Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ISOLATION , MOLECULER CHARACTERIZATION AND PATHOGENICITY OF METARHIZIUM ANISOPLIAE ( METSCH . ) SOROKIN ( HYPOCREALES : CLAVICIPITACEAE ) FROM SOIL IN ERZINCAN PROVINCE , TURKEY

Developing good microbial pesticides depends on isolating and knowing their pathogenicity. For this purpose, entomopathogenic Metarhizium anisopliae fungi were isolated from soils in Erzincan province and galleria bait method was used. Molecular identification of the isolates was performed by using ITS rDNA analysis. As a test organism, Galleria mellonella and Tenebrio molitor larvae were used and suspensions of 2x10 conidia ml were prepared adding Tween 80®. Bioassays were performed by dipping technique and mortality was recorded daily for 12 days. Each assay consisted of 3 replicates with 10 insects larvae. Ten fungal isolates were obtained from the bait method. Based on classical and molecular methods, all fungal isolates were identified as M. anisopliae and deposited into GenBank database with MH104853 MH104862 accession numbers. All isolates of M. anisopliae were pathogenic to G. mellonella and T. molitor with a mortality rate of 63.3±3.3% 83.3±3.3% and 30±5.8% 66.7±3.3%, respectively 12 days after application. As a result, MaEMR1a and MaEO3 isolates can be applied as good biological control agents for pest insects.
Final Project Summary Exploiting resource use efficiency and resilience traits in ancient wheat species

What was the challenge/demand for the work? Globally, 590 million metric tonnes of wheat are produced each year, however by 2025, the estimated requirement is projected to be 840 million tonnes (Murchie et al., 2009). Over the course of the 20 Century, wheat yields notably increased due to improved cultivars that derived from breeding initiatives. However, these plant types are often reliant upon the established environmental conditions in which they were bred (Calderini & Slafer, 1998; Frederick & Bauer, 1999).
Surgery Associated with Radiotherapy for Treatment of Giant Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Hand

Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common tumor in the hand, with actinic keratosis being its precursor lesion. It is a common tumor in light-skinned individuals with a history of excessive sun exposure and advanced age. It presents a wide variety of clinical forms, which can generate diagnostic doubt. The combination of clinical and pathological evaluations, together with detailed anamnesis, is the best way to achieve at the final diagnosis. The gold standard treatment for these tumors is surgical excision of the lesion with adequate safety margins; in some cases adjuvant radiotherapy is an excellent option. In this paper, we review the subject addressed and report the case of a patient with giant squamous cell carcinoma in one hand, with eight months of evolution, treated by surgical excision and adjuvant radiotherapy; the treatment was successful and preserved the motor function of the patient's hand.
Vitamin D Levels and its Relation to Blood Pressure among Saudi Postmenopausal women : A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Vitamin D deficiency and hypertension are common health problems among the Saudi population. Mounting evidence points to the role of optimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] status in the prevention of many chronic disorders including hypertension. Data on the correlation between hypovitaminosis D and blood pressure (BP) level in the Saudi population are lacking. Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the correlation between vitamin D status and BP in a group of Saudi postmenopausal women. Methods: A cross sectional study conducted in the “Center of Excellence for Osteoporosis Research” (CEOR) during the year 2013. The study included 31 Saudi postmenopausal women (aged 52-70 years), randomly selected from “Primary Health Care” centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Serum 25(OH) D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were measured by sandwich chemiluminescence immunoassay. Blood pressure was recorded with an automated BP monitor (BpTRU) according to a standardized protocol. Linear regression was performed to find out if 25(OH)D was independently associated with BP in this group of women. Results: A high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was found with 68% of the women having levels <50 nmol/L. There was a significant inverse association between 25(OH)D and both systolic and diastolic BP. However, multiple linear regression analysis showed that 25(OH)D level was independently associated with diastolic BP only.Conclusions: In Saudi postmenopausal women, 25(OH)D level was inversely and independently associated with diastolic BP. Correction of vitamin D deficiency may improve BP control in hypertensive postmenopausal women. Interventional studies to evaluate if attainment of optimal vitamin D status may prevent hypertension are necessary. [Lujain F. Almarhoumi and Hanan Al Kadi. Vitamin D Levels and its Relation to Blood Pressure among Saudi Postmenopausal women: A Cross-Sectional Study. Life Sci J 2014;11(2):342-346]. (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite. com. 47
Limited Horizons and the Persistence of Collective Farms in Post-Soviet Agriculture

