Different Levels Of Significance Research Articles

AN ANALYTICAL ASSESSMENT OF POULTRY INDUSTRY AND ADOPTION OF POTENTIAL VALUE ADDITION INTERVENTIONS IN BY-PRODUCT PROCESSING TO ENHANCE PROFITABILITY – IBADAN, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

The need to diversify the Nigerian economy calls for value chain development of the agricultural and livestock sector. The main purpose of the study is to seek additional source of income for poultry producers through the processing of selected poultry by-products in the study area. A baseline study of poultry enterprises was carried out in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria using a purposive sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was used in the collection of data and data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics, gross margin analysis and Logit regression. The result showed and exhibited a gross margin ratio of 82.9% indicating profitability of enterprise. The regression result revealed that the adoption of poultry by-products processing was by different factors at different level of significance in organic fertilizer was influence. The study revealed that the respondents ranked high cost of machineries (25%) as the major problem encountered by them. It was recommended that awareness should be intensified on management poultry by-products; encouragement of Public-Private Partnership (PPP), towards the provision of adequate infrastructure need for commercialization of poultry by-products processing in Nigeria.

Thief zone identification and classification in unconsolidated sandstone reservoirs: A field case study

Channeling between injectors and producers leads to bypassed oil left in the reservoir, which is one of most common reasons that wells in mature oil fields experience high water cut after long-term waterflooding. Identification and evaluation of the higher permeable channels (thief zones) are the key to effectively plug these thief zones and improve the conformance of water flood. This study applies three different methods to identify and evaluate the thief zones of a water injection project in North Buzazi Oilfield, a thick-bedded unconsolidated sandstone heavy oil reservoir in Manghestau, Kazakhstan. The thief zones, which evolve as a result of formation erosion and sand production, are identified and classified with respect to four different levels of significance using fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, production/injection profile method and pressure index (PI) methods. Good consistency is observed among the identification results using these methods. Finally, we present two ways to quantitatively evaluate the characteristics of the thief zones using water–oil-ratio as the input, which can be readily applied for future field development design.

Heterogeneity of NK-cells in pulmonary tuberculous granulomas, including association with HIV infection

Interest in the study of cell population heterogeneity among immune system grows with advances in multicolor flow cytometry techniques. Natural killer cells are represented by several subpopulations. Their maturation is a continuous process that begins with CD27-CD11b--cells and ends with mature cells with the CD27-CD11b+-phenotype. Phthisiology is one of the areas for studying the NK-cell polymorphism due to the fact that the mechanism of prolonged persistence of M. tuberculosis in the human body is not fully understood. Moreover, there is increasing number of patients with infectious comorbidities, including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The aim of this study was to determine some subpopulations of NK cells in the patients with pulmonary tuberculous granuloma, as well as in the absence of a synergistic HIV infection.The study involved 46 people grouped in three cohorts. The 1st group included 24 practically healthy people, the 2nd group consisted of 12 patients with pulmonary tuberculous granuloma without clinical and laboratory signs of HIV infection, and the 3rd group was represented by 10 patients with pulmonary tuberculous granuloma infected with HIV. The causative agent of pulmonary tuberculosis in all patients was drug-resistant. All the patients with HIV infection had stage 4 disease. Immunological status was assessed by flow cytometry. The following cell populations were detected: CD45+CD3+CD19-, CD45+CD3-CD19+, CD45+CD3-CD16+CD56+, CD3+CD16+CD56+, CD45+CD3-CD8+, CD45+CD3-HLA-DR+, CD45+CD3-CD16+CD56+CD11b+. Leukocytosis and leukogram were determined with a 5 Diff Mythic 22 AL clinical analyzer (Cormay, Poland). Statistical studies of the data were performed in the Windows 10 operating environment (Microsoft Corp., USA); the computer program Statistica v. 12.5 (StatSoft, USA) was used. The normality of the data distribution was also evaluated. Kruskal–Wallis one-way analysis of variance (pk-w) was used as criterion for assessing differences between the compared groups at a significance level of differences p 0.017 (between three unrelated groups), as well as Wald–Wolfowitz test (pw-w) with a significance level of differences p 0.05. Factor analysis was performed.We have found that the presence of pulmonary tuberculous granuloma is accompanied by a decrease of NK-cells number by 33%, a two-fold decrease in the number of NKT-cells, a 34.3% decrease in the population of CD3-HLA-DR+-cells, and a 21.7% decrease in the number of CD3-CD16+CD56+CD11b+-cells. Coinfection with HIV in cases of pulmonary tuberculous granuloma was associated with a three-fold decrease in the leukocyte numbers, significant variability in lymphocyte counts, e.g., 3-fold decrease in NK-cell counts, with NK-cells expressing α-chain of the CD8 antigen decreased by 2.3 times; 6-fold drop of NKT-cell, CD3-HLA-DR+-cells decreased by 42.9%; 2.3-fold decline in CD3-CD16+CD56+CD11b+-cells. Decreased control of M. tuberculosis infection was observed both in patients with pulmonary tuberculous granuloma, and in presence of HIV infection as associated comorbidity.

