Determining Factor Research Articles

Journal Review: Effectiveness of Supplementary Feed Ingredients on Egg Productivity and Body Weight Gain of Balibangtan Superior Hens

Feed is a major determining factor in the success of layer and broiler farming. The nutritional content of the feed must meet the requirements to increase livestock productivity. To improve chicken performance, we use additional feed. This review aims to determine the effectiveness of feed ingredients as a feed supplementation for chickens by using production waste, forage, household waste, forage, and enzymes to increase the growth and production of KUB chickens. Ingredients that can be used as feed additives include coconut pulp, pumpkin waste flour, papaya leaf waste, teak leaf extract, moringa leaves, tilapia plants, betel leaf juice, BS4, selenium chitosan, phytase, xylooligosaccharide, kesum leaf flour, sago pulp, spinach waste, and BSF maggot. The results of this review showed that the most effective feed ingredient was the supplementation of teak leaf extract (Tectona grandis), with a protein content of 4.9%, being the most effective feed ingredient in increasing egg productivity up to 15%. The supplementation of kesum leaf flour, with an average body weight gain of 426.97 g/head, is the most effective feed ingredient for increasing body weight growth in KUB chickens.

Prediction of urinary tract infection using machine learning methods: a study for finding the most-informative variables

BackgroundUrinary tract infection (UTI) is a frequent health-threatening condition. Early reliable diagnosis of UTI helps to prevent misuse or overuse of antibiotics and hence prevent antibiotic resistance. The gold standard for UTI diagnosis is urine culture which is a time-consuming and also an error prone method. In this regard, complementary methods are demanded. In the recent decade, machine learning strategies that employ mathematical models on a dataset to extract the most informative hidden information are the center of interest for prediction and diagnosis purposes.MethodIn this study, machine learning approaches were used for finding the important variables for a reliable prediction of UTI. Several types of machines including classical and deep learning models were used for this purpose.ResultsEighteen selected features from urine test, blood test, and demographic data were found as the most informative features. Factors extracted from urine such as WBC, nitrite, leukocyte, clarity, color, blood, bilirubin, urobilinogen, and factors extracted from blood test like mean platelet volume, lymphocyte, glucose, red blood cell distribution width, and potassium, and demographic data such as age, gender and previous use of antibiotics were the determinative factors for UTI prediction. An ensemble combination of XGBoost, decision tree, and light gradient boosting machines with a voting scheme obtained the highest accuracy for UTI prediction (AUC: 88.53 (0.25), accuracy: 85.64 (0.20)%), according to the selected features. Furthermore, the results showed the importance of gender and age for UTI prediction. ConclusionThis study highlighted the potential of machine learning strategies for UTI prediction.

Rat Fecal Metabolomics-Based Analysis.

The gut's symbiome, a hidden metabolic organ, has gained scientific interest for its crucial role in human health. Acting as a biochemical factory, the gut microbiome produces numerous small molecules that significantly impact host metabolism. Metabolic profiling facilitates the exploration of its influence on human health and disease through the symbiotic relationship. Fecal metabolomics-based analysis is an indisputably valuable tool for elucidating the biochemistry of digestion and absorption in the gastrointestinal system, serving as the most suitable specimen to study the symbiotic relationship between the host and the intestinal microbiota. It is well-established that the balance of the intestinal microbiota changes in response to various stimuli, both physiological, such as gender, age, diet, and exercise, and pathological, such as gastrointestinal and hepatic diseases. Fecal samples have been analyzed using widely adopted analytical techniques, including NMR spectroscopy, GC-MS, and LC-MS/MS. Rat fecal samples are frequently used and particularly useful substrates for metabolomics-based studies in related fields.The complexity and diversity of fecal samples necessitate careful and skillful handling to extract metabolites, while avoiding their deterioration, effectively and quantitatively. Several determinative factors, such as the fecal sample weight to extraction solvent solution volume, the nature and pH value of the extraction solvent, and the homogenization process, play crucial roles in achieving optimal extraction for obtaining high-quality metabolic fingerprints, whether for untargeted or targeted metabolomics.

