Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Temporal Variations of CAT, GSH, and LPO in Gills and Livers of Zebrafish, Danio Rerio, Exposed to Dimethoate

Abstract Pesticides are designed to kill a very wide range of undesirable organisms, but they simultaneously adversely affect non-target organisms in ecosystems. Dimethoate is an organophosphorous insecticide used widely in agriculture that has an anticholinesterase mode of action. The goal of the study was to assess the effects of dimethoate on catalase, reduced glutathione, and lipid peroxidation in the gills and livers of zebrafish, Danio rerio (Hamilton), exposed to different concentrations of the pesticide for different periods of time. Insecticidal stress caused a reduction in catalase activity and reduced glutathione levels in zebrafish gills and livers. There was also increased lipid peroxidation in both organs. Alterations in all parameters were concentration and time dependent. The probable causes are discussed.
Design, calibration, and performance of MICROTOPS II handheld ozone monitor and Sun photometer

MICROTOPS II is a five-channel, handheld Sun photometer that can be configured to measure total ozone, total water vapor, or aerosol optical thickness at various wavelengths. The instrument measures 10 3 20 3 4.3 cm and weighs 600 g. A principal design goal was the measurement of total ozone to within 1% of ozone measurements made by much larger, heavier, and more expensive Dobson and Brewer spectrophotometers. This goal has been met for a maximum air mass of up to ;2.5, as demonstrated by comparisons of MICROTOPS II and its immediate predecessor, Supertops, with Dobson and Brewer instruments at various locations. Conventional interference filters are subject to gradual and unpredictable degradation. MICROTOPS II avoids these problems by using highly stable ultraviolet filters manufactured with an ion deposition process. The 2.4 nm (FWHM) band pass of the UV filters was selected to balance noise and ozone measurement performance. The optical collimators and electronics of the instrument were carefully designed to optimize pointing accuracy, stray light rejection, thermal and long-term stability, signal-to-noise ratio, and data analysis. An internal microcomputer automatically calculates the total ozone column based on measurements at three UV wavelengths, the site's geographic coordinates, and universal time, altitude, and pressure. The coordinates can be entered manually or by a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. A built-in pressure transducer automatically measures pressure. MICROTOPS II saves in nonvolatile memory up to 800 scans of the raw and calculated data. Measurements can be read from a liquid crystal display or transferred to an external computer.
A Study on the Concentration of Heavy Metals in Water and Sediments of Natural Water Reservoir in Wadi Hanefah, Saudi Arabia and Uptake of Metals by a Fish, Poecilia latipinna

The study was carried out to assess the concentration of heavy metals in the water and sediments of a natural water reservoir in Wadi Hanefah, Saudi Arabia receiving heavy metal contaminated industrial waste. The overall concentration of heavy metals (Cu, Ni, Zn, Cr, Cd, As) in the organs of Poecilia latipinna was found to be 0.7- 4.6 ppm in heart, 1.2-4.4 ppm in liver, 0.9-5.3 ppm in kidney, 0.8-4.6 ppm in gills, 0.5-3.1 ppm in muscles and 0.6-3.3 ppm in skin. The concentration of the heavy metals was higher in muscles and skin of fish from the Wadi Hanefah as compared with that of the control site. It has been found that the level of a few metals (Ni, As, Cu and Cr) in the various tissues of P. latipinna from Wadi Hanefah was higher than the acceptable limit for consumption by international standards.
Strategies to manipulate rumen fermentation for better utilizing feedstuffs in goats

