Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biofortification - a sustainable agricultural strategy for reducing micronutrient malnutrition in the global south.

Minerals and vitamins in food staples eaten widely by the poor may be increased either through conventional plant breeding or through use of transgenic techniques, a process known as biofortification. HarvestPlus seeks to develop and distribute cultivars of food staples (rice [Oryza sativa L.], wheat [Triticum aestivum L.], maize [Zea mays L.], cassava [Manihot esculenta Crantz], pearl millet [Pennisetum americanum Leeke], beans [Phaseolus vulgaris L.], sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas L.]) that are high in Fe, Zn, and provitamin A through an interdisciplinary global alliance of scientific institutions and implementing agencies in developing and developed countries. Biofortified crops offer a rural-based intervention that, by design, initially reaches these more remote populations, which comprise a majority of the undernourished in many countries, and then penetrates to urban populations as production surpluses are marketed. Thus, biofortification complements fortification and supplementation programs, which work best in centralized urban areas and then reach into rural areas with good infrastructure. Initial investments in agricultural research at a central location can generate high recurrent benefits at low cost as adapted biofortified cultivars become widely available in countries across time at low recurrent costs. Overall, three things must happen for biofortification to be successful. First, the breeding must be successful—high nutrient density must be combined with high yields and high profitability. Second, efficacy must be demonstrated—the micronutrient status of human subjects must be shown to improve when consuming the biofortified cultivars as normally eaten. Third, the biofortified crops must be adopted by farmers and consumed by those suffering from micronutrient malnutrition in significant numbers.
Study of Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in Myopic Eye in Rajasthani Population

Purpose: To find out relationship between Average Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness and Myopia. Methods: A total of 250 myopic eyes were analyzed. Average Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer (RNFL) was measured with OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) and compared between the two diagnostic groups. Simple Linear Regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between spherical equivalent and Average RNFL thickness. Result: Average RNFL thickness decreases with increase in degree of myopia. Linear regression analysis shows positive correlation between RNFL thickness and degree of myopia(r value = 0.5286, p = 0.0001). Conclusion: RNFL thickness measurements may be a useful parameter to assess and monitor glaucoma damage in myopic patients.
Effects of Pivot Location and Reduced Pitch Rate on Pitching Rectangular Flat Plates

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of the unsteady flow about pitching flat plates. Hydrodynamic force and two-dimensional particle image velocimetry measurements are reported for three pivot locations (leading edge, midchord, and trailing edge), reduced pitch rates from 0.022 to 0.39, and in still water, which corresponds to infinite reduced pitch rate. The wing has rectangular planform with effective aspect ratio 4, and the wing pitching motion is from 0 to 45 deg angle of attack. The relation between hydrodynamic force and vortical flow development as a function of pivot location and reduced pitch rate is discussed. Reasonable agreement is found between measured hydrodynamic force and quasi-steady potential flow theoretical results. Several vortical flow features are identified and discussed, including 1) the effect of pivot location and pitch acceleration on formation and evolution of vortical structures, 2) the impact of interaction between vortical flow structures on hydrodynamic force development, and 3) three-dimensional flow development and transient vortex development.
One-particle density matrix of trapped one-dimensional impenetrable bosons from conformal invariance

The one-particle density matrix of the one-dimensional Tonks-Girardeau gas with inhomogeneous density profile is calculated, thanks to a recent observation that relates this system to a two-dimensional conformal field theory in curved space. The result is asymptotically exact in the limit of large particle density and small density variation, and holds for arbitrary trapping potentials. In the particular case of a harmonic trap, we recover a formula obtained by Forrester et al. [Phys. Rev. A 67, 043607 (2003)] from a different method.
Differentiation of radiation necrosis from glioblastoma recurrence after radiotherapy

Chrissa Sioka1, Anastasia Zikou2, Anna Goussia3, Spyridon Tsiouris4, Loucas G. Astrakas2, Athanassios P. Kyritsis1,5 1Neurosurgical Institute, University of Ioannina, 45500 Ioannina, Greece. 2Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Ioannina, 45500 Ioannina, Greece. 3Department of Pathology, University Hospital of Ioannina, 45500 Ioannina, Greece. 4Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Ioannina, 45500 Ioannina, Greece. 5Department of Neurology, University Hospital of Ioannina, 45500 Ioannina, Greece. The standard treatment of glioblastoma, the most common type of primary-brain-tumor, involves radiotherapy with concomitant temozolomide chemotherapy. A patient with glioblastoma, post radiotherapy developed magnatic resonance imaging (MRI) changes consistent with either radiation-induced tumor necrosis or tumor recurrence. Perfusion MRI was suggestive of radiation necrosis, but magnetic resonance spectroscopy and 99mTc-Tetrofosmin single photon emission computed tomography was indicative of tumor recurrence. Positron emission tomography scan was not available. Tumor recurrence was documented by biopsy. Several advanced imaging methods are available to differentiate tumor recurrence from radiation necrosis in glioblastoma patients. However, in inconclusive cases, brain biopsy should be performed for definite diagnosis.
The Benefits of the Absolute Quantifying Method with TaqMan Probeversus Other Methods

