Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM C/T - 13910 AND CONSUMPTION OF DAIRY PRODUCTS IN UZBEK POPULATION

AIM: To determine the relationship between C/C-13910 genotyping and consumption of dairy products in an Uzbek population and to study the incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms for dairy products in the LNP C/C-13910 carriers. METHODS: 100 Uzbeks were examined for nucleotide polymorphisms by polymerase chain reaction/restriction fragment length polymorphism. Dairy tolerance was analyzed by a questionnaire, developed to assess dyspepsia after milk and dairy consumption. RESULTS: The genetic allele variant C/C-13910, the marker of lactase non-persistence, was found in 81% of cases in the Uzbek population. In 19% of the subjects, the genotype C/T-13910 was found. No statistically significant relationship was found between the lactase deficiency genotype and consumption of dairy products (p>0,05). The majority of the participants with the genotype C/C-13910 were reported to consume dairy products every day or several times in week. Among carriers of genotype LNP gastrointestinal symptoms, when consuming dairy products, do not occur more often than in those with genotype LP (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Despite the high prevalence of lactase deficiency in the Uzbek population, Uzbeks tolerate dairy products well and regularly consume them. Regular consumption of fermented milk products in the diet of the Uzbek population is likely to compensate for the rare use of milk and helps with the intake of calcium and other nutrients contained in milk.
Dietary acid load and risk of prostate cancer: (a case-control study)

Background: There are few studies which have shown inconsistent results regarding the associations between dietary acid load (DAL) and the risk of cancer. This study aimed to examine the association between DAL and prostate cancer (PC) risk among Iranian population. Methods: One hundred and twenty participants (60 controls and 60 newly diagnosed PC patients) engaged in a hospital-based case-control study. Validated 160-items semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess usual dietary intakes. DAL was calculated using potential renal acid load (PRAL) and the net endogenous acid production (NEAP). Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios. Results: Both PRAL (OR=5.44; 95% CI= (2.09-14.17)) and NEAP (OR=4.88; 95% CI= (2.22-13.41)) were associated with increased risk of PC in crude model. After adjusting for potential confounders (energy intake, smoking, physical activity, ethnicity, job, education, and some drugs usage) compared to the first category, being in the third category of PRAL (OR=3.42; 95% CI= (1.11-8.65)) and NEAP (OR=3.88; 95% CI= (1.26-9.55)) was associated with increased risk of PC. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that DAL could be associated with increased risk of PC. However, further prospective studies with larger sample sizes and longer durations are needed to confirm these findings.
Digging up the past: urban agriculture narratives in Melbourne and São Paulo

ABSTRACT As urban agriculture becomes increasingly recognised as a contributor to nutritional and civic wellbeing, real estate developers and community associations have promoted it to advance distinct agendas. The article analyses this phenomenon in Melbourne and São Paulo, where colonial and industrial legacies have set the stage for urban agriculture’s resurgence and resulting “internal contradictions. ” Developers of upmarket condominiums in both cities advertise urban agriculture as a purchasable commodity capable of recovering customers’ lost connections with nature and each other. However, the gentrifying effects of these developments deepen rather than alleviate social and environmental ills. By contrast, community projects profiled in four case studies emphasised urban agriculture’s ability to confront the long-term neglect of land, employment, and environment. We conclude that the capacity of urban agriculture to improve food systems is enhanced when proponents develop historically informed narratives that engage and inform consumers and municipal governments.
TIKTOK AND THE “ALGORITHMIZED SELF”: A NEW MODEL OF ONLINE INTERACTION

