Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Straw and biochar effects on soil properties and tomato seedling growth under different moisture levels

ABSTRACT A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of wheat straw and its biochar on tomato seedling growth and soil physicochemical properties under different moisture levels. Treatments included control (no amendments, CK), three biochar amendments (B1: 1%, B2: 3% and B3: 6% w/w) and three straw amendments (S1: 1%, S2: 3% and S3: 6% w/w), under two moisture levels (M1: 40% water holding capacity (WHC) and M2: 70% WHC). The straw and biochar had contrasting effects on soil physiochemical properties and physiology of tomato seedlings. The B1 treatment significantly increased the soil urease activity (15%) and decreased the activity of dehydrogenase and β glucosidase enzymes (67% and 56%), as compared to the S1 treatment, especially for the high moisture condition. Biochar significantly improved shoot and root dry weights, biomass and altered chlorophyll contents. Plant antioxidants, superoxide dismutase (SOD), Peroxidase (POD) activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly decreased in biochar treatments, however, an increasing trend was observed for straw treatments. The current findings suggest that application of high amount of biochar (6%) or low amount of straw (1%) would be a reasonable management practice in semi-arid regions to improve soil physiochemical properties and the physiology of tomato seedlings.
Exploring nonlinear functional responses of zooplankton grazers in dilution experiments via optimization techniques

Understanding complex dynamics of planktonic ecosystems requires good knowledge of predator functional responses, especially for microzooplankton grazers. Although natural microzooplankton communities are highly diverse, we often need to quantify microzooplankton grazing at the macrolevel, considering them as a single “box. ” Here, we consider community microzooplankton predation rates as a function of their prey abundance. Estimating the functional response of microzooplankton as a function of bulk prey often exploits the dilution approach: joint incubation experiments of grazers and their prey where samples are subjected to a range of dilution factors. However, the classic methodology appears reliable only for a simple linear functional response of grazers and it requires appropriate adjustments for nonlinearity and saturation of food consumption at high prey abundance. We explore how recently suggested methods applying nonlinear functional responses of bulk microzooplankton grazing can be enhanced to provide more robust results. We argue that different formulations of the functional response should be fitted to the data and that an appropriate choice of dilution factors in experiments can substantially improve the accuracy of feeding rate estimation. Pragmatically, our work shows that for oligotrophic ecosystems, it is best to run incubations where the majority of dilution factors are close to D = 1 (undiluted), whereas, for eutrophic waters, dilution factors should be run close to D = 0 as well as D = 1. Furthermore, running equidistant dilution factors represents a waste of effort; it is more important to run at fewer values of D with greater replication.
Antecedents of Equity Fund Performance: A Contingency Perspective

While the fund performance management literature has clearly documented that the fund size, fund family size, and net cash flow are important antecedents of equity fund performance, prior empirical studies have revealed mixed results that have not been adequately explained. Through the lens of the contingency perspective, we developed a conceptual model that examines how the expense ratio and management compensation as contextual factors interact with the fund size, fund family size, and net cash flow to affect equity fund performance. The empirical analyses were based on panel data including 690 equity funds in China over a 7-year period from 2009 to 2015. The results show that the expense ratio and management compensation moderate the effects of the fund family size and net cash flow on fund performance, and management compensation also moderates the relationship between the fund size and fund performance.
In vitro assessment of ruminal fermentation, digestibility and methane production of three species of Desmanthus for application in northern Australian grazing systems

Abstract. Three species of Desmanthus adapted to the heavy clay soils of northern Australia were studied to determine their nutritive value and effects on in vitro fermentation with rumen fluid, compared with Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) hay. Leaves and stems of D. leptophyllus cv. JCU 1, D. virgatus cv. JCU 2 and D. bicornutus cv. JCU 4 were collected in summer, winter and spring of 2014 and analysed for chemical composition. Apparent digestibility as in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVD-OM) and fermentation parameters including methane (CH4) production were measured during 72-h fermentations using rumen fluid from steer donors grazing tropical grasses and legumes. Desmanthus bicornutus was on average more digestible than both D. leptophyllus and D. virgatus at 24, 48 and 72 h of incubation. This species also demonstrated an anti-methanogenic potential, in particular when harvested in summer with a reduction in CH4 production of 26% compared with Rhodes grass hay after 72 h of incubation. At this time point, D. leptophyllus produced higher volatile fatty acids (VFA per g of organic matter fermented) compared with the other forages. This legume also reduced the CH4 production up to 36% compared with the Rhodes grass hay reference. However, D. leptophyllus showed lower IVD-OM. Overall, Desmanthus species produced lower in vitro CH4 and lower volatile fatty acids concentration compared with the reference grass hay. These effects may be due to presence of secondary compounds such as hydrolysable tannins, condensed tannins and/or their combination in Desmanthus species. The IVD-OM was influenced by the season after 72 h of incubation; the digestibility was higher in plants collected in spring. This study suggests that contrasting fermentative profiles in Desmanthus cultivars may offer the opportunity to reduce the greenhouse gas contribution of the beef industry. The next step in demonstration of these promising in vitro results is demonstration of Desmanthus in vivo as proof of concept confirming the productivity and CH4 reduction ability of these legumes in the pastoral systems of northern Australia.
Ecologia e conservação de Peltocephalus dumerilianus (Testudines Podocnemididae) em Barcelos, Amazonas, Brasil