Aim: To evaluate in an experimental way the best extraction method which maximally extracts the sample and avoids the issues or DNA degrading. Material and Method: The determination of the blood samples of the external environment is done by using the test Kastle Meyer. The determination of the extracted DNA is done by the method Absolute Quantifying with ABI Prism Real TimePCR 7000. The complex of the reagents used for this aim is the type Quantifiler® Human DNA Quantification Kit. The software used for the analyses was: ABI PRISM® 7000; Sequence Detection System Software Kit version 1.0 The multiplying of the genetic markers is done by using the PCR method and the use of Thermal Cycler Gene Amp 9700. The complex of the genes used for this method is AmpF£STR® Identifier® PCR Amplification Kit. The analyzed locus are: D7S820, CSF1P0, D18S51, Amelogenin and FGA. The separation and the analyzing of these fragments is done by using the genetic analyzer ABI 310 (Applied Biosystem, P/N: 310-00200/240-W) and softwer GeneMapper® ID Software v3.2 (Applied Biosystem, P/N: 4338951). Results: In the table we notice that samples are positive for hTERT gene. The negative result of this we think comes from the paper substract used for the collection of the sample, which is not appropriate for the deposit of the epithelial cells of the skin when is touched. Conclusion: The samples have been in different levels of damage of DNA molecules, this marker has shown high stability to environmental factors. the use of Quantifiler® Human DNA Quantification Kit increases the accuracy and eficasity in the discovery of human DNA presence and the determination of its amount wich makes this gene have a primary role compared with other markers used for the same purposes.
How Did Hominins Adapt to Ice Age Europe without Fire?

Analyses of archaeological material recovered from several Middle Paleolithic sites in southwest France have provided strong corroborating data on Neanderthal use of fire. Both direct and indirect data show that Neanderthals in this region were frequently and/or intensively using fire during warmer periods, but such evidence declines significantly in occupations that took place during colder periods. One possible explanation for this pattern is that it reflects the inability of Western European Neanderthals to make fire, simply because natural sources of fire occur much more frequently during warmer climatic periods. Regardless of the explanation, the long periods of diminished evidence of fire shows that, unlike modern humans, these hominins were not obligate fire users, and this fact in itself raises important questions of how they adapted, physiologically and/or technologically, to the generally harsh glacial conditions of the middle latitude of Europe and to reduced energy returns typical of raw food. As a corollary, it also raises questions regarding their need for and use of fire during the warmer periods.
Design Rationale and Performance Evaluation of the Wavelet Health Wristband: Benchtop Validation of a Wrist-Worn Physiological Signal Recorder

Background Wearable and connected health devices along with the recent advances in mobile and cloud computing provide a continuous, convenient-to-patient, and scalable way to collect personal health data remotely. The Wavelet Health platform and the Wavelet wristband have been developed to capture multiple physiological signals and to derive biometrics from these signals, including resting heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and respiration rate (RR). Objective This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the biometric estimates and signal quality of the wristband. Methods Measurements collected from 35 subjects using the Wavelet wristband were compared with simultaneously recorded electrocardiogram and spirometry measurements. Results The HR, HRV SD of normal-to-normal intervals, HRV root mean square of successive differences, and RR estimates matched within 0.7 beats per minute (SD 0.9), 7 milliseconds (SD 10), 11 milliseconds (SD 12), and 1 breaths per minute (SD 1) mean absolute deviation of the reference measurements, respectively. The quality of the raw plethysmography signal collected by the wristband, as determined by the harmonic-to-noise ratio, was comparable with that obtained from measurements from a finger-clip plethysmography device. Conclusions The accuracy of the biometric estimates and high signal quality indicate that the wristband photoplethysmography device is suitable for performing pulse wave analysis and measuring vital signs.
The Case for Growth-Indexed Bonds in Advanced Economies Today

One of the legacies of the global financial crisis is a high ratio of public debt to GDP. While current levels may be sustainable, another series of bad shocks could easily tip the balance and lead to unsustainable debt ratios and to default. The quantitative exercises presented in this Policy Brief show that growth-indexed bonds can play an important role in that content. By decreasing payments when growth is low, they can substantially reduce the "tail risks" associated with explosive debt paths starting from today's high ratios. The introduction of growth-indexed bonds will benefit highly indebted advanced economies and, in the euro area, might provide a partial market-based solution to attain valuable insurance benefits well ahead of a formal fiscal union.
Labor Market Institutions and Unemployment Dynamics in Transition Economies

