Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Budbreak-Delaying Products to Avoid Spring Frost Injury in Grapevines

Most viticultural regions in the world annually sustain spring frost injury-associated yield loss. Researchers have developed sprayable products to prevent spring frost injury by delaying budbreak. The goal of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of novel products, including Amigo oil,® ProTone,® and FrostShield,® to delay budbreak and the effect of these products on vegetative and reproductive growth in grapevines. The early budbreaking cultivars La Crescent and Marquette were used in field experiments in 2018 and 2019 and in a growth chamber experiment in 2019. Treatments included a control (no spray), 10% (v/v) Amigo oil, 500 mg/L S-ABA ProTone, and FrostShield. In field experiments, FrostShield consistently delayed the budbreak of both cultivars for four to six days, while the other two products showed a very limited effect. In addition, FrostShield did not affect cultivars’ vegetative or reproductive growth. In the growth chamber experiment, FrostShield delayed the budbreak of two cultivars for more than two weeks, while the effect of the other two products was inconsistent between cultivars. Our results indicate that FrostShield outperformed Amigo oil and ProTone by consistently delaying budbreak without negatively affecting vegetative or reproductive growth, suggesting that FrostShield might be an effective product to prevent spring frost injury.
Klobuchar, NeQuick G, and EGNOS Ionospheric Models for GPS/EGNOS Single-Frequency Positioning under 6–12 September 2017 Space Weather Events

The ionosphere is one of the main factors affecting the accuracy of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). It is a dispersive medium for radio signals, and for multi-frequency receivers, most of its effect can be removed. The problem is for the single-frequency devices, which must rely on a correction model. The motivation of this paper is the adoption of different ionospheric models in GPS/EGNOS (Global Positioning System/European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) positioning to mitigate the impact of geomagnetic storms. The aim of this article is to examine the accuracy of GPS/EGNOS single-frequency positioning. In all the examined solutions, GPS L1 data augmented with the EGNOS clock and ephemeris corrections were used in position calculation. The changes were only made to the ionospheric model. The examined scenarios are as follows: without any model (off), Klobuchar, NeQuick G, and EGNOS model. The analysed period is 6–12 September 2017, during which the last strong geomagnetic storm took place. In order to perform a reliable analysis, the study was conducted at three International GNSS Service (IGS) stations in different geographical latitudes, within the EGNOS APV-1 (Approach with Vertical Guidance) availability border. The obtained results prove that the EGNOS ionospheric model meets the aviation positioning accuracy criteria for the APV-1 approach during the studied geomagnetic storm. The EGNOS average horizontal positioning error of 0.75 m was on average almost two times lower than the other solutions. For vertical positioning, the EGNOS error of 0.93 m proved to be two times lower than those of the Klobuchar and NeQuick G models, while it was more than three times lower for the off solution.
The Attitudes-Behaviors Corrective (ABC) Model of Violent Extremism

ABSTRACT Progress in understanding and responding to terrorism and violent extremism has continued to stall in part because we often fail to adequately conceptualize the problem. Perhaps most notably, much of our terminology (for instance, “radicalization”) and many variants of our existing models and analogies (including conveyor belts, staircases and pyramids) conflate sympathy for this violence with involvement in its creation. As its name suggests, the Attitudes-Behaviors Corrective (ABC) model seeks to overcome this issue by placing this key disconnect between attitudes and behaviors at its core. In this paper, we first present the key elements of our model, which include a graphic representation of this disconnect and a classification system of the drivers of violent extremism. The former enables us to track the trajectories of individuals in relation to both their attitudes and behaviors, while the latter helps ensure that we consider all potential explanations for these movements. We then adapt these elements to focus on exit from violence, applying the dual concepts of disengagement and deradicalization. Finally, we conclude with a section that aims to provide the research community and those tasked with preventing and countering violent extremism with practical benefits from the ABC model.
Malondialdehyde, Blood Lipids and Antioxidant Activity in Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetics

OBJECTIVE: To determine malondialdehyde, blood lipids and anti oxidants in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients. STUDY DESIGN: Observational, comparative study PLACE & DURATION: Department of Medicine, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Hospital from February 2013- May 2014. SUBJECTS & METHODS: 97 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics and 50 healthy controls were selected through non-probability purposive sampling according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Blood samples were collected after 8-12 hours of fasting. Fasting blood glucose level, lipid and lipoprotein levels were measured by Cobas e411 analyzer. Malondialdehyde (MDA), Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Glutathione peroxidase (GPX) were measured by Diagnostics kit. Zinc and ascorbic acid were measured by using Centronic GmbH-Germany Kit. Albumin, bilirubin, and uric acid were measured on Hitachi Chemistry analyzer. Data was analyzed on SPSS version 21.0. The significant p-value was taken at ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: MDA, blood lipids and anti oxidant mechanisms showed significant differences between diabetics and healthy controls. Total blood lipids and lipid sub fractions were elevated in diabetics compared to controls. MDA was raised 5.16±0.91 vs. 2.16±0.62 µmol/l in diabetics and controls respectively (p=0.0001). The SOD, GPX, Ascorbic acid, Zinc, albumin, uric acid and bilirubin were reduced in diabetics (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Diabetes mellitus is characterized by free radical formation, lipid peroxidation, altered blood lipids and reduced anti oxidant mechanisms. An increase in malondialdehyde and reduction of antioxidant mechanisms may contribute to secondary complications.
Probing the effect of glycosaminoglycan depletion on integrin interactions with collagen I fibrils in the native ECM environment

Fibrillar collagen–integrin interactions in the extracellular matrix (ECM) regulate a multitude of cellular processes and cell signalling. Collagen I fibrils serve as the molecular scaffolding for connective tissues throughout the human body and are the most abundant protein building blocks in the ECM. The ECM environment is diverse, made up of several ECM proteins, enzymes, and proteoglycans. The contents of the ECM environment are modulated by disease and aging and may influence these critical collagen–integrin interactions. In particular, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), anionic polysaccharides that decorate proteoglycans, become depleted in the ECM with natural aging and their mis-regulation has been linked to cancers and other diseases. The impact of GAG concentration in the ECM environment on collagen interactions is not well understood. Here, we integrate protein adhesion assays with liquid high resolution atomic force microscopy (AFM) to assess the affects of GAG depletion on the interaction of collagen I fibrils with the integrin α2I domain. Adhesion assays demonstrate that α2I preferentially binds to GAG-depleted collagen I fibrils. By amplitude modulated AFM in air and in solution, we find that GAG-depleted collagen I fibrils retain structural features of the native fibrils, including their characteristic D-banding pattern, a key structural motif. AFM fast force mapping in solution shows that GAG depletion reduces the stiffness of individual fibrils, lowering the indentation modulus by half compared to native fibrils. Together these results shed new light on how GAGs influence collagen I fibril– integrin interactions and may aid in strategies to treat diseases that result from GAG misregulation. Statement for broader audience Aging and disease result in mis-regulation of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) levels in the extracellular matrix (ECM), which may affect fibrillar collagen interactions that are vital for cellular processes. Here, we characterize the impact of GAG depletion on collagen–integrin α2I domain interactions and collagen fibril topography and stiffness. We show that GAG depletion increases collagen–α2I binding and reduces stiffness in comparison to native fibrils. These results may inform on strategies for treating GAG mis-regulation.
Thyroid Dysfunction andThyroid Autoantibodies in Egyptian Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease with many clinical manifestations and immunological abnormalities. SLE and autoimmune thyroid disease are at the two endpoints of a shared immunogenetic mechanism. Aim of the study: To evaluate the link between SLE and thyroid disorders. Patients and Methods: Thirtypatients known to have SLE were recruited in this study, with ageranged from 17 to 35 years. All patients were submitted to history taking, clinical examination, and relevant laboratory investigation. Results: Thyroid disorderswere common (33.3%) in lupus patients. Hypothyroidism was the commonest (16.6%) abnormality in SLE patients then euthyroid (10.0%), and lastly hyperthyroidism (6.6%). The mean age of SLE patients was 26.1+1.5 year. Eighty percent ofthe patientswere females. The most common SLEcharacteristics were malar flush (90.0%), photosenstivity (80.0%), fever (70.0%), and arthritis (50.0%). Mean Hb level was 9.2±0.59 g/dL. While, mean values of acute phase reactants were erythrocyte sedmentaion rate (ESR) at 1st and 2nd hour (74.3±6.6 and 121.4±5.26 mm/h, respectively) and C-reactive protein (20±6.7 mg/L). The meansof FT3, FT4, TSH, TG Ab, and anti thyroperoxidase (TPO) Abin SLE patiets were 136.6±14.1 ng/dL, 8.83±1.2 ng/dL, 4.15±1.27ng/dL, 15.12±11.15ng/dL, and 121±65.4 IU/mL, respectively. Meanwhile, 30.0% and 76.7% of SLE patients were +ve for rheumatoid factor (RF) and antineuclearAb, respectively. There were 6.7% and 16.7% of the patients +ve for thyroglobulin Ab and anti TPO Ab, respectively. The statistically significant differences parameters in SLE patients with normal and abnormal thyroid function were ESR at 1 & 2 hours, RF, and antiTPO Ab (P=0.00, 0.00, 0.03, and 0.03, respectively). The statistically significant differences parameters of demographic, clinical, and laboratory data in SLE patients with normal and subgroups of abnormal thyroid function were age, SLE duration, Hb level, RBC, WBC, PLT, and ESR at 1 & 2 hours (P=0.00, 0.00, 0.00, 0.001, 0.0001, 0.00, 0.00, and 0.00, respectively). Conclusion and Recommendation: Thyroid disordersare common in SLE patients. The most common form is hypothyrodism. Patients with SLE should be evaluated for thyroid disorders by testing FT3, FT4, TSH, TG Ab, and anti PO Abfor early detection of thyroid abnormalities. Further studies are needed to support and clarify the association between SLE and thyroid disorders.
THE PPARGC1A - GLY482SER POLYMORPHISM (RS8192678) AND THE METABOLIC SYNDROME IN A CENTRAL ROMANIAN POPULATION.

