Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative mortality and predation in relation to egg production traits of Rhode Island Red, Black Australorp and Hyblack laying hens in scavenging production systems of rural Malawi

1. Black Australorp (BA), Rhode Island Red (RIR), and Hyblack (HB) birds were used in farm and field scavenging systems in Malawi, to study mortality through disease and predation in relation to laying performance. 2. Predation was higher in BA than HB. 3. Mortality through disease was higher in RIR than BA and HB. 4. Crossbred HB birds show the lowest combination of mortality and predation, suggesting a heterosis effect. 5. Mortality did not differ on farms and in field environments, suggesting an inability to improve biosecurity in farm conditions. 6. There was a positive relationship between eggshell strength and mortality. Calcium depletion from the birds’ bones, limiting foraging and escaping ability may be the explanation, which ultimately increases susceptibility to disease and predation.
Genetic Variants of Cytochrome b-245, Alpha Polypeptide Gene and Premature Acute Myocardial Infarction Risk in an Iranian Population

Summary Background: Oxidative stress induced by superoxide anion plays critical roles in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD) and hence acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The major source of superoxide production in vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cells is the NADPH oxidase complex. An essential component of this complex is p22phox, that is encoded by the cytochrome b-245, alpha polypeptide (CYBA) gene. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of CYBA variants (rs1049255 and rs4673) and premature acute myocardial infarction risk in an Iranian population. Methods: The study population consisted of 158 patients under the age of 50 years, with a diagnosis of premature AMI, and 168 age-matched controls with normal coronary angiograms. Genotyping of the polymorphisms was performed by the polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Results: There was no association between the genotypes and allele frequencies of rs4673 polymorphism and premature acute myocardial infarction (P>0.05). A significant statistical association was observed between the genotypes distribution of rs1049255 polymorphism and AMI risk (P=0.037). Furthermore, the distribution of AA+AG/GG genotypes was found to be statistically significant between the two groups (P=0.011). Conclusions: Our findings indicated that rs1049255 but not rs4673 polymorphism is associated with premature AMI.
Perceptual illusions and brain models

An adequate theory of visual perception must explain how the fleeting patterns of light upon the retinas give knowledge of surrounding objects. The problem of how the brain ‘reads’ reality from images is acute, because images represent directly but few, and biologically unimportant, characteristics of objects. What matters biologically are such things as whether an object is poisonous or food, hard or soft, heavy or light, sharp or blunt, friend or foe. These are not properties of images. The owner of the eye cannot eat or be eaten by its images, and yet his life depends upon interpreting them in terms of quite different characteristics of objects. It follows that eyes are of little biological value unless there is an adequate brain to interpret their images; which raises the evolutionary problem : how did the eye‒brain combination arise? (cf. Gregory 1967a). To read reality from images is to solve a problem : a running set of very difficult problems throughout active life. Errors are illusions. Certain situations present special difficulty, giving rise to systematic errors : can these serve as clues to how the brain generally solves the problem of what objects are represented by which images? Illusions can occur in any of the sense modalities, and they can cross the senses. A powerful illusion crosses from the seen size of an object to its apparent weight, as judged by lifting. Small objects feel up to fifty percent heavier than larger objects of the same scale weight. Thus weight is evidently not judged simply by the input from the arm but also by prior expectation set by the previous handling of weights. When the density is unexpectedly great or small we suffer a corresponding illusion of weight.
Effect of canagliflozin on the pharmacokinetics of glyburide, metformin, and simvastatin in healthy participants

