Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Fish Farming in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria

World leaders are making concerted effort to tackle the menace of food insecurity brought about by upsurge in human population, climate change and displacement of farming communities due to civil unrest in some part of the world. This study was undertaken to assess the current status of fish farming in Plateau State and suggest possible ways of ameliorating any observed challenges for increased fish production. The study evaluated the challenges affecting fish farming in the study area. Structured interview schedule questionnaire were used in sourcing information from nine (9) local government areas in the state. Ninety (90) fish farmers were randomly selected from the nine (9) local governments areas each drawn from the three Agricultural zones of the State. Data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that majority of the fish farmers 70% were males and between the ages of 21-30 years. The study also revealed that the major constraints affecting increased level of output in the study area were high cost of inputs (feeds), poor marketing channels, inadequate finance, inadequate access to credit facilities, and poor extension services. Fish farming in the study area is however, profitable as majority of the farmers made a gross profit margin of above # 501,000.00 per annum. The study recommends that fish hatcheries and feed mill should be established in the study area and that single digit credit facilities should be granted to interested fish farmers. Also extension services with respect to fish farming should be increased in the study area. A good quality fish market should also be established in the study area to assist the farmers in marketing their produce in order to optimise profit.
Role of losartan on the renal cortex damage induced by cisplatin in adult male albino rats

Introduction Cisplatin is a potent anticancer agent for the treatment of solid tumors, but its use is limited by its adverse effects. Aim This research aimed to evaluate the effect of losartan on cisplatin nephrotoxicity in adult male albino rats. Materials and methods Twenty-five male albino rats were divided into four groups. The first was the control group. Group II received a single injection of cisplatin. Group III received losartan for 6 days. Group IV received a single injection of cisplatin in addition to losartan ingestion for 6 days. Renal tissues were prepared for light and transmission electron microscopic examinations. Glomerular diameter and cell number were measured by means of an image analyzer. Also, glomerular capillary basement membrane (GBM) thickness, filtration slit width, and pedicel length were recorded and statistically analyzed. Results The renal cortical sections of group II rats showed loss of normal appearance of renal corpuscles with enlarged glomeruli and increased glomerular cellularity. Degenerative changes and necrosis of the lining cells of proximal convoluted tubule were noted. Intertubular hemorrhage and cellular infiltration were detected. Electron microscopic examination revealed fusion of the foot processes with significant increase in the thickness of GBM and filtration slit width. Damage of proximal convoluted tubule cells was seen more than damage of distal convoluted tubules. The renal cortical sections of group III rats showed vacuolated cytoplasm of some tubules lining cells. Electron microscopic examination revealed some ultrastructural changes in the distal convoluted tubule lining cells. Most of the renal corpuscles of rats treated with losartan and cisplatin appeared normal, with presence of some enlarged corpuscles as well as cytoplasmic vacuolation of the tubular cells. Electron microscopic examination revealed a significant decrease in GBM thickness and filtration slit width in comparison with cisplatin-received rats. Conclusion From this study, it was obvious that losartan ameliorates the histological changes induced by cisplatin given at a dose of 3 mg/kg in adult male rats.
Relationship of Quadriceps Muscle Thickness with Motor Paralysis and Muscle Echo Intensity in Post-Stroke Patients

Introduction: Quadriceps muscle atrophy and quality loss, defined as an increased ratio of intramuscular fat and/or connective tissue, are often observed especially in the paretic limb of post-stroke patients. This study was performed to examine the relationship of quadriceps muscle thickness (MT) with muscle echo intensity (EI) and the severity of motor paralysis after stroke. Methods: Thirty-six hemiparetic subacute post-stroke patients were enrolled. We examined the MT (index of muscle quantity) and the EI (index of muscle quality) at the anterior mid-thigh in both limbs. We also assessed the Brunnstrom stage (BR stage), subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness, time since stroke, age, body weight, sex, number of medications, and nutritional and inflammation status. Results: The MT in the paretic limb was explained by the BR stage (β = –0.26, p < 0.01), body weight (β = 0.68, p < 0.01), and serum albumin (β = 0.34, p < 0.01), with an adjusted R2 of 0.81. The MT in the non-paretic limb was explained by the muscle EI (β = –0.55, p < 0.01) and age (β = –0.40, p < 0.01), with an adjusted R2 of 0.69. The muscle EI was explained by the MT in the paretic limb (β = –0.34, p < 0.01) and non-paretic limb (β = –0.69, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Our results suggest that motor paralysis, aging, and malnutrition contribute to quadriceps atrophy in post-stroke patients. Moreover, a potential countermeasure to diminish muscle quality loss is maintenance of muscle quantity.
Comparison of wheelchair securement systems designed for use in large accessible transit vehicles (LATVs)

