Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Breakfast Consumption May Improve Fasting Insulin, HOMA-IR, and HbA1c Levels in Predominately Low-Income, Hispanic Children 7–12 Years of Age

Children from low-income households and minority families have high cardiometabolic risk. Although breakfast consumption is known to improve cardiometabolic health in children, limited randomized control trials (RCT) have explored this association in low-income and racial/ethnic U.S. minority families. This study conducted secondary analyses from TX Sprouts, a school-based gardening, cooking, and nutrition education RCT, to examine the intervention effect on breakfast consumption and how changes in breakfast consumption impact cardiometabolic risk in predominately low-income, multi-ethnic children. TX Sprouts consisted of 16 schools (8 intervention; 8 control) in greater Austin, TX. A total of 18 lessons were taught, including topics on breakfast consumption benefits and choosing healthy food options at school. Children completed clinical measures (e.g., anthropometrics, body composition via bioelectrical impedance), and the number of breakfast occasions (BO) per week (at home and school) was captured via validated survey at baseline and post-intervention. Post-study—Baseline changes in breakfast consumption were used to categorize students as: maintainers (BO −1 to 1 day/week), decreasers (BO ≤−2 day/week), and increasers (BO ≥2 day/week). Optional fasting blood draws were performed on a subsample. Generalized weighted linear mixed modeling tested differences between intervention and control, with schools as random clusters. Analysis of covariance and linear regression examined changes in breakfast consumption on cardiometabolic outcomes, controlling for age, sex, race/ethnicity, free and reduced-price school meal participation (FRL), school site, breakfast location, physical activity, baseline cardiometabolic measures, and BMI z-score. This study included 1417 children (mean age 9 years; 53% male; 58% Hispanic, 63% FRL; breakfast consumption patterns: 63% maintainers, 16% decreasers, and 21% increasers). There was no intervention effect on changes in breakfast consumption. Compared to decreasers, increasers had an increase in insulin (−0.3 µIU/mL vs. +4.1 µIU/mL; p = 0.01) and a larger increase in HOMA-IR (+0.4 vs. +1.5; p < 0.01). Every one-day increase in breakfast consumption decreased fasting insulin by 0.44 µIU/mL, HOMA-IR by 0.11, and hemoglobin A1c by 0.01% (p ≤ 0.03). Increased breakfast consumption was linked to improved glucose control, suggesting breakfast can mitigate risk in a high-risk population. To better understand underlying mechanisms linking breakfast consumption to improved metabolic health, RCTs focusing on breakfast quality and timing are warranted.
Personality Traits of Croatian University Students with Internet Addiction

Specific personality traits may predispose individuals to various forms of addictive behaviors. This study aimed to investigate the association between personality traits of university students and Internet addiction (IA). A sample of 1051 university students was recruited from the largest university in Eastern Croatia. A structured anonymous questionnaire that included questions regarding students’ sociodemographic information and Internet usage patterns, the Young Internet Addiction Test and Big Five Inventory served as a research tool. The study revealed that 1.0% of the studied sample expressed severe IA while 24.6% of study participants expressed some signs of addiction. The IA was detected in 576 (80.0%) students who used the Internet mainly for social networking, in 30 (78.9%) students who mainly used it for online gaming, and in 153 (52.2%) students who mainly used it for university assignments (p < 0.001). Higher neuroticism, higher extraversion, and higher openness to new experiences were connected with IA in general (p < 0.001). Higher neuroticism, higher extraversion, and higher openness to new experiences were significantly associated with addictive behavior during social networking (p < 0.001). Higher extraversion and higher openness to new experiences were significantly associated with addictive behavior during Internet usage for university assignments (p = 0.025), while there were no significant associations between specific personality traits and addictive behavior during online gaming (p = 0.059). Personality traits must be taken into account while developing programs and implementing interventions for preventing IA in the university student population.
A review of code provisions for torsional seismic effects in buildings

