Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Maternal Protein Restriction in Primiparous Beef Heifers during Mid- and/or Late-Gestation on Progeny Feedlot Performance and Carcass Characteristics

Simple Summary Maternal nutrient restriction in beef cows can impact developmental processes in the fetus, which may influence lifetime performance. If feed is limited, a maternal deficiency in protein and/or energy can occur. As a result, the fetus may receive inadequate levels of nutrients, potentially altering fetal development. In the present study, we evaluated the impact of a metabolizable protein restriction during mid- and/or late-gestation on progeny carcass characteristics. First-calf heifers were provided with a diet that either met their metabolizable protein requirements or caused an 80% restriction in metabolizable protein during mid- and/or late-gestation in a crossover design. Our results suggest that heifers catabolized lean body tissue, but not body fat stores, to overcome the metabolizable protein deficiency. However, restricting metabolizable protein in gestating heifers did not substantially influence the feedlot performance or carcass characteristics of their offspring. The restricted dams may have buffered their offspring from the metabolizable protein limitation during gestation. Abstract This study investigated the impacts of metabolizable protein (MP) restriction in primiparous heifers during mid- and/or late-gestation on progeny performance and carcass characteristics. Heifers were allocated to 12 pens in a randomized complete block design. The factorial treatment structure included two stages of gestation (mid- and late-) and two levels of dietary protein (control (CON); ~101% of MP requirements and restricted (RES); ~80% of MP requirements). Half of the pens on each treatment were randomly reassigned to the other treatment at the end of mid-gestation. Progeny were finished in a GrowSafe feeding system and carcass measurements were collected. Gestation treatment x time interactions indicated that MP restriction negatively influenced heifer body weight (BW), body condition score, and longissimus muscle (LM) area (p < 0.05), but not fat thickness (p > 0.05). Treatment did not affect the feeding period, initial or final BW, dry matter intake, or average daily gain of progeny (p > 0.05). The progeny of dams on the RES treatment in late gestation had a greater LM area (p = 0.04), but not when adjusted on a hot carcass weight basis (p > 0.10). Minimal differences in the animal performance and carcass characteristics suggest that the level of MP restriction imposed during mid- and late-gestation in this study did not have a significant developmental programming effect.
Sources of Embarrassment or Empowerment? Oral Feedback Strategies in English Language Teaching Classrooms.

As a response to the mismatch between the performance standards indicated in the English curriculum and the communicative competence of English language learners, teachers employ oral feedback strategies that border on the Embarrassment and Hygiene Resource Framework of Mackay (1993). This study aimed to investigate how and why this framework operates in the English language teaching (ELT) of the Philippines by recording actual classroom interactions of five experienced teachers and five beginning teachers with their respective students from 10 public rural high schools. Descriptive statistics and content analysis were used in order to analyze and interpret data gathered from transcribed classroom interactions and semi-structured interview sessions of the participants. It was found out that the student-participants exhibit embarrassment-producing behaviors in the classroom, such as silence in response to teacher’s questions, undue delay in response, inarticulate response, and resort to first language. In order to resolve such forms of embarrassments, the teacher-participants deploy hygiene resources, such as reasoning aloud for the students, vicarious dialogue, expansion or minimal responses, question reduction, and resort to first language. Generally, more than half (54% 70%) of the oral feedbacks generated by the participants are classified under Mackay’s (1993) framework. Reasons for this extensive display and use of embarrassments and hygiene resources include the function of local languages as communicative resources, use of speech disfluencies as aids in oral feedback planning, role of wait-time and periods of silence in promoting information processing, and regard for simplifying questions as strategies in soliciting responses. With such positive evaluations associated to cases of embarrassments and use of hygiene resources in ELT, this research argues that these mechanisms should be regarded as tools of empowerment for both teachers and learners. Participants employ them to facilitate negotiation of meaning and distribution of power relations in the multilingual ELT classrooms.
Physiological roles of the green pseudobulb in tropical epiphytic orchids

