Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial Heterogeneity of Household Food Consumption and Nutritional Characteristics of Grassland Transects in Inner Mongolia, China

Household food consumption is the associative link between ecosystems and anthropogenic activities. In grassland areas, inappropriate food consumption patterns will cause irreversible damage to vulnerable local ecosystems. For this study, we selected three typical transitional grassland areas of Inner Mongolia, China (i.e., meadow steppe, typical steppe, and desert steppe), to analyze spatial heterogeneity in household food consumption and nutritional characteristics. Results showed that: (a) Food consumption structures exhibited zonal gradients from east to west alongside a reduction in grassland conditions. Additionally, the average food consumption quantity also decreased. Available food supplies altered household preferences for vegetables and fruits, meat, dairy products, and other food consumption category types. (b) The nutritional structure implied that grains provided the main source of energy, proteins, and fat for local rural households, while meat, dairy products, beans (including bean byproducts), and oils caused a fluctuation in the nutritional structure of residents. (c) Local food supplies affect short-term local food consumption patterns, while socioeconomic development affects long-term food consumption patterns. This study is intended to provide a reference for the development of sustainable strategies for regional resource management.
Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation as an Adjunct to Verb Network Strengthening Treatment in Post-stroke Chronic Aphasia: A Double-Blinded Randomized Feasibility Study

Background Difficulties in discourse production are common in post-stroke chronic aphasia. Previous studies have found that speech and language therapy combined with transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) may improve language skills like naming and enhance aphasia treatment outcomes. However, very few studies have investigated the effect of tDCS when combined with interventions for improving higher level language skills such as the Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (VNeST). Aims This study aimed to determine the feasibility of anodal tDCS as an adjunct to VNeST to improve discourse production in post-stroke chronic aphasia. Methods Six people with post-stroke chronic aphasia took part in this double-blinded randomized feasibility study. Participants were randomly allocated to either the experimental group receiving a 6-week block of once weekly VNeST sessions combined with active tDCS over the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) or a control group that received VNeST with sham stimulation. Feasibility outcomes included screening, eligibility, retention, and completion rates, and adverse events. Preliminary response to intervention was also examined using discourse production, functional communication, quality of life, psychological state, and cognition outcomes. Results Overall 19 individuals were screened and ten met the inclusion criteria. Six individuals provided consent and participated in the study giving a consent rate of 60%. Participant retention and completion rates were 100% and no adverse effects were reported. Exploratory analyses revealed promising changes (i.e., estimated large effect size) in discourse production measures across discourse language tasks and functional communication for the active tDCS group. Conclusions Our results support the feasibility of tDCS as an adjunct to VNeST. Preliminary findings provide motivation for future large-scale studies to better understand the potential of tDCS as a safe and economical tool for enhancing rehabilitation in chronic aphasia.
The response of Lolium perenne L. S23 to light and temperature studied from experiment and modelling

The growth of Lolium perenne S23 was studied under different conditions of temperature and shade in laboratory and in garden plots. Data on plant and leaf dry weight were used to establish simple growth models. In the laboratory three light intensities (330, 165 and 85 Innol m2 1) were combined with temperature regimes of 10/10, 15/10, 15/15, 20/10, 20/15 and 20/20 °C day/night in a 16h-photoperiod. Harvests were made when each of the first three leaves were fully expanded. In garden plots light quantity, light quality, R:FR ratio, temperature and total rainfall were monitored with seedlings grown in natural light (control), two artificial shade conditions (42 and 25% from total light) or two natural shade conditions effected by use of young poplar trees. Harvests were made at 5 day intervals per experiments conducted in June, July 1992 and August, September and October 1991. As expected significant effects of both light and temperature were found on total plant dry weight and on leaf dry weight. Increasing shade decreased plant weight at the same development stage, but tended to increase leaf length. These effects became progressively larger at successive harvests. Light also affected leaf cell number. Variation was largest in leaf three at 20/20 °C in high light and decreased with shade and temperature. In field experiments the influence of temperature was greater than that of shade on plant and leaf dry weight, leaf length and number of leaves coinciding in the main with laboratory findings. In contrast, cell number was more variable with no clear effect of shade on final cell number per leaf. Two sets of linear and second order polynomial equations were developed relating plant dry weight and that of pseudostem leaves, and plant dry weight and that of pseudostem plus tiller leaves. Data came from laboratory data at 10/10, 15/15 and 20/20°C. Pseudostem leaf dry weight was a good predictor of total plant dry weight in other laboratory temperature sets. For garden plot plants all equations showed good fits for seedlings harvested on day 15, but at day 25 the relationships were less good, especially in full light in June and July, when tillering and the gain dry weight were high. It is concluded that all four single models are useful for predicting plant dry weight when this is less than 100mg and when tillering and dry weight gain is relatively low. The usefulness for establishment studies in shade is discussed.
The Role of Radical Dose of Radiotherapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma has significantly increased over the last decades and the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma still remains poor. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 3D conformal hypofractionated radiotherapy in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma. Method: Between 2015 and 2018, a total of 61 patients presented to our institution with hepatocellular carcinoma ≤ 5cm, who were recruited in this prospective study. All the patients underwent 3D conformal hypofractionated radiotherapy with a total dose of 51 Gy in 17 fractions. We evaluated the treatment response and toxicity and calculated the local progression-free survival and overall survival. Results: The objective response rate was 68.9%, including seven patients (11.5%) achieving complete response and 35 patients (57.4%) with partial response. In addition, nine subjects (14.8%) had stable disease. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall survival rates were 65.1%, 38.7%, and 26.4%, respectively. In multivariate Cox regression model, GTV was found to be the only prognostic factor for local control (P = 0.001) and overall survival (P < 0.001). Only one patient showed grade 3 radiation-induced hepatic toxicity (1.6%). Conclusion: 3D conformal hypofractionated radiotherapy could be effective and safe in small hepatocellular carcinoma.
NEURONAL CORRELATES OF HABIT CONTROL 1 Motivational Control of Habits: A Preregistered fMRI Study

