Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Secular Trends in Human Skeletal Growth: Stature Change and Appositional Bone Development in a 19th and Early 20th Century Finnish Skeletal Population

This thesis aims to examine secular changes in four skeletal growth parameters (recorded living stature, bone length, total cross-sectional area (TA) and twice average bending rigidity ‘J’ in femur, tibia and humerus) using adult male individuals from a 19th and early 20th century Finnish skeletal collection. Further objectives are to investigate whether the study individuals’ prisoner status introduces variation in the skeletal parameters within the sample as well as to examine what environmental indicators may have a relationship with the examined parameters. Data on bone cross-sectional geometric properties (CSG) were collected using a desktop 3D laser scanner whilst environmental data were acquired using existing Finnish data sources. The results showed a significant secular increase in stature, which was also reflected in femur length. Humeral (CSG) properties showed a significant secular decrease. Individuals who were prisoners had significantly smaller TA and lesser J at 35% length of the humerus than non-prisoners. It is concluded that the changing living conditions of late 19th and early 20th century Finland seem to have affected both endochondral and appositional bone growth of this sample, whereby improvements in the country’s disease and nutritional environment after the Finnish Famine could explain the found secular trend in stature and femur length. Changes in childhood loading history after the introduction of free elementary school in Finland are a possible explanation for the secular decrease in the humerus cross- sectional geometric properties, and might also be related to the found difference between prisoners and non-prisoners.
Internationalization Towards Fostering School Culture of Quality: Practices and Perceived Impact.

Across the globe, internationalization has influenced the emphasis of educational institutions on international engagement and standardization aligned with global competencies. As Philippine higher education also aimed for internationalization, many universities were tasked to enhance their quality assurance framework by ensuring sound graduate mobility and strong international linkages. With these changes in education, this current study tried to identify existing internationalization practices and their perceived impact in three selected autonomous universities in the country. This study determined how these practices generated an educational paradigm shift toward a culture of quality through internationalization. Employing a qualitative-descriptive approach, structured online interviews were conducted with selected participants (n=14) closely associated with internationalization policies and initiatives in their respective universities. Based on a thematic analysis, the participants identified strategies involving incentivizing and strengthening of international linkages as effective practices for internationalization. Additionally, participants explained how these practices not only enhanced their skills but also enabled them to have international recognition. The findings provided grounding and insights on how to achieve a culture of quality through internationalization.
The Mean Hourly Global Radiation Prediction Models Investigation in Two Different Climate Regions in Morocco

In last recent decades, Morocco gives increasing interest to developing renewable energy, by offering a wide range of investment opportunities in the sector of thermal solar energy. To establish such technology, predicting hourly radiation received during an average day of the month is mostly imperative. This paper proposes a statistical comparison between measured data of mean hourly global radiation at two different climate regions located in Morocco and three predicting models. This study is based upon statistical indicators which are root mean square error (RMSE), mean bias error (MBE) and correlation coefficient (R). It is attested that the Collares-Preira and Rabl correlation as modified by Gueymard (CPRG) fits more closely the measured data in this two regions at the West (Casablanca) and the East (Ouarzazate) sides of Atlas Mountains. Collares-Preira and Rabl model (CPR) gives practically the same result as CPRG but the correlation given by Whillier Liu and Joradan (WLJ) under-estimates the measured values at solar noon.
Quantitative Study of CO 2 based on Satellite Image for Carbon Budget on Flux Tower Watersheds

Spatial heterogeneous characteristics of solar radiation energy from Climate Change gives rise to energy imbalance in the general ecological system including water resources. This study is to estimate the CO2 flux of South Korea using Terra MODIS image and to assess the reliability of MODIS data from the ground measured CO2 flux by eddy covariance flux tower data at 3 locations (two at mixed forest area and one at rice paddy area). The MODIS Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) product (MOD17A2), 8-day composite at 1-km spatial resolution was adopted for the spatial CO2 flux generation. The MOD17A2 data by noise like cloud and snow in a day were tried to fill by Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) method from valid pixels and the damping effect of MOD17A2 data were corrected by Quality Control (QC) flag. The MODIS CO2 flux was estimated as the sum of GPP and Re (ecosystem respiration) by Lloyd and Taylor method (1994). The determination coefficient (R) between MODIS CO2 and flux tower CO2 for 3 years (2011~2013) showed 0.55 and 0.60 in 2 mixed forests and 0.56 in rice paddy respectively. The CO2 flux generally fluctuated showing minus values during summer rainy season (from July to August) and maintaining plus values for other periods. The MODIS CO2 flux can be a useful information for extensive area, for example, as a reliable indicator on ecological circulation system.
Study on Antidotal Therapy of Vitamins in Paraquat Induced Dyslipidemia in Rats