The development and implementation of strategies aiming to optimize rumen fermentation is key to improve feedstuffs utilization and then to optimi ze ruminant production. Of special importance are strategies that may be applied to unconventiona l feedstuf fs. The main challenges nowadays of ruminant production are to reduce feeding costs, improve products quality and diminish the impact of production on environment. Strategies have to be developed to achieve these objectives. Strategies based on the use of unconventional feedstuffs like by-products and wastes may contribute to both decreased feeding cost and environmental impact of ruminant production thought both recycling by-products and decreasing methane emissions and, improved products quality (i.e. fatty acid profile in milk). Microbial protein synthesis, methanogenesis and biohydrogenation are key processes in ruminal fermentation. The development of efficient strategies is, in a great extent, based on the knowledge of those processes and rumen microorganisms involved. Some strategies based on both the use of feed blocks including by-products and wastes or additives are considered and their effects on microbial protein synthesis, methane emissions and products quality in goats described. Feed blocks including olive cake or waste fruits from greenhouse horticulture have been used to partially replace cereals-based concentrates in goats diet and the effects on feeding cost, ruminal fermentation, microbial protein synthesis, methanogenesis and milk yield and composition were studied. Changes in the abundances of total bacteria and methanogenics archaea were studied as well. A wide range of plant extracts and secondary compounds have been used as additives to manipulate the fermentation in the rumen to bot h reduce protein degradability and minimize methane emissions. The main challenge is to confirm in vivo the potential that in vitro trials have shown.
HOW MUCH SHOULD I GIVE AND HOW OFTEN ? THE EFFECTS OF GENEROSITY AND FREQUENCY OF FAVOR EXCHANGE ON SOCIAL STATUS AND PRODUCTIVITY

Data collected from 161 employees of a large firm suggest that perceived generosity is positively related to individual social status, but maintaining an equitable balance is positively related to individual productivity. Employees may address this dilemma by increasing how often they exchange favors rather than by seeking exchange equity. Frequent favor exchange was positively related to both status and productivity and strengthened the generosity-status and the balance-productivity relationships. Findings highlight the value of studying employees, particularly the favor exchange among peer frequency of exchange.
Berwald spacetimes and very special relativity

In this work, we study Berwald spacetimes and their vacuum dynamics, where the latter are based on a Finsler generalization of Einstein's equations derived from an action on the unit tangent bundle. In particular, we consider a specific class of spacetimes that are nonflat generalizations of the very special relativity (VSR) line element, which we call "very general relativity" (VGR). We derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the VGR line element to be of Berwald type. We present two novel examples with the corresponding vacuum field equations: a Finslerian generalization of vanishing scalar invariant (VSI) spacetimes in Einstein's gravity as well as the most general homogeneous and isotropic VGR spacetime.
The Integrated Psychosocial Model of Criminal Social Identity (IPM-CSI)

ABSTRACT The integrated psychosocial model of criminal social identity attempts to synthesize, distill, and extend our knowledge and understanding of why people develop criminal social identity, with a particular focus on the psychological and social factors involved. We suggest that the development of criminal social identity results from a complex interplay between four important groups of psychosocial factors: (1) an identity crisis that results in weak bonds with society, peer rejection, and is associated with poor parental attachment and supervision; (2) exposure to a criminal/antisocial environment in the form of associations with criminal friends before, during, and/or after incarceration; (3) a need for identification with a criminal group in order to protect one’s self-esteem; and (4) the moderating role of personality traits in the relationship between criminal/antisocial environment and the development of criminal social identity. The model produces testable hypotheses and points to potential opportunities for intervention and prevention. Directions for future research are discussed.
The Effects of Inhalation of Aromatherapy with Lavender on Anxiety Amongst Patients Undergoing Colonoscopy

