Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF NITROGEN AND ZINC ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF FODDER SORGHUM (SORGHUM BICOLOR (L.) MOENCH) VARIETIES

SUMMARY A field experiment was conducted on loamy sand soil of the Agronomy Instructional Farm, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar to study the effect of nitrogen and zinc on yield and quality of fodder sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] varieties during summer season of 2011. Eighteen treatment combinations consisting of two varieties viz., GFS 4 and GFS 5; three levels of nitrogen viz., 40, 80 and 120 kg N/ha and three levels of zinc viz., 0, 2 and 4 kg Zn/ha were tried in factorial randomized block design with three replications. The results indicated that among the varieties of fodder sorghum, GFS 5 performed better in respect to green forage (257 q/ha) as well as dry matter (119 q/ha) yield than variety GFS 4. The variety GFS 5 exhibited maximum crude protein, crude fiber, N and Zn content as well as its uptake. Application of 120 kg N/ha significantly increased green forage (262.44 q/ ha) as well as dry matter yields (120.28 q/ha) and enhanced the crude protein, crude fibre content as well as uptake of N and Zn over 40 and 80 kg N/ha . Application of zinc @ 4 kg Zn/ha was found significantly superior and produced highest green forage (254 q/ha) and dry matter yield (120 q/ha) than 2 kg Zn/ha. Crude protein as well as content and uptake of N and Zn were also found maximum with 4 kg Zn/ha.
Key Distribution Based on Phase Fluctuation Between Polarization Modes in Optical Channel

This letter proposes and experimentally demonstrates an approach for generating and sharing a secret key based on the random phase fluctuation between orthogonal polarization modes (OPMs). A delay interferometer (DI) is placed to extract the phase differences inside the optical channel, where reconfigurable lengths of polarization-maintaining fiber are applied as the main source of fluctuation. It is proven that the output signals from the DI can generate random and highly correlated waveforms that can be extracted as the key and shared between the two communication parties. Due to the environment-related randomness and channel-dependent uniqueness of phase fluctuation in OPMs, the security enhancement of the proposed scheme is evaluated with the capability against various tapping attacks. As a proof of concept, the key generation rate of 220 bits/s with bit-error rate of 5% is successfully demonstrated over 25-km standard single-mode fiber. Moreover, the proposed scheme has the advantage of low cost, compatible with current optical fiber networks, and suitable for long-distance transmission, since optical amplifiers can be applied.
Multiscale Habitat Use and Selection in Cooperatively Breeding Micronesian Kingfishers

Abstract Information about the interaction between behavior and landscape resources is key to directing conservation management for endangered species. We studied multi-scale occurrence, habitat use, and selection in a cooperatively breeding population of Micronesian kingfishers (Todiramphus cinnamominus) on the island of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. At the landscape level, point-transect surveys resulted in kingfisher detection frequencies that were higher than those reported in 1994, although they remained 15–40% lower than 1983 indices. Integration of spatially explicit vegetation information with survey results indicated that kingfisher detections were positively associated with the amount of wet forest and grass–urban vegetative cover, and they were negatively associated with agricultural forest, secondary vegetation, and upland forest cover types. We used radiotelemetry and remote sensing to evaluate habitat use by individual kingfishers at the home-range scale. A comparison of habitats in Micronesian kingfisher home ranges with those in randomly placed polygons illustrated that birds used more forested areas than were randomly available in the immediate surrounding area. Further, members of cooperatively breeding groups included more forest in their home ranges than birds in pair-breeding territories, and forested portions of study areas appeared to be saturated with territories. Together, these results suggested that forest habitats were limited for Micronesian kingfishers. Thus, protecting and managing forests is important for the restoration of Micronesian kingfishers to the island of Guam (United States Territory), where they are currently extirpated, as well as to maintaining kingfisher populations on the islands of Pohnpei and Palau. Results further indicated that limited forest resources may restrict dispersal opportunities and, therefore, play a role in delayed dispersal and cooperative behaviors in Micronesian kingfishers.
Whittle index policy for crawling ephemeral content

