Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Equipping a Combine Harvester with Turbine Technology Increases the Recovery of Residual Biomass from Cereal Crops via the Collection of Chaff

In cereal crops, chaff is a valuable lignocellulosic by-product that accounts for more than 50 Mt y−1 in Europe and is suitable for bioenergy purposes. Chaff is usually not collected due to the lack of combine harvesters that have the capability to handle it properly. The present two years experimental study investigated the hypothesis that the overall biomass collected in wheat crop can be increased by equipping the combine harvester with an aftermarket device. Chaff, discharged from the combine harvester-cleaning system, is collected by the turbine that delivers it either on the swath or on a lateral trailer towed by a tractor. The performance of all machines involved in the harvesting (combine harvester, tractor, baler, and trailer) were assessed. The chaff was collected in bales with the straw (A mode) and separately on a trailer (C mode). Comparisons with non-collected treatment (B mode) were performed in order to estimate the total chaff collected and the biomass losses. The results showed that 1.79 t FM ha−1 per year of chaff could be collected when baled with the straw, whereas 1.27 t FM ha−1 were collected separately on a trailer. Both field and material capacity were not negatively affected by the chaff collection. Therefore, our study confirmed the hypothesis that turbine technology is a valid solution for increasing the total residual biomass collected in cereal cropping for energy purposes.
Wideband Direction of Arrival Estimation with Sparse Linear Arrays

This paper concerns wideband direction of arrival (DoA) estimation with sparse linear arrays (SLAs). We rely on the assumption that the power spectrum of the wideband sources is the same up to a scaling factor, which could in theory allow us to resolve not only more sources than the number of antennas but also more sources than the number of degrees of freedom (DoF) of the difference co-array of the SLA. We resort to the Jacobi-Anger approximation to transform the coarray response matrices of all frequency bins into a single virtual uniform linear array (ULA) response matrix. Based on the obtained model, two super-resolution DoA estimation approaches based on atomic norm minimization (ANM) are proposed, one with and one without prior knowledge of the power spectrum. Simulation results show that our proposed methods outperform the state of the art and are indeed capable of resolving more sources than the number of DoF of the difference co-array.
Thyroid hormone levels and Thyroid Hormone Levels and Ultrasonographic Changes in the Thyroid Gland of Patients on Long-Term Lithium Treatment for Affective Disorders: A Controlled Study

Background: Although lithium is known to cause thyroid dysfunction and increased thyroid gland volume, clinical examination and biochemical assessment are fundamental to thyroid workup of patients on lithium treatment. We aimed to determine thyroid gland volume and the Thyroid hormone levels of patients who have been receiving lithium treatment for affective disorders in comparison to voluntary healthy controls. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, hospital-based observational study which was performed in 43 patients on long-term lithium treatment for bipolar disorder, major depressive and schizoaffective disorders. Patients with documented continuous and adequate serum lithium levels for more than or equal to 6 months recruited consecutively underwent the ultrasonographic examination of the thyroid gland. Ultrasonographic examinations were also done in all gender- and age-matched healthy controls. All cases and controls underwent biochemical thyroid function tests. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in gender (P = 0.198; Chi-square = 1.654) of cases and controls. Most of the cases were married, maximum number of them unemployed and belonged to the lower socioeconomic status. Total thyroid volume was significantly greater in the lithium-treated group than the controls (9.40 ± 1.41 vs. 4.79 ± 0.45). Clinical inspection and palpation only detected goiter in six (n = 6, 13.95%) of patients on lithium and none among controls. The mean triiodothyronine, mean thyroxine, and mean scores for thyroid-stimulating hormone were significantly increased in patients receiving lithium therapy as compared to controls. Conclusion: It would seem wise from a clinical point of view to include ultrasonographic examination of the thyroid gland as part of the standard thyroid workup before initiating lithium treatment.
Ascites syndrome in broiler chicken: Observations on certain biochemical and pathological changes

