Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Welfare Quality® project and beyond: Safeguarding farm animal well-being

Abstract Welfare Quality® was the largest ever European research project on animal welfare. Here, we briefly describe some major achievements of Welfare Quality® and identify future research priorities, potential strategies and organisational structures to build on the outcomes. Achievements include: definition of principles and criteria of good welfare; development of standardised, primarily animal-based measures for each welfare criterion and their integration in an overall assessment model. Since Welfare Quality® could not answer all the questions we recommend: 1. Continued development and refinement of the assessment systems and extension to new species. 2. The development of automatic measures of welfare to reduce the duration of the assessment while still retaining its holistic nature. 3. Exploration of potential implementation strategies across food chain actors. 4. Establishment of an independent body to manage and update the assessment and information systems, support their implementation and inform and engage stakeholders.
Investigating the barriers to building information modeling (BIM) implementation within the Nigerian construction industry

The purpose of this paper is to identify and assess the perceptions of constructional professionals on barriers to implementation of building information modeling (BIM) within the Nigerian construction industry. ,A scoping literature review was conducted to identify the fourteen barriers to implementation of BIM, which were employed to design a questionnaire survey. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, mean score, Kruskal–Wallis test, analysis of variance and multivariate techniques such as factor analysis. ,The descriptive and empirical analysis demonstrated a disparity of ranking of the 14 barriers factors among the groups; however no statistically significant differences among the 14 barriers to BIM. Based on the mean score ranking results, only three (out of 14) barriers are identified as critical (mean score greater than 3.5): few studies available on BIM and lack of knowledge, inexistence or inadequate government policies, and high cost of implementation. The results of the one-sample t-tests show that they were statistically significant differences in 10 out of 14 barriers as follows: few studies available on BIM and lack of knowledge, lack of demand for use and acceptance of BIM, inadequate contractual coordination, lack of specified standards, cost of data and information sharing, technological availability issues, reluctance of other stakeholders, business and cultural changes, data and intellectual property issues, and interoperability issues. The study, through factor analysis, categorized the fourteen barriers to BIM implementation into four principal factors. The factors are: technology and business-related barriers; training and people-related barriers; cost and standards-related barriers; and process and economic-related barriers. ,The identification and assessment of the key barriers to BIM implementation would be useful for the construction professionals and other stakeholder of the construction industry with the view to advance BIM adoption in Nigeria. This could also be extended to other developing countries through considerations of the local economic conditions, given the status of BIM as being in the germinating stage of development in Africa. ,The study provides insights on the barriers to BIM implementation across the Nigerian construction sector environments. The innovative aspect of the study is the identification of the ordered and grouped (composite) set of barriers to BIM which could be used to developing appropriate mitigating solutions.
Influence of team success, fixture congestion and playing position on physical performance of elite youth soccer players during an international tournament

The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of team success, fixture congestion and playing position on physical performance of elite youth soccer players during an international tournament. Physical match data was collected from 22 matches for U17 soccer players (n = 112) across 12 clubs during the play-off stage of the 2015-2016 Future Talents Cup International tournament. Match data was collected using a GPS device for physical performance measures across different positions, level of team success and during match congestion (MD1, MD 2 and MD3). The top ranked teams produced significantly higher total and low speed running distances compared to bottom ranked teams ( p < .05). Players covered significantly more total distance and PlayerLoad TM on MD1 compared to MD2 and MD3 ( p < .05). High speed distance output remained unaffected during this period of match congestion. Central defenders were found to have the lowest output across physical performance variables compared to all other positions ( p < .05). Wide players (WD and WM) produced the greatest outputs at higher speed distances compared to other positions ( p < .05). Therefore, the present study revealed that teams who had higher levels of success produced greater physical outputs compared to those of lower rankings. Match congestion resulted in a reduction in total and lower speed distances covered. Finally, differences in physical demands across playing positions was evident. Coaches should be aware of the implications of fatigue during periods of fixture congestion and the individual positional requirements for youth soccer players.
Associations between dietary iron intake from different sources and the risk of hyperuricemia among US adults: a cross-sectional study

