Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tomographic filtering of high‐resolution mantle circulation models: Can seismic heterogeneity be explained by temperature alone?

High‐resolution mantle circulation models (MCMs) together with thermodynamic mineralogical models make it possible to construct 3‐D elastic mantle heterogeneity based on geodynamic considerations. Recently, we have shown that in the presence of a strong thermal gradient across D″ and corresponding large temperature variations in the lower mantle, the heterogeneity predicted from isochemical whole mantle flow agrees well with tomographic models in terms of magnitudes of S wave velocity (vs) variations. Here, we extend the comparison of geodynamic and tomographic structures by accounting explicitly for the limited resolving power of tomography. We focus on lateral variations in vs and use the resolution operator associated with S20RTS to modify our geodynamic models so that they reflect the long‐wavelength (>1000 km) nature and the effects of heterogeneous data coverage and damping inherent to the tomographic inversion. Prior to the multiplication with , the geodynamic models need to be reparameterized onto the basis of S20RTS. The magnitude reduction introduced by this reparameterization is significant and needs careful assessment. We attempt a correction of the reparameterization effects and find that the inherent tomographic filtering alone then leads to a magnitude reduction by a factor of ∼2 in the lower mantle. Our tomographically filtered models with strong core heating agree well with S20RTS, which resolves maximum negative anomalies of around −1.5% in the lowermost mantle. Temperature variations on the order of +1000 K, corresponding to perturbations of around −3% in vs in the unfiltered model, would be seen as −1.5% when “imaged” with the data and damping of S20RTS. This supports our earlier finding that isochemical whole mantle flow with strong core heating and a pyrolite composition can be reconciled with tomography. In particular, the large lateral temperature variations associated with lower mantle plumes are able to account for the slow seismic anomalies in the large low‐velocity zones under Africa and the Pacific. We also find that strong gradients in shear wave velocity of 2.25% per 50 km in our unfiltered models compare well with the sharp sides of the African superplume.
NEONATAL MALARIA IN A MESOENDEMIC MALARIA AREA OF NORTHERN NIGERIA

Background: Though neonatal infections are most common reason for admissions in the newborn in Nigeria, Neonatal Malaria, which was thought to be uncommon, is becoming increasingly reported in areas of malaria hyperendemicity. These reports have described not only malaria parasitaemia in these babies, but also some symptoms attributable to malaria. There are no known documented clinical studies in areas of malaria mesoendemicity, which also have high prevalence of neonatal infections. Method: As a preliminary investigation to document the incidence of neonatal malaria in a mesoendemic area, as well as identify possible risk factors for its occurrence, a prospective study was carried out in the special care baby unit of ABU Teaching Hospital, Kaduna Nigeria, over a one year period (December 2001- November 2002). As part of the investigations for evaluation of sick neonates admitted into the unit, thick and thin blood films stained with Giemsa stain were examined for malaria parasite using standard techniques. Specie identification and quantification were carried out. Results: Of the 206 children tested, there was positive malaria parasitaemia in 17 (8.25%). Only P. falciparum malaria was identified. There were no mixed infections. Parasite density varied between 1,000 –20,000 asexual forms/mL. Analysis revealed a strong association between neonatal malaria and maternal genital infections (OR 4.51, p= 0.006). There is some association between neonatal malaria and both primigravidity (OR 3.01, p=0.035) and maternal fever developed within 2 weeks to parturition (OR 2.78, p=0.04). Fever was the most strongly associated clinical feature (OR 8.12, p=0.0002) at presentation. Conclusion: The study has confirmed the presence of neonatal malaria in this environment. There is need for detailed characterization of the aetiological agents of maternal genital infections with which neonatal malaria is strongly associated and investigate the placenta integrity in relation to such infections. Fever in the neonate should be taken as a strong pointer to the possibility of neonatal malaria. Key Words: Malaria, neonatal, mesoendemic Annals of African Medicine Vol.3(4) 2004: 170-174
Mucuna pruriens restores spermatogenesis in mice after exposure to 2-methoxyethanol