Habitual action is typically distinguished from goal-directed action by its insensitivity to changes in the reward value. There is an ongoing discussion whether this insensitivity is an intrinsic design feature of habits or, rather, a function of the cognitive system that controls habitual action tendencies. The proposed study investigates this issue using functional magnetic resonance imaging of brain activity before and after a reward devaluation in an outcomeselective Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) paradigm. Based on expected value of control theory, it is hypothesized that neural activity of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) is increased during presentations of Pavlovian cues associated with a devalued outcome, indexing the monitoring and implementation of control during the PIT test. This neural activity is hypothesized to reflect increased control allocation to situations predictive of a devalued reward.
Applications of social networking technology in IT-based knowledge management systems

This research enquires into how social networking technologies can help knowledge creation and sharing in IT-based knowledge management systems. Social networking technologies have changed the way people connect and collaborate allowing users to seek and find knowledge and expertise from both friends and strangers alike. Despite technology having been used in a variety of ways to support knowledge management systems, the use of social networking technology has been little explored. The famous SECI model highlights socialisation as an important aspect in transferring knowledge, yet IT-based knowledge management systems seem to miss out on this element. This research argues that combining knowledge management systems with social networking technology bridges this gap. Social software is becoming part of a commonplace set of tools available for organisations that may help IT-based knowledge management systems. Evidence is presented from a case study conducted in practice at an organisation. A mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect the data and evaluate the effects of social networking technology within IT-based knowledge management systems. The research contributes towards the fields of knowledge management and knowledge management systems. The research inquiry found that the inclusion of social networking technology had positive effects on the IT-based knowledge management system and in turn the knowledge management initiative. The introduction of the IT-based knowledge management system, supported by social networking technology, resulted in a drastic improvement of 40.8% in the ease of finding knowledge and information, an increase by 30.4% in ease of sharing with other teams, and an improvement of 39.3% was also reported by employees feeling that the company tools support organisational growth. Data indicates an increase in other measurements of knowledge sharing and system metrics also show an increase in the usage, participation and contributions made in the IT-based knowledge management system supported by social networking technology. Building on the SECI model knowledge management theory is extended through the proposal of the social networking for knowledge management model (SN4KM) to support knowledge management systems designers.
Characterization of the Nitrobacter-specific NIT3 and Nb1000 Probes and Their Use in the Detection of Nitrobacter Species in a Lab Scale Completely Stirred Tank Reactor System

Nitrobacter species are responsible for the oxidation of nitrite to nitrate in the environment. Studies indicated that there is an inconsistent correlation between the amount of nitrifying activity in the bioreactor and the amount of nitrifying bacteria detected by the NIT3 and Nb1000 16S rRNA probes. This study investigates the explanation for the inconsistency, focusing on whether there are any sequence mismatches between the probes and the Nitrobacter 16S ribosomal RNA present in the environmental sample that preclude the detection of Nitrobacter. The samples used in this study were collected from a lab scale completely stirred tank reactor system seeded from the Kent wastewater treatment plant. The techniques employed to analyze samples included RNA isolation, radioactive labelling of 16S rRNA oligonucleotide probes, slot blot hybridization, and the determination of the dissociation temperature for both probes. Nucleic acid hybridization results suggested that Nitrobacter was present at a very low concentration in the stirred tank reactor, which was below the limit of detection using the radioactively labelled NIT3 and Nb1000 probes. Using RNA isolated from pure Nitrobacter strain, the experimentally measured dissociation temperature for the Nb1000 probe was 43oC and the minimum dissociation temperature for the NIT3 probe was 54oC. It was concluded that the amount of RNA immobilized onto the membrane should be increased by approximately 400-fold in order to obtain a detectable signal for Nitrobacter.
Genetic diversity of the Cameroon Western Highlands’ Djallonke sheep assessed by Mitochondrial d-loop

