Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic Polymorphisms of IGF1 and IGF1R Genes and Their Effects on Growth Traits in Hulun Buir Sheep

The identification of candidate genes and genetic variations associated with growth traits is important for sheep breeding. Insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and insulin like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) are well-accepted candidate genes that affect animal growth and development. The current study attempted to assess the association between IGF1 and IGF1R genetic polymorphisms and growth traits in Hulun Buir sheep. To achieve this goal, we first identified three and ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in exons of IGF1 and IGF1R in Hulun Buir sheep and then constructed six haplotypes of IGF1R based on linkage disequilibrium, respectively. Association studies were performed between SNPs and haplotypes of IGF1 and IGF1R with twelve growth traits in a population encompassing 229 Hulun Buir sheep using a general linear model. Our result indicated three SNPs in IGF1 were significantly associated with four growth traits (p < 0.05). In IGF1R, three SNPs and two haplotype blocks were significantly associated with twelve growth traits (p < 0.05). The combined haplotype H5H5 and H5H6 in IGF1R showed the strong association with 12 superior growth traits in Hulun Buir sheep (p < 0.05). In conclusion, we identified SNPs and haplotype combinations associated with the growth traits, which provided genetic resources for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in Hulun Buir sheep breeding.
Engaging Design Thinking in Professional Bureaucracies: Improving Equity for Non-Tenure Track Faculty in Higher Education

Higher education faces a number of wicked problems, including the inequitable work environment for non-tenure-track faculty (NTTF), that require innovative solutions. This study examines the potential of liberatory design thinking for creating new policies, programs, and practices in higher education, including how the professional bureaucratic environment might shape the design process. Using data from three campuses where changes related to NTTF were successfully implemented, we extend the conceptualization of design thinking toward a model that adapts existing phases of design thinking and identifies new phases where the work of design is particularly influenced by the higher education context. We identify three dimensions that particularly contribute to these differences: politics and power in professional bureaucracies, structural and cultural constraints, and centering equity. This model has practical implications for supporting equity-minded change processes in higher education and may be of particular interest to policymakers, institutional leaders, design teams, and researchers. She employs quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods to study the impact of educational policy and practice on the development and success of diverse students. Her research focuses on policies and practices related to faculty, curriculum, and learning environments. Urban Education Policy Rossier College of His research include non-tenure track faculty, student leadership development, and graduate admissions and transition. Jordan approaches all of his with an equity and inclusion lens. She is a national on success, equity and diversity, change, governance and leadership in higher
Institutions and institutional logics in construction safety management: the case of climatic heat stress

Abstract We employed a Glaserian grounded theory approach to explore the gap between behavioural safety and its unsatisfactory outcomes. Data were collected through ethnographic studies on the practice of managing heat stress on thirty-six construction sites in Hong Kong and Chonqing in mainland China. Two core concepts, institutions and institutional logics, are generated and defined to explain why safety rules do not necessarily produce safety behaviours. At society level, we explicated two pairs of institutional logics: the religion logics (Confucianism vs. pragmatism) and the market logics (rational market vs. individualism). At project organizational level, two logics of processing safety in production are explicated: a protection logic in the Chongqing context and a production logic in the Hong Kong context. The concepts and sub-concepts are compared to existing business literature for clarification of scopes. Empirical findings of the study suggest safety intervention needs to redirect its focus from promoting safety alone to addressing the institutional logics of the entire organization and its societal context practised by multiple levels of actors. We conclude that safety research would benefit from redirecting its focus of analysis from discourses, interviews or surveys to authenticated cases reconstructed through triangulation of actors’ discourses at multiple levels of an organization, third-party observation, physiological data and objective measurement of the work environment. Methodologically, this paper provides a detailed guidance for conducting grounded theory research with a focus of conceptualization.
Why Don’t You [Government] Help Us Make Healthier Foods More Affordable Instead of Bombarding Us with Labels? Maternal Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices after Full Implementation of the Chilean Food Labelling Law

Experimental and real-life evaluations show that the use of front-of-package warning labels (FoP) in unhealthy foods is well understood and can modify people’s behaviors. However, it is unclear whether these effects remain in the long term because of the risk of message fatigue. The purpose of this study is to explore after four years of implementation of the Chilean Food Labelling law people’s dietary behavior and FoP labels attention. Nine focus groups of mothers (7–10 people each) of children (2–14 yo) were conducted in Santiago, Chile, and macrocodes were developed, combining an iterative process of deductive and inductive thematic analyses. We found that mothers experienced labels’ fatigue but also had greater knowledge about nutrition and appreciation for more natural foods. This greater knowledge about better nutrition interferes with the perception that healthier and less processed foods are financial and physically inaccessible. The key role of schools as an environment for promoting healthier diets in children was strengthened by the mothers. These results suggest that policies based on providing consumer information need reinforcement campaigns to maintain their effectiveness and that we also need to advance policies to improve access and affordability of healthy foods to ensure better diets.
Deriving user requirements for a CBRNE support system

