Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systematic review and meta-analysis of global food security projections to 2050

Ending hunger and achieving food security - one of the UN sustainable development goals - is a major global challenge. To inform the policy debate, quantified global scenarios and projections are used to assess long-term future global food security under a range of socio-economic and climate change scenarios. However, due to differences in model design and scenario assumptions, there is uncertainty about the range of food security projections and outcomes. We conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to assess the range of future global food security projections to 2050. We reviewed 57 global food security projection and quantitative scenario studies that have been published over the last two decades and discussed the methodology, underlying drivers, indicators and projections. We harvested quantitative information from 26 studies to compare future trends of the two most used global food security indicators: per capita food demand (593 projections) and population at risk of hunger (358 projections). We found that across five representative scenarios that span divergent but plausible socio-economic futures total global food demand is expected to increase by +35% to +56% between 2010 and 2050, while population at risk of hunger is expected to change by -91% to +8% over the same period. If climate change is taken into account the range changes slightly (+30% to +62% for total food demand and -91% to +30% for population at risk of hunger) but overall we do not find statistical support for differences in projections with and without climate change. Finally, our review suggests that current modeling approaches can be improved by better incorporating several options that have been proposed to tackle global food security, in particular aquaculture and ‘future foods’, and expand the number of indicators to better cover the multiple dimensions of food security. The results of our review can be used to benchmark new global food security projections and quantitative scenario studies and inform policy analysis and the public debate on the future of food.
Business writing practice and support over time: Evidence from a strategic management class

Abstract Our study examines whether student business writing in pre-requisite courses and student use of university-provided writing support services are associated with student writing performance in the business capstone course in strategic management. Our results indicate that the number of writing center consultations over time and student performance in a pre-requisite business communication course were both positively associated with writing performance in the business capstone course. In addition, student performance in both the operations management and business communication courses were found to be strongly correlated with student performance in the capstone course. These findings support engaging students in repeated practice of business writing.
Higher Habitual Flavonoid Intakes Are Associated with a Lower Incidence of Diabetes

ABSTRACT Background Higher flavonoid intakes are hypothesized to confer protection against type 2 diabetes mellitus. Objectives We aimed to 1) investigate associations between flavonoid intakes and diabetes, 2) examine the mediating impact of body fat, and 3) identify subpopulations that may receive the greatest benefit from higher flavonoid intakes in participants of the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Study followed up for 23 y. Methods Cross-sectional associations between baseline flavonoid intake, estimated using FFQs and the Phenol Explorer database, and body fat, estimated by bioelectrical impedance, were assessed using multivariable-adjusted linear regression models. Nonlinear associations between flavonoid intake and incident diabetes were examined using restricted cubic splines with multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models. Results Among 54,787 participants (median age: 56 y; IQR: 52–60 y; 47.3% men), 6700 individuals were diagnosed with diabetes. Participants in the highest total flavonoid intake quintile (median, 1202 mg/d) had a 1.52 kg lower body fat (95% CI: –1.74, –1.30 kg) and a 19% lower risk of diabetes (HR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.75, 0.87) after multivariable adjustments and compared with participants in the lowest intake quintile (median: 174 mg/d). Body fat mediated 57% (95% CI: 42, 83%) of the association between flavonoid intake and incident diabetes. Of the flavonoid subclasses, moderate to high intakes of flavonols, flavanol monomers, flavanol oligo + polymers, and anthocyanins were significantly associated with a lower risk of diabetes. Although associations were not modified by sex, smoking status, BMI, or physical activity (Pinteraction > 0.05 for all), findings on an absolute scale suggest that those at a higher risk (those with obesity) may benefit the most from a higher flavonoid intake. Conclusions The findings reported in this study suggest that a diet abundant in flavonoid-rich foods may help ameliorate diabetes risk, in part through a reduction in body fat.
Does methylprednisolone affect time to recovery in COVID–19 Pneumonia?

Objective: Current literature has conflicting results on the role of steroids in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. This study aims to evaluate the effects of steroids on clinical recovery, duration of hospitalization, and time needed for the cessation of oxygen treatment. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 between March and May 2020. Patient age, laboratory parameters, clinical stages, radiologic scores, length of hospital stay, and time needed for the cessation of oxygen supplementation were compared. Results: Thirteen patients were treated with steroids, and 12 controls were included in the analysis. Regarding the laboratory parameters, the groups were similar except for lymphocyte percentage (9.8 +/- 3.2, 7.0 +/- 2.9;p=0.033), which was higher, and 1)-dieter levels (0.75 (0.60-1.43), 157 (0.91-2.29);p-0.047), which were lower in the steroid group on admission. Steroid treatment provided a tendency of decrease in time to cessation of oxygen supplementation (6.23 +/- 3A vs 7.67 +/- 2.1, p=0.217). Conclusion: Although, systemic steroids, started in the subacute period, did not affect the length of hospital stay, they provided a tendency of decrease in the time until the cessation of oxygen supplementation in the subacute period.
Transcriptome Co-Expression Network Analysis Identifies Key Genes and Regulators of Sweet Cherry Anthocyanin Biosynthesis