Statistically based algorithm for differential diagnosis of arthropathies based on quantitative osteoscintigraphy

Background. EULAR experts include osteoscintigraphy of joints in the list of promising methods for the diagnosis of joint diseases. However, the method remains little used in rheumatology in our country.Aim of the study – to develop an algorithm for differential diagnosis for the most common arthropathies based on quantitative osteoscintigraphy.Materials and methods. 3 hours after the injection of pyrophosphate labeled with Tc-99m, scintigraphy of skeletal bones was performed according to the “whole body” program. The joint/adjacent bone uptake ratio was calculated. The CHAID algorithm was used for classification tree constructing.Results. The study included 266 patients aged 46.6±14.3 years, 134 men (50.4%). Axial spondyloarthritis (including ankylosing spondylitis) was diagnosed in 40 patients, peripheral spondyloarthritis (including reactive arthritis) – in 87, rheumatoid arthritis– in 45, osteoarthritis – in 68, psoriatic arthritis – in 26 people. A total of 2279 joints were included in the analysis. A classification tree algorithm for differential diagnosis of arthropathies was constructed. Key indicators for identifying subgroups in the algorithm were the intensity of radiopharmaceutical uptake in the wrist, knee and hip joints. The significance level of differences between the resulting groups at all points of the algorithm branching, taking into account the Bonferroni adjustment, was p=0.001 or less. In the training sample, 51.5% of the observations were correctly classified. According to results of the cross-validation, the expected rate of correct classifications in the actual application of the algorithm is 38.0%.Conclusions. An algorithm for differential diagnosis of the most common inflammatory diseases of the joints has been developed. It allows the use of quantitative osteoscintigraphy data in the diagnosis of arthritis.

The effect of task technology fit and entrepreneurship education on student’s entrepreneurship intention using the theory of planned behaviour

Entrepreneurship has been proven in various researches in the world to help improve the welfare of society by creating jobs. Many universities in the world have adopted entrepreneurship in their curriculum designs in the form of entrepreneurship education. Besides, the technology fit task variable is also important in increasing student entrepreneurship intention. Therefore, research on entrepreneurship intention (EI) and the factors that influence it among students is very relevant. This study aims to fill the knowledge gap in the effect of task technology fit (TTF) and entrepreneurship education (EE) on entrepreneurship intention (EI) by using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model. The research sample was 213 undergraduate students at one of the private universities in Yogyakarta selected by the Slovin method. Data were collected through a questionnaire shared with the student by MS Form. Regression analysis tools were used to test the research hypothesis. These results prove that H1, H3a, and H3b have a positive effect on EI with different levels of significance. Meanwhile, H2 has a negative influence on EI. This study has contributed to filling the knowledge gap that TTF and EE can be integrated into the TPB model.