Background Increasing industrial activity is causing many problems in reproductive health, such as infertility. The factors causing infertility are hormones, infection, radiation, drugs and chemicals. One of these is 2-methoxyethanol (2-ME). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Mucuna pruriens (MP) seed fraction on spermatogenesis, including number of spermatogenic cells and spermatozoal membrane protein profiles after exposure to 2-ME in mice. Methods This study was of experimental design. Thirty mice were randomized into 5 groups, i.e. 2 control groups and 3 treatment groups. All mice were injected subcutaneously with 2-ME doses of 100mg/kg body weight (BW)/day, for a period of 12 days. Positive (PC) and negative controls (NC) were treated with carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC). The three treatment groups were given MP seed fraction in doses of 14 (T1), 28 (T2) and 56 mg/kg BW (T3), respectively, from day 13 until day 64. Data on spermatogenic cells were collected from histological cross-sections and analyzed with one-way ANOVA. The spermatozoal membrane protein profile was identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) with silver staining and were analyzed descriptively. Results Administration of MP seed fractions resulted in significantly different numbers of spermatocytes I and round spermatids between PC and T1, T2, and T3. A protein with the molecular weight of 41.6 kDa was expressed in all groups except the positive controls, while a 24.5 kDa protein was expressed in the positive controls only. Conclusion MP seed fraction effectively recovers spermatogenesis loss in mice due to 2-ME exposure.
A Capital Sin: Dispositional Envy and its Relations to Wellbeing

Envy is a pancultural emotion felt by most individuals during their lifetime. The Dispositional Envy Scale (DES) is a 8-item self-reported measure developed to assess people’s tendencies to feel envy. This study first examines the reliability and validity of the DES in measuring envy in a Brazilian sample, and then the relationship between envy and wellbeing. The DES had acceptable reliability (internal consistency and homogeneity) as well as factorial and criterion-related validity. As expected, envy was negatively related to wellbeing measures (life satisfaction, vitality, and happiness), indicating that an envy-prone person is more likely to have low feelings of aliveness and energy, and to express unhappiness with their lives. The findings support the psychometric properties of the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the DES,
NUMERICAL SOLUTION OF CONVECTION-DIFFUSION EQUATION USING CUBIC B-SPLINES COLLOCATION METHODS WITH NEUMANNS BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

In this paper, two numerical methods are proposed to approximate the solutions of the convection-diffusion partial differential equations with Neumann boundary conditions. The methods are based on collocation of cubic B-splines over finite elements so that we have continuity of the dependent variable and its first two derivatives throughout the solution range. In Method-I, we discretize the time derivative with Crank Nicolson scheme and handle spatial derivatives with cubic B-splines. Stability of this method has been discussed and shown that it is unconditionally stable. In Method-II, we apply cubic B-splines for spatial variable and derivatives which produce a system of first order ordinary differential equations. We solve this system by using SSP-RK54 scheme. These methods needs less storage space that causes to less accumulation of numerical errors. In numerical test problems, the performance of these methods is shown by computing for different time levels. Illustrative five examples are included to demonstrate the validity and applicability of these methods. Results shown by these methods are found to be in good agreement with the exact solutions. Easy and economical implementation is the strength of these methods.
Heterogeneity of the Japanese islands as inferred from transverse component analyses of teleseismic P-waves observed at a seismic station network, Hi-net

Teleseismic P-waves are observed even in a transverse component, and the ratio of the peak energy of the transverse component to that of the sum of the three components (peak energy ratio) is a good indicator to represent the strength of the heterogeneity in the structure. We analyze the short-period teleseismic P-waves recorded at a dense seismic network in Japan (Hi-Net) and determine the spatial changes of the heterogeneity in the Japanese islands. The results show that east Japan is characterized mainly by large peak energy ratios that represent strong heterogeneity. On the other hand, west Japan shows small peak energy ratios. Comparison of the results with detailed geological maps further shows that large peak energy ratios are observed at regions located close to both quaternary volcanoes and active faults, and the active fault region is characterized by slightly smaller peak energy ratios. Non-active regions, located far from volcanoes or faults, indicate the smallest ratios, although the ratios are larger than those estimated on stable continents. Plains that consist mainly of sediments show the largest peak energy ratios. However, peak delay times observed at the plains are much longer than the others, which suggests a different mechanism for generating the amplitudes in the transverse component.
Hormones and antibiotics associated with intensive pig production in a river basin