The pathogenic effects of ascites syndrome in the fast-growing broiler chicken Were determined by brochemical and pathomorphological studies, Affected birds showed signitcant fall in plasma proteins, serum sodium, calcium. alkaline phosphatase. and increase uf plasma lipids and serum inorganic phosphorus. Pathological lesions conisted of large accumulations of fluid in H peritoneal cavitie, serous, atrophy of pericardium, massive oedema, vascular congestion, haemorrhages in liver, lungs, heart and kidneys. In addition, vacuolar degeneration in liver and kidneys, thrombus formation with organization in lungs,and lesions of right ventricular hypertrophy with cardiac dibtation were also observed. The relationship of biochemical and pathological changes 10 ascites, in broilers were discussed.
The Indo–Eurasia convergent margin and earthquakes in and around Tibetan Plateau

After a brief review on tectonic settings of the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau, we survey the literature on characteristics of earthquakes occurring in Tibetan Plateau and the surrounding regions. Shallow events (focal depths <50 km) show remarkable correlation with surface fault systems in both spatial locations and focal mechanisms. Some shallow events appear to be triggered by remote earthquakes and seasonal variations of ground water storage, suggesting stress levels nearing critical threshold. Intermediate – depth earthquakes (IDEQs; i.e., earthquakes with focal depths between 50 and 300 km) are concentrated beneath southern Tibet, the Hindu Kush – Pamir region, and the Burmese subductions zones. Underneath southern Tibet, the subducted Indian plate extends northward to at least the Bangong – Nujiang suture zone, with IDEQs occurring in the lower crust and the adjacent upper mantle. Possible mechanisms for IDEQs are also reviewed.
Initial development of vegetable crops cultivated in soils with 2,4-d + picloram resídues

A olericultura sempre teve papel importante na producao de alimentos no Brasil. Essa atividade tem um forte aspecto social, pois as atividades realizadas para seu cultivo necessitam de mao-deobra em todas as fases do processo produtivo. Com o aumento da producao de olericolas, surgiram fatores que influenciaram negativamente no seu cultivo, como o aparecimento de pragas e doencas e a contaminacao do substrato com residuos solidos e liquidos. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o comportamento de olericolas (pepino, alface e tomate) cultivadas em solos com aplicacao da formulacao de herbicida 2,4-D + Picloram nas subdoses de 0,04; 0,08; 0,24; 0,48 e 0,96 L ha -1 e comparadas com a testemunha (solo sem contaminar). O delineamento experimental adotado foi o inteiramente casualizado. Avaliou-se a emergencia de plântulas, a altura destas e a fitointoxicacao promovida pelo cultivo em solo previamente contaminado. Concluiu-se que solos contaminados com 2,4-D + Picloram provocaram reducao na emergencia e altura das plantas e o aumento na fitotoxicidade em doses acima de 0,04 L ha -1 .
A Comparison of Selected Biochemical and Physical Characteristics and Yielding of Fruits in Apple Cultivars (Malus domestica Borkh.)

The aim of the research was to determine selected biochemical and physical characteristics and yielding of fruits in apple varieties (Malus domestica Borkh) such as Gala Schniga, Beni Shogun (Fuji) and Ligol, M.9 rootstock growing in the Wielkopolska region, Poland. high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed differences both in the profile and contents of soluble sugars and other metabolites detected in fruits of the tested apple varieties. The highest total saccharide content was found in fruits of cv. Gala Schniga, while leaves and shoots of this variety showed the lowest contents. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy revealed the lowest contents of semiquinone radicals in apple fruits and the highest in leaves of apple trees. All organs of Schniga Gala apple trees were characterized by the highest levels of these radicals. Besides, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of abscisic acid (ABA) revealed the highest levels of this molecule in shoots of apple trees, especially the Beni Shogun variety, while in fruits the levels were the lowest. Ligol fruits had the highest content of ABA. The percentage of injury observed after a low-temperature treatment and estimated on the basis of electrolyte leakage, was shown to be the lowest in fruits of the Beni Shogun variety. In turn, the lowest average yield of apple fruits was recorded for the Ligol and Fuji varieties, with the highest in the case of the Gala Schniga variety. At the same time, a significant variability in the average weight of fruits was observed; the highest average mass of fruits was recorded for the Ligol variety, while it was lowest for Gala Schniga. Additionally, firmness evaluation of the fruits revealed that the firmest fruits were harvested from Gala apple trees, before the Beni Shogun and Ligol varieties. A significant variability was recorded in the red blush on fruit surfaces of the tested varieties, with Ligol fruits having the weakest blush. Altogether, these results indicate that fruits of the analyzed apple varieties differed both in terms of their biochemical composition and physical characteristics.
Added value of 2D shear wave imaging of the gallbladder bed of the liver for acute cholecystitis