Background: Colonoscopy-associated anxiety can cause different complications and therefore, anesthesia, opioids or tranquilizers should manage it. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of inhalation of aromatherapy with lavender on anxiety amongst patients undergoing a colonoscopy. Methods: This randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on patients referred to the colonoscopy center of Qaem (PBUH) Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. Fifty patients were randomly allocated to either a control group or an aromatherapy group, 25 patients in each one. Once admitted to the hospital, the patients completed a demographic questionnaire and Spielberger’s State Anxiety Inventory. Afterward, for ten minutes, the patients in the aromatherapy group inhaled three drops of pure lavender essential oil, which was sprayed, by using a nebulizer, while patients in the control group inhaled five milliliters of distilled water in the same way as the patients in the experimental group. Finally, the patients in both groups were asked to recomplete the Spielberger’s State Anxiety Inventory both before and after undergoing a colonoscopy. The SPSS software (v. 19.0) was used to analyze data by the Chi-square, the Fisher’s exact test and the independent sample t-tests as well as the repeated measures analysis of variance at a significant level of less than 0.05. Results: The mean anxiety scores in the aromatherapy group at the three measurement time points were 52.3 ± 6.4, 44.8 ± 7.1 and 47.5 ± 6.6 while these values in the control group were 52.4 ± 7.2, 50.1 ± 5.9 and 49.1 ± 5.2, respectively. After the intervention and before the colonoscopy procedure, there was a significant difference between the groups regarding the mean anxiety score (P = 0.002). Moreover, the amount of decrease in the mean anxiety scores at different time points was significantly greater in the aromatherapy group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Inhalation of aromatherapy with lavender significantly reduces state anxiety amongst patients who are going to undergo a colonoscopy. Therefore, lavender aromatherapy can be used to reduce patients’ anxiety in clinical settings.
Between Rescue and Research: An Evaluation after 30 Years of Liberal Metal Detecting in Archaeological Research and Heritage Practice in Denmark

Since the early 1980s, metal detector surveying conducted by amateur archaeologists has contributed significantly to archaeological research and heritage practice in Denmark. Here, metal detecting has always been legal, and official stakeholders pursue a liberal model, focusing on cooperation and inclusion rather than confrontation and criminalization. Like no other surveying method since the invention of the shovel, the metal detector has contributed to increasing enormously the amount of data and sites from metal-rich periods. Virtually all of the spectacular and ground-breaking discoveries of the past decades are owed to metal detectors in the hands of amateur archaeologists. And it is these finds and sites that today constitute one of the very foci of archaeological research. This article provides an overview of the current status of liberal metal detector archaeology in Denmark 30 years after its inception, and attempts to identify the reasons why this popular hobby never developed into the problem it has become in other parts of the world. It concludes that the success of the liberal model in Denmark is the result of a very complex interplay of legislative, historical, cultural, and social factors. On this basis, it is discussed whether the Danish experience can be used as a source of inspiration in the necessary progression towards a new legal agenda for responsible metal detector archaeology.
Outcome Modeling Using Clinical DVH Data

Purpose: To quantify the ability of correlation and regression analysis to extract the normal lung dose-response function from dose volume histogram (DVH) data. Methods: A local injury model is adopted, in which radiation-induced damage (functional loss) G is the integral of the DVH with function R(D). RP risk is H(G) where H() is the sigmoid cumulative distribution of functional reserve. RP incidence is a Bernoulli function of risk. A homogeneous patient cohort is assumed, allowing non-dose-related factors to be ignored. Clinically realistic DVHs are combined with the injury model to simulate RP data. Results: Correlation analysis is often used to identify predictor variables that are correlated with outcome, for inclusion in a predictive model. In the local injury model, all DVH metrics VD contribute to damage. Correlation analysis therefore has limited value. The subset of VD significantly correlated with incidence varies randomly from trial to trial due to random variations in the DVH set, and does not necessarily reveal anything useful about the patient cohort or the underlying biological dose-response relationship. Regression or matrix analysis can extract R(D) from damage or risk data, provided smoothness regularization is employed. Extraction of R(D) from incidence data was not successful, due to its higher level of statistical variability. Conclusions: To the author's knowledge, smoothness regularization has not been applied to this problem, so represents a novel approach. Dose-response functions can be successfully extracted from measurements of integral (as opposed to regional) lung damage G, suggesting value in re-visiting available measurements of ventilation, perfusion and radiographic damage. The techniques developed here can potentially be used to extract the dose-response functions of different tissues from multiple types of quantitative volumetric imaging data.
The corporate governance and social responsibility nexus in the Lebanese banking industry