Tests for a Single Upper Outlier in a Johnson SB Sample with Unknown Parameters

Outliers are unexpected observations, which deviate from the majority of observations. Outlier detection and prediction are challenging tasks, because outliers are rare by definition. A test statistic for single upper outlier is proposed and applied to Johnson SB sample with unknown parameters. The Johnson SB distribution have four parameters and is extremely flexible, which means that it can fit a wide range of distribution shapes. Because of its distributional shapes it has a variety of applications in many fields. The test statistic proposed for the case when parameters are known (Sriwastava, T., 2018) used here for developing the test statistic when parameters are unknown. Critical points were calculated for different sample sizes and for different level of significance. The performance of the test in the presence of a single upper outlier is investigated. One numerical example was given for highlighting the result.

The Determinants of Rural Households Food Security and Coping Strategies: The Case of Meta District, East Hararghe Zone of Oromia National Regional State of Ethiopia

Africa is making slow progress in achieving international hunger targets. About 795 million people were chronically malnutrition in worldwide of which 780 million were in developing countries especially in SSA. Recent revised humanitarian requirements documents estimate that 9.7 million people in Ethiopia were in need of emergency food assistance and 420,000 children were requiring treatment for severe acute malnutrition in 2016. So, understanding the major determinants of food security is primary importance in choosing appropriate interventions for addressing the problem of food insecurity. Data on demographic and socio-economic characteristics and institutional aspects were collected from 149 households through interview schedule, key informant interviews and focus group discussion. Descriptive statistics, inferential statistics and Logit model were used for data analysis. The survey results indicate that 53.02% of the respondents were food secure, while 46.98% were food insecure. Results also indicate that there was a significant mean difference at different level of significance between the food secure and food insecure households in terms of age, sex, family size, dependency ratio, educational levels, size of cultivated land, livestock ownership excluding oxen own, off/non-farm income, cash crop produces, fertilizer user, contact with development agents, improve seeds user, distance to the nearest market and access to credit. Among 16 explanatory variables included in the logit model, 8 of them were found to be significant at different probability level, including sex, size of cultivated land and livestock ownership excluding oxen were positive effect on food security whereas, age, family size, dependent ratio, access to the nearest market and access to credit had negative effect on food security. The major portion of this study was about the determinants of rural households’ food security, it has been realized that the determinants of rural households’ food security were broad, interrelated and varies. These can be addressed by a wide comprehensive intervention from different angles of social aspects. Keywords: Food security, determinants, rural households, coping strategies, Meta, logistic regression, Ethiopia. DOI: 10.7176/IAGS/89-01 Publication date: January 31 st 2021

Wiek menarche dziewcząt z województwa lubuskiego w odniesieniu do środowiska zamieszkania, wykształcenia rodziców, liczby dzieci w rodzinie i standardu życia

The aim of this article is to assess the maturity level of girls in the Lubusz Voivodeship depending on the living environment, parents’ education, the number of children in the family and the standard of living. The material consists of the results of research conducted among 10–18 year-old girls (after menarcheal age) in 2015–2017 in selected primary, middle and upper secondary schools. A total of 3,525 girls were examined. The data were collected by means of a diagnostic survey, using the retrospective method, the research technique was a questionnaire, and the research tool was a questionnaire. Basic statistical characteristics for each variable, one-way analysis of variance, significance level of differences and a test of independence were calculated. The questionnaire was also validated with the reliability coefficient of 0.68, which qualifies it for use in cross-sectional studies. As a result of the analysis of the material, it was found that the following girls matured the earliest those from medium-size and small towns, daughters of fathers with higher or vocational education, daughters of mothers with higher education, girls growing up in families with one child, girls from the richest families.