Paraquat (PQ) is a toxic chemical substance used in farming for weed management. It is an herbicide with harmful effect when exposed to animals. This study aimed at assessing the effect of vitamin E and C on fasting lipid profile in paraquat induced toxicity in rats. The experimental study consisted of 180 rats divided equally into 4 groups (A, B, C and D) with each group having 3 subgroups of 15 rats (0, VE and VEC). A group served as the control group while B, C, D were test groups. B0, C0 and D0 were treated with 0.02g, 0.04g and 0.06g of paraquat respectively twice in two weeks for 3 months. A0 had no treatment. BVE, CVE and DVE were similarly treated in increasing doses of paraquat and in addition were treated with 500mg of vitamin E once every week for 3 months. AVE had only vitamin E treatment. BVEC, CVEC and DVEC were similarly treated in increasing doses of paraquat and in addition were treated with both 500mg of vitamin E and 2000mg/dl of vitamin C once every week for 3 months. AVEC had only vitamin E and vitamin C treatments. All treatments were done orally. B0, C0 and D0 subgroups were sacrificed and sample collected via cardiac puncture for fasting lipid profile (FLP) after 3 months of paraquat treatment. A0 was also sacrificed too alongside. Other subgroups; AVE, AVEC, BVE, BVEC, CVE, CVEC, DVE and DVEC were sacrificed and sample analyzed for FLP on monthly basis for 3 months. The results showed that paraquat caused a significant drop in FLP levels from the second month after paraquat treatment and this was ameliorated by the treatment of vitamin E and C treatment. This study has therefore demonstrated that vitamins could restore lipid disorder initiated by paraquat poisoning in rats.
Risk Factors for the Anal and Oral Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infections among Women with Severe Cervical Lesions: A Prospective Case—Control Study

The carcinogenicity of HPV infection in the anogenital and oropharyngeal regions is broadly accepted. The aim of the study was to define risk factors for anal and oral HPV infections in high-risk patients with biopsy-proven severe cervical lesions (CIN2+). Altogether immunocompetent 473 females with CIN2+ were categorized into the study group and another 245 women into the control group. The strongest risk factor for anal HPV infection was the presence of cervical HPV infection (p < 0.001). Furthermore, ten or more lifetime sexual partners (p = 0.013), a sexual non-coital contact with the anal area (p < 0.001), and actively practicing anal-penetrative intercourse (p < 0.001) were significantly associated with anal HPV. A history of genital warts in the woman (p = 0.010) and the presence of genital warts in the male partner (p = 0.029) were found statistically significant for the risk of oral HPV infection. Our data suggest that the presence of HPV infection, especially high-risk genotypes, in one anatomical site poses the greatest risk for HPV infection in another anatomical site. The cervix is the main reservoir of infection, but the risk factors for anal and oral HPV infections are dissimilar according to different anatomical distances and more complex routes of transmission.
Response of Kobresia tibetica and Kobresia humilis population spatial pattern to soil moisture

Heterogeneity of plant population response to soil moisture is the environmental basis of their pattern's formation and evolution. According to the pattern of soil water decreasing gradually from the wetland center to the edge,we set up five sampling plots to study the spatial distribution and spatial association of Kobresia tibetica and K. humilis under different soil moistures in north Qilian Mountain by using the point pattern analysis. The results showed that with the decrease of alpine wetland moisture content,the coverage,plant height and aboveground biomass of K. tibetica population were continuously increased,while the main biological features of K. humilis increased firstly then reduced. The distribution pattern of K. tibetica was clumped—regular—clumped and that of K. humilis gradually shifted from aggregation to regularity at small scale.Along with the decrease of soil moisture,the spatial association between K. tibetica and K. humilis population at small scale was positively correlated,then changed into no significant correlation and negative correlation finally. In the alpine wetland,the main biological features and spatial pattern of K. tibetica and K. humilis populations showed regular changes,which reflected the adaptability of the two species in response to habitat heterogeneity under different soil moistures.
The impacts of nurses' attitudes towards dementia, critical reflection competency, and nursing work environment on person-centered nursing in acute care hospitals: A descriptive study

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the attitudes of acute care nurses towards dementia, their critical reflection competency, and the level of nursing work environment and to identify the factors relating to person-centered nursing. Methods: The study was conducted for 149 nurses with at least 1 year of experience working in acute care hospitals and providing nursing care to hospitalized elderly patients. The measurements used were the Dementia Attitude Scale Korean version, the Critical Reflection Competency Scale, the Nursing Work Environment Scale, and the Person-Centered Nursing Assessment Tool. The collected data were analyzed with frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, independent t-test, ANOVA test, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression using IBM SPSS 29.0 software. Results: The factors influencing person-centered nursing performance were critical reflection competency (β=.49, p<.001), attitudes towards dementia (β=.29, p<.001), and clinical career (β=-.26, p=.024), having the explanation power of 59.6%. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that critical reflection competency, attitudes towards dementia, and clinical career have an impact on person-centered nursing performance. Specifically, higher levels of critical reflection competency and positive attitudes towards dementia were predictors with higher levels of person-centered nursing performance. Therefore, to enhance person-centered nursing performance among acute care nurses, it is important to prioritize critical reflection training programs for experienced nurses to enhance their critical reflection competency.
Candidate pathway association and genome‐wide association approaches reveal alternative genetic architectures of carotenoid content in cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