How Does Landscape Structure Affect Dung Beetle Assemblages in Amazon Cities?

The growth of cities is one of the main direct and indirect factors responsible for the loss of native vegetation cover. Urbanization directly affects the biological communities inhabiting forest remnants inserted in cities, compromising the maintenance of urban and natural ecosystems. By understanding the effects of landscape transformation due to urbanization, we can have insights regarding the distribution of land uses that allow a proper maintenance of the urban ecosystems. This work assessed the effects of landscape structure variables (forest cover, agricultural area, edge density, and number of forest patches) on dung beetle assemblages and functional groups (i.e., diet and resource removal strategy) sampled in 38 sites located along an urban-rural gradient of six cities belonging to the metropolitan area of Manaus in Central Amazonia. Losses of forest cover were the most determining factor, negatively affecting species richness, abundance, and body size. The increases in agriculture cover negatively affected dung beetle abundance, while edge density positively affected their abundance. The number of forest patches positively affected dung beetle abundances-except for dweller species-and negatively affected the body size of diet-generalist species. These results demonstrate that changes in ecological diversity caused by urbanization are driven mostly by forest cover loss, although forest configuration is important for dung beetle abundance. This study contributes to the understanding of how changes in the amount and distribution of forest cover in tropical cities affect the taxonomic diversity of dung beetle assemblages.

Influence of different ethnicities on early childhood caries in preschool children at risk of social exclusion in Southeastern Spain.

To estimate the prevalence of early childhood caries and to study a possible influence on different ethnicities in preschool children aged 3 to 5 with social exclusion risk. Oral diseases are a major global public health problem, with negative effects at both individual and collective levels, and there is a relationship between socioeconomic characteristics such as income, occupation and educational level, with the prevalence and severity of oral diseases. A cross sectional study was conducted in a sample of 288 preschool children belonging to three schools in the Southeastern Spain among other variables dmft and ICDASS index. The ethnicity of school children at risk of social exclusion is a determining factor in the increased prevalence of cavities in primary caries.

Macular thicknesses of the outer retinal and choroid layers measured by automatic segmentation with artificial inteligence in non‐pathological high myopia

Aims/Purpose: To compare structural changes in photoreceptor sublayers, retinal pigment epithelium and choroid using optical coherence tomography (OCT) with artificial intelligence‐based automatic segmentation between subjects with simple myopia and non‐pathological high myopia.Methods: This observational case‐control study included a total of 45 eyes of 45 subjects comprised of n = 22 eyes with simple myopia (axial length between 24.00mm and 25.50mm; spherical equivalent between ‐0.50D and ‐4.50D) and n = 23 eyes with non‐pathological high myopia (axial length greater than or equal to 26.00mm; spherical equivalent less than or equal to ‐6.00D). Images were obtained from OCT Spectralis® HRA/OCT2 (Heidelberg Engineering Inc. Heidelberg, Germany) and sublayers were analysed: outer nuclear layer + Henle's fiber layer (ONL+HFL), myoid zone (MZ), ellipsoid zone (EZ)+outer photoreceptor layer (OPR)+interdigitation zone (IZ), retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), choriocapillaris (CC) + stromal choroid (CS) sectorially from the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) 1, 3, 6 mm grid using automatic segmentation by artificial intelligence based software (Discovery® 4.1, RetinAI, Switzerland).Results: Subjects with non‐pathological high myopia showed greater mean thinning in the ONL+HFL (p = 0.001), MZ (p = 0.003), EZ+OPR+IZ (p = 0.001), EPR (p = 0.003) and CC+CS (p < 0.001) sublayers. Specifically, the external regions at the nasal level were the segmentation values with the greatest thinning. Axial length showed a negative correlation in all sublayers analysed (rONL+HFL = ‐0.469, p = 0.001; rMZ = ‐0.535, p ≤ 0.001; rEZ+OPR+IZ = ‐0.549, p ≤ 0.001; rRPE = ‐0.333, p = 0.025; rCC+CS = ‐0.667, p ≤ 0.001).Conclusions: There is greater thinning of the different outer layers of the retina and choroid in non‐pathological high myopia than in simple myopia. The increase in axial length in non‐pathological high myopia may be the determining factor in the presence of these changes. Automatic segmentation using artificial intelligence may be a useful tool in the characterisation and analysis of these layers.