We consider the task of scheduling a crawler to retrieve from several sites their ephemeral content. This is content, such as news or posts at social network groups, for which a user typically loses interest after some days or hours. Thus development of a timely crawling policy for ephemeral information sources is very important. We first formulate this problem as an optimal control problem with average reward. The reward can be measured in terms of the number of clicks or relevant search requests. The problem in its exact formulation suffers from the curse of dimensionality and quickly becomes intractable even with moderate number of information sources. Fortunately, this problem admits a Whittle index, a celebrated heuristics which leads to problem decomposition and to a very simple and efficient crawling policy. We derive the Whittle index and provide its theoretical justification.
Evidence against the Involvement of Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Abnormalities in Multiple Sclerosis. A Case-Control Study

Objective Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease of the CNS. Recently a controversial vascular hypothesis for MS, termed chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), has been advanced. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relative prevalence of the venous abnormalities that define CCSVI. Methods A case-control study was conducted in which 100 MS patients aged between 18–65 y meeting the revised McDonald criteria were randomly selected and stratified into one of four MS subtypes: relapsing/remitting, secondary progressive, primary progressive and benign. Control subjects (16–70 y) with no known history of MS or other neurological condition were matched with the MS cases. All cases and controls underwent ultrasound imaging of the veins of the neck plus the deep cerebral veins, and magnetic resonance imaging of the neck veins and brain. These procedures were performed on each participant on the same day. Results On ultrasound we found no evidence of reflux, stenosis or blockage in the internal jugular veins (IJV) or vertebral veins (VV) in any study participant. Similarly, there was no evidence of either reflux or cessation of flow in the deep cerebral veins in any subject. Flow was detected in the IJV and VV in all study participants. Amongst 199 participants there was one MS subject who fulfilled the minimum two ultrasound criteria for CCSVI. Using MRI we found no significant differences in either the intra- or extra-cranial venous flow velocity or venous architecture between cases and controls. Conclusion This case-control study provides compelling evidence against the involvement of CCSVI in multiple sclerosis.
10-year spatial and temporal trends of PM2.5 concentrations in the southeastern US estimated using high-resolution satellite data

Long-term PM2.5 exposure has been associated with various adverse health outcomes. However, most ground monitors are located in urban areas, leading to a potentially biased representation of true regional PM2.5 levels. To facilitate epidemiological studies, accurate estimates of the spatiotemporally continuous distribution of PM2.5 concentrations are important. Satellite-retrieved aerosol optical depth (AOD) has been increasingly used for PM2.5 concentration estimation due to its comprehensive spatial coverage. Nevertheless, previous studies indicated that an inherent disadvantage of many AOD products is their coarse spatial resolution. For instance, the available spatial resolutions of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Multiangle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) AOD products are 10 and 17.6 km, respectively. In this paper, a new AOD product with 1 km spatial resolution retrieved by the multi-angle implementation of atmospheric correction (MAIAC) algorithm based on MODIS measurements was used. A two-stage model was developed to account for both spatial and temporal variability in the PM2.5–AOD relationship by incorporating the MAIAC AOD, meteorological fields, and land use variables as predictors. Our study area is in the southeastern US centered at the Atlanta metro area, and data from 2001 to 2010 were collected from various sources. The model was fitted annually, and we obtained model fitting R2 ranging from 0.71 to 0.85, mean prediction error (MPE) from 1.73 to 2.50 μg m−3, and root mean squared prediction error (RMSPE) from 2.75 to 4.10 μg m−3. In addition, we found cross-validation R2 ranging from 0.62 to 0.78, MPE from 2.00 to 3.01 μgm−3, and RMSPE from 3.12 to 5.00 μgm−3, indicating a good agreement between the estimated and observed values. Spatial trends showed that high PM2.5 levels occurred in urban areas and along major highways, while low concentrations appeared in rural or mountainous areas. Our time-series analysis showed that, for the 10-year study period, the PM2.5 levels in the southeastern US have decreased by ∼20 %. The annual decrease has been relatively steady from 2001 to 2007 and from 2008 to 2010 while a significant drop occurred between 2007 and 2008. An observed increase in PM2.5 levels in year 2005 is attributed to elevated sulfate concentrations in the study area in warm months of 2005.
Parietotemporal Stimulation Affects Acquisition of Novel Grapheme-Phoneme Mappings in Adult Readers