Molecular genetic characteristics of hemostasis in hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome

Aim. To assess the predictive value of single-nucleotide polymorphisms of hemostasis and folate cycle genes in hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).
 Methods. 43 patients undergoing HFRS were examined based on the Republican clinical infectious diseases hospital in Izhevsk. Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) in the decompensated phase, pulmonary edema in the alveolar phase, and acute kidney injury (AKI) at stage F [RIFLE criteria (risk, injury, failure, loss, end-stage renal disease)] were registered as complications. Molecular analysis of patients genomic DNA was performed after its isolation from peripheral blood cells. Genotyping was performed by using multiplex real-time PCR with conformationally restricted probes. Statistical analysis was performed by the licensed program SPSS 22.0; the significance level of difference between groups was determined using the nonparametric MannWhitney test (for quantitative variables) and the Fishers exact test (for qualitative variables).
 Results. The C/C genotype of the ITGB3:1565T/C gene (p=0.0278), and the C/C genotype of the MTHFR1298 A/C gene (p=0.0407) was less common in severe cases, while the G allele of FGB:455G/A gene (p=0.046) and the T allele of the ITGB3:1565T/C gene (p=0.0166) was more frequent. More frequent detection of the 5G/4G genotype of the PAI-1:675 5G/4G gene was found in the case of TSS (p=0.0433). Genotype C/C of the ITGB3:1565T/C gene (p=0.0145) and a combination of pathological genotypes A/C and C/C of the MTHFR1298A/C gene (p=0.0004) are less common in the development of AKI at stage F.
 Conclusion. The molecular genetic analysis makes it possible to identify patients with genotypes predisposing to a severe and complicated course of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.

Long-term trends and speciation of artificial radionuclides in two submerged macrophytes of the Yenisei River: A comparative study of Potamogeton lucens and Fontinalis antipyretica

Long-term trends of artificial radionuclides, from 2003 to 2018, in two abundant species of macrophytes, shining pondweed, Potamogeton lucens, and water moss, Fontinalis antipyretica, have been analyzed to estimate the indicative reliability of these two species as biomonitors of radioactive contamination in a river system and to quantify the decrease in the content of artificial radionuclides in the Yenisei River. Time-dependent trends of artificial radionuclides in the biomass of these species were similar, resulting in estimates of effective half-lives for 54Mn, 58Co, 60Co, 65Zn, 137Cs, and 152Eu similar for both species. Concentrations of artificial radionuclides in biomass of shining pondweed and water moss correlated with annual discharges of the radionuclides to the Yenisei at different levels of significance, and the strongest (R2 > 0.7) positive correlation (p < 0.05) was obtained for 60Co, 65Zn, and 152Eu. Concentrations of 60Co, 137Cs, and 152Eu in water moss were 2–7.5 times higher than in shining pondweed, and considerable percentages of those isotopes were recorded in extracellular particulate matter, which was largely represented by epiphytic diatoms. Higher concentrations of artificial radionuclides in the biomass of water moss can be considered as an advantage of water moss as a monitor of radioactive contamination of the Yenisei, while shining pondweed is more useful for estimation of annual deposits of radionuclides in vegetation of the Yenisei and spatial transfer of radionuclides downstream of the discharge site. Despite differences in concentrations of artificial radionuclides, both species can be considered as reliable indicators of radioactive contamination of the river on a long-term scale.

Meeting the Nutritional Needs for the Children: The Role of Fish Products from the Emerging Aquaculture of Nepal

