Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum Phosphorus and Pill Burden Among Hemodialysis Patients Prescribed Sucroferric Oxyhydroxide: One-Year Follow-Up on a Contemporary Cohort

Purpose In prior analyses of real-world cohorts of hemodialysis patients switched from one phosphate binder (PB) to sucroferric oxyhydroxide (SO), SO therapy has been associated with improvements in serum phosphorus (sP) and reductions in daily PB pill burden. To characterize how SO initiation patterns have changed over time, we examined the long-term effectiveness of SO in a contemporary (2018–2019) cohort. Patients and Methods Adult Fresenius Kidney Care hemodialysis patients first prescribed SO monotherapy as part of routine care between May 2018 and May 2019 (N = 1792) were followed for 1 year. All patients received a non-SO PB during a 91-day baseline period before SO prescription. Mean PB pills/day and laboratory parameters were compared before and during SO treatment. Results were divided into consecutive 91-day intervals (Q1–Q4) and analyzed using linear mixed-effects regression and Cochran’s Q test. These results were contrasted with findings from a historical (2014–2015) cohort (N = 530). Results The proportion of patients achieving sP ≤5.5 mg/dl increased after switching to SO (from 27.0% at baseline to 37.8%, 45.1%, 44.7%, and 44.0% at Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4, respectively; P < 0.0001 for all). The mean daily PB pill burden decreased from a baseline of 7.7 to 4.4, 4.6, 4.8, and 4.9, respectively, across quarters (P < 0.0001 for all). Patients in the contemporary cohort had improved sP control (27.0% achieving sP ≤5.5 mg/dl vs 17.7%) and lower daily PB pill burden (mean 7.7 vs 8.5 pills/day) at baseline than those in the historical cohort. Overall use of active vitamin D was similar between cohorts, although higher use of oral active vitamin D (63.9% vs 15.7%) and lower use of IV active vitamin D lower (23.4% vs 74.2%) was observed in the contemporary cohort. Conclusion Despite evolving treatment patterns, switching to SO resulted in improved sP control with fewer pills per day in this contemporary hemodialysis cohort.
Drivers of Consumers’ Willingness to Answer an eWOM Solicitation for a Time-Limited Offer

To quickly develop awareness of time-limited offers, marketers use an increasing number of eWOM solicitations, whereby they ask their customers to spread statements to their friends and acquaintances about products or a company. Despite growing interest in this communication tool, very little is known about what makes an efficient solicitation strategy. This research examines the drivers of consumers’ willingness to generate solicited eWOM for a time-limited offer. Using an experimental framework, this research shows that the most efficient strategy for generating solicited eWOM when it is the most valuable is to solicit well before the deadline using a gain- (loss-) framing solicitation on engaged (nonengaged) individuals.
Identification of Selection Signals on the X-Chromosome in East Adriatic Sheep: A New Complementary Approach

Sheep are one of the most important livestock species in Croatia, found mainly in the Mediterranean coastal and mountainous regions along the East Adriatic coast, well adapted to the environment and mostly kept extensively. Our main objective was therefore to map the positive selection of the X-chromosome (18,983 SNPs that passed quality control), since nothing is known about the adaptation genes on this chromosome for any of the breeds from the Balkan cluster. Analyses were performed on a sample of eight native Croatian breeds (101 females and 100 males) representing the East Adriatic metapopulation and on 10 mouflons (five females and males), all sampled in Croatia. Three classical within-population approaches (extreme Runs of Homozygosity islands, integrated Haplotype Score, and number of Segregating Sites by Length) were applied along with our new approach called Haplotype Richness Drop (HRiD), which uses only the information contained in male haplotypes. We have also shown that phylogenetic analyses, such as the Median-joining network, can provide additional information when performed with the selection signals identified by HRiD. Our new approach identifies positive selection signals by searching for genomic regions that exhibit a sudden decline in haplotype richness. In total, we identified 14 positive selection signals, 11 using the classical approach and three using the HRiD approach, all together containing 34 annotated genes. The most reliable selection signal was mapped by all four approaches in the same region, overlapping between 13.17 and 13.60 Mb, and assigned to the CA5B, ZRSR2, AP1S2, and GRPR genes. High repeatability (86%) of results was observed, as 12 identified selection signals were also confirmed in other studies with sheep. HRiD offers an interesting possibility to be used complementary to other approaches or when only males are genotyped, which is often the case in genomic breeding value estimations. These results highlight the importance of the X-chromosome in the adaptive architecture of domestic ruminants, while our novel HRiD approach opens new possibilities for research.
Assessment of antioxidant properties of Prunella vulgaris

