Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of different inclusion levels of wheat dried distiller’s grains with soluble (DDGS) in the diet of growing pigs on the digestibility of nutrients

Ganchev, G. , Ilchev, A. & Nedelkov, K. (2022). Influence of different inclusion levels of wheat dried distiller’s grains with soluble (DDGS) in the diet of growing pigs on the digestibility of nutrients. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 28 (3) , 510–515 The objective of this study was to determine the total tract digestibility coefficients of growing pigs fed diets with different inclusion levels of wheat dried distillers grains with soluble (wDDGS) produced in Bulgaria. Four castrated male pigs from the Danube White breed with an average body weight of 34 ± 0.82 kg, housed in individual metabolic cages, were used in the digestibility experiment. Four different diets were examined: 1) a basal diet (100 wheat), consisting mainly of wheat (96.7% wheat and 3.3% vitamins and minerals); 2) 60/40 DDGS diet, in which DDGS was included at 40%; 3) 40/60 DDGS diet, in which DDGS was included at 60%, and 4) DDGS based diet (100 DDGS), consisting mainly of wheat DDGS (97.85% DDGS and 2.15% vitamins and minerals). The apparent total tract digestibility coefficients of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), crude fibers (CF), and nitrogen-free extracts (NFE) were determined. By increasing wheat DDGS in the rations of growing pigs, a significant reduction in digestibility coefficients of the main nutrients (CP, EE, CF, and NFE) was observed.
Evaluating the utility of qualitative personal diaries in precipitation reconstruction in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

Abstract. To date few studies have reconstructed weather from personal diaries (also known as private diaries). In this paper, we consider different methods of indexing daily weather information, specifically precipitation, from eighteenth and nineteenth-century personal diaries. We examine whether there is a significant correlation between indexed weather information and local instrumental records for the period, thereby assessing the potential of discursive materials in reconstructing precipitation series. We demonstrate the potential for the use of diaries that record weather incidentally rather than as the primary purpose, and the value and utility of diaries covering short periods when used alongside nearby contemporary diaries. We show that using multiple overlapping personal diaries can help to produce a more objective record of the weather, overcoming some of the challenges of working with qualitative data. This paper demonstrates indices derived from such qualitative sources can create valuable records of precipitation. There is the potential to repeat the methodology described here using earlier material or material from further away from extant instrumental records, thereby addressing spatial and temporal gaps in current knowledge globally.
A Novel Food Record App for Dietary Assessments Among Older Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: Development and Usability Study

Background More than 1 in 4 people in the United States aged 65 years and older have type 2 diabetes. For diabetes care, medical nutrition therapy is recommended as a clinically effective intervention. Previous researchers have developed and validated dietary assessment methods using images of food items to improve the accuracy of self-reporting over traditional methods. Nevertheless, little is known about the usability of image-assisted dietary assessment methods for older adults with diabetes. Objective The aims of this study were (1) to create a food record app for dietary assessments (FRADA) that would support image-assisted dietary assessments, and (2) to evaluate the usability of FRADA for older adults with diabetes. Methods For the development of FRADA, we identified design principles that address the needs of older adults and implemented three fundamental tasks required for image-assisted dietary assessments: capturing, viewing, and transmitting images of food based on the design principles. For the usability assessment of FRADA, older adults aged 65 to 80 years (11 females and 3 males) were assigned to interact with FRADA in a lab-based setting. Participants’ opinions of FRADA and its usability were determined by a follow-up survey and interview. As an evaluation indicator of usability, the responses to the survey, including an after-scenario questionnaire, were analyzed. Qualitative data from the interviews confirmed the responses to the survey. Results We developed a smartphone app that enables older adults with diabetes to capture, view, and transmit images of food items they consumed. The findings of this study showed that FRADA and its instructions for capturing, viewing, and transmitting images of food items were usable for older adults with diabetes. The survey showed that participants found FRADA easy to use and would consider using FRADA daily. The analysis of the qualitative data from interviews revealed multiple categories, such as the usability of FRADA, potential benefits of using FRADA, potential features to be added to FRADA, and concerns of older adults with diabetes regarding interactions with FRADA. Conclusions This study demonstrates in a lab-based setting not only the usability of FRADA by older adults with diabetes but also potential opportunities using FRADA in real-world settings. The findings suggest implications for creating a smartphone app for an image-assisted dietary assessment. Future work still remains to evaluate the feasibility and validity of FRADA with multiple stakeholders, including older adults with diabetes and dietitians.
Pattern of survival of breast cancer patients in a tertiary hospital in South West Nigeria

