Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring indicators of genetic selection using the sniffer method to reduce methane emissions from Holstein cows

Objective This study aimed to evaluate whether the methane (CH4) to carbon dioxide (CO2) ratio (CH4/CO2) and methane-related traits obtained by the sniffer method can be used as indicators for genetic selection of Holstein cows with lower CH4 emissions. Methods The sniffer method was used to simultaneously measure the concentrations of CH4 and CO2 during milking in each milking box of the automatic milking system to obtain CH4/CO2. Methane-related traits, which included CH4 emissions, CH4 per energy-corrected milk, methane conversion factor (MCF), and residual CH4, were calculated. First, we investigated the impact of the model with and without body weight (BW) on the lactation stage and parity for predicting methane-related traits using a first on-farm dataset (Farm 1; 400 records for 74 Holstein cows). Second, we estimated the genetic parameters for CH4/CO2 and methane-related traits using a second on-farm dataset (Farm 2; 520 records for 182 Holstein cows). Third, we compared the repeatability and environmental effects on these traits in both farm datasets. Results The data from Farm 1 revealed that MCF can be reliably evaluated during the lactation stage and parity, even when BW is excluded from the model. Farm 2 data revealed low heritability and moderate repeatability for CH4/CO2 (0.12 and 0.46, respectively) and MCF (0.13 and 0.38, respectively). In addition, the estimated genetic correlation of milk yield with CH4/CO2 was low (0.07) and that with MCF was moderate (−0.53). The on-farm data indicated that CH4/CO2 and MCF could be evaluated consistently during the lactation stage and parity with moderate repeatability on both farms. Conclusion This study demonstrated the on-farm applicability of the sniffer method for selecting cows with low CH4 emissions.
The Pathway between Social Dominance Orientation and Drop out from Hierarchy-Attenuating Contexts: The Role of Moral Foundations and Person-Environment Misfit

The present study examines the role of individuals’ preference for unequal intergroup relations in exacerbating a process of differential attrition from organizations that value intergroup equality (i.e., hierarchy-attenuating contexts). We proposed that people functioning within a well-recognized hierarchy-attenuating context (i.e., students of social work) who were higher on social dominance orientation (SDO) would be more likely to leave their institution through two pathways; first, people higher on SDO would have fewer moral concerns of social fairness and human harm-avoidance (i.e., individualizing); in turn, a lack of individualizing morality would stimulate a perceived person-environment misfit, ultimately increasing their intention to leave. We conducted a single cross-sectional design study involving a convenience sample of 245 undergraduate social work students. Overall, the results of the serial mediation model suggest that people higher on SDO intend to leave their organization that supports inclusive equality via reduced individualizing morality and high perceived P-E misfit. These findings contribute to understanding the role of socio-political orientations and moral beliefs in hindering proper adaptation to contexts that value egalitarian social norms, with relevant implications for individuals and groups.
Processes controlling fuel dynamics and fire regimes across environmental gradients in the Mediterranean region of south eastern Australia

Fire isa key process that governs the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems. Changes in fire regimes have the potential to greatly affect biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Fire regimes differ between ecosystems due to variation in fuel dynamics (i.e. vegetation growth and moisture content), fire weather and ignitions. Patterns of growth, fuel accumulation and flammability in response to resource availability will differ fundamentally between fuel systems dominated by grasses compared to woody plants. As such, the effect of fuel dynamics on fire will beinfluenced byfactors that determine the relative abundance of grass and shrub cover. This study aimed to determine the processes controlling fuel dynamics and fire regimes along moisture and soil fertility gradients of the Mediterranean-climate region of south eastern Australia; a transitional region between grass and shrub-dominated fuel systems. The relative influence of climate and soils on controlling grass and shrub cover and resultant fire probabilities was examined. Effects of competitive interactions as well as elevated CO2 in interaction with climate and soils on relative grass and shrub cover were experimentally determined, in order to separate the confounded factors that occur in the field (i.e. in a southward direction temperature decreases, rainfall increases, soil fertility decreases and shrub cover increases). Climate and soils, rather than competition, were the over-arching determinants of the relative cover of grasses and shrubs across the Mediterranean climate region of south eastern Australia. The cover of the perennial hummock grass, Triodia scariosaand woody shrubs changed along the rainfall and temperature gradients in accordance with predictions given the transitional position of the region; T. scariosacover was relatively lower in the south under cold, wet conditions than in the north under hot, dry conditions while the opposite occurred for shrub cover. While shrub cover was higher on the less fertile soils, soils did not influence the cover of T. scariosa in the field under a given level of rainfall. By contrast, experimental analysis revealed temperature was likely to be a more important determinant of the growth and abundance of T. scariosa, than the distribution of soils.
Postural Instability and Risk of Falls in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease Treated with Deep Brain Stimulation: A Stabilometric Platform Study