Indigenous livestock resources are strategic in the socio-economic of rural agricultural systems to ensure food and nutritional security in resource-poor countries. In Cameroon, small ruminant farming significantly contributes to food security and income generation. Given its great ecological variety, Cameroon hosts a large genetic diversity of sheep, but the knowledge on these is scanty. In order to contribute to a better understanding of the genetic diversity of Cameroon's Ovine genetic resources for their better use and conservation, an analysis of the Djallonke sheep genetic diversity based on the D loop of the ovine mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was performed on the highlands of West Cameroon Djallonke breed. To achieve this, analyses of 16 sequences of a 989bp fragment of the mtDNA D-loop region from the population were conducted in conjunction with previously published sequences from African, European, Japanese and Chinese ovine genotypes. Fourteen haplotypes were observed with a high mean haplotype diversity of 1.0000±0.027, nucleotide diversity (π) of order of 0.11082±0.062. The average nucleotide difference between sequences taken two by two was 62.945. Population specific FST indices showed a negative and significant result for the whole data set. The phylogenetic tree indicates that the mitochondrial lineages of these sheep breeds originated from a common source, the Haplogroup B. This confirms the hypothesis that the domestication of African sheep was carried out in successive waves from Asia. The results of this study contribute to the knowledge of Cameroon sheep breeds and the plan conservation programs on Djallonke sheep.
Bicameral Distinctiveness in American State Legislatures

Abstract Many important traits of state legislatures vary across chambers within a state. Yet according to existing typologies in the comparative study of bicameralism, the 49 bicameral American state legislatures would be deemed quite homogeneous. To resolve this disjuncture, I identify a novel dimension of bicameralism that distinguishes among state legislatures by capturing the extent to which the two chambers serve as meaningfully different venues for influence. Based on this framework, I develop an index of bicameral “distinctiveness” rooted in three traits that speak to policy influence across chambers: the ratio of seats, bipartisan representation, and constituency dissimilarity. This measure reveals sizable variation across states and a conspicuous geographic pattern, with considerably greater bicameral distinctiveness in the Eastern United States. In turn, I assess the construct validity of this measure, showing how patterns of second chamber bill amendment vary systematically with the level of bicameral distinctiveness.
Challenges in Diagnosis and Prevention of Iatrogenic Endometriosis as a Long-Term Surgical Complication after C-Section

Endometriosis is a gynecological condition caused by the development of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. Naturally, it commonly occurs at locations such as the ovaries and pelvic peritoneum. However, ectopic endometrial tissue may be discovered outside of the typical sites, suggesting the possibility of iatrogenic seeding after gynecological operations. Based on this hypothesis, we developed a study aiming to establish the root cause of atypical implantation of endometrial foci, as the main end point, and to determine diagnostic features and risk factors for this condition, as a secondary target. The research followed a retrospective design, including a total of 126 patients with endometriosis who met the inclusion criteria. A group of 71 patients with a history of c-section was compared with a control group of patients with endometriosis and no history of c-section. Endometriosis that developed inside or in close proximity to surgical incisions of asymptomatic patients before surgical intervention was defined as iatrogenic endometriosis. Compared with patients who did not have a c-section, the c-section group had significantly more minimally invasive pelvic procedures and multiple adhesions and endometriosis foci at intraoperative look (52.1% vs. 34.5%, respectively 52.1% vs. 29.1%). The most common location for endometriosis lesions in patients with prior c-section was the abdominal wall (42.2% vs. 5.4%), although the size of foci was significantly smaller by size and weight (32.2 mm vs. 34.8 mm, respectively 48.6 g vs. 53.1 g). The abdominal wall endometriosis was significantly associated with minimally invasive pelvic procedures (correlation coefficient = 0.469, p-value = 0.001) and c-section (correlation coefficient = 0.523, p-value = 0.001). A multivariate regression analysis identified prior c-section as an independent risk factor for abdominal wall endometriosis (OR = 1.85, p-value < 0.001). We advocate for strict protocols to be implemented and followed during c-section and minimally invasive procedures involving the pelvic region to ensure minimum spillage of endometrial cells. Further research should be developed to determine the method of abdominal and surgical site irrigation that can significantly reduce the risk of implantation of viable endometrial cells. Understanding all details of iatrogenic endometriosis will lead to the development of non-invasive disease diagnosis and minimally invasive procedures that have the potential to reduce postoperative complications.
Effective Adsorption of Congo Red from Aqueous Solution Using Fe/Al Di-Metal Nanostructured Composite Synthesised from Fe(III) and Al(III) Recovered from Real Acid Mine Drainage

