Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Grain Size Analysis and Permeametry for Estimating Hydraulic Conductivity in Engineered Porous Media

Grain size analysis and permeametry are common methods for estimating the hydraulic conductivity (K) of porous media. It is well known that these methods have limited accuracy when they are used to characterize natural sediments. However, hydrogeological research has increasingly introduced technologies dependent on engineered porous media that may be less problematic because complex geologic structures are eliminated in the lab and field‐scale packings. The recently introduced Horizontal Reactive Media Treatment Wells (HRX® Wells), for in situ, passive remediation of groundwater is one such example. The HRX Well passively collects groundwater and directs it through a horizontal pipe packed with an engineered porous medium. In this project, grain size analysis was conducted for sand and sand‐iron mixtures to estimate K using the 16 algorithms provided in the HydrogeoSieveXL2.3. 2 software. The results were compared to K determined by permeametry and a field‐scale column, 30 cm long and 25 cm in diameter, representing an HRX Well. The best comparability of K estimates from grain size analysis and permeametry were obtained using the USBR, Slichter, and Shepherd K estimation methods. These also showed good agreement between lab‐scale and field‐scale K estimations, with reproducibility within the range ±20%. This study shows that laboratory K estimations can be representative across various relevant scales, including the field‐scale, for engineered porous media. This finding extends to filter packs, and other engineered porous media design methods by emphasizing and demonstrating one case of accuracy in lab‐scale permeability estimation for field‐scale implementations.
Eating disorders among middle-school students: The role of psychological inflexibility and self-esteem

ABSTRACT This cross-sectional study aims to shed further light on the relation between self-esteem and Eating Disorders (EDs) as part of prevention efforts by testing the mediating role of psychological inflexibility in a sample of young teenagers. Four hundred and eighteen Greek-speaking students from one representative public middle school in Cyprus (43.90% males and 56.10% females; M age = 13.71, SD = 1.00) were screened for ED pathology using the Eating Attitudes Questionnaire-26 (EAT-26) and completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) and the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth (AFQ-Y8). Screening was part of a school-wide psychoeducational Campaign titled “Love Your Body-Young Teens”, which aimed to raise awareness on healthy body image and EDs within the school community. Correlations and bootstrapping mediation analyses were conducted to evaluate the relations between ED pathology, self-esteem, and psychological inflexibility. Mediation analyses results showed that psychological inflexibility partly mediates the relationship between self-esteem and ED pathology. These preliminary findings highlight the contributions of both the individual’s negative internal events and their meta-response to these events in the development of EDs. It lays the foundation for the delivery of research-informed psychological prevention efforts in the schools, aiming to increase psychological flexibility among students.
Reducing the amount of out‐of‐core data access for GPU‐accelerated randomized SVD

We propose two acceleration methods, namely, Fused and Gram, for reducing out‐of‐core data access when performing randomized singular value decomposition (RSVD) on graphics processing units (GPUs). Out‐of‐core data here are data that are too large to fit into the GPU memory at once. Both methods accelerate GPU‐enabled RSVD using the following three schemes: (1) a highly tuned general matrix‐matrix multiplication (GEMM) scheme for processing out‐of‐core data on GPUs; (2) a data‐access reduction scheme based on one‐dimensional data partition; and (3) a first‐in, first‐out scheme that reduces CPU‐GPU data transfer using the reverse iteration. The Fused method further reduces the amount of out‐of‐core data access by merging two GEMM operations into a single operation. By contrast, the Gram method reduces both in‐core and out‐of‐core data access by explicitly forming the Gram matrix. According to our experimental results, the Fused and Gram methods improved the RSVD performance up to 1.7× and 5.2×, respectively, compared with a straightforward method that deploys schemes (1) and (2) on the GPU. In addition, we present a case study of deploying the Gram method for accelerating robust principal component analysis, a convex optimization problem in machine learning.
The effects of time of seed production on the germination response of Spergularia marina