ABSTRACT When an adverse event escalates into a criminal investigation, it becomes very difficult to control and combine information into a manageable format. The PROBE project addresses this problem by developing two generations of working prototypes capable of undergoing live field tests and evaluation by a wide-ranging community of CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives) responders. The paper reports the derivation of preliminary user requirements for PROBE based on interviews and observations of a large-scale simulated CBRNE exercise. Five Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) researchers shadowed specialists representing different responder agencies (Emergency Medical Services, police, hazardous materials expert) during the three-hour exercise. Relying on cognitive ethnography, a variant of the concept of distributed cognition, video and audio recordings were merged with notes taken during the exercise and used to derive the preliminary user requirements. The study showed that these could be extracted from a relatively small set of behaviors and different types of utterances made by the active participants in the exercise. The paper concludes with a take-away message for researchers wishing to observe CBRNE exercises in which the command post event management team is collocated.
A Fatal Case of Tuberculosis Meningitis in Previously Health Children

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a severe form of tuberculosis. We report the development of fatal TBM in a 2-year-old previously healthy child, suggesting that TBM must be evaluated in children of all ages with non-specific symptoms of central nervous involvement because a diagnostic delay induces a negative prognosis.
Potential Environmental Impact of Biodiesel Production from Palm Oil using LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) in Indonesia

Primary energy production in Indonesia in 2018 consisting of petroleum, natural gas, coal and renewable energy reached 1,504 million BOE (Barrel of Oil Equivalent). Dependence on the use of fuel oil (BBM), especially in the transportation sector, is still high. The global commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions encourages the Indonesian government to support the role of new and renewable energy. Life cycle assessment (LCA) has become a popular technique applied to evaluate the environmental impact, energy consumption and GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions of biofuel production. To evaluate the life cycle impact of biodiesel, many steps have to be considered including land use change, plantation, milling, refining, fuel conversion. There have been several studies reporting the life cycle of palm oil production. However, most of them are still focused on GHG emissions and energy needs. Therefore, this paper will present LCA with broader impact categories of biodiesel production in Indonesia from the plantation phase to the production phase. Based on the analysis carried out, it can be concluded that the main contributor to the environmental impact of biodiesel production is the use of fertilizers at the plantation stage and the transesterification process at the biodiesel plant
Rough-Set-Theory-Based Classification with Optimized k-Means Discretization

The discretization of continuous attributes in a dataset is an essential step before the Rough-Set-Theory (RST)-based classification process is applied. There are many methods for discretization, but not many of them have linked the RST instruments from the beginning of the discretization process. The objective of this research is to propose a method to improve the accuracy and reliability of the RST-based classifier model by involving RST instruments at the beginning of the discretization process. In the proposed method, a k-means-based discretization method optimized with a genetic algorithm (GA) was introduced. Four datasets taken from UCI were selected to test the performance of the proposed method. The evaluation of the proposed discretization technique for RST-based classification is performed by comparing it to other discretization methods, i.e., equal-frequency and entropy-based. The performance comparison among these methods is measured by the number of bins and rules generated and by its accuracy, precision, and recall. A Friedman test continued with post hoc analysis is also applied to measure the significance of the difference in performance. The experimental results indicate that, in general, the performance of the proposed discretization method is significantly better than the other compared methods.
Wheel/rail contact tribology : characterising low adhesion mechanisms and friction management products

Friction management and control of adhesion at the wheel/rail interface is vital for an efficient and cost effective railway network. The understanding of how the friction management products (grease and friction modifiers) work and effectively test these products is necessary to improve the performance of a railway network. The papers presented concern the effective benchmarking of wayside curve lubricants (grease) in a twin disc test rig. They compare the effectiveness of several greases in respect to adhesion, wear protection and retentivity (number of cycles of adequate lubrication). A new method for assessment of grease carry down has been trialled in the field. The modified pendulum was able to detect the difference between a dry and lubricated rail gauge face. Top of rail friction modifiers (TOR-FMs) have been tested at two different laboratory test scales. The results showed the difference in operational behaviour of the chosen TOR-FM when used in a laboratory versus the field. The ‘wet-rail’ phenomena, where low adhesion as a result of water on the rail head, has been investigated at two scales of laboratory test and results have been used to generate a model to predict adhesion coefficients for a range of water and iron oxide mixtures. The results presented show how the addition of small amounts of water to a wheel/rail contact can cause reduced adhesion to ‘low/ultra-low’ levels when combined with third body materials (iron oxides, wear debris etc.). A novel treatment method to protect the rail head using hydrophobic solutions was investigated using twin disc and pendulum testing. Tests showed that these products, when sufficiently diluted, do not reduce friction to dangerous levels or isolate the vehicle from the track circuit. However, the benefits of use in the field are questioned.
Aspirin-Triggered Resolvin D1 Reduces Chronic Dust-Induced Lung Pathology without Altering Susceptibility to Dust-Enhanced Carcinogenesis