Since its release in 2017, the video sharing app TikTok has been downloaded 1.5 billion times. While its popularity has been attributed to the abundance of celebrity users, its interactive features, and its short, palatable video length, it has been the subject of relatively few academic studies. This project employs the walkthrough method to examine TikTok within the context of identity negotiation and self-representation on social media. More specifically, it seeks to understand whether TikTok follows a precedent set by other Social Networking Sites which support users self-representing via sociability “to the network, via the network”; i.e. by interacting within the affordances of the platform, which may include sharing, liking, commenting, etc (Papacharissi, 2013). This model ostensibly offers users a stage where they may display their individuality and curate content that reflects their personal interests. By regularly using the app for a period of a month and collecting extensive field notes, screenshots, and video recordings, we found that TikTok’s version of sociality differs from that offered by other SNSs. While other sites purport to be a tool with which users may represent their identities, TikTok does away with this conceit by engendering a mode of sociality (through its design features and affordances) in which the crux of interaction is not between users and their social network, but between a user and what we call an “algorithmized” version of self. This finding has the potential to enrich and complicate the discourse surrounding online identity formation and sociality.
Trajectory of Lumbar Translaminar Facet Screw Under Navigation: A Cadaveric Study

Study Design: Anatomic cadaver study. Objective: Translaminar facet screw fixation supplements unilateral pedicle screw-rod fixation in minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). Various screw diameters, lengths, trajectories, and insertion points are used; however, they do not represent true screw trajectory. We aimed to evaluate lumbar laminar anatomy and suggest a safe and effective insertion point and trajectory during lumbar-translaminar facet screw fixation in an anatomic cadaver study. Methods: O-arm navigation simulating the true translaminar facet screw trajectory was used to evaluate L1-S1 in cadaveric spines. The inner and outer diameters, length, and trajectory of the screw pathway were measured along the trajectory from the spinous process base through the contralateral lamina, crossing the facet joint to the transverse process base using 2 starting points: cephalad one-third (1/3SL) and one-half (1/2SL) of the spinolaminar junction. Results: Using the 1/2SL starting point, the outer and inner lamina diameters did not differ significantly from L1-L5 (7.47 ± 1.38 to 6.7 ± 1.84 mm and 4.73 ± 1.04 to 3.86 ± 1.46 mm, respectively). Screw length (36.16 ± 4.02 to 49.29 ± 10.07 mm) and lateral angle increased (50.28° ± 8.78° to 60.77° ± 8.88°), but caudal angle decreased (16.19° ± 9.01° to 1.13° ± 11.31°). Lamina diameter and screw length did not differ with different starting points. L2-L3 caudal angles were lower in the 1/2SL starting point. Conclusion: A 36- to 50-mm translaminar facet screw—with 5.0-mm diameter for L1-L2 and 4.5-mm diameter for L3-L5—can be inserted at the middle of the spinolamina, especially during minimally invasive TLIF, with a 50° to 60° lateral angle relative to the spinous process, and a caudal angle of 16° to 1° relative to the spinolamina from L1-L5.
Have Europeans Grown Tired of Democracy? New Evidence from Eighteen Consolidated Democracies, 1981–2018

Abstract Democracies without democrats are not sustainable. Yet, recent studies have argued that Western citizens are turning their backs on the system of self-governance, thereby eroding the societal foundations of consolidated democracies. This study contributes to discussions about citizen support of democracy by (1) analyzing new cross-national survey data in 18 European countries that facilitate assessments of the temporal and geographical generalizability of previous findings, (2) disentangling age, cohort and period effects, thereby aligning the analytical methods with the theoretical arguments and (3) transparently reporting all evidence derived from pre-registered analyses to avoid cherry-picked findings. The findings show that citizens of consolidated democracies continue to endorse self-governance. Yet in some (but not all) countries, there is evidence of a growing number of ‘democrats in name only’, particularly among the young generation. These findings suggest a second phase in research on democratic fatigue that broadens the analytical scope for the multi-faceted nature of democratic support.
Foliar Aspersion of Salicylic Acid Improves Nutraceutical Quality and Fruit Yield in Tomato

