Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Carbon dioxide emission from drawdown areas of a Mediterranean reservoir

Carbon dioxide emission from drawdown areas of a Mediterranean reservoir Sediment beds from drawdown areas of reservoirs constitute a relevant hotspot for carbon dioxide (CO2) emission to the atmosphere. This CO2 source is especially relevant in the case of Mediterranean reservoirs, where hydrological variability favors the exposure of large sediment areas to air. In spite of this, the role of dry sediments as CO2 emitters has been typically neglected in lakes and reservoirs greenhouse gas emission assessments, and there is also a lack of research on the spatial variability of CO2 fluxes from drawdown sediments. In this study we contribute to this knowledge by combining drone-based aero-photogrammetry techniques with in situ infrarred gas analyzer measurements to assess the magnitude and spatial variability of CO2 fluxes from the drawdown area of a Mediterranean reservoir (El Gergal, Southwestern Spain) during one dry season. Our results show that during survey dry sediments in El Gergal were a relevant net CO2 source to the atmosphere, with a mean emission of 0.36 ± 0.38 g CO2 m-2 h-1. In addition, CO2 fluxes from El Gergal drawdown depict a marked spatial variability, with maximum values measured in areas influenced by river or intermittent streams discharges. Distance to the shore, sediment particle size, pH and temperature also have a significant effect on CO2 emissions from the reservoir dry banks. The expected strengthening of droughts intensity and frequency in the Mediterranean region could enhance the role of exposed sediments from the drawdown of reservoirs as CO2 source to the atmosphere.
Habitat use of common dolphin (Delphinus sp.) in the Mochima National Park, Sucre, Venezuela.

In Venezuela, common dolphin (Delphinus sp.) is considered the cetacean with the highest incidence. Studies in the region indicate a possible isolated coastal population so called Venezuelan stock settled mainly in the northeast of the country. The objective of this study is to describe the habitat use of common dolphin in the Mochima National Park (MNP), a protected area with a high and growing anthropic pressure. Seventy surveys were carried out, with predefined survey route, from September 2009 to August 2010. Each group sighted was monitored while possible to a maximum of 30min. During this time we registered location (Latitude-longitude), behaviour, group size and composition every 5min. Additionally, environmental variables were assessed from the sight location in a nautical chart. The study area was divided into a grid (cell: 500 x 500m) and the Coefficient of Area Use (CAU) was calculated for each cell. The proportion of the total observation time where the common dolphin displayed behaviours into the areas being used was estimated. A logistic regression model was applied to identify the variables that better explained usage pattern. In 55h of observation, 111 groups were recorded. The common dolphin used the habitat differentially, showing preferences for shallow areas near to the coast. Areas of greatest intensity of use were Tigrillo inlet and the northeast of the Caracas Islands. The probability of presence of dolphins decreased with depth and distance to the coast. Common dolphin invested more time in feeding and socializing activities. Behaviours were significantly dependent of season, group size, composition, depth and distance to the coast. Finally, these data on habitat use and behaviour allow the identification of priority habitats. Throughout the year, the MNP provided areas for refuge, feeding and resting. , It is therefore imperative to promote management and conservation policies that prevent the negative impacts of the increasing tourism and fishing activities we observed in this Park.
Wing interference patterns are consistent and sexually dimorphic in the four families of crane flies (Diptera, Tipuloidea)

﻿Abstract Wing interference patterns (WIP) are stable structural colors in insect wings caused by thin-film interference. This study seeks to establish WIP as a stable, sexually dimorphic, species-level character across the four families of Tipuloidea and investigate generic level WIP. Thirteen species of Tipuloidea were selected from museum specimens in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University collection. One wing from a male and female of each representative species was excised and mounted to a slide with coverslip, placed against a black background, and imaged using an integrated microscope camera. Images were minimally retouched but otherwise unchanged. Descriptions of the WIP for each sex of each species are provided. Twelve of thirteen species imaged had WIP, which were stable and species specific while eight of those twelve had sexually dimorphic WIP. Comparisons of three species of Nephrotoma were inconclusive regarding a generic level WIP. Gnophomyiatristissima had higher intraspecific variation than other species examined. This study confirms stable, species specific WIP in all four families of crane flies for the first time. More research must be done regarding generic-level stability of WIP in crane flies as well as the role sexual and natural selection play in the evolution of wing interference patterns in insects.
Substitution of Conventional Organic and Chemical Fertilization by Some Biostimulants and Their Effect on Growth, Flowering and Bulb Productivity of Narcissus Tazetta Plant.