This paper studies interactions between labor market institutions and unemployment dynamics in transition economies. It presents a dynamic matching model in which state sector firms endogenously shed labor and private job creation takes time. Two main conclusions arises. First, higher unemployment benefits increase steady-state unemployment, and, during the transition, they reduce the fall in real wages and speed up closure of state enterprises. Second, higher minimum wages can theoretically speed up the elimination of state sector jobs without affecting steady-state unemployment. These results are broadly consistent with existing evidence on the dynamics of unemployment and real wages in transition economies.
Global change, nitrification, and denitrification: A review

We reviewed responses of nitrification, denitrification, and soil N2O efflux to elevated CO2, N availability, and temperature, based on published experimental results. We used meta‐analysis to estimate the magnitude of response of soil N2O emissions, nitrifying enzyme activity (NEA), denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA), and net and gross nitrification across experiments. We found no significant overall effect of elevated CO2 on N2O fluxes. DEA and NEA significantly decreased at elevated CO2; however, gross nitrification was not modified by elevated CO2, and net nitrification increased. The negative overall response of DEA to elevated CO2 was associated with decreased soil [NO3−], suggesting that reduced availability of electron acceptors may dominate the responses of denitrification to elevated CO2. N addition significantly increased field and laboratory N2O emissions, together with gross and net nitrification, but the effect of N addition on field N2O efflux was not correlated to the amount of N added. The effects of elevated temperature on DEA, NEA, and net nitrification were not significant: The small number of studies available stress the need for more warming experiments in the field. While N addition had large effects on measurements of nitrification and denitrification, the effects of elevated CO2 were less pronounced and more variable, suggesting that increased N deposition is likely to affect belowground N cycling with a magnitude of change that is much larger than that caused by elevated CO2.
An Efficient Framework for Development of Task-Oriented Dialog Systems in a Smart Home Environment

In recent times, with the increasing interest in conversational agents for smart homes, task-oriented dialog systems are being actively researched. However, most of these studies are focused on the individual modules of such a system, and there is an evident lack of research on a dialog framework that can integrate and manage the entire dialog system. Therefore, in this study, we propose a framework that enables the user to effectively develop an intelligent dialog system. The proposed framework ontologically expresses the knowledge required for the task-oriented dialog system’s process and can build a dialog system by editing the dialog knowledge. In addition, the framework provides a module router that can indirectly run externally developed modules. Further, it enables a more intelligent conversation by providing a hierarchical argument structure (HAS) to manage the various argument representations included in natural language sentences. To verify the practicality of the framework, an experiment was conducted in which developers without any previous experience in developing a dialog system developed task-oriented dialog systems using the proposed framework. The experimental results show that even beginner dialog system developers can develop a high-level task-oriented dialog system.
The Differences in Keeping Both Male and Female Physicians Healthy

There is a scarcity of research that addresses the sex difference of health concerns among physicians. There has apparently been no research addressing the health problems of female physicians who are clients of physician health programs. Client files (n = 1,239) during 1997 to 2007 were examined to determine whether significant associations were found between sexes and the following variables: age, marital status, primary presenting problem, referral source, and referral status (mandated or voluntary). This retrospective study used &khgr;2 analysis and frequency distribution. Sex differences among variables were outlined. Female clients were younger and never married, whereas male clients were older and partnered. More women tended to come voluntarily; men were mandated. Women self-referred, whereas more men were referred by the Colorado Board of Medical Examiners, hospitals, or a workplace administration. Psychiatric problems and stress were more likely to be presented by women; however, men were more likely to present with behavioral, professional boundary, or substance abuse problems (with or without psychiatric issues), and more men reactivated than women. Overall, male and female physician clients presented differently at the Colorado Physician Health Program. Utilization of sex-specific frameworks will assist Physician Health Programs in developing more effective intervention and outreach.
Physical Properties of the Close-in Tertiary in the Southern Triple-lined System VZ Lib