Drug–drug interactions between canagliflozin, a sodium glucose co‐transporter 2 inhibitor, and glyburide, metformin, and simvastatin were evaluated in three phase‐1 studies in healthy participants. In these open‐label, fixed sequence studies, participants received: Study 1‐glyburide 1.25 mg/day (Day 1), canagliflozin 200 mg/day (Days 4–8), canagliflozin with glyburide (Day 9); Study 2‐metformin 2,000 mg/day (Day 1), canagliflozin 300 mg/day (Days 4–7), metformin with canagliflozin (Day 8); Study 3‐simvastatin 40 mg/day (Day 1), canagliflozin 300 mg/day (Days 2–6), simvastatin with canagliflozin (Day 7). Pharmacokinetic parameters were assessed at prespecified intervals. Co‐administration of canagliflozin and glyburide did not affect the overall exposure (maximum plasma concentration [Cmax] and area under the plasma concentration–time curve [AUC]) of glyburide and its metabolites (4‐trans‐hydroxy‐glyburide and 3‐cis‐hydroxy‐glyburide). Canagliflozin did not affect the peak concentration of metformin; however, AUC increased by 20%. Though Cmax and AUC were slightly increased for simvastatin (9% and 12%) and simvastatin acid (26% and 18%) following coadministration with canagliflozin, compared with simvastatin administration alone; however, no effect on active 3‐hydroxy‐3‐methyl‐glutaryl‐CoA (HMG‐CoA) reductase inhibitory activity was observed. There were no serious adverse events or hypoglycemic episodes. No drug–drug interactions were observed between canagliflozin and glyburide, metformin, or simvastatin. All treatments were well‐tolerated in healthy participants.
MEASUREMENTS OF CONDENSATION AND EVAPORATION OF CARBON DIOXIDE, NITROGEN, AND ARGON AT CRYOGENIC TEMPERATURES USING A MOLECULAR BEAM

Abstract : A high intensity, aerodynamic molecular beam generator combined with a sensitive modulated beam detector was used in the study of the condensation and evaporation processes of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon (CO2, N2, and Ar) on cryogenically cooled surfaces. Molecular beams were impinged on a polished copper target at surface temperatures between 20 and 300K. The results of these experiments have shown that: (1) Room temperature molecular beams of CO2, N2, and Ar scattered from a copper surface at temperatures below 300K follow a cosine law scattering pattern. The scattering pattern remains unchanged after the initiation of condensation and also during the evaporation process. The scattering pattern was insensitive to angle of incidence for angles between 0 and 80 deg relative to the surface normal. (2) The initiation of condensation of CO2, N2, and Ar gases on cryogenically cooled surfaces follows a definite gas pressure and surface temperature relation which is predicted by the theoretical relations derived by Frenkel. (3) The measured CO2 evaporation rate between 75 and 95K is in agreement with the extrapolation from published values at higher temperatures. (4) After initiation of condensation, the value of the capture coefficient is observed to approach a unity value. The high detector sensitivity allows measurements of capture coefficient up to 0. 995.
The Role of the big five personality traits, proactive behaviour, and socialisation influences in newcomer adjustment

During the early stages of employment, newly hired employees find out what their new organisations are like. Their first impressions are extremely important in determining the course of subsequent attitudes and behaviour. Recently, a considerable progress has been made towards the understanding of adjustment process, however, the literature remain divided along a number of fronts. Moreover, newcomer research has been conducted independent and irrespective of newcomer personality individual differences. This seems to be a critical oversight because there is overlap in predictions involving these constructs. The current research extended the previous one by examining these multiple antecedents, including Big Five personality traits of newcomer to the tandem process of adjustment as well as outcomes that immediate, or ? proximal? to the process of newcomer adjustment. Following a cross sectional pilot study of recent college graduate, a three- wave longitudinal study of newcomers in seven organisations examined Big Five personality traits, proactive behaviour, and socialisation influence (formal training, leaders, co-workers) as antecedents of proximal adjustment outcomes (group integration, political knowledge of organisation, and task performance). The main study results suggested that personality traits were related to proximal adjustment outcomes, specifically, Conscientiousness was positively related to all proximal adjustment outcomes. Openness to experience was related to task performance and political knowledge. Group integration is independently related to Agreeableness, Extraversion and Neuroticism. The socialisation influence moderate these relations, for example, leader socialisation moderate Conscientiousness as it relates to political knowledge and group integration, while co-worker moderate Extraversion as it relates to task performance. Finally, it was found that, the relationship between proximal adjustment outcomes and the personality dimensions Openness was mediated by proactive behaviour. Overall, the results suggested that individual differences have a role in newcomer adjustment as it facilitate the socialisation influence, and Big Five was one of the key determinants of newcomer adjustment.
Mediating role of psychological empowerment in relationships between structural empowerment and organizational culture, and workplace outcomes among academics in Malaysian research universities

