Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nitrogen fixation rates diagnosed from diurnal changes in elemental stoichiometry

The carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus (C, N, and P, respectively) composition and elemental ratios were measured in the 20–200 μm size fraction during July 2015 in the surface waters of an anticyclonic eddy encountered north of Hawaii in the oligotrophic North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. The observed particulate N : P ratio fluctuated by approximately a factor of two over the diel cycle. We present a simple mathematical argument connecting this change to a rate of biological nitrogen fixation, and calculate the nitrogen fixation rate to be ≥ 13 nmol L−1 d−1 for this size class. This value is higher than simultaneous bottle‐incubation based rates measured with isotopic tracers, yet is consistent with historic rate measurements from the region. As confirmation of our methods, diurnal changes in C : N : P of laboratory cultures of the diazotrophic genus Trichodesmium were measured. In the laboratory, we show that estimates of nitrogen fixation from stoichiometric time series are equivalent to those derived directly from mass balance. The disparity between nitrogen fixation rates derived from tracer measurements and particulate stoichiometry in the field suggests that large diazotrophs may be underestimated in small volume (∼ 4 L) bottle incubations as a result of either spatial heterogeneity or vertical migration of large cells. Otherwise, processes other than diazotrophy must cause the observed changes in stoichiometry. This approach represents a novel and scalable means of quantifying in situ nitrogen fixation rates from diurnal changes in size‐fractionated stoichiometry. We also infer carbon fixation, growth rates, and phosphorus uptake in the 20–200 μm size class.
Jute Fiber Gradation by Grey Fuzzy Logic Approach

ABSTRACT Jute fiber has a great role in Indian economy. Since, jute fiber quality varies one place to another owing to various reasons, it becomes imperative to go for classification and gradation of jute fibers on the basis of which jute pricing is fixed. Traditionally, jute grading is done by ‘Hand & Eye’ method which is totally subjective. In modern BIS system, a more scientific approach is practised for grading the jute fibers based on six physical fiber parameters like strength, defect, root content, color, fineness, and bulk density. However, color and density parameters are still assessed subjectively. In this paper, a grey fuzzy logic-based MCDM approach has been proposed for ranking/gradation of nine jute fiber samples based on six apposite selection criteria like fiber strength, root content, fiber defects, fiber color, bulk density and fiber fineness. Fuzzy logic has been integrated with grey relational analysis (GRA) to minimize vagueness or imprecision inherent in GRA. The proposed approach closely matches with the ranking patterns attained by the existing BIS system and that by MAHP approach done by an earlier researcher.
Electron-driven proton transfer relieves excited-state antiaromaticity in photoexcited DNA base pairs†

The Watson–Crick A·T and G·C base pairs are not only electronically complementary, but also photochemically complementary. Upon UV irradiation, DNA base pairs undergo efficient excited-state deactivation through electron driven proton transfer (EDPT), also known as proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET), at a rate too fast for other reactions to take place. Why this process occurs so efficiently is typically reasoned based on the oxidation and reduction potentials of the bases in their electronic ground states. Here, we show that the occurrence of EDPT can be traced to a reversal in the aromatic/antiaromatic character of the base upon photoexcitation. The Watson–Crick A·T and G·C base pairs are aromatic in the ground state, but the purines become highly antiaromatic and reactive in the first 1ππ* state, and transferring an electron and a proton to the pyrimidine relieves this excited-state antiaromaticity. Even though proton transfer proceeds along the coordinate of breaking a N–H σ-bond, the chromophore is the π-system of the base, and EDPT is driven by the strive to alleviate antiaromaticity in the π-system of the photoexcited base. The presence and absence of alternative excited-state EDPT routes in base pairs also can be explained by sudden changes in their aromatic and antiaromatic character upon photoexcitation.
Antibiotic Susceptibility and Plasmid Profile of Escherichia coli from Door Handles in Two Tertiary Institutions in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Aim: This study is aimed at isolation, antibiotic susceptibility and plasmid study of Escherichia coli isolates from door handles in the study location. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in Nasarawa State University, Keffi and Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, both in Nasarawa state, Nigeria between March 2016 to October 2016. Methodology: A total of 200 door handles (100 each from the two locations) were sampled and screened for the presence of E. coli. Antibiotics susceptibility study, Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) of the antibiotics, -Lactamase production, conjugation and plasmid profile was studied on the bacterial isolates using standard microbiological protocols. Original Research Article Tsaku et al.; JAMB, 3(3): 1-13, 2017; Article no.JAMB. 33612 2 Results: A total of 62 E. coli were isolated out of 200 door handles sampled and their susceptibilities to ten different commonly used antibiotics were determined. All the isolates had 87 – 100% resistance to all tested antibiotics with the highest susceptibility (13%) exhibited to only Gentamicin and Imipenem. Thirty-two of the isolates have Multiple-Antibiotic Resistance (MAR) index of 1.0 and 21(65.6%) of them produced β-lactamase enzymes. Thirteen (59.09%) of the multiple antibiotics resistant E. coli isolates transferred resistance plasmid to Proteus mirabilis via conjugation. Electrophoresis of plasmid DNA in the test multi-antibiotics resistant E. coli isolates showed varying number of plasmids with molecular weights ranging between 1200 and 3000 base pairs. Conclusion: This study has showed that multi-antibiotic resistance genes from test E. coli could be transmitted to pathogenic bacteria which can result in serious health hazard. Thus, improved hygiene practices should be encouraged and constant microbiological surveillance of door handles in these higher institutions should be encouraged to determine effective antibiotics to solve the health hazard that may arise from E. coli infections.
Macrosystems EDDIE teaching modules significantly increase ecology students' proficiency and confidence working with ecosystem models and use of systems thinking