Postural instability (PI) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) exposes patients to an increased risk of falls (RF). While dopaminergic therapy and deep brain stimulation (DBS) improve motor performance in advanced PD patients, their effects on PI and RF remain elusive. PI and RF were assessed using a stabilometric platform in six advanced PD patients. Patients were evaluated in OFF and ON dopaminergic medication and under four DBS settings: with DBS off, DBS bilateral, and unilateral DBS of the more- or less-affected side. Our findings indicate that dopaminergic medication by itself exacerbated PI and RF, and DBS alone led to a decline in RF. No combination of medication and DBS yielded a superior improvement in postural control compared to the baseline combination of OFF medication and the DBS-off condition. Yet, for ON medication, DBS significantly improved both PI and RF. Among DBS conditions, DBS bilateral provided the most favorable outcomes, improving PI and RF in the ON medication state and presenting the smallest setbacks in the OFF state. Conversely, the more-affected side DBS was less beneficial. These preliminary results could inform therapeutic strategies for advanced PD patients experiencing postural disorders.
Commentary: The framework for systematic reviews on psychological risk factors for persistent somatic symptoms and related syndromes and disorders (PSY-PSS)

COPYRIGHT © 2023 Berens, Ehrenthal and Tesarz. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Commentary: The framework for systematic reviews on psychological risk factors for persistent somatic symptoms and related syndromes and disorders (PSY-PSS)
Optimal Consumption and Investment with Asymmetric Long-term / Short-term Capital Gains Taxes

We propose an optimal consumption and investment model with asymmetric longterm/short-term capital gains tax rates for both lower income and wealthy investors. We characterize and develop an iterative algorithm to compute the optimal policy. Opposite to the existing literature, we show that it may be optimal to defer even large long-term gains and losses. In addition, the optimal policy for lower income investors is qualitatively different from that for wealthy ones. Furthermore, raising capital gains tax rates for lower income investors can significantly increase their consumption, stock investment, and welfare, due to negative effective tax rates. ∗We thank Bob Dammon, Phil Dybvig, Jennifer Huang (AFA Discussant), Pete Kyle, Mark Loewenstein, Chester Spatt, Harold Zhang, and seminar participants at 2011 CICF, 2013 AFA, University of Maryland, and Washington University for helpful discussions. We thank Yingshan Chen, Yaoting Lei, and Chen Yang for excellent research assistance. Dai is from Department of Mathematics of National University of Singapore (NUS), Liu is from the Olin Business School of Washington University in St. Louis, and Zhong is from Department of Mathematics of Oxford University. Authors can be reached at matdm@nus.edu. sg, liuh@wustl.edu, and yifei.zhong@maths.ox. ac.uk Optimal Consumption and Investment with Asymmetric Long-term/Short-term Capital Gains Taxes Abstract We propose an optimal consumption and investment model with asymmetric longterm/short-term capital gains tax rates for both lower income and wealthy investors. We characterize and develop an iterative algorithm to compute the optimal policy. Opposite to the existing literature, we show that it may be optimal to defer even large long-term gains and losses. In addition, the optimal policy for lower income investors is qualitatively different from that for wealthy ones. Furthermore, raising capital gains tax rates for lower income investors can significantly increase their consumption, stock investment, and welfare, due to negative effective tax rates. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: G11, H24, K34, D91.
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND TEACHER INTERVENTION CAN REDUCE STUDENT ANXIETY LEVELS

The purpose of this study was to find out the effectiveness of classroom management and teacher intervention in reducing students' anxiety levels at school. The researcher used a qualitative research method with descriptive research. The steps in this research were to collect information or collect classification data, and then perform data analysis, interpretation, and make conclusions and reports. The research was carried out from January 13 to February 14, 2023. The results of the research the researchers conducted showed that anxiety in students can be reduced through good classroom management in several ways, namely through preventive efforts by motivating students to concentrate on lessons and conditioning students to be ready to learn in class; readiness to learn greatly determines student learning activities. Besides these preventive efforts to reduce student anxiety in class in a curative way, this method requires the role of the guidance and counseling teacher by providing counseling to students who have high anxiety using systematic desensitization techniques.
Comparison of Iodide-125 and Ruthenium-106 Brachytherapy in the Treatment of Choroidal Melanomas