In recent years, the use of pharmaceutical substances, mainly hormones and antibiotics, in agriculture has increased. The combined use of these pharmaceutical substances both in animals and humans has led to serious concerns related to the environment and human health due to potential adverse effects on the endocrine system and bacterial resistance. These substances are usually transported by runoff processes to rivers, modifying the quality of aquatic ecosystems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of hormones (estradiol, 17α-estradiol, 17β-estradiol, 17α-ethinylestradiol, estrone, norgestrel, progesterone and mestranol) and antibiotics (oxytetracycline, doxytetracycline, tetracycline, chlortetracycline, toltrazuril and sulfamethazine) in surface waters in the Coruja river basin, which has a drainage area of 48.79 km2. This catchment area is one of the leading regions of pig production in southern Brazil. Samples were collected over a 15-month period from four stream water sites corresponding to sub-basins 1, 2, 3 and 4. The chemical analysis was performed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). Antibiotics and hormones were detected in 4,82 and 4,04 % of the samples respectively but only antibiotics were detected above the limit of quantitation. The samples with the largest analyte concentrations and highest occurrence were collected in January and February. The largest occurrence and highest concentrations of analytes was in sub-basin 2, which had the largest number of pigs. Chlortetracycline was the most frequently detected and also the most frequently detected analyte at quantifiable concentrations. These detectable and quantifiable levels of antibiotics represent an environmental risk, reducing the quality of surface waters.
Harvest time and agronomic performance of maize hybrids with contrasting growth cycles

The delay of the maize harvest may cause qualitative and quantitative grain losses. This work evaluated the effects of the harvest time on the agronomic performance of maize hybrids with contrasting growth cycles. The experiment was set in Lages, Santa Catarina State, South Brazil, during the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 growing seasons. A randomized block design, arranged in split plots was used. Five single-cross hybrids were tested in the main plots: P1630H and P32R22H (hyper-early), P2530 (super early) and P30F53YH and P30R50YH (early). Five harvest times were assessed in the split plots: 0 (grain physiological maturity), 10, 20, 30 and 40 days after physiological maturity. The sowing was performed on 12/5/2012 and 10/5/2013. The percentage of lodged and broken stems, grain mass, potential and real productivity were determined. The delay of the maize harvest increased the percentage of lodged and broken stems. The harvest time did not affect the weight of 1,000 grains. The harvests performed after physiological maturity decreased the real grain productivity, especially for the hyper-early hybrids P1630H and P32R22H. In the regions with high altitude and latitude, the productivity losses derived from late harvests are mainly due to the increase in the amount of broken and lodged stems.
Evaluating seismic liquefaction potential using multivariate adaptive regression splines and logistic regression

Simplified techniques based on in situ testing methods are commonly used to assess seismic liquefaction potential. Many of these simplified methods were developed by analyzing liquefaction case histories from which the liquefaction boundary (limit state) separating two categories (the occurrence or non-occurrence of liquefaction) is determined. As the liquefaction classification problem is highly nonlinear in nature, it is difficult to develop a comprehensive model using conventional modeling techniques that take into consideration all the independent variables, such as the seismic and soil properties. In this study, a modification of the Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) approach based on Logistic Regression (LR) LR_MARS is used to evaluate seismic liquefaction potential based on actual field records. Three different LR_MARS models were used to analyze three different field liquefaction databases and the results are compared with the neural network approaches. The developed spline functions and the limit state functions obtained reveal that the LR_MARS models can capture and describe the intrinsic, complex relationship between seismic parameters, soil parameters, and the liquefaction potential without having to make any assumptions about the underlying relationship between the various variables. Considering its computational efficiency, simplicity of interpretation, predictive accuracy, its data-driven and adaptive nature and its ability to map the interaction between variables, the use of LR_MARS model in assessing seismic liquefaction potential is promising.
Changes in Bacterial Counts and Biogenic Amines during the Ripening of Salted Anchovy (Engraulis encrasicholus)