Background The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ co-activator 1-α (PPARGC1A), a key transcription factor involved in the control of metabolism and energy homeostasis, is an important biological and positional candidate of the metabolic syndrome. Association studies of its polymorphisms, however, yielded inconsistent sometimes conflicting results, pointing to important ethnic differences, which call for replication in various populations. Objective In order to study its most common - potentially functional - polymorphism Gly482Ser (rs8192678), we carried out a case-control study in a central Romanian population. Material and methods Two hundred and ninety six patients affected by the metabolic syndrome diagnosed according to the International Diabetes Federation proposed criteria and 166 middle-aged control subjects have been investigated. Genotyping was done by PCR-RFLP, using the restriction enzyme MspI. Results While the G(Gly)/A(Ser) allele frequencies (66.89/33.11 vs. 71.68/28.31 %) and GG/GA/AA genotype distribution (45.27-43.24-11.48 vs. 54.21-34.93-10.84 %) differed in the metabolic syndrome and control group, the risk of developing the metabolic syndrome did not reach the limit of statistical significance (OR=1.43; p=0.06, CI 95%: 0.97-2.09). Metabolic parameters in the two study groups did not show significant differences according to the genotype (p>0.05). Conclusion rs8192678 could be a functional polymorphism contributing to the development of the metabolic syndrome, but probably its effect is minor, and might depend on gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. Clarification of very small effects would require larger sample sizes.
Heat Kernel Smoothing in Irregular Domains

We review the heat kernel smoothing techniques for denoising and regressing data in irregularly shaped domains embedded in Euclidean spaces. This is a problem often encountered in functional data analysis and medical imaging. In this chapter, we present a unified mathematical framework based on the eigenfunctions of the Laplace-Beltrami operators defined on irregular domains. Numerical implementation issues will be addressed as well. Various examples will be presented. We also present a few new theoretical results on the properties of heat kernel smoothing.
On the coloniality of global public heath