Perception of the Importance of Inherited Genetics and Lifestyle on the Development of Chronic Diseases: A UK Cross‐Sectional Survey

ABSTRACTBackground and AimsThere is emerging evidence that genes, lifestyles and environment play a prominent role in the development of non‐communicable diseases. Currently, there is not information on people's perception of inherited genetics vs. lifestyle on disease development. Knowing people's belief on disease etiology will better inform public health strategies for the adoption of a healthy lifestyle.MethodsIndividuals aged 18 years and over were recruited in 2019 among the UK population and 363 participants completed an anonymous questionnaire. The main outcomes assessed were perception of importance of inherited genes and lifestyle on the development of diseases. T‐tests and χ2 were used.ResultsThe score for the importance of inherited genes in disease development was significantly lower than the lifestyle score (7.5 ± 1.7 vs. 8.5 ± 1, p <0.001). Moreover, the majority of the respondents chose lifestyle over inherited genes as most important factor for cancer, cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes development (50.8% vs. 29.6%, 79% vs. 11.9%, 85.7% vs. 9.6%; respectively), while 60.6% of respondents selected inherited genes for rheumatoid arthritis (p < 0.05). Knowledge about genes or a healthy lifestyle did not influence the selection of lifestyle as the most important factor (p > 0.05).ConclusionOverall, participants were well aware of the importance of lifestyle as a determinant risk factor for chronic disease development. This is an important step toward adopting a healthy lifestyle.

Sex determination factor, a novel male-linked gene in the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus: Molecular characterization, expression patterns and effects of gene knockdown.

Apostichopus japonicus is a highly significant marine aquaculture species. Research findings have indicated that male sea cucumbers demonstrate a more rapid growth rate compared to females, underscoring the potential advantages of establishing an all-male population. In this study, we identified a specific protein-coding gene (ORFan) within a 4565bp male fragment and named it sex determination factor (sdf). The sdf transcript exhibited ubiquitous expression in various adult male tissues, along with dynamic expression patterns in the testis across different developmental stages. Notably, knockdown of the sdf gene through immersion of embryos in its specific vivo-morpholino oligomers (vivo-MO) resulted in significant changes in the expression levels of several sex-related genes including piwi1, vasa, foxl2, and DNMT3. Additionally, a transcriptomic analysis showed that sdf knockdown resulted in significant alterations in multiple biological processes encompassing various sex-related gene ontology terms such as male gonad development, ovarian follicle development, and steroidogenesis. These results provide a molecular foundation for comprehending ORFans in sea cucumbers while offering a valuable method for gene knockdown studies in echinoderms.

Ex Vivo Fungal Nail Penetration Study: Effects of Causative Organisms, Nail Polish and Age.

Few exvivo studies have investigated the virulence factors of fungi causing onychomycosis. The effect of nail polish in predisposing or protecting against onychomycosis remains debatable. This exvivo study aimed to identify the nail invasion ability of dermatophytes, non-dermatophytes and yeast, with and without nail polishing, in the nails of young and elderly individuals. Six fungal species were tested: dermatophytes (Trichophyton rubrum, T. mentagrophytes, Microsporum canis), non-dermatophytes (Neoscytalidium dimidiatum, Fusarium spp.) and Candida albicans. Nail plates from eight volunteers (four aged ≥ 70 years; four aged < 70 years) were divided into polished and non-polished groups, incubated with each fungus and evaluated at 2, 4 and 8 weeks. Positive results were determined the presence of fungal hyphae or pseudohyphae penetrating the nail plate, with the enlargement of invasive fungal elements confirmed by histology. At 2 weeks, N. dimidiatum exhibited the highest nail invasion rate (15/16, 93.75%), whereas C. albicans showed the lowest (1/16, 6.25%). Fungal penetration into nail plates increased with longer incubation durations. At 8 weeks, C. albicans did not invade any polished nail plates; however, the difference in invasion rates between polished and unpolished nail plates was not statistically significant. Additionally, age did not significantly affect the invasion of most fungi in this exvivo study. This exvivo study supported the concept that fungal virulence is the main determining factor for nail invasion. N. dimidiatum caused the most and fastest nail plate penetration. Nail polishing may slow the penetration of low-virulence organisms.

