Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dietary intakes of fruits and vegetables and lung cancer risk in participants with different smoking status: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The results from epidemiological studies are controversial between vegetable and fruit consumption and lung cancer risk in participants with different smoking status. The present meta-analysis aimed to investigate these associations with prospective cohort studies. Meanwhile, the potential dose-response relationship was evaluated. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN Relevant studies were identified with PubMed and Scopus databases up to June 2019. Multivariate-adjusted relative risks for the highest versus the lowest category and 95% confidence intervals were calculated by using a random-effects model. The dose-response relationship was examined by using restricted cubic spline regression model. RESULTS Eight prospective studies were included for data synthesis. The summary estimates indicated that higher vegetable and fruit intake was significantly associated with lower risk of lung cancer in participants with current smokers (RR: 0.84, 95% CI: 0.73, 0.95; I2=25.2%). No significant association was found in former smokers (RR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.88, 1.07; I2=15.0%) and never smokers (RR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.74, 1.11; I2=6.6%). Dose-response analysis showed that 100 g/day increment of vegetable and fruit intake was associated with a 2% reduction in lung cancer risk among current smokers (95% CI: 0.97, 0.99). CONCLUSIONS The present meta-analysis provides significant evidence of an inverse association between vegetable and fruit intake and lung cancer risk in current smokers.
An examination of the association between early initiation of substance use and interrelated multilevel risk and protective factors among adolescents

One of the major goals of drug use prevention programs is to delay the age of onset of substance use. What is called early initiation, usually occurring in adolescents under the age of 15, is a salient predictor of Substance Use Disorders later in adulthood. The causes of early initiation are complex and multifaceted and this has led to the identification of a rich set of risk and protective factors that influence age of onset. Nonetheless, there is little knowledge about the interdependence of these factors in their impact on early initiation. This paper addresses this question by applying Multiple Correspondence Analysis to data on family, community and social risk and protective factors from over 1200 adolescents. We find that community and to a lesser extent social factors are the most clearly associated to early initiation and we compare our results to those obtained from linear regression analyses of the same data that do not incorporate interdependence and find opposite results. We discuss the differences between linear regressions and MCA to evaluate the interplay of risk and protective factors and the implications of our findings for health policy and the design of prevention interventions aimed at delaying age of onset.
Evaluation of the potential of a new ribavirin analog impairing the dissemination of ovarian cancer cells

Epithelial ovarian cancers are insidious pathologies that give a poor prognosis due to their late discovery and the increasing emergence of chemoresistance. Development of small pharmacological anticancer molecules remains a major challenge. Ribavirin, usually used in the treatment of hepatitis C virus infections and more recently few cancers, has been a suggestion. However, Ribavirin has many side-effects, suggesting that the synthesis of analogs might be more appropriate. We have investigated the effect of a Ribavirin analog, SRO-91, on cancer cell behavioral characteristics considered as some of the hallmarks of cancer. Two human ovarian adenocarcinoma cell lines (SKOV3 and IGROV1) and normal cells (mesothelial and fibroblasts) have been used to compare the effects of SRO-91 with those of Ribavirin on cell behavior underlying tumor cell dissemination. SRO-91, like Ribavirin, inhibits proliferation, migration, clonogenicity and spheroids formation of cancer cells. Unlike Ribavirin, SRO-91 is preferentially toxic to cancer compared with normal cells. An in vitro physiologically relevant model showed that SRO-91, like Ribavirin or cisplatin, inhibits cancer cell implantation onto peritoneal mesothelium. In conclusion, SRO-91 analog effects on tumor dissemination and its safety regarding non-cancerous (normal) cells are encouraging findings a promising drug for the treatment of ovarian cancer.
A Comparison of Refill Procedures and Patient Outcomes Following Ultrasound‐Guided and Template‐Guided Intrathecal Drug Delivery Systems With Recessed Ports

Intrathecal drug delivery systems (IDDS) are refilled using templates and palpation. The 2017 Polyanalgesic Consensus Conference recommends ultrasound only when reservoir ports are difficult to identify. The purpose of this study was to compare procedural outcomes and patient's preference for refill method of IDDS.
The Psychopharmacology of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Preclinical Roadmap

