Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality of Life and Quality of Work Life as Determinants of Employee Productivity: Self-reports of Tea Harvesters in Sri Lanka

Tea industry plays a prominent and strategic role in Sri Lanka due to its significant impact on national output, employment and socio-economic status. Therefore, the overall worker productivity in tea industry plays an integral role in terms of national income and foreign exchange earnings. Today, the tea industry in Sri Lanka has been facing the burning issue of declining worker productivity which is the lowest among the tea producing countries in the world. In order to increase the level of worker productivity, simply applying conventional Human Resource Management (HRM) practices is not adequate and a sustainable HRM model is a vital requirement as a strategy for dealing with this crisis and sustains the tea industry in the competitive global marketplace. This research was aimed at proposing human care practices (HCPs) and knowledge management practices (KMPs) as sustainable Human Resource Management Practices (SHRMPs) for enhancing the worker productivity through quality of work-life (QWLs) and quality of life (QLs). The study is specifically focusing on the tea industry, since tea is the key contributor for overall performances of the plantation industry. Un-structured and one-on-one interviews were used as the qualitative research technique for this study. 100 randomly selected tea harvesters who are working in well performing tea estates in Sri Lanka reported a list of HCPs and KMPs that enhance QWL and QL, which in return enhance the worker productivity. The responses of tea harvesters were grouped into pre-defined structure according to comparative importance and then were validated with the findings of previous research studies. The findings were well supported by the premises of psychological contract and social exchange theories. The study also provides some implications for policy decisions and future research directions on identified HCPs and KMPs as sustainable HR practices, which has a direct relationship on the worker productivity.
Study of the endocranium and ecology of Eurotherium theriodis, a European hyaenodont mammal from the Lutetian

Hyaenodonts are extinct placental mammals with a carnivorous diet. Their phylogenetic position among mammals and the relationships within Hyaenodonta are at present partially unresolved. The endocranium is a structure that has rarely been studied in this clade. Using 3D tomography, we studied the endocranium of the European hyaenodont Eurotherium theriodis, discovered in Egerkingen (Switzerland, Lutetian, middle Eocene). Eurotherium theriodis has an endocranium morphology that supports an increase in size of the cerebrum relative to the cerebellum over time within the Hyaenodontoidea. The endocranium also supports a complexification of the cerebrum (i.e., at least two furrows per cerebral hemisphere) within the Hyaenodontoidea and allows us to envisage an increase of the encephalization quotient (EQ), over time. Based on morphology, we consider that its endocranium does not depart from that of the hyaenodontoids known in the Lutetian, Bartonian, and Priabonian of Europe, being less complex than that of the hypercarnivorous Hyaenodon. However, the morphology of its olfactory bulbs and turbinates is similar to that observed in Hyaenodon. The large size of the turbinates of E. theriodis is regarded to be the result of a possible scavenger ecology and agrees with the meat/bone diet envisaged based on the analysis of the morphology of the skull and teeth.
An Application of Dynamic Factor Model

BDI actually has weighed more on larger-size market. So, calculating the synchronicity of dry bulk sub-markets by using BDI as reference indicator could lead to mistake. Therefore, for the analysis of synchronicity and idiosyncrasy of dry bulk markets, this paper constructs a dynamic factor model of the change rate of BDI’s constituting indices and then it performs maximum likelihood estimation. One important finding is that, for such larger ships as Capesize and Panamax, there has been a significant increase in their synchronicity with global common factor after the 2008 global financial crisis, but for the other smaller ships, the opposite phenomenon has been observed. This paper suggests two important future research topics. One is extending the suggested dynamic factor model with the structural change (regime switching). The other is constructing a new index for the level, not the change rate, of the status of global dry bulk market. The author believes that the combination of these issues could produce an alternative index to BDI.
Multicultural attitudes in Europe: A multilevel analysis of perceived compatibility between individual and collective justice

Contemporary political philosophers debate the degree to which multiculturalism, with its emphasis on collective justice principles, is compatible with Western liberal societies’ core ideologies based on individual justice principles. Taking on a social psychological perspective, the present study offers a cross-national, multilevel examination of the asymmetric compatibility hypothesis, according to which majority and ethnic minority groups differ in the association between support for individualized immigration policies (based on individual justice principles) and support for multiculturalism (based on collective justice principles). Using data from Round 7 of the European Social Survey (N = 36,732), we compared minority and majority attitudes across 1) countries with stronger versus weaker equality policies at the national level (a Migrant Integration Policy Index [MIPEX] sub-dimension indicator), and 2) Western and post-communist European countries. In line with the asymmetric compatibility hypothesis, ethnic minorities perceived significantly less incompatibility between individual and collective justice than majorities. This majority-minority asymmetric compatibility was stronger in Western countries compared to post-communist European countries. Moreover, in Western countries and in countries with stronger equality policies, ethnic minorities generally supported multiculturalism to a greater extent than majorities. Overall, these findings suggest that deep-seated ideological orientations of national contexts shape minority and majority justice conceptions and hence, also, multicultural attitudes. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
Design of Gold Nanoparticles in Dendritic Cell‐Based Vaccines