Contributions of fish diet in the daily lifestyles for nutritional security of children are examined through trend analysis and individual questionnaire provided to the caretaker of children's group of 5 to 13 years, to address the issues of fish dishes, preferences, and nutritional awareness. The per capita fish consumption per person in Nepal is about 3.36 kg as compared to the world 19 kg and least developing countries 11kg. The pond aquaculture was most prominently carried with 95.5% pond area located where 2.48% in hills and only 0.39% in the mountain. People's preference for dishes is also one of the major factors to determine the choice for the fish variety as a commodity. Among different dishes, fried fish (91.2%), fish pakauda (50%), fish gravy (41.4%) were the three most preferred for the children of the age group of 5 to 13. Multiple regressions were run to find out the significance level of difference in nutrient availability among the prepared dishes. Rainbow trout, Tilapia, and Pangasius are the emerging fish species and the nutrient levels of cooked fish may vary; therefore, protein and calcium level of cooked fish’s proximate analysis was done. This showed that the protein content of Tilapia was low compared to cooked Trout and Pangasius, however, the level of calcium was higher in Tilapia than the Trout and Pangasius. The occurrence of a thin spine in the food was the major problem for the children, therefore, to increase fish consumption whole fish meat paste milling machine is recommended.&#x0D; Int. J. Soc. Sc. Manage. Vol. 7, Issue-4: 198-201

Dynamic linkages between transport, logistics, foreign direct Investment, and economic growth: Empirical evidence from developing countries

• We study the dynamic linkages among transport, logistics, FDI and economic growth. • Empirical investigation considers 46 developing countries between 2000 and 2016. • The 46 countries have been divided into three sub-groups. • We use the GMM estimators for econometric investigation. • Positive and significant causal relationships are found between the variables. This study examines the relationship between transport, logistics, foreign direct investment (FDI), and economic growth in developing countries over the period 2000–2016. A global panel data comprising of 46 developing countries were collected and divided into three sub-panels: European and Central Asian countries (ECA), Middle East, North African and Sub-Saharan countries (MENA-SSA), and East Asian, Pacific, and South Asian countries (EAPSA). Using GMM estimators, we found that all underlying variables influence each other in the long-run. The direction of causal relationship between the variables tended to vary across panels with different levels of significance. The results arising out of empirical analysis imply that transport and logistics infrastructure do contribute to FDI ‘attractiveness’ and sustainable economic growth. These results would be of particular interest to policymakers, working in developing countries, and help them design and develop modern transportation and logistics, coupled with interlinked technological factors, which could possibly be used for sustainable economic development, and which in turn would attract FDI.

Application of HACCP system in catering system and microbiological quality of roasted chicken meals

This study aimed to work out the microbiological quality of roasted chicken ready to eat meals (n=240), swabs of labor surfaces (n=390), and the food handlers hands (n=90) in catering services within the university dormitory females to assure a secure supply of food for colleges students.The results obtained appeared no contamination with L. monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., and Clostridium perfringens before the applying of the HACCP framework. While the fluctuation within the microbial numerous total viable bacteria, total molds and yeasts, B. cereus, Staph. aureus, spore-formers, and coliforms in served meals ascribed to inadequate handling or processing procedures, multiplication of microorganisms during thawing and cutting of chicken, poor hygiene of utensils, and equipment as well as the survival of microorganisms to the cooking process.The examined chicken samples from receiving to serving were 1.12×105, 7.4 X 103, 2.8 X 104, and 1.6 X 103 in washing chicken, thawing, and washing steps respectively. The lowest value was 3.98×103, 3.2 X 102, 1.2 x 103, and 6.1 X 102 in serving, dressing, washing, and receiving steps, respectively. Swabs samples analysis which taken before and after HACCP application from handlers, utensils, equipment and work surfaces observed different levels of significance in the reduction of microbial load in one or more of selected examination. Application of the HACCP framework shows a low rate of examined microorganism with a decreasing percentage reached 100% of 1 or more microbial groups in serving step and p < 0.05 which demonstrates a critical impact of HACCP application. HACCP framework can be moreover utilize to control the safety and quality of prepared ready to eat meals, based on specializing laboratory to do the necessary microbial analysis, whether by the ministry of Health, Universities or by the specifications to reduces the reliance on the end product inspection that ultimately resulted in improving food safety, reducing costs associated with food hazards.

