Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GROWTH, YIELD AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF NEW INTRODUCED BRACHIARIA SPECIES AND LEGUME HERBS AS RUMINANT FEED IN CENTRAL SULAWESI, INDONESIA

Two simultaneous experiments were done to compare the growth, yield and nutritive value of grasses namely Brachiaria brizantha, B. mulato, and B. mutica and five legume herbs such as Clitoria ternatea, Dolichos lablab, Macroptilium bracteatum, Centrosema pascuorum and Centrosema pascuorum in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia using completely randomised block design. Each species was planted on 2.5m x 3m plot, and repeated 6 and 4 times in experiment 1 and 2, respectively. Parameters measured include plant height, tillage number, dry matter (DM) yield, in vitro digestibility and nutrient contents. Plant height and tillage number were monitored at week 4, 6 and 8 then harvested at week 8. Results revealed that the Brachiaria mutica (8 weeks old) had highest plant height (207 cm), but lowest tillage number (64), crude protein (CP) content (8.64%), in vitro organic matter (OM) digestibility (47.36%) On the other hand, B. mulato had highest tillage number (117) and DM yield (0.79 kg -2 DMm ). Legume herb species affected significantly (P 0.05) by legume herb species. In short B. mulato and Dolichos lablab showed the highest growth, DM yield and in vitro digestibility, therefore both forages are potentially to be scaled up in broader tropical region.
Human insulin: efficacy and immunogenicity

In liquid phase assays for insulin binding antibodies (IBA), total binding of insulin is composed of specific and non specific binding (NSB). Usually NSB is determined in serum of healthy individuals and then subtracted from total binding of IBA positive serum to obtain specific binding. This method does not take into account that NSB might vary from plasma to plasma. This possibility was investigated by means of a computerised non-linear curve fitting routine for the evaluation of measurement results of an (equilibrium) binding assay for IBA, which yields estimates of NSB for each plasma individually. From each of 19 insulin treated diabetic patients, 4 blood samples, taken at different points in time, were available for IBA and NSB measurement. It was found that between patient variance of NSB exceeded within patient variance (p < 0.01) and, in a number of instances, within patient variance was greater than experimental variance. Our results indicate that it is advisable to use methods for IBA evaluation that take these NSB variations into account.
Self-concept and social anxiety as predictor variables of academic performance of Spanish adolescents with divorced parents

Introduction. According to previous studies, when parents divorce it may increase the vulnerability of children to develop personal problems, such as lowering academic performance. This research examines the academic performance of Spanish children with divorced parents and its relation to academic self-concept and social anxiety. Method. The sample includes 342 boys and girls aged between 14 and 18 years, half (n = 171) with divorced parents, recruited from 15 schools in five counties of Spain. Participants provided information on the number of their courses evaluated as Excellent and Failure and completed the academic dimension of the Self-Description Questionnaire II and the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents. Results. Compared to youth whose parents are living together, the results confirm that youth whose parents are divorced (a) failed more examinations, and (b) had a worse academic selfconcept. A multiple regression analysis revealed that it is more likely to drop for adolescent children of divorced parents who are male, older, have worse school self-concept, and live with a stepparent. Discussion. Parental divorce is related to a worse academic performance in the Spanish adolescents. The findings suggest the importance of detecting, from the educational field, school problems in those adolescents whose parents have divorced to prevent the school failure and other associated problems.
Experimental research: problems and opportunities in the big-data era

Experimental research in psychology, psycholinguistics or medicine provides quantitative and therefore seemingly conclusive and trustworthy evidence. However, it has been convincingly shown that most research findings are actually false. This has hardly influenced the dominant scientific evaluation system which reflects a continued trust in the unbiasedness of data by a strong reliance on simple quantifications of scientific quality and productivity, such as number of publications and number of citations. This state of affairs is remarkable in the light of a long history of strong criticism of commonly used inference methods and scientific evaluation systems, which is now backed by large-scale research projects directly questioning the reproducibility of scientific findings. This way, the large amounts of data – “big-data” – have helped to uncover some of these problematic issues, but also provided a more open attitude towards data and code sharing. In addition, novel analytic frameworks may help to better integrate empirical data with computational models.
Functional Coupling of the δ‐, μ‐, and κ‐Opioid Receptors to Mitogen‐Activated Protein Kinase and Arachidonate Release in Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells

