Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Open versus blind peer review: is anonymity better than transparency?

SUMMARY Peer review is widely accepted as essential to ensuring scientific quality in academic journals, yet little training is provided in the specifics of how to conduct peer review. In this article we describe the different forms of peer review, with a particular focus on the differences between single-blind, double-blind and open peer review, and the advantages and disadvantages of each. These illustrate some of the challenges facing the community of authors, editors, reviewers and readers in relation to the process of peer review. We also describe other forms of peer review, such as post-publication review, transferable review and collaborative review, and encourage clinicians and academics at all training stages to engage in the practice of peer review as part of continuing professional development.
Climate and competition effects on tree growth in Rocky Mountain forests

Climate is widely assumed to influence physiological and demographic processes in trees, and hence forest composition, biomass and range limits. Growth in trees is an important barometer of climate change impacts on forests as growth is highly correlated with other demographic processes including tree mortality and fecundity. We investigated the main drivers of diameter growth for five common tree species occurring in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States using nonlinear regression methods. We quantified growth at the individual tree level from tree core samples collected across broad environmental gradients. We estimated the effects of both climate variation and biotic interactions on growth processes and tested for evidence that disjunct populations of a species respond differentially to climate. Relationships between tree growth and climate varied by species and location. Growth in all species responded positively to increases in annual moisture up to a threshold level. Modest linear responses to temperature, both positive and negative, were observed at many sites. However, model results also revealed evidence for differentiated responses to local site conditions in all species. In severe environments in particular, growth responses varied nonlinearly with temperature. For example, in northerly cold locations pronounced positive growth responses to increasing temperatures were observed. In warmer southerly climates, growth responses were unimodal, declining markedly above a threshold temperature level. Net effects from biotic interactions on diameter growth were negative for all study species. Evidence for facilitative effects was not detected. For some species, competitive effects more strongly influenced growth performance than climate. Competitive interactions also modified growth responses to climate to some degree. Synthesis. These analyses suggest that climate change will have complex, species‐specific effects on tree growth in the Rocky Mountains due to nonlinear responses to climate, differentiated growth processes that vary by location and complex species interactions that impact growth and potentially modify responses to climate. Thus, robust model simulations of future growth responses to climate trends may need to integrate realistic scenarios of neighbourhood effects as well as variability in tree performance attributed to differentiated populations.
Automatic segmentation of brain tumour in MR images using an enhanced deep learning approach

ABSTRACT The presented manuscript proposes a fully automatic deep learning method to quantify the tumour region in brain Magnetic Resonance images as the accurate diagnosis of brain tumour region is necessary for the treatment of the patients. The irregular and confusing boundaries of tumours regions make it a challenging task to accurately figure out such regions. Another challenge with the segmentation task is of preserving the boundary details of the segmented tumour regions. The proposed network focuses on delineating the irregular tumour region as the best feature maps are learnt by the network, which is used for decoding; thus, it preserves the accurate boundary and pixel details. The proposed method incorporates internal residual connections in encoder and decoder to transfer feature maps directly to the successive layers to avoid loss of information contained in the images. The use of cross channel normalization (CCN) and parametric rectified linear unit (PRELU) gives a more balanced network output. The trained network produced remarkable results when tested on images of other datasets. Further, external clinical validation was performed by comparison of the algorithmic segmented images with those generated by a manual segmentation done by an experienced radiologist. We have termed our network as CCN-PR-Seg-net.
Effects of Flexi bar Training Model to Blood Biochemistry in Overweight Adults

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1B SUMMARY Background. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of flexi bar training model and moderate running exercise on blood biochemistry in overweight adults. Methods. The BMI of Asian people were ranged from 23.00 to 24.99 kg/m2 was considered overweight. The participants had experienced any orthopedic problems in the spine or in the upper and lower extremities in the previous six months. Forty participants were randomly assigned to an experimental (20 participant performing flexi bar training model (FBT) and control (20 participant performing moderate running exercise (MRE) group. The participant in both groups then underwent program training 50 minute/day, 3 times a week, for 12 weeks. Results. The main outcome measures were blood biochemistry variable. The result showed significant differences between FBT and MRE group (p<0.05). After 12 weeks FBT showed improve lipid profile variable but not change complete blood count. Conclusions. Flexi bar training model can improvement body composition and lipid profile in overweight adults.
Perceptions of Career Agency and Career Calling in Mid-Career: A Qualitative Investigation