A series of recent studies of the seismic torsional response of ductile buildings is condensed and extended to serve as a basis for recommendations for possible amendments of the relevant clauses of the current New Zealand loadings standard [1]. It is postulated that the primary seismic design aim, associated with criteria of the ultimate limit state, should address displacement ductility demands and supply, as affected by twisting of the system, rather than torsional strength. Some well-established parameters, such as yield displacement, element and system stiffness, are redefined to enable the inelastic deformation pattern of rigid diaphragms to be simply quantified. The presentation concludes with specific recommendations and corresponding commentaries in a form suitable, with editorial modifications, for possible adoption as codified design requirements. To illustrate both the relevance of the recommendations and their simplicity, two numerical examples, showing the evaluation of the displacement ductility capacity of a model structure, are appended.
Influencing factors of short- and long-term returns on IPOs in the Chinese and the U.S. capital markets: A systematic literature review

In their studies, Loughran, Ritter, and Rydqvist (1994), Fan, Wong, and Zhang (2007), Chi and Padgett (2005) as well as Ritter (1991) show differences in the regional characteristics of underpricing and overpricing in initial public offerings (IPOs). Our study analysis the regional differences in the influencing factors of underpricing or overpricing based on a systematic literature review that is focused on the Chinese and the U.S. capital markets. Therefore, following the systematic literature review protocol, it was possible to select 38 papers published between 1988 and 2019. Our results show that stock market-specific factors are crucial for regional differentiation. Results on the correlation between stakeholder- and issuance-specific factors are at least partially contradictory. The uniformly identified correlations of stakeholder and issuance factors diverge only slightly in both markets. The investigation of the influencing factors mentioned in the studies also reveals the causal relationship that the IPO return phenomenon of underpricing is influenced by site-exclusive and site-independent factors, whereas overpricing is primarily influenced by site-independent factors. We thus close an existing research gap and satisfy an important information need of issuers and investors.
Business Goal Difficulty and Socially Irresponsible Executive Behavior: The Mediating Role of Focalism

Executive social irresponsibility has received increasing research attention in recent years, following the consensus for a broader stakeholder approach to managerial decision making. Despite the importance of the subject, there remains insufficient research on contextual factors that mold executives’ orientation toward social responsibility. Through three studies, we demonstrate that difficult business goals can reduce executives’ tendency to consider social responsibility in their decision making. Further, we find that focalism—a cognitive bias based on affective forecasting theory—can mediate positive relationships between business goal difficulty and socially irresponsible executive behavior. Our findings also suggest that, expanding executives’ thought processes beyond the narrow focus of a business goal achievement can be a good strategy in reducing socially irresponsible executive behavior, even in the presence of difficult goals.
A Low-Cost High-Performance Data Augmentation for Deep Learning-Based Skin Lesion Classification

Objective and Impact Statement. There is a need to develop high-performance and low-cost data augmentation strategies for intelligent skin cancer screening devices that can be deployed in rural or underdeveloped communities. The proposed strategy can not only improve the classification performance of skin lesions but also highlight the potential regions of interest for clinicians’ attention. This strategy can also be implemented in a broad range of clinical disciplines for early screening and automatic diagnosis of many other diseases in low resource settings. Methods. We propose a high-performance data augmentation strategy of search space 101, which can be combined with any model through a plug-and-play mode and search for the best argumentation method for a medical database with low resource cost. Results. With EfficientNets as a baseline, the best BACC of HAM10000 is 0.853, outperforming the other published models of “single-model and no-external-database” for ISIC 2018 Lesion Diagnosis Challenge (Task 3). The best average AUC performance on ISIC 2017 achieves 0.909 (±0.015), exceeding most of the ensembling models and those using external datasets. Performance on Derm7pt archives the best BACC of 0.735 (±0.018) ahead of all other related studies. Moreover, the model-based heatmaps generated by Grad-CAM++ verify the accurate selection of lesion features in model judgment, further proving the scientific rationality of model-based diagnosis. Conclusion. The proposed data augmentation strategy greatly reduces the computational cost for clinically intelligent diagnosis of skin lesions. It may also facilitate further research in low-cost, portable, and AI-based mobile devices for skin cancer screening and therapeutic guidance.
New Mechanisms of Bromelain in Alleviating Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease-Induced Deregulation of Blood Coagulation