Simple Summary Farm workers are at an increased risk of developing acute and chronic lung inflammatory diseases from their everyday exposure to organic dust. Previous investigations have examined the inflammatory effects in mice from single and repetitive exposure to dust from swine confinement facilities, however, no study has explored these effects in a chronic model. To address this research gap, we established a chronic dust exposure mouse model of lung tumorigenesis that was also used to measure the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acid-derived lipid mediators as therapeutics for mitigating these induced responses. Our results from these investigations are the first to evaluate the chronic inflammatory, and carcinogenic effects of these dusts, as well as identify a potential therapeutic strategy for mitigating the inflammatory effects by using an omega-3 fatty acid-derived bioactive lipid mediator. Abstract Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with increased risk being associated with unresolved or chronic inflammation. Agricultural and livestock workers endure significant exposure to agricultural dusts on a routine basis; however, the chronic inflammatory and carcinogenic effects of these dust exposure is unclear. We have developed a chronic dust exposure model of lung carcinogenesis in which mice were intranasally challenged three times a week for 24 weeks, using an aqueous dust extract (HDE) made from dust collected in swine confinement facilities. We also treated mice with the omega-3-fatty acid lipid mediator, aspirin-triggered resolvin D1 (AT-RvD1) to provide a novel therapeutic strategy for mitigating the inflammatory and carcinogenic effects of HDE. Exposure to HDE resulted in significant immune cell influx into the lungs, enhanced lung tumorigenesis, severe tissue pathogenesis, and a pro-inflammatory and carcinogenic gene signature, relative to saline-exposed mice. AT-RvD1 treatment mitigated the dust-induced inflammatory response but did not protect against HDE + NNK-enhanced tumorigenesis. Our data suggest that chronic HDE exposure induces a significant inflammatory and pro-carcinogenic response, whereas treatment with AT-RvD1 dampens the inflammatory responses, providing a strong argument for the therapeutic use of AT-RvD1 to mitigate chronic inflammation.
A Three-Reagent “Green” Paper-Based Analytical Device for Solid-Phase Spectrometric and Colorimetric Determination of Dihydroquercetin

Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (µPADs) represent one of the promising green analytical strategies for low-cost and simple determination of various analytes. The actual task is the development of such devices for quantitation of antioxidants, e.g., flavonoids. In this paper, possibilities of a novel three-reagent µPAD including silver nitrate, 4-nitrophenyldiazonium tetrafluoroborate, and iron(III) chloride as reagents are assessed with respect to the determination of dihydroquercetin. It is shown that all the three reagents produce different colorimetric responses that can be detected by a mini-spectrophotometer–monitor calibrator or by a smartphone. The method is applicable to direct measuring high contents of dihydroquercetin (the linearity range is 0.026–1 mg mL−1, and the limit of detection is 7.7 µg mL−1), which is favorable for many dietary supplements. The analysis of a food supplement was possible with the relative standard deviations of 9–26%, which is satisfactory for quantitative and semiquantitative determinations. It was found that plotting a calibration graph in 3D space of the three reagents’ responses allows us to distinguish dihydroquercetin from its close structural analogue, quercetin.
Smart Graphite–Cement Composites with Low Percolation Threshold

The objective of this work was to obtain cement composites with low percolation thresholds, which would reduce the cost of graphite and maintain good mechanical properties. For this purpose, exfoliated graphite was used as a conductive additive, which was obtained by exfoliating the expanded graphite via ultrasonic irradiation in a water bath with surfactant. To obtain evenly distributed graphite particles, the exfoliated graphite was incorporated with the remaining surfactant into the matrix. This study is limited to investigating the influence of exfoliated graphite on the electrical and mechanical properties of cement mortars. The electrical conductivity of the composites was investigated to determine the percolation threshold. The flexural and compressive strength was tested to assess the mechanical properties. In terms of the practical applications of these composites, the piezoresistive, temperature–resistivity, and thermoelectric properties were studied. The results showed that the incorporation of exfoliated graphite with surfactant is an effective way to obtain a composite with a percolation threshold as low as 0.96% (total volume of the composite). In addition, the mechanical properties of the composites are satisfactory for practical application. These composites also have good properties in terms of practical applications. As a result, the exfoliated graphite used can significantly facilitate the practical use of smart composites.
Predictors of structural stigma in state mental health legislation during the Trump administration