This qualitative study examined the perceptions of career agency and career calling among 35 U.S. mid-career foreign missionaries from four organizations who reported a sense of living out a calling. In-depth interviews were analyzed using grounded theory methodology to describe participant perspectives on calling and agency with the goal of understanding factors that contribute to living a calling. Data analysis revealed two main themes, nine categorical sub-themes, and 18 base concepts. The first theme, calling as a dynamic lived experience, affirms elements of Work as Calling Theory and indicates a need to clarify the role of prosocial orientation in calling. The second theme, socio-contextual factors perceived as influencing lived callings, offers insights regarding the need to explore a more robust integration of socio-contextual factors into Work as Calling Theory. A hypothesis regarding the relation between cultural competence and living a calling is proposed for future testing.
Analysis of Defects in Residential Buildings Reported during the Warranty Period

The aim of the article is to present the results of preliminary research of the defects in residential buildings occurring during the warranty period. Due to the small amount of data, the research results cannot be generalized but allow for the formulation of research hypotheses that will be verified in future studies. The data collected included reports of defects in three multifamily residential buildings constructed by the developer in one of the big cities in Poland, which were then examined. For the examination of defects, statistical analysis was used, which revealed that more than half of the reports contained reasonable defects. The results of the preliminary research also indicate that, on the one hand, owners are very active in making warranty claims in the first three months from the date of commissioning, and, on the other hand, with time, the percentage of reasonable defects increases. In terms of the significance of defects, the largest percentage was significant defects. The results showed little activity on the part of property managers in the initial phase of the operation of the buildings, which is the opposite of that of apartment owners. Reports of faults in windows and door joinery, moisture, scratches on walls, and in the area of balconies and terraces are characterized by a relatively low number of cases reported in the first half of the year after the building is commissioned and a gradual increase in the subsequent warranty period. On the other hand, reports related to electrical installation defects are most frequent in the initial period of the warranty, but, with time, their number decreases.
Effects of Diffuse Light on Microclimate of Solar Greenhouse, and Photosynthesis and Yield of Greenhouse-grown Tomatoes

The application of diffuse light can potentially improve the homogeneity of light distribution and other microclimatic factors such as temperature inside greenhouses. In this study, diffuse light plastic films with different degrees of light diffuseness (20% and 29%) were used as the south roof cover of Chinese solar greenhouses to investigate the spatial distribution of microclimatic factors and their impacts on the growth and yield of tomato. The horizontal and vertical photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) distributions, air temperature distribution, and leaf temperature distribution inside the canopy, tomato leaf net photosynthesis (Pn), and fruit production during the growth period were determined. The results showed that diffuse light plastic film continuously improved the light distribution in the vertical and horizontal spaces of the crop canopy in terms of light interception and uniformity. A more diffuse light fraction also decreased the air and leaf temperatures of the middle canopy and upper canopy during the summer, thereby promoting the photosynthesis of the tomato plants. Pn of the middle and lower canopies with higher haze film were significantly greater than those with lower haze film (19.0% and 27.2%, respectively). The yields of higher stem density and lower stem density planted tomatoes in the 29% haze compartment were increased by 5.5% and 12.9% compared with 20% in the haze group, respectively. Diffuse light plastic films can improve the homogeneity of the canopy light distribution and increase crop production in Chinese solar greenhouses.
Development of highly performant hybrid materials based on phthalonitrile resin for a simultaneous ballistic and nuclear shielding protection

In this study, a new high-performance hybrid material was designed targeting an efficient ballistic and nuclear shielding protection. To achieve this goal, a typical highly performant thermosetting resin, namely the phthalonitrile (PN) resin, was reinforced with Kevlar fibers (KF-29), as continuous phase, and erbium oxide (Er2O3) nanoparticles, as discontinuous phase. The reinforcing phases underwent a silane surface modification to create a fully connected network aiming an improved stress transfer between the constituents. The mechanical investigations through tensile and bending testing confirmed the positive effect of the addition of an increasing amount (up to 20 wt%) of the Er2O3 nanoparticles. The hybrids also provided excellent gamma rays shielding performances with a screening ratio of about 33% for a 3 cm thick sample. In the meantime, the ballistic tests evaluated under the National Institute of Justice standard (NIJ standard-0101.06-IIA) also highlighted an improved kinetic energy absorption following the increase in the amounts of the discontinuous phase. Overall, this study unraveled for the first time ever the benefits obtained from a fully connected hybrid network in the field of ballistic and radiation protection.
No Longterm Severe Thyroid Dysfunction Seen In Patients With Preexisting Reduced Serum Tt3 Concentrations After A Single Large Dose Of Iodinated Contrast.