This review evaluates current knowledge about obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), with the goal of providing a roadmap for future directions in research on the psychopharmacology of the disorder. It first addresses issues in the description and diagnosis of OCD, including the structure, measurement, and appropriate description of the disorder and issues of differential diagnosis. Current pharmacotherapies for OCD are then reviewed, including monotherapy with serotonin reuptake inhibitors and augmentation with antipsychotic medication and with psychologic treatment. Neuromodulatory therapies for OCD are also described, including psychosurgery, deep brain stimulation, and noninvasive brain stimulation. Psychotherapies for OCD are then reviewed, focusing on behavior therapy, including exposure and response prevention and cognitive therapy, and the efficacy of these interventions is discussed, touching on issues such as the timing of sessions, the adjunctive role of pharmacotherapy, and the underlying mechanisms. Next, current research on the neurobiology of OCD is examined, including work probing the role of various neurotransmitters and other endogenous processes and etiology as clues to the neurobiological fault that may underlie OCD. A new perspective on preclinical research is advanced, using the Research Domain Criteria to propose an adaptationist viewpoint that regards OCD as the dysfunction of a normal motivational system. A systems-design approach introduces the security motivation system (SMS) theory of OCD as a framework for research. Finally, a new perspective on psychopharmacological research for OCD is advanced, exploring three approaches: boosting infrastructure facilities of the brain, facilitating psychotherapeutic relearning, and targeting specific pathways of the SMS network to fix deficient SMS shut-down processes. Significance Statement A significant proportion of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) do not achieve remission with current treatments, indicating the need for innovations in psychopharmacology for the disorder. OCD may be conceptualized as the dysfunction of a normal, special motivation system that evolved to manage the prospect of potential danger. This perspective, together with a wide-ranging review of the literature, suggests novel directions for psychopharmacological research, including boosting support systems of the brain, facilitating relearning that occurs in psychotherapy, and targeting specific pathways in the brain that provide deficient stopping processes in OCD.
FISHERIES DIVISION STATE OF MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

–Although it is generally agreed upon that the hydrology of river valleys plays an important role in shaping the composition and structure of riparian ecosystems, relevant hydrologic drivers are difficult to measure across broad regions and often inadequately specified in riparian studies. In this paper, we describe an empirical-statistical method using map-based models to predict the composition of riparian forests along the major rivers of Lower Michigan. Our approach, based on regional climate as well as both local and catchment-scale hydrology and physiography, accounted for between 84% and 99% of the observed classification probability for five riparian ecotypes at 94 locations. Using parameters from our models, we combined map-based estimates of groundwater flux and flood dynamics with climatic indices to extrapolate and map initial predictions of riparian character throughout much of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Although our ability to account for long-term variation under specific hydrologic conditions was relatively poor, we nonetheless were able to distinguish and characterize riparian conditions with an overall predictive accuracy of 84%. Although climate and hydrology are not the only determinants of riparian conditions, our results suggest that the interactions of groundwater supply and flood dynamics, as described by our spatial predictions, drive a significant portion of the spatial variation in riparian ecosystem character. The results also suggest strong variation in the relative and spatial scales of hydrologic determinants leading to specific riparian ecotypes. Models that provide insight into factors controlling diversity in riparian composition, structure, and function, also provide a context for understanding riparian contributions to in-stream habitat and water quality studies.
Remuneration Of Employee Performance (Work Satisfaction and Motivation as a Variable of Mediation)

This study aims to find empirical evidence of the effect of remuneration on employee performance in the public sector at the Raden Intan Lampung State Islamic University with job satisfaction and motivation as mediating variables. This study uses the SEM-PLS data analysis method with a sample of 53 lecturer respondents and 47 tendant respondents using the purposive judgment sampling method.The results showed that remuneration had a positive influence on motivation and job satisfaction of both lecturers and students. The same thing also happens to the relationship between lecturer and tendency motivation towards performance, while the relationship between job satisfaction and performance has different results with lecturer and academic staff, tendency of job satisfaction does not have a positive effect on performance. Interesting results also occur in the relationship between remuneration on performance.This study shows that remuneration does not affect the performance, both lecturer and student performance. Meanwhile mediation relations has the results that show motivation and job satisfaction of lecturers can mediate the relationship between remuneration and lecturer performance, and for academic staff, it is found that motivation mediates the relationship between remuneration and tendency performance, but job satisfaction does not mediate. [1]
Mostafa, A. M. (2016). High Performance HR Practices, Work Stress and Quit Intentions in the Public Health Sector: Does person–organization fit matter? Public Management Review, 18(8),

Drawing on the attraction–selection–attrition (ASA) framework, this paper examines a mechanism, namely person-organization (P-O) fit, through which high performance HR practices (HPHRP) affect two negative employee outcomes: work-related stress and quit intentions. Using a sample of Egyptian public health sector workers, a mediation model is tested empirically using structural equation modelling. The study results show that HPHRP positively affected P-O fit, which in turn had significant negative associations with work stress and quit intentions. P-O fit also explained a high proportion of mediation in the relationship between HPHRP and both outcomes.
Models of municipal solid waste generation and collection costs applicable to all municipalities in Thailand

The aim of this paper is to identify and measure the variables which influence municipal solid waste (MSW) generation and collection costs in Thai municipality. The empirical analysis is based on the information derived from a survey conducted in a sample size of 570 municipalities across the country. The results from the MSW generation model indicate that the population density, the household size and the size of municipality are the significant determinant of waste generation. Meanwhile, with regards to the MSW collection cost model, the results showed some existence of positive in the volume of MSW collected, population density, the distance between the center of municipality to the disposal site the hazardous sorting and the size of municipality whereas, there were no evidence of the frequency of collection and the ratio of recycled material to waste generation on cost.
Does eutrophication cause directional genetic selection in three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)?