Predictability of postoperative recurrence on hepatocellular carcinoma through data mining method.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly lethal tumor and the majority of postoperative patients experience recurrence. In the present study, we focus on the predictability of postoperative recurrence on HCC through the data mining method. In total, 323 patients with HCC who underwent hepatic resection were included in the present study, 156 of whom suffered from cancer recurrence. Clinicopathological data including prognosis were analyzed using the data mining method for the predictability of postoperative recurrence on HCC. The resulting alternating decision tree (ADT) was described using data mining method. This tree was validated using a 10-fold cross validation process. The average and standard deviation of the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 69.0±8.2, 59.7±14.5 and 77.7±10.2%, respectively. The identified postoperative recurrence factors were age, viral hepatitis, stage, GOT and T-cholesterol. Data mining method could identify the factors associated at different levels of significance with postoperative recurrence of HCC. These factors could help to predict the postoperative recurrence of HCC.

Poultry interventions and child nutrition status in low-income countries

Poultry production with the majority of free-range chickens is widely practiced in rural communities of low-income countries. Chickens and their eggs are important sources of income and food for the family. Eggs are nutritious with high quality protein and several macro-and micro-nutrients. Evidences showed that increased consumption of eggs improved the nutritional status of children under the age of two years. Projects aimed at increased egg intake among infants and young children have been implemented with different models and approaches, resulting in different outcomes. This paper reviewed the effectiveness of interventional studies in increasing egg intake among infants and young children in low-income countries. A total of eight articles were selected using PubMed and Google Scholar search engines with inclusion criteria of interventions with randomized and controlled study design that measured egg intake among children under the age of two years in low income countries, published in the last five years (from 2015 to 2019) and written in English. The interventions were systematically classified into three categories based on their implementation model: agriculture/poultry only, nutrition education only, and integrated poultry and nutrition interventions. All the models showedincreased egg intake with different levels of significance. Poultry only interventions were successful in egg production in excess quantity increasing egg consumption of infants and young children. However, the interventions were challenged by caregivers’ priority for income from the sale of the eggs and birds than feeding the children. Hence, egg intake did not increase high enough to the level of an-egg-a-day despite production and availability. Promoting egg for complementary feeding, interventions of nutrition education only resulted in significantly increased egg intake among children under the age of two years. Nevertheless, its sustainability might be challenged as it requires buying eggs every time, creating an economic burden to the rural low-income families. The third model integrated poultry and nutrition interventions, significantly increased egg consumption even with small scale poultry using local chickens by improving nutrition awareness of caregivers and increasing egg availability at household level, demonstrating greater potential of sustainability. Poultry interventions targeting increased egg intake among infants and young children in low-income countries need to be integrated with nutrition education for maximum effect with minimal cost. Moreover, the implementation of strategies to reduce chicken excreta contamination of the environment is equally important for the children to benefit the maximum from increased egg intake. Key words: egg intake, poultry, nutrition education, egg-a-day, low-income countries

Robust Regression Analysis Study for Data with Outliers at Some Significance Levels

Robust regression analysis is an analysis that is used if there is an outlier in a regression model. Outliers cause data to be abnormal. The most commonly used parameter estimation method is Ordinary Least Squares (OLS). However, outliers in models cause the estimator of the least-squares in the model to be biased, so handling of outliers is required. One of the regressions used for outliers is robust regression. Robust regression method that can be used is M-Estimation. By using Tukey's Bisquare weighted function, a robust M-estimation method can estimate parameters in a model, for example in malnutrition data in East Java Province 2017 to 2012. This study aims to compare the robust method of M-estimation and OLS method on data with several different levels of significance, which is 1%, 5%, and 10%. The predictor variables used in this study were the percentage of poor society, population density, and some health facilities. R2 is used to compare the OLS method and the robust method of M-estimation. The results obtained that robust regression is the best method to handle the model if there are outliers in the data. It was supported by almost all results of the value of R^2 on each data that M-estimation has a higher value than the OLS method.