Abstract: To examine whether the mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) are involved in the signal transduction mechanism of the opioid receptor, the δ‐, μ‐, and κ‐opioid receptors were stably expressed from cDNA in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Activation of the δ‐, μ‐, and κ‐receptors by agonists induced a rapid and transient increase in MAPK activity accompanied by reduced electrophoretic mobility of the 42‐kDa isoform of MAPK (p42), probably owing to phosphorylation. The opioid receptor‐mediated increase in MAPK activity was suppressed not only by pretreatment with genistein, a tyrosine protein kinase inhibitor, but also by prolonged exposure to phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate and pretreatment with GF 109203X, a selective protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, suggesting the involvement of PKC as well as tyrosine protein kinase. Furthermore, stimulation of the δ‐, μ‐, and κ‐receptors with opioid agonists in the presence of A23187, a calcium ionophore, resulted in an increase in arachidonate release, suggesting that PLA2 is activated by the opioid receptors when the intracellular Ca2+ concentration is elevated. Both MAPK activation and increase in arachidonate release mediated by the opioid receptors were abolished by pretreatment with pertussis toxin, suggesting that these responses are mediated by Gi or Go types of GTP‐binding regulatory proteins.
Understanding the Family Planning Needs of Female Participants in a Syringe Exchange Program: A Needs Assessment and Pilot Project.

OBJECTIVES To describe the reproductive health needs of women who inject drugs (WWID) and are participants in a syringe exchange program (SEP) in Hawaii. Our secondary objective was to develop and pilot services in response to those needs. METHODS We conducted a reproductive health needs-assessment of women participating in the SEP. We also documented the perspectives and recommendations of key informants who work closely with women in this program. This needs-assessment informed a pilot contraceptive project at the SEP. RESULTS We received surveys from 50 syringe exchange participants and hosted 1 focus group with 6 participants. We completed 8 key informant interviews. The majority of survey respondents indicated that they did not want to become pregnant in the next year, but most were not using a reliable method of contraception. Additionally, for most respondents, prevention of pregnancy was a lower priority than other health and wellness needs. Focus group participants and key informants emphasized the importance of developing a network of accessible providers to address reproductive health needs, and also the importance of using the principles of trauma-informed care when developing a service. We developed a pilot program to offer contraceptive injections at the syringe exchange program. In the first 6 months of offering the service, 1 participant elected to use the injection. CONCLUSIONS WWID participating in this SEP may not prioritize their family planning needs when other health and safety needs are unmet. A pilot program to offer contraceptive injections at SEP had almost zero uptake.
Bactericidal effects of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) against foodborne pathogens in vitro and on romaine lettuce and alfalfa sprouts

Introduction An increased fresh-produce consumption trend accompanied by increased associated outbreaks suggests a need for better intervention strategies. Limitations of chemical sanitizers have necessitated alternative strategies. Research on antimicrobial properties of roselle against food pathogens is limited. Objectives The study aims to investigate Escherichia coliO157:H7, Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes survival in roselle calyx aqueous (RCA) or roselle leaf aqueous (RLA) extracts over 72 h at 4, 8 and 25 °C; bactericidal effects of roselle calyx concentrate (RCC) and roselle tea (RT) against E. coliO157:H7 on lettuce and of RCC against Salmonella on alfalfa sprouts. Methods Microbiological analyses and preparation of RCA, RLA, RCC and RT were done according to standard and established methods. Results No E. coliO157:H7 and Salmonella survivors were detected in RCA or RLA at 24 h and all temperatures. L. monocytogenes population was reduced by 5 and 3 logs in RCA and RLA, respectively, at 24 h and all temperatures; by 4–6 logs at 4 °C and 8 °C and to undetectable levels at 25 °C, at 48 h. At 24 h, E. coliO157:H7 and Salmonella were not detected on RCC- or RT-treated lettuce or sprouts. Conclusion These observations suggest the application of roselle extracts as potential antimicrobials in foods.
Identification of Agronomicaily Superior Latin American Maize Accessions via Multi-Stage Evaluations