ABSTRACT Design challenges in wheelchair securement for fixed-route, large accessible transit vehicles (LATVs) often create difficulties for passengers who use wheelchairs and operational inefficiencies for public transit agencies. Recent innovations in wheelchair securement technology for LATVs may reduce these challenges. This study explored the usability of three commercially available wheelchair securement systems in a static laboratory environment: a four-point, forward-facing (4P-FF) securement system, a three-point, forward-facing (3P-FF) securement system, and a semi-automated, rear-facing (SA-RF) securement system. Three groups of mobility device users (manual wheelchair users, power wheelchair users, and scooter users) (n = 36) completed wheelchair securement tasks in a full-scale mock-up of an LATV. For the 19 participants who did not use the occupant restraint system (ORS), perceived usability and securement time were compared across the securement systems. Using multiple usability rating scales, most participants reported that each of the systems would be acceptable for regular use. However, the majority indicated an overall preference for the SA-RF, and most rated the SA-RF system as easier, faster, and requiring less assistance to use than the 4P-FF and 3P-FF systems. Alternatives to conventional 4P-FF wheelchair securement in LATVs may thus improve boarding efficiency and transit independence of passengers who use wheelchairs.
Factors Affecting Profit Efficiency of Private Hospitals in Bangladesh: Are Urban Hospitals More Profit-Efficient?

In Bangladesh, the number of privately owned hospitals has increased manifold over the last three decades, indicating high profitability in this sector. This study identifies the factors that affect the profit-generating ability of these hospitals. Using 185 privately owned ‘for-profit’ hospitals, the study applied Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) technique to measure their profit efficiency and then used tobit regression analysis to identify the factors affecting profit efficiency. It was found that only a handful of private hospitals were profit-efficient. Results provide evidence that hospitals located in major metropolitan cities were more efficient than those located in semi-rural areas. It was also found that hospitals that had been in business longer and those that had less market share were likely to be more profit-efficient.
Solar Wind Interaction With Jupiter's Magnetosphere: A Statistical Study of Galileo In Situ Data and Modeled Upstream Solar Wind Conditions

Jupiter's magnetosphere is often said to be rotationally driven, with strong centrifugal stresses due to large spatial scales and a rapid planetary rotation period. While the solar wind is therefore expected to have a relatively small influence on Jupiter's magnetosphere and aurora, there is considerable observational evidence that the solar wind does affect the magnetopause standoff distance, auroral radio emissions, and the ultraviolet auroral position and brightness. We report on the results of a comprehensive, quantitative study of the influence of the solar wind dynamic pressure on magnetospheric data sets measured by the Galileo mission (1996–2003). Using model predictions of the solar wind conditions near Jupiter calculated by propagating measurements made near the Earth, we have established how predicted changes in the solar wind affect the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field in the magnetosphere, the hectometric auroral radio emissions, and energetic particles in Jupiter's magnetosphere. We find that increases in the solar wind dynamic pressure are statistically associated with magnetospheric compression events but that tail reconnection and plasmoid release is most likely driven internally by the Vasyliunas cycle. We find no link between solar wind conditions and the occurrence of quasiperiodic modulations in the magnetosphere. Overall, we conclude that activity in Jupiter's magnetosphere is both internally and solar wind driven. Finally, we examine the effects of solar wind‐induced magnetospheric compressions on Jupiter's auroral brightness and mapping, finding that a solar wind compression could shift the auroral mapping of a given point in the magnetosphere by ~3° on average.
A roadmap for survey designs in terrestrial acoustic monitoring

Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is increasingly popular in ecological research and conservation programs, with high‐volume and long‐term data collection provided by automatized acoustic sensors offering unprecedented opportunities for faunal and ecosystem surveys. Practitioners and newcomers interested in PAM can easily find technical specifications for acoustic sensors and microphones, but guidelines on how to plan survey designs are largely scattered over the literature. Here, we (i) review spatial and temporal sampling designs used in passive acoustic monitoring, (ii) provide a synthesis of the crucial aspects of PAM survey design and (iii) propose a workflow to optimize recording autonomy and recording schedules. From 1992 to 2018, most of the 460 studies applying PAM in terrestrial environments have used a single recorder per site, covered broad spatial scales and rotated recorders between sites to optimize sampling effort. Continuous recording of specific diel periods was the main recording procedure used. When recording schedules were applied, a larger number of recordings per hour was generally associated with a smaller recording length. For PAM survey design, we proposed to (i) estimate memory/battery autonomy and associated costs, (ii) assess signal detectability to optimize recording schedules in order to recover maximum biological information and (iii) evaluate cost‐benefit scenarios between sampling effort and budget to address potential biases from a given PAM survey design. Establishing standards for PAM data collection will improve the quality of inferences over the broad scope of PAM research and promote essential standardization for cross‐scale research to understand long‐term biodiversity trends in a changing world.
Rock physics modelling of porous rocks with multiple pore types: a multiple‐porosity variable critical porosity model