The purpose of this paper is to explore the contrasting views of banks and banking authorities in Lebanon regarding the corporate governance (CG) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) nexus. ,Using survey responses collected from the managers of five Lebanese banks and banking authorities, the authors conduct a qualitative comparative study of the opinions on CG, CSR and CG–CSR nexus. ,The findings of this paper reveal that while a CG culture is well-instituted by the authorities and that some forms of CSR are already practiced by banks, disagreements exist between the Lebanese banks and banking authorities in defining the CG–CSR nexus. While CG is viewed as an all-encompassing concept by the banking authorities, most banks ascribe to the paradigm that CG is component of CSR. ,The sample of this paper consists of large banks that have clear CG and CSR agendas. The results, therefore, cannot be generalized for the wider population of Lebanese companies that are characterized by family ownership and non-separation of ownership and control. ,This paper informs both managers and policymakers on the differing views of the CSR–CG nexus while also contributing to informing the policy dialogue. Theoretically, this paper sheds light on the CG–CSR nexus in a developing country context. ,There is a paucity of research on the CG–CSR nexus in the context of developing countries and for the banking sector in specific. This paper aims to address the gap in the literature by providing an in-depth qualitative examination of the CG, CSR and the CG–CSR nexus in the context of the Lebanese banking sector.
Future Climate Change Impacts on Streamflows of Two Main West Africa River Basins: Senegal and Gambia

This research investigated the effect of climate change on the two main river basins of Senegal in West Africa: the Senegal and Gambia River Basins. We used downscaled projected future rainfall and potential evapotranspiration based on projected temperature from six General Circulation Models (CanESM2, CNRM, CSIRO, HadGEM2-CC, HadGEM2-ES, and MIROC5) and two scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) to force the GR4J model. The GR4J model was calibrated and validated using observed daily rainfall, potential evapotranspiration from observed daily temperature, and streamflow data. For the cross-validation, two periods for each river basin were considered: 1961–1982 and 1983–2004 for the Senegal River Basin at Bafing Makana, and 1969–1985 and 1986–2000 for the Gambia River Basin at Mako. Model efficiency is evaluated using a multi-criteria function (Fagg) which aggregates Nash and Sutcliffe criteria, cumulative volume error, and mean volume error. Alternating periods of simulation for calibration and validation were used. This process allows us to choose the parameters that best reflect the rainfall-runoff relationship. Once the model was calibrated and validated, we simulated streamflow at Bafing Makana and Mako stations in the near future at a daily scale. The characteristic flow rates were calculated to evaluate their possible evolution under the projected climate scenarios at the 2050 horizon. For the near future (2050 horizon), compared to the 1971–2000 reference period, results showed that for both river basins, multi-model ensemble predicted a decrease of annual streamflow from 8% (Senegal River Basin) to 22% (Gambia River Basin) under the RCP4.5 scenario. Under the RCP8.5 scenario, the decrease is more pronounced: 16% (Senegal River Basin) and 26% (Gambia River Basin). The Gambia River Basin will be more affected by the climate change.
Detection and monitoring of invasive and native species of wood-boring beetles in a changing environment