Background: Currently available evidence on the association between dietary iron intake and hyperuricemia is limited and inconsistent. Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationships between animal-derived dietary iron (ADDI) intake, plant-derived dietary iron (PDDI) intake, and the ratio PDDI:ADDI and hyperuricemia risk among US adults. Design: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009–2014 were used. Iron intake from diet was assessed through two 24-h dietary recalls. Logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline models were used to investigate the associations between dietary iron intake from different sources and hyperuricemia risk. Results: A total of 12,869 participants aged ≥20 years were enrolled in the study. After adjustment for multiple confounders, relative to the lowest quartile, the odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of hyperuricemia for the highest quartile of ADDI intake, PDDI intake, and the PDDI:ADDI intake ratio were 1.11 (0.90–1.38), 0.69 (0.55–0.87), and 0.85 (0.67–1.07), respectively. Dose–response analysis revealed that the risk of hyperuricemia was negatively associated with PDDI intake in a linear manner. Conclusion: PDDI intake was inversely associated with hyperuricemia in US adults.
Distribution patterns of key fish species of the southern Benguela ecosystem: an approach combining fishery-dependent and fishery-independent data

Within the context of an ecosystem approach for fisheries, there is a need for quantitative information on distributions of key marine species. This information is valuable input for modelling species interactions in the southern Benguela ecosystem. In the present study, a method is described for mapping the density distribution of 15 key species: anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus, sardine Sardinops sagax, round herring Etrumeus whiteheadi, chub mackerel Scomber japonicus, horse mackerel Trachurus trachurus capensis, lanternfish Lampanyctodes hectoris, lightfish Maurolicus muelleri, albacore Thunnus alalunga, bigeye tuna Thunnus obesus, yellowfin tuna Thunnus albacares, silver kob Argyrosomus inodorus, snoek Thyrsites atun, Cape hake Merluccius spp. , kingklip Genypterus capensis and chokka squid Loligo vulgaris reynaudi. The purpose was to make use of all available sources of data to extend the spatial and temporal coverage of the southern Benguela. Six sources of data were combined on a 10′ × 10′ cell grid in a Geographical Information System: acoustic and demersal surveys conducted by Marine and Coastal Management (MCM), and pelagic, demersal (including midwater trawl), hake-directed and tuna-directed longline commercial landings data collected by MCM. Comparisons of distributions between two periods (1980s and 1990s) and between two semesters (April – September and October – March) were conducted, but biases as a result of major differences in sampling strategy prevented detailed analysis for certain species. Maps of density distributions are nevertheless presented here and the method to determine them is discussed.
Landscape-scale patterns of alien plant species on coastal dunes: the case of iceplant in central Italy

Question: We investigated the spatial pattern of coastal landscapes invaded by iceplant (Carpobrotus aff. acinaciformis) focusing on two questions: (1) Does the spatial structure of iceplant patches differ from that of native natural costal dune cover types? ; (2) Is the distribution of iceplant patches related to other cover types? Location: Tyrrhenian coast of Central Italy. Method: On the basis of a detailed land-cover map, we calculated structural metrics for iceplant patches and for each native coastal dune cover category (mean patch size and patch shape index) and compared them by means of anova. To assess the spatial association between iceplant patches and the different cover types, we implemented an electivity analysis which analyses the frequency of common borders. Results: The mapped coastal dune cover types included beaches, dunes and sand plain variants, related to the typical Tyrrhenian coastal dune vegetation zonation. Iceplant-dominated vegetation presented elongated and irregularly shaped patches, which were not significantly different from most of the natural cover types suggesting a natural spread along the territory analysed. Iceplant patches were positively associated with beach, mobile and inter-dune cover types indicating that these habitats are exposed to further alien spread. Iceplant patches were also positively associated with artificial surfaces highlighting this cover type as a possible source of propagule pressure. Conclusions: The proposed landscape approach combining patch-based metrics with edge-based metrics provided a comprehensive description of the invaded coastal landscape. From an applied research perspective, this landscape approach could be useful in identifying the correct management strategies for alien-invaded areas.
Field Experiments on Interspecific Competition