A critical porosity model establishes the empirical relationship between a grain matrix and a dry rock by the concept of critical porosity. The model is simple and practical and widely used. But the critical porosity in the model is a fixed value that cannot relate to pore structure. The aim of this paper is to establish the theoretical relationship between critical porosity and pore structure by combining Kuster–Toksöz theory with the critical porosity model. Different from the traditional critical porosity model, critical porosity is not an empirical value but varied with pore shape and the ratio of bulk modulus versus shear modulus of the grain matrix. The substitution of the theoretical relationship into Kuster–Toksöz theory will generate the formulae for the bulk and shear moduli of multiple‐porosity dry rocks, which is named the multiple‐porosity variable critical porosity model. The new model has been used to predict elastic moduli for sandstone and carbonate rock. We compare the modelling results for P‐ and S‐wave velocities and elastic moduli with the experimental data. The comparison shows that the new model can be used to describe the elastic properties for the rocks with multiple pore types.
Experimental and numerical studies on geotextile reinforced subgrade soil

ABSTRACT Experimental and numerical studies were undertaken to study the effect of geotextile used for subgrade reinforcement. The standard laboratory California bearing ratio (CBR) test was conducted on the soil reinforced with geotextile. Two different types of subgrade soil, sandy and clayey soil, and two types of geotextiles (woven and non-woven) were used in this study. The geotextile reinforcements were placed in samples in various combinations in one, two and three layers. The effects of type of geotextile and position and number of geotextile layers on the strength of subgrade were investigated. An increase in CBR value was observed due to the inclusion of woven geotextile reinforcement in the subgrade. It was also observed that woven geotextile performed better than non-woven geotextile. Finite-element program ABACUS is also used to back analyse the experimentally calculated CBR values and found to be in good agreement with experimental results.
Extracting small deformation beyond individual station precision from dense Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) networks in France and western Europe

Abstract. We use 2 decades of data from a dense geodetic network to extract regionally coherent velocities and deformation rates in France and neighboring western European countries. This analysis is combined with statistical tests on synthetic data to quantify the deformation detection thresholds and significance levels. By combining two distinct methods – Gaussian smoothing and k-means clustering – we extract horizontal deformations with a 95 % confidence level of ca. 0.1–0.2 mm yr−1 (ca. 0.5–1×10-9 yr−1) on spatial scales of 100–200 km or more. From these analyses, we show that the regionally average velocity and strain rate fields are statistically significant in most of our study area. The first-order deformation signal in France and neighboring western European countries is a belt of N–S to NE–SW shortening of ca. 0.2–0.4 mm yr−1 (1–2×10-9 yr−1) in central and eastern France. In addition to this large-scale signal, patterns of orogen-normal extension are observed in the Alps and the Pyrenees, but methodological biases, mainly related to GPS (Global Positioning System) solution combinations, limit the spatial resolution and preclude associations with specific geological structures. The patterns of deformation in western France show either tantalizing correlation (Brittany) or anticorrelation (Aquitaine Basin) with the seismicity. Overall, more detailed analyses are required to address the possible origin of these signals and the potential role of aseismic deformation.
Fine Structure of Interplanetary Shock Front—Results from BMSW Experiment with High Time Resolution

The structure of subcritical interplanetary shocks was studied using high time resolution from the BMSW plasma instrument onboard the Spektr‐R satellite and MFI magnetometer measurements from WIND. Ion scales of the ramp and wavelength of precursor waves were obtained and compared with results of the bow shock structure study. The comparison of precursor wavelengths, determined experimentally with those determined from dispersion relation for low‐Mach, low‐beta shocks has showed similar results. This confirms the assumption that the dispersion of oblique magnetosonic waves is the determining factor in the formation of upstream wave trains. On the base of the case study it was shown that damped downstream oscillations of density, velocity, temperature may be generated by the interaction of the inflowing solar wind ions with the reflected gyrating ions inside the ramp. A sequence of six wave trains of magnetosonic whistlers has been observed upstream the ramp of subcritical oblique IP shock. The amplitude of oscillations inside the trains decreased with increasing distance from the ramp. The possible energy dissipation mechanism within the shock front is discussed.
A Laboratory Investigation of Spume Generation in High Winds for Fresh and Seawater