Abstract Premise The explosion of available genomic data poses significant opportunities and challenges for genome‐wide association studies. Current approaches via linear mixed models (LMM) are straightforward but prevent flexible assumptions of an a priori genomic architecture, while Bayesian sparse LMMs (BSLMMs) allow this flexibility. Complex traits, such as specialized metabolites, are subject to various hierarchical effects, including gene regulation, enzyme efficiency, and the availability of reactants. Methods To identify alternative genetic architectures, we examined the genetic architecture underlying the carotenoid content of an association mapping panel of Helianthus annuus individuals using multiple BSLMM and LMM frameworks. Results The LMMs of genome‐wide single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified a single transcription factor responsible for the observed variations in the carotenoid content; however, a BSLMM of the SNPs with the bottom 1% of effect sizes from the results of the LMM identified multiple biologically relevant quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for carotenoid content external to the known (annotated) carotenoid pathway. A candidate pathway analysis (CPA) suggested a β‐carotene isomerase to be the enzyme with the highest impact on the observed carotenoid content within the carotenoid pathway. Discussion While traditional LMM approaches suggested a single unknown transcription factor associated with carotenoid content variation in sunflower petals, BSLMM proposed several QTLs with interpretable biological relevance to this trait. In addition, the CPA allowed for the dissection of the regulatory vs. biosynthetic genetic architectures underlying this metabolic trait.
Association of a Combination of Sarcopenia and Type 2 Diabetes with Blood Parameters, Nutrient Intake, and Physical Activity: A Nationwide Population-Based Study

This study aimed to investigate the association of sarcopenia and type 2 diabetes (T2D) with blood parameters, nutrient intake, and physical activity in older Korean adults. We divided 2952 participants into four groups: sarcopenic diabetes (SD), sarcopenia alone (S), diabetes alone (D), and non-sarcopenia and non-diabetes (NSND). Sarcopenia was defined by the appendicular skeletal muscle mass index, and T2D by fasting glucose levels or ongoing treatment. Blood samples were collected after an 8-h fast. Nutrient intake was assessed using a 24-h recall; physical activity was evaluated using a questionnaire. Compared with those in the other groups, the men in the S and SD groups showed significantly lower hemoglobin and hematocrit levels; vitamin D levels in men and parathyroid hormone levels in women were significantly lower in the SD group. Total energy, protein, and carbohydrate intakes were significantly lower in the SD and S groups than those in the D and NSND groups. Physical inactivity was significantly more common in the SD group (men: odds ratio, 1.61; women: odds ratio, 2.37) than in the NSND group. A combination of sarcopenia and diabetes as well as sarcopenia alone was associated with low levels of blood parameters, poor nutrient intake, and low physical activity.
Cerebrospinal and Blood Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease: Did Mild Cognitive Impairment Definition Affect Their Clinical Usefulness?

Despite Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) being known from the times of Alois Alzheimer, who lived more than one century ago, many aspects of the disease are still obscure, including the pathogenesis, the clinical spectrum definition, and the therapeutic approach. Well-established biomarkers for AD come from the histopathological hallmarks of the disease, which are Aβ and phosphorylated Tau protein aggregates. Consistently, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Amyloid β (Aβ) and phosphorylated Tau level measurements are currently used to detect AD presence. However, two central biases affect these biomarkers. Firstly, incomplete knowledge of the pathogenesis of diseases legitimates the search for novel molecules that, reasonably, could be expressed by neurons and microglia and could be detected in blood simpler and earlier than the classical markers and in a higher amount. Further, studies have been performed to evaluate whether CSF biomarkers can predict AD onset in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) patients. However, the MCI definition has changed over time. Hence, the studies on MCI patients seem to be biased at the beginning due to the imprecise enrollment and heterogeneous composition of the miscellaneous MCI subgroup. Plasma biomarkers and novel candidate molecules, such as microglia biomarkers, have been tentatively investigated and could represent valuable targets for diagnosing and monitoring AD. Also, novel AD markers are urgently needed to identify molecular targets for treatment strategies. This review article summarizes the main CSF and blood AD biomarkers, underpins their advantages and flaws, and mentions novel molecules that can be used as potential biomarkers for AD.
Investigating the effectiveness of organic binders as an alternative to bentonite in the pelletization of low grade iron ore