Epiphytic orchids are typically found in tropical environments. Evolution of epiphytes has been postulated to result in the formation of the green pseudobulbs [1,2], which is characterized by the presence of very thick cuticle, absence of stomata and the abundance of water-storing cells [3]. These ‘false bulbs’ are known to function as storage organs for water, mineral and carbohydrates, playing crucial roles in the growth and survival of epiphytic orchids [4,5]. In addition, photosynthesis of green pseudobulbs can contribute positively to carbon balance by recycling respiratory carbon that would otherwise be lost [6]. Although the leaves are main sources that supply carbon for inflorescence development, the green pseudobulbs is responsible for the ultimate re-distribution of assimilated carbon from the leaves to other plant organs [7]. As such, the green pseudobulbs can be envisioned to play an active regulatory role in assimilate partitioning as well as a passive role as a storage organ. Furthermore, the green pseudobulbs may serve as a reserve for water, minerals and carbohydrates when epiphytic orchids are subjected to environmental stress such as water deficit [8]. The main objective of mini review was to discuss the roles of green psedobulbs in growth and development of epiphytic orchids. Photosynthetic capacity of the green pseudobulb and its roles in regulating leaf photosynthesis and protecting epiphytic orchids against drought stress were also addressed.
Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness Correlates with Serum and Cerebrospinal Fluid Neurofilament Levels and is Associated with Current Disability in Multiple Sclerosis.

Introduction The main purpose of the present study is to confirm Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer (pRNFL) thickness is a biomarker of axonal degeneration in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and to evaluate its relationship with Neurofilament heavy chain (NfH) and Nitrotyrosine (NT). Method We quantified serum (s) and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) NfH and NT levels in 30 relapsing-remitting MS patients (RRMS), 16 secondary progressive MS (SPMS) patients and in 29 control subjects matched for age and gender. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) measurements of pRNFL were performed in all subjects. Clinical outcomes were tested by Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC) and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Results RRMS patients exhibited significantly higher NfH/NT levels (99 pg/mL, 107.52 nM respectively) than controls (74 pg/mL, 48.72 nM) in CSF (p<0.0001), but not in sera. SPMS patients had significantly higher s NfH/NT values (111.25 pg/mL, 1251.77 nM respectively) and lower mean pRNFL thickness (79 µm) than patients with RRMS (98.50 µm) and controls (108 µm) (p<0.0001). pRNFL thickness was significantly correlated with all clinical disability measurements (EDSS, Trail Making test, 9-Hole Peg Test, and PASAT) in both RRMS and SPMS (p<0.001, p=0.02, p=0.03, p=0.02 respectively). A positive correlation was also found between serum and/or CSF NfH levels and EDSS scores in RRMS and SPMS (p<0.001, p=0.02 respectively). The pRNFL thickness was also correlated significantly with serum and/or CSF NfH levels but not with s/CSF NT levels in both clinical forms of MS (p<0.01, p<0.001 respectively). Conclusion The current study demonstrated that both pRNFL and s/CSF NfH are reliable and quantitative biomarkers that correlate with current disease course and cross-sectional measure of disability in patients with MS.
Collaboration in the digital age: From email to enterprise social networks