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether shear wave elastography (SWE) and the shear wave dispersion slope (SWD) obtained from 2-dimensional shear wave imaging (2D-SWI) of the gallbladder (GB) bed of the liver could be helpful in the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. Methods We included 44 patients referred for abdominal ultrasonography (US) under the impression of acute cholecystitis from April 2018 to March 2019. Patients with chronic liver disease were excluded from this study. In addition to routine upper abdominal US, we performed 2D-SWI including liver stiffness measurements by SWE and SWD, which reflects tissue viscosity. 2D-SWI was performed at the GB bed of the liver through the right intercostal approach at least 3 times with different frames. We assessed typical US findings and the added value of 2D-SWI in diagnosing acute cholecystitis. Histopathologic results of surgical specimens were used as the standard of reference. If a surgical specimen was unavailable, a bile fluid test or clinical follow-up for more than 3 months served as the reference standard. Results The optimal cutoff values for SWE and SWD were 8 kPa and 10.9 (m/sec)/kHz, respectively. In the univariate analysis, SWE, GB distension, and sludge were predictive factors of acute cholecystitis. In the multivariate analysis, categorized SWE was the only significant predictor (P<0.01). By using 2D-SWI, the diagnostic performance of two readers did not significantly increase, although the inter-reader agreement improved (k=0.654-0.778). Conclusion 2D-SWI of the GB bed of the liver could be helpful for diagnosing acute cholecystitis.
EFFECT OF ASCORBIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION TO THE DIETS OF INDIGENOUS VENDA HENS ON PRODUCTIVITY OF THEIR PROGENIES AGED 8 TO 13 WEEKS

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of ascorbic acid supplementation level to the diets of indigenous Venda hens on egg production, hatchability and subsequent productivity of the chicks. The first part of the study determined the effect of ascorbic acid supplementation level to the diets of Venda hens on feed intake, egg production, egg weight, hatchability and chick hatch-weight. A complete randomized design was used. The second part of the study determined the effect of ascorbic acid supplementation level to the diets of Venda hens on performance of the chicks between 8 and 13 weeks of age. A total of 150 male and female chickens that hatched from the first part of the study were used according to the treatments and replicates from which they hatched. A 2 (males and females) X 5 (dietary ascorbic acid levels for the hens) factorial arrangement in a complete randomized design was used. Ascorbic acid requirements of indigenous Venda hens for optimal productivity were variable and depended on the production parameter in question. These results have a lot of implication on ration formation for indigenous Venda hens.
Cooperative Control of Drive Motor and Clutch for Gear Shift of Hybrid Electric Vehicles With Dual-Clutch Transmission

This article deals with the cooperative control of drive motor and clutches for the gear shift of a parallel hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) with a dual-clutch transmission (DCT). An HEV with DCT powertrain requires the sophisticated control of two clutch actuators and power sources to achieve outstanding gear shift performances. In this article, a new shift control strategy based on the feedback of both speed and torque states is implemented to improve the shift quality. Different from previous approaches, the proposed control uses the dynamic torque observer to accurately track the desired transient torque during the inertia phase. Since a drive motor is installed in the HEV's driveline, the transient torque through the driveline can be effectively controlled by using the fast dynamic characteristics of the drive motor. A major difficulty arising from the shift control of DCT is the interactions between the speed and torque control loops. To treat the coupling effects effectively even in the presence of model uncertainties and disturbances, a robust multivariable control scheme using H-infinity loop shaping is suggested, especially for the inertia phase control. The performance of the final-observer-based controller is demonstrated through real-time experiments. A comparative study with the conventional control approach is also conducted, and detailed discussions of the results are provided.
Effect of integrated nutrient management on productivity, profitability, nutrient uptake and soil fertility in rainfed maize (Zea mays)