Neuroimaging work from developmental and reading intervention research has suggested a cause of reading failure may be lack of engagement of parietotemporal cortex during initial acquisition of grapheme-phoneme (letter-sound) mappings. Parietotemporal activation increases following grapheme-phoneme learning and successful reading intervention. Further, stimulation of parietotemporal cortex improves reading skill in lower ability adults. However, it is unclear whether these improvements following stimulation are due to enhanced grapheme-phoneme mapping abilities. To test this hypothesis, we used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to manipulate parietotemporal function in adult readers as they learned a novel artificial orthography with new grapheme-phoneme mappings. Participants received real or sham stimulation to the left inferior parietal lobe (L IPL) for 20 min before training. They received explicit training over the course of 3 days on 10 novel words each day. Learning of the artificial orthography was assessed at a pre-training baseline session, the end of each of the three training sessions, an immediate post-training session and a delayed post-training session about 4 weeks after training. Stimulation interacted with baseline reading skill to affect learning of trained words and transfer to untrained words. Lower skill readers showed better acquisition, whereas higher skill readers showed worse acquisition, when training was paired with real stimulation, as compared to readers who received sham stimulation. However, readers of all skill levels showed better maintenance of trained material following parietotemporal stimulation, indicating a differential effect of stimulation on initial learning and consolidation. Overall, these results indicate that parietotemporal stimulation can enhance learning of new grapheme-phoneme relationships in readers with lower reading skill. Yet, while parietotemporal function is critical to new learning, its role in continued reading improvement likely changes as readers progress in skill.
Investigating the effects of plant growth promoting bacteria and Glomus Mosseae on cadmium phytoremediation by Eucalyptus camaldulensis L.

This research aims to study the effect of Mycorrizal fungus and Plant-Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB) on Cadmium (Cd) uptake by one-year-old Eucalyptus Camaldulensis seedlings. The treatments have involved three levels of heavy metal (0, 30, and 60 mg/kg) for Cd, and three bacterial levels (no bacteria (B0), Bacillus (Ba105), and Pseudomonas (Ps36, Ps448)), inoculated with mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae (M1) and non-inoculated with fungus (M0). Results show that absorption of these elements in plant increased as Cd concentration in soil became more. Inoculation by Ps448 bacteria had an incremental effect on Cd uptake by 90%, compared to the non-inoculated (control) samples. Moreover, inoculation of the plants with mycorrhizal fungus increased Cd uptake by 24%, compared to the control. Also, it has been observed that plant resistance to metal stress and plant growth under such conditions ascended in treatments wherein inoculation happened with mycorrhizal fungus and bacteria. The highest Cd heavy metal uptake has been observed in Eucalyptus (shoots and roots), treatment (C2B2M1) with 648.19 micrograms per one seedling in pot. According to the obtained results, Eucalyptus with biological factors (fungi and bacteria) has the ability to clean and purify the contaminated soil with Cd heavy metal.
The Neuropeptide Oxytocin Induces a Social Altruism Bias