Given spume's role in mediating air‐sea exchange at the base of tropical cyclones or other storm events, the focus of studies on spray dynamics has been within the marine environment. In contrast, spume production in nonseawater bodies has been underexplored and potential differences between sea and freshwater are neglected. The laboratory remains the primary means for directly observing spray processes near the surface because of the challenges to making robust field measurements. There is no standardization on the water type used for these experiments, and the effect this has on the generation process is unknown. This adds uncertainty in our ability to make physically realistic spume generation functions that are ultimately applied to the geophysical domain. We have conducted a laboratory experiment that aims to address this simple, yet overlooked, question of whether water type impacts the spume droplet concentration entrained in the air flow above actively breaking waves. We compared directly imaged concentrations for fresh and seawater droplets produced in 10‐m equivalent winds from 36–54 m/s. Substantially higher concentrations of seawater spume were observed, as compared to freshwater across all particle sizes and wind speeds. The seawater particles' vertical distribution was concentrated near the surface, whereas the freshwater droplets were more uniformly distributed. Our statistical analysis of these findings suggests significant differences in the size‐ and height‐dependent distributions response to increased wind forcing between fresh and seawater. These unexpected findings suggest an unanticipated role of the source water physiochemical properties on the spume generation mechanism.
Orographic Controls on Subdaily Rainfall Statistics and Flood Frequency in the Colorado Front Range, USA

Generalizable relationships for how subdaily rainfall statistics imprint into runoff statistics are lacking. We use the Colorado Front Range, known for destructive rainfall‐triggered floods and landslides, to assess whether orographic patterns in runoff generation are a direct consequence of rainstorm climatology. Climatological analysis relies on a dense network of tipping‐bucket rain gauges and gridded precipitation frequency estimates from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to evaluate relationships among subdaily rainfall statistics, topography, and flood frequency throughout the South Platte River basin. We find that event‐scale rainfall statistics only weakly depend on elevation, suggesting that orographic gradients in runoff “extremes” are not simply a consequence of rainfall patterns. In contrast, bedrock exposure strongly varies with elevation in a way that plausibly explains enhanced runoff generation at lower elevations via reduced water storage capacity. These findings are suggestive of feedbacks between bedrock river evolution and hillslope hydrology not typically included in models of landscape evolution.
Differences in Food Crop Diversification between Male and Female Smallholder Farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria

The study assessed food crop diversification among smallholder male and female farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria. A two-stage sampling technique was used to select 384 respondents disaggregated into 197 males and 187 females. Percentages, mean and standard deviation and chart were used for data analysis. Findings showed that the mean number of food crop grown by male farmers was 4.8 while that of female was 3.3 and most (51.4% and 49.3%) of male and female farmers growing 3 and 5 crops at a time respectively. Findings from crop diversification index showed that most of male farmers fall into high diversification group (0.60-0.70) while most female farmers were moderately (0.50-0.60) diversified. It further shows that education, farm size and access to farm machineries and credit positively and significantly influence the extent of crop diversification among male and female smallholder farmers (P≥0.05). Male farmers were found to be highly diversified compared to female farmers. Extension education toward bridging gap in male and female farmers’ literacy, skills and training on crop diversification should be promoted. Keywords: Crop diversification, food crop, herfindahl index, Tobit regression, smallholder farmers
Post-Fire Regeneration of Woody Species in a Colombian Tropical Dry Forest

In fire-influenced ecosystems, some plant species have the ability to recover, germinate, and to establish after a fire; however, their proportion and dominance varies between sites. The objective of this work was to evaluate natural regeneration following a fire in a tropical dry forest located in the Upper Magdalena River Valley in Colombia. In that way, all seedlings and saplings of woody species were recorded, 1.5 years after a fire, in 75 2x2-m plots installed in burned and unburned forest sites, as well as in forest gaps. Results showed that although abundance was higher in the burned sites, the species richness was lower than in unburned areas. Based on the regeneration response of the species, we identified three groups of plants: 1) fire-stimulated, 2) fire-tolerant, and 3) fire-sensitive species, which means that this tropical dry forest has species with the ability to recover, germinate, and establish after a fire. These three groups of plant species should be considered in restoration programs in light of future and more frequent forest fires due to climate change.