Few data exist regarding the agronomic utility of tens of thousands of available tropical maize (Zea mays L.) racial accessions. A long-term, multi-stage evaluation project has been developed at North Carolina State University to evaluate the breeding potentials in the temperate USA of typical Latin American maize germplasm collections. Agronomic evaluations of accessions per se were performed in daylength neutral environments. Superior accessions were crossed to a temperate-adapted inbred line and converted to photoperiod-insensitive 50%-exotic and 75%-exotic populations by selection during 1986 to 1990. These semi-exotic populations were evaluated as testcrosses to Corn Belt testers in North Carolina during 1993 and 1994. Testcrosses of many 75%-exotic families were higher-yielding than the hybrid tester, B73Ht x Mo17Ht, providing evidence that agronomically superior Latin American maize accessions possess favorable genes for yield that apparently are absent from Corn Belt germplasm. Yields of accessions evaluated as 100%-exotic and 50%-exotic populations were significantly correlated (r = 0.62, P = 0.005) with each other, but not with yields of 75%-exotic populations. Some accessions exhibited extreme ranking changes across different testing stages. Multi-stage evaluations of maize racial accessions successfully identified superior germplasm for use by U.S. breeders, but there is no guarantee that all of the most valuable accessions were advanced to later testing stages. Evaluations in many environments and minimal culling levels at each stage could be used to improve the probabilities of successfully identifying useful accessions in future multi-stage evaluation procedures.
Apoptosis resistance in chronic myelogenous leukemia

The chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is the three-phase myeloproliferative disorder, dependent on the expression of the oncoprotein Bcr-Abl, which is the product of the reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22, resulting in the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph). Bcr-Abl protein is the constitutively activated tyrosine kinase responsible for changes in intracellular biochemical cascades, culminating into hematopoieticic stem cell malignant transformation. CML leukemic cells present abnormal adhesion to medullar stroma, altered proliferation and an amazing resistance to apoptosis induced by classical chemotherapeutic drugs. Another therapy used in CML patients is imatinib mesylate (Gleevecâ), which has shown remarkable clinical activity in these patients. However, this drug does not completely eradicate BCRABL-expressing cells from the body, and recently some patients showed resistance to imatinib. The observation that production of Bcr-Abl is the initiating event in CML drew attention to the survival signals triggered by this oncogene. The number of altered signal transducers and transcription factors has been associated with the anti-apoptotic phenotype of CML cells, and some of them lead to the expression and/or activation of apoptosis modulators from Bcl-2 family, such as Bcl-x L , Bcl-2, Bax and Bad. In this article we review some recent data on the understanding of Bcr-Abl oncoprotein expression effect in the apoptosis machinery in CML.
İlköğretim Okullarında Görev Yapmakta Olan Öğretmenlerin Üstün Yetenek Kavramı Hakkındaki Görüşleri

Bu calismanin amaci, ilkogretim okullarinda gorev yapmakta olan ogretmenlerin ustun yetenek kavrami hakkindaki goruslerini belirlemektir. Calismaya, ilkogretim okullarinda gorev yapmakta olan toplam 155 ogretmen katilmistir. Ogretmenlerin gorusleri acik uclu anket gorusmesi yapilarak toplanmis ve alanin onde gelen bazi kuramlariyla karsilastirmali olarak yorumlanmaya calisilmistir. Calismanin bulgulari, ilkogretim ogretmenlerinin ustun yetenek kavrami ve ustun yetenekli ogrenciler hakkinda yeterli bilgiye sahip olmadiklarina ve ustun yetenekli ogrencileri fark etme ve onlari ilgili programlara aday gosterebilme konularinda yeterli basariyi saglayamayabileceklerine isaret etmektedir.
Sarcopenia and Its Implications for Metabolic Health