Rare until recently, field-experimental studies of interspecific competition now number well over 150. Competition was found in 90% of the studies and 76% of their species, indicating its pervasive importance in ecological systems. Exploitative competition and interference competition were apparent mechanisms about equally often. Few experiments showed year-to-year variation in the existence of competition, though more did in its intensity; many were not long-term. The Hairston-Slobodkin-Smith hypothesis concerning variation in the importance of competition between trophic levels was strongly supported for terrestrial and freshwater systems. In particular, producers, and granivores, nectarivores, carnivores, and scavengers taken together, showed more competition than did phytophagous herbivores and filter feeders. In marine systems, virtually no trend was detectable one way or the other. Large heterotrophs competed more than small ones in most comparisons, and other properties possibly deterring predation, such as stinging behavior, seemed also characteristic of species competing frequently. Among terrestrial plants and certain terrestrial animals but not all, experiments carried out in enclosures were more likely to show competition than unenclosed experiments. A greater ecological overlap implied a greater tendency to compete, as determined experimentally, when niche dimensions were food type or microhabitat; the opposite was true for macrohabitat. A substantial number of studies showed asymmetry in their species' response to competition; larger species were significantly more often superior than smaller ones, though a variety of other apparent reasons for asymmetry also existed. The integration of competition theory into field experimentation has only just begun.
Ectomycorrhizal Flora Formed by Main Forest Trees in the Irtysh River Region of Central and Northeastern Kazakhstan

In this study, the aim was to determine and identify symbiotically living ectomycorrhizas of the main tree species forming forests in central and northeastern Kazakhstan. Surveys were conducted on the right bank of the Irtysh River in a mixed forest of Pinus sylvestris, Picea obovata and Betula pendula trees. The collection was formed and the primary identification of voucher samples of fruiting bodies of macromycetes collected as ectomycorrhiza forming fungi was completed. In the collection and species identification of fruiting bodies, standard methods were used. A total of 30 ectomycorrhizas belonging to Agaricomycetes were identified. The distribution of 30 species into families is as follows: Suillaceae (8), Russulaceae (7), Cortinariaceae (4), Boletaceae (3), Tricholomataceae (2), Amanitaceae (1), Cantharellaceae (1), Gomphaceae (1), Gomphidiaceae (1), Paxillaceae (1), and Bankeraceae (1). The richest genus on account of the number of species was Suillus (8). Concerning the woody host species, 17 mycorrhizas were determined to build symbiosis with P. sylvestris, 8 mycorrhizas with B. pendula, 6 mycorrhizas with Populus tremula, 1 mycorrhiza with P. obovata, 1 mycorrhiza with Quercus robur, 1 mycorrhiza with Salix sp. , and 1 mycorrhiza with Pinus densiflora Siebold and Zuccarini. Ectomycorrhizas should be used as a major performance-enhancing tool in afforestation and restoration studies in the Irtysh River basin under extreme ecological conditions and under climate change effects.
Integrated marketing communication in hospitality SMEs: analyzing the antecedent role of innovation orientation and the effect on market performance