Road traffic accident determinant factor identification in case of East Gojjam, Ethiopia using wrapper feature selection algorithm

Road traffic accident determinant factor identification in case of East Gojjam, Ethiopia using wrapper feature selection algorithm

Comparative analysis of useful life and depreciation using a polymer drum and an aluminum drum in a sanding machine as a continuous improvement in fine finishing of wood

We live in a globalized world in which production in the business productive sector must assume competitive quality. One of the key elements to achieve this goal are fixed assets since they constitute a substantial part of the productive and economic value of each company. However, one of the most frequent problems faced is precisely the replacement of machinery and tools that are ending, wearing out or depreciating. The most determining factor is depreciation and it provides the allocation of obsolescence, the depreciable cost of an asset throughout its service life. The purpose of this work is to carry out a comparative analysis between which gives a better useful life time and quality of a traditional solid polymer drum and the proposal of a redesigned aluminum one that is used in sanding machines as a finishing process, carrying out tests in wooden test pieces and taking their depreciation as the basis of the process as part of a continuous improvement in the manufacture of wooden furniture. The methodology used is transversal inductive, obtaining conclusions through individual premises, collecting specific data through observation and experimental tests, which were analyzed and patterns or trends are sought in the data of the system to be analyzed.

MEDIATING EFFECT OF BEHAVIORAL INTENTION ON THE INFLUENCE OF PERCEIVED VALUE, ATTITUDE, AND SUBJECTIVE NORM ON VISIT DECISION

Theory of planned behavior is believed to be a theory that can influence visit decisions. Similarly, the dimension of perceived value becomes a determining factor in tourists' decisions to visit. Aims to study analyze the effect of the Theory of Planned Behavior and perceived value on tourists' visit decisions to Alamendah Tourism Village. Data collection using a purposive sample technique, 100 respondents who had visited Alamendah Tourism Village were given questionnaires to complete in order to collect data.. The research method in this study is a quantitative approach, employing descriptive and verificative data analysis techniques with PLS SEM techniques. The data analysis was conducted using SmartPLS version 4.0. The results of this study are: 1) perceived value, attitude, and perceived behavioral control affect behavioral intention; 2) subjective norm does not affect behavioral intention; and 3) behavioral intention influences actual behavior.

Analysis of Farmers Knowledge, Attitudes and Skills in Dealing with Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) Cases in Central Lombok

The role of farmers is a determining factor in the success of efforts to control Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), especially the level of knowledge, attitude, and skills of farmers. This study aims to determine the correlation and influence between knowledge, attitude, and skills of farmers with the location and characteristics of farmers. The study was conducted using a survey method on samples selected purposively in three sub-districts, namely Praya Tengah, Pujut and Praya Barat Daya with a total of 100 respondent farmers. This study uses correlation analysis and linear regression for data analysis. The results of the study indicate that there is a correlation value between the level of knowledge, attitude and skills of farmers towards controlling FMD with the location and characteristics of farmers, including: gender, age, education level, occupation, ownership status, experience/length of farming and the number of cattle owned by the farmer. As well as the influence of the location of the farmers residence and the characteristics of the farmers on the level of knowledge, attitude and skills of the farmers.