Background: To compare iodine-125 ( 125 I) with ruthenium-106 ( 106 Ru) episcleral plaque radiation therapy in terms of the effectiveness and non-inferiority for choroidal melanoma treatment. Objective: To report the non-inferiority of new made iodine-125 ( 125 I) compared with ruthenium-106 ( 106 Ru) episcleral plaque radiation. Patients and Methods: A retrospective, non-randomized comparative case series. In this series the patients treated with 125 I and 106 Ru episcleral plaques for choroidal melanoma between September 2013 and August 2017 at Farabi Hospital are compared. Local control of choroidal melanomas after 125 I and 106 Ru plaques implantation and vision changes are the main outcome measures. Results: A total of 35 patients were identi ﬁ ed ( 125 I = 15, 106 Ru = 20). No signi ﬁ cant difference between two groups in visual acuity, diameter and thickness changes were observed after treatment. Multivariate linear regression (MLR) analysis showed that ﬁ nal diameter was only, independently and signi ﬁ cantly, correlated with the pre-treatment diameter of the tumor ( β = 0.59, 95% con ﬁ dence interval [CI]: 0.29, 1.34, P = 0.003). The same MLR analysis for the ﬁ nal thickness and visual acuity, after adjusting for age and sex showed no signi ﬁ cant difference between two groups. A single patient treated with 106 Ru had local tumor recurrence with no one in the 125 I group. No statistical difference in the rate of ocular complications was observed. Conclusion: The treatment with our 125 I plaques is as effective as 106 Ru plaques in controlling choroidal melanoma tumor and preserving the vision during the two and half year of follow-up. The complication rates are alike. It means that the effectiveness of 125 I is not only comparable to 106 Ru but also superior when the outcome of the interest is the thickness of the tumors.
Molecular Theranostics in Radioiodine-Refractory Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Simple Summary Radioiodine therapy is the main treatment option for metastatic differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). However, only half of these patients achieve (partial or complete) remission or have stable disease during long-term follow-up. In the remaining ones, disease progresses mainly as they become radioiodine-refractory. The diagnostics of radioiodine-refractory disease are extensively debated. The introduction of novel tracers besides radioiodine isotopes (131I, 123I, and 124I) and 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ([18F]FDG) opens new options for the diagnostics and therapy of this subgroup of DTC patients. Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) ligands, fibroblast activation protein inhibitors (FAPI), and somatostatin receptor-targeted radiopharmaceuticals appear to be new potential theranostics tracers. In this review, we will elaborate on the role of these radiopharmaceuticals in the management of radioiodine-refractory disease. Abstract Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is the most common subtype of thyroid cancer and has an excellent overall prognosis. However, metastatic DTC in certain cases may have a poor prognosis as it becomes radioiodine-refractory. Molecular imaging is essential for disease evaluation and further management. The most commonly used tracers are [18F]FDG and isotopes of radioiodine. Several other radiopharmaceuticals may be used as well, with different diagnostic performances. This review article aims to summarize radiopharmaceuticals used in patients with radioiodine-refractory DTC (RAI-R DTC), focusing on their different molecular pathways. Additionally, it will demonstrate possible applications of the theranostics approach to this subgroup of metastatic DTC.
Urbanization and demographic change in sub-Saharan Africa: Three essays on fertility and child mortality differentials in a rapidly-urbanizing context

Nearly all demographic research on sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) utilizes a strict urban/rural dichotomy, which implicitly assumes homogenous demographic outcomes within these categories. In this dissertation, I use data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) to demonstrate that using an urban continuum reveals substantial differences in the demographic outcomes among SSA's growing urban settlements. In the first chapter, I use event-history analysis to examine whether SSA's long-held urban child survival advantage is diminishing, accounting for differentials in city size and potential bias in survival rates due to migration. I find the overall under-5 survival advantage of urban over rural areas persists but that there is a widening of the advantage in the largest cities over smaller urban areas. In the second chapter, I model annual birth probabilities to examine whether there is a discernible "urban effect" of lower fertility among internal migrants in West Africa. Results suggest an association of urban residence and lower fertility, as women who moved either to or from urban areas have lower annual odds of a birth compared to both rural non-migrants and rural-to-rural migrants. I also find that women who relocate to the largest cities have lower fertility than do women who move to smaller urban areas, suggesting that the influence of urban residence on fertility is strongest where fertility rates are lowest. In the final chapter, I estimate total fertility rates and under-5 mortality probabilities for cities of different size in West Africa by linking DHS cluster data to census and geographic information systems (GIS) data for four distinct urban sub-categories. Results show a clear gradient in fertility and child mortality in urban areas according to size, with the largest cities most advantaged; this gradient is as steep between the largest and smallest urban areas as it is between the smallest urban and rural areas. I use the findings from this dissertation to argue for wider use of urban continuums in demographic research on SSA instead of the continued reliance on a strict urban/rural dichotomy that obscures important nuances in the interrelationship of urbanization and demographic change in this rapidlyurbanizing region. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Demography First Advisor Michel Guillot
Resistance to anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1: galectin-3 inhibition with GB1211 reverses galectin-3-induced blockade of pembrolizumab and atezolizumab binding to PD-1/PD-L1