The common selfheal, Prunella vulgaris L. (Lamiaceae), also known in Bulgarian as ”prishnitsa”, is a pharmacopoeial medicinal plant (Common selfheal fruit-spike, Ph. Eur. 10.0, 2439: 01/2017), with a cosmopolitan distribution, diverse and contradictory ethnobotanical data on the used morphological parts and their application as a folk remedy. Rarely, the infusion of the aboveground parts is the application of the herb in Bulgarian traditional medicine. A number of contemporary papers focus on review on the phytochemical constituents and pharmacological effect, which clearly show the potential of the selfheal as a medicinal plant with promising antibacterial, antiviral, anti-obesity, antiinflammatory, anticarcinogenic, antihyperglycemic and immunomodulatory activities (Bai et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2019). A number of studies aim to evaluate the antioxidant and radical scavenging activity (Ahn et al., 2018; Feng et al. 2010; Li et al., 2015). Known data raise a number of questions about the relationship between environmental factors and the accumulation of secondary metabolites, the formation and transfer of traditional knowledge, and the evaluation of herb as a plant resource. Antioxidant and radical scavenging activity are one of the indicators that reflect the potential of benefit for human health. Data on the biological activities of morphologically different herbal substances (Prunellae herba u Prunellae spica) and their herbal preparations of different geographical origin are relevant for the objective and reliable characterization of the species as a medicinal plant and for a real assessment of its prospects as a resource and source of natural compounds with biological activity. The aim of the study is to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of herbal substances Prunellae herba and Prunellae spica from Bulgarian populations.
Money demand under a fixed exchange rate regime: the case of Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT This paper reviews earlier studies and shows that the money demand (MD) relationship under a fixed exchange rate (ER) regime differs from that under a floating ER regime, mainly due to the limited role of monetary policy in the former regime. It then empirically demonstrates that an open-economy model augmented with country-specific factors is a better framework for characterizing the MD function under a fixed ER regime by applying cointegration and equilibrium correction modeling to the Saudi data as a case study. The main message for monetary authorities is that there are other factors, besides those theoretically predicted, shaping MD under a fixed ER regime. This information is important for providing adequate money supply to support economic growth and maintain the stability of the fixed ER, as well as for checking the stability of the MD to make appropriate policy decisions.
Evolution of two-phase flow in networks of branching microchannels

The transport of liquid plugs in networks of branching channels is experimentally studied. Liquid plugs are pushed at different driving conditions in a tree-like network of microchannels with widths either narrowing or widening with the generation number. The global flow pattern can be either symmetric or asymmetric, with daughter plugs dividing in synchrony or asynchrony as a function of the driving force and the network geometry. This behavior is explained by plug interactions at work in a fundamental element of the network, which consists of three adjacent bifurcations. When a single plug is pushed at constant pressure, its daughters can reach the exits only if the driving pressure is higher than the thresholds in the network. For a plug pushed at constant flow rate, its daughters can arrive at the exits of the narrowing network even when the flow rate is low. Conversely, in the widening network, only some daughters can reach the exits while others get stuck at intermediate bifurcations. Moreover, a linear relation between the driving pressure and total flow rate in the network is derived and found to be applicable in the presence of successive plugs. In this case, the total flow rate can be influenced by the initial distance between plugs when the driving pressure and plug lengths are fixed. Furthermore, some preliminary results about network reopening through plug ruptures at high pressure driving are also presented.
Distribution of extant coccolithophores from the northwest continental shelf of India during the summer monsoon