A presente tese analisa e discute aspectos relacionados a ecologia e a conservacao de Peltocephalus dumerilianus (Testudines, Podocnemididae), circunscrita a demarcacao de uma area representativa do Municipio de Barcelos, Amazonas, Brasil. Os locais de coleta da informacao biologica foram dois tributarios do medio rio Negro: rio Itu e rio Cumicuri. Estudaram-se os aspectos de utilizacao nas comunidades de Sao Louis, Baturite, Daracua y Tomar. Analisam-se os componentes da dieta alimentar durante um ciclo anual, tendo como base os conteudos de tratos digestivos de exemplares capturados, na area de estudo, pelos ribeirinhos para seu consumo. Determina-se o carater onivoro e oportunista da especie. Apresenta-se tambem informacao biologica dos aspectos reprodutivos, fundamentando-se a pesquisa no ciclo ovarico anual, desova em meio natural, desova induzida e incubacao no laboratorio. Assim, reafirma-se a sexotermodependencia da especie. Apresentam-se os dados morfometricos das capturas experimentais conduzidas durante dois anos continuos e, mediante o metodo de captura/recaptura estabelecem-se aspectos importantes de dinâmica populacional para as duas areas especificas de trabalho. Determina-se, igualmente aplicando-se telemetria, durante um ano continuo, o uso de habitat por sexo. No aspecto socioeconomico, estabelece-se uma tendencia cultural associada ao consumo de quelonios na area de trabalho; os dados obtidos indicam o declinio populacional das especies de quelonios de maior preferencia historica; igualmente permitem evidenciar a constante caca e crescente comercializacao de Peltocephalus dumerilianus (cabecudo) e um processo de captura para subsistencia que esgota os estoques naturais existentes, que envolve a troca das especies preferidas por outras em funcao do declinio populacional.
Evaluation of Antidiabetic and Antioxidant Potential of Hydromethanolic Seed Extract of Datura Stramonium in Mice

Background: Datura stramonium Linn is one of the folkloric medicines in Ethiopia and demonstrated in vitro antidiabetic activity. Thus, the current study was carried out to evaluate antidiabetic activity of hydromethanolic seed extract in mice. Methods: The seed of Datura stramonium was extract by using hydromethanol. The effect of the seed extract on blood glucose level was assessed after oral administration of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg doses in normal, oral glucose loaded and Streptozocininduced diabetic mice. Antioxidant capacity of seed extract was evaluated by using a 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay. Results: Hypoglycemic effect of all doses of seed extract was insignificant (p>0.05) in normoglycemic model but glucose reduction was significant (p<0.05 at 100 mg/kg, p<0.01 at 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg) with respect to negative control in oral glucose loaded mice. All doses of seed extract significantly (p<0.0l) reduced blood glucose level on day 7 and 14 in STZ induced daily treated diabetic mice compared to the negative control. At the same time, 200 and 400 mg/kg doses of seed extract significantly (p<0.05) improved body weight of diabetic mice on day 7 and 14 but 100 mg/kg dose was delayed and significantly (p<0.05) increased body weight of mice on day 14 compared to the vehicle. The finding showed that antioxidant capacity of the seed extract was concentration dependent and comparable with ascorbic acid. IC50 of the seed extract and ascorbic was found to be 11.95 and 5.07 mg/mL, respectively. Conclusion: The finding of the study showed that hydromethanolic seed extract of Datura stramonium Linn endowed significant antihyperglycemic and scavenging of free radicals.
A Brief Review on Magnetic and Magnetocaloric Properties of La-Type Manganites

In present chapter, experimental techniques and preparation conditions adopted for the synthesis of La-type manganites and their influence on the structural, magnetic and magnetocaloric properties are briefly reviewed. The effects of various strategies of substitutions on magnetic and magnetocaloric properties are addressed. Further, our synthesis and findings on Mn-Fe substituted manganites are presented. It was found that partial substitution of Mn by Fe results in decreasing the magnetization and the Curie temperature, but the magnetic entropy change values remained in the range suitable for magnetic refrigeration.
Investigation of Flexible Arrayed Urea Biosensor Based on Graphene Oxide/Nickel Oxide Films Modified by Au Nanoparticles