Current psychological concepts of social and ecological responsibility emphasize the relevance of altruism, suggesting that more altruistic individuals are more likely to engage in sustainable behaviors. Emerging evidence indicates a central role of the neuropeptide oxytocin in promoting altruism. Whether this influence extends to ecological responsibility or is limited to the social domain remains unknown. In two independent experiments involving 172 human participants, we addressed this question by exposing subjects to a sustainability-related monetary donation task, with the option to support either socially or ecologically framed charities. We found that oxytocin induced a context-dependent change in altruistic behavior away from pro-environmental toward pro-social donations, while keeping constant the overall proportion of donated money. This pro-social bias transcended to the domain of sustainable consumption. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that altruistic priorities vary as a function of oxytocin system activity, which has implications for the promotion of pro-environmental attitudes and eco-friendly behaviors. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Individual responses to ecological and social sustainability require a shift in personal priorities away from selfish to more altruistic behaviors. Emerging evidence indicates a central role of the hypothalamic peptide oxytocin in promoting altruism, but whether the influence of oxytocin benefits altruistic decision-making in the context of ecological and social sustainability is unclear. In two independent behavioral experiments involving 172 human subjects, we show that heightened oxytocin system activity induces a social altruism bias at the cost of ecological responsibility. Our results have fundamental implications for policy interventions and business strategies designed to sustain ecological resources by suggesting that a social framing may attract more individuals to engage in pro-environmental and eco-friendly behaviors.
Health risk behaviors in parentally bereaved youth.

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether parentally bereaved offspring are more likely to engage in health risk behaviors than nonbereaved control offspring. DESIGN Controlled population-based study. SETTING Bereaved families were recruited from coroner records and by advertisement. Control families were recruited using random-digit dialing and by advertisement. PARTICIPANTS At 9.0 months after the death, 186 offspring aged 7 to 25 years of parents who died of suicide, accident, or sudden natural death were compared with 167 nonbereaved control offspring. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The association of bereavement with health risk behaviors was examined. The prevalences of health risk behaviors on the Youth Risk Behavior Questionnaire were compared between bereaved and nonbereaved offspring. Risk behaviors surveyed were related to unintentional injury, violence, sexual behavior, cigarette smoking, and alcohol or other drug use. RESULTS No statistically significant difference was noted in the examined health risk behaviors between bereaved and nonbereaved offspring. CONCLUSIONS Bereaved offspring did not engage in more health risk behaviors compared with nonbereaved offspring. Primary care physicians counseling youth should inquire about health risk behaviors in general.
High-Dimensional Classification by Sparse Logistic Regression

We consider high-dimensional binary classification by sparse logistic regression. We propose a model/feature selection procedure based on penalized maximum likelihood with a complexity penalty on the model size and derive the non-asymptotic bounds for its misclassification excess risk. To assess its tightness, we establish the corresponding minimax lower bounds. The bounds can be reduced under the additional low-noise condition. The proposed complexity penalty is remarkably related to the Vapnik-Chervonenkis-dimension of a set of sparse linear classifiers. Implementation of any complexity penalty-based criterion, however, requires a combinatorial search over all possible models. To find a model selection procedure computationally feasible for high-dimensional data, we extend the Slope estimator for logistic regression and show that under an additional weighted restricted eigenvalue condition it is rate-optimal in the minimax sense.
Recent expansion of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1: a critical review

Wild birds, particularly waterfowl, are a key element of the viral ecology of avian influenza. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus, subtype H5N1, was first detected in poultry in November 1996 in southeast China, where it originated. The virus subsequently dispersed throughout most of Asia, and also to Africa and Europe. Despite compelling evidence that the virus has been dispersed widely via human activities that include farming, and marketing of poultry, migratory birds have been widely considered to be the primary source of its global dispersal. Here we present a critical examination of the arguments both for and against the role of migratory birds in the global dispersal of HPAI H5N1. We conclude that, whilst wild birds undoubtedly contribute to the local spread of the virus in the wild, human
Performance of candidates disclosing dyslexia with other candidates in a UK medical licensing examination: cross-sectional study