ABSTRACT Coccolithophores contribute substantially to marine primary production as well as to particulate inorganic carbon (PIC) flux to the deep sea; however, there is no literature available so far from the Indian continental shelf on this functional group. We present here the first study describing the spatial variability and species composition of living coccolithophore communities from the north-western continental shelf waters (northeastern Arabian Sea) of India (SW monsoon; August 2018). We found a total of 18 species from 11 genera with Gephyrocapsa oceanica as the dominant coccolithophore. Florisphaera profunda, Calcidiscus leptoporus, Helicosphaera carteri and Umbilicosphaera sibogae were also observed in significant quantities in most of the stations. Cell abundances ranged from 0.3 to 85.6 × 103 l–1 with the maximum occurrence at the northernmost station. Coccolithophore diversity was comparatively higher in the southernmost region, while high dominance was noticed in the north. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that nutrient availability was an important factor to modulate the distribution and abundance of coccolithophores. Gephyrocapsa oceanica was recorded in each station and showed a positive association with NO2 – + NO3 – levels, whereas F. profunda and U. sibogae were confined mostly to deepwater. Our study shows that a substantial number of coccolithophores are present in the shelf water and could be important as primary producers as well as for the carbon export flux. Further research attention to broaden our knowledge of the role of this functional group is warranted.
Three-Stage Inverter-Based Peak Shaving and Volt-VAR Control in Active Distribution Networks Using Online Safe Deep Reinforcement Learning

This paper presents a three-stage inverter-based peak shaving and Volt-VAR control (VVC) framework in active distribution systems using the online safe deep reinforcement learning (DRL) method. The proposed framework aims to reduce the peak load, voltage violations, and real power loss by coordinating three stages with different control timescales. In the first stage, a day-ahead charging/discharging scheduling of energy storage systems (ESSs) with a 30 min resolution is performed via their inverters for peak shaving. In the second stage, the discharging power of ESSs is adjusted through measurements with a 1 min resolution to completely shave peak loads. A model-free DRL algorithm integrated with a safety module is also implemented in the second stage. Using this algorithm, the reactive powers of photovoltaic (PV) systems and ESSs are controlled by the DRL agent to reduce the voltage violation and real power loss, whereas no voltage violation occurs during the online training process. In the third stage, a proportional-integral controller with real-power compensation is integrated into inverters of PV systems and ESSs to rapidly mitigate local voltage violations with a 0.1 s resolution. The high efficiency and safety of the proposed method were validated on the IEEE 33-bus and IEEE 123-bus systems.
Effectiveness of Entrepreneur Education for Entrepreneurial Intention through Creativity and Entrepreneurial Self Efficacy

Entrepreneurship course is one of the compulsory subjects at Universitas Andalas. However, its effectiveness has not been measured to foster entrepreneurial intention, especially for psychology students. The purpose of this classroom action research is to find out whether entrepreneurial intention can be assessed from differences in creativity and entrepreneurial self-efficacy in students during the period of taking entrepreneurship courses. This study used a one-group pre-test-post-test design. Lectures are given using case discussions and analysing entrepreneurs to be innovated by students as project learning. It was found that there were differences in the Mean value of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and impact of creativity toward entrepreneurship intention after eighth lesson or mid semester, after implementation case based method and project based learning. Thus, the methods can increase student entrepreneurial self-efficacy.
Maternal Evaluation of a Team-Based Maternity Care Model for Women of Low Obstetric Risk

