Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial and temporal distribution of harpacticoid copepods in Mondego estuary

Seasonal and spatial variations in the composition and relative contribution of the harpacticoid species in the Mondego estuary (western Portugal) were studied based on a monthly sampling along a salinity gradient. These benthic harpacticoids were collected in the water column by means of a 63-µm plankton net. The influence of hydrological parameters (temperature, salinity, oxygen dissolved concentration, pH, turbidity, chlorophyll-a, total suspended solids and nutrient concentrations) was analysed by means of a redundancy data analysis. In addition, this is the first study to provide a checklist of benthic harpacticoids from this estuary. In total, 13 species plus six species not yet identified but known to belong to the genus Canuella, Microsetella, Ectinosoma, Mesochra, Harpacticus and Parapseudoleptomesochra were identified. Copepodites and adults of Euterpina acutifrons and Paronychocamptus nanus were most abundant in this harpacticoid community. While P. nanus dominated in winter and spring at upstream stations, E. acutifrons dominated more downstream. Although this species occurred along the whole salinity gradient, its highest abundances were found in the north arm of the estuary, except in autumn. This distribution may be due to the adaptability of E. acutifrons to different environments and the intermediate position between marine and estuarine conditions assigned to this species. Paraleptastacus cfr. spinicauda showed a relative occurrence of 5–10% in all stations, except at the mouth of the estuary (M). Tachidius discipes was found in low densities in Mondego estuary in spite of the large numbers of copepodites of this species in the southern arm, characterized by a high level of total suspended solids. The northern arm of the estuary was characterized by a higher numerical occurrence of harpacticoid organisms throughout the study years, with the higher densities towards the freshwater part (upstream areas). Canuella sp. , Ectinosoma sp. (copepodite), Ectinosoma melaniceps, Leptocaris brevicornis, Phyllognathopus viguieri, Microsetella norvegica (copepodite) and Macrosetella gracilis (copepodite) were considered rare species. Nonetheless harpacticoid species were represented by a higher number of adults in the northern arm, and juveniles in the southern arm.
Effect of fertilizers on growth, yield and quality of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) cv. Mosambi

The height, trunk diameter, canopy volume, root growth and biomass production, yield and quality were influenced by differnt treatments. The treatment combination of 3/4 P+ VAM +N (T10) was the best treatment for producing better growth and yield of high quality fruits in Mosanbi. It indicated the suitability of biofertilizers (AZO and VAM) inoculation in combination with chemical fertilizers for better growth, yield and fruit quality. It will help bring down the cost of chemical fertilizers particulary nitrogen and phosphorus and better building of fertility by maintaining physical conditions of the soil.
Armchair pedagogy : Embodying caring values in a preschool context

: Drawing on a Nordic action research project on values education, this chapter describes a developmental process in one Finnish preschool. The educators worked two years with researchers in order to promote the realisation of caring values and ended up with a practice called “armchair pedagogy”. Armchair pedagogy offers concrete means that enable embodying caring values, such as calming down and engaging in communicating with children, bodily closeness, genuine listening, reciprocity, and prioritising.
Relationship of phosphorus content in carp otoliths with that in ambient water in Xiaoxi Port of the Taihu Lake, East China

It has been of high concern that the phosphorus pollution is getting serious after lake eutrophication in the Taihu Lake, the third largest freshwater lake in China. As a sensitive recorder of the ambient water and fish exposures, fish otolith has been studied as a potential dynamic monitor of water quality by many biologists and mineralogists. In order to work out the correlation of phosphorus enrichment in carp otoliths to the ambient water of the carps, the phosphorus concentration in carp otoliths was measured in situ using laser ablation plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and comparison with the relevant data of the water was conducted. Significant positive correlation was found for phosphorus concentration in carp otoliths to the ambient water in the corresponding time. Therefore, the wild carp otoliths have the potential to act as an environmental indicator of water phosphorus pollution and lake eutrophication. Key words : Carp otoliths, environmental pollution, lake eutrophication, phosphorus enrichment, mineral monitoring, Taihu Lake.
Geomagnetic Disturbance Worsen Microcirculation Impairing Arterial Baroreflex Vascular Regulatory Mechanism

