Effects of saturated fat supplementation and forage-neutral detergent fiber content on production performance of lactating buffaloes

Objective The study aimed to find out the effects of dietary forage-neutral detergent fiber (fNDF), saturated fat, and their interaction on milk production, composition, and blood metabolites in lactating buffaloes. Methods Sixteen multiparous buffaloes received 4 treatments with 2 different levels of fNDF and saturated fat according to a changeover design with 6-wk periods under restricted feed intake. Within each fNDF level, the buffaloes received 1 of the 2 saturated fat levels for 3-week subperiods, which corresponded to the following treatments: 1) 23.4% fNDF and 0% fat, 2) 23.4% fNDF and 2% fat, 3) 33.5% fNDF and 0% fat and 4) 33.5% fNDF and 2% fat. Results Increasing fNDF levels increased the body condition score (BCS), body weight (BW), and rumen pH. Despite these changes, levels of fNDF did not alter the milk components and yield. Dietary saturated fat supplies improved milk fat content and tended to enhance the yields of milk fat and fat-corrected milk. In addition, the saturated dietary fat supplies increased BW, milk nitrogen efficiency, and cholesterol concentration, and decreased predicted methane yield. However, the milk yield, BCS, and rumen pH remained unaffected by dietary fat supplies. A high fNDF diet with dietary saturated fat supplementation tended to increase the milk fat content. Conclusion Balancing diets with saturated fats and fiber significantly affects productivity. These results indicate that feeding fNDF with saturated fat may be a viable option for producers to improve milk fat production, enhance body condition, and reduce methane production in buffaloes

A clinical review of the treatment of catatonia

Catatonia is a severe motor syndrome with an estimated prevalence among psychiatric inpatients of about 10%. At times, it is life-threatening especially in its malignant form when complicated by fever and autonomic disturbances. Catatonia can accompany many different psychiatric illnesses and somatic diseases. In order to recognize the catatonic syndrome, apart from thorough and repeated observation, a clinical examination is needed. A screening instrument, such as the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale, can guide the clinician through the neuropsychiatric examination. Although severe and life-threatening, catatonia has a good prognosis. Research on the treatment of catatonia is scarce, but there is overwhelming clinical evidence of the efficacy of benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam, and electroconvulsive therapy

Explaining Gender-Based Political Funding: A quantitative cross-national analysis of the impact of electoral, political, and cultural factors on political funding

Despite global progress on gender equality, women continue to be underrepresented in politics. One widely debated policy measure aimed at tackling this issue is gendered public funding – which has been adopted in more than 30 countries worldwide yet remains understudied in the literature on gender and politics. In this thesis, I address that research gap and examine the broader impact of electoral, political, and cultural factors on gendered political funding by conducting quantitative cross-national analyses. I used data from four different sources, such as the International IDEA Political Finance Database, the IDEA Quota Database, QOG, and V-Dem, to examine the relationship between these factors and the probability of gendered public funding adoption. It is evident from the findings of this thesis that the presence of quotas has a significant influence on determining the likelihood of adopting gender-specific public funding policies, with countries implementing quotas demonstrating a higher likelihood of adopting such policies. Contrary to theoretical expectations concerning electoral and cultural variables and earlier research, no significant effects are found. The thesis offers valuable insights into the interplay between political trends, electoral institutions, cultural dynamics, and financial mechanisms in shaping gender equality initiatives. While gender quotas may enhance the probability of gender public funding, exploring all relevant contextual factors is critical

Explaining Gender-Based Political Funding: A quantitative cross-national analysis of the impact of electoral, political, and cultural factors on political funding

Despite global progress on gender equality, women continue to be underrepresented in politics. One widely debated policy measure aimed at tackling this issue is gendered public funding – which has been adopted in more than 30 countries worldwide yet remains understudied in the literature on gender and politics. In this thesis, I address that research gap and examine the broader impact of electoral, political, and cultural factors on gendered political funding by conducting quantitative cross-national analyses. I used data from four different sources, such as the International IDEA Political Finance Database, the IDEA Quota Database, QOG, and V-Dem, to examine the relationship between these factors and the probability of gendered public funding adoption. It is evident from the findings of this thesis that the presence of quotas has a significant influence on determining the likelihood of adopting gender-specific public funding policies, with countries implementing quotas demonstrating a higher likelihood of adopting such policies. Contrary to theoretical expectations concerning electoral and cultural variables and earlier research, no significant effects are found. The thesis offers valuable insights into the interplay between political trends, electoral institutions, cultural dynamics, and financial mechanisms in shaping gender equality initiatives. While gender quotas may enhance the probability of gender public funding, exploring all relevant contextual factors is critical