Bromelain, an enzyme extracted from the stems of pineapples, exerts anticoagulant effects; however, the regulatory mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we aimed to investigate the effects of bromelain on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-induced deregulation of blood coagulation and the underlying molecular mechanisms. C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD), with or without bromelain (20 mg/kg/day) administration, for 12 weeks. Treatment with bromelain decreased thrombus formation in the liver and prolonged HFD-induced shortened prothrombin, activated partial thromboplastin, and fibrinogen times. Moreover, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry and Western blot analysis showed that bromelain inhibited NAFLD-induced activation of the intrinsic, extrinsic, and common pathways by upregulating the protein expression of antithrombin III, serpin family G member 1, and α1-antitrypsin, and downregulating the protein expression of fibrinogen in the liver and plasma. Bromelain also upregulated the level of plasminogen and downregulating factor XIII expression in the liver and plasma. Collectively, these findings suggest that bromelain exerts anticoagulant effects on NAFLD-induced deregulation of coagulation by inhibiting the activation of the coagulation cascade, decreasing the stability of clots, and promoting fibrinolytic activity. The present study provides new insights into the potential therapeutic value of bromelain for the prevention and treatment of thrombosis-related diseases.
An analysis of blade throw from wind turbines

Analyse du precedent modele de calcul de la projection d'une pale d'un aerogenerateur. Developpement d'un nouveau modele a six degres de liberte de la trajectoire d'une pale, qui tient compte de la face ascensionnelle, des faces giratoires et de l'angle d'attaque lie au taux de rotation et a la vitesse de translation
The Feelings of Goals Hypothesis: Emotional Feelings are Non-Conceptual, Non-Motoric Representations of Goals

This paper proposes and develops the feelings of goals hypothesis (FGH). It has two aims: first, to describe the evolutionary function of emotional feelings (EFs), and second, to describe the content and the format of EFs. According to FGH, the evolutionary function of EFs is to enable motoric flexibility. Specifically, EFs are a component of a psychological mechanism that permits differential motoric reactions to the same stimulus. Further, according to FGH, EF is a special type of mental representation with the content of an action goal, and with a non-motoric, non-conceptual format. This paper thoroughly clarifies the assumptions underlying FGH and discusses its theoretical implications and empirical predictions.
The Management of Hypertensive Emergencies—Is There a “Magical” Prescription for All?

Hypertensive emergencies (HE) represent high cardiovascular risk situations defined by a severe increase in blood pressure (BP) associated with acute, hypertension mediated organ damage (A-HMOD) to the heart, brain, retina, kidneys, and large arteries. Blood pressure values alone do not accurately predict the presence of HE; therefore, the search for A-HMOD should be the first step in the management of acute severe hypertension. A rapid therapeutic intervention is mandatory in order to limit and promote regression of end-organ damage, minimize the risk of complications, and improve patient outcomes. Drug therapy for HE, target BP, and the speed of BP decrease are all dictated by the type of A-HMOD, specific drug pharmacokinetics, adverse drug effects, and comorbidities. Therefore, a tailored approach is warranted. However, there is currently a lack of solid evidence for the appropriate treatment strategies for most HE. This article reviews current pharmacological strategies while providing a stepwise, evidence based approach for the management of HE.
Prevalence of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in a Rural Setting: A Case Study of DIMAMO Health and Demographic Surveillance Site, Limpopo Province of South Africa

