Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EVALUATION OF ESTRUS AND PREGNANCY RATES IN FRIESIAN LACTATING COWS SYNCHRONIZED WITH MELENGESTEROL ACETATE-BASED PROTOCOLS

The objective of this study was to evaluate estrus synchronization and pregnancy rate of Friesian lactating cows during postpartum period in melengesterol acetate (MGA) based protocols for estrus synchronization. The total 30 dairy cows were used in this study, average age between 25–68 months and weighting 440 – 620 kg and 1-5 parities was used in this study. At the beginning of the experimental period, the experimental cows were divided }}}into three similar groups, 10 in each. Cows in the 1st treatment were fed on 0.5 g MGA/cow/day for 14 days. In the 2nd treatment, cows were fed on 0.5 g MGA/cow/day for 14 days followed 33 days later by injection with 3 ml PGF2α. In the 3rd treatment, cows were fed 0.5 g MGA/cow/day for to 14 days followed 26 intramuscularly injected with the 1st dose of 5 ml GnRH, followed 33 days injected with 3 ml PGF2α followed 36 days injected with the 2nd dose GnRH and fixed-time insemination. Results revealed that estrus response after the end of hormonal protocols were statistically (P<0.05) significantly higher in MGA and MGA+PGF2α protocols (90%) than the MGA select protocol (70%). Pregnancy rates assessed in all cows after AI tended to be higher (90%) for the MGA+PGF2α protocol and moderate in MGA select protocol (80%) than in the MGA protocol being for lower (70%). Progesterone concentration (P4) was above 1 ng/ml in all treated animals pre-treatment ranging 2.308 - 3.073 ng/ml. After the oral feeding MGA 0.5 g/cow/day, P4 concentration at days of 7 and 14 was increased in all animals of different protocols than in all animals in pre-treatments. On day 24 post-service, concentration of P4 was higher in responded animals, indicating incidence of pregnancy which were conceived after the PGF2α injection in MGA+PGF2α protocol and GnRH injection of MGA select protocol. The economic evaluation indicated that MGA protocol had the cheapest cost (L.E 4.9/cow), followed by MGA+PGF2α protocol (L.E 16.9/cow). While, MGA select protocol showed the highest cost (L.E 56.9/cow). Inconclusionscows treated by MGA+PGF2α protocol at insemination based on heat incidence to improve their reproductive performance. From the economic point of view, MGA+PGF2α protocol showed the best results (conception rate and costs) compared to the other protocols.
Density dependence in productivity of a North American Mute Swan Cygnus olor population

Mute Swans Cygnus olor were first introduced to North America in the late 19th century and were brought to Michigan, USA, by humans in 1919. Numbers in Michigan remained low throughout the 20th century but began to grow rapidly in the early years of the 21st century, reaching 17,520 by 2013. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) produced a policy in 2012 to have fewer than 2,000 Mute Swans state-wide by the year 2030; however, estimates of demographic parameters and information on patterns of density dependence are needed to identify the annual control level needed to achieve long-term goals. A research partnership between the MDNR, the Wildlife Services section of the US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and Michigan State University was formed to investigate the patterns of density dependence in the Michigan population of Mute Swans. Nesting pair density and productivity were surveyed in 2016–2018 using fixed-wing aircraft. Extent of nesting habitat was quantified to assess the relationships between the number of nesting pairs and nest site availability. Mean productivity for nesting pairs was low (1.4 fledglings/pair) and decreased with increases in the number of nesting pairs. Productivity was inversely related to estimated saturation of characteristic nesting habitat (βˆ = –0.979, s.e. = 0.439). Mute Swan pairs nested in non characteristic habitat on sites with many nesting pairs where characteristic nesting habitat was saturated. These results suggest that habitat-meditated density dependence in productivity is occurring for Mute Swans in Michigan. As such, demographic modelling and in-field management of Mute Swans in Michigan should take into consideration the demonstrated relationships between productivity and nesting pair densities.
Theoretical Promises and Methodological Troubles Capturing Dialogical Discourse in Classroom Research