Alors qu’il etait percu comme un moyen de communication revolutionnaire dans les annees 1990, l’email a progressivement montre ses limites… si bien qu’il est devenu une source de surcharge informationnelle. Afin d’adresser ce probleme, de nombreuses organisations ont adopte des reseaux sociaux d’entreprise (RSE) comme moyens de communication alternatifs. De facon surprenante, peu de recherches se sont penchees jusqu’a aujourd’hui sur le processus d’articulation de ces deux technologies et sur l’influence de cette articulation sur les pratiques de travail et le probleme de la surcharge informationnelle, a travers l’analyse d’eventuels effets de complementarite ou de substitution. Dans cet article, nous developpons une etude empirique qualitative des articulations entre emails, RSE, et autres outils collaboratifs, sur la base : 1) d’une etude exploratoire de trois entreprises de secteurs varies, 2) d’une auto-ethnographie reposant sur une observation participante dans une grande entreprise de telecommunication francaise, et 3) d’une validation aupres d’experts. Le diagramme causal qui en resulte, permettant de specifier l’articulation des usages de l’email, des RSE et des outils collaboratifs specialises, suggere trois principales contributions. Premierement, nous developpons notre comprehension du probleme de surcharge informationnelle, en precisant que ce dernier n’est pas intrinseque a l’email, et se voit de plus en plus remplace par le concept emergent de « surcharge collaborative ». Deuxiemement, nous mettons en evidence que les RSE ne sont pas la panacee afin d’encourager de nouveaux comportements au sein de l’organisation. Troisiemement, nous mettons en exergue que les organisations ont moins besoin d’un outillage RSE que d’une strategie de transformation digitale, mettant l’accent sur les besoins des collaborateurs, plutot que sur la promesse des RSE de changer les cultures d’entreprises et pratiques.
Diversity and endophytic fungal composition in Ananas comosus (L.) Merr. var queen cultivar isolated from three different growing conditions

Present study deals with the isolation of endophytic fungi from leaf and root explants of Ananus comosus var queen from three growing conditions i.e. wild, cultivated as monoculture and cultivated as mixed cropping system with rubber plants. A total of twenty-nine endophytic fungal strains along with two nonsporulating forms were isolated from the host plant from three experimental plots. The maximum numbers of fungal strains were found belong to family Aspergillaceae and order Eurotiales. The highest rates of colonization and isolation (p<0.05) of endophytic fungi have been reported in wild foliar explants (95.53±0.53) and monoculture (1.02±0.01), respectively. The highest relative frequency was observed among isolated fungal strains in the case of Lasiodiplodia theobromae isolated from the leaf and root of wild (26.22%) and monoculture (29.62%) explants. In L. theobromae and Aspergillus flavus, isolated from the leaf and roots of wild (21.66%) and monoculture (14.66%) explants showed the highest colonization frequency. Current findings showed that the distribution of fungal endophytes and their relative frequency in host plants vary in three different growing conditions.
Functional structural change of lean and pulled industrial production system: the flexibility case

Abstract: The present work aims to present an application of Lean Production and its tools in the production process of an industry manufacturer of furniture for industrial refrigeration. A strategic change was made and results were evaluated, considering the comparison between the current and future situation in the design of production volume, product characteristics, manufacturing time, and process analysis in relation to wastes, defects and storage of unnecessary materials, which can increase the cost of the final product. Likewise, the reduction or elimination of resources is also a trend from a sustainability perspective, as these inefficiencies can lead to increased consumption generated in production and impact the environment. Considering the importance of the Production Strategy aligned to the operations as a priority for the achievement of positive results, a theoretical, exploratory, bibliographical and descriptive reflection was carried out. The research conducted is of an applied nature and the methods of inductive and comparative approach have been adopted. The applicability of the Lean Production concepts and tools was analyzed and, through a case study, the productive process of the industry was investigated. The contribution is to certify that with the adoption of lean tools and thinking, it is possible to eliminate wastes, promoting improvements in the manufacturing process, and measuring financial gains. As a practical result, this strategic business reorganization reduced costs and improved the process, which has given rise to the level of competitiveness in a globalized economy.
Plant-soil interrelationship, factor of evolution for bacterial populations

The rhizosphere is influenced by the region, soil and plant roots. The area that is not influenced by plant roots has been named edaphosphere. Plant roots release a wide range of compounds in the rhizosphere, which create unique micro-environments for the microorganisms present in the soil. By its root exudates, species Vicia sativa contributes to an increase in the bacterial density (fact proven by comparison with the control variant), to the improvement of the fertility of the soil (moderately gleyic eutric cambisol) on which it is cultivated and to plant growth. Even there are similarities between the rhizospheric area (culture medium: soil extract), control variants, and respectively edaphosphere (culture medium: soil extract) and rhizospherical bacteria isolated on Topping medium, small differences have been noticed.
Estudo comparativo in silico dos produtos de excreção ou secreção de Echinococcus granulosus e Echinococcus multiloculares