ABSTRACT Integrated marketing communication (IMC) process is considered a way to develop a long-term relationship with the organization’s stakeholders and increase its results, besides that, there is still not a clear understanding of factors that have a positive influence on it. As a strategic process that involves the whole organization we believe that strategic orientations can either act as drivers or impediments of this process, specifically, we test the influence of Innovation Orientation (OI) in that process and find out that it be a driver of such process, we also confirm the positive influence of the IMC process in the marketing performance. To do so, we conducted a survey with 250 SMEs of the hospitality sector. Our study contributes both to the IMC and OI literature once that it provides evidence that IMC can be an important tool to help managers to increase marketing performance and that OI can influence process beyond those directly related to innovations, by doing so we broaden the scope of IO and increase the importance of IMC showing that managers can influence their company’s culture towards innovativeness to improve their communication process and in this way achieve greater marketing results.
Bacterial Communities Associated with Lesions of Shell Disease in the American Lobster, Homarus americanus Milne-Edwards

ABSTRACT Shell disease in Crustacea is a widely recognized syndrome having a polymicrobial etiology, and manifesting itself as lesions of the shell with a variable structure and shell location. We characterized major members of bacterial communities in epizootic shell disease lesions of the American lobster (Homarus americanus, Milne Edwards) and compared these communities with the ones found in study cases of impoundment and enzootic shell disease. Bacteria belonging to several Flavobacteriaceae genera (Aquimarina, Tenacibaculum, Polaribacter, Maribacter, Cellulophaga) within the phylum Bacteroidetes appear to have particular attraction to lobster lesions. The most prominent Bacteroidetes in lobster lesions were representatives of the genus Aquimarina sp. , but only Aquimarina ‘homaria’ was detected in all analyzed lesions of epizootic, impoundment, and enzootic shell disease. It was found on 45% of surfaces unaffected by shell disease, but in smaller numbers compared with lesions. Alphaproteobacteria represent the most diverse class of proteobacteria found in both lesions and on unaffected surfaces. Three bacteria of this class appear to be ubiquitous in shell disease lesions, but only one specific alphaproteobacterium tentatively assigned to the genus Thalassobius (herein designated as ‘Thalassobius’ sp.) was present in all analyzed lesions of epizootic, impoundment, and enzootic shell disease. A ubiquitous gammaproteobacterium called ‘Candidatus Homarophilus dermatus’ was also prevalent in lesions, but just as commonly it was associated with surfaces unaffected by shell disease. The bacteria A. ‘homaria’ and ‘Thalassobius’ sp. are dominant and appear obligatory in lobster shell lesions, and are only occasionally detected on unaffected surfaces, which serve as intermediate reservoirs for the two potential pathogens. Therefore, these two bacteria stand out as potential shell-disease pathogens.
Screening for genetically modified organisms sequences in food samples in botswana using the Biosmart Allin 2.0 GMO Screening System

We used the Allin 2.0 GMO screening system from Biosmart, Switzerland to screen for the presence of genetically modified food sequences in maize meal samples, fresh fruit and vegetables from some retailers around Gaborone, Botswana. The Allin 2.0 is a multiplex PCR system for the detection of genetically modified organisms that contain the 35S-promoter and/or the NOS-terminator derived from the cauliflower mosaic virus and the Agrobacterium tumefaciens, commonly utilized in commercially grown transgenic crops. From the food commodities analyzed, two brands of maize meal were found to contain a 227 bp fragment amplified by the 35S promoter, which indicates the presence of genetically modified sequences within the products. Keywords: Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), 35S-promoter, nopaline synthase (NOS) terminator, PCR, Botswan
PRR11 and SKA2 promote the proliferation, migration and invasion of esophageal carcinoma cells