Abstract Simulation models are increasingly used by ecologists to study complex, ecosystem‐scale phenomena, but integrating ecosystem simulation modeling into ecology undergraduate and graduate curricula remains rare. Engaging ecology students with ecosystem simulation models may enable students to conduct hypothesis‐driven scientific inquiry while also promoting their use of systems thinking, but it remains unknown how using hands‐on modeling activities in the classroom affects student learning. Here, we developed short (3‐hr) teaching modules as part of the Macrosystems EDDIE (Environmental Data‐Driven Inquiry & Exploration) program that engage students with hands‐on ecosystem modeling in the R statistical environment. We embedded the modules into in‐person ecology courses at 17 colleges and universities and assessed student perceptions of their proficiency and confidence before and after working with models. Across all 277 undergraduate and graduate students who participated in our study, completing one Macrosystems EDDIE teaching module significantly increased students' self‐reported proficiency, confidence, and likely future use of simulation models, as well as their perceived knowledge of ecosystem simulation models. Further, students were significantly more likely to describe that an important benefit of ecosystem models was their “ease of use” after completing a module. Interestingly, students were significantly more likely to provide evidence of systems thinking in their assessment responses about the benefits of ecosystem models after completing a module, suggesting that these hands‐on ecosystem modeling activities may increase students’ awareness of how individual components interact to affect system‐level dynamics. Overall, Macrosystems EDDIE modules help students gain confidence in their ability to use ecosystem models and provide a useful method for ecology educators to introduce undergraduate and graduate students to ecosystem simulation modeling using in‐person, hybrid, or virtual modes of instruction.
Effects of Organic Acids Supplement on Performance, Egg Traits, Blood Serum Biochemical Parameters and Gut Microflora in Female Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of acetic acid, lactic acid, and butyric acid on the production performance, egg parameters (quality and quantity traits), blood and liver serum biochemical parameters and gastrointestinal tract microorganism on female Japanese quails. A total of 640 female Japanese quails aged 35-84 days were housedfor eight treatments with four replicates. They were arranged in completely randomized design (CRD) to evaluate the effects of basal diet (BD) with a supplement of acetic acid (AA), lactic acid (LA) and butyric acid (BA). The performance parameters to study this effect are feed intake, feed conversion ratio, egg traits such as egg weight, egg production, and egg mass along with specific gravity, internal quality unit (IQU), yolk and albumen indexes, and eggshell traits such as weight, thickness, and surface. It also includes blood serum biochemical parameters such as cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL, LDL, albumin, globulin, glucose, and gastrointestinal tract microflora (E.Coli and Salmonella). Eight dietary treatments were formulated by addition of organic acids such as BD without organic acids additive, BD with 124 mg/kg AA additive, BD with 104 mg/kg LA additive, BD with 113 mg/kg BA additive, BD with 63.5 mg/kg AA+53.5 mg/kg LA additive, BD with 63.5 mg/kg AA+57 mg/kg BA additive, BD with 53.5 mg/kg LA+57 mg/kg BA additive and BD with 41.6 mg/kg AA+35 mg/kg LA+37 mg/kg BA additive. The results showed that the diets containing BD+LA+BA+AA and BD+AA alone considerably increased feed intake, feed conversion ratio, egg weight, egg production and egg mass (p<0.01). The diets containing BD+AA and BD+LA significantly affected some quality traits such as eggshell thickness, eggshell weight (p<0.01), shell surface, and IQU (p<0.05). The diets containing BD+AA and BD+LA alone increased serum cholesterol, HDL, albumin, globulin and total protein significantly (p<0.01). Moreover, the groups containing BD+AA and BD+LA significantly decreased triglyceride contents in serum (p<0.05). The results showed that the diets containing BD+LA and BD+BA significantly decreased the E.Coli and Salmonella population in the gastrointestinal tract (p<0.01). Based on the experiment, it can beinferred that LA alone, or in combination with other organic acids, improved and showed positive effects on performance and egg traits in female Japanese quail.
Bully Pulpit? Twitter Users’ Engagement With President Trump’s Tweets