Germination studies were carried out with seeds of Spergularia marina L. Griseb produced over an interval of six months (June-November). The response of the seeds to light and dark, various constant and alternating temperature regimes, and salinity were determined. In addition, the effects of soil moisture status at the time of seed production on the subsequent germination response of seeds were also determined. Light was an absolute requirement for germination. While a constant temperature regime did not generally favour germination of seed of any month, alternating temperature greatly enhanced germination with an optimum at 5/15°C in all seeds. When imbibed in solutions of different salinities, seeds collected in July and October behaved like true halophyte seeds whereas those collected in June. August, September and November behaved like glycophyte seeds. High concentration of gibberellic acid (3 000 μM) stimulated dark germination in the June and November seed lots, but in light, low GA3 concentration (300 μM) stimulated germination most. The addition of kinetin (30 μM) plus gibberellic acid enhanced germination in the dark in contrast to GA3 alone; kinetin alone stimulated a very low percentage germination. The moisture status of the soil at the time seeds were produced did not affect the germination response of an early seed crop (July) but affected that of the later seeds (August). Judging from the different germination responses, it appears that the seeds belong to at least two physiological groups, one which appears to need either a dark-wet or cold-wet pretreatmem for high germination to occur; and the other group which does not need pretreatmem. The ecological significance of these varied responses is discussed in relation to the survival of the species in its habitat.
Influence of the spatial distribution pattern of prey among patches and spatial coincidence on the functional and numerical response of Phytoseiulus persimilis (Acarina, Phytoseiidae)

Abstract: In a model system composed of 16 leaf disks (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) distributed uniformly in an arena (50 × 50 cm), the influence of both the spatial dispersion pattern of prey (eggs of Tetranychus urticae Koch) and the transit time of the predator between patches (leaf disks) on the overall functional and numerical response of Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias‐Henriot was studied. Regardless of the pattern of the prey and the transit time of the predator, the functional response curves showed the response type 2. The handling time of the predator became significantly longer when the prey was in contagious pattern than in uniform pattern (1.52‐1.60 versus 0.68‐0.90 h). The number of prey consumed and the number of eggs laid per female P. persimilis decreased significantly at the initial prey density, which was more than 20 per patch. When the transit time of the predator was long, the effects of coincidence between predator and prey on both the number of prey and the number of eggs of the predator were significant. Low degree of spatial coincidence merely reduced the number of prey consumed and the number of eggs laid per predator. The number of eggs per predator was not related to the prey density at this condition. Based on these results, it was suggested that a density‐dependent dispersion pattern of prey and coincidence can determine the overall functional response type of the predator in a complex system consisting of many heterogenous patches, such as in fields, and that the prey density‐dependent functional response of the predator could be possible.
Analysis of the Difficulty of Students on Visualization Ability Mathematics Based on Learning Obstacles

—This research based on the students who have a difficulty solving Sistem Persamaan Linear Tiga Variabel (SPLTV) problems. The difficulty can be seen from the mistakes made by students when solving SPLTV problems. Student mistakes result in learning obstacles when understanding and solving SPLTV problems. One factor causing this to happen is the lack of students' mathematical visualization abilities. This research aimed to determine the students' mathematical visualization abilities based on ontogenic obstacles. The method used in this research is a qualitative descriptive method by identifying answer mistakes made by students when conducting a written test in the form of a description of the questions then the results of the answers are analysed according to learning obstacles that occur in students. The analysis was also strengthened by the answers of the students' interviews. The results showed that there were jumps in thinking experienced by students in the form of jumps from arithmetic thought patterns to algebraic mind-set. Which is a learning obstacle that is ontogenic obstacles. So in general students' mathematical visualization abilities based on ontogenic obstacles experienced by students are relatively low.
Knowledge, attitudes and quality of life of caregivers towards asthma in their children: a Nigerian perspective