Background of the study Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in both developed and developing nations. The survival of breast cancer is increasing in developed countries with improved treatment modalities, while still very poor in developing countries. In Nigeria, few breast cancer survival data are available. Research design This is a retrospective cross-sectional study. Objectives To determine the survival of breast cancer patients and possible factors influencing it. Methodology Socio-demographic and clinical variables from treatment records and case notes of breast cancer patients treated from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2008 at the Department of Radiation Oncology, University College Hospital, Ibadan. The status of patients was determined at 2 and 5 years after diagnosis. The survival of patients with breast cancer was compared using Log Rank test according to socio-demographic and clinical variables. The median survival times were obtained from the Kaplan–Meier survival curve. Cox’s proportional hazard model was fitted for those that were statistically significant in the Log Rank test. Missing data were reported as unknown, not documented or missing. Results A total of 378 patients were analysed. Age ranged between 22.0 and 87.0 years with mean of 47.6 (standard deviation (SD) = 11.2) years. Almost all patients were females (98.4%). More than half (55.3%) presented at stage III, 28.0% had metastasis and the stage was unknown in about 6.6% of the patients. Invasive ductal carcinoma was the most prevalent histology (89.2%). Only 124 (32.8%) patients had their histological grade stated and most of the patients had no immunohistochemistry done. All the patients had radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery. About 25.1% of the patients were lost to follow up. The 2- and 5-year survival rates were 56.4% and 37.6%, respectively. The 2- and 5-year survival rates according to stage were stage I (80.0% and 66.7%), stage II (67.7% and 57.6%), stage III (51.4% and 27.9%) and stage IV (37.9% and 13.8%). Median survival time was 41 months (95%CI = 35.0–44.0). The disease-free survival at 2 and 5 years was 66.6% and 60.3%, respectively. Median time for recurrence was 8.0 months. Level of education, height, tumour unilaterality, clinical tumour size, stage at presentation, presence of distant metastases, clinical axillary lymph node metastasis, supraclavicular node metastasis, mode of surgery and axillary clearance were found to have statistically significant association with survival. Conclusion A large number of the patients in our study presented at a young age, late with advanced stage disease which results in poor survival outcome.
Prevalence and Potential Risk Factors of Helicobacter pylori Infection among Asymptomatic Individuals in Kazakhstan

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is associated with several risk factors such as demographic, socioeconomic status and personal habits, which vary in different populations. This is the most up-to-date data on H. pylori prevalence and potential risk factors for H. pylori infection among asymptomatic middle-aged individuals in Kazakhstan. Methods: Apparently healthy individuals aged 40 to 64, who took part in the health control in the outpatient clinic, were invited to participate in the study; answered a questionnaire, donated a blood sample. The antibodies to H. pylori were analysed by latex agglutination method. The baseline characteristics of study subjects with or without H. pylori infection were compared using the Chi-square test. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between H. pylori infection and potential risk factors were estimated using multivariable logistic regression models. Results: Altogether 166 subjects (59% male; the median age - 51 years old) were included; 104 (62.7%) were H. pylori positive. There were no statistically significant differences between H. pylori positive and H. pylori negative groups in respect to the gender, anthropometric measurements, socioeconomic factors and personal habits. The multiple variable analysis showed that age (OR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.03 – 3.86; P=0.04) and increased salt intake (OR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.12 – 4.35; P=0.02) were associated with H. pylori infection. Conclusions: More than half of the study subjects were infected with H. pylori in Kazakhstan. The prevalence of H. pylori infection was independently associated with older age and regular high salt consumption.
THE IMPORTANCE OF NARRATIVE IN NUCLEAR POLICYMAKING: A STUDY OF THE NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY

This paper examines the role and importance of dominant narratives on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament policymaking, with a focus on the nuclear NonProliferation Treaty (NPT). By analysing a range of policy, commentary and academic texts from 1996 to 2020, the paper identifies three core tropes of NPT discourse: the NPT as a ‘cornerstone’, the NPT as a ‘grand bargain’ and the NPT as a continuous crisis. It claims these tropes support a dominant narrative of the NPT that justifies continually lowered expectations, that is status quooriented and that is unfavourable to initiatives based on a vision of the future. The paper highlights the importance of the generally uncontested language that forms the background of NPT political disputes and argues this language plays an important role in shaping what is understood as possible and legitimate in non-proliferation and disarmament policymaking. It examines the European Union as an actor in NPT discourse, highlighting its role in maintaining the dominant narrative through key tropes. It recommends paying further attention to the political power of the taken-for-granted language that forms the background of NPT political contests.
Analysis of the Immunoexpression of Opioid Receptors and their Correlation with Markers of Angiogenesis, Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis in Breast Cancer