Agricultural transition in the former Soviet Union has, surprisingly for many observers, not led to a widespread adoption of individual farming. This article attempts to understand some previously neglected forces behind this outcome. It develops a theoretical model of farm restructuring in which managers exploit the preferences of workers for conformity within a social reference group to cement their own power. The model provides a rationale for the persistent support among workers and managers to the statusquo organisation, despite the availability of a more efficient individual farming option. Based on empirical evidence, we argue that managers have an incentive to keep horizons of workers limited by sheltering them from pro-reform influences. Polar reform equilibria are generated that are consistent with the observed spatial patterns of restructuring. The model predicts that policies aiming at the establishment of independent farms will fail unless they induce a ‘big push’ in reform attitudes among workers.
Impact of Trade Agreements on Exports : A Cross Country Analysis of Selected SAARC Countries

The present study explored the trade implications of SAPTA and SAFTA agreements for selected SAARC countries including Pakistan. The study highlights the importance of trade agreements for economic growth and welfare gains. Main objectives of the study are to find the potential role of SAPTA and SAFTA for member countries and implications for Pakistani exports. Using the gravity model and data from 1980 to 2010, results of the study show that SAFTA has potential to affect the trade of SAARC countries and its potential role is high for relatively big countries like India. Results also show that the impacts of bilateral trade agreements are negative for Pakistani exports but SAPTA and SAFTA contributes positively towards Pakistani exports. * Assistant Professor, School of Economics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. ** Lecturer, Department of Economics, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, Pakistan. *** M.Phil Scholar, School of Economics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities: Volume 25, Number 2, Autumn 2017 106
A study to assess the Quality of Life ( QoL ) of cervical cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy attending the Department of Radiotherapy of a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata .

Introduction: Cervical cancer is the 4th most frequent cancer in women worldwide and ranks as the 2nd leading cause of female cancer in India. A portrayal of the trauma undergone by these patients is provided by assessment of Quality of Life (QoL) and thus address their fears and concerns for their betterment. This study assessed QoL of cervical cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy attending the Department of Radiotherapy, Medical College, Kolkata. Methodology: An observational cross-sectional institution based study was undertaken with 41 cervical cancer patients using EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-CX24 questionnaires. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 54.80 ± 2.17 years. The mean Global Health Status score was 53.05 with majority (56.10%) having score above mean. For EORTC QLQ-C30, the score of all 5 Functional Scales for majority were above mean while that of Symptom Scales were below mean except Fatigue, Nausea and Vomiting. In EORTC QLQ-CX24, Body Image and Sexual Enjoyment were identified as the major areas of crises. Conclusions: Special care can be taken to cater to the emotional needs of patients by family members and health careproviders to improve QoL.
Discussion Paper Series Number 148 The Emergence of Institutions

This paper analyzes how institutions aimed at coordinating economic interactions may appear. We build a model in which agents play a prisoners’ dilemma game in a hypothetical state of nature. Agents can delegate the task of enforcing cooperation in interactions to one of them in exchange for a proper compensation. Two basic commitment problems stand in the way of institution formation. The first one is the individual commitment problem that arises because an agent chosen to run the institution may prefer to renege ex post. The second one is a “collective commitment” problem linked to the lack of binding agreements on the fee that will be charged by the centre once it is designated. This implies first that a potentially socially efficient institution may fail to arise because of the lack of individual incentives, and second that even if it arises, excessive rent extraction by the institution may imply a sub-optimal efficiency level, explaining the heterogeneity of observed institutional arrangements. An institution is less likely to arise in small groups with limited endowments, but also when the underlying commitment problem is not too severe. Finally, we show that the threat of secession by a subset of agents may endogenously solve part of the second commitment problem.
TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT – ‘COMMON SENSE’ AND SOME OTHER KEY MISSING ELEMENTS (THE WOCAT EXPERIENCE)