The larval stages (metacestode) of Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis cause different forms of echinococcosis in different species of intermediate hosts, including humans. Metacestodes are able to survive for years in the human host, much due to its secreted proteins, which have immunomodulatory and proteolytic activities, for example. The present work presents in silico predictions of the secretable protein sets (secretome) of E. granulosus and E. multilocularis based on genomic data, makes comparisons between these predicted secretomes, identifies possible mispredictios and presents alternatives to obtain in silico predictions more representative of the real secretomes of these species. The initial prediction of E. granulosus and E. multilocularis (662, 669 proteins, respectively) presented similar values (6.4% of predicted proteome), expected between two species. However, the comparative analysis between the secreted/non-secreted orthopairs (PSNS) indicated possible problems of nonclassical secretion prediction and annotation of genomic sequences. The WoLF PSORT software was used to implement the prediction of non-classical secretion, reducing the number of inconsistencies from 214 to 114 PSNS. The genomes of E. granulosus and E. multilocularis were annotated using a combined strategy between data from RNA-seq libraries, ESTs and the ab initio prediction data from the original genomic sequencing. The predicted E. granulosus secretome with the reannotation reduced from 662 proteins to 658, 43% kept the original sequences. In E. multilocularis, reduced from 669 proteins to 581, 48% of these kept the original sequences. The quality of the sequences improved with the refinement of the annotation, but the inconsistencies in the prediction of non-classical secretion maintained proportions similar to the sequences without the refinement, demonstrating the importance of having adequately trained algorithms for the analyzed data or alternatives of workflows with well delineated criteria aiming to obtain more representative data of the real set of secreted proteins.
Single-Organelle Quantification Reveals Stoichiometric and Structural Variability of Carboxysomes Dependent on the Environment

The carboxysome is a complex, proteinaceous organelle that plays essential roles in carbon assimilation in cyanobacteria and chemoautotrophs. It comprises hundreds of protein homologs that self-assemble in space to form an icosahedral structure. Despite its significance in enhancing CO2 fixation and potentials in bioengineering applications, the formation of carboxysomes and their structural composition, stoichiometry and adaptation to cope with environmental changes remain unclear. Here we use live-cell single-molecule fluorescence microscopy, coupled with confocal and electron microscopy, to decipher the absolute protein stoichiometry and organizational variability of single β-carboxysomes in the model cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942. We determine the physiological abundance of individual building blocks within the icosahedral carboxysome. We further find that the protein stoichiometry, diameter, localization and mobility patterns of carboxysomes in cells depend sensitively on the microenvironmental levels of CO2 and light intensity during cell growth, revealing cellular strategies of dynamic regulation. These findings, also applicable to other bacterial microcompartments and macromolecular self-assembling systems, advance our knowledge of the principles that mediate carboxysome formation and structural modulation. It will empower rational design and construction of entire functional metabolic factories in heterologous organisms, for example crop plants, to boost photosynthesis and agricultural productivity. One Sentence Summary Determination of absolute protein stoichiometry reveals the organizational variability of carboxysomes in response to microenvironmental changes The authors responsible for distribution of materials integral to the findings presented in this article in accordance with the policy described in the Instructions for Author (www.plantcell.org) is: Lu-Ning Liu (luning.liu@liverpool.ac.uk).
Preventing Dating Violence, Sexual Violence, and Stalking in High Schools to Support the "Whole Child".

Dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking are personal, pervasive, and common among high school students. These types of violence are often peer-perpetrated and occur at school. Dating violence includes psychological and physical attacks one utilizes against his or her date. Sexual violence includes harassment and more serious assault such as rape. Stalking involves unwanted and intrusive behaviors that are repeated and induce fear in the victim. The experiences of violence deeply impact the “whole child. ” It is recommended that high school administrators promote a culture supportive of victims and intolerant of violence by using evidence-based bystander strategies to prevent violence.
Is the Participation of Indonesian People in Exercise and Their Level of Physical Fitness Quite Sufficient?