Objective: Breast cancer is a disease of great concern. The prognosis of this tumor is related to its staging. Opioids are widely used to minimize pain in oncology clinics; however, the relationship between the administration of opioids and their effects on tumor cells has yet to be elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the immunoexpression of mu- (μ) and kappa- (κ) opioid receptors and their correlation with markers of angiogenesis, cell proliferation, and apoptosis in biopsies of breast tumors. Methods: Demographic data, tumor characteristics, opioid use, and prognostic factors were collected from medical records. After the selection of the excisional biopsies, immunohistochemistry was performed for μ- and κ-opioid receptors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Ki-67, and TUNEL. Results: A significant predominance of Ki-67 and μ-opioid receptor immunoexpression in the lymph nodes was observed in patients administered opioid medications. The luminal A subtype showed higher apoptosis levels (TUNEL) compared to the luminal B subtype. Patients with T4 tumor who had recurrence demonstrated a reduced expression of κ-opioid receptors at the lymph node location. Correlation analyses between the μ and κ opioid markers, VEGF, Ki-67, and TUNEL showed that these findings are likely involved in the same mechanisms the cancer of T4 stage breast cancer. Conclusion: The κ-opioid receptor has a lower immunoexpression in nodal tumor metastasis with recurrence, whereas the μ-opioid receptor is directly related to expression of TUNEL-positive cells in tumors and indirectly to Ki-67 in nodal metastasis. Neither of the two receptors was expressed in the primary tumor or nodal metastasis in relation to VEGF.
Women Experience Respect and Disrespect during Childbirth in Tertiary Teaching Hospital. Southwest Part of Ethiopia: Participant Observation, qualitative study

Background: Disrespect and abuse during facility-based childbirth is a negative experience for women in developed and developing regions. Types and drivers of disrespect and abuse vary based on study settings. Few studies have explored disrespect and abuse in tertiary teaching hospitals settings. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore women experience of disrespect and abuse in one of tertiary teaching hospitals in southwest part of Ethiopia. Method: Qualitative participant observation was used as a data collection method. Fieldwork was conducted in the labour ward, the normal postnatal ward, and the maternity recovery room for three consecutive months in Jimma University specialized teaching hospital. The participant observation units were selected purposively, and 53 episodes of women in labour and 33 episodes of post-partum women were observed. The data were organized and analysed using NVIVO qualitative analysis software.and we used the thematic analysis method.Results: Three categories of themes were identified: disrespect and abuse, contributor themes, and respectful themes. Disrespect and abuse themes were physical abuse, poor communication, non-consented care, lack of privacy, lack of confidentiality , neglected care, loss of autonomy and lack of companion,. Contributor themes for disrespect and abuse were provider-related, health system-related, and women-related themes. Provider-related themes were lack of respect among providers and lack of collaboration and communication. Health-system related themes were poor human resource management, scarcity of equipment and supplies, and wastage of supplies. A women-related contributor was women passivity. Respectful care themes were in two categories: respectful provider and respectful facility cultures. Respectful provider practice includes: timely evaluation at admission, being with women, supportive care, and teamwork during emergency. Respectful facility culture included postpartum companion and free delivery service.Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that women experienced disrespect and abuse at a teaching health care facility. Policy makers, administrators, and quality improvement initiative activities need to address the identified contributors to improve women’s experience in health care facilities.
Fe b 20 21 REFINED EULERIAN NUMBERS AND BALLOT PERMUTATIONS

Abstract. A ballot permutation is a permutation π such that in any prefix of π the descent number is not more than the ascent number. In this article, we obtained a formula in close form for the multivariate generating function of {A(n, d, j)}n,d,j, which denote the number of permutations of length n with d descents and j as the first letter. Besides, by a series of calculations with generatingfunctionology, we confirm a recent conjecture of Wang and Zhang for ballot permutations.
The application of ultrafiltration for separation of glycerol solution fermented by bacteria

Abstract A biotechnological synthesis generated a fermentation broth containing the dissociated forms of organic compounds and residual mineral salts. An effective method of selective removal of the ionic species and organic compounds from solutions comprises nanofiltration and reverse osmosis. Ultrafiltration (UF) was used in this work as a pre-treatment method for the preparation of feed for these processes. The UF study was carried out with a real broth, which was obtained using Citrobacter freundii bacteria for the fermentation of glycerol solutions, resulting in the UF permeate with turbidity below 0.1 NTU. However, a significant decline of the permeate flux was observed during the UF process. The influence of the transmembrane pressure on the fouling intensity of used ceramic membranes was investigated. A periodical membrane cleaning was carried out by rinsing with water and a 1 wt % solution of sodium hydroxide. The applied cleaning procedures permitted to restore the initial permeate flux.
International R & D Spillovers and Asset Prices ECONOMIC RESEARCH FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF ST