Survival and Concomitant Antitumor Immunity in Cancer

What determines the survival time in a cancer case? An obvious aspect is the malignancy of the tumor. Based on our clinical observation, this so-called malignancy includes three aspects: 1) The mode of tumor replication, i.e., how rapidly a tumor replicates; 2) The ability to form distant metastasis; and 3) The ability to cause symptoms, often related to the ability to drive local inflammation. But tumor malignancy alone does not seem to correlate with cancer survival. Another factor contributing equally critical or even more critical to cancer survival is often ignored. It is the status of host antitumor immunity. Tumor malignancy is only the determinant factor for cancer survival when concomitant antitumor immunity is absent in a case. With a strong antitumor immunity, regardless of tumor malignancy, a case is likely to survive much longer than that of a case with a week or none antitumor immunity. Thus, antitumor immunity is a more influential factor than tumor malignancy on cancer survival. Yet, the status of antitumor immunity has been consistently ignored in clinical management of cancer and still is as of today. Unless it is clearly demonstrated in cancer cases that the lack of antitumor immunity is the most critical factor influencing survival, clinicians are unlikely to pay attention to the status of antitumor immunity in each case, less to say to manage accordingly. There have been many previous studies to link immunity to cancer survival in numerous statistical analyses, but these findings did not raise alert in clinicians to the point that the status of antitumor immunity is being considered in selection of treatment plan when it comes to individual cases. In this report we try to describe few individual cases in which the status of antitumor immunity is clearly responsible for survival. We hope the conmen aspects and clear contrasts in these cases will bring a more vivid picture to clinicians who will then realize how important is the status of antitumor immunity in each cancer cases and learn to select treatments based on the status of that immunity.

Zum Alltagsleben in den Ritterorden der Kreuzfahrerstaaten

On everyday life in the military orders of the Crusader states While everyday life in the military orders was supposed to be regulated (i.e., in compliance with rules and other normative texts), geographical location was a determining factor in how individual members experienced their environment and human interaction, and there appear to have been significant variations in this regard between East and West. Focusing on select examples pertaining to Templars, Hospitallers, and Teutonic Knights in the Crusader states of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and drawing from letters, charters, inventories, narrative sources, and archaeological evidence, this article considers three particular aspects to illustrate this observation, namely, (1) materialized culture, (2) the need for translators, and (3) bathhouses. While all three had their respective equivalents in northern and western Europe, it is noteworthy that ‒ in the Near East ‒ materialized culture (e.g., in the form of weapons and textiles) was more diverse and luxurious; the need for translation was more frequent and complex (e.g., resulting in the outsourcing of such tasks to Oriental Christians with a knowledge of Arabic); and the bathhouses were more sophisticated and numerous, which confounded western clergymen who considered military prowess rather incompatible with a visit to the Hammam (i.e., an Oriental bathhouse).

Gender Parity in Riba Literacy: A Comparative Study Among Residents of Sebukar Village

This study investigates the comparative levels of Riba literacy among male and female residents of Sebukar Village. Employing a quantitative approach, the research utilizes a questionnaire survey administered to 50 males and 50 females. Data analysis is conducted using the Mann-Whitney test to assess significant differences in Riba literacy between genders. Findings reveal no statistically significant disparity in Riba literacy levels between male and female respondents. This research contributes to the existing literature by demonstrating that gender does not appear to be a determining factor in Riba literacy within the specific context of Sebukar Village.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE COMBAT USE OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF MANPADE ANTI-AIRMISSILE SYSTEMS

An analysis of the nature of armed struggle in recent decades indicates a sharp increase in the influence of modern weapons and military equipment on the course of military operations. Currently, weapons and military equipment form the basis of the combat power of the armed forces of any state and are a determining factor in achieving success in a war or armed conflict. One of the characteristic features of the Russian Federation’s aggressive military actions against Ukraine is the widespread use of air forces, in particular, airplanes, helicopters, and unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with cruise missiles of various types. To strike Ukraine, the enemy uses air-, sea-, and ground-based cruise missiles, ballistic and anti-aircraft guided missiles, and attack unmanned aerial vehicles. Today, modern man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems have become one of the most effective and widespread means of combating air targets at low altitudes during combat operations (operations). The use of such complexes sharply limits the altitude range of use of all types of manned combat aircraft and has a negative impact on the accuracy of strikes against ground and surface targets. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are actively using Soviet, Polish, American, British and French man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems (provided to Ukraine by NATO and EU countries) against Russian aviation. A comparative analysis of the main characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of various types of man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems currently in service with the Ukrainian armed forces was carried out, in the interests of increasing the effectiveness of their use in different combat conditions.