OBJECTIVE After an intravenous bolus injection of 100 mL of iodinated contrast agent (370 mgI/mL), the amount of iodine atoms entering the blood is tens of thousands of times the daily dose of iodine recommended by the World Health Organization. However, the effect of iodinated contrast in patients with nonthyroidal illness, manifested as reduced serum total triiodothyronine (TT3) concentrations, is unclear. We studied the effect of iodinated contrast on thyroid function and auto-antibodies in patients with reduced TT3 after diagnosis and treatment of coronary heart disease. METHODS This was a prospective cohort study. One hundred and fifty-four stable angina pectoris patients with reduced TT3 and normal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), and reverse triiodothyronine (rT3) were enrolled from January, 2017, to June, 2018. All subjects had no history of thyroid dysfunction and had no recent infections, tumors, trauma, or other critical illnesses. Fourty-one patients underwent coronary angiography and 113 patients underwent coronary intervention. RESULTS There were 6 patients (3.9%) with hypothyroidism and 30 patients (19.5%) developed subclinical hypothyroidism (SCHypo) on the first day after surgery. There were 6 patients (3.9%) with hypothyroidism, 6 patients (3.9%) with SCHypo, and 18 patients (11.7%) with subclinical hyperthyroidism (SCHyper) at the first month postsurgery. There were 23 patients (14.9%) with SCHyper and 6 patients (3.9%) with SCHypo at the sixth month after surgery. No patient with longterm severe thyroid dysfunction occurred during follow-up. The levels of free triiodothyronine, FT4, TT3, total thyroxine, and TSH showed statistically significant changes at 1 day, and 1, 3, and 6 months postoperative (P<.005). The level of rT3 showed no statistically significant change at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperative (P>.05). The levels of thyroglobulin antibody and thyroid peroxidase antibody decreased at 6 months postoperative (P<.001). CONCLUSION The risk of subclinical thyroid dysfunction and transient hypothyroidism occurred with a single large dose of iodinated contrast in the diagnosis and treatment of coronary heart disease, but no longterm severe thyroid dysfunction occurred. Patients with preoperative thyroid antibody elevation were more likely to have subclinical thyroid dysfunction after surgery. ABBREVIATIONS FT3 = free triiodothyronine; FT4 = free thyroxine; PCI = percutaneous coronary intervention; rT3 = reverse triiodothyronine; SCHyper = subclinical hyperthyroidism; SCHypo = subclinical hypothyroidism; TGAB = thyroglobulin antibody; TPOAB = thyroid peroxidase antibody; TT3 = total triiodothyronine; TT4 = total thyroxine; TSH = thyroid-stimulating hormone; WHO = World Health Organization.
Egg spotting pattern in common cuckoos and their great reed warbler hosts: a century perspective

The characteristics of common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) and host eggs are widely thought to have coevolved over time, but few studies have tested this prediction. We compared cuckoo eggs with those of its primary host, the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) from four time periods spanning >100 years (between 1900 and 2014), and studied if cuckoo eggshell patterns better resembled those of their hosts over time. We used image analysis to compare five eggshell pattern variables, relating to marking size, diversity, contrast, coverage, and distribution on the egg surface. Each feature showed different temporal trends. All but one of these variables ("dispersion" of spots among egg regions) were species-specific and differed between hosts and parasites. The magnitude of change was greater for hosts than cuckoos, which could be a consequence of host eggs’ more intensive and variable spottiness. Specifically, the proportion of the egg surface covered with pattern increased marginally over time, and the dispersion of spotting became more even over the egg surface. Egg marking contrast showed a decreasing trend, with species differences also decreasing, suggesting better mimicry. Our results suggest multidirectional evolution of eggshell components in this system, with potential implications for mimicry and rejection over time.
Dominance Hierarchies, Diversity and Spatial Connect of Crops in Banana Based High Range Home Gardens