The design of effective cancer vaccines must be able to activate dendritic cells (DCs) of the innate immune system in order to induce immunity to pathogens and cancer. DCs patrol the body and once they encounter antigens, they orchestrate a complex mechanism of events and signals that can alert the adaptive immune system to action. However, DC‐based vaccines remain a challenge in part because the source and quality of antigens, the DC targeting molecule, type of adjuvant, and delivery vehicle must be optimized to induce a robust immune response. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have now entered clinical trials as carriers due to their ease of functionalization with antigens, adjuvants, and targeting molecules. This progress report discusses how AuNPs can influence DC activation and maturation, as well as their potential impact on T helper (Th) differentiation. Ultimately, successful AuNP‐based DC vaccines are able to induce phagocytosis, activation/maturation, migration, T cell costimulation, and cytokine secretion, which is named AuNP‐induced DC tuning (AuNP‐DC tuning). Although at its infancy, understanding the processes of AuNP‐DC tuning will give a better understanding of how best to engineer AuNPs and will redefine the next generation of DC‐based vaccines.
Extended Letrozole Versus Recombinant FSH in Ovulation Induction in Cases of Clomiphene Citrate Resistant Polycystic Ovary

Background: Clomiphene citrate (CC) is still the traditional therapy used for inducing ovulation in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Clomiphene resistance, which refers to persistence of anovulation after standard CC therapy, occurs in 15%–20% of patients. We aimed to compare between extended letrozole versus recombinant FSH in ovulation induction in cases of clomiphene resistant polycystic ovary Methods: Seventy women with PCOS were included then patients were equally randomized to receive one of the two drugs to be given over the next 3 months. In current study Group A: letrozole group 2.5 mg two tablets once daily for 10 days from day 2 of menses. Group B: Recombinant FSH 75 i.u s.c daily from day 2 for 5 days then monitoring dose according to folliculometry. Results: There was non-significant difference between two groups as regard FSH and LH but as regard Serum E2 (pg/mL) at day 5 of HCG administration there was significant higher in FSH recombinant group. There was insignificant difference between two groups as regard Ovulating, Number of follicles >18. There was insignificant difference between two groups as regard Size of dominant follicle, endometrial thickness at hCG (mm). OHSS, discontinuation due to OHSS, clinical pregnancy, multiple pregnancy and abortion was higher in FSH recombinant group but differences didn’t reach significance. Conclusions: There was non-significant difference between two groups in relation to ovulation, Number of follicles, Size of dominant follicle, Endometrial thickness at day of HCG injection however it was reported that OHSS, discontinuation due to OHSS, positive pregnancy test, was higher in FSH recombinant group but differences didn’t reach significance level.
EFFECTS OF BLENDED RICE BRAN OIL NEPTUNE LIGHT ON THE DYSLIPIDEMIA AMONG OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE ADULTS

Objective: To assessment total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, HDL, and triglyceride (TG) concentrations changed after using blended rice bran oil Neptune Light among dyslipidemia adults at different categories of obese. Methods: Forty-one adults with dual conditions (dyslipidemia and overweight/obese) from 40 to 60 years old received a 600-700 kcal meal contained 20g/day Neptune Light rice bran oil for 60 days. Fasting blood samples and BMI was collected at baseline and every 30 days of trial. Results: Total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C and TG level declined by 0.5mmol/L (8.5%); 0.49 mmol/L (23.7%) and 0.55 mmol/L (32.0%), respectively after 60 days of intervention. The highest reduction of TC and TG was showed in the pre-obesity group, while the highest LDL-C reduction was shown in the obesity class II group. Conclusion: Using Neptune Light rice bran oil reduced TC, LDL-C and triglyceride level in overweight/obese adults from 40-60 years old after 60 days of intervention.
The Suitability of the Health Belief Model as an Assessment Framework for Women With Breast Ill-Health

Objectives: Globally, breast cancer is the commonest cancer in women. Empirical literature indicate that it is the second cause of cancer-related mortality in high-resource regions, while it is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths among women in poor-resource regions. This study presents the suitability of the health belief model (HBM) as a framework for carrying out a comprehensive assessment of women with late-stage breast cancer in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This qualitative study employed interpretive description as its methodological approach, while the HBM was the conceptual framework. Two institutional review boards granted approval to conduct the study. Thirty women with advanced breast cancer were recruited for the study using purposeful sampling techniques. Components of the original HBM were identified to carry out the investigation. Data analysis was inductive. Results: Findings indicated that the participants viewed breast cancer as a definite threat- both as a spiritual attack – an arrow shot by the enemy, and as a killer disease. Many of their perceptions appeared to be culturally based, while others were based on their individual experiences. They perceived some benefits to both traditional and medical treatment options. Conclusions: Interventions that address people’s cultural and individual perceptions enables a comprehensive assessment of the patients with breast cancer, which can improve the treatment outcomes and survival rates of disease.
Using Pomegranate Peel and Date Pit Activated Carbon for the Removal of Cadmium and Lead Ions from Aqueous Solution