Increasing evidence suggests that geomagnetic storms are associated with severe cardiovascular events including cerebral strokes and myocardial infarctions. Previously we found that geomagnetic field (GMF) disturbance decreased arterial baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), comprising an important environment cardiovascular risk factor. A close positive correlation was also found between BRS and microcirculation per se hypothesizing GMF microcirculatory effect. Fifty-one experiments on conscious rabbits investigated the relationship between ear lobe cutaneous microcirculation, measured by microphotoelectric plethysmograpy, BRS, estimated from blood pressure/heart rate response to intravenous bolus injections of nitroprusside and phenylephrine, and geomagnetic disturbance, reflected by the indices of the geomagnetic activity. Geomagnetic disturbances worsened both microcirculation and BRS. A larger inverse correlation of the geomagnetic activity (K-index) with BRS (p < 0.002) the with microcirculation (p < 0.04), suggested that changes in the GMF primarily attenuates the arterial baroreflex vascular control mechanism leading to a decrease in microcirculation. We recommend on days with intense geomagnetic activity, and especially during geomagnetic storms, to intensify the therapy of ischaemic cerebral and heart disease to improve microcirculation in brain tissue and in the myocardium to decrease the risk of cerebral strokes and myocardial infarctions. Verapamil, a Ca2+ channel blocking agent should be especially effective, due to its favorable effect on microcirculation and for its potential specific magneto-protective properties.
The Epidemiology and Outcomes of Septic Arthritis in the Maltese Islands: A Hospital-Based Retrospective Cohort Study

Objective/Aim: Septic arthritis is an uncommon but important disease with significant morbidity and mortality, especially if inadequately managed. The aim of this epidemiological study was to identify the characteristics and outcomes of patients treated for septic arthritis at Mater Dei Hospital, Malta, over a 10-year period. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study. Patients diagnosed with septic arthritis between 2008 and 2018 were recruited. Cases were identified by reviewing all inhospital episodes of patients diagnosed with septic arthritis according to Newman criteria. Results: There were 124 cases of native joint septic arthritis and 138 of prosthetic joint infection. Cases were present amongst all age groups, with the highest incidence amongst those aged 61–70 years for both native and prosthetic infections. Fever was present in around 40% of cases. Raised white cell count was prevalent in 66.9% of native joint infections and 52.9% of prosthetic joints. Elevated C-reactive protein was overwhelmingly seen in most cases, present in 93.5% (median=159.5 mg/L; IQR=85.8–291) of native joints and 92.0% of prosthetic joint infections (median=68.7 mg/L; IQR=20.5–186). Over 55% of patients had one or more risk factors for joint sepsis, diabetes mellitus being the most prevalent clinical comorbidity (22.6% and 24.6% for native and prosthetic joint infections respectively). Synovial cultures were positive in 66% and 82% of native and prosthetic joint aspirates respectively. Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly isolated organism from both native and prosthetic joint infection, followed by streptococcal infections in native joints and coagulase negative staphylococci and gram-negative infections in prosthetic joints. Fifteen deaths were directly attributed to joint sepsis. Conclusion: Absence of fever and elevated white cell count does not exclude the diagnosis. The mortality rate due to septic arthritis in this cohort of patients was found to be 5.7%. All deaths occurred in elderly patients with clinical comorbidities suggesting that this group is at highest risk.
Effect of Feeding Different Levels of Tigernut (Cyperus esculentus L) Meal on Growth of Broiler Chicks

An investigation into the replacement value of tigernut meal as substitute for maize in diets of broiler starter was studied. Tigernut tubers were sundried for 5 days and milled to produce tigernut meal. This was used to replace maize at dietary levels of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% represented by T 1, T 2, T 3, T 4 and T 5 respectively in five isonitrogenous diets containing 22% crude protein; the diet containing no tigernut meal was used as control (T 1). Three hundred day-old (Anak strain) chicks were randomly assigned to the five dietary treatments in a completely randomized design to determine the effect of the test ingredient on feed intake, body weight changes and feed conversation ratio. Result indicated that feed intake reduced as dietary level of tigernut increased in the diets (p 0.05). The findings from this experiment suggested that tiger nut meal can replace maize up to 75% dietary level in diets of broiler starter chicks without compromising growth.
Beware! Our home is Wonderland of Pathogenic Bacteria