Home gardens are a time tested food production system which can be projected as a promise to the future to mitigate the issues related to the global food security crisis. The home gardens in Kerala are an integral part of the rich tradition which impart a dominant role in livelihood security of the people. The diversity profile of traditional homegardens of high range area and its spatial patterns were investigated in the present study revealed that a mean Shannon and Wiener diversity index (H) of 2.185 was recorded which denoted a dwindling trend in species diversity in banana based high range home gardens of Idukki. An appraisal of the diversity of crops revealed that the highest diversity was recorded in spices (H=1.425) and was on par with fruit crops (H=1.339) whereas lowest was noted on fodder crops (H= 0.054) followed by medicinal plants (H=0.197). Furthermore, the mean total diversity index exhibited a positive significant correlation with the total area of the home garden with a correlation coefficient of 0.621 which signified the importance of spatial dimensions in determining the diversity profile of the home gardens.
Integrated management of ground wētā (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) in Marlborough vineyards

Integrated management of gound Wētā (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae) in Marlborough vineyards by Jerry Asalma Nboyine The intensification of agriculture has led to monocultures of high-yielding plant species/cultivars over large areas of land. This provides abundant resources for insects which feed on those monocultural species, elevating them to the status of econmic pests. In the Marlborough region, New Zealand, the conversion of native vegetation in the Awatere Valley to pastures, and in the last 30 years to vineyards, has elevated an endemic orthopteran insect, referred to as wētā (Anostostomatidae) in Maori language, to occasional pest status. This wētā damages vine buds at budburst, consequently reducing yields. Damage is currently managed by tying plastic sleeves around the trunks of vines (Vitis vinifera L.); the sleeves are slippery and deny wētā access to buds. This management approach was adopted, instead of using pesticides, because of the significance of wētā in Maori culture and threats to populations of some wētā species. However, this management technique is labour intensive and costly, and sleeves often need to be repaired/replaced, leading to further costs. They also litter the environment when they become detached from the vines. Hence, this PhD work aimed at developing an ecologically-based integrated management strategy for wētā based on an understanding of the biology and ecology of the species associated with vine damage. A range of laboratory and field experiments were conducted to 1) confirm the identities and number of wētā species damaging vines, 2) wētā biology, densities and distribution in vine and non-vine habitats, 3) the range of plant species in wētā diet, 4) habitat manipulation strategies to mitigate wētā damage and 5) strategies to deter this insect from vineyards. A phylogenetic analysis of sequences obtained from wētā collected from vineyards confirmed that a single species was associated with bud damage. It was identified as Hemiandrus sp. ‘promontorius’ (Johns 2001) using morphological keys. This species is not threatened but has a restricted habitat range. It laid a mean of 55 eggs between March and May, and these hatched after five months. The sex ratio of this wētā was unity. Of three habitats searched, higher numbers of this insect per square meter were found in vines than in either pastures
Pengaruh Customer Relationship Management dan Kualitas Layanan Terhadap Kepuasan dan Loyalitas Pelanggan Media Advertising di Samarinda

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of customer relationship management and service quality on customer satisfaction and loyalty of advertising media companies in Samarinda. The population in this study were customers of advertising media companies in Samarinda. Using accidental sampling, the sample in this study was 100 respondents. The analysis in this study is path analysis with the SPSS program. The results showed that CRM has a positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction, CRM has a positive and significant effect on customer loyalty, service quality has a positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction, service quality has a positive and significant effect on customer loyalty in advertising media in Samarinda city.
Functionalized PEG-oligo(L-lysine)-PCL micelle system for the delivery of bioactive agents based on pH-sensitive degradation

Methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) amine with a molecular weight of 5 K and ϵ-caprolactone with a molecular weight of 3 K were conjugated to five lysine residues with molecular weight and M w/M n of 9.6 K and 1.04, respectively. The shift of peak molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distribution in a gel permeation chromatography (GPC) trace without any noticeable shoulder as well as 1H nuclear magnetic resonance analysis confirmed the successful synthesis of the copolymer. Polymeric micelles, of size around 60 nm, were formed by dialysis and crosslinked micelles (CMs) were prepared by adding a crosslinker, terephthalaldehyde, to generate weak acid-labile benzoic-imine bonds in the interface of the micelle-forming amphiphilic copolymer. The critical micelle concentrations of non-crosslinked micelles and CMs were determined to be 4.26 × 10–2 mg ml−1 and 7.01 × 10–3 mg ml−1, respectively. The hydrolysis rate of the CMs is highly pH-dependent and much more rapid at mild acid than physiological conditions. Doxorubicin was successfully loaded into the CMs and a controlled pH-dependent release behavior was observed. The enhanced micelle stability opens a way for preparing long-circulating delivery systems encapsulating poorly water-soluble drugs.