The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating effect of psychological empowerment in the relationship between structural empowerment; organizational culture and work related outcomes (job satisfaction and organizational commitment) among academic staffs in research universities in Malaysia. A total of 260 academic staffs from four research universities (UM; UKM; UPM; and USM) participated in this study. Questionnaires were used as instruments to gather data on structural empowerment; organizational culture; psychological empowerment; job satisfaction;and organizational commitment. SPSS and AMOS softwares were utilized for analysis the data. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, and correlation coefficients) were used. The results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), which verify the proposed factor structure and test of the construct validity and composite validity, were reported. In conducting confirmatory factor analysis, some items that report lower factor loadings were removed, also, some constructs that cannot appropriately support the construct validity were deleted. Finally, structural model was used to test research hypothesis. The results of structural model showed there was a significant partial mediation on the influence of structural empowerment on organizational commitment through psychological empowerment. And there was a significant partial mediation on the influence of structural empowerment on job satisfaction through psychological empowerment. Also, there was a significant and partial mediation on the influence of clan culture on organizational commitment through psychological empowerment. And there was a significant partial mediation on the influence of clan culture on job satisfaction through psychological empowerment. Therefore, psychological empowerment in the context of higher education organization specially in research universities consider as an important factor, which may improve work outcomes’ behaviors of academic staff. If leaders of higher education can improve the psychological empowerment of academic staff in research universities, this will help them achieve greater commitment and job satisfaction among academics.
Spatiotemporal Variation of Precipitation Regime in China from 1961 to 2014 from the Standardized Precipitation Index

Prediction of drought and flood events can be difficult, but the standardized precipitation index (SPI) calculated from monthly data may be a useful tool for predicting future dryness/wetness events in China. The rainy season SPI was calculated from monthly precipitation data from 3804 meteorological stations in China. The spatiotemporal variation, periodic change, and trend in rainy season SPI from 1961 to 2014 in eight regions were investigated. The results indicate that the rainy season SPI is valuable for assessing dryness/wetness spatial and temporal variations. The SPI time series in the northwest and southwest show increasing trends, while northeast China, south China, and Taiwan show more than one upward/downward trend during the study period, and the SPI time series in central, east, and north China show no change in trend. South China has an approximately 10-year periodic oscillation, while the other regions show an approximately 16-year periodic oscillation. The results of this study imply that the SPI can be used to explore historical drought/flood spatiotemporal variations, as well as to predict future wetness/dryness variations.
What Emotional Labor is: A Review of Literature

The dominance of customer over the production/service employee, and as a result of this, increasing use of emotional labor in the workplace furthers the need to understand what emotional labor is. In this regard, the present paper reviews the literature to explain the concept ‘emotional labor’. In explaining emotional labor and its nomological network, the paper discusses the factors that affect and are affected by it. This paper contributes to the existing literature by assimilating different works done in this domain and providing a comprehensive understanding of emotional labor. This paper focuses on some of the critical issues, about which, the existing literature on emotional labor is silent and thus, providing a platform for further research.
Characterization of Flowing Blood Optical Property Under Various Fibrinogen Levels Using Optical Coherence Tomography