The continued inordinate demise from communicable pathogens in the global South is not the result of an intractable problem thwarting our best efforts to prevent and cure disease; we have the means. Rather, as an accomplice to contemporary imperialism, public health manages (as a profession) and maintains (as an academic discipline) global health inequity. It does this through ‘bourgeois empiricist’ models of disease causation, which serve protected affluence by uncritically reifying inequitable social relations in the modern/colonial matrix of power and making them appear commonsensical.
DEBT, FIRM SIZE, AND ACCOUNTING QUALITY: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM TURKEY

This study aims to investigate how firm size moderates the relationship between debt and accounting quality of the non-financial firms listed on Borsa Istanbul (BIST) in Turkey. The financial data are downloaded from Orbis including the years from 2010 to 2018. Ordinary least squares regression has been applied. This study contributes to the literature by investigating how firm size shapes the impact of leverage on accounting quality. The results of this study show that the effect of leverage on accounting quality is changing depending on the firm size. Accordingly, this study concludes that the magnitude and the direction of the effect of leverage on accounting quality become stronger when the firm size gets smaller.
The Most Frequent Idioms Used in Contemporary American English: A Corpus-based Study

As a fascinating and colorful part of English language, idioms highly affect fluency, but they are quite difficult to teach and learn, and they have often been neglected particularly in ESL/EFL settings. Considering the large number of English idioms, corpus linguistics can be of great benefit in prioritizing materials in language classrooms based on the frequency information. Accordingly, the present corpus-based study aimed at identifying the most frequent idioms in English language by analyzing the data coming from the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA), composed of more than 520 million words. The study involved writing a special script using Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) language which resulted in the development of five idiom lists, each containing 50 most frequently used idioms in each one of the five genres in COCA including academic, fiction, spoken, newspaper, and magazine along with their frequency of occurrences. Comparison was then made across the mentioned five genres. It was found that the spoken genre included more idioms whereas the academic genre was the least idiomatic. Furthermore, various levels of overlap was found among different genres. The least and the highest levels of overlap was found between the academic and fiction genres and between the magazine and newspaper genres respectively. The academic genre had more overlap with the newspaper and magazine genres. The findings can benefit EFL materials developers, teachers, and learners in recognizing and including frequently-used authentic idioms in language classrooms and textbooks.
Bounds on Over-Parameterization for Guaranteed Existence of Descent Paths in Shallow ReLU Networks

We study the landscape of squared loss in neural networks with one-hidden layer and ReLU activation functions. Let $m$ and $d$ be the widths of hidden and input layers, respectively. We show that there exit poor local minima with positive curvature for some training sets of size $n\geq m+2d-2$. By positive curvature of a local minimum, we mean that within a small neighborhood the loss function is strictly increasing in all directions. Consequently, for such training sets, there are initialization of weights from which there is no descent path to global optima. It is known that for $n\le m$, there always exist descent paths to global optima from all initial weights. In this perspective, our results provide a somewhat sharp characterization of the over-parameterization required for "existence of descent paths" in the loss landscape.
Pharmacokinetic Considerations in Clinical Drug Trials

THERE ARE TWO BROAD GENERAL TYPES of clinical studies in which pharmacokinetic considerations are important: ( 1 ) drug blood level studies to determine the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) behavior of a drug and its dosage forms, and (2) clinical pharmacology studies to determine the human pharmacology, therapeutic efficacy, and/or safety of a drug and its dosage forms. In both cases, the blood concentrations of unchanged drug produced by the dosage form and dosing regimen will nearly always have a direct bearing on the success of the studies and on the significance of the results. Pharmacokinetics deals with the factors influencing blood level-time profiles, and this paper will discuss the use of pharmacokinetic principles to predict and control drug blood levels in man. By controlling drug blood levels during clinical trials, the investigator can more precisely define the pharmacologie responses and side effects of a drug. And by predicting drug blood levels during ADME studies, he can more easily select specimen collection times and determine the assay methodology required to quantitate the drug and metabolite concentrations in the specimens.
PERFIL EPIDEMIOLÓGICO E SEGUIMENTO APÓS ALTA DE PACIENTES INTERNADOS EM UNIDADE DE TERAPIA INTENSIVA