PTSD og kjønnsforskjeller- en litteraturstudie

BACKGROUND: PTSD is a trauma related anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to one or more frightening events that threatened or caused severe physical harm. Reexperience trough flashbacks and/or nightmares are common. Persistent avoidance of the stimuli which is associated with trauma and increased physiological arousal are other important aspects of PTSD. Lifetime prevalence of PTSD is one percent. Men have a greater exposure to traumatic situations but women have higher rates of PTSD compared to men. Aim of this article is to focus on these gender differences in PTSD. Do they exist and which factors may contribute to gender differences? METHOD: I searched in Pubmed and Bibsys with following keywords: PTSD, posttraumatic stress disorder, gender differences, sex differences, PTSD epidemiology and Scandinavia. I also searched in Uptodate and Google with the keyword PTSD. I excluded complex PTSD and ASD from my searches. RESULTS: Women have a twice as high prevalence of PTSD and have more severe PTSD compared to men. Traumatic events are more common among men but women are subjected to more pathogenic traumas, like rape and sexual abuse. Depression and other anxiety disorder are more frequent among women, and are associated with PTSD. There are also sex differences in peri- and posttraumatic cognitive response. The feeling of guilt and helplessness are stronger among women. Women have also a lower HPA (hypothalamicpituitary-adrenocortical) response compared to men. However, the neurobiology of sexdifferences in PTSD is still a young field

impact of TV content on audience’ perception of materialism

The researcher’s intent in the study is to explore television as a cause of materialism. The objective of this study pertains to explore the Impact of TV content (dramas, movies, talk shows, morning shows, awards shows, political shows, comedy shows, TV ads) on the audience’s perception of materialism. The study has been conducted on the citizens of Lahore. The results show a positive relationship between television watching and perceived materialism. Heavy exposure to TV watching increases materialism and has been found to have a significant effect on viewers’ materialistic perception. The purpose of the study is to make significant contributions to the field of research.</jats:p

The impact of TV content on audience’ perception of materialism

The researcher’s intent in the study is to explore television as a cause of materialism. The objective of this study pertains to explore the Impact of TV content (dramas, movies, talk shows, morning shows, awards shows, political shows, comedy shows, TV ads) on the audience’s perception of materialism. The study has been conducted on the citizens of Lahore. The results show a positive relationship between television watching and perceived materialism. Heavy exposure to TV watching increases materialism and has been found to have a significant effect on viewers’ materialistic perception. The purpose of the study is to make significant contributions to the field of research

Influential and intellectual structure of Islamic finance: a bibliometric review

Purpose Islamic finance is an alternative approach of financial intermediation based on risk-sharing and asset-backed operations, which evolved substantially in recent years in academic research raising the need for quantitative studies to address the intellectual development and scientific performance of this field. This study aims to provide quantitative statistics and comprehensive review of the key influential and intellectual structure of Islamic finance literature. Design/methodology/approach The authors apply the trending and cutting-edge quali-quantitative approach of bibliometric citation analysis. This study reviews 1,940 English studies and review papers published in scientific journals indexed by the Scopus database from 1983 to 2019. RStudio, VOSviewer and Excel’s software are used to analyze the collected data and apply the bibliometric tests. Findings The results identify the leading academic authors, journals, institutions and countries with relation to Islamic finance. The authors also propose six main research themes in this field, which are as follows: Islamic finance – fundamentals, growth and legitimacy; customer’s attitude and perception toward Islamic finance; accounting and social reporting of Islamic finance; performance and risk management of Islamic finance; Islamic financial markets; and efficiency of Islamic financial institutions. Lastly, the authors identify research gaps in the existing Islamic finance literature and present 24 future research directions. Research limitations/implications The data in this study is confined only to the Scopus database of English papers and reviews. It also considers papers directly related to the field of Islamic finance. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is one of the first to address the literature of Islamic finance from a bibliometric aspect. The results of this study along with future research questions will help researchers and practitioners to further explore and stand on firm quantitative bases regarding the scientific development of Islamic finance. </jats:sec