In response to the need for affordable and comprehensive maternity care, a multidisciplinary team-based maternity care service led by general practitioners with obstetric training (GPOs) and midwives was established for women of low obstetric risk. We evaluated maternal satisfaction with this model of care. All women that attended the service and gave birth in 2020 were approached. Participants used an online survey to rate their satisfaction with aspects of their pregnancy, hospital stay and postpartum care and were invited to provide additional written feedback. Fifty percent (81/162) of women (33 ± 3.9 years) responded, with 59% primiparous. Proportions of participants that were very satisfied with their overall pregnancy, hospital stay, and postpartum care were 91%, <50%, and 85%, respectively. Both survey and qualitative data identified high satisfaction with emotional care and time afforded to discuss concerns during appointments. High levels of satisfaction can be achieved in women of low obstetric risk through the provision of GPO-midwife led multidisciplinary care throughout the maternity journey.
Examining the ontogeny of the Pennsylvanian cladid crinoid Erisocrinus typus Meek and Worthen, 1865

Non-technical Summary. Crinoids, the group known today as the sea lilies, were a major constituent of ocean environments from the late Carboniferous (323–299 million years ago). However, crinoid fossil-forming potential is poor, and they typically fell apart quickly after death. This limits our ability to study much about their life histories, including how they would have grown. Through the discovery of an area of exceptional fossil preservation in the Barnsdall Formation of Oklahoma, we have a rare chance to learn about the growth of one of these species of crinoids, Erisocrinus typus. Here we perform a growth analysis of a well-preserved series of fossils and discuss the patterns that it showed from its juvenile stage to adulthood. Abstract. Crinoids were major constituents of late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) marine ecosystems, but their rapid disarticulation rates after death result in few well-preserved specimens, limiting the study of their growth. This is amplified for cladids, who had among the highest disarticulation rates of all Paleozoic crinoids due to the relatively loose suturing of the calyx plates. However, Erisocrinus typus Meek and Worthen, 1865 has been found in unusually large numbers, most preserved as cups but some as nearly complete crowns, in the Barnsdall Formation in Oklahoma. The Barnsdall Formation, a Koncentrat Lagerstätte, is composed predominantly of fine- to medium-grained sandstone, overlain by mudstone and shale; severe compaction of the fossils in the mudstone and shale layer in this formation allowed for exceptional preservation of the plates. Herein, we summarize a growth study based on 10 crowns of E. typus, showcasing a well-defined growth series of this species from the Barnsdall Formation, including fossils from juvenile stages of development, which are rarely preserved. We used high-resolution photographs imported into ImageJ and recorded measurements of the cup and arms for all nondistorted or disarticulated plates. Results show that the plates of the cup grew anisometrically with both positive and negative allometry. The primibrachial plates of E. typus grew with positive allometry. The brachial plates started as uniserial (i.e., cuneiform) as juveniles but shifted to be biserial. Erisocrinus typus broadly shares similar growth trajectories with other cladids. These growth patterns provide insight into feeding strategies and can aid in understanding crinoid evolutionary paleoecological trends.
Spousal Selection for Marriage by Tertiary Students in Wa Municipality of Ghana: Internal Factors in Perspective

In contemporary society marriage is seen as the foundation of all social relations and it has remained an important goal for youngsters to achieve in the future. Spouse selection over the years especially, among adults had received extensive attention in the academic tertiary institutions in Ghana, yet little is known precisely about the internal determining factors influencing spouse selection for marriage especially among tertiary students. This current study seek to unearth the internal factors that informs individual choice for marriage among students in the public universities in Ghana. Stimulus-Value-Role (SVR) theory anchored the study and also a simultaneous mixed design was used for the study. The public Universities were sampled Ninety-three respondents were interviewed. Both primary and secondary data were sourced and descriptive statistics was used for the analyses. The findings showed that more than 93% of the students (both sexes) consider issues such as intelligence, emotional stability, dependable attitude, maturity and religion of their prospective spouses as important in the selection process. Agreeableness which is one of the extraversion dimensions and talks about how friendly and compassionate a person is was identified as the most effective element considered in the selection process. The study concluded that students varied in the exact factors they anticipated, desiring potential mates with compatibility factors truly want to find spouses who exemplified what they preferred. The study recommended that the counsellors of the tertiary institutions should endeavour to organize marriage seminars for students to educate them on the need to be cautious of the desired factors. The desired factors predict significantly on students’ choices of a spouse for marriage.
When Aloha and CSMA Coexist: Modeling, Fairness, and Throughput Optimization