Empirical Analysis of the Dynamic Relationships between Transport, ICT and FDI in 63 Countries

This study examines the relationship between information and communication technologies (ICT), transport, and foreign direct investment (FDI) in countries with different income levels over the period 2000-2016. We investigate the impact of ICT and transport on territorial attractiveness of FDI in host countries. A global panel of 63 countries has been divided into three sub-panels. Using the GMM estimators, we found that these variables influence each other in the long-run. The causality direction varies across panels with different levels of significance. These empirical investigations are of particular interest to policymakers in both developed and developing countries. They prove the major impact of transport and ICT infrastructures on economic development of host countries through their significant contribution to improve FDI attractiveness. Moreover, the results confirm the positive role of transport and ICTs in supporting economic growth by strengthening countries’ economic openness and increasing their participation in international trade.

3-D Receiver Operating Characteristic Analysis for Hyperspectral Image Classification

Hyperspectral image classification (HSIC) faces three major challenging issues, which are generally overlooked. One is how to address the background (BKG) issue due to its unknown complexity. Another is how to deal with imbalanced classes since various classes have different levels of significance, particularly, small classes. A third one is fractional class membership assignment (FCMA) resulting from a soft-decision classifier. Unfortunately, the commonly used classification measures, overall accuracy (OA), average accuracy (AA), or kappa coefficient are generally not designed to cope with these issues. This article develops a 3-D receiver operating characteristic (3-D ROC) analysis from a detection point of view to explore how these three issues can be resolved for HSIC. Specifically, it first develops one-class classifier in BKG (OCCB), called constrained energy minimization (CEM), and multiclass classifier in BKG (MCCB), called linearly constrained minimum variance (LCMV) in conjunction with 3-D ROC analysis to address the BKG issue. Then, by considering a small class as a signal to be detected, its class accuracy can be interpreted as signal detection power/probability so that the 3-D ROC analysis can be used to address the imbalanced class issue. Finally, FCMA can be treated as a detector by converting a soft-decision classifier to a hard-decision classifier in such a manner that the 3-D ROC analysis is also readily applied. The experimental results demonstrate that 3-D ROC analysis provides a very useful evaluation tool to analyze the classification performance.

Factors Affecting Willingness to be Tested for COVID-19

This study was conducted to ascertain the degree of willingness of the respondents in undergoing a COVID-19 test whether or not they are experiencing its symptoms in relation to their possible motivations and/or aversions in so doing. This study employed a researcher-made instrument using a Likert scale. A Microsoft Office Forms online survey was created and respondents were invited to participate through Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Twitter. The survey was open to the public for 4 days and a total of 147 respondents answered. The results indicate that willingness to be tested if experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 depended on the particular symptom. Reasons for the respondents’ unwillingness to be tested despite possibly having said symptoms varied in their degree of importance. And the reasons for the respondents’ willingness to be tested if the symptoms are absent also appeared to possess different levels of significance.

Comparison of the effect of freeze-dried acid whey on physicochemical properties of organic fermented sausages made from beef and fallow deer meat.

The objective of this study was to compare the effect of freeze-dried acid whey on physicochemical properties and microbial changes of organic fermented sausages made from beef and fallow deer meat. Five formulations of sausages from each species were made. The results show that processing time and species of meat were the high significant factor on tested parameters. Variants and interactions between main factors influenced at different levels of significance on some tested attributes. At the end of processing fallow deer sausages were characterised by the lower pH (4.79 ± 0.01-4.90 ± 0.02 for fallow deer and 5.04 ± 0.00-5.25 ± 0.03 for beef sausages) and the content of 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (1.54 ± 0.09-2.81 ± 0.23 and 1.64 ± 0.15-5.06 ± 0.25 respectively) than sausages made from beef meat. In conclusion, the addition of freeze-dried acid whey in varying amounts did not significantly affect the physicochemical characteristics of sausages from both fallow deer and beef. However, further research is needed to compare the effect of acid whey on the nutritional values of raw fermented sausages from fallow deer and beef.