Wood-boring insects are extremely important organisms because of their impact on forest ecosystems and on the economic value of forest products, wood in particular. Recent environmental modifications, linked to global climate change, lead to a variation in both distribution and impact of wood insects species in many forest areas. New trade pattern are added to this scenario, with an increase exchange of goods and their packaging, often wood-made, and with them an increase in risk of spreading wood insect species in new ecosystems. This work is based on trap monitoring of wood-boring beetles, mainly jewel beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambyciadae), weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), in order to evaluate the effect of climate, and in particular of temperature, on distribution and performance of some of the main species in the Alpine area. Furthermore, this works includes a study on the application of new monitoring tools based on the application of digital cameras remotely checked through the web, able to improve the early detection strategies for invasive species. A first study recalls the main wood-boring insect species invasive for Europe and their detection and monitoring techniques, and it is followed by the experimental trial of a new device for remote monitoring of wood-boring beetles. The second study concerns the distribution of wood-boring insects along an elevational gradient, considered as a spatial analogue of climate change, and it shows the positive effect of temperature on the abundance of most aggressive species against Norway spruce (Picea abies). The third study evaluates the effect of warm summer temperatures on the performance of Ips acuminatus, a bark beetle associated with Scots pine in the Alps, in the same season and between consecutive years. It shows that particularly high temperatures are likely to affect positively the population growth in the same season, but negatively the population growth of the following year. The fourth study presents an application of remote controlled photographic traps to the early detection of longhorn beetles belonging to the genus Monochamus spp. , considered dangerous for being the vector of the pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. Camera traps have been associated to a molecular analysis device for the species identification based on a technique named LAMP-PCR. The result is an integrated system able to focus the efforts of trap checking and field molecular analysis only to those traps showing the presence of the target species. To show the wide applicability of the new proposed technologies, at the end of this work is added a study carried on in New Zealand in which remote camera traps are applied to study the phenology of a stone fruit pest.
Discriminating Important Agronomic and Industrial Parameters of White Oat Cultivars Treated with Fungicide Based on SIMCA Algorithm

Selection of effective agronomic and industrial parameters of oat cultivars is a decisive step in oat breeding programs for development of new oat and elite cultivars. In this study, a new approach was utilized to distinguish the most informative agronomic and industrial parameters that are most affected with fungicide application in oat cultivars. Four subsequent field experiments from 2007 to 2010 were conducted in completely randomized block design (CRBD) with split plots. Total nine oat cultivars with or without fungicide application were evaluated for plant height, sieve yield, grain yield, lodging index, weight of hectoliter and de-hulling index. Soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) was conducted as one-class and multi-classes models to identify important variables that can be used to discriminate samples. Results showed that SIMCA was effective, and lodging index, de-hulling index, sieve yield, plant height and grain yield were most affected oat parameters. Therefore, SIMCA algorithm can be used to easily discriminate some agronomic and quality parameters of oats.
Lower Face Tumors of Non-Burkitt Origin in Malawi

Background: Prevalence, demography and histology of non-Burkitt facial tumors is not known in Malawi.Methods: A quantitative, prospective, monocentric study was conducted. 77 consecutive patients presenting to our dentistry department in Blantyre from 17.6. -16.5. 2013 with lower face tumors. Data included age, gender, site of lesion, malignant features and histopathology.Results: Mandibular tumors were found in 23 patients (29.9%). Gingiva was affected in 11.7%, palate in 8 (10.4%), maxilla in 7 (9.1%) and the tongue in 7 (9.1%) patients. Twentyfive (32.5%) of the lesions were malignant. Fourteen of them (56%) were diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), three as Kaposi´s (12%). Other types of malignancies were rare. Malignant tumors were mostly found related to the palate (32%) or to the tongue (20%). Most tumors were benign. Fibro-osseous lesions, cysts and ameloblastoma dominating. Patients with cemented fibroma (7 cases or 9.1%), ameloblastoma (5 cases or 6.5%) and cysts of odontogenic or non-odontogenic origin (13 cases or 16.9%) were seen most often. 50.6% of our patients suffered from benign tumours. 36.4% had benign odontogenic tumours. 38.9% non-odontogenic tumors.Frequency of malignancies for women between 50 and 70 was high (40%). Conclusion: Prevalence of ameloblastoma, frequency of malignancies for women between 50 and 70 and the significance of the palate as a site for malignant tumors differed from previous findings. Hopefully results will direct investment in maxillofacial surgery/anaesthesia in resource poor settings.