Human-induced eutrophication is indirectly affecting aquatic organisms by altering their environment. This brings on altered selective pressures and could thereby cause changes in the genetic composition of exposed populations. Since anthropogenic environmental changes are usually occurring at a much higher rate than naturally occurring changes, they force populations to adapt to the new conditions faster than normal. Here, I have studied populations of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from four eutrophicated and four adjacent reference sites, along the coast of Finland, to investigate if this species has responded genetically to the human-induced eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. For this purpose I used amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and found distinctions in genetic composition between the two habitats, as well as similarities between populations from eutrophicated sites. This suggests a similar genetic response to eutrophicated conditions by stickleback populations from different geographical areas. Moreover I found a distinct geographic structure among three-spined sticklebacks in the Baltic Sea.
Distinguishing between trend-break models: method and empirical evidence

We demonstrate that in time trend models, the likelihood-based tests of partial parameter stability have size distortions and cannot be applied to detect the changing parameter. A two-step procedure is then proposed to distinguish between different trend-break models. This procedure involves consistent estimation of break dates and properly-sized tests for changing coefficient. In the empirical study of the Nelson–Plosser data set, we find that the estimated change points and trend-break specifications resulting from the proposed procedure are quite different from those of Perron (1989, 1997), Chu and White (1992), and Zivot and Andrews (1992). In another application, our procedure provides formal support for the conclusion of Ben-David and Papell (1995) that real per capita GDPs of most OECD countries exhibit a slope change in trend.
Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soil and Vegetables of Selected Dumpsites in Port-Harcourt Metropolis

The study to evaluate the concentration of heavy metals in soil and vegetables (Vernonia amygdalina and Telfairia occidentalis) was carried out in selected dumpsites in Port Harcourt Metropolis. Heavy metals were analyzed following standard methods using Perkin-Elmer model 403 Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Data revealed that the levels of heavy metals in soil samples from Site I and II were below the safe limits with the exception of Fe, whereas in the vegetable (Vernonia amygdalina) the concentration of Mn was above Permissible limit in all sites while Cu was above safe limit in Site I. Telfairia occidentalis revealed that Mn was above safe limit in Site I and II, while Pb was above safe limit in Site I and Fe was above safe limit in Site I and III. Levels of the 6 metals in the soil ranged between 2.93 to 3247.91 mg/kg (site I), 1.03 to 206.69 mg/kg (site II) and 1.42 to 4189.70 mg/kg (site III). The levels of metals in the vegetable (Vernonia amygdalina) were in the range of 4.70 to 212.63 mg/kg at Site I, 0.71 to 263.41 mg/kg at Site II and 1.18 to 171.95 mg/kg at site III with Transfer Factor been highest for Cu and V in Site I, V and Mn in Site II and Cu, V and Pb in site III. The metals in Telfairia occidentalis were between 71 to 1929.9 mg/kg at Site I, 3.24 to 1735.03 mg/kg at site II and 4.55 to 250.74 mg/kg at Site III while Transfer Factor was highest for Pb and Cu in Site I, V and Fe in Site II and V, Cu, Pb in Site III. The daily intake of Fe was above the Oral reference dose, while the HQ for both Vegetables were above 1 with the exception for Zn in all sites and Cu in Site I in Vernonia amygdalina and in all Sites for Telfairia occidentalis which reflects that the consumption of vegetables from the dumpsites may pose a potential health risks to inhabitants.
PHOSPHORUS AVAILABILITY IN RELATION TO SOIL pH IN CANE BELT AREAS OF FIJI