Some agricultural byproducts are useful for solving wastewater pollution problems. These byproducts are of low cost and are effective and ecofriendly. The study aim was to investigate the possibility of using pomegranate peel (PP) and date pit (DP) activated carbon (PPAC and DPAC, respectively) as sorbents to remove Cd(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions. Agricultural wastes of DPs and PPs were subjected to carbonization and chemical activation with H3PO4 (60%) and ZnCl2 and used as adsorbents to remove Cd(II) and Pb(II) from their aqueous solutions. The physical characterizations of PPAC and DPAC, including determination of surface area, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, were performed. The following factors affected adsorption: solution pH, adsorbent dosage, initial metal ion concentration, and contact time. These factors were studied to identify the optimal adsorption conditions. The results showed that the maximum adsorptions of Cd(II) and Pb(II) were achieved at pH ranging from 6 to 6.5, 90 min contact time, and 0.5 g/L for PPAC and 1 g/L for DPAC dosage. Furthermore, the adsorption efficiencies for both Pb(II) and Cd(II) were higher for PPAC than for DPAC. However, the recorded Qmax values for PPAC were 68.6 and 53.8 mg/g for Pb(II) and Cd(II) and for DPAC were 34.18 and 32.90 mg/g for Pb(II) and Cd(II), respectively. The Langmuir isotherm model fit the adsorption data better than the Freundlich model. Kinetically, the adsorption reaction followed a pseudo-second-order reaction model, with qe ranging from 12.0 to 22.37 mg/g and an R2 value of 0.99.
Occurrence of Ureaplasma urealyticumin in Women in the Northeast of Iran: Characterization of Resistance Trends

Objectives: The present study surveyed the prevalence of antibiotic resistance among Ureaplasma urealyticum in isolates from Gonabad (in the northeast of Iran) including susceptibility testing for U. urealyticum to different antibiotics. Materials and Methods: In this research, a total of 95 vaginal swab specimens were aseptically collected from women who were admitted to the Bohlool Teaching Hospital and Jahad Daneshgahi Center from April 2016 to April 2017. Culture and subsequently antibiotic susceptibility testing were performed according to the Mycoplasma IST 2 kit. Then the cupules were read and interpreted in 24 and 48 hours according to kit guidelines. Results: In the studied patients, 38 (40.4 %), 12 (12.8 %), and 11 (11.7%) cases were single positive for U. urealyticum, single positive for Mycoplasma hominis (M. hominis), and dually positive for U. urealyticum and M. hominis, respectively. The positive rates of genital U. urealyticum in the symptomatic and asymptomatic groups were 86.8% and 13.2%, respectively. The highest positive rate (42.1%) was found in the 26-30-year-old group. In addition, tetracycline (TET) and doxycycline (DOT) were the most effective antibiotics against isolates, and one strain was multi-drug resistant. The U. urealyticum resistance rates were more than 39% to erythromycin and pristinamycin, and more than 55% to ciprofloxacin. All U. urealyticum isolates with <104 CFU/specimen were sensitive to all tested drugs. Conclusions: Although the emerging resistance to TETs among our isolates is alarming, these data show that the standard therapeutic regimen for urogenital infections caused by U. urealyticum is DOT, TET, and clarithromycin, leading to better outcomes in most respective patients.
Field estimate with NDVI of grain yield and quality of wheat flour

ABSTRACT Nitrogen fertilization is essential for wheat yield and quality but needs more accuracy, and the use of proximal optical sensors in the field can assist in this goal. This study aimed to verify if it is possible to use the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) obtained throughout the wheat growth phase to estimate the grain yield and the technological quality of the flour from cultivars submitted to nitrogen doses. The experiment was conducted at field conditions in Ponta Grossa, PR, Southern Brazil. The experimental design was randomized blocks in a 4 × 6 factorial scheme with four replicates. The cultivars Quartzo, Gralha Azul, Sinuelo, and Toruk, combined with six doses of N (0, 40, 80, 120, 160, and 200 kg ha-1 of N), were evaluated. The NDVI values were sensitive to both nitrogen doses and the different cultivars. There was a relationship between NDVI and grain yield, protein, and gluten concentration of flour. The NDVI estimated the gluten strength, stability, tenacity, extensibility of the mass, and tenacity/extensibility ratio of the flour obtained at the beginning of the cycle, but not for all cultivars. The determinations of NDVI with active optical sensor GreenSeeker in wheat are efficient to estimate the grain yield and the flour quality under field conditions, allowing to generate models for estimation of these variables separately for each cultivar.
CMAR_A_328812 6935..6941