Bentonite is the traditionally used binder in iron ore pelletization. However, it consists of up to 85% silica and alumina which are undesired acidic gangue in iron-making. In this study, carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium lignosulfonate and cornstarch were used as acidic gangue-free organic alternatives to bentonite in synthesizing iron pellets. Iron ore, water and the corresponding binder were mixed and rolled in a pelletizing disk to form green pellets. The green pellets were dried and subsequently indurated in a furnace at 1200 ℃ to form indurated pellets. To evaluate the effectiveness of the organic binders, the pellets produced were tested on various pellet properties. Known industrial pellet property standards and the bentonite binder were used as references. Carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium lignosulfonate and corn starch produced green pellets with average drop numbers of 7.20 ± 0.84, 5.60 ± 0.89 and 6.00 ± 1.00 respectively, compared to bentonite’s 5.00 ± 0.71. Dry pellets of average compressive strength 5.93 ± 0.09, 5.86 ± 0.03 and 11.52 ± 0.18 kg/pellet were produced by carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium lignosulfonate and corn starch respectively while bentonite’s averaged 5.60 ± 0.08 kg/pellet. For indurated pellets, carboxymethyl cellulose (210.2 ± 1.88 kg/pellet) and sodium lignosulfonate (198.1 ± 2.49 kg/pellet) pellets were weaker than those of bentonite (250.4 ± 2.06 kg/pellet) but satisfied the industrial requirement of 181.4 kg/pellet. A boron oxide additive (0.1 wt. %) was used to boost the strength of carboxymethyl cellulose indurated pellets to 252.6 ± 1.32 kg/pellet, rendering them superior to those of bentonite.
Rising Menace of Scrub Typhus - Current Status and Challenges

Scrub typhus, an age old disease, is caused by the intracellular bacterium Orientia tsutsugamushi. It has reemerged in recent years due to factors like climatic changes and human encroachment because of rampant urbanization. The disease is endemic in the area known as the ‘tsutsugamushi triangle’ and has recently spread its fangs into various other continents like South America and Africa. Although the disease is endemic in India, there is a lack of appropriate sero-epidemiology in community settings. It is one of the essential causes of acute undifferentiated fever in tropical locations and, if untreated, can cause mortality ranging from 2-30% of cases. Early diagnosis is an important parameter in administering the non beta-lactam regimen to prevent complications and mortality. Yet, there is a lack of accurate and rapid methods for diagnosis in the early stage of the disease, more so in rural areas where the disease is supposed to be predominant. The gold standard diagnostic test has its problems. Recently, there have been reports of drug resistance to the standard scrub typhus regimen. There is a gap of a decade in the research into this entity. Thus, a new look into the disease, its epidemiology and the challenges in its diagnostic scenario is an apt topic for discussion.
The Causal Nexus between Government Expenditure and Economic Growth: Wagner versus Keynes Hypothesis

The causality between economic growth and government expenditure has long been a topic of interest among economists. Theoretically, Wagner’s law claimed that economic growth (EG) contributes to government expenditure (GE), while the opposite causal nexus was claimed by Keynes. This study seeks to test the validity of these two theories by examining four versions of functional hypotheses and their reverse functions: Gupta, Peacock and Wiseman, Musgrave, and Mann. The main objectives include examining the nexus by comparing the developed versus developing countries, short-run versus long-run estimates, and the results between three estimators. The panel data regression applies the three estimators, which include pooled mean group (PMG), mean group (MG), and dynamic fixed effect (DFE). The datasets are collected from 1970 to 2018. The results detect both long-run and short-run relationships in the Gupta version and the Peacock and Wiseman version of Wagner’s law, and also the reverse Gupta version and the reverse Peacock and Wiseman version of Keynes’ theory. To sum up, the two-way relationship between GE and EG exists in developing countries. On the other hand,Wagner’s law and Keynes’ theory are not valid in developed countries. The results imply that economic level matters, which leads to different linkages between EG-GE across groups of countries. Since the nexus exists in developing countries, policymakers should adopt fiscal policies to stimulate economic growth. With no GE and EG relationship found in developed countries, policymakers should focus on other economic indicators other than government expenditure to foster economic growth.
Japanese Wild Salmon Research: Toward a Reconciliation Between Hatchery and Wild Salmon Management

Introduction It has been widely assumed that almost all Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) in Japan originate in hatcheries (1, 2). One reason for this widespread belief is that there have been no quantitative studies that actually examined the contribution of hatchery or naturally-spawned fish (wild fish) to total production. However, recent studies examining the contribution of hatchery/wild fish by mass marking of hatchery fish have shown the contribution of wild salmon is far from negligible. Rather, it is large enough to constitute a substantial portion of fishery production (Fig. 1). Japanese Wild Salmon Research: Toward a Reconciliation Between Hatchery and Wild Salmon Management