Anthocyanin is the key factor that results in the attractive color of sweet cherry fruits. However, information regarding sweet cherry coloration and the potential mechanisms underlying anthocyanin biosynthesis is limited. In this study, we found that the anthocyanin accumulation varied in sweet cherry flesh and peel, while the anthocyanin content increased sharply in the dark red (DR) stage. Correlations between anthocyanin concentrations and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), constructed with Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA), indicated that two structural genes (Pac4CL2, PacANS) and 11 transcription factors (PacbHLH13/74, PacDIV, PacERF109/115, PacGATA8, PacGT2, PacGTE10, PacMYB308, PacPosF21, and PacWRKY7) had similar expression patterns with the changes in anthocyanin content. Additionally, real-time PCR verified all of these gene expression patterns and revealed that PacANS exhibited the highest transcription level. In order to search for potential regulators for anthocyanin biosynthesis, a dual-luciferase assay was performed to investigate the regulatory activities of 11 transcription factors on the PacANS promoter. The results revealed that two novelty bHLHs, PacbHLH13 and PacbHLH74, can trans-activate the PacANS promoter and they might be the candidate genes for regulating anthocyanin synthesis in sweet cherry fruits. The present findings provide a novel viewpoint with regard to anthocyanin biosynthesis mechanisms and the regulatory transcriptional network of fruit coloration in sweet cherries.
Penn State Worry Questionnaire in emotional disorders: validation and normative data for Portuguese population

ABSTRACT Worry is a phenomenon that is present in multiple psychopathologies. Given the widely accepted transdiagnostic role that worry plays in psychopathology, reliable measures for this construct are pivotal for clinical practice. The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) is one of the most widely used and established measures of worry in both clinical and non-clinical populations and it is accepted as a highly reliable measure. The present study aimed to examine the factor structure and psychometric properties of the PSWQ for the Portuguese population. The total sample consisted of 428 participants, 256 from the community, and 172 from the clinical population. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a model of one factor with a method factor containing the negatively worded items.
Rain-fed fig trees response to supplemental irrigation timing and potassium fertiliser in micro-catchment

ABSTRACT Due to the scarcity of water resources, low quality of available water, and drought occurrence, farmer’s tendency to rain-fed farming is increased. In this study, the effect of supplemental irrigation (SI) timing in different months (Rain-fed, March, May, August, March + May) and potassium (K) application at three rates either via foliar spray (0, 1.5 and 3 kg K 1000 L−1) or fertigation (0, 150, 250 g tree−1) on soil water balance and growth of rain-fed fig (Ficus carica L.) trees was investigated through a 3-year experiment. Results showed that SI would increase the soil water content, tree evapotranspiration, yield, shoot growth, shoot diameter, number of leaves in a new shoot, leaf width in a new shoot, number of inflorescences, and inflorescence diameter in rain-fed fig trees. Among the irrigation timing treatments, irrigation in March is the best time for the supplemental irrigation of rain-fed fig orchards in severe drought conditions to improve vegetative and generative traits. In addition, application of potassium at the rate of 150 g per tree through fertigation or 3 kg 1000 L water via foliar application is recommended to achieve the highest fruit production in rained fig orchards under drought conditions.
EFFECTS OF POLITICAL RISK FACTORS ON TAX REVENUE IN KENYA

A broad range of tax reforms have been implemented in Kenya in the post-independence period with the objective of increasing tax revenue for promoting economic growth with reduced reliance on external funding. Most of the reforms have targeted broadening of the tax base. However, tax collections remain inadequate, and deficits have persisted. Past studies on tax revenue growth have looked at effects of foreign sector, stage of development, demographic factors and sectoral mix on tax revenue. The models used in those studies did not factor in political risk factors including democratic accountability, bureaucracy quality and internal conflict. Such factors can have significant direct or indirect influence on tax revenue. This study estimated tax revenue models with these factors captured using data for the period 1984 to 2016. The findings show that increase in bureaucracy quality and democratic accountability lead to increase in tax revenue. Efficiency of institutions is shown to enhance tax collections during periods of social strife suggesting the presence of displacement and inspection effect. Internal conflicts are shown to cause declines in tax revenues. The government of Kenya and its revenue authority should therefore strengthen the quality and efficiency of institutions and effective control measures on acts of civil war, terrorism and civil disorder alongside the tax reforms to increase tax revenues. JEL: H20; H21; H25 Article visualizations:
Vitamin B12 deficiency in patients with diabetes at a specialised diabetes clinic, Botswana