*These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: In clinical practice, we found some of the patients who received transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with molecular targeted agents (MTGs) plus immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) had obvious liquefactive necrosis formation within the tumor and some even progressed to a liver abscess, which seems more frequent than patients who received other treatments. Thus, we aim to identify this condition and analyze the potential risk factors. Patients and Methods: Medical records of 72 consecutive patients with intermediate (BCLC B) and advanced (BCLC C) HCC who received TACE plus MTGs combined with (n=30) or without (n=42) ICIs were reviewed. Liquefactive necrosis formation was defined as the presence of obvious liquefactive necrosis within the tumor that required intervention. Results: The liquefactive necrosis rate was higher in the TACE+MTGs+ICIs group than in the TACE+MTGs group (30% vs 4.8%, P=0.006). Moreover, 18.2% (2/11) of the patients with liquefactive necrosis within the tumor had a bacterial infection. We then take the binary logistic regression analysis model to identify the predictors of liquefactive necrosis formation, and which showed the tumor size (P=0.006, OR=1.355, 95% CI: 1.090–1.684), alphafetoprotein level (P=0.036, OR=6.745, 95% CI: 1.130–40.262) and treatment modality (P=0.015, OR=11.717, 95% CI: 1.617–84.887) were the independent risk factor for liquefactive necrosis formation within the tumor. Conclusion: Patients with HCC who received TACE combined with MTGs plus ICIs have increased liquefactive necrosis formation, and the larger tumor size and higher alpha-fetoprotein level were associated with more liquefactive necrosis formation within the tumor.
Soybean genotypes selection with resistance to White Mold and agronomic performance from moderately resistant parents

White Mold (WM) is a yield–limiting disease found in soybean. However, up to now no cultivars have been genetically resistant to this disease. Given this context, the present study aimed to develop superior soybean lines with resistance to WM, while maintaining other desirable agronomic traits. Two early maturing soybean cultivars (i.e., EMGOPA 316 and MG/BR 46– Conquista), moderately resistant to WM were used for biparental crosses from which the analyzed population was derived. Therefore, we assessed the resistance to WM in early generation testing of this population. Additionally, we determined the agronomic traits, genetic parameters and selection gains. From 348 F2 genotypes, 35 transgressive genotypes moderately resistant to WM were identified, amongst which 22 genotypes showed desirable agronomic traits for early cycle and grain yield. Moreover, 69 lines were selected as the most promising genotypes for each agronomic trait (i.e. based on the number of days to flowering and maturity, plant height at flowering and maturity, number of nodes on main stem at flowering and maturity, number of pods, grain yield, etc.). Among these selected lines, ten progenies emerged as the superior genotypes for grain yield and early cycle. All together, these results demonstrated that the cross between EMGOPA 316 × MG/BR 46 (Conquista) revealed promising progenies with moderate resistance to WM and/or desirable agronomic traits. Thus, these lines could be used as future resources for breeding efforts aimed at improving resistance to WM.
Anxiety and depression in athletes assessed using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) - a systematic scoping review

Introduction: Poor mental health of athletes is major concern in sport. Typically, incidence/prevalence of mental health symptoms in athletes is studied using symptom-specific questionnaires. For symptoms of depression/anxiety, one such self-reporting questionnaire is the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Objective: The aim of this review was to synthesise and compare studies using the GHQ-12 in athletes to inform future research by identifying trends and gaps in the literature. Methods: A systematic search of five electronic databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, PsychINFO, Scopus and Web of Science) was conducted on all published studies up to 1 January 2019. 1) participants were able-bodied athletes; 2) studies measured anxiety/depression using the GHQ-12; 3) studies were full original articles from peer-reviewed journals; 4) studies were published in English. Results: 32 studies were included in the review. Prevalence and incidence of symptoms of anxiety/depression ranged from 21-48% and 17-57% respectively. The majority of studies screening anxiety/depression using the GHQ-12 were cross-sectional. Almost 70% of studies used the traditional scoring method. The majority of study populations sampled all-male cohorts comprising football (soccer) players. Conclusion: The traditional scoring of 0-0-1-1 should be used with the cut-off set at ≥3. Also, the mean GHQ-12 score should be reported. Potential risk factors for symptoms of anxiety/depression (i.e. recent adverse life events, injury and illness, social support, pressure to perform and career transitioning) and a lack of prospective studies were identified. Future research should also broaden the spectrum of athlete populations used and try to improve response rates.