Proline-rich protein 11 (PRR11) together with its upstream adjacent gene, spindle and kinetochore associated 2 (SKA2), represent a classic, head-to-head gene pair. The role of the PRR11 and SKA2 gene pair has been described in various types of cancer, including breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and ovarian carcinoma. However, its role in esophageal carcinoma (ESCC) remains unclear. The mRNA expression levels of PRR11 and SKA2 were examined in ESCC surgical specimens. In addition, the role of PRR11 and SKA2 in the proliferation and migratory and invasive capacities of EC9706 and EC109 cell lines was examined. The results from the present study demonstrated that PRR11 and SKA2 expression levels were upregulated in ESCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Furthermore, PRRl1 and SKA2 knockdown significantly inhibited the proliferation and migratory and invasive capacities of ESCC cells. Conversely, PRRl1 and SKA2 overexpression significantly promoted the proliferation and migratory and invasive capacities of ESCC cell lines via activation of the AKT signaling pathway and certain markers of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, including Snail and N-cadherin. The results from the present study suggested that the PRR11 and SKA2 gene pair may represent a potential target in the diagnosis and treatment of ESCC.
A quantitative analysis of the occurrence of visual and acoustic displays during the courtship in the freshwater goby, Padogobius martensi (Günther, 1961) (Pisces, Gobiidae)

Abstract Seventeen pairs of Padogobius martensi were observed to compare the relative occurrence of the acoustic and visual displays performed by the male during courtship. The results show that the visual display, which gradually decreases when the male approaches the nest, is the main signal to orient and attract the female towards the male's nest; sound production, on the other hand, becomes more frequent when the male approaches and enters his nest. So, the acoustic signal has an important role when the visual one becomes ineffectual, when the male is hidden in the shelter. Visual and acoustic signals seem to have a complementary role and the male P.martensi uses the most effective signal in each particular situation.
Resilience in Mathematics, Academic Resilience, or Mathematical Resilience?: An Overview

Aim: To analyze the concept of resilience in mathematics subject based on three-term use; resilience in mathematics, academics resilience in mathematics, and mathematical resilience. Background: Resilience in academics is a contemporary focus, especially in mathematics subjects. A few terms and concepts of resilience in mathematics subjects introduced, and recently, the term mathematical resilience has received attention and become based on other resilience research in mathematics. Methods: The primary database is Scopus and Google scholar. The keyword use is (a) resilience, resiliences (b) mathematics (c) subjects (d) students, child, adult, to identify the relevant article. Two reviewers are involved in screening and filtering the article in the data extraction process. The screening process is based on the definition, attribute, model use, issue tackle, and approach to tackle the issue. Results: There are 82 articles found both in Scopus and google scholar and Scopus, and 29 were used in the final data analysis. The finding shows that resilience is considered as a personal attribute in a person, which results from the process of adapting to the environment or situation that is challenging. Every term uses a different kind of model to represent resilience but origin from the Bandura Self-Efficiency mechanism. Conclusion: This study provides the meaning of resilience for each term and the differences between them. Even though the world resilience almost similar purpose, the application in each field is different. Future studies should focus on the process and intervention to boost resilience.
High‐precision gene expression analysis of immunosuppressive agents in human whole blood

Analysis of gene expression is emerging as a valuable tool in drug discovery. Using a gene expression system involving high‐precision quantitative PCR, two robust in vitro models of inflammation in human whole blood were examined. In the first model, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) addition to whole blood resulted in profound changes in the expression of multiple inflammation‐related genes, ranging from increases of 1.5‐fold to several 1,000‐fold. In the second model, stimulation by interleukin 2 plus toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (IL2+TSST1) resulted in a distinct pattern of expression consistent with increased contributions from T‐lymphocyte activation. Both stimuli resulted in unique, but consistent patterns of gene expression across individual blood donors. In addition, experiments using the immunosuppressive drugs, dexamethasone and cyclosporin A, demonstrated that the distinct mechanisms of different immunosuppresants can be characterized at the molecular level in human whole blood using specific pathway markers. Thus, dexamethasone inhibited induction of gene expression at a number of loci in both models of the inflammatory response, while Cyclosporin A had minimal effects in the LPS model but had profound effects in the IL2+TSST1 model. These findings validate the use of high‐precision gene expression analysis (HPGEA) directly from human whole blood, coupled with well‐defined stimulation parameters, for characterizing, monitoring, and predicting the effects of novel therapeutic agents in pre‐clinical studies. Drug Dev. Res. 63:8–21, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.