Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intentions to Urban Migration among Youth: A Case of District Khushab of Pakistan

The role of migrants on economic downfall in the case of developing countries has been recognized by the researchers and the policymakers. As it becomes difficult for the policymakers and the local government to manage and organize economic activities with the new arrival of migrants from rural to urban areas. The problem of congestion, health and residence issues, are also caused by migration. So this study investigates the impact of socio-economic and demographic indicators on migration intention among the youth of district Khushab. The results obtained from this study show that there are some economic and non-economic pull and push factors that aspire the young generation to migrate from rural to urban and urban to urban areas. Positive association of migration intention with income, assets, age, and education, already migrated members of households and already migrated friends or relatives have been observed. While there is a negative association of land, satisfaction from education facilities, satisfaction from job facilities, satisfaction from transport facilities with migration intentions. Marital status shows that a married person is less likely to migrate due to family obligations. Due to underlying problems caused by migration the study suggested that equal distribution of resources should be materialized. Special attention should be given on the provision of health, education, job, and transportation facilities in rural areas to alter migration intention among youth.
Dermatoglifia: as impressões digitais como marca característica dos atletas de futsal feminino de alto rendimento do Brasil

O presente estudo teve por objetivo analisar as impressoes digitais de atletas femininas de futsal de alto rendimento do Brasil. A amostra compreendeu 152 individuos do genero feminino, divididos em dois grupos. O Grupo A foi composto por 76 atletas profissionais brasileiras de futsal feminino, selecionadas por conveniencia, e o Grupo B foi composto por 76 individuos nao atletas de controle e constituido de maneira aleatoria, observando-se genero e idade. Os resultados encontrados demonstram que na comparacao das variaveis numericas, a quantidade de linhas dos desenhos das impressoes digitais e significativamente maior nos individuos do Grupo A nos respectivos dedos: Dedo indicador da Mao Esquerda (MESQL2), Dedo Medio da Mao Esquerda (MESQL3), Dedo Indicador da Mao Direita (MDSQL2), Dedo Anular da Mao Direita (MDSQL4), alem do Somatorio da Quantidade Total de Linhas da Mao Direita (SQTLE) e Somatorio da Quantidade Total de Linhas (SQTL). Quando observadas as variaveis qualitativas, ou seja, o tipo de figura, observaram-se diferencas significativas entre os grupos, visto que o Grupo A apresentou maior quantidade de Verticilo (W) no dedo indicador da Mao Esquerda (MET2) e no dedo Minimo da Mao Direita (MDT5) e maior quantidade de Presilha Radial (LR) no dedo Indicador da Mao Direita (MDT2). Os resultados encontrados neste estudo demonstraram que o perfil dermatoglifico das atletas de futsal feminino de alto rendimento difere significativamente do perfil da populacao nao atleta. ABSTRACT Dermatoglyphics: fingerprints as a characteristic mark of brazilian high-performance female futsal players This study aimed at analyzing the fingerprints of Brazilian high-performance female futsal players. The sample was composed of 152 female individuals, divided into two groups. Group A was composed of 76 Brazilian professional female futsal players, selected for convenience, and Group B was composed of 76 non-athletes for control and was randomly constituted, observing gender and age. The results show that in the comparison with the numeric variables, the quantity of ridges in the patterns of the fingerprints is significantly greater in Group A in the following fingers: Left Index Finger (MESQL2), Left Middle Finger (MESQL3), Right Index Finger (MDSQL2), Right Ring Finger (MDSQL4), besides the Total Ridge Count of the Right Hand (SQTLE) and Total Ridge Count (SQTL). When the qualitative variables were observed, in other words, the kind of pattern, significant differences were noticed between the groups, because Group A had more Whorls (W) in the Left Index Finger (MET2) and Right Little Finger (MDT5), and more Radial Loops (LR) in the Right Index Finger (MDT2). The results found in this study showed that the dermatoglyphic profile of female high-performance futsal players differs from the non-athlete population’s profile.
Activity-based automatic ROI generation (AARG) analysis of dendritic spine calcium transients reveals distance-dependent activity of voltage-gated calcium channels