With nearly all political candidates, officeholders, and organizations using the platform, Twitter has become an important venue for political communication and engagement. In particular, Twitter lowers the cost of entry for political activity, with the result that millions of people follow and interact with political elites online. However, most studies of the political uses of twitter focus on the substance and content of tweets themselves. In contrast, we ask what influences the rates at which users engage with the tweets posted by political elites. To do this, we obtained the number of likes and retweets for each of President Trump’s tweets over a 14-month time span. Using these data, we find first that engagement varies with Trump’s net approval in the broader electorate. Second, we find that engagement varies with the substantive content of the tweet: negatively toned tweets and tweets involving foreign policy receive higher levels of engagement than other tweets. Third, we find that high-salience events—for example, the recusal of Jeff Sessions—lead to more engagement. Fourth, we find some evidence that engagement levels vary with the timing of the electoral cycle. Overall, we argue that the factors influencing Twitter engagement are in some ways similar to the factors influencing political activity more broadly, though it is possible that the fact that Trump’s use of Twitter is unique among politicians drives some of our results.
COMMENTS ON THE LIMITS AND INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF THE MAMMALIAN MIDBRAIN

The anatomic concept of the midbrain has changed considerably in recent times, due to advances in molecular developmental neurobiology which have shown the mechanisms that pattern the midbrain relative to diencephalon and hindbrain, as well as relative to its inner structure. The midbrain unitary developmental field that was discovered in this way is smaller than the classic concept of the midbrain, which therefore necessarily included portions of the caudal diencephalon and the rostral prepontine hindbrain. These developmental mechanisms are summarized, the correct boundaries defined, and the diencephalic and hindbrain structures that were wrongly ascribed to the midbrain are illustrated schematically and classified properly as to their origins. Finally, the internal structure of the modern midbrain is treated systematically in terms of dorsoventral and anteroposterior regionalization. Keywords: boundaries; derivatives; diencephalon; hindbrain; midbrain; neuromeres; patterning; regionalization
The Volume of Issuance of Government Islamic Securities SR-007 Series, 2015–2018

In Islamic finance, Sukuk instruments are similar to the bond market in conventional finance and are intended to increase long-term investment capital. However, according to Sharia, Sukuk means there is no uncertainty ( Garar ), interest (usury) and gambling ( Maisir ). This is also new in the financial market in Islamic Bank. The government uses Sukuk as an instrument for financing the state budget, and Sukuk financing has contributed to the development and financing of state projects. The amount of Sukuk issuance volume is influenced by external factors such as macroeconomic conditions and internal factors, namely prices and yields of Sukuk. The problem is whether inflation, exchange rates, Sukuk prices and returns affect the volume of Sukuk issuance. Therefore, this research aims to determine the effect of macroeconomic variables (inflation and exchange rates), Sukuk prices and Sukuk yields on the volume of Retail Sukuk issuance in Indonesia, using the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) research model and the assistance of econometrics EViews 9. The data used in this study are time-series data from April 2015 to March 2018, with a research sample of Retail Sukuk with the latest maturity in March 2018, namely Retail Sukuk SR-007 series. The results of the study show that the inflation and price variables have a long-term significant influence on the volume of Retail Sukuk SR-007 issuance and only yield variables that do not influence both the long- and short-term, while the exchange rate variable has significant long- and short-term effects.
Comparing manual and automated species recognition in the detection of four common south-east Australian forest birds from digital field recordings

ABSTRACT Understanding and monitoring biological communities requires accurate species inventories using reliable and efficient methods of detection. Automated recorders deployed in the field have the potential to substantially reduce observer bias and the cost of human-based inventories, but their reliability and efficiency, particularly for common species of birds, are largely untested. Using digital audio data collected in 2013 by automated recorders within the Grampians National Park, Australia, we compared the performance of two species detection methods for four species of forest birds; manually scanning spectrograms and automating the identification of vocalisations by creating species-specific song templates, or ‘recognisers’, using the software program Song Scope (Wildlife Acoustics). Both detection methods generally identified the target species at the same sites, but species were detected at additional sites exclusively by one or the other method. Surprisingly, across species, manual scanning was more time-efficient overall than automated recognition, but results varied due to high rates of false positives and variable performance from the automated recognition recognisers we created. While automated recognition has the potential to improve species detection, the decision of whether to manually scan or automate recognition will depend on the species’ vocalisation characteristics, calling frequency, and template-matching algorithms used.
Temperature and ice regimes of waterbodies under impacts of global warming and a hydropower plant