URBAN FORM AND SOCIAL PRACTICES IN THREE NEIGHBOR-HOODS OF COLLECTIVE HOUSING IN THE CITY OF OUM EL BOUAGHI, ALGERIA

The aim of this article is to study the influence of urban form in different collective housing programs across three neighborhoods in the city of Oum El Bouaghi on user practices and social interactions. To understand the complex relationships and socio-spatial structure of neighborhoods, it is important to use mixed methods. This research is based on a combi-nation of two approaches: qualitative and quantitative. The latter is based on the space syn-tax method, using dedicated software called DepthMap©, specifically applying the visibility graph analysis (VGA). The qualitative approach is based on in-situ observation (static snap-shot method). The observation data from three neighborhoods were collected and synthesized on a map to superimpose them on that of the VGA. The results obtained from correlating observed social activities with syntactic measures show that urban form affects the use of outdoor spaces and can be considered a determining factor in social practices and interactions.

Relationships Among Growth, Carcass Characteristics, and Myf5 Myf6, MyoD, and MyoG Genes Expression Level in Saanen Male Kids with Varying Slaughter Weights

The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between the MRF gene family members and slaughter characteristics in Saanen kids with varying slaughter weights. Twenty male kids of the Turkish Saanen breed were individually fattened for 60 days after weaning under an intensive management system. The kids were divided into two groups: low slaughter weight (L; n = 11; ≤29 kg) and high slaughter weight (H; n = 13; &gt;29) at the end of the fattening. After slaughter, muscle samples from Longissimus-dorsi (LD) and Semitendinosus (ST) muscles were obtained. Carcass characteristics were higher in H than in L kids (p &lt; 0.05). Myogenic Factor 5 gene expression level in the LD muscle of H kids was higher (p &lt; 0.05) than that of L kids. A similar trend was observed regarding Myogenic Factor 6 and Myoblast Determination Factor gene expression levels in the LD muscle (p &lt; 0.05). Also, the Myogenin gene expression level of H kids was higher than that of L kids in both muscles (p &lt; 0.05). There were positive correlations among the slaughter weight, carcass characteristics, and some MRF gene expression levels in both muscles (p &lt; 0.05) that the higher gene expression increases the weight and affects the carcass characteristics. The study results suggest that the difference in slaughter weight at the end of fattening in Saanen kids may be due to the expression level of myogenic regulatory factor (MRF) genes. Fattening performance and MRF genes may have a positive correlation.

Determinants of Nursing Performance in Sandi Karsa Hospital, Makassar City, Indonesia

Nursing performance is an aspect that demonstrates the fulfillment of a nurse's duties and responsibilities. This study aimed to analyze the determinants of nurse performance in Sandi Karsa Hospital Makassar City. This is a quantitative research using a cross-sectional study design. The sample consisted of 93 nurses collected through exhaustive sampling method. Data collection was performed using questionnaire instruments and analyzed using chi-squared and multiple linear regression tests. The results showed that there was a relationship between skills (p=0.024), compensation (p=0.005), workload (p&lt;0.001), job design (p=0.020) and knowledge (p&lt;0.001) with the performance of nurses in performing nursing care. Meanwhile, there was no relationship between attitude and performance of nurses (p=1.000). Workload had the most influence on nurses’ performance (B=2.729; SE=0.743; Exp(B)=15.322; p&lt;0.001). This study concludes that some factors are associated with nurses' performance, with workload being the most determining factor.