Imaging synaptic activity in the form of calcium transients occurring in dendritic spines is advancing our understanding of nerve cell function beyond what can be achieved using electrophysiological methods alone. I have developed an analytical approach (which I name Activity-based Automatic Region of interest Generation (AARG) analysis) that facilitates the analysis of synaptic events simultaneously imaged across many dendritic spines. The approach automatically assigns regions of interest (ROIs) based on patterns of compartmentalized calcium transients in spines and generally emphasizes automation such that minimal user input is required. I demonstrate two ways in which this analysis can be applied to relevant questions in neuroscience. First, neurons are exposed to a recombinant neurotrophic compound – brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) – and then spontaneous spine calcium transients (SSCTs) are collected by washing magnesium out of the bath solution. Imaging SSCTs is required by AARG to automatically assign ROIs. With this approach, the effect of BDNF (or other compounds known to act on dendritic spines) can be analysed. Second, I have assessed the contribution of different voltage-gated calcium channels to SSCTs with a range of pharmacological agents. I find that specific blockers for channels mediating R-type and T-type currents contribute differently to SSCT depending upon distance of the current branch from the soma. These findings fit into an emerging picture of ion channel expression across the dendritic tree that appears well suited to support non-linear membrane potential fluctuations in dendrites. In addition to these imaging studies I have attempted to induce potentiation between pairs of synaptically connected neurons in dissociated hippocampal neurons. I was not able to induce stable potentiation under these conditions. Given the favourable experimental design I implemented (e.g. using perforated patch-clamp experiments) and based on a sound understanding of the relevant literature, signs of stable potentiation should have been more apparent. After thorough re-appraisal of the literature, I conclude that stable potentiation may require a more substantial input cooperativity than I initially envisaged.
Periodontitis: An Inevitable Destruction

All over the world, periodontal diseases are still prevalent and negatively affecting the quality of life of young and adult population. Chronic periodontitis is an inflammatory polymicrobial disease characterized by episodic progressive destruction of gingivae, periodontal ligament and bone. The inflamed cells of the periodontal structure undergo senescence (irreversible cell cycle arrest), chromatin condensation, telomere shortening followed by apoptosis of the cells of periodontium (alveolar bone periodontal ligament and overlying gingiva). The consequences of apoptosis are manifested by gingival recession, bone loss and exposure of tooth root. In severe case, tooth loss is inevitable. In this mini-review, we discuss briefly the role of apoptosis in the destruction of tooth periodontal structure.
RealVAD: A Real-World Dataset and A Method for Voice Activity Detection by Body Motion Analysis

We present an automatic voice activity detection (VAD) method that is solely based on visual cues. Unlike traditional approaches processing audio, we show that upper body motion analysis is desirable for the VAD task. The proposed method consists of components for body motion representation, feature extraction from a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) architecture and unsupervised domain adaptation. The body motion representations as images are used by the feature extraction component, which is generic and person-invariant, thus, can be applied to a subject who has never been seen. The endmost component handles the domain-shift problem, which appears due to the fact that the way people move/ gesticulate while speaking might vary from subject to subject, which results in disparate body motion features and consequently poorer VAD performance. The experimental analyses applied on a publicly available real-world VAD dataset show that the proposed method performs better than the state-of-the-art video-only and multimodal VAD approaches. Moreover, the proposed method has a better generalization ability as VAD results are more consistent across different subjects. As another major contribution, we present a new multimodal dataset (called RealVAD), created from a real-world (no role-plays) panel discussion. This dataset contains many actual situations/ challenges that are missing in the previous VAD datasets. We benchmarked the RealVAD dataset by applying the proposed method as well as cross-dataset analyses. Particularly, the results of cross-dataset experiments highlight the remarkable positive contribution of the unsupervised domain adaptation applied.
Molecular Profiling of Cotton Genotypes for Fibre Properties Using Diagnostic Set of Microsatellite (SSR) Markers