In this work, the flexible arrayed urea biosensor is composed of silver paste electrodes by screen printing technology. The sensing film is made of the nickel oxide (NiO) by radio frequency (R.F.) sputtering system and then modified by Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) and graphene oxide (GO). The average sensitivity, response time, interference effect, and electrochemical impedance of urea biosensors are analyzed by the voltage–time (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>–<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${T}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) measurement system and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The surface morphology of the biosensor is analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that the flexible arrayed urea biosensor has excellent average sensitivity over a wide concentration range (0.01–100 mM) of 57.16 mV/decade, linearity of 0.998, a response time of 25 s, a limit of detection (LOD) of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$7.64~\mu \text{M}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, and an excellent selectivity.
Rewarding Allegiance: Political Alignment and Fiscal Outcomes in Local Government

We examine how local governmentsâ€™ political alignment with central government affects subnational fiscal outcomes. In theory, alignment could be rewarded with more intergovernmental transfers, or swing voters in unaligned constituencies could be targeted instead. We analyze data from Ghana, which has a complex decentralized system: District Chief Executives (DCEs) are centrally-appointed local administrators loyal to the ruling party, while district MPs may belong to another party. A formula for transfer distribution aims to limit the influence of party politics. Using a new dataset for 1994-2014 and a regression discontinuity design, we find that despite this system, districts with aligned MP and DCE receive more transfers, have higher district expenditure, and more internally generated funds. Results are strongest for a subsample of constant districts over the period, suggesting that municipal fragmentation has weakened political alignment effects. We also show strong electoral cycle effects, and find a crowd-in effect for Ghanaian districts.
Incidence and Severity of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Small Ruminants at Hisar, Haryana

The present study was conducted to detect the incidence and severity of parasitic infection in small ruminant at Goat and Sheep Breeding Farms of Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (LUVAS), Haryana. For this, faecal samples of 202 animals (100 sheep and 102 goats) were screened for qualitative (floatation and sedimentation), quantitative (McMaster) and coproculture examination. Faecal sample examination revealed significantly higher (p<0.01) infection in sheep (100%) as compared to goats (96%). The eggs of strongyle, Strongyloides, Trichuris, amphistome, Moniezia and coccidian oocyst were observed as 100%, 13%, 46%, 29%, 15% and 90% in sheep, respectively and 96.1%, 15.7%, 7.8%, 17.6% and 87.2% in goats, respectively. Majority of animals had the infection of strongyles with EPG more than 1200 and were also harbouring light infection of coccidia. The coproculture revealed the predominance of Haemonchus contortus along with other nematodes.
Surgical Margins and Lymphoid Infiltrate in Cholangiocarcinoma: When a Surgical Technique "Pushes" Tumor Biology to Provide Answer

Mass-forming cholangiocarcinoma (MFCCC) is a disease at increasing incidence (1,2). Liver resection (LR) is the standard treatment, while chemotherapy has a limited effectiveness (3,4). Five-year survival rates after complete surgery range between 20 and 35% (5-9). Although surgery represents the unique curative treatment, the disease is characterized by low resectability and high post-surgical recurrences rates (1-4). To date, resectability is based on morphological features (number and size of lesions, vascular invasion), lymphnode metastases (N stage), and surgical radicality (5-12). If the surgical technique could play a role in improving resectability, molecular markers rather than gross tumor features could aid in defining and clarifying further prognostic predictors helpful to better select and manage the patients accordingly. On a technical standpoint, the margin width, if negative, does not impact the outcome, while a positive margin (< 1 mm, R1 resection) is associated with higher local recurrence rate and worse survival (8-15). However, our group disclosed subcategories of R1 with a different prognostic impact in the event of surgery for colorectal liver metastases, which allowed to increase their resectability (16-17). Whether these subcategories play a role for other liver tumors is still matter of debate. Prognosis prediction is of paramount relevance for patients management either for their selection, and for the therapeutic and follow up strategies. Reliable molecular markers for MFCCC are still lacking as well as an adequate assessment of tumor biology. The analysis of lymphoid infiltrate (LI) may work in this direction. The oncologic impact of LI has been analyzed in several tumors. The largest evidences concern colorectal cancers (18-23). Focusing on liver tumors, some data have been reported for HCC and colorectal liver metastases (24-32), while no prior study focused on MFCCC. These two aspects will be discussed in this review article.
Factors affecting Organic Food Purchasing Decisions of Kindergartens in Ho Chi Minh City