The number of bacteria isolates from living rooms in 55 (bacterial growth was observed in 39 plates out of 40 plates only 1 plate were devoid of bacteria) in rural areas and 41 (bacterial growth was observed in 37 plates out of 40 plates 3 plate are devoid of bacteria) in urban areas was recorded. The present investigation clearly indicates that the living rooms of rural areas are more contaminated (with the major fractions of 4 genera such as Proteus spp., Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Klebsiella spp.) in comparison to urban areas (3 genera: Acinetobacter spp., Klebsiella spp. and Proteus spp.). All in all, the rural living rooms are more contaminated with pathogenic virulent bacteria as compare to urban living rooms. On the other hand, we can say that our home is wonderland of phatogenic bacteria share with our habitat. The results of this study will help the awareness of residing populations in rural and urban areas to make an educated decisions and precautions in developing a proper routine of cleaning regime in their households/kitchens. The data of this research might contribute to designing and manipulating sanitation guidelines/ cleaning that will help to implement best sanitation and hygienic conditions in within households/kitchens and further opportunities in research may be conducting in the area of food born diseases.
Effect of selected hofmeister anions on the secondary structure and dynamics of wheat prolamins in gluten

ABSTRACT The effect of selected salts (NaCl, NaBr, NaI) with increasingly chaotropic anions on gluten prolamin secondary structure and dynamics was studied using FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy. FT-IR spectra indicated a small increase in intermolecular β-sheet structures when gluten samples were incubated with low levels of NaCl and NaBr. The β-sheet content remained constant with further NaCl addition, but was reduced again with higher NaBr concentrations. NaI addition generally reduced the amount of β-sheet and increased the amount of β-turns. From these data, it could be concluded that, in the presence of chaotropic anions, the proteins tended to prefer the β-turn helix structure characteristic of glutenin subunits in solution. 1H-NMR relaxation showed that the molecules were more rigid in 1M NaCl than in pure water, and that the mobility of the prolamins in the presence of 1M NaCl, NaBr, and NaI increased in accordance with the position of the anions in the Hofmeister series. The increase in mobility appe.
THE ROLE OF INFORMAL FARMER-TO-FARMER SEED DISTRIBUTION IN DIFFUSION OF NEW BARLEY VARIETIES IN SYRIA

SUMMARY This study examines the role, structure and effectiveness of informal seed systems in the diffusion of new barley varieties. It uses data collected by tracing farmers who received new barley varieties and other farmers who purchased seeds through farmer-to-farmer seed trade over a period of five years. The principal finding was that informal farmer-to-farmer seed dissemination was an important vehicle for the diffusion of new barley varieties, which were grow on 27% of the barley area of monitored farmers, despite a complete lack of extension support. Almost all seed exchanges were undertaken through purchases at market prices, highlighting the importance of markets in informal seed systems. The second main finding was the high concentration of seed sales among a few key seed suppliers, who established reputations as reliable sources of seed and had contacts with research organizations. The importance of market-based local seed transactions implies that farmers specializing in seed sales can invest in local seed enterprises and provide sustainable services at affordable prices. The results of this study indicate great potential for supporting local seed suppliers in order to ensure a sustainable flow of new crop varieties to smallholder farmers in the dry areas. The study also examined farmers' criteria in evaluating and eventually adopting a new variety. These criteria depend on agro-ecological zones with more complex criteria in drier areas with high rainfall variability. These findings will help plant breeding programmes to target dry and marginal areas, where access to new varieties is low, more effectively.
Spring weather determines the relative importance of ciliates, rotifers and crustaceans for the initiation of the clear-water phase in a large, deep lake