Samples of salted anchovies (Engraulis encrasicholus) were taken at different stages during industrial ripening. The changes of bacterial counts and biogenic amines (histamine, tyramine, agmatine, putrescine, and cadaverine) contents were studied throughout the process. Bacterial growth was generally inhibited during ripening, with the occurrence of Enterobacteriaceae spp. , probably related to hygienic failures. The changes in biogenic amines showed a decrease concentration trend, except with putrescine. The salt-ripened anchovy fillets exhibited low bacterial load (0.01-1.85 log CFU/g) and moderate biogenic amine contents (1.05-33.5 mg/kg). Relevant amine quality indicators such as histamine and tyramine showed levels, respectively, lower than those of the regulation and recommendation. This study indicated also that samples of salt-ripened anchovy fillets can be considered as safe.
INTEGRAL observations of Scorpius X-1: evidence for Comptonization up to 200 keV

We have analyzed a long-term database for Sco X-1 obtained with the telescope IBIS onboard the INTEGRAL satellite in order to study the hard X-ray behavior of Sco X-1 from 20 up to 200 keV. Besides the data used for producing of the INTEGRAL catalog of sources, this is the longest (412 ks) database of IBIS on Sco X-1 up to date. The production of hard X-ray tails in low-mass X-ray binaries is still a matter of debate. Since most of the fits to the high-energy part of the spectra are done with powerlaw models, the physical mechanism for the hard X-ray tail production is unclear. The purpose of this study is to better constrain those possible mechanisms. Our main result shows a strong correlation between the fluxes in the thermal and nonthermal part of Sco X-1 spectra. We, thus, suggest that comptonization of lower energy photons is the mechanism for producing hard X-ray tails in Sco X-1.
Ghosh Bioremediation potential of a newly isolate solvent tolerant strain Bacillus thermophilus PS 11

Article info: Received: 21 August 2012 In revised form: 24 September 2012 Accepted: 25 September 2012 ABSTRACT The increased generation of solvent waste has been stated as one of the most critical environmental problems. Though microbial bioremediation has been widely used for waste treatment but their application in solvent waste treatment is limited since the solvents have toxic effects on the microbial cells. A solvent tolerant strain of Bacillus thermophilus PS11 was isolated from soil by cyclohexane enrichment. Transmission electron micrograph of PS11 showed convoluted cell membrane and accumulation of solvents in the cytoplasm, indicating the adaptation of the bacterial strain to the solvent after 48h of incubation. The strain was also capable of growing in presence of wide range of other hydrophobic solvents with log P-values below 3.5. The isolate could uptake 50 ng/ml of uranium in its initial 12h of growth, exhibiting both solvent tolerance and metal resistance property. This combination of solvent tolerance and metal resistance will make the isolated Bacillus thermophilus PS11 a potential tool for metal bioremediation in solvent rich wastewaters.
Estimates of Consumer Price Response in Pakistan using Market Prices as Data

The main emphasis of the paper is to illustrate a methodology that can be readily applied to future data analysis. The resultspresentedhere indicatethat plausible and detailed estimates of consumer response to price changes can be obtained using household expenditure surveysand published price series in a manner that does not require the assumptions of additive preferences. It is noted that a flXed-effects. approach which sweeps out spatial long-run price differences can be employed as a replicatedtime seriesevenover a limitedperiod of four quarters.
Food security in Pakistan.