The use of elicitors or biostimulants such as salicylic acid (SA) is an emerging novel practice to improve the yield and quality of crops since it plays an important role in the regulation of various physiological and metabolic processes. The objective of this research was to study the effect of the foliar application of SA on the nutraceutical quality and yield of tomato fruits. A completely randomized experimental design with 10 repetitions was used. SA was applied at five doses (0.025 mM, 0.05 mM, 0.075 mM, 0.1 mM, and 0.125 mM) every 15 days through foliar sprays after transplantation, accumulating seven applications through the cycle. The response variables were yield (total fruit weight per plant), fruit parameters (weight, diameter, firmness, and total soluble solids), percentage of weight loss, and nutraceutical quality. The obtained results suggest that the foliar spraying of SA improves the yield and biosynthesis of phytochemical compounds in tomato fruits, compared to control plants. According to the results, it is advisable to use the dose of 0.125 mM of SA since it has a higher content of bioactive compounds without compromising yield.
The Impact of the Amount of Water Used in Activation Solution and the Initial Temperature of Paste on the Rheological Behaviour and Structural Evolution of Metakaolin-Based Geopolymer Pastes

This study aimed to determine the impact of the initial temperature of the paste (from 5 °C to 35 °C) and the addition of water, which reflects a decrease in the molarity of activation solutions (AS) by diluting 10 M NaOH with distillate water, on the rheological properties of geopolymer pastes. Additionally, this resulted in changes to the physical–mechanical properties of geopolymers after curing. A higher amount of water in the AS composition and higher initial paste temperature led to an increase in the spread values up to 28% and decreases viscosity. A smaller amount of water in the AS composition and a higher initial paste temperature accelerated the speed of the geopolymer structure formation up to 1.5 times during the curing period, increased compressive strength and reduced apparent porosity and pore size. X-ray diffraction confirmed the compressive strength test results and revealed that the lower amount of water in the AS and the higher initial paste temperature for the geopolymer preparation significantly affected the mineral formation and physical and mechanical properties of the samples.
On the Distributional Effects of Bank Bailouts

Abstract This paper studies distributional consequences of equity injections that are funded with financial-sector levies. In the model economy, financial intermediation supports both productive investment and individual consumption smoothing, subject to an equity requirement. When intermediary equity is low, then an equity injection involves a trade-off between increasing credit supply immediately and distortive levies that reduce credit supply in the future. I find that equity injections redistribute from poor to wealthy households, even though average welfare increases. While wealthy savers benefit greatly from an increased return on savings, poor households suffer from lower future wages.
Effect of hot water treatment on development of anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) and quality of mango fruit at Jimma southwest Ethiopia

Abstract Anthracnose is the major postharvest disease of mango and occurs throughout mango producing areas of the world including Ethiopia. Evaluating effect of hot water treatment on development of anthracnose and quality of mango fruit is imperative. A total of three hot water levels 48, 52 and 56 °C at two time interval (5 and 10 min) were tested with factorial arrangement in completely randomised design. The study indicated that hot water treatment at different temperatures and time interval significantly (p < 0.001) affects disease development and shelf life and postharvest quality of mango fruits. Hot water treatments reduced the incidence and severity of anthracnose disease significantly (p < 0.001) in mango fruits as compared to control. There was a highly significant difference (p < 0.0001) on weight loss, total soluble solids, titratable acidity and fruit firmness of mango fruits due to treatment. The present study reviled that hot water treatment has a potential in reducing the postharvest loss due to anthracnose and improving the shelf life and quality of mango fruits. However, the reduction of disease pressure on fruits was not at applicable level, which call ups future effort on developing on integrated disease management strategies for reduction of postharvest loss of mango fruits.
Negative trait‐based association between abundance of nitrogen‐fixing trees and long‐term tropical forest biomass accumulation