Clear-water phase (CWP) is an important event in seasonal plankton succession. We examined the influence of all herbivorous zooplankton on its initiation under different weather and climatic conditions using up to 19 years of observations from the large, deep Lake Constance (Europe) and estimates of relative clearance rates. A CWP occurred regularly, even if daphnid biomass was still very low. CWP was attributed to strong grazing either by a daphnid-dominated zooplankton community or by a diverse assemblage consisting of micro- and meso-zooplankton. Both types of zooplankton communities occurred with approximately the same frequency. The timing of the CWP was unrelated to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) but correlated with the wind-dependent intensity of deep vertical mixing 3 months earlier, during early spring. Less mixing enabled early growth of phytoplankton, ciliates and rotifers despite low temperatures, which prevented daphnid development at this time. This resulted in enhanced grazing of ciliates and rotifers, which increased the importance of phytoplankton less edible for most ciliates, rotifers and daphnids. Ciliates clearly dominated the grazing pressure on phytoplankton throughout spring, maintaining high biomasses together with the phytoplankton for up to 2 months. A CWP was observed when herbivores grazing on larger phytoplankton developed in addition to ciliates.
Photosynthetic acclimation to elevated CO2 in poplar grown in glasshouse cabinets or in open top chambers depends on duration of exposure

The effects of elevated CO2 were studied on the photosynthetic gas exchange behaviour and leaf physiology of two contrasting poplar (Populus) hybrids grown and treated in open top chambers (OTCs in Antwerp, Belgium) and in closed glasshouse cabinets (GHCs in Sussex, UK). The CO2 concentrations used in the OTCs were ambient and ambient +350 fimo\ mol \ while in the GHCs they were c. 360/miol mol 1 versus 719 //mol mol \ Measurements of photosynthetic gas exchange were made for euramerican and interamerican poplar hybrids in combination with measurements of dark respiration rate and Rubisco activity. Significant differences in the leaf anatomy and structure (leaf mass per area and chlorophyll content) were observed between the leaves grown in the OTCs and those grown in the GHCs. Elevated CO2 stimulated net photosynthesis in the poplar hybrids after 1 month in the GHCs and after 4 months in the OTCs, and there was no evidence of downward acclimation (or downregulation) of photosynthesi s when the plants in the two treatments were measured in their growth C02 concentration. There was also no evidence of downregulation of Rubisco activity and there were even examples of increases in Rubisco activity. Rubisco exerted a strong control over the light-saturated rate of photosynthesi s, which was demonstrated by the close agreement between observed net photosynthetic rates and those that were predicted from Rubisco activities and Michaelis-Menten kinetics. After 17 months in elevated CO2 in the OTCs there was a significant loss of Rubisco activity for one of the hybrid clones, i.e. Beaupre, but not for clone Robusta. The effect of the CO2 measurement concentration (i.e. the short-term treatment effect) on net photosynthesis was always larger than the effect of the growth concentration in both the OTCs or GHCs (i.e. the longterm growth CO2 effect), with one exception. For the interamerican hybrid Beaupre dark respiration rates in the OTCs were not significantly affected by the elevated CO2 concentrations. The results suggest that for rapidly growing tree species, such as poplars, there is little evidence for downward acclimation of photosynthesis when plants are exposed to elevated CO2 for up to 4 months; longer term exposure reveals loss of Rubisco activity.
A Voltage-Independent Calcium Current Inhibitory Pathway Activated by Muscarinic Agonists in Rat Sympathetic Neurons Requires Both Gαq/11 and Gβγ