With the emerging unlicensed spectrum sharing and Machine-to-Machine communications, the coexistence performance of multiple devices with different access schemes operating at the same unlicensed bands has received significant research interests. As the two most representative random-access schemes, Aloha and Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) both found wide applications in unlicensed bands. Yet most of the studies have focused on the coexistence of CSMA-based networks, leaving the coexistence of Aloha-based and CSMA-based networks largely unexplored. The challenge originates from the lack of a coexistence model of slotted Aloha and CSMA. In this paper, the throughput performance of coexisting Aloha and CSMA networks is characterized and optimized by extending a unified analytical framework proposed for random-access networks. The analysis shows that different from the single-network case where the maximum throughput of CSMA is much higher thanks to carrier sensing, when Aloha and CSMA coexist, Aloha would significantly outperform CSMA if each network optimizes its own throughput performance without cooperation, leading to poor throughput performance for CSMA and severe unfairness. To achieve fair coexistence, inter-network cooperation is crucial. The optimal transmission probabilities of Aloha and CSMA for maximizing the total network throughput under a given throughput ratio are further derived, and applied to coexisting LTE Unlicensed and WiFi networks to optimize their coexistence performance.
Learning from leaders: the mediating role of leadership between national culture and organizational learning culture

ABSTRACT In times of globalization of work and learning, the impact of national culture on learning becomes more important for human resource development. Therefore, this cross-cultural study had two objectives: first, to examine how power distance influences learning culture; and second, to investigate leadership as a missing link between the national culture in terms of power distance and organizational learning culture. Participants from Germany (N = 310) and Russia (N = 348) were surveyed via an online questionnaire. A structural equation model indicates a negative, mostly indirect effect of power distance on all seven DLOQ dimensions, mediated by participative leadership. Therefore, according to the results, leadership is of significant importance for learning culture, at least in global acting companies, and should be in the focus of international human resource development. Theoretical and practical implications of the study are discussed.
No evidence that relatedness or familiarity modulates male harm in Drosophila melanogaster flies from a wild population

Abstract Sexual selection frequently promotes the evolution of aggressive behaviors that help males compete against their rivals, but which may harm females and hamper their fitness. Kin selection theory predicts that optimal male–male competition levels can be reduced when competitors are more genetically related to each other than to the population average, contributing to resolve this sexual conflict. Work in Drosophila melanogaster has spearheaded empirical tests of this idea, but studies so far have been conducted in laboratory‐adapted populations in homogeneous rearing environments that may hamper kin recognition, and used highly skewed sex ratios that may fail to reflect average natural conditions. Here, we performed a fully factorial design with the aim of exploring how rearing environment (i.e., familiarity) and relatedness affect male–male aggression, male harassment, and overall male harm levels in flies from a wild population of Drosophila melanogaster, under more natural conditions. Namely, we (a) manipulated relatedness and familiarity so that larvae reared apart were raised in different environments, as is common in the wild, and (b) studied the effects of relatedness and familiarity under average levels of male–male competition in the field. We show that, contrary to previous findings, groups of unrelated‐unfamiliar males were as likely to fight with each other and harass females than related‐familiar males and that overall levels of male harm to females were similar across treatments. Our results suggest that the role of kin selection in modulating sexual conflict is yet unclear in Drosophila melanogaster, and call for further studies that focus on natural populations and realistic socio‐sexual and ecological environments.