The level of physical fitness and participation in exercise is a part of an indicator of successes in sports development. Therefore, the measurement of those aspects is salient to support the government program. This study investigated intangible assets of Indonesian people using Sport Development Index (SDI) in 2017. Participants (n = 3400) from 34 provinces in Indonesia were tested their maximum oxygen uptake (VOmax). In addition, they filled out the participation dimension questionnaire. Result revealed that Indonesian people had low levels of physical fitness and their participation in exercise were insufficient. Additionally, Central Java residents had the highest score both in physical fitness and participation, while West Sulawesi and West Nusa Tenggara, and Papua residents were the lowest in both dimensions. Collectively, these findings suggest that SDI of Indonesia is relatively low.
Leaching effect on concrete – Part II: mechanical behaviour evolution of ITZ during leaching at the local scale

Cement paste/aggregate bond influences durability of concrete subjected to leaching, following the existence of a particular, more vulnerable zone in cement paste, adjacent to aggregates-the interfacial transition zone (ITZ). In order to assess the mechanical behaviour of concrete at local scale of cement paste/aggregate bond, tensile tests were carried out on cement paste and cement paste/aggregate composite samples. The relationship between chemical degradation and mechanical properties (Young's modulus and tensile strength) was expressed through the notion of chemical degradation rate. Other aspects discussed, such as the leaching kinetics, chemical dissolution and cracking were used to highlight the origin of the loss of mechanical properties of the cement paste and of the cement paste/aggregate bond. Following an important dissolution within ITZ, a total loss of adhesion between cement paste and aggregate following leaching occurs gradually. Concerning the cement paste, it undergoes a smaller decrease of Young's modulus and tensile strength compared to the composites, being also less affected by cracking. Overall, this study highlights the mechanism by which the mechanical behaviours of cement paste and cement paste/aggregate bond are affected by leaching.
Spatial variation of soil nutrients in dairy pasture paddocks

ABSTRACT Eight paddocks under perennial pasture were sampled on six commercial dairy farms in Tasmania, Australia on a grid with 32 to 40 topsoil samples taken from each paddock at 0–100 mm depth. The samples were analysed for soil pH and the plant available nutrients of phosphorus, potassium and sulfur. Soil nutrient levels were highly variable within paddocks due to livestock concentration and fodder management. There was a decreasing trend in nutrient concentration with increasing distance from the gate in most of the paddocks. Significant step changes occurred in the data at 0.178, 0.172 and 0.178 of total paddock length for P, K and S respectively. The implications are that no P or K fertiliser can be applied within approximately 20% of the length of the paddock from the gateway without compromising pasture productivity, as nutrients are well in excess of optimum.
Nettverksignalisering: en dynamisk modell for taktikkskifter i grensetvister

in English From Peace to Fury: Reframing Tactical Shifts in Territorial Disputes When and why do states violently contend their territorial claims? I argue that the quantitative literature in IR stands ill-prepared to solve this puzzle due to an endemic appetite for static variables. Territorial disputes escalate because states’ tactics shift; to grasp the dynamic sequences spurring those shifts is therefore critical. Paul K. Huth’s network approach provides a powerful start-ing point, and I interrogate his hypothesis that threatened states acquiesce in disputes. The inference is both theoretically misplaced and empirically dubi-ous, I find. Yet by injecting the Schellingian logic of ‘commitment-signalling’, drawing on Barbara Walter’s theory of civil wars, I recast Huth’s model: tactical shifts are aggressive, not conciliatory, when states perceive outside threats. I test this antithesis using a sequence-sensitive logistic regression model, employing China’s territorial-dispute history between 1954 and 2005 as a crucial-case experiment. Strong evidence favours this paper’s argument. That has implications for further research. My Network-Signalling model has promise and should be tested more extensively.