Describir el perfil epidemiologico y el seguimiento tras alta de pacientes internados en una unidad de terapia intensiva. Investigacion descriptiva, seccional y de aproximacion cuantitativa, mediante analisis documental de los archivos electronicos de pacientes adultos, internados en la unidad de terapia intensiva en un hospital de atencion terciaria en la ciudad de Rio de Janeiro, entre noviembre del 2014 y noviembre del 2015. En la muestra (n=573), 73% tuvo edad igual o superior a 60 anos, que fue asociada a mayor riesgo de muerte. El promedio del tiempo de hospitalizacion en la unidad de terapia intensiva fue 10.7 dias, la tasa de obito en la unidad de cuidados intensivos fue del 26% (n= 148), siendo que 56% (n=112) fallecieron por choque septico. Fue readmitido en la unidad de terapia intensiva 10% (n= 44) de los pacientes que presentaron mayor riesgo relativo para obito (p=0,001). Las variables sexo femenino, edad superior a 60 anos, hospitalizacion en la unidad de cuidados intensivos superior a 30 dias y readmision en la unidad son factores de riesgo para obito.
ASSESSING THE RELATED FACTORS TO SELF-EFFICACY PREDICTORS AMONG PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES

Background: Improving self-care behaviors happened by self-efficacy which result in better quality of life. Current study aimed at assessing the perceived coping self-efficacy predictors among patients with type 2 diabetes referees to health centers affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Methods : In this cross sectional study which was descriptive and analytical one, perceived coping self-efficacy and its effective factors assessed among 536 type 2 diabetic patients referee to Tehran University of medical Sciences using random sampling based on 11-likert scale questionnaire. This questionnaire included 11 items in demographic variables and 24 items in perceived coping self-efficacy. Collected data analyzed by SPSS version 23 using MANCOVA. Results: Study findings revealed that age (P=0.013), level of education (P<0.036), and HbA1c (P=0.004) had significant relation with total score of perceived coping self-efficacy. But, variables such as gender, occupation, disease duration, marital status, family history and history of chronic disease had no relation with scales of perceived coping self-efficacy. Conclusion: Planning theory based intervention programs to improve coping self-efficacy among diabetic patients in low socioeconomic status population and poor diabetes control is recommended.
An improved procedure for in vivo and in vitro propagation of Buxus hyrcana , an ornamental shrub critically at risk of extinction

The ornamental shrub, Buxus hyrcana is a threatened species due to the attacks of some pathogens. Rooting of this valuable shrub using propagation techniques such as cuttings is very slow. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and kinetin (KIN) on rooting of semi-hardwood cuttings and in vitro propagation of B. hyrcana. In propagation experiment, the basal region of the cuttings was treated with IBA and KIN solutions (0.00, 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/l of each). The cuttings were then transferred to rooting beds filled with perlite. After a rooting period of 60 days, some morphological parameters were measured. The 500 mg/l KIN along with 1000 mg/l IBA induced the largest number of roots (16.80 per plantlet). A maximum of 8.16 cm root length per plantlet was obtained with 1000 mg/l IBA together with 1000 mg/l KIN. The largest number of leaves (105.00) was observed in rooted stem cuttings treated with 2000 mg/l IBA along with 1000 mg/l KIN. In tissue culture experiment, the medium enriched with 2.00 mg/l KIN together with 0.50 mg/l IBA was found to be suitable for obtaining the maximum leaf number (11.43 per explant). A higher rooting frequency was also observed with the highest rooting of 6.50 roots per cutting achieved in plantlets grown in a medium supplemented with KIN and IBA (1.00 mg/l each). In vitro rooted plantlets were cultivated in plastic pots containing peat and perlite (in ratio of 1 : 1). The plantlets were successfully acclimatized in an adaptation greenhouse with a survival rate of 95% exhibiting normal developmental patterns.