Cotton ( Gossypium spp .) the white gold is the world’s leading natural textile fibre and also known as "King of fibres” is one of the best gifts that nature bestowed on mankind. The objective of the present investigation was to identify the diagnostic set of microsatellite (SSR) markers for the estimation of genetic diversity and varietal identification based on genetic distances. The molecular profiling of 15 cotton genotypes were carried out by using 104 simple sequences repeats (SSRs) primers (99.26% polymorphism for fibre length and 98.07% polymorphism for fibre strength). The on an average values of polymorphic information content (PIC) were, 0.210 and 0.345, respectively for fibre length and fibre strength. Fifty primers were found polymorphic among 104 SSRs primers. The 27 SSRs primers shown 100 per cent polymorphism for the fibre length. Similarly, 23 primers were shown 100 per cent polymorphism for fibre strength. A dendrograms for fibre properties (fibre length and strength) were constructed based on the S AB values by adopting the sequential agglomerative hierarchical non-overlapping clustering technique of unweighted Pair Groups Method of Arithmetic Mean comprising 6 main groups for the fiber length and 5 clusters groups for the fiber strength. The study revealed that parents AKH 84635, AKH 10-2 and SURAJ for fibre length and parents AKH 84635, AKH 09-5 and SURAJ for fibre strength were grouped in individual cluster and found to be most diverse and genetically dissimilar parents with broad genetic base for the above fibre properties. The identified polymorphic markers could be used in the marker assisted breeding programme for the development of cotton hybrids having high fibre length and strength through the incorporation of genetically diverse parents.
Dispersal traits in the hyper-arid hot desert of the United Arab Emirates

Background and aims – This study describes the dispersal traits of 302 species in five Afro-Arabian habitats from the hyper-arid hot desert of United Arabian Emirates (UAE). Methods – Diaspore size (diaspora length) was studied in relation to growth forms, dispersal modes, presence of structures for long distance dispersal, APG IV groups, phytogeography and dispersal phenology using ANOVA and Pearson χ2 test-statistical analyses.Results – Small diaspores were predominant (six orders of magnitude from 10-4 to 102). The major diaspores were found in Fabids phylogenetic APG IV group (1.80±0.41 cm) mainly trees and the minor in Commelinids (0.30±0.08 cm). The most dominant dispersal mode was semachory (43.7% of the total and 67.5% of the herbaceous species), followed by anemo-meteochory (28.8%) and barochory (23.8%). Semachores/barochores (67.5%) formed the largest groups from the Fabaceae, Poaceae, Boraginaceae, Brassicaceae and Amaranthaceae families. Savanna trees such as Acacia, Prosopis, Ziziphus sp. and Indigofera sp. produced large diaspores secondarily dispersed by vertebrates. Anemo-meteochoric species with small diaspores were predominantly semi-shrubs such as Haloxylon sp. Graminoids such as Stipa sp. and Stipagrostis sp. , without structures for long-distance dispersal had diaspore appendages acted as “active drills” in soil cracks. Dryness (dry season) favours the efficient dispersion by the wind for the small shrub species with haired capsule (e.g. Aerva javanica), winged calyx (e.g. Astragalus squarrosus) or wings (e.g. Tribulus qatarensis). Most of the species studied (64.2%) dispersed in the dry season according to what was found in other arid region from the world. The longer dispersal phenology corresponded to Saharo-Arabian and Sudano-Decanian species which is related to the floristic richness of the study area. Species dispersal throughout the year indicates an important seed resource e.g. barochoric species with fleshy fruits or pods with nutrient structures (e.g. Senna italica and Indigofera sp.). Conclusions – In the hyper-arid hot desert of UAE, the dispersal spectra are close to those recorded in other arid environments but with particularities due to the presence of African floristic elements.
Eco‐evolutionary dynamics of sexual selection and sexual conflict