The feasibility of characterization of human blood fibrinogen levels using optical coherence tomography (OCT) was investigated. Three groups of blood samples were reconstituted of red blood cells: 1) phosphate-buffered saline; 2) plasma with its intrinsic fibrinogen removed and commercial fibrinogen added; and 3) native plasma with various fibrinogen levels (0–12 g/L). OCT signal slope (OCTSS) of blood was extracted from OCT depth-reflectivity profiles. Effects of hematocrit (HCT) and blood flow on OCTSS of the blood under various fibrinogen concentrations were also studied. The results of blood flowing at 5 mm/s showed that OCTSS of all the three groups at HCT of 40% decreases with the increasing fibrinogen concentration up to a certain level, i. e. , >8, 6, and 4 g/L for groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The blood of group 2 at HCTs of 30%, 40%, and 50% had a rapid decrease in OCTSS in the range of fibrinogen concentration of 0–2, 0–6, and 0–10 g/L, respectively. OCTSS value of blood flowing at 2.5 mm/s was lower than that at 5 mm/s at each fibrinogen concentration. In conclusion, OCTSS has a strong correlation with plasma fibrinogen concentration, and has the potential to identify the abnormal level of human blood fibrinogen.
The cortical distribution and interaction of semantic knowledge

Concepts are considered to be the building blocks of human higher-order cognition. Yet theories differ according to how these semantic representations are instantiated within the brain. The amodal characteristics of word meaning imply that this knowledge is stored independent of perceptual experiences. However, mounting evidence suggests that concepts depend upon cortical regions typically ascribed to sensory input. This embodiment of semantic representations through perceptual mechanisms can crucially explain the relationship between the meaning conveyed by words and experience with the associated objects. Across two experiments, this research used functional MRI to examine the role of sensory and prefrontal brain regions while participants verified semantic properties (e.g., sounds loud? ; lays eggs? ) of word items. The results show that perceptual properties activate the predicted cortical regions associated with vision, audition, taste and smell, and touch. Increased response times for these perceptual decisions were not associated with increased activity in the identified sensory areas but were associated with increased activity in prefrontal brain regions. In contrast, more abstract semantic decisions led to increased activity in the prefrontal cortex but no such increases were seen for the more difficult decisions. These findings indicate that multiple and widely distributed brain regions used to encode perceptual experiences also support semantic knowledge of those sensory experiences. The prefrontal cortex may represent abstract knowledge and control retrieval with increasing semantic demands for decisions further removed from perceptual experiences.
CHANGES IN KINSHIP ADJUSTMENT OF MIXED AND INTRACASTE MARRIED WORKING WOMEN

The present study is aimed at finding out the mixed married and intracaste married women's adjustment with their parents,parents-in-law and kins (i.e. adjustment with both sets of parents) from the first two years of their marriage to the present. It also investigated, the difference if any, between the mixed married and intracaste married women regarding their previ ous and present adjustment with parents, parents-in-law and kins. The results showed that, the adjustment of mixed married respondents with their parents-in-law and kins during their first two years of marriage was poorer than that of intracaste married respondents. However, their present adjustment was found to have improved to similar level as that of intracaste married respondents. Case-studies revealed that, the in-law relationship was good, when ever there xvas a deliberate effort on the part of the respondents to please their in-laws. Non-acceptance and illtreatment ofrespondents by their in laws and indifference and dislike on the part of respondents towards their in-laws were found to be the factors leading to poor in-law relations.
Platelet-rich Fibrin: A Paradigm in Periodontal Therapy – A Systematic Review

Periodontal tissue regeneration has always been a challenge for the periodontists owing to its structural complexity. Although with tissue engineering as a growing multidisciplinary field, this aim has partially been fulfilled. In recent years, platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) has gained wide attention for its utilization as a biocompatible regenerative material not only in dental but also in medical fields. The following systematic review has gathered all the currently available in vitro, animal, and clinical studies utilizing PubMed electronic database from January 2006 to August 2016 highlighting PRF for soft and hard tissue regeneration and/or wound healing. Although results are encouraging but require further validation from clinical studies to justify the potential role of PRF in periodontal regeneration so that this relatively inexpensive autologous biomaterial can be utilized at a wider scale.
A transregional model for near-threshold circuits with application to minimum-energy operation