Based on the results of regular monitoring and remote sensing data the patterns of water temperature and ice regime of the Dnipro River within Kyiv, as affected by global warming and a hydropower plant, were identified. The characteristic features of this stretch of the river are increasing water temperature, and the decreasing thickness and duration of ice cover. The largest water temperature increase is in summer, with a somewhat smaller increase in autumn. The increase of water temperature in spring is much less than the increase in air temperature. In summer, the gradient of water temperature increase is a little bit less than that of air temperature. In autumn, the gradient of water temperature increase is larger than the gradient of air temperature increase. From April to August the lowest water temperature is usually observed near the Kyivska hydropower plant (HPP), which is located upstream. During this period the water temperature downstream from HPP increases. The uneven daily operation of HPP causes the alternation of areas with different temperature along the Dnipro River. In the cold season the water temperature in the Dnipro River is usually higher than in other nearby urban water bodies. Freezing of the water area usually starts from the small and shallow lakes and ponds. The main branch of the Dnipro River freezes last. On the whole, the sequence of ice melting on the waterbodies is the reverse of the freezing process. The longest ice cover duration in spring is observed in the bays with small water exchange, mainly located at a large distance from Kyivska HPP.
Phenotypic variation in root development of 162 soybean accessions under hypoxia condition at the seedling stage

Abstract Soybean is often damaged by hypoxia caused by waterlogging at the seedling stage. Hypoxia severely inhibits root development and retards plant growth. We aimed to clarify phenotypic variation in root development under hypoxia condition at the seedling stage using diverse soybean accessions. Root development in 162 accessions was evaluated in hydroponic culture. Substantial changes under hypoxia were investigated by means of WinRHIZO analysis before and after the treatment. We found significant phenotypic variation in hypoxia tolerance in root among the 162 accessions. A principal components analysis indicated an association between hypoxia tolerance and the country of origin. We found three new accessions which have a high ability to develop roots under hypoxia (Kokubu 7, Maetsue zairai 90B, and Yahagi). Root development in selected accessions was also evaluated in soil culture. Root development levels in hydroponic and soil culture were significantly correlated. These results will provide important information on waterlogging damage in regions where waterlogging occurs. The three accessions with hypoxia-tolerant roots might be useful for genetic improvement of waterlogging tolerance of modern soybean varieties.
In silico study of thymohydroquinone interaction with blood–brain barrier disrupting proteins

Aim: To evaluate the inhibitory interaction of thymohydroquinone against blood–brain barrier (BBB)-associated neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Materials & methods: An elaborated in silico study was designed to evaluate the interaction of thymohydroquinone with BBB-disrupting proteins and to highlight its pharmacokinetic and safety attributes. Results: Thymohydroquinone demonstrated stable interaction with BBB-disrupting protein active site with Ki (inhibition constant) ranges of (2.71 mM–736.15 μM), binding energy (-4.3 to 5.6 Kcal/mol), ligand efficiency (-0.36 to 0.42 Kcal/mol) and root mean square deviation value of (0.80–2.59 Å). Conclusion: Further pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that thymohydroquinone is BBB and central nervous system (CNS) permeant with high acute toxicity and could be a candidate drug for the treatment of these neurological conditions.
Morphometric Variation of Hybridizing Species and Gynogenetic Biotypes of Spined Loaches (Cobitidae, Cobitis) in River Systems of Ukraine

To test the possibility of identifying the species and biotypes of spined loaches of the complex Cobitis elongatoides – taenia – tanaitica using body morphometric characteristics, we considered a pool of specimens from different river systems of Ukraine. The sample included three parental species and seven hybrid biotypes with various genome combinations, and the morphometry was based on 23 body parameters and 26 derivative indices. The variability was analyzed by standard and multivariate statistics. Neither any one measurement, nor their combination allowed identifying the specimens with 95-100% probability. Pooled, samples had no internal logic of morphological remoteness of hybrid biotypes and parental species in regards to their genetic similarity. Morphometry’s low resolution in case of pooled samples is linked to the specifics of body shape and significant geographic variability which partially evens out the between-group differences, while within samples the resolution was higher without reaching even 95% diagnostical certainty. All in all, the resolutions obtained for morphometric parameters are within results obtained in similar studies for other hybrid fishes.