Introduction: The burden of uncontrolled asthma is high and caregivers can offer support in the management of asthma. Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in children. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and quality of life (QoL) of caregivers toward asthma in their children. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Paediatric Respiratory Unit of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State (July 2017-September 2017). We utilized a 46-item questionnaire comprising knowledge and attitude domains and the 13-item Pediatric Asthma Caregiver’s QoL Questionnaire (PACQLQ). Data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS Version 25.0. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: Fifty-one caregivers participated in the study. More than half (n = 36, 70.6%) of the caregivers were 40 years old and above, female (n = 37, 72.5%), graduates from higher institutions (n = 33, 64.7%), and self-employed (n = 27, 52.9%). About a quarter (n = 13, 25.5%) had a family history of asthma and a similar proportion (n = 14, 27.5%) knew the three main symptoms of asthma. Conclusion: Less than half (n = 24, 47.1%) of the caregivers had good asthma knowledge. Dust (n = 35, 68.6%) and smoke (n = 31, 60.8%) were identified as the most common asthma triggers in their children. The majority of the caregivers (n = 41, 80.3%) agreed that most people can have well-controlled asthma without seeing a doctor regularly. Overall, less than half of the caregivers (n = 24, 47.1%) showed positive attitudes toward their children’s asthma. The overall score for the PACQLQ was 3.91 (0.98) which implied a poor QoL. The caregivers had both impaired activity and emotional function from managing asthma in their children. More female caregivers had better knowledge about asthma than their male counterparts (t = −3.178; df = 49; p = 0.003). Less than half of the caregivers had good asthma knowledge and positive attitudes toward asthma in their children. They had an impaired QoL from managing asthma in their children.
Effect of nitrogen on the size, specific gravity, crisp colour and reducing sugar concentration of potato tubers (Solanum tuberosum L.) cv. Kennebec

Four field experiments were conducted over 2 years on coarse grain siliceous sands in the Mt Lofty Ranges (3 sites) and Lower South East (1 site) to examine the effect of different rates of applied nitrogen (up to 320 kg N/ha) on the size, specific gravity, crisp colour and reducing sugar concentration of potato tubers of the cv. Kennebec. As the rate of applied nitrogen (N) was increased, there was a significant (P 350 g tubers. Rate of applied N did not significantly affect the yield of 350 g (large) tubers occurred at N rates in the range 160-320 kg N/ha. In contrast, the yield of 80-350 g tubers (preferred size for crisping), for the 80-120 kg N/ha sates, was not significantly different from the maximum yield of 80-350 g tubers for each site. At all sites, total tuber yields for the 80-120 kg N/ha rates were not significantly different from maximum yields. The effect of applied N on specific gravity (SG) was significant; the magnitude of the effect varied between sites. For the pooled data from all sites, correlation between SG and nitrate-N concentration in the petioles of youngest fully expanded leaves (P-YFEL) were not significant, however, there were significant correlations between the reduction in SG and petiole nitrate-N concentration. When tlie lengths of the largest tubers were <2 mm. 25 mm and 50 mm, reductions in SG of less than 0.0025 occurred when the P-YFEL nitrate-N concentrations were 1.70-2.50%, 0.70-2.00% and 0.25-1.25%, respectively. Tuber SG increased slightly after storage for 2 and 4 months but the changes were not related to the rate of applied N. There were no consistent trends between sites in vascular ring colour index (CI) and medulla CI, determined after 0, 2 and 4 months storage, as the rate of applied N increased. However, significant (P<0.05) changes in vascular ring and medulla CI did occur during storage, with significant reductions in medulla CI for 3 of the 4 sites. For all sites, vascular ring CI was highest after 2 months storage. Reducing sugar concentration of tubers was significantly affected by the rate of applied N at 2 sites. Tubers from all sites also showed significant changes in seducing sugar concentration during storage. Maximum reducing sugar concentrations (up to 0.23% fresh weight) occurred after 2 months storage. Coefficients of determination (r2 ) for the relationships between reducing sugar concentration and vascular ring and medulla CI were in the range 0.001-0.37. Based on data for 3 of the 4 sites, mean weight loss for tubers after 4 months storage was 6.6% and weight loss was not affected by the rate of applied N. Based on our data for the cv. Kennebec grown on siliceous sands, we suggest growers should use N fertiliser rates which are just sufficient to ensure that N is not limiting yield. This practice should result in acceptable tuber size, SG and crisp colour, even after the tubers have been stored for up to 4 months.
New records of ecto and endoparasites of chickens in Egypt with special reference to the taxonomy of Subulura brumpti.