Purpose of the study The aim of this study was to compare performance of candidates who declared an expert-confirmed diagnosis of dyslexia with all other candidates in the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) of the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners licensing examination. Study design We used routinely collected data from candidates who took the AKT on one or more occasions between 2010 and 2015. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyse performance of candidates who declared dyslexia with all other candidates, adjusting for candidate characteristics known to be associated with examination success including age, sex, ethnicity, country of primary medical qualification, stage of training, number of attempts and time spent completing the test. Results The analysis included data from 14 examinations involving 14 801 candidates of which 2.6% (379/14 801) declared dyslexia. The pass rate for candidates who declared dyslexia was 83.6% compared with 95.0% for other candidates. After adjusting for covariates linked to examination success including age, sex, ethnicity, country of primary medical qualification, stage of training, number of attempts and time spent completing the test dyslexia was not significantly associated with pass rates in the AKT. Candidates declaring dyslexia after initially failing the AKT were more likely to have a primary medical qualification outside the UK. Conclusions Performance was similar in AKT candidates disclosing dyslexia with other candidates once covariates associated with examination success were adjusted for. Candidates declaring dyslexia after initially failing the AKT were more likely to have a primary medical qualification outside the UK.
High Rates of Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection in HIV-Positive Individuals Initiating Antiretroviral Therapy in Botswana

Abstract Background Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)–negative but hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA-positive infection—known as occult hepatitis B infection (OBI)—occurs in 1% to >15% of HIV-positive individuals in the United States and South Africa, respectively. However, there are no data on OBI from Botswana, a country known to be hyperendemic for chronic HBV infection and to have a significant HIV burden. Methods Two hundred seventy-two adults enrolled in an HIV treatment study of tenofovir/emtricitabine as the nucleoside backbone who were previously determined to be HBsAg negative were tested for HBV DNA at baseline and 1 year after initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Results HBV DNA was detected in 72 of 272 (26.5%). Six individuals (8.3%) had HBV DNA levels greater than 200 IU/mL, and the highest viral load was 3280 IU/mL. Of 65 participants with OBI evaluated at 12 months after initiating HAART, only 1 (1.5%) had detectable HBV DNA. Conclusions Occult HBV infection is quite common in HIV-infected patients in Botswana, although its impact on the course of HIV disease progression is unknown. The suppression of occult HBV DNA levels by tenofovir/emtricitabine suggests an effective therapeutic option, although the long-term suppressive abilities remain unstudied.
Translocation of Carbapenemase Gene blaKPC-2 both Internal and External to Transposons Occurs via Novel Structures of Tn1721 and Exhibits Distinct Movement Patterns

ABSTRACT The blaKPC-2 gene encodes a carbapenemase that hydrolyzes almost all β-lactams, including carbapenems. The rapid emergence and international spread of this gene in Enterobacteriaceae seriously limit clinical treatment, posing an alarming threat for public health. Transposable elements, such as Tn4401, a proven transposon in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere, often play a role in the dissemination of the blaKPC-2 gene. In eastern China, the blaKPC-2 gene is frequently associated with several novel structures of Tn1721, but their transposition ability and mechanism of movement remain unclear. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that Tn1721-like transposons are capable of transferring blaKPC-2 both internal and external to the Tn1721 element from one strain to another and that distinct transposon structures exhibit different movement patterns and transposition frequencies. This process did not involve homologous recombination. Moreover, a 5-bp duplication of the target site, a characterized signature of transposition events in the Tn3 family, was confirmed. Tn1721-like transposons were found to insert preferentially into a 5-bp region that gradually exhibits a degenerated degree of AT-rich regions from both sides to the middle and that is immediately flanked by GC-rich regions. The observation in clinical isolates of diverse sequences flanking the transposons and a 5-bp duplication of the target site, as well as the prevalence of Tn1721-like transposons, also sustained our experimental results. This study first gives evidence about the functional role of Tn1721-like transposons in transferring the blaKPC-2 gene and provides new sight into the transposable element and the dissemination of antibiotic resistance in Enterobacteriaceae.