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of Vitamin B12 deficiency among patients with diabetes. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was undertaken on 351 patients with diabetes at a specialised public diabetes clinic in Gaborone between July 2017 and October 2017. Clinical, anthropometry and laboratory data were collected. Vitamin B12 deficiency was defined by levels < 150 pmol/l. Results: The mean (SD) age of the participants was 57 (15) years, two-thirds (67.2%) were females, and the majority (92.9%) had Type 2 diabetes. Most (89.5%) participants were on metformin. The prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency was 6.6%. Compared with participants with normal Vitamin B12 levels, deficient participants were significantly older (64 vs. 56 years, p = 0.014) and had a longer duration of metformin use (7 vs. 4 years, p = 0.024). The use of acid blockers was also associated with vitamin B12 deficiency (p = 0.012). There was no difference in the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy between those with normal and deficient vitamin B12 levels. Conclusion: Vitamin B12 deficiency exists among patients with diabetes in the setting discussed. Regular vitamin B12 assessment may be beneficial, especially among diabetes patients who are old, those taking metformin over a long duration and patients on acid blockers.
The Nonprofit Assimilation Process and Work-Life Balance

Nonprofit organizations are a context where workers’ passion and commitment to their work may make it more difficult to negotiate between professional work and private life demands. Challenges in navigating work and life are important issues for individual sustainability and influence organizational sustainability in terms of retention and organizational commitment. As new employees join an organization, they are socialized into the rhythm and norms of the workplace; therefore, early employment provides an important juncture to study how new employees come to understand work-life expectations. This qualitative study considers 55 interviews with new employees (employed six months or less) at a nonprofit social welfare organization which was concerned with high employee turnover. Participants described how they came to the organization, how they learned the expected behaviors for their positions and messages received from organizational members (e.g., supervisors and coworkers) and social groups outside of the organization (e.g., family and friends) pertaining to managing work and life responsibilities. Findings highlight the importance of communication, extend organizational assimilation concepts, and offer practical implications to enhance sustainability for organizations and employees.
Examining the Responding Component of Teacher Noticing: A Case of One Teacher’s Pedagogical Responses to Students’ Thinking in Classroom Artifacts

In this study, we investigated how an experienced fourth-grade teacher responded to her students’ thinking as part of her teacher noticing practice in a formative assessment context. Our primary purpose in doing this work was to decompose the responding component of teacher noticing and use our findings to present an emerging framework characterizing the multidimensional nature of this practice. We present two key outcomes based on the findings of this work. First, we show how a formative assessment context situated outside of instruction can engage teachers in practice-based noticing. Second, we present an emerging framework of the responding component of teacher noticing and discuss how it can be used by teacher educators to engage teachers in analytic work in ways that reveal the relationships between what teachers see in students’ thinking and how, when, and toward whom they respond.
Promoting positive intergroup attitudes using persona dolls: A vicarious contact intervention program in Israeli kindergartens

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a vicarious contact intervention program for improving knowledge and attitudes of Jewish-Israeli secular and religious children regarding their ingroup and three outgroups: secular/religious Jews, Ethiopian-descendant Jews, and Arabs. One hundred and nine kindergartners participated in a four-week intervention, in which experimenters introduced to them four persona dolls representing the different groups. Accompanied by stories, children were exposed to the dolls’ individual and group characteristics, and to positive encounters between the dolls. A pre- and post-test battery assessed the intervention’s effects on children’s intergroup knowledge and attitudes. Findings revealed an increase in children’s knowledge of the groups, improvements in religious children’s attitudes towards Arabs, and in both secular and religious children’s willingness to sit closer to Ethiopian-descendant children. These findings highlight the potential of indirect contact for reducing intergroup bias in young children living in multicultural and conflict-ridden societies.
Understanding Racial Capitalism using the Photovoice method: Black tourism in France

ABSTRACT This project applies the Photovoice method, an established qualitative approach, to discover new insights for market and enterprise development based on racial identity. Examining the interests and motivations of Black consumers and practices of companies which capitalise on Black identity, we reveal viable markets concerning ‘Black Paris’ tour experiences and educational services. This market is distinct from the long-standing mainstream tourism market in France, which is ‘colorblind’ by tradition. Practicing Racial Capitalism, Black tour professionals cater to traditionally underserved consumers by highlighting and disseminating information concerning the obscured histories and rich cultural contributions of Black people to culture and society. The Photovoice technique allowed for documentation and critical examination of race-themed tourism services and customer experiences, indicating new opportunities for market development and related social and policy change.
Application of Some Condensed Uracils as Corrosion Inhibitors for Mild Steel: Gravimetric, Electrochemical, Surface Morphological, UV–Visible, and Theoretical Investigations