The research framework of eco-evolutionary dynamics is increasing in popularity, as revealed by a steady stream of review articles and a recent and influential book, but primary empirical research is lagging behind. Moreover, the few empirical case studies demonstrating eco-evolutionary dynamics might not be entirely representative. Much current research on eco-evolutionary dynamics is focused on how ecological interactions lead to natural selection on phenotypic traits (“eco-evo”), and in turn how the evolutionary change in such traits feed back on ecological dynamics (“evo-eco”). A key feature of eco-evolutionary dynamics is thus a feedback loop between ecology (e.g., population dynamics) and evolution (i.e., genetic change). In contrast to previous research on eco-evolutionary dynamics driven by natural selection, the role of eco-evolutionary feedbacks in sexual selection and sexual conflict is largely unknown. Here, I review theory and the limited empirical evidence in this area and identify some promising future lines of research. I update a past review on contemporary evolution of secondary sexual traits in natural populations and formulate six explicit and rigorous criteria for contemporary evolution of secondary sexual traits by natural or sexual selection or sexual conflict. I then discuss the other key prediction of eco-evolutionary dynamics (i.e., evolution by sexual selection or sexual conflict shapes ecological dynamics). My overview reveals that our current knowledge in this area is limited and mainly come from theoretical models and laboratory experiments. A major challenge in eco-evolutionary dynamics is therefore to link ecological and population dynamics with sexual selection and sexual conflict. This is not an easy task but might be possible with carefully chosen study systems and methods. A plain language summary is available for this article. (Less)
Groundnut production constraints, farming systems, and farmer-preferred traits in Tanzania

ABSTRACT Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.) production in Tanzania is affected by a multitude of biotic and abiotic stresses and socioeconomic constraints. The objective of this study was to document the groundnut farmers’ major production constraints, farming systems, and varietal trait preferences in selected agroecologies of Tanzania. A participatory rural appraisal study was conducted in three groundnut-producing zones: Lake, Central, and Southern. Data were collected from 170 groundnut farmers using a semistructured questionnaire, focus group discussions, and field observations. The production constraints were mainly diseases and pests, which were reported by 87.7% and 84.9% of respondents, respectively. Groundnut rust, caused by Puccinia arachidis Speg, was the major cause of yield reduction, as reported by 30% of the respondents. Drought stress and nonavailability of seed of improved varieties were other important constraints, as reported by 83.9% and 76.1% of the respondents, respectively. Groundnut agronomic attributes preferred by farmers were as follows: high yield (reported by 78.4% of respondents), disease resistance (71.2%), early maturity (66%), drought tolerance (63.0%), and pest resistance (63%). Medium-to-large grain size (reported by 62.6% of respondents) and tan and red seed color (59.2%) were the main farmer- and market-preferred groundnut seed quality traits. Groundnut variety development programs should therefore address the above constraints and farmer-preferred traits for sustainable groundnut production and productivity in Tanzania.
EXPECTED IMPACT OF SELECTION FOR MILK YIELD ON REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE TRAITS IN HOLSTEIN FRIESIAN COWS UNDER EGYPTIAN CONDITIONS

Estimation of genetic and phenotypic parameters of productive (305-day yields of milk, MY305; fat, FY305 and protein, PY305) and reproductive performance traits (days open, DO; calving interval, CI and number of inseminations per conception, NSC) were calculated on 3398 lactation records of 1054 Holstein Friesian cows, daughters of 94 bulls and 691 dams using multi-trait animal model with repeated records. Expected impact of direct selection for MY305, FY305 and PY305 on reproductive performance was calculated. Heritability estimates for productive traits varied from 0.08 to 0.26 and from 0.04 to 0.19 for reproductive traits. The productive traits were highly inter-correlated genetically (0.995 to 0.998) than the reproductive traits (0.241 to 0.786). Cows which producing abundant MY305, FY305 and PY305 tended to show less reproductive efficiency in terms of longer DO (rG = 0.942 to 0.947), longer CI (rG =0.587 to 0.673) and more NSC (rG =0.769 to 0.829). Direct selection, after one round of selection, for MY305, FY305 and PY305 is expected to result in cows with more advantageous productive performance in terms of higher MY305 (+180.22 to 323.27 kg), FY305 (+13.79 to 24.95 kg) and PY305 (+12.41 to 22.48 kg). This enhancement in productive performance is expected to be associated with deterioration in reproductive performance in terms of longer days open (+16.27 to 29.48 days), longer calving interval (+15.26 to 25.22 days) and higher number of inseminations per conception (+.08 to 0.16 services). It could be concluded that the undesirable relationship between productive and reproductive performance traits in Holstein Frisian cows must be taken into consideration when planning breeding programs in dairy cattle (e.g. improving productive traits by genetic selection and reproductive traits by enhancement management or by using restricted selection indices).
Mortality attributable to seasonal influenza in Greece, 2013-2017: variation by type and age, and a possible harvesting effect