Background: The primary purpose of introducing the COVID-19 vaccine was to fight the pandemic. However, the vaccine was not well received worldwide. This challenge has threatened the effective implementation and roll-out of COVID-19 immunization campaigns. The challenge of vaccine hesitancy was reported to be more prevalent in rural areas due to various factors such as cultural beliefs, misinformation, poverty, lack of education, and distrust of vaccines. Yet there seems to be a scarcity of studies determining the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy in deep rural areas of Limpopo. Purpose: The study aimed to explore the prevalence of COVID-19 hesitancy among the rural black population in South Africa. Study Methods: A longitudinal quantitative study was conducted with data from the DIMAMO Health and Demographic Surveillance Site (HDSS) database for 2020 to 2022. A non-probability total sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Trained fieldworkers collected data using an electronic data capture questionnaire. A comparison of categorical variables was performed using Chi-Square in SPSS version 26 and the statistical significance was set at p < 0.05, with a 95% confidence interval to analyze the data. Results: The limited availability of vaccination sites in Limpopo Province, South Africa, was associated with a reduced certainty that the vaccine would be accepted, as reported in the current study. The prevalence of visiting traditional healers was significantly higher in non-vaccinated than vaccinated participants among the rural black population, indicating a different cultural belief among the rural black population that existed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The present study findings show diverse factors of concern associated with vaccination hesitancy for COVID-19 among rural black people. Lack of education, gender, not being diagnosed with COVID-19, not being a Christian, visiting traditional healers, vaccine mistrust, unknown side effects, and a lack of confidence in the vaccine itself. Conspiracy theories were factors that impacted vaccine acceptance among black people living in rural areas. The prevalence of visiting traditional healers was significantly higher in non-vaccinated than vaccinated participants. Therefore, the present study findings emphasize the need to collectively integrate and utilize the traditional healers in the South African healthcare system.
Does Changing the Font Type Affect the Processing of Words Written in Cyrillic and Latin Alphabet?

To understand the reading process, it is necessary to explore the mechanisms of visual word recognition. The basic level of that recognition is the processing of letters, their size and visual identity. The specificity of the Serbian language is characterized by the parallel use of two alphabetic systems – Latin and Cyrillic, which contain a number of common, but also their own unique letters. Since some of the differences between the fonts are based on visual specific aditions at the end of letter's lines, there is also a significant contribution of fonts in letter recognition and reading. The main goal of this study is to examine the effect of font type on the processing of Latin and Cyrillic words. The aim was also to examine the effect of letter degradation on the word processing in these two alphabetic systems. The study included two experiments with Latin and Cyrillic words written in lowercase and uppercase. Participants were 221 students from the University of Banja Luka. Three factors were varied in both experiments: alphabet, “visual availability” (which refers to the visibility of words after degradation), and font type. Two analyses were performed ANOVA by subject (F1 analysis) and ANOVA by item (F2 analysis). Results show that there is a main effect of visual availability on processing speed of words. Visual degradation has slowed reaction time, but this effect is not the same in Latin and Cyrillic words. Significant interaction of font and alphabet is confirmed only in F2 analysis, so these results have limited validity. This study also revealed differences between lowercase and uppercase. Degradation of lowercase was more detrimental that degradation of uppercase. The obtained results indicate that word processing in two alphabetic systems can be partly explained by the visual characteristics and grapheme structure of their letters.
EFFECT OF SERVICE ON ESTRUS DURATION IN DAIRY GOATS