Wheat is the major staple food of people of Pakistan and the net annual requirement for a population of 165 million including seed requirement is more than 21mmt besides unavoidable post production losses and carryover. Over-estimate of wheat production (23.295mmt) during 2006-07 led to export five lac mmt through regular channels and more than that through irregular channels to neighbouring food deficient countries. In spite of efforts made to import wheat later on, at a much higher rate, the situation did not improve. Recent increase in support price(52%), as an incentive to boost production is likely to provide temporary relief but not a permanent solution to the problem because of high and ever-increasing cost of agriculture in-puts and severe shortage of irrigation water. The solution, however, lies in enhancing per unit production through liberal financial support to small farmers, adequate availability of fertilizers, weedicides and certified seed at affordable prices, containment of post-harvest losses and strong curb on wheat smuggling. Adequate irrigation water supply, of course, occupies the pivotal role in enhancing agriculture production and that is linked with the construction of big dames, at least one in the shortest possible time and the one whose feasibility has already been worked out. It is only kalabagdam.
Improving Women Farmers' Welfare through a Goat Credit Project and Its Implications for Promoting Food Security and Rural Livelihoods

In rural areas of Ethiopia, women do most of the household and farm work such as keeping livestock, growing crops, and preparing or cooking food for family members. They are, however, economically less empowered and often do not have access to resources. To address this problem, the Research and Extension Office of Haramaya University, Ethiopia, distributed locally adapted goats to poor and vulnerable women farmers. The project sought to link economic rehabilitation through a credit-in-kind approach with a clear focus on gender and the empowerment of women farmers. The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of the goat credit project on women farmers’ welfare. It was observed that 88% of the women farmers who sold goats earned mean annual cash income of 2644 Ethiopian Birr. As a result, they acquired assets and diversified their livelihoods by purchasing and raising poultry, cows, oxen, and donkeys. The women farmers became more economically empowered, which enabled them to gain greater control over their resources, which in turn increased their capacity to participate in social activities and household decision making. The goat credit project brought about substantial changes by enhancing food security and diversifying the livelihoods of women farmers.
CONSTRUCTING OPTIMAL DENSITY FORECASTS FROM POINT FORECAST COMBINATIONS

SUMMARY Decision makers often observe point forecasts of the same variable computed, for instance, by commercial banks, IMF and the World Bank, but the econometric models used by such institutions are frequently unknown. This paper shows how to use the information available on point forecasts to compute optimal density forecasts. Our idea builds upon the combination of point forecasts under general loss functions and unknown forecast error distributions. We use real‐time data to forecast the density of US inflation. The results indicate that the proposed method materially improves the real‐time accuracy of density forecasts vis‐a‐vis those from the (unknown) individual econometric models. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Spatial and temporal variations in the species composition and abundance of benthic molluscs along 4 rocky shores of Karachi

A total of 97 species of macromolluscs were collected from 4 rocky beaches (Manora, Buleji, Nathiagali, and Cape Monze) along the Karachi coast from December 1993 to December 1995. More species were recorded from Buleji (68) and Manora (63) than from Nathiagali (55) and Cape Monze (57). Gastropods dominated at all 4 of the sites studied. Four species were commonly abundant at all 4 sites: Turbo coronatus, Nerita albicilla, Morula granulata, and Cerithium rubus. Th e average number of species decreased with an increase in the tidal heights at Manora, Buleji, and Nathiagali, whereas this was greater in the high tidal zone at Cape Monze's rocky shore. Th e average number of individuals of molluscs was greater in the midtidal zone at the Manora and Buleji rocky shores, whereas it was greater in the low tidal zone at Nathiagali and Cape Monze. Two-way nested analysis of variance showed that the number of individual molluscs was signifi cantly diff erent among zones and among sites in most of the samples. Species richness, diversity, and evenness, however, were not found to be signifi cantly diff erent among zones and sites. Cluster analyses, derived from Bray-Curtis measures of similarity based on abundance data, showed the discrimination between carnivore gastropods and an increase in the abundance of herbivore gastropod molluscs. Diff erences in community structure amongst sites appeared to be due to habitat structure, substrate instability, human disturbances, and degree of exposure.