Calcium current modulation by the muscarinic cholinergic agonist oxotremorine methiodide (oxo-M) was examined in sympathetic neurons from the superior cervical ganglion of the rat. Oxo-M strongly inhibited calcium currents via voltage-dependent (VD) and voltage-independent (VI) pathways. These pathways could be separated with the use of the specific M1 acetylcholine receptor antagonist M1-toxin and with pertussis toxin (PTX) treatment. Expression by nuclear cDNA injection of the regulator of G-protein signaling (RGS2) or a phospholipase Cβ1 C-terminal construct (PLCβ-ct) selectively reduced VI oxo-M modulation in PTX-treated and untreated cells. Expression of the Gβγ buffers transducin (Gαtr) and a G-protein-coupled-receptor kinase (GRK3) construct (MAS-GRK3) eliminated oxo-M modulation. Activation of the heterologously expressed neurokinin type 1 receptor, a Gαq/11-coupled receptor, resulted in VI calcium current modulation. This modulation was eliminated with coexpression of Gαtr or MAS-GRK3. Cells expressing Gβ1γ2 were tonically inhibited via the VD pathway. Application of oxo-M to these cells produced VI modulation and reduced the amount of current inhibited via the VD pathway. Together, these results confirm the requirement for Gβγ in VD modulation and implicate Gαq-GTP and Gβγ as components in the potentially novel VI pathway.
Anti-tubercular flavonol derivatives from Uvaria rufa.

Bioassay-guided chromatographic purification of the crude -methanolic extract of the Philippine medicinal plant Uvaria rufa carteri resulted in the isolation and identification of a mixture 1:1 the flavonols kaempferol (1) and quercitrin (2) on the basis of spectroscopic evidences (UV, IR, and NMR) and comparison with literature data. Microplate Alamar Blue assay showed moderately strong antitubercular activity for these flavonol derivatives.
Development of Multiobjective High-Level Synthesis for FPGAs

Traditionally, the High-Level Synthesis (HLS) for Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) devices is a methodology that transforms a behavioral description, as the timing-independent specification, to an abstraction level that is synthesizable, like the Register Transfer Level. This process can be performed under a framework that is known as Design Space Exploration (DSE), which helps to determine the best design by addressing scheduling, allocation, and binding problems, all three of which are NP-hard problems. In this manner, and due to the increased complexity of modern digital circuit designs and concerns regarding the capacity of the FPGAs, designers are proposing novel HLS techniques capable of performing automatic optimization. HLS has several conflicting metrics or objective functions, such as delay, area, power, wire length, digital noise, reliability, and security. For this reason, it is suitable to apply Multiobjective Optimization Algorithms (MOAs), which can handle the different trade-offs among the objective functions. During the last two decades, several MOAs have been applied to solve this problem. This paper introduces a comprehensive analysis of different MOAs that are suitable to perform HLS for FPGA devices. We highlight significant aspects of MOAs, namely, optimization methods, intermediate structures where the optimizations are performed, HLS techniques that are addressed, and benchmarks and performance assessments employed for experimentation. In addition, we show the analysis of how multiple objectives are optimized currently in the algorithms and which are the objective functions that are optimized. Finally, we provide insights and suggestions to contribute to the solution of major research challenges in this area.
Modeling of Preferential Mating in Areawide Control Programs That Integrate the Release of Strains of Sterile Males Only or Both Sexes

Abstract Understanding the principles that govern the mating behavior of insects that are the target of areawide integrated pest management (AW-IPM) programs by using the sterile insect technique (SIT) is a prerequisite to ensure optimal efficiency of such programs. Models were constructed to assess the effect of mating preference of insects, which display a female- or male-choice mating system, on the efficiency of SIT programs that release males only or programs that release both sexes. The model on preferential mating indicated that in a male choice mating system [e.g., screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel)], overcoming the discrimination of wild males against mating with sterile females would require a doubling of the number of sterile males compared with male-only releases. The model on female choice was incapable of distinguishing between reduced sterile male competitiveness and female preference for wild males and implied, in addition, that the release of both sexes and male-only releases required the same sterile to wild male overflooding ratio. Operational SIT projects have, however, shown a significant benefit with male-only releases against insects which have a female-choice mating system [e.g., Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann)], and models were constructed to assess the potential effect of sterile female presence or absence on some parameters, i.e., reduced sterile sperm quantity with remating, reduced sterile sperm quality with aging and incomplete redistribution of the sterile males with the wild insects. The model suggests that in all three cases, male-only releases result in relatively more efficient sterile insects compared with programs releasing both sexes. The results of the models are discussed in relation to data available from operational screwworm and Mediterranean fruit fly AW-IPM programs with an SIT component.