The objective of this research was to determine the effect of sterile service on estrus duration in multiparous and nulliparous dairy goats. Twenty Nubian goats (10 multiparous and 10 nulliparous) were randomly assigned to of 4 treatment groups (n = 5 animals per group 1. Group MNS. multiparous without service; Group MS, multiparous with service; Group NNS, nulliparous without service and Group NS, nulliparous with service. Estrus was synchronized by utilization of fluorogestone acetate intravaginal pessaries 140 mg.1 over a 12-day period plus 250 IU. i.m. of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) at pessary removal. Estrus was detected with the aid of a vasectomized buck for 5 days after pessary removal for 6-hour intervals (0600. 1200, 1800 and 2400 hours). In the groups that were not serviced the teaser was equipped with an apron and was only allowed to mount. In the serviced groups. the teaser was permitted to mount and service each female on 2 occasions during the first 12 hours of estrus. Estrus initiation for Groups NNS. NS, MNS and MS were (mean f SD1 61.5 ? 29.5, 61.2 + 35.4, 63.0 + 22.2 and 69.6 c 32.5 hours, respectively (P>O.O5). Estrus duration for the same groups were (mean 2 SD) 42.0 r 12.0, 30.0 + 6.0. 42.0 F 7.3 and 28.8 r 10.7 hours, respectively. These results show that estrus duration was shortened by serving (P 0.05). It is concluded that estrus duration in goats is shortened by serving and that no differences in duration exist between multiparous and nulliparous.
Models of Tennis Racket Impacts

The oscillations of a hand-held tennis racket and a racket with its handle firmly clamped were measured by striking the racket with a ball and observing the output voltage from a thin piezoelectric film wrapped around the handle. The oscillations of the racket in these two cases were quite different, with the hand-held racket displaying vibrational modes similar to those of a completely free racket.
The effect of amended order on firm resilience through supply chain coordination

Pandemic Covid 19 has resulted in manufacturing companies experiencing disruptions in fulfilling customer orders and changes in product forecasting results from calculation. Manufacturing companies essential in handling covid experience increased demands, while other companies not related to covid experienced a decrease even in cancellation of orders. Order changes determine the company's performance. This research is related to the effect of order changes on firm resilience through supply chain coordination. The distribution of questionnaires to manufacturing companies in Indonesia is done by sending a google form link in the social media group. Data obtained as many as 446 questionnaires and analyzed using the partial least square technique. The study results showed that amended orders positively impacted 0.728 to the internal operational coordination, the positive influence of 0.201 to coordinate with the supplier, and positive effect with a coefficient of 0.213 to coordination with the customer. Internal operational coordinated influence coordinated with the customer of 0.593 and coordinated with the customer of 0.515. Supply chain coordinated impact on the company's supply chain resilience determined by internal operational coordination by 0.371, coordinated with the supplier of 0.183 and coordinated with the customer of 0.199. The practical contribution of the research is to make managers able to build a coordinated Supply chain to overcome amended orders and increase supply chain deficiencies.
Analysis of Date’s Market Functioning (Phoenix Dactylifera L), in Ouargla, South-Est of Algeria: Challenges and Constraints

This study aims to analyse date’s market functioning and constraints that are facing it in Southeast of Algeria, Ouargla region. To analyze potential market pathways (traders, collectors and intermediaries) 100 respondents were randomly selected. Descriptive statistical analysis has been applied to achieve the research’s gaols. Analysis confirms that, Ouargla does not have an organized date-palm market dedicated to dates only, and which is characterized by total anarchy mainly due to lack of improved and advanced management, regulation and a lot of intermediaries spread. Date’s marketing in this area of study is complex because it is a string composed of producers, collectors, storers and mandataries in upstream. However, packers, processors and exporters are in downstream, thus a stakeholder’s divergence is created, for varietie’s quality as well as destinations in the marketplace’s channels. Most of traders are at an economically active age. Therefore, they should be able to perform their marketing functions effectively. Date’s varieties that are sold in the area of study differ from trader to another which is depending on their availability customers, prices offered as well as operator’s financial capacity. Indeed, 46% of fresh dates are available in market during the full harvest period but unfortunately this coincides with local and external market’s saturation where imbalanced supply and demand induce lower date’s price. This study allows to identify main constraints of date’s sector marketing that hinder its efficiency, which are related to technical, professional, social - cultural and commercial environment as a result this sector’s market suffers from serious dysfunctions.