A recent review of the data gathered for the World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) program provided an opportunity to identify a number of the key elements, which if missing, will limit the effectiveness of local efforts to achieve sustainable land management. The key issues addressed are: common sense and critical questioning, preconceptions, biases and wishful thinking, poor understanding of land degradation processes, lack of impact assessment of conservation, lack of a holistic assessment and failure to understand the context, insufficient use of land users’ own experiences, and the inflexibility of proposed solutions. A review of the WOCAT database indicates a wealth of untapped knowledge but also knowledge gaps, especially concerning the coverage and impact of soil and water conservation (SWC). The methodology and tools developed by WOCAT have been used by SWC specialists for critical sharing and review of their often fragmented knowledge, development of a database, identification of gaps and contradictions, and questioning and evaluation of their current perceptions and field experiences. This process builds understanding and capacity to support successful advancement of SWC and helps to avoid expensive and demoralizing mistakes. Additional
CenPRIS WP 122 / 10 THE LINKAGES BETWEEN HEALTH EXPENDITURE AND INCOME IN THE SOUTHEAST ASIA ECONOMIES

THE LINKAGES BETWEEN HEALTH EXPENDITURE AND INCOME IN THE SOUTHEAST ASIA ECONOMIES The objective of this study is to investigate the health-income relationship for the ASEAN-5 economies within the time series framework from 1970 to 2006. This study adopted the bounds testing approach to cointegration developed by Pesaran et al. (2001) to examine the presence of long run equilibrium relationship via the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) framework. The empirical evidence reveals that health expenditure and income are cointegrated for the case of Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand. On the contrary, for the case of Malaysia and the Philippines, we found that these variables are not moving together in the long run. Apart from that, the bootstrap Granger causality tests results suggest that income Granger cause health expenditure for all the selected ASEAN countries, except Indonesia (neutral causality). JEL Classification codes: C01; C22; H51; I18
Total oxidant and antioxidant status and paraoxonase 1 levels ofchildren with noncystic fibrosis bronchiectasis

Background/aim To evaluate total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and paraoxonase 1 (PON1) levels in children with noncystic fibrosis (CF) bronchiectasis (BE), and to compare these levels with those of healthy controls. The study parameters were also evaluated according to some demographic, anthropometric, and clinical characteristics, as well as lung functions. Materials and methods Enrolled in the study were 118 children with non-CF BE and 68 healthy controls. Serum TOS, TAC, and PON1 levels were determined. Lung function tests were performed by spirometry. Results Serum TOS was higher in the patients [median 9.54 (IQR 25–75 = 7.05–13.30) µmol H2O2 Eq/L] than in the healthy subjects [6.64 (5.45–9.53) µmol H2O2 Eq/L] (P < 0.001). TAC was higher in patients with non-CF BE [1.07 (1.0–1.07) mmol Trolox Eq/L] than in the healthy controls [0.87 (0.77–0.98) mmol Trolox Eq/L] (P < 0.001). In addition, serum PON1 levels were significantly higher in the patients [106.5 (42.5–154.2) U/L] than in the controls [47.7 (27.5–82.1) U/L] (P < 0.001). The patients with low FEV1 had decreased TAC when compared to those who had normal FEV1 in non-CF BE. Conclusion The present study demonstrated that compared with the control group the children with non-CF BE had elevated oxidative status, antioxidant defenses parameters, and PON1 values.
Major Health Challenges of Dairy Cattle in and Around Wukro , Ethiopia