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) is an economically important crop in Fiji since the 1880’s. It is an important source of income and employment for the farming communities of the country. Sugarcane is cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world, in a range of climates from hot dry environment near sea level, to cool and moist environment at higher elevations. It is a heavy feeder of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, hence, soils has to be continuously tested for its available nutrient contents for its potential to produce optimum cane and sugar yields. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient required for growth and development of sugarcane plants. Availability of phosphorus is primarily dependent on the pH through interaction of minerals; iron, aluminum, and calcium with phosphorus in the soil. Three hundred and seventy six (376) soil samples from sugarcane growing fields were collected for analysis of available phosphorus and soil pH. The results of the samples were grouped into 50 soils from each soil reaction categories and the correlation between soil pH and available phosphorus were calculated. The study revealed that there is not any strong positive correlation between the soil pH and available phosphorus. The correlations were positive in all soil reaction categories, however, all were non-significant.
Market Exposure Makes Smallholders More Competitive and Closes the Gender Gap

Our investigation concentrates on the encounter of two economic and farming systems which are at the extremes along the dimension of market exposure: peasant, communal subsistence farming on the one hand and large-scale, capital-intense and profit-oriented farming by the global agricultural industry on the other hand. To this end, we conduct our investigation in Zambia – a popular destination for large-scale agricultural investors. Our investigation takes advantage of spatial differences in market exposure of rural and remote villages. Based on competition decisions of 935 adults and 401 children, we find that living in the proximity of large-scale agricultural investment sites makes smallholders more competitive. This effect is particularly strong for females and achieves closing of the gender gap in competitiveness in the villages with market exposure. A second driver of competitiveness is market integration of smallholders by selling their produce at markets. We regard our findings as highly important for the understanding of what societal arrangements influence individuals’ preferences. As policy makers in developing countries are able to steer market exposure through the settlement of large-scale investments, our findings hold important policy implications.
Environmental management within the indigenous perspective Pengelolaan lingkungan dalam perspektif penduduk asli

The environment (nature) is one of the most important aspects of life that needs to be considered when referring to and regarding sustainable development. This article aims to describe environmental management based on local knowledge using the case study conducted focusing on Mbatakapidu. The environment, which is a space for people to create a sustainable livelihood, is increasingly being disturbed by the acts of humanity itself. However, we cannot deny that in addition to these conditions, there are still local communities that always strive to create a balance between human and the environment. One of them is a local community in Mbatakapidu. This study used a qualitative approach with a case study perspective. The data collection was done by conducting in-depth interviews with the informants. The six informants were determined purposively. The results of this study show that people of Mbatakapidu trust that there are spirits who inhabit the springs and forests. This is a form of local wisdom that makes them tend to hold on to destructive action against the forest. The people of Mbatakapidu make nature their friend, and seek not to exploit but desire to maintain the sustainability of nature with the traditional local knowledge that they have. It implies that the Mbatakapidu people are obedient to Marapu. The values embraced by Marapu makes people harmonise their life with the natural environment. Therefore, the act of field (savannah) burning turned out to be mobilised by the individual and not at the instigation of local values as believed by the Mbatakapidu.
Protecting nests of the Critically Endangered South Pacific loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta from goanna Varanus spp. predation

Abstract The South Pacific subpopulation of the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta is categorized as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List because of significant population declines. Five Queensland beaches support high-density nesting of this subpopulation, but egg and hatchling survival are low at some beaches because of feral and native terrestrial predators. We quantified predation of loggerhead turtle eggs by two species of goanna, Varanus panoptes and Varanus varius, at Wreck Rock beach, one of the turtle's major nesting beaches. In addition, we conducted an experiment to determine the efficacy of a nest protection device. Predation rates at Wreck Rock beach were 15.2% for treatment and 45.8% for non-treatment clutches during the 2013–2014 nesting season. A higher probability of predation (64%) was predicted for the northern beach. Although nests were only partially predated (16.4% of the total number of eggs), nest loss to predators and beach erosion (caused by a cyclone) was 91.7%. If left unmanaged, the cumulative impact of predation and other threats, including those exacerbated by climate change, can cause unsustainable loss of loggerhead turtle nests. This study provides one of the first quantitative data sets on rates of loggerhead turtle clutch predation in the South Pacific. It enhances our understanding of goanna predation impacts and identifies an efficient predator exclusion device for mitigating the effects of terrestrial predators at Wreck Rock beach, and for protecting marine turtle nests across northern Australia and globally.
Market Advisor or Government Mouthpiece: The Role of Sell-Side Analysts in Emerging Markets

During times when the Chinese government wished to prop up the market, sell-side analysts from brokerages with significant government ownership issued relatively less pessimistic (or more optimistic) earnings forecasts, earnings-forecast revisions, and stock recommendations; they were also slower to revise. Although less accurate, these forecasts significantly influenced investors' beliefs. Overall, the evidence is consistent with analysts' temporary compliance with government incentives, especially those with more expertise or fewer outside options. Our findings highlight the dual-role of sell-side analysts in emerging market contexts and how their information production may be compromised at times of economic uncertainty.