A review of Skidmore, D & K. Murakami (Eds). (2016). Dialogic pedagogy: The importance of dialogue in teaching and learning . Bristol, United Kingdom: Multilingual Matters Skidmore and Murakami’s collection of essays takes on a dual theoretical and empirical project: first, to define and advocate for dialogical classroom pedagogy; and second, to unearth such practice through microstudies of classroom dialogue. This project divides itself neatly in half: the first six chapters trace the theory of dialogic pedagogy, including the history of discourse, coding, and practices, while the remaining seven are devoted to empirical studies marked by a careful microanalysis of dialogue. The work distinguishes itself from scholarship on the dialogical the past 20 years, during which works have either been single-authored, deeply-researched, and theoretical (Matusov, 2009a; Wegerif, 2013) or vast collections of essays organized conceptually (Ball & Freedman, 2004; White & Peters, 2011; Ligorio & Cesar, 2013). While special journal editions have brought new focus to unexplored threads of the dialogical, such as the exploration of silence in the classroom or the history of the School of the Dialogue of Cultures (Matusov 2009b), this collection affords considerable latitude to its theoretical and historical frame. A comparable work of conceptual breadth is that of White (2016), whose publication frames classroom research of lower school learners with concepts from Bakhtin. Like White’s work, Skidmore and Murakami paint at once in broad strokes and miniature: on the one hand, the collection situates dialogical pedagogy into its historical context, interweaving the work of early Russian theorists; at the same time, it offers granular studies of classroom dialogue. Since Skidmore authors or co-authors seven of the 13 chapters, the collection somewhat serves as a project of singular intent, one that raises a persistent question as to whether the methodologies in the studies presented in the second half of the work, focused on Conversational Analysis (CA) and the Discourse Analysis (DA), cohere to the ambitions of dialogical pedagogy offered in the first. In the end, the promise that CA affords greater magnification of classroom moments does not overcome what may be a limitation of the methodology to unearth dialogic pedagogy.
Study of Ammonia Water Vapour Absorption Refrigeration Chiller Run by Solar Thermal Energy

Now, most of the energies are used by the industries due to depletion of fossil fuels and continuous increases in the cost price and demand for energy has led to more research and development to utilize available energy resources efficiently by minimizing waste energy. For this Absorption refrigeration systems increasingly attract research interests because Absorption cooling offers the possibility of using heat to provide cooling. For this purpose solar heat can be used. Absorption system is divided into two categories depending upon the working. These two categories are the Libr-H2O and NH3-H2O.In LiBr-H2O system water is used as a refrigerant and Libr is used as an absorbent, while in NH3-H2O system ammonia used as an refrigerant and water is used as an absorbent, which used as in studying and developing a new absorbent refrigerant system. The objective of this review paper is to gives the fundamental knowledge and performance of Ammonia water (NH3-H2O) vapour absorption system run by solar energy. This system is eco friendly in nature.
Cortical thickness and formal thought disorder in schizophrenia: An ultra high-field network-based morphometry study

BACKGROUND Persistent formal thought disorder (FTD) is a core feature of schizophrenia. Recent cognitive and neuroimaging studies indicate a distinct mechanistic pathway underlying the persistent positive FTD (pFTD or disorganized thinking), though its structural determinants are still elusive. Using network-based cortical thickness estimates from ultra-high field 7-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (7T MRI), we investigated the structural correlates of pFTD. METHODS We obtained speech samples and 7T MRI anatomical scans from medicated clinically stable patients with schizophrenia (n = 19) and healthy controls (n = 20). Network-based morphometry was used to estimate the mean cortical thickness of 17 functional networks covering the entire cortical surface from each subject. We also quantified the vertexwise variability of thickness within each network to quantify the spatial coherence of the 17 networks, estimated patients vs. controls differences, and related the thickness of the affected networks to the severity of pFTD. RESULTS Patients had reduced thickness of the frontoparietal and default mode networks, and reduced spatial coherence affecting the salience and the frontoparietal control network. A higher burden of positive FTD related to reduced frontoparietal thickness and reduced spatial coherence of the salience network. The presence of positive FTD, but not its severity, related to the reduced thickness of the language network comprising of the superior temporal cortex. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that cortical thickness of both cognitive control and language networks underlie the positive FTD in schizophrenia. The structural integrity of cognitive control networks is a critical determinant of the expressed severity of persistent FTD in schizophrenia.
Beyond Blanket Solutions: Examining the Potential of Community Seed Banks to Improve Maize Seed Security in Northern Malawi