A field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Sub Station, Aklera, Jhalawar (Rajasthan) in two consecutive rainy (kharif) seasons of 2008 and 2009 to evaluate the effect of integrated nutrient management on productivity, profitability, nutrient uptake and soil fertility in maize (Zea mays L.). Application of 150% RDF (N60 P22.5) produced significantly higher plant height (207.3 cm), dry matter (149.1 g/plant), number of cobs/plant (1.4), number of grains/cob (209), grain (3.22 t/ha) and biological (8.23 t/ha) yield, net return ( 19,251/ha) and B: C ratio (1.90), N, P and Zn uptake compared to control. However, RDF + FYM 10 t/ha produced higher plant height, dry matter, number of cobs/plant, number of grains/cob, grain, biological yield and Zn uptake and RDF + Zn in net return, B: C ratio and Zn uptake. Significant built up of organic carbon (0.74%), available N (316.0 kg/ha) and available P (10.8 kg/ha) was registered with RDF + FYM 10 t/ha. Maximum P balance (3.3 kg/ha) was recorded under application of FYM 10 t/ha alone and Zn content (0.45 mg/kg) was recorded under RDF + Zn.
Ecological Niches and Diversity Maintenance

Why do some places have much higher diversity than others? Explaining patterns of species diversity on the earth is a problem of long-standing for ecologists. Numerous diversity patterns have been documented [1], but the mechanisms behind these patterns remain poorly understood. If we knew the mechanisms, surer decisions in conservation and management would be possible. Understanding can be sought in many different ways. A dominant approach in community ecology is to search for explanations through the study of species interactions [2, 3]. This approach is motivated by the competitive exclusion principle, which suggests that there are limits to how similar species can be in their ecology while coexisting with one another in a stable way [2-6]. However, the competitive exclusion principle is challenged by the existence of many highly diverse communities of seemingly similar species. A response to this challenge is neutral theory, which postulates that many coexisting species are ecologically identical in respects that matter, and do not coexist stably. Instead, they undergo random walks to extinction, with diversity replenished by speciation, and immigration of species from other areas [7]. The neutral theory has been successful in predicting some diversity patterns in nature [8], but fails in other areas [9-12], and is limited in the nature of the predictions that it can produce [13]. Other responses to the diversity challenge take the competitive exclusion principle seriously, although with a broad definition of stability [5]. These responses seek to understand the various ways that species differ from one another, how these differences structure species interactions and ultimately contribute to diversity maintenance in terms of species coexistence mechanisms [3, 5, 14, 15]. Traditional approaches focus on the differences between similar species in the ways they exploit resources, with some attention to the role of natural enemies in mediating or modifying interactions. New developments emphasize that the relationships that species have with their natural enemies are potentially just as important for diversity maintenance as their relationships with resources, and can have very similar outcomes [16]. Other directions focus on structuring and variation in the physical environment, emphasizing that the abilities of similar species to coexist with one another may have much to do with physical environmental structure [15, 17-19]. Testing diversity maintenance hypotheses in nature is a vexing challenge [3]. Data are often limited and manipulating systems experimentally for testing diversity maintenance questions poses serious difficulties. Moreover, devising definitive tests of mechanisms has been problematic [20, 21]. However, work on coexistence mechanisms in variable
Sex-specific genetic parameters for field recorded birth weight of beef calves.