We study the international propagation of long-run risk in the context of a general equilibrium model with endogenous growth. Innovation and international diffusion of technologies are the channels at the core of our mechanism. A calibrated version of the model matches several asset pricing and macroeconomic quantity moments, alleviating some of the puzzles highlighted in the international macro-finance literature. Our model predicts that country-pairs that share more R&D have less volatile exchange rates and more correlated stock market returns. Using data from a sample of 19 developed countries, we provide suggestive empirical evidence in favor of our model’s predictions.
Sustaining Patient Engagement: The Role of Health Emotion and Personality Traits in Patient Portal Continuous Use Decision

Healthcare providers increasingly rely on technology, such as patient portals, for asynchronous communication with their patients. Even though clinicians have increasingly adopted patient portals to enhance healthcare quality and reduce cost, few patients continue to use this technology. In this paper, we investigate the effect that individuals’ health emotion and personality traits as measured using the five-factor model (FFM) have on patients’ intention to continually use patient portals through the lens of emotional dissonance theory. We collected survey data from 187 patients at a major medical center in the Midwestern United States. After we analyzed the data using structural equation modeling, we found that the final model explained 40 percent of the variance in intention to continue to use. Our results suggest that whether individuals continue to use technology depends on their reactions to technology in which health emotions and personality traits play a crucial part. Additionally, health emotion modifies the effect that personality traits have on patients’ intention to continue to use a patient portal. Our study provides healthcare organizations with an integrated view of patient portal use behavior and shows that individual personality traits and health emotion may increase sustainable patient enrollment and engagement.
The effect of different replications of humic acid fertilization on yield performances of common vetch (Vicia sativa L.)

This study was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications in Diyarbakir, Turkey, in 2003 to 2004 and 2004 to 2005 growing seasons, in order to determine the effects of different humic acid treatments (control, soil 100%, seeds 100%, leaves 100%, soil 50% + seeds 50%, soil 50% + leaves 50%, seeds 50% + leaves 50% and seeds 33% + soil 33% + leaves 33% fertilizations) on herbage and crude protein concentration of common vetch. According to the results of this study, humic acid treatments increased the yields, and this increase was found to be significant as well as statistical. According to the two-year research, the highest value for green herbage yield (15180 kg ha -1 ), dry herbage yield (3045 kg ha -1 ) and plant height (61 cm) was obtained from soil 100% fertilizations, while the highest crude protein concentration (13.43%) was obtained from seeds 33% + soil 33% + leaves 33% fertilizations.
Role of Humification Processes in Recycling Organic Wastes of Various Nature and Sources as Soil Amendments

Recycling the large amounts of organic wastes produced by agriculture, forestry, urban and industrial activities as soil, organic amendments are the most popular and efficient option for avoiding their dispersion in the environment and restoring, maintaining, and/or improving the content of soil organic matter. Chemical stability and biological maturity are two important factors for the successful use of organic wastes in agriculture with limited risk for the surrounding environment. Stabilization and maturation of raw organic wastes inherently imply the achievement of an extensive humification, that is, a wide conversion of easily degradable organic matter to refractory organic compounds that resemble native soil humic substances (HS). Soil HS are the most important components of soil organic matter responsible of several soil functions and processes. As a consequence, the amount and quality of HS-like fractions in any organic amendment are believed to be of primary importance for its agronomic efficacy, environmental safety and economic value. The first part of this review focuses on the chemical and physico-chemical changes occurring in the humic substances (HS) -like fractions of organic wastes of various nature and sources subjected to common treatment processes aimed at producing environmentally-safe soil amendments with beneficial agronomic properties. The second part discusses the composition, structure, and chemical reactivity of the HS-like components in organic amendments of various origins and nature, and their effects on native soil HS. The review concludes by highlighting the need for innovative research targeted mainly to achieve a better fundamental understanding of the molecular structure and reactivity of soil HS and HS-like fractions in organic amendments, the mechanisms of HS formation and transformations in the natural environment and during the treatment processes of raw organic wastes, the interactions with metals and organic xenobiotics, and the direct physiological effects that HS may exert on plants.
Elongate cavities and skin–core structure in Nephila spider silk observed by electron microscopy

Major ampullate silk fibres from the orb‐weaving spider Nephila madagascariensis were analysed by transmission electron microscopy. The fibres have a thin outer layer surrounding a column of apparently homogeneous material which contains elongate cavities orientated parallel to the silk fibre axis. The cavities appear similar to ‘elongate vacuolar droplets’ observed in the silk of Antheraea silkmoth larvae. The overall skin–core structure is probably the result of a rheological pattern originating in the two secreting regions recognized in Nephila silk glands; the cavities indicate material inhomogeneities.