Plant functional traits are thought to drive biomass production and biogeochemical cycling in tropical forests, but it remains unclear how nitrogen (N)‐fixing legumes influence the functional traits of neighbouring trees and forest‐wide biomass dynamics. Further, the degree to which effects of N‐fixers are density‐dependent and may depend on stem size and spatial scale remains largely unknown. Here, we examine 30 years of stem demography data for ~20,000 trees in a lowland tropical forest in Trinidad that span a wide range of functional traits thought to drive above‐ground biomass (AGB) dynamics. These forests show positive but decreasing long‐term net AGB accumulation resulting from constant average productivity but increasing mortality of non‐fixing trees over time. We find that high abundance of N‐fixing trees is associated with compositional shifts in non‐fixer functional traits that confer lower competitive performance and biomass accumulation. Across tree size classes, most interactions between N‐fixers and non‐fixers were negative, density‐dependent, and strongest at smaller spatial scales. Synthesis. Overall, our findings suggest that local trait‐based interactions between N‐fixing and non‐fixing trees can influence long‐term carbon accumulation in tropical forests.
Performance limitations of resonant refractive index sensors with low-cost components.

Resonant biosensors are attractive for diagnostics because they can detect clinically relevant biomarkers with high sensitivity and in a label-free fashion. Most of the current solutions determine their detection limits in a highly stabilised laboratory environment, which does, however, not apply to real point-of-care applications. Here, we consider the more realistic scenario of low-cost components and an unstabilised environment and consider the related design implications. We find that sensors with lower quality-factor resonances are more fault tolerant, that a filtered LED lightsource is advantageous compared to a diode laser, and that a CMOS camera is preferable to a CCD camera for detection. We exemplify these findings with a guided mode resonance sensor and experimentally determine a limit of detection of 5.8 ± 1.7×10-5 refractive index units (RIU), which is backed up by a model identifying the various noise sources. Our findings will inform the design of high performance, low cost biosensors capable of operating in a real-world environment.
A Double Hemispherical Probe for Characterizing and Minimizing the Self‐Wake Effects on Probe Measurements

Space‐borne Langmuir probes generally have a self‐wake behind themselves due to supersonic relative velocities (Mach number M > 1) between the spacecraft and ambient plasma ions. Such a wake may create difficulties for correctly measuring plasma characteristics. Here we present a new technique—the Double Hemispherical Probe (DHP) to characterize and minimize the self‐wake effects on probe measurements. The DHP consists of two hemispheres that are simultaneously swept with a bias voltage to obtain two independent current‐voltage (I‐V) curves, which are used to identify the wake effects of the probe. A laboratory DHP model is inserted in plasma flows (M > 10) created in the Colorado Solar Wind Experiment (CSWE) chamber. In this case, the ion current is the ram current collected by the upstream hemisphere of the DHP, leaving an ion wake behind the downstream hemisphere. A wide range of the Debye ratio RD (ratio of the probe radius to electron Debye length) is tested, and it is found that (1) when RD < 1, the electron currents collected by the two hemispheres are similar, indicating a uniform electron density around the probe, and (2) when RD > 1, the electron current collected by the downstream hemisphere becomes lower than the upstream, indicating a reduced electron density in the probe's wake due to the ambipolar electric field effect. In this case, the electron density measured by traditional single Langmuir probes will be underestimated. With the DHP, we can use the upstream hemisphere measurements to minimize the self‐wake effects.
Impact of increased inflammation biomarkers on periprocedural myocardial infarction in patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention: a cohort study

Background The fact that each inflammatory indicator has a forecasting capacity on the occurrence of periprocedural myocardial infarction (PMI) has a controversial existence. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of inflammation biological indicators on PMI in a group of patients undergoing selective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods The study was carried out both in a retrospective and prospective manner in 7,413 and 1,189 subjects, respectively. In the retrospective cohort study, the association between inflammation biomarkers and PMI was assessed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. WBC, CRP, and NLR were distributed using k-means clustering into a virtual variable “Inflammatory Trend”, and multivariate logistic regression and subgroup analysis were performed. In the prospective cohort study, the endpoints were PMI, cardiovascular death or cardiac arrest. The chi-square test was performed to calculate the relative risk (RR). Results In the retrospective cohort study, except WBC, CRP, NLR and virtual variable “Inflammatory trend” were independent risk factors for PMI. The subgroup analysis revealed that CRP can serve as the most stable predictor. In the prospective cohort study, WBC (RR =1.134, P=0.416) has no effect on the incidence of PMI. However, an elevation in the incidence of PMI was observed with an increase of NLR (RR =1.354, P=0.041) and CRP (RR =1.412, P=0.025). Conclusions In patients with elective PCI for single-vessel lesions, high CRP increases the risk for PMI. The increase of NLR was an independent risk factor for PMI, especially for patients with hypertension and under the age of 70. WBC has no influence on the occurrence of PMI.
Perinatal Cardiovascular Evaluation in Dorper Sheep: Echocardiographic Description and Behavior of the Heart Rate Variability on the Field