A survey was conducted with the aim of assessing major health challenges of dairy cattle in and around Wukro town, Eastern zone of Tigray, Ethiopia from November, 2009 to April, 2010. Questionnaire and retrospective survey were employed to obtain the required primary and secondary data, respectively. Ninety respondents were included in the questionnaire survey. According to questionnaire survey, the identified major health challenges of dairy cattle in the study area divided as reproductive, metabolic, respiratory, parasitic and other infectious and non-infectious disease. The major diseases of dairy cattle encountered in the study area were mastitis (30%), retain fetal membrane (25.6%) and abortion (23.3%). Internal parasitism (20.0%), tick (18.9%) and mange mite (15.6%), were mentioned as major parasitic diseases while pneumonia (17.1%), was the main respiratory disease of dairy cattle. In addition, calf diarrhea (22.2%) and lameness (16.7%), were indicated as major other infectious and non infectious diseases of dairy cattle in the study area. The findings of the retrospective survey also confirmed that internal parasite (21.9%), external parasite (20.2%) and mastitis (16.7%) were identified as the major health challenges of dairy cattle in the study area. Moreover, 68.9% and 45% of the respondents explained that there were shortage of feed and water in the study area, respectively, which leads to the occurrence of diseases. Further research to identify diseases was recommended.
Clinical Study Frequent DNAHypermethylation at the RASSF 1 A and APC Gene Loci in Prostate Cancer Patients of Pakistani Origin

1 College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Al Mather Street, Takhassusi Road, Riyadh 11533, Saudi Arabia Department of Biology, Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore 54792, Pakistan Department of Microbiology and Pathology, e Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi 74800, Pakistan Medical College, e Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi 74800, Pakistan Department of Surgery, e Aga Khan University, Stadium Road, Karachi 74800, Pakistan
A Panel Data Analysis of Trade Creation and Trade Diversion Effects : The case of ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 1

This study uses a theoretically justified gravity model of trade to examine the impact of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA) on exports, focusing on trade creation and diversion effects. The model is tested on a sample of 31 countries over the period dating from 1995 to 2010 using aggregated and disaggregated export data for agricultural and manufactured goods and within manufactures for chemical products, as well as for machinery and transport equipment. In order to obtain unbiased estimates, multilateral resistance terms are included as regressors and the endogeneity bias of the FTA variables is addressed by controlling for the unobserved specific heterogeneity that is specific to each trade flow. A Multinomial PML is also applied to solve the zero trade issue and the presence of heteroskedasticity. The results indicate that ACFTA leads to substantial and significant trade creation. Using disaggregated data, the significant and positive relationship between exports and ACFTA is confirmed in the case of both agricultural and manufactured goods, as well as in the case of the most important manufacturing industries, namely, chemical products and machinery and transport equipment.
Recent advances in the nutritional ecology of Thysanoptera, or the lack thereof

Introduction. In the past several years, some of the most innovative research on Thysanoptera has centered on intra and interspecific chemical ecology of thrips. These studies have documented exceedingly complex responses by Thysanoptera to chemical cues elicited by conspecifics or other arthropods. Responses include aspects such as seeking webbing as refuge when volatiles associated with thrips predation are detected (Venzon et al., 2000), and the presence and detection of certain food sources (pollen) altering thrips behavior and predator/prey interactions (van Rijn et al., 2002). On a more technical level, both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the chemical components of thrips alarm pheromones (MacDonald et al., 2002) and defensive secretions (Suzuki et al., 2000) have been comprehensively described. In contrast, there has been conspicuously little progress made in the chemical basis of thrips/host plant interactions since Kirk’s review in 1995. For many insect taxa, this type of research is the cornerstone of chemical ecology, as it is has direct bearing on insect fitness and host resistance. A diversity of recent studies have documented the variability in thrips performance and host selection based on plant genotype (e.g. Berg and Le Blanc, 1997; Jager et al., 1996; Kogel et al., 1997a), plant parts (e.g. Kogel et al., 1997 b, c), plant age (e.g. Kogel et al., 1997c) or the influence of cultural conditions on thrips preference and performance (e.g. Vos and Frinking, 1997; Harris et al., 1999). Advances have also been made in the identification of volatile attractants (e.g. Teulon et al., 1999; Jurgens et al., 2000; Murai et al., 2000). Very few studies, however, have advanced to the critical level of identifying ingested plant compounds that account for variable performance and host selection. An understanding of the chemical/nutritional Recent advances in the nutritional ecology of Thysanoptera, or the lack thereof
Lipid Profile in Normotensive and Hypertensive Pregnant Women-A Randomized prospective study

