baselines, achieving a five times lower localization error than the LS method and two times lower than the CRNN in a test dataset of real recordings

The Role of Frailty Scores to Predict the Outcomes in Non Operative Treatment of Valgus Impacted Neck of Femur Fractures

\ua9 2024 The Authors. Objectives: The management of valgus-impacted neck of femur fracture is controversial between operative and conservative treatments. This study aimed to investigate the usefulness of the Clinical frailty Score for predicting the prognosis of patients who underwent non-operative treatment for the valgus-impacted neck of femur fracture (NOF). Methods: A single-centred retrospective review of patients admitted with valgus impacted NOF. Data were collected from patients’ records, including demographics, Clinical Frailty Score (CFS), Nottingham Hip Fracture Score (NHFS) and Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS). Patients were followed up to 24 months postoperatively. Results: Fifty-eight patients who were treated non-operatively with a mean follow-up of 2.6 years met our inclusion criteria. Twenty-nine patients failed the non-operative treatment and required replacement surgeries, while 29 had successful outcomes (50%). There were no differences between the two groups’ mean age and gender distributions (P 0.527 and 0.139, respectively). The successful group had significantly higher CFS (P 0.013), worse AMTS and higher mortality risk based on the NHFS (P 0.006 and P < 0.001, respectively). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that CFS, AMTS and NHFS can be used as predictors when considering non-operative treatment for the valgus-impacted neck of femur fracture. Patients who are frail, demented and high risk based on the NHFS have higher success rates with non-operative treatment

Sustaining Economic Exploitation of Complex Ecosystems in Computational Models of Coupled Human-Natural Networks

Understanding ecological complexity has stymied scientists for decades. Recent elucidation of the famously coined "devious strategies for stability in enduring natural systems" has opened up a new field of computational analyses of complex ecological networks where the nonlinear dynamics of many interacting species can be more realistically mod-eled and understood. Here, we describe the first extension of this field to include coupled human-natural systems. This extension elucidates new strategies for sustaining extraction of biomass (e.g., fish, forests, fiber) from ecosystems that account for ecological complexity and can pursue multiple goals such as maximizing economic profit, employment and carbon sequestration by ecosystems. Our more realistic modeling of ecosystems helps explain why simpler "maxi-mum sustainable yield" bioeconomic models underpinning much natural resource extraction policy leads to less profit, biomass, and biodiversity than predicted by those simple models. Current research directions of this integrated natu-ral and social science include applying artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and multiplayer online games

Consumption-Based Conservation Targeting: Linking Biodiversity Loss to Upstream Demand through a Global Wildlife Footprint.

Although most conservation efforts address the direct, local causes of biodiversity loss, effective long-term conservation will require complementary efforts to reduce the upstream economic pressures, such as demands for food and forest products, which ultimately drive these downstream losses. Here, we present a wildlife footprint analysis that links global losses of wild birds to consumer purchases across 57 economic sectors in 129 regions. The United States, India, China, and Brazil have the largest regional wildlife footprints, while per-person footprints are highest in Mongolia, Australia, Botswana, and the United Arab Emirates. A US$100 purchase of bovine meat or rice products occupies approximately 0.1 km2 of wild bird ranges, displacing 1-2 individual birds, for 1 year. Globally significant importer regions, including Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and France, have large footprints that drive wildlife losses elsewhere in the world and represent important targets for consumption-focused conservation attention

Toksisitas Bahan Pengawet Boron-kromium Terhadap Serangga Dan Jamur Pelapuk Kayu

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji toksisitas bahan pengawet boron-kromium terhadap rayap dan jamur pelapuk kayu. Bahan yang digunakan merupakan bahan kimia dengan kualitas teknis. Pengawetan contoh uji dilakukan menggunakan proses vakum tekan dengan lima konsentrasi yang berbeda. Untuk pengujian terhadap rayap tanah, 200 ekor pekerja rayap tanah Coptotermes curvignathus Holmgren dimasukkan ke dalam jam pot yang berisi media pasir dan contoh uji berupa kayu yang berukuran 25 mm x 25 mm x 5 mm. Untuk rayap kayu kering, lima puluh ekor pekerja rayap kayu kering Cryptotermes cynocephalus Light dimasukkan ke dalam tabung gelas berdiameter 18 mm dengan tinggi 35 mm yang dipasang pada salah satu sisi terlebar contoh uji yang berukuran 50 mm x 25 mm x 20 mm. Sementara terhadap jamur pelapuk kayu, pengujian dilakukan dengan jamur Schizophyllum commune yang dibiakkan dalam mediapotato dextrose agar (PDA). Hasil pengujian menunjukkan bahwa bahan pengawet yang digunakan efektif mencegah serangan rayap tanah C. curvignathus Holmgren dan rayap kayu kering C. cynocephalus Light. Efektivitas bahan pengawet dengan menyebabkan mortalitas rayap sebesar 100% diperoleh pada konsentrasi 1% dengan retensi masing-masing 6,01 kg/m3dan 5,64 kg/m3. Namun demikian terhadap jamur pelapuk kayu S. commune konsentrasi efektif diperoleh pada larutan 7,5% dengan retensi 45,44 kg/m3