Sarcopenia not only affects the ability to lead an active lifestyle but also contributes to increased obesity, reduced quality of life, osteoporosis, and metabolic health, in part due to reduced locomotion economy and ease. On the other hand, increased obesity, decreased quality of life, and reduced metabolic health also contribute to sarcopenia. The purpose of this mini-review is to discuss the implications sarcopenia has for the development of obesity and comorbidities that occur with aging.
Tectonic uplift competing with erosion along the Betic-Rifean corridors: regulating the Messinian Salinity Crisis

The timing and processes involved in the Messinian Salinity Crisis remain controversial, with two end-member models being addressed in the literature: 1) a succession of multiple desiccations and floods, and 2) a long initial stage with little or null drawdown, followed by a pronounced drawdown and then a single flood. In both cases, competition between tectonic uplift at the connecting corridors in the Gibraltar Arc and global sea level changes are widely seen as the main control (e.g., CIESM, 2008). However, no geodynamic mechanism has been identified to date that can support a succession of uplift/subsidence episodes as required by the multiple-flooding hypothesis. Neither for the second hypothesis, where the different time-scales of sea-level and tectonic processes are difficult to reconcile with a long initial phase of shallow but persistent connection (Gargani et al., 2007) required for the first evaporitic phase.
Do Belief Differences Lead to Change in Behavior? A Study of Sri Lankan Coconut Farmers

Technology adoption by farmers is an important factor in agricultural development in both developing and developed countries that has not been achieved over the past years. The level of technology adoption is highly dependent on farmers’ beliefs and attitudes. Therefore, adoption studies are important to identify beliefs and attitudes of farmers that affect decision making. The present study tries to explain and identify the effect of motivation on farmers’ behavior to acquire knowledge and what are their beliefs and motives that underlie adoption of technology. The theory of planned behavior provides a structure to identify farmers’ behavioral intention with respect to attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. The Self Determination Theory provides an explanatory system for the understanding of the motivation behind volitional behavior. These two theories serve as the key methodology for the study. The results revealed that, farmers’ participation in technology dissemination programmes and their willingness to gain information and skills have a significant relationship with intrinsic motivation. Further, those farmers hold positive beliefs towards new technology adoption and innovations. Therefore, two types of extension approaches are needed to enhance the technology adoption for intrinsically motivated and extrinsically motivated farmers.
Effects of Dietary Guanidinoacetic Acid Supplementation on Performance, Blood Parameters and Meat Quality of Male Broilers with Cold-Induced Ascites

The effects of dietary supplemental guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) on performance, biochemical indices and meat pH of broilers with cold-induced ascites were studied. A total of 640 day-old male broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were assigned to four dietary treatments including control diet; control diet supplemented with either 0.6, 1.2 or 1.8 g of GAA per kg of feed. Each treatment was replicated in 8 battery cages (n=20). At day 14, temperature was reduced to amplify the incidence of ascites. The birds fed the control, 1.2 and 1.8 g/kg GAA diets exhibited higher average daily gain (ADG) compared to those fed 0.6 g/kg GAA (P<0.05). Bird fed diet with 1.2 g/kg GAA also showed poorer feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared to birds in other dietary groups (P<0.05). Higher average daily feed intake (ADFI) were observed in birds fed the diet with 1.2 g/kg GAA (P<0.05). The mortality due to ascites was significantly lower in birds fed diet with 1.2 g/kg GAA compared to birds fed the control, 0.6 and 1.8 g/kg GAA diets. Moreover, there was a quadratic effect of GAA levels on mortality due to ascites. No significant effects of dietary treatments on leucocyte subsets and relative weights of lymphoid organs were observed. Lower meat pH was detected in chicks fed the GAA-supplemented diets compared to birds fed the control diet. Dietary GAA supplementation resulted in a linear (P=0.01) and quadratic (P=0.03) responses in meat pH. In conclusion, diet supplementation with GAA had reducing effects on the occurrence of ascites-related mortality in broiler chicks.
University of Birmingham Producing and Perceiving the Canadian Vowel Shift:

This paper investigates inter-speaker variation in the non-high monophthongal vowels of Jewish Montreal English, analyzing the Canadian Shift in both production and perception. In production, we find that young women are leading in the retraction of /æ/ and the lowering and retraction of /ɛ/. We furthermore find that across speakers, the retraction of /æ/ is correlated with the lowering and retraction of /ɛ/, providing quantitative evidence that the movement of these two vowels is linked. The trajectory implied by our production data differs from what was reported in Montreal approximately one generation earlier. In contrast to reliable age differences in production, a vowel categorization task shows widespread intergenerational agreement in perception, highlighting a mismatch: in this speech community, there is evidently more systematic variation in production than in perception. We suggest that this is because all individuals are exposed to both innovative and conservative variants and must perceptually accommodate accordingly. Acknowledgements We would like to thank our wonderful, patient participants and the many people whose comments and suggestions contributed to the design and analysis of this Producing and Perceiving the Canadian Shift 3 study, including Christian Bentz, Charles Boberg, David Fleischer, Matt Hunt Gardner, Heather Goad, Becky Roeder, Morgan Sonderegger, Michael Wagner, audience members at the 6th International Conference on Experimental Linguistics (Athens, Greece) and NWAV 44 (Toronto, ON), and two anonymous reviewers. All errors remain our own. Producing and Perceiving the Canadian Shift 4
Open, hybrid or total minimally invasive esophagectomy; a comprehensive review based on a systematic literature search

Esophagectomy is the backbone of esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancer with curative intention and the procedure is associated with significant risk for postoperative complications and mortality. Minimally invasive surgical techniques have been introduced with the aim to reduce morbidity and mortality. This review article has the objective to give an overview of the currently available evidence concerning the various techniques of minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) and their outcomes. A structured search of randomized controlled trials and large cohort studies published in the medical literature, comparing open and MIE techniques, was performed. Relevant studies were summarized, discussed and included in a comprehensive review based on the systematic literature search. MIE can be performed in various ways ranging from hybrid techniques to a totally minimally invasive approach. Increasingly also robotic surgical systems are being used. The published studies are somewhat ambiguous. Randomized trials report that MIE techniques are associated with a lower postoperative short-term morbidity and better short and medium term quality of life, compared to open esophagectomy (OE). Some population-based cohort studies suggest worse short-term outcomes after MIE. Most studies report long-term survival after MIE is at least similar to OE. The optimal surgical approach for esophageal cancer remains to be determined, but it is clear that MIE techniques will continue to develop and be an important part of treatment with curative intention in the future.
Cause for the Decline of Large Rainbow Trout in a Tailwater Fishery: Too Much Putting or Too Much Taking?

Abstract We studied causes for the decline of large (>40 cm total length, TL) rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and the transition from put–grow–take to put-and-take conditions in Lake Taneycomo, a popular tailwater in Missouri. In this fishery, rainbow trout densities have been sustained against increasing fishing pressure over the last 30 years mainly by increasing stocking rates of catchable-size fish (23–33 cm TL). Short residence times of rainbow trout resulting from heavy fishing pressure and high vulnerability to angling are generally considered the main reason for this species' limited growth after stocking in cold tailwaters. However, we found that increasing stocking rates in Lake Taneycomo have been paralleled by food base degradation, leading to submaintenance consumption rates for rainbow trout (i.e., poor growth conditions). A less prominent role of residence times was evident in the decline of poststocking growth and fewer large fish. In contrast to resident brown trout Salmo trutta, high d.