Purpose: This research examines the factors that influence organic food purchasing decisions of kindergartens in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Research Design, Data, and Methodology: A mixed-method research was utilized in this study. It included a focus group of 10 participants and a survey of 304 respondents, (quantitative research) who are employed in the selected kindergartens, using both online and paper surveys based on nonprobability and convenient sampling. The SPSS and SmartPLS 3 software were used to analyze data. Results: a) Eight factors affect the purchase decision of kindergartens; b) Environment Attention, Normative Beliefs, Trust belief on brand, Cost of meal set, and Reference group positively affect Intention behavior; c) Feeling safe positively affect Perceived Quality Product. Perceived quality of product and Intention behavior positively affect organic food Purchase Decision of kindergartens. Conclusion: Eight factors affect organic food purchasing decisions of kindergartens in Ho Chi Minh City. This study offers recommendation and solutions for a stable output of organic products in Vietnam, and ways to popularize them within the community.
Reproduction in agouti (Dasyprocta spp.): A review of reproductive physiology for developing assisted reproductive techniques

Dasyprocta spp. (agouti) include wild rodents with highlighted ecological and economic importance, and are considered experimental models for endangered hystricognath rodents. Of late, development of techniques to conserve their genetic material as well as the formation of biobanks is increasing. In this context, this review describes the main advances in the knowledge of the reproductive morphophysiological specificities of agouti as well as the development and improvement of assisted reproductive techniques aimed at conservation, multiplication, and exploitation of their reproductive potential under captivity.
Evaluation for performance of maize and rice on aqueous leaf extracts of Flemingia semialata Roxb. -underutilized legumes in Mizoram, India

The allelopathic potential of aqueous leaf extracts of Flemingia semialata Roxb. a leguminous herbs was used to examined its effect on growth and yield of Zea mays L. and Oryza sativa L. at different concentrations in laboratory bioassays. The extracts show both inhibitory and stimulatory effect on the test crops. Significant stimulatory effects were observed in 50 and 75 per cent concentration for root length and 25 per cent for shoot length in maize. Stimulatory effect on the root length of rice were observed at lower concentrations, however inhibitory effect were observed on the shoot length whereby the inhibitory effect increases with increase in the concentration of extracts. The inhibitory effect on biomass yield was observed at lower concentration in maize but inhibitory effect was more pronounced in rice at higher concentrations. Aqueous leaf extract of Flemingia semialata Roxb. performed better in maize than in rice.
Uncovering the Selective Drug Targets in Urethane-Mediated Lung Cancer through Network Approach

Aim: To identify the driver targets associated with urethane mediated tumorigenesis by pharmacokinetics prediction, target prediction and gene expression network analysis. Methodology: Standard bioinformatics tools were used, which include SwissADME, SwissTargetPrediction, eXpression2Kinases (X2K), and ClustalO. Results: It was found that urethane has very low lipophilicity and high gastrointestinal absorption. Urethane major probable targets include tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 1 (TDP1), acetyl cholinesterase and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. Enrichment analysis showed that transcription factors most expressed through urethane-targeted genes include TRIM28, RELA, SUZ12 and EGR1 while protein-protein interaction analysis showed that these transcription factors were mostly coordinated by heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) isoforms (HSP90AA1, HSPAB1 and HSP90B1). The implicated targets were highly associated with cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). Original Research Article Fatoki et al.; JALSI, 19(2): 1-12, 2018; Article no.JALSI. 45097 2 Conclusion: Selective inhibition of TDP1 and Hsp90 isoforms and not transcription factors, could be the central therapeutic point for suppression and prevention of lung tumour.
Comparing concussion rates as reported by hockey Canada with head contact events as observed across minor ice-hockey age categories

Head injuries in elite and youth sport have garnered growing public attention in part because of high-profile cases of professional athletes suffering career-ending/threatening concussions and because of the increase in medical studies identifying how repeated concussive events can lead to long-term health problems, most notably degenerative brain disease. Public concerns around youth ice hockey are intensifying in light of recent evidence which suggests that effects of head injury are worse for youth than they are for athletes in later stages of life. To better understand concussion injury rate trends across all levels of youth hockey, this paper provides a retrospective analysis of concussion related hockey injury as recorded in Hockey Canada’s Injury Reporting System from the period covering 2009 to 2016, combined with two years of observational research documenting head contact events in minor hockey in the Ottawa and Gatineau regions of Ontario and Quebec. By comparing two different data sets through different methodological designs, it provides important insight into the levels of head contact in youth hockey, how head contact is occurring, and offers commentary about the levels of risk players are exposed to in minor hockey in Canada.
Prediction of Burned Areas Using the Random Forest Classifier in the Minas Gerais State

Fire behavior prediction models can assist environmental agencies with fire prevention and control. This study aimed to adjust a fire prediction model for the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Using the R program and hotspots provided by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) for 2010, prediction of the probability of fires through the Random Forest algorithm was conducted using the Bootstrapping method. The model generated a prediction map with global kappa value of 0.65. External validation was performed with hotspots in 2015. Results showed that 58% of the hotspots are in areas with ignition probability > 50%, being 24% of them in areas with 25-50% probability, and 17% in areas with < 25% probability. These results were considered satisfactory, demonstrating that the model is suitable for predicting fires.