VZ Lib is a southern triple-lined system. By analyzing all available times of light minima, orbital period changes are revisited in detail. We discovered that the observed–calculated (O − C) curve shows a long-term period decrease at a rate of , revealing a mass transfer from the more massive component to the less massive one. A cyclic variation covering more than three cycles was discovered, which was analyzed for the light-travel-time effect via the presence of the tertiary companion. The cyclic variation has a short period of 2.96 (±0.04) yr and a small semiamplitude of 0.0039 (±0.0004) days. The mass of the third body was determined to be M⊙ and an orbital semimajor axis shorter than au was obtained. Orbital properties of this close-in companion should provide valuable information on the formation of close binaries and stellar dynamical interaction. New complete light curves of VZ Lib were obtained and modeled with the Wilson–Devinney code. The light curves show a small but significant O’Connell effect that was not detectable in 1981 and 2007 but in 2004, so we derived a new photometric solution with assuming spot and a third light in the system. It is found that the light-curve subtype changed from A-type to W-type, which was possibly caused by a dark spot on the massive component. Our photometric solutions are in agreement with the spectroscopic results given by previous authors.
Assets Accounting in Local Financial Manager Perspective : Interpretive Study

The accounting treatment of assets in local government tends to adopt an accounting system in the private sector is not as easy as imagined. The different characteristics governmental sectors as public organizations are in many ways different from private organizations lead to the views of the government in reporting its assets. This study aims to reveal the meaning of asset accounting understood by local financial management actor. In this study researchers used an interpretive paradigm with a phenomenological approach. The study shows that asset accounting is interpreted based on the source of funding, functions, and benefits of the asset. Meaning assets in the perspective of asset funding sources is understood as capital goods which only includes fixed assets. Based on the function, asset understood as economic assets and social assets. Benefits of economic assets are important, but social assets much more important in the effort to improve the welfare of society, for it is seen as an important asset to be reported.
The Impact of Health Professionals Empowerment as a Shared Responsibility to Enhance Job Satisfaction within Health Sector of Pakistan

In this world of globalization, there is a dire need in organizations for empowerment that makes employees in a position to make accurate and quick decisions and react speedily to any changes in the surroundings. Employee Empowerment has become a part of the business philosophy in recent years. In Pakistan, hospitals are considered important assets and are trying to enhance their competitiveness by increasing job satisfaction level. This research study tested the importance of employee empowerment on job satisfaction in Gocernment / public hospitals of Pakistan. It was hypothesized that employee empowerment has an impact on job satisfaction. A questionnaire used as a tool to collect the data and was distributed to 400 respondents out of which 390 received, resulting in a rate of response of 97.5%. Data analyzed by the researchers using statistical methods group, including descriptive statistics, frequencies, reliability analysis, correlation and regression analysis tests. Among the most important results, it was concluded that employee empowerment has a positive impact on employee job satisfaction. The research results revealed that employee empowerment leads to higher employee job satisfaction in Pakistani Government hospitals.
The mutational hazard hypothesis of organelle genome evolution: 10 years on

Why is there such a large variation in size and noncoding DNA content among organelle genomes? One explanation is that this genomic variation results from differences in the rates of organelle mutation and random genetic drift, as opposed to being the direct product of natural selection. Along these lines, the mutational hazard hypothesis (MHH) holds that ‘excess’ DNA is a mutational liability (because it increases the potential for harmful mutations) and, thus, has a greater tendency to accumulate in an organelle system with a low mutation rate as opposed to one with a high rate of mutation. Various studies have explored this hypothesis and, more generally, the relationship between organelle genome architecture and the mode and efficiency of organelle DNA repair. Although some of these investigations are in agreement with the MHH, others have contradicted it; nevertheless, they support a central role of mutation, DNA maintenance pathways and random genetic drift in fashioning organelle chromosomes. Arguably, one of the most important contributions of the MHH is that it has sparked crucial, widespread discussions about the importance of nonadaptive processes in genome evolution.
Transcutaneous measurement of glomerular filtration rate in small rodents: Through the skin for the win?

Rodent models of renal physiology and pathology are crucial to our understanding of the molecular, histological and functional sequelae that contribute to kidney diseases. One of the most important measures of renal function is glomerular filtration rate (GFR). While the accurate determination of GFR is pivotal to understanding the progression of disease and/or the benefits of treatment strategies, in rodents the conventional methods for assessment of GFR are inconvenient and cumbersome, not the least because they involve stress and often anaesthesia. The legitimacy of assay‐based assessment of plasma and urine markers of GFR in mice has also been heavily scrutinized for their insensitivity to minor declines in GFR and inaccurate detection of renal biomarkers. While infusion‐based clearance methods of GFR assessment are thus the gold standard in terms of accuracy, they are limited by the fact that they are primarily non‐recovery procedures. This presents a dilemma when trying to document the progression of renal disease, as these measures cannot be taken in the same experimental subject. Here we review a technique of transcutaneous measurement of fluorescein isothiocyanate‐labelled sinistrin to calculate GFR in small rodents, using a non‐invasive clearance device (NIC‐Kidney Device). This is a recently validated non‐invasive technique for measuring GFR in small rodents that allows for the real‐time measurement of GFR in conscious animals, without the need for plasma and urine assays.