Hypertension (HTN) during pregnancy is one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The aim of our study was to evaluate the alteration of serum lipid profile during normotensive and hypertensive pregnancy. A cross-sectional comparative study was performed at tertiary care teaching hospital. Blood samples were collected from normal pregnant women(Group 1, n=50) & women with already diagnosed preeclampsia(Group 2, n=50) in third trimesters of pregnancy& concentration of serum triglyceride, VLDL, LDL, totalcholesterol & HDL was compared. Results: Group2 was associated with a significant rise in triglyceride (208.80±7.30 mg%vs. 109.20±1.29 mg %) compared to group1. There wasfall in mean HDL cholesterolconcentration in group2 (37.52 ± 0.74 mg % as against 38.9 mg ± 0.37mg % in group1) (P<0.05). The mean values of total cholesterol in normotensives was 169.74 ± 3.98 mg/dl and in hypertensive 235.40±6.02 mg %) (P<0.0001). Also LDL-cholesterol was significantly increased in group2 (mean 153.88±6.21mg %) and 129.94 ± 3.73 mg % in group1 (P < 0.0001). Very LDL-C was significantly increased in hypertensive pregnancies with mean 45.36 ± 1.99) mg% while in normotensives it was 22.24± 0.71 mg%. We conclude that human gestation is associated with an ‘atherogenic’ lipid profile that is further enhanced in preeclampsia and this profile may be a potential contributor to endothelial cell dysfunction. We recommend that pregnant female with serum lipid concentrations higher than normal pregnancy should be suspected to development of preeclampsia.
Contextualized Diachronic Word Representations

Diachronic word embeddings play a key role in capturing interesting patterns about how language evolves over time. Most of the existing work focuses on studying corpora spanning across several decades, which is understandably still not a possibility when working on social media-based user-generated content. In this work, we address the problem of studying semantic changes in a large Twitter corpus collected over five years, a much shorter period than what is usually the norm in diachronic studies. We devise a novel attentional model, based on Bernoulli word embeddings, that are conditioned on contextual extra-linguistic (social) features such as network, spatial and socio-economic variables, which are associated with Twitter users, as well as topic-based features. We posit that these social features provide an inductive bias that helps our model to overcome the narrow time-span regime problem. Our extensive experiments reveal that our proposed model is able to capture subtle semantic shifts without being biased towards frequency cues and also works well when certain contextual features are absent. Our model fits the data better than current state-of-the-art dynamic word embedding models and therefore is a promising tool to study diachronic semantic changes over small time periods.
Estimating Risk Preferences from a Large Panel of Real-World Betting Choices ∗

We examine individual decision-making under risk using a unique panel dataset of consumer betting activity in an online sportsbook. Our econometric model accounts for individual heterogeneity in risk preferences both between and within rational and behavioral theories of choice under risk. Besides being able to estimate individual-level utility parameters with relative accuracy, the panel aspect of our dataset also allows us to test for possible state-dependence in agents’ risk-taking behavior which would arise if, for example, subsequent risk-taking is affected by previous bet outcomes. We find that the majority of bettors in our sample depart from full rationality when presented with complex real-life decisions. However, there is significant heterogeneity across individuals regarding the aspect of rational preferences they violate: state-dependence, probability weighting, loss aversion and utility curvature vary across bettors. Methodologically, we use a discrete choice framework and estimate a multinomial mixed logit model using Bayesian econometrics techniques. Our findings have significant implications for microfounded models in economics and finance.