vacuole with enclosed granules near one end and having cytoplasm which contains many inclusions. In contrast, the straight spindle-shaped sporozoites of the lacertilian species have a homogeneous cytoplasm and are devoid of any inclusions or vacuoles. Since there are some minor dissimilarities between the two species of coccidia mentioned, and since there is a rather widely separated geographical distribution, as well as a taxonomic difference of hosts, the Eimeria observed in the Southern California saurian hosts should be considered as a new variety. The name Eimeria cystis-felleae var. americana is proposed.YOST U. AMREIN, University of California, Los Angeles, California. Present Address: Pomona College, Claremont, California
Association between Physical Activity Level and Hemoglobin Concentration in Male College Students

Increased physical activity is useful for reducing the risk of most non communicable diseases. However, the effect of high physical activity on hematological profile is not established yet. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of physical activity and hemoglobin concentration in college students. This cross-sectional study involved 67 male students of Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia. The physical activity was evaluated using International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Hemoglobin concentration was measured using a hemoglobinometer. Anova test with LSD post hoc analysis was applied to compare the hemoglobin concentration between groups. Significance was set at p<0.05. There were 17 students (25.4%) with low physical activity, 20 students (29.8%) with moderate physical activity, and 30 students (44.8%) with high physical activity. The hemoglobin concentrations were 15.6g/dL in low physical activity, 14.8 g/dL in moderate physical activity, and 15.2 g/dL in high physical activity. LSD post hoc analysis showed that hemoglobin in low physical activity is significantly higher than in moderate (p=0.027). Students with moderate physical activity had the lowest hemoglobin concentration, and significantly lower than students with low physical activity.
Rearing of Prays citri on callus derived from lemon stigma and style culture

A new method for rearing the citrus flower moth (Prays citri Mill.) (Lepidoptera, Yponomeutidae) on lemon [Citrus limon (L.) Burm. ] callus is reported. In the present research callus (an undifferentiated mass of plant cells that can be grown under sterile conditions on an artificial medium in vitro) was induced from lemon stigma and style explants cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 500 mg l−1 malt extract, 13.3 μM 6‐benzylaminopurine, and 146 mM sucrose. Also somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration were obtained from the cultures of styles and stigmas of lemon. Adults were obtained from larvae on infested flowers collected in the field. Different oviposition substrates were used: white oval pearls (WOP), black oval pearls (BOP), rooted shoots (RS) of lemon obtained in vitro, and artificial flowers containing lemon callus (AF). Larvae were reared on lemon callus. Adults oviposited on RS, on WOP, and on AF. BOP were rejected as oviposition substrates. The flower moth reared on callus oviposited fertile eggs. In our tests P. citri completed three generations on callus or on callus plus shoots. In the latter case the larvae preferred callus and fed on shoots only after callus was completely eaten. The life cycle on callus at 23 ± 1 °C lasted about 21 days. There were significant differences between oviposition substrates for what concerns the number of eggs laid. It was observed that females generally preferred WOP (about 25 eggs/female) to AF (about 20 eggs/female) or RS (about 12 eggs/female) as oviposition substrate. Nevertheless the percentage of eggs that developed into adults was higher when AF sealed with stretched Parafilm were used (about 70% of eggs developed into adults). The method of rearing P. citri with AF was labour‐saving and the feeding substrate (callus) had less tendency to become mouldy or decompose than when WOP and RS were used. Since such a diet is available for the insect all year round and callus can be produced in unlimited quantity, it could be possible to obtain a mass production of this moth.
Isolation and characterization of Lactobacillus strains involved in koumiss fermentation

Koumiss is a slightly alcoholic fermented milk beverage, originally obtained by using natural mix starters (lactic acid bacteria and yeast). Seven Lactobacillus strains from lyophilized koumiss were isolated and identified as L. salivarius, L. buchneri and L. plantarum. The process of lactic acid fermentation caused by koumiss strains was faster (9-13 h) than that with other lactobacilli. The conversion ratio of glucose to lactic acid ranged from 47% to 79% and was strain dependent. All strains were resistant to low pH. Three of the strains isolated were viable during prolonged cold storage in fermented milk (3 weeks at 4°C).
Relationship between frost tolerance and cold-induced resistance of spring barley, meadow fescue and winter oilseed rape to fungal pathogens