The most energy-efficient operating point for CMOS circuits is near the threshold voltage. Conventional models are difficult to use in this region because they are piecewise and/or discontinuous around threshold. This paper proposes a simple new model for Ion that is valid in the near-threshold region. Based on the ON-current, a propagation delay model is derived. The model is applied to determine the minimum energy point for inverter chains. The transregional model matches simulated data within 15 mV, while the conventional exponential subthreshold model underestimates the supply voltage by up to 80 mV.
Endotoxin protein: a B-cell mitogen and polyclonal activator of C3H/HeJ lymphocytes

A cell wall protein that is ordinarily complexed to the lipopolysaccharide endotoxin in gram-negative bacteria has been separated by the use of aqueous phenol. The protein is active as a B- cell mitogen and polyclonal activator of murine lymphocytes including the C3H/HeJ strain which is a nonresponder to lipoplysaccharide or lipid A.
When schoolgirls become mothers : reflections from a selected group of teenage girls in Durban

Schools are obliged to support young women who become mothers. Drawing from an interview study of young women in a Durban school, this article shows how their experience is situated within discourses of shame and stigma. Such shame works to reduce their agency and increase their vulnerability to drop out of school. Both teachers and peers are complicit in this. The participants argue that schools do not support the management of pregnancy, parenting and learning, with negative effects for learning outcomes. However, schools are not only sites of social reproduction, since the participants point to glimmers of hope as a consequence of care work among friends, some teachers and support groups in the school. The article argues that the experience of pregnancy and parenting is highly gendered, and addressing the challenges requires a commitment to gender equality and justice. Some implications for schools are suggested in the conclusion of the article. Keywords: Girls, pregnancy, young mothers, schooling, sexual shame, teachers, peers, disruption, care work
Lopinavir/ritonavir monotherapy as a nucleoside analogue-sparing strategy to prevent HIV-1 mother-to-child transmission: the ANRS 135 PRIMEVA phase 2/3 randomized trial.

BACKGROUND Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is usually based on zidovudine-containing regimens, despite potential toxicities. This multicenter trial evaluated whether lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) monotherapy in HIV type 1-infected women not requiring antiretrovirals for themselves could control maternal viral load (VL). METHODS Overall, 105 pregnant women with baseline VL <30 000 copies/mL and CD4 ≥350 cells/µL were randomized to start open-label LPV/r 400/100 mg twice daily alone (monotherapy group, n = 69) or combined with zidovudine/lamivudine 300/150 mg twice daily (triple therapy group, n = 36) from 26 gestational weeks to delivery. According to a Fleming 2-stage phase 2 design, monotherapy was considered to be efficacious if at least 59 patients achieved VL <200 copies/mL at 8 weeks of treatment (primary endpoint). Secondary endpoints were VL at delivery and tolerance. RESULTS Monotherapy was efficacious as defined: 62 women in the monotherapy group achieved VL <200 copies/mL at 34 weeks' gestation (ie, 8 weeks of treatment; 89.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 80.2%-95.8%). At delivery, proportions with VL <200 copies/mL were similar in the monotherapy and triple therapy groups (92.8% vs 97.2%; P = .66); however, fewer had VL <50 copies/mL in the monotherapy group (78.3% vs 97.2%; P = .01). Changes for intolerance were less frequent in the monotherapy than in the triple therapy group (1.4% vs 11.1%, respectively; P = .046). Cesarean delivery and preterm delivery rates did not differ. All children were liveborn; 1 case of HIV-1 transmission occurred in the triple therapy group, none in the monotherapy group (95% CI upper limit = 5.2%). CONCLUSIONS LPV/r monotherapy achieved satisfactory virologic efficacy in women treated solely for PMTCT, providing proof of concept for future nucleoside-sparing strategies.