This study presents the first known exploration of Congo red dye (CR) adsorption by a polycationic Fe/Al Di-metal nanostructured composite (PDFe/Al) synthesised using Fe(III) and Al(III) recovered from authentic acid mine drainage (AMD). The PDFe/Al successfully removed CR from the aqueous solution. The mineralogical, microstructural, and chemical properties of the synthesised PDFe/Al adsorbent (before and after adsorption) were studied using state-of-the-art analytical instruments. The optimum conditions were observed to be 100 mg·L−1 CR, 1 g of the PDFe/Al in 500 mL adsorbate solution, 20 min of shaking, pH = 3–8, and a temperature of 35 °C. At optimised conditions, the PDFe/Al showed ≥99% removal efficacy for CR dye and an exceptionally high Langmuir adsorption capacity of 411 mg·g−1. Furthermore, a diffusion-limited adsorption mechanism was observed, with two distinct surfaces involved in the adsorption of CR from an aqueous solution. It was determined that the adsorption of CR induced internal strain and deformation within the matrices and interlayers of the PDFe/Al which resulted in a marked increase in the adsorbent pore surface area and pore volume. The remarkably high adsorption capacity could be attributed to the high surface area. A regeneration study showed that the adsorbent could be reused more than four times for the adsorption of CR. The findings from this study demonstrated the feasibility of recovering valuable minerals from toxic and hazardous AMD and demonstrated their potential for the treatment of industrial wastewaters.
Continuance intention of mobile payment Using modified extending model of acceptance and use of technology

Mobile payment (m-payment) is payment using information technology system. Nowadays, the system is growing familiar to pay online shopping in Indonesia. There are almost a half of Indonesian population using m-payment for business transactions. One of m-payments which is growing popular called DANA. Introducing information technology into a business is important to make transaction easier than traditional one. This phenomenon has been studied based on the extension of Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2). The research’s aim is to analyse the effect of UTAUT2’s variables on sustainability m-payment usability and the role of user’s experience as a moderator. All DANA users as the population of this study and the sample are 100 DANA users in Malang, East Java. Simple linear regression and Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) completed to examine relevance hypothesis. The results shows that the statement of price saving orientation and information quality are not reliable, there is a significant positive effect both of hedonic motivation and habits on continuance intention, and experience does not moderate the effect of hedonic motivation on continuance intention.
Transient Increases in Inflammation and Proapoptotic Potential Are Associated with the HESN Phenotype Observed in a Subgroup of Kenyan Female Sex Workers

Interferon (IFN) -stimulated genes (ISGs) are critical effectors of IFN response to viral infection, but whether ISG expression is a correlate of protection against HIV infection remains elusive. A well-characterized subcohort of Kenyan female sex workers, who, despite being repeatedly exposed to HIV-1 remain seronegative (HESN), exhibit reduced baseline systemic and mucosal immune activation. This study tested the hypothesis that regulation of ISGs in the cells of HESN potentiates a robust antiviral response against HIV. Transcriptional profile of a panel of ISGs with antiviral function in PBMC and isolated CD4+ T cells from HESN and non-HESN sex worker controls were defined following exogenous IFN-stimulation using relative RT-qPCR. This study identified a unique profile of proinflammatory and proapoptotic ISGs with robust but transient responses to exogenous IFN-γ and IFN-α2 in HESN cells. In contrast, the non-HESN cells had a strong and prolonged proinflammatory ISG profile at baseline and following IFN challenge. Potential mechanisms may include augmented bystander apoptosis due to increased TRAIL expression (16-fold), in non-HESN cells. The study also identified two negative regulators of ISG induction associated with the HESN phenotype. Robust upregulation of SOCS-1 and IRF-1, in addition to HDM2, could contribute to the strict regulation of proinflammatory and proapoptotic ISGs in HESN cells. As reducing IRF-1 in the non-HESN cells resulted in the identified HESN ISG profile, and decreased HIV susceptibility, the unique HESN ISG profile could be a correlate of protection against HIV infection.
Forced displacement in history: Some recent research

Forced displacement as a consequence of wars, civil conflicts, or natural disasters does not only have con-temporaneous consequences but also long ‐ run reper-cussions. This eclectic overview summarises some recent research on forced displacement in economic history. While many of the episodes covered refer to Europe, this survey points to literature across all continents. It highlights new developments, and points to gaps in the literature.