INTRODUCTION Birth weight of beef calves is included in the genetic evaluation of Swedish beef breeds as an auxiliary trait to avoid an increase of calving difficulties. Birth weight of bull calves is 4-7% higher than that of heifer calves of the Charolais, Hereford and Simmental breeds (Swedish Dairy Association 2000). This phenotypic difference between males and females increase with the age of the animals. Stålhammar and Philipsson (1997) concluded that male and female preweaning gain for these breeds in Sweden should be regarded as genetically different traits, as correlations between males and females were found in the range of 0.6-0.9 and 0.4-0.6 for direct and maternal effects, respectively. These results were supported by a more recent study by Eriksson et al. (2001). The genetic differences between male and female growth traits observed later in life raised the question whether genetic differences in weight between the genders exist already at birth.
Antibacterial screening for five local medicinal plants against nosocomial pathogens: Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus epidermidis

Introduction: The continuous increasing in the emergence of antibiotic-resistance in pathogenic bacteria has led to the development of new alternatives that are active against the pathogens. In Iraq, many plant components have been extensive attention as alternative medicine. Materials and Methods: Punica granatum, Mentha pulegium, Allium cepa, Allium sativum and Piper nigrum are five Iraqi medicinal plants were studied in this study. The plant samples were extracted in by three types of solvents, ethanol, methanol and hot boiled water. The plant extracts were examined as antibacterial agents against both Staphylococcus epidermidis and Klebsiella pneumoniae in four concentrations (50, 100, 150, 200 mg/ml) by using the agar-well diffusion method. Results: All assayed plant extracts have antibacterial activity in different concentrations and this activity was varied depending on some factors: the species of bacteria, the type of plant, the type of solvent and the concentration of extract. Depending on the species of bacteria, Gram negative bacteria has higher sensitivity than Gram positive against most studied plant extracts. The type of solvent has a clear effectiveness on the antibacterial activity, the ethanolic extract has the highest antibacterial activity of most studied plants, while the aqueous extract has the lowest activity. On the other hand, the increasing of extract concentration has been associated with increasing of the diameter of inhibition zone. Depending on the type of extracted plant, the maximum diameter of inhibition zone was yielded from Punica granatum extract regardless with the type of the solvent.
On $p$-adic harmonic Maass functions

Modular and mock modular forms possess many striking p-adic properties, as studied by Bringmann, Guerzhoy, Kane, Kent, Ono, and others. Candelori developed a geometric theory of harmonic Maass forms arising from the de Rham cohomology. In the setting of over-convergent p-adic modular forms, Candellori and Castella showed this leads to p-adic analogs of harmonic Maass forms. In this paper we take an analytic approach to construct p-adic analogs of harmonic Maass forms of weight 0 with square free level. Although our approaches differ, the two theories intersect. In these cases the forms constructed are the same, except that our analytic construction gives an extension to the full modular curve, including the super singular locus. As with classical harmonici Maass forms, these p-analogs are connected to weight 2 cusp forms and their modular derivatives are weight 2 weakly holomorphic modular forms. Traces of their CM values also interpolate the coefficients of half integer weight modular and mock modular forms. We demonstrate this through the construction of p-adic analogs of two families of theta lifts for these forms.
Metabolic Profiling of Varronia curassavica Jacq. Terpenoids by Flow Modulated Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry

In this study, a metabolomic approach was used to investigate the effect of seasonality on the chemical composition and yield of anti-inflammatory active principle, α-humulene, in the essential oil of three genotypes of Varronia curassavica Jacq. (Syn. Cordia verbenaceae). The essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC×GC-MS). The GC×GC approach a three-fold improvement in qualitative analysis (48 compounds were identified by GC-MS versus 135 by GC×GC-MS). The improved resolving power of GC×GC resolved important coelutions and enabled the detection of unusual substances in V. curassavica essential oil. The chromatographic data was analyzed by using peak table-based chemometrics, namely, principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). The metabolic study showed that seasonality has a significant effect on the chemical composition. The α-humulene content was affected by genotype and season. Spring and summer were the best harvest seasons for the yield of the active ingredient, found in higher concentrations in the VC2 genotype. The proposed metabolomic workflow was successfully applied to terpene analysis found in V. curassavica essential oil, and such results have broadened our understanding of the influence of seasonal factors on the specialized metabolism of the species.