This study aimed at evaluating changes in the clinical and echocardiographic parameters of pregnant sheep, as well as the HRV indexes due to the physiological alterations that happen at this stage implicating in high maternal metabolic demands. For this purpose, the study evaluated 10 Dorper sheep through their pregnancy, starting from the second month until the day before birth, conducting clinical, echocardiographic and electrocardiographic examinations focused on the HRV. The echocardiogram was conducted in a doppler ultrasound device with a multifrequency sectorial transducer in bidimensional mode. The HRV indexes were obtained through the Televet 100® system. There were increases in the thickness of the interventricular septum during diastole starting from the third month, and in the internal diameter of the left ventricle during systole and diastole at the second and third months, while the ejection fraction increased as the pregnancy progressed. The size of the left atrium increased starting at the second month. The SDNN, RMSSD and PNN50 HRV indexes were higher at the fifth month of pregnancy and after delivery. There were no significant differences in the frequency-domain HRV indexes during pregnancy. The gestation leads to alterations in the clinical parameters and the activity of the autonomic nervous system.
An Investigation on Effectiveness of Grafted Potato Starch as an Adsorbent for Hard Water Treatment

Water is essential for the life of all living organisms. But water with very high hardness (Ca2+ and Mg2+) is harmful to health. In addition, hard water clogs the pipes in the industries. This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of grafted potato starch as an adsorbent for hard water treatment. Four samples of well water from Nzuguni, Ng’hong’hona, Kisasa, and Swaswa of Dodoma municipal were analyzed by the EDTA titrimetric method. The results showed the highest hardness of 547 mg/L in the water sample of Ng’hong’hona from which hardness was removed. The maximum percentage removal of 74.50% was achieved at 80 minutes of optimum contact time. The optimum adsorbent dose is 3.5 g at which 80.7% of removal was achieved. The optimum temperature was 80°C at which 75.8% of removal achieved. An increase in pH increased the percentage of removal up to a pH of 12 with 71.1%. The data obtained showed that the adsorption process fitted Langmuir type II isothermal model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model with correlation coefficients of 0.9994 and 0.9940, respectively. Grafted potato starch has shown higher efficiency in hardness removal, and hence, this adsorbent is highly recommended for the treatment of hard water.
Zur Anatomie und Physiologie der Zuwachszonen- und Jahresringbildung in den Tropen

Distinct zones of growth were usually only found in tropical deciduous trees with a periodically resting cambium. Reversedly a periodically resting cambium proved not to produce always distinct zones. All possible combinations of cambial activity and the formation of zones were shown to occur in the tropics. The zones could be distinguished in cross-sections by a) radial compression of the fibres formed before the new burst of cambial activity, b) a thin circular layer of parenchyma, c) a thin layer of libriform fibres, d) alternating widths of layers of libriform fibres and parenchyma, e) layers alternating in vessel diameter or arrangement. Most species formed either marked zones in east and west Java or less marked or irregular zones in the more even climate of west Java. Only a few species formed no growth zones at all in the more even climate. Young trees often did not form growth zones or only temporary ones, so that the zones were not a direct indication of age. Imported evergreen trees (except leafy trees with individually flushing branches) from cooler climates had no zones or vague ones. Renewed growth in leafy trees was always induced by substances or stimuli conducted from the sprouting leaf buds (and later from leaves) or from flowers (in leafless trees).