Gravimetric, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), linear polarization resistance (LPR), and potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) studies were carried out to investigate the comparative corrosion protection efficiency of four condensed uracils (CUs) on mild steel in 1 M HCl. EIS plots indicated that the addition of inhibitors increases the charge-transfer resistance (Rct), decreases the double-layer capacitance (Cdl) of the corrosion process, and hence increases inhibition performance. Moreover, the thermodynamic activation parameters for the corrosion reaction were calculated and discussed in relation to the stability of the protective inhibitor layer. The morphology of the surface was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the surface composition was evaluated using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) to verify the presence of inhibitor on the mild steel surface. Quantum chemical study suggests that the heterocyclic rings in these compounds are structurally essential for the pr.
Investigating Opportunities to Learn Mathematical and Graphing Skills in Imperfect Market Structures

The concept of imperfect market structures enables learners to develop mathematical and graphing skills that are needed for them to be critical thinkers and to be able to solve problems faced in their daily lives. It also provides opportunities for learners to acquire economic knowledge, which enables them to make informed economic decisions on economic events and issues they will experience as they enter the world of business and work. In spite of the importance of imperfect market structures in cultivating these skills and knowledge, learner academic achievement in economics, particularly where mathematical and graphing skills are concerned, has been regrettably poor in most countries around the globe. Hence, this qualitative study investigated the opportunities to learn mathematical and graphical skills in imperfect market structures in three selected Grade 12 economics classes. The study intended to investigate what it is that teachers do in the name of teaching and learning of mathematical and graphing skills and the reasoning behind their actions. Opportunities to Learn (OTL) is the conceptual framework which was used to determine what teachers do in the classroom that enables learners to make sense of imperfect market structures. Using the case study approach, the study was operationalised by three conveniently selected economics teachers in the Galeshewe township in South Africa. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with each of the three teachers before they conducted their classes which the researcher observed. The findings of the researcher show that little or no opportunities to learn are provided in an imperfect market structure class.
Utilizing a chromosomal-length genome assembly to annotate the Wnt signaling pathway in the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, is an insect vector that transmits Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the causal agent of the Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening disease. This disease has devastated Florida’s citrus industry, and threatens California’s industry as well as other citrus producing regions around the world. To find novel solutions to the disease, a better understanding of the vector is needed. The D. citri genome has been used to identify and characterize genes involved in Wnt signaling pathways. Wnt signaling is utilized for many important biological processes in metazoans, such as patterning and tissue generation. Curation based on RNA sequencing data and sequence homology confirms 24 Wnt signaling genes within the D. citri genome, including homologs for beta-catenin, Frizzled receptors, and seven Wnt-ligands. Through phylogenetic analysis, we classify D. citri Wnt ligands as Wg/Wnt1, Wnt5, Wnt6, Wnt7, Wnt10, Wnt11, and WntA. The D. citri version 3.0 genome with chromosomal length scaffolds reveals a conserved Wnt1-Wnt6-Wnt10 gene cluster with a gene configuration like that in Drosophila melanogaster. These findings provide greater insight into the evolutionary history of D. citri and Wnt signaling in this important hemipteran vector. Manual annotation was essential for identifying high quality gene models. These gene models can be used to develop molecular systems, such as CRISPR and RNAi, which target and control psyllid populations to manage the spread of HLB. Manual annotation of Wnt signaling pathways was done as part of a collaborative community annotation project.
A rare cause of progressive gait abnormality in a case of Turner syndrome

Turner syndrome is a disorder caused by partial or complete absence of the second sex chromosome, with or without cell line mosaicism. Initially described by Henry Turner and later reported by Ullrich, it is characterized by phenotypic features like short stature, primary ovarian insufficiency along with other physical features arising from fetal lymphatic obstruction. The overall incidence is 1:2500 live born females. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe X-linked recessive progressive myopathy with affected probands being only boys. It is caused by mutation in dystrophin gene located on Xp21.2. Among the DMD probands, 60% have deletions and 5-10% has duplication of exons with origin being the mother or de novo mutations. The overall incidence is 1/4600 live born males. The coexistence of Turner syndrome and X-linked recessive disorder is quite an unusual coincidence. Based on their incidences, both the disorders may coexist at a frequency of 4x10. Previously, only a few cases of Turner syndrome with DMD have been reported, all with variable phenotypic and cytogenetic variations. CASE REPORT