In Malawi, maize seeds are a sociopolitical currency and the government’s primary tool for addressing severe and chronic food and seed insecurity. The large-scale government and donor-sponsored seed subsidy program (FISP) favors the distribution of commercial hybrid/OPV seed in order to augment yields; yet policy analysis suggests that exclusively addressing seed security through the formal seed sector risks undermining local systems of seed exchange. These informal systems have been documented repositories of locally-adapted crop varieties that possess a variety of desirable production and organoleptic qualities. Recently, community seed banks (CSBs) have emerged as an alternative, NGO-led development initiative aimed at improving seed access by providing a plethora of social and economic services beyond germplasm storage. To understand the role CSBs in maize seed systems, 60 semi-structured interviews were conducted with smallholders in two districts of Northern Malawi as part of a cross-sectional case study. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected pertaining to maize seed access opportunities, farmer preferences, and patterns of seed adoption; findings were used to compare CSB members with non-members. Despite widespread interest in adopting commercial seed to obtain higher yields, farmers’ maize variety evaluations indicate higher levels of satisfaction for local varieties when considering both production and post-production characteristics. CSB members show lower levels of satisfaction for commercial maize than other farmers. These findings indicate that CSBs can expand farmers’ frame of reference by providing members with a variety of seeds that meet a diverse set of preferences and by serving as a platform for exchange and experimentation. CSBs can therefore be viable complements to formal seed systems by encouraging farmers to grow a multitude of cultivars while also providing access to local varieties, which often possess desirable organoleptic qualities that commercial seeds generally lack. This study invites future research surrounding CSB viability, as its findings have wider implications for the potential of bottom-up, locally-based development interventions to improve smallholder farmer seed security in SubSaharan Africa. Total number of volumes: 5 Number of pages (main document): 50 Topic Category: Beyond Blanket Solutions: Examining the Potential of Community Seed Banks to Improve Maize Seed Security in Northern Malawi
Developing a mobile application supporting parents’ activities during pregnancy

enough today, to cover the specific need for a targeted category of patients, but further research is needed eventually adjusting it to ELISA. An example can serve involvement in the pregnancy process of parents, which at some stage may need more attention and need to give their consents to use their data for further investigations. Another future work beneficial for ELISA is the development of flexible API which will provide more options to cover all aspects of the communication facilities which ELISA specification offer. Also, further integration of ELISA with EPR Ad Vitam shall be done simultaneously. This approach will give the opportunity to enhance the services offered by ELISA and control in practice their functionality on real EPR used by medical staff. This further integration with Ad Vitam has the potential to prove the usefulness of the identified requirement in this thesis. An important area which also would produce valuable insights is the use of AI for diagnosis and identification of the patients which fall under the various group of risks for pregnancy (for instance after birth complication or bad living habit consequences).
Extracellular vesicles from senescent hepatic stellate cells promote cell viability of hepatoma cells through increasing EGF secretion from differentiated THP-1 cells

Since the discovery of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype, the role of senescent hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development has gained increasing attention. Similar to cytokines, extracellular vesicles (EVs) are essential for intercellular communication. However, the function of EVs derived from senescent HSCs in HCC progression has not been extensively studied. The aims of the present study were to characterize the EVs derived from senescent HSCs and determine their role in the tumor microenvironment. Cellular senescence was induced in human hepatic stellate cells (HHSteCs) with various concentrations of etoposide. Induction was confirmed using EdU staining and 53BP1 and p21 immunostaining. EVs were isolated by ultracentrifugation and analyzed by nanoparticle tracking analysis. Multiplex immunoassays were used to compare the levels of growth factors secreted from hepatoma cell lines and macrophage cells pretreated with EVs derived from senescent HHSteCs (senescent EVs) with those pretreated with EVs derived from normal cultured HHSteCs (normal EVs). Treatment with 25 µM etoposide for 3 days was the most effective at inducing senescence in HHSteCs. This finding was confirmed by induction of irreversible cell-cycle arrest, upregulation of 53BP1 and p21 expression, and increased SA-β-gal staining. Senescent HHSteCs released increased quantities of EV particles compared with normally cultured HHSteCs. Multiplex analysis revealed that there was no difference between hepatoma cell lines treated with normal EVs and those treated with senescent EVs in growth factor secretion. In contrast, the secretion of epidermal growth factor (EGF) was increased by macrophage cells treated with senescent EVs compared with those treated with normal EVs. Furthermore, senescent EVs did not affect the viability of hepatoma cells but increased the viability of hepatoma cells co-cultured with macrophage cells. In conclusion, the release of EVs from senescent HSCs was higher compared with normal HSCs. Furthermore, senescent EVs promoted HCC development by upregulating EGF secretion from macrophages.
Traditional Communication Model of Traditional Leaders in Maintaining Local Wisdom in Custom Tribe, Kasepuhan Cisungsang, South Banten, Banten Province, Indonesia