Background Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a β-galactoside-binding lectin that is highly expressed within the tumor microenvironment of aggressive cancers and has been suggested to predict a poor response to immune checkpoint therapy with the anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody pembrolizumab. We aimed to assess if the effect of Gal-3 was a result of direct interaction with the immune checkpoint receptor. Methods The ability of Gal-3 to interact with the PD-1/PD-L1 complex in the absence and presence of blocking antibodies was assessed in in vitro biochemical and cellular assays as well as in an in vivo syngeneic mouse cancer model. Results Gal-3 reduced the binding of the checkpoint inhibitors pembrolizumab (anti-PD-1) and atezolizumab (anti-PD-L1), by potentiating the interaction between the PD-1/PD-L1 complex. In the presence of a highly selective Gal-3 small molecule inhibitor (GB1211) the binding of the anti-PD-1/anti-PD-L1 therapeutics was restored to control levels. This was observed in both a surface plasmon resonance assay measuring protein-protein interactions and via flow cytometry. Combination therapy with GB1211 and an anti-PD-L1 blocking antibody reduced tumor growth in an in vivo syngeneic model and increased the percentage of tumor infiltrating T lymphocytes. Conclusion Our study suggests that Gal-3 can potentiate the PD-1/PD-L1 immune axis and potentially contribute to the immunosuppressive signalling mechanisms within the tumor microenvironment. In addition, Gal-3 prevents atezolizumab and pembrolizumab target engagement with their respective immune checkpoint receptors. Reversal of this effect with the clinical candidate GB1211 offers a potential enhancing combination therapeutic with anti-PD-1 and -PD-L1 blocking antibodies.
Understanding the Motivations , Participation and Performance of Open Source Software Developers : A Longitudinal Study of the Apache Projects

The projects of the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) enjoy wide acceptance both in the marketplace and in the OSS development community. According to a recent web server survey by Netcraft (2005), the Apache webserver and its derivatives have attained a dominant 70% share of the web-server market, and the Apache webserver software is installed at more than 44 million sites worldwide. Similarly, the ASF projects consistently attract and retain the large number of participants vital for OSS project success (Von Krogh et al. 2003). The three ASF projects in this study accepted 100,000 changes from over 1,300 different open source developers from 1999-2002. Membership in the ASF is by invitation only and is based on a strict meritocracy. A characteristic of many OSS projects is the presence of a strong project leader (Raymond 1999). However, as we have noted, the Apache projects operate under a model of shared leadership and responsibility. This model of shared responsibility is reflected in the principles of the meritocracy that define advancement within the ASF (Fielding 1999).
A Comparative Study of Morphometric Analysis of Nucleolar Organizer Regions in Oral Leukoplakia and Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Significance of AgNOR as a Diagnostic Tool

Background Silver stainable nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) have proven to exhibit utmost importance due to their higher occurrence in the nucleus especially in malignant cells than in normal. Thus, they assist in the examination of nucleolar structures and variations in nucleolar activity. Aim Quantitative and qualitative analysis in relation to the number and area of AgNOR in tissue sections of the normal oral mucosa (NOM), oral leukoplakia (OL), and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) was the main aim of the study. Materials & method A total of 50 cases comprising 20 OL with dysplasia, 20 OSCC cases, and 10 samples of normal oral mucosa were taken. Silver nitrate (Sol A) & gelatin (Sol B) solutions were freshly prepared for staining the lesional slides. Results The mean value of nuclear profile area (A Nuc) was comparatively higher in oral leukoplakia i.e. 41.97 and in oral squamous cell carcinoma i.e. 62.36 in comparison to the control group where it was 36.19. The mean value of a single AgNOR profile area per nucleus (A NOR) was found to be comparatively lower in both study groups i.e. oral leukoplakia (2.76) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (1.61) in comparison to the control group (3.45) . The mean value of total AgNOR profile area per nucleus (TA NOR) and the number of profiles of AgNORs per nucleus (n NOR) were found higher in both study groups (oral leukoplakia and oral squamous cell carcinoma) as compared to normal oral mucosa of the control group. However, the findings of all four parameters of morphometric analysis were found to be significantly associated with disorder of oral mucosa i.e. cases of oral leukoplakia and oral squamous cell carcinoma (P value <0.01). Conclusion It can thus be suggested that the mean AgNOR count displayed a higher value in OSCC. Hence, the number of AgNORs in nuclei increases as epithelial cells undergo malignant transformation which is designated that mean AgNOR count may contribute to establishing the prognosis of a lesion.