Keefektifan Campuran Garam Tembaga-khromium- Boron Terhadap Rayap Dan Jamur Perusak Kayu

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mengevaluasi toksisitas formula garam tembaga-khromium-boron terhadap serangan rayap dan jamur Perusak kayu. Dalam penelitian ini digunakan bahan kimia kualitas teknis. Hasil pengujian menunjukkan bahwa bahan pengawet yang digunakan sangat efektif mencegah serangan rayap tanah Coptotermes curvignathus Holmgren dan rayap kayu kering Cryptotermes cynocephalus Light. Keefektifan ditunjukkan oleh tingkat mortalitas rayap 100% pada konsentrasi 1% dan retensi lebih dari 5,30 kg/m3. Namun demikian terhadap jamur pelapuk kayu Schizophyllum communekonsentrasi efektif diperoleh pada larutan 7,5% dan retensi di atas 30 kg/m3

Patients’ subjective well-being: determinants and its usage as a metric of healthcare service quality

It is commonly suggested that patients’ subjective well-being (SWB) can be affected by pre-treatment conditions and treatment experiences, and hence SWB can be used to measure and improve healthcare quality. With data collected in a hospital in the UK (N = 446), we investigated the determinants of patients’ SWB and evaluated its use in healthcare research. Our findings showed strong relationships between pre-treatment conditions and patients’ SWB: anxiety and depression negatively predicted SWB across all three domains, mobility positively predicted the life satisfaction and happiness domains, while the ability to self care and pain and discomfort also predicted SWB in some domains. In contrast, patients’ satisfaction with the treatment only played minor roles in determining SWB, much less so the characteristics of their nurses. The general lack of associations between treatment experiences and patient’s SWB highlighted the challenges of using SWB to measure healthcare quality and inform policy making

Efektivitas Penularan Beberapa Isolat Jamur Patogen Serangga Metarbizium Anisopliae Oleh Rayap Pekerja Coptotermes Curvignathus

Jamur patogen serangga Metarhizium anisopliae diketahui bersifat patogen terhadap banyak serangga termasuk rayap. Penularan terjadi melalui penyebaran spora. Efektivitas penularan oleh kasta rayap pekerja Coptotermes curvignathus yang telah terinfeksi spora jamur dari 6 isolat yang dikumpulkan dari berbagai lokasi di Jawa dievaluasi. Beberapa kelompok rayap yang terdiri dari campuran rayap pekerja yang terinfeksi spora dan yang sehat dimasukkan dalam botol kultur berisi media pasir steril yang lembab, diinkubasi dalam ruang gelap dan lembab pada suhu kamar selama 14 hari. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa persentase mortalitas rayap cenderung meningkat setelah inkubasi dibandingkan dengan sebelum inkubasi. Isolat dari Balai Penelitian Bioteknologi Perkebunan Bogor (BGR), Fakultas Pertanian Universitas Gajah Mada Yogyakarta (UGM)p dan Balai Proteksi Tanaman Perkebunan Semarang (SMG) menunjukkan efektivitas penularan yang tinggi, menyebabkan mortalitas rayap lebih dari 80% pada perlakuan rayap terinfeksi dengan konsentrasi 50%. Isolat dari Bogor tampaknya paling efektif untuk ditularkan oleh rayap pekerja ke dalam koloninya

A New Evolutionary Path to Type Ia Supernovae: Helium-Rich Super-Soft X-Ray Source Channel

We have found a new evolutionary path to Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) which has been overlooked in previous work. In this scenario, a carbon-oxygen white dwarf (C+O WD) is originated, not from an asymptotic giant branch star with a C+O core, but from a red-giant star with a helium core of $\sim 0.8-2.0 M_\odot$. The helium star, which is formed after the first common envelope evolution, evolves to form a C+O WD of $\sim 0.8-1.1 M_\odot$ with transferring a part of the helium envelope onto the secondary main-sequence star. This new evolutionary path, together with the optically thick wind from mass-accreting white dwarf, provides a much wider channel to SNe Ia than previous scenarios. A part of the progenitor systems are identified as the luminous supersoft X-ray sources or the recurrent novae like U Sco, which are characterized by the accretion of helium-rich matter. The white dwarf accretes hydrogen-rich, helium-enhanced matter from a lobe-filling, slightly evolved companion at a critical rate and blows excess matter in the wind. The white dwarf grows in mass to the Chandrasekhar mass limit and explodes as an SN Ia. A theoretical estimate indicates that this channel contributes a considerable part of the inferred rate of SNe Ia in our Galaxy, i.e., the rate is about ten times larger than the previous theoretical estimates for white dwarfs with slightly evolved companions.Comment: 19 pages including 12 figures, to be published in ApJ, 519, No.