Abtract—This study focuses on the traditional communication model of traditional leaders in the indigenous tribe 'Kasepuhan Cisungsang', namely an indigenous tribal community, in Banten Province, the westernmost part of the island of Java in Indonesia. The 'Kasepuhan Cisungsang' indigenous tribe has existed since the 13th century. The presence of modern culture also changes the values of life adopted in the Cisungsang tribe. There is concern among indigenous leaders, that the values they believe in from generation to generation will change and even be damaged by changing times. This study focused on three objectives, namely: (1) finding traditional communication models in maintaining local wisdom in the Cisungsang tribe, (2) finding the self-concept of indigenous leaders in terms of: the rights and obligations of indigenous leaders to make decisions for themselves and their environment . (3) Finding patterns of support for indigenous peoples, in terms of their attitude of religiosity and democratic attitude. This research is based on pragmatism's philosophical roots, uses cultural social traditions, symbolic interactionism theory (mind, self and society) Herbert Mead, constructivist paradigm, qualitative-exploratory research approaches, and ethnometodology methods. The level of data validity is based on credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. The results of this study are, (1) traditional leaders carry out traditional communication in the form vertical communication methods, which are carried out from indigenous peoples to traditional leaders, called reporting (nyarita). The second traditional communication method is horizontal communication, namely communication between traditional leaders, called discussion (adu renyom). (2) The next stage is to the self-concept of traditional leaders. Traditional leaders carry out their duty to maintain cosmic order. Customary leaders in carrying out their roles have competence. They are creative, wise, responsible, alert, ready, understanding, intelligent, skilled, agile, caring, fast, responsive and the ability to maintain self-esteem. Traditional leaders have the ability to place themselves, can absorb social values. This ability is achieved by meditating and maintaining the sanctity of behavior. The self-concept of traditional leaders has a tendency to the aspects of "the Me" and not on "the I". (3) Indigenous peoples' support for local wisdom in Kasepuhan Cisungsang is to maintain and carry out religious ritual activities and trust in Sri Devi. They respect and loyal to the traditional leader. From the aspect of the attitude of democracy, if they marry outside people, then the traditional leader allows them. After marrying and moving home, they are not given the obligation to follow customary regulations.
Teaching writing skills through genre: applying the genre-based approach in Iran

Developing effective argumentative and persuasive texts is a challenge for both native and non-native students of writing skills, where a lack of linguistic, rhetorical, and cultural awareness skills are major problems in effective written communication. International research results show that a Genre-Based Approach based in particular on Systemic Functional and Cognitive Linguistics allows students to take a significant leap towards controlling macro and micro-genre structures as well as language and that taking a consciousness-raising approach to genre seems to be a key contributing factor to better writing development. We report on the findings of two recent Iranian studies, one that implemented the Genre-Based Approach, and the other Mobile-Assisted Dynamic Assessment following mixed Product-Process methodology, as well as giving an overview of some recent research into the development of academic writing skills through genre teaching-learning in contrast to traditional approaches. Results show that, though traditional methodologies can have success, the Genre-Based Approach, with its focus on better genre characteristics identification along with improved teaching and learning methodology, combining elements of structure, language, rhetoric, and cultural contextualization, gives more rapid results, and leads to better and more confident writers, as well as better syllabus development.
Break-Even Volatility

A profit or loss (P&L) of a dynamically hedged option depends on the implied volatility used to price the option and implement the hedges. Break-even volatility is a method of solving for the volatility which yields no profit or loss based on replicating the hedging procedure of an option on a historical share price time series. This dissertation investigates the traditional break-even volatility method on simulated data, how the break-even formula is derived and details the implementation with reference to MATLAB. We extend the methodology to the Heston model by changing the reference model in the hedging process. Resultantly, the need to employ characteristic function pricing methods arises to calculate the Heston model sensitivities. The break-even volatility solution is then found by means of an optimisation of the continuously delta hedged P&L over the Heston model parameters.
Interspecific Transformation of Bacillus subtilis by Clay-Bound DNA in Non-Sterile Soil

The interspecific transformation of Bacillus subtilis by both free and clay (montmorillonite)-bound DNA, isolated from B. amyloliquefaciens, B. cereus, B. licheniformis, B. polymyxa, B. pumilus and B. thuringiensis, and from intergenotes obtained in the heterologous exchanges, was investigated in non-sterile soil conditions. Transformation by free heterologous DNA from all the species occurred at a very low frequency, with the exception of DNA from B. amyloliquefaciens. Intergenotic DNA was capable of transforming with a higher efficiency than heterologous DNA, similar to that of the homologous DNA. Heterologous transformation by clay-DNA complexes was obtained only with DNA from B. amyloliquefaciens, while intergenotic DNA bound on clay transformed at a frequency about one-two orders of magnitude lower than homologous DNA. Transformation frequency in non-sterile soil was similar to that obtained in the absence of nonsterile soil. The genetic distances among the Bacillus species and the intergenotes were determined by the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting technique. The results show that B. subtilis is very similar to the intergenotes and B. amyloliquefaciens and more distant from the other Bacillus species.
Relationships between social stigma, stigma experience and self-stigma and impaired quality of life in schizophrenia accross three Latin-America countries

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Relationships between social stigma, stigma experience and self-stigma and impaired quality of life in schizophrenia accross three Latin-America countries Alejandra Caqueo-Urízar, Alfonso Urzúa, Julia Habib, Anderson Loundon, Mohamed Boucekine, Laurent Boyer, Guillaume Fond