ABSTRACT Mental healthcare interventions are effective, yet services and access remain limited, as most bills and appropriations fail. Forms of structural stigma exist in mental healthcare policymaking, but research is limited regarding factors affecting their presence. Thus, a content analysis was conducted on mental health-related legislation in order to identify forms of structural stigma as well as any legislative influences. Findings indicated that (1) legislator political party, chamber, and gender were all significantly associated with structural stigma, while (2) Republican party membership was a significant predictor. Mental health advocates may utilize these findings when targeting policymakers in their stigma reduction efforts.
Assessing Spatial Variability of Soil Properties in Mediterranean Smallholder Farming Systems

Smallholder farming systems are typical of the European Mediterranean region. Small farms of less than 2 hectares cover approximately 15% of cropland in the southern EU and only 5% across the EU. The greater variability of cultivated species per unit of cropland (ha), the different approaches, and empirical application of cultivation practices by smallholder farmers increase the spatial variability of soil properties. Therefore, a decision support tool for effective management practices was formed based on a soil indicators set, which is sensitive to changes under agricultural management practices and different LUs. The data for this task were collected from 364 crop fields. The data were clustered and correlated based on (a) the existing soil units (SU): Fluvisols, Cambisols, Luvisols, and Calcisols, and (b) the LU: pastureland, annual, and permanent crops. Principal component analysis (PCA) identified up to seven main components that can better explain soil variability properties. The results indicated that the selected soil indicators can explain only 70.98% of soil variability. Clustering the parameters based on LU and SU can explain up to 80% and 82% of soil properties’ variability, respectively. Factor analysis could function as a decision support tool for soil fertility management by farmers or policy makers, who aim to achieve higher yields, promote sustainable practices, maintaining, at the same time, a low cost of cultivation.
Gamma Irradiation Induced High Yield Mutant Genotype Samosir Local Shallot in the Third Generation

The gamma irradiation can promote the agronomic characters of plant. This study aims to obtain putative mutant genotype of the 3rd generation Samosir local shallot (M1V3), which highly yields. The study used the augmented design in which 8 mutant genotypes of Samosir local shallot from the 2nd generation after gamma (γ)-ray treatment were planted along with untreated. The differences between the irradiation plants and untreated were tested by t-test: Similarity distance and dendrogram were analyzed using the hierarchical cluster. The results showed that almost all the mean values made by all quantitative agronomic character changes in the M1V3 populations were higher than those made in M1V2. The expected high heritability value with a broad coefficient of genetic diversity was found in the character of fresh and dried bulb’s weight resulted from genotype populations treated with γ rays irradiation with doses 3, 4 and 5 Gy. High heritability values were also found in the fresh weight and dry weight of bulb in genotype populations treated with doses 1 and 2 Gy with moderate genetic diversity coefficients. Selection based on the dried bulb’s weight from each mutant genotype population with a selection intensity of 30 % was obtained 39 genotypes that showed the highest selection index. The highest number of genotypes were selected from the application of γ-rays with a dose of 1 to 2 Gy, each of 10 genotypes. Therefore, application at the dose of 1 - 2 Gy in M1V3-generation for Samosir local shallot can still improve the yielding character through breeding to archive shallot in national. HIGHLIGHTS The low doses (1 to 5 Gy) of gamma rays increased the growth and yield of shallots in the third generation The dose at 2 Gy of gamma ray resulted in the highest plant length, number of tillers, number of bulbs, fresh- and dry weight of bulbs in mutant M1V3 of Samosir local shallot The results found that 38 of 39 shallot mutants had greater characters compared to the control The application of 1 - 2 Gy gamma rays on local shallots in the third generation can be used as an effort to increase the yield character GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Electrochemical Study of NaFePO4 Cathode Material in Aqueous Sodium-ion Electrolyte

Aqueous rechargeable sodium-ion batteries (ARSIBs) have received more attention because of their low cost, the vast abundance of sodium on the earth, and possible application for smart grid-scale energy storage systems. This work reports the synthesis of NaFePO4 by a low-temperature ionothermal method using deep eutectic solvent (DES). The physical characterization of the synthesized material is done using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to evaluate its crystal size, structure, composition, and morphology. The electrochemical behavior of NaFePO4 in 5M NaNO3 is studied using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge-discharge techniques. The electrochemical study revealed that the synthesized cathode material, NaFePO4 exhibits excellent electrochemical performance at high current rates. The full cell NaTi2(PO4)3/5M NaNO3/NaFePO4 delivers a discharge capacity of 96.96 mAh g-1at C/5rate and is 62.96% of the theoretical capacity. The cell retains a discharge capacity of 76 mAh g-1 over 50 cycles with good rate capability.