Plants exposed to one stress factor may become more tolerant to another. Cold is the most often documented factor inducing plant resistance to pathogens. The aim of this work was to investigate whether resistance of spring barley and meadow fescue to Bipolaris sorokiniana and resistance of winter oilseed rape to Phoma lingam induced at 5 °C for 2, 4 or 6 weeks are associated with frost tolerance, water potential and soluble carbohydrate content. Cold-acclimated plants of each species showed increased resistance to the studied pathogens. Barley, fescue and rape plants demonstrated higher frost tolerance after hardening, but only in the case of fescue a correlation between resistance to frost and resistance to B. sorokiniana was found. A significant decrease in the water potential of leaf cells was observed in cold-acclimated barley and fescue. In these two species, water potential greatly affected resistance to B. sorokiniana. However, only in barley did accumulation of fructose, glucose and sucrose correlate as well with changes in water potential as with cold-induced resistance to the pathogen. In the case of hardened rape, no correlation between the studied parameters was found. The results obtained indicated that the temperature of 5 °C used during cold acclimation was not favourable for hardening of this plant species.
Current knowledge of Coleoptera (Insecta) from the Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber and taxonomical notes for some Mesozoic groups

This paper overviews more than 39 families of fossil Coleoptera from Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber from nine outcrops. Lebanese amber contains the oldest representatives of the families Scydmaenidae (considered by some as a subfamily of Staphylinidae), Ptiliidae, Elodophalmidae, Clambidae, Throscidae, Lebanophytidae fam. n. , Ptilodactylidae, Cantharidae, Melyridae, Dasytidae, Dermestidae, Ptinidae, Kateretidae, Erotylidae, Latridiidae, Laemophloeidae, Salpingidae, Anthicidae, Melandryidae, Aderidae, Curculionidae (Scolytinae). The families Chelonariidae and Scraptiidae are known from both Lebanese amber and Baissa, with both sites having a comparable age. The subfamilies Trechinae (Carabidae), Euaesthetinae (Staphylinidae) and Liparochrinae (Hybosoridae) first appear in the fossil record in Lebanese amber. The Coleoptera in Lebanese amber mostly belong to groups with arboreal habits (as found today in wood and tree fungi). Eochelonarium belle gen. et sp. n. , Rhizophtoma synchrotronica sp. n. , Rhizobactron marinae gen et sp. n. and Atetrameropsis subglobosa gen. et sp. n. are described from Lebanese amber. A new subfamily in the family Cerophytidae is proposed for Aphytocerus communis Zherichin, 1977 (Aphytocerinae subfam. n.) and new genus Baissopsis gen.nov. is erected for Baissophytum amplus Chang, Kirejtshuk et Ren, 2011. Also a new interpretation of the taxon “Lasiosynidae” is provided by placing it as a subfamily in the family Eulichadidae with two genera ( Lasiosyne Tan, Ren et Shih, 2007 and Bupredactyla Kirejtshuk, Chang, Ren et Shih, 2010), while the other genera initially regarded as “Lasiosynidae” were tentatively transferred into Eulichadinae sensu n. ( Mesodascilla Martynov, 1926; Tarsomegamerus Zhang, 2005; Brachysyne Tan et Ren, 2009; Anacapitis Yan, 2009; Parelateriformius Yan et Wang, 2010 and Cretasyne Yan, Wang et Zhang, 2013) with the new synonymy of Tarsomegamerus and Parelateriformius syn. n. The genus Mesaplus Hong, 1983 described in the family Triaplidae is also transvered to Eulichadinae. The genera Artematopodites Ponomarenko, 1990; Dzeregia Ponomarenko, 1985 and Glaphyropteroides Handlirsch, 1906 proposed for species known only by separate elytra and recently included in the “family” Lasiosynidae (Yan et al., 2013) are regarded as Elateriformia incertae sedis . The first insect from the newly discovered outcrops of Nabaa Es-Sukkar – Brissa: Caza (District) Sir Ed-Danniyeh, Mouhafazet (Governorate) Loubnan Esh-Shimali (North Lebanon) is described and the first general description of this outcrop is made.