BACKGROUND Estimating the contribution of influenza to excess mortality in the population presents substantial methodological challenges. We combined environmental, epidemiological and laboratory surveillance data to estimate influenza-attributable mortality in Greece, over four seasons (2013-2014 to 2017-2018), specifically addressing the lag dimension and the confounding effect of temperature. METHODS Associations of influenza type-specific incidence proxies and of daily mean temperature with mortality were estimated with a distributed-lag non-linear model with 30 days of maximum lag, separately for each age group. Total and weekly deaths attributable to influenza and cold temperatures were calculated. RESULTS Overall influenza-attributable mortality was 23.6 deaths per 100,000 population (95%CI: 17.8, 29.2), and varied greatly between seasons, by influenza type and by age group, with the vast majority occurring in persons 65 years or older. Most deaths were attributable to A/H3N2, followed by type B influenza. During periods of A/H1N1 circulation, weekly attributable mortality to this subtype among older people increased rapidly in the first half, but then fell to zero and even negative, suggesting a mortality displacement (harvesting) effect. Mortality attributable to non-optimum temperatures was much higher than that attributable to influenza. CONCLUSIONS Studies of influenza-attributable mortality need to take distributed-lag effects into account, stratify by age group and adjust for circulating influenza types and daily mean temperatures, in order to produce reliable estimates. Our approach is useful and readily applicable in the context of influenza surveillance.
An Analysis of the Impact of Women in Small Scale Fisheries on Poverty Reduction: A Case Study of Lake Chad Basin Area, Nigeria

The study is an attempt to analyze the impact of women in small scale fisheries on poverty reduction in Lake Chad Basin area, Borno State of Nigeria. Data for the study were collected through a structured questionnaire from 1st to the 30th of July 2017. The results showed that women fishers are lacking in support services that will enhance their role performance with literacy level close to 100% yet, their economic potentials cannot be underrated as they had immensely impacted on the household well-being. The result of the regression analysis indicates a significant relationship between socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and the roles performed in small scale fishing activities in the study area. It is recommended that government should make concerted effort in the improvement of the socio-economic characteristics of women in small scale fisheries in the study area in line with policies that will enhance their role performance in the sub-sector.
Defence responses in flag leaves and spikes of common wheat Triticum aestivum cultivars with contrasting levels of basal resistance to blast caused by Pyricularia oryzae

Wheat blast, caused by Pyricularia oryzae, can cause large yield losses in crops. This study aimed to investigate defence responses in flag leaves and spikes of wheat cultivars BR-18 (moderately resistant) and BRS-Guamirim (susceptible), which differ in their levels of basal resistance. In contrast to cultivar BRS-Guamirim, infected plants of cultivar BR-18 showed more pronounced increases in activities of b-1,3-glucanase and chitinase as well as higher concentrations of lignin-thioglycolic acid derivatives in the flag leaves and total soluble phenolics in the spikes. Polyphenoloxidase activity increased in both flag leaves and spikes in response to fungal infection, regardless of cultivar. Phenylalanine ammonialyase (PAL) activity increased in infected flag leaves of both cultivars, especially in BR-18. PAL activity was lower in spikes of infected compared to noninfected plants of both cultivars, although to a lesser extent in BR-18. Compared to BRS-Guamirim, the antioxidative system in both flag leaves and spikes of BR-18 was more efficient in removing reactive oxygen species, reducing cellular damage caused by fungal infection. The lower catalase and peroxidase activities, associated with high superoxide dismutase activity, in flag leaves and spikes of infected BR-18 culminated in a high hydrogen peroxide concentration. The increase in ascorbate peroxidase activity was higher in both flag leaves and spikes of infected plants of BR-18 than in infected BRS-Guamirim. It was concluded that wheat resistance to blast depended on the basal level of resistance of the cultivar, which was mainly associated with the activities of defence enzymes and a more effective antioxidative system.