A study was carried out at El-Mathana Agricultural Research Station, Luxor Governorate, Egypt in two seasons of 2017 and 2018 where plants of Narcissus tazetta were treated with NPK at 2 g/plant, salicylic acid at 100 and 200 ppm, garlic extract at 125 ml/plant, ascorbic acid at 100 and 200 ppm, citric acid at 100 and 200ppm and yeast at 3 and 5 g/plant. Results showed that plants treated with salicylic acid at 200 ppm (after transaction with NPK) achieved the highest value of all morphological characteristics of plants i.e. plant height, number of leaves per plant, flowering duration, number of bulblets per plant, bulb diameter, bulb fresh weight as well as fresh and dry weight of leaves beside chemical content of chlorophyll a,b and carotenoids in addition to the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compared to the control. Applying salicylic acid at 100 ppm (after transaction with NPK) had the highest stimulate effect on fresh, dry weight, diameter and longevity of cut flower, also, it had a strong effect in increasing fresh, dry and length of scape of flowers with raising chemical traits. This experiment clarified the importance of natural materials for increasing the efficiency of the vegetative and flower qualities of Narcissus tazetta.
The Influence of plant growth regulators and slicing methods inducing direct
organogenesis of meristematic florets of date palm

In date palm micropropagation protocols, the female inflorescences play an important role, being available tissue culture-explants, alternatively of the limited number of renewing offshoots explants of date palm that used for in vitro propagation. This study conducted to investigate the effect of different auxins types (2,4-D, NAA, NOA) at different concentrations, supplemented in induction culture medium of constant concentration of cytokinins, on inducing the direct organogenesis by adventitious shoots differentiation, of the date palm immature female inflorescences explants, of Barhe cultivar. Also, the interaction effect of slicing method (for the first time studying) of the starting spikelet explants was studied. The results showed that, the induction medium of the appropriate ratio of the NAA auxin type to cytokinins of induction medium, with applying the slicing method of fine chopping for the cultured spikelet, showed the most satisfying results, of direct adventitious shoots formation, direct somatic embryos, and less formation of direct adventitious roots. Developing the date palm micropropagation protocol by inflorescences explants considered a reliable and rapid opportunity to avoid the shortage of date palm offshoots and covering the commercial demands on the date palm plantlets.
Serum and Salivary Levels of Glucose and Urea in Pregnant and Non-pregnant Women: A Comparative Study

Background: Pregnancy is one of the most critical periods in the life of most women. Since it is necessary to be aware of the health of the mother and fetus, serum markers (i.e., glucose and urea) need to be monitored during pregnancy. A routine strategy in this area is venipuncture which is applied to measure the level of these markers. It is also a stressful procedure for pregnant women. The purpose of this study was to determine the salivary level of these markers as a stress-free method in pregnant women. Materials and Methods: The samples were collected from 30 pregnant and 30 non-pregnant fasting women. Then, the serum and salivary levels of glucose and urea were measured, analyzed, and compared by photometry. Results: Results indicated that the mean salivary glucose level was 10.2±1.4 mg/dL and 6.4±0.9 mg/ dL in non-pregnant and pregnant women, respectively. In addition, the mean serum glucose level was 106.5±5.3 mg/dL and 82.9±4.5 mg/dL in non-pregnant and pregnant women, respectively. Further, the mean salivary urea level was 37.1±3.3 mg/dL in non-pregnant women and 27.1±1.9 mg/dL in pregnant women. Moreover, the mean serum urea level was 26.9±1.9 mg/dL and 19.5±2.3 mg/dL in non-pregnant and pregnant women, respectively. Conclusion: Serum and salivary levels of glucose and urea in pregnant women were lower than those in non-pregnant women, and there was a positive correlation between serum and salivary levels. Therefore, it seems that saliva can be a substitute for serum regarding the measurement of glucose and urea levels.
Study on diversion angle effect on lateral intake flow

The diversion angle effect on lateral intake flow in open channels,which is defined as the diversion angle effect,was studied by means of theoretical analysis,laboratory flume experiment and numerical simulation.It is demonstrated that the variation of the diversion angle has a significant influence on the intake flow characteristics.The study results show that with decreasing of the diversion angle from 90° to 30°,the intake flow is getting more uniform at the entrance section;the relative diversion width of the main flow upstream of the intake is reducing;the net inflow width in the intake is becoming lager;the streamlines are appearing more smooth in the diversion region;and more sediment can be guided away far from the intake.
Comparison of physical activity and sedentary behavior levels in secondary and university students

Objective: to compare physical activity and sedentary behavior in university students and secondary students. Methods: the cross-sectional study involved 202 selected secondary students and 171 university students. The Global Physical Activity Questionnaire was administered to the respondents. Percentages, chi-square test, Mann Whitney U test and linear regression were used for data analysis. Results: about 63% and 32% of secondary and university students, respectively, reported high levels of physical activity, while 84.7% and 71.9% of secondary and undergraduate students, respectively, met guidelines for sedentary behavior. The secondary students had significantly higher scores than the university students in vigorous (p=0.004), moderate (p<0.001), and total physical activity (p<0.001). The observed difference was more prominent among females. Conclusion: secondary students had higher scores of physical activity and spent less time in sedentary behavior.
Design and characterization of a semi-open dynamic chamber for measuring biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emissions from plants

Abstract. With the accumulation of data about biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emissions from plants based on branch-scale enclosure measurements worldwide, it is vital to assure that measurements are conducted using well-characterized dynamic chambers with good transfer efficiencies and less disturbance on natural growing microenvironments. In this study, a self-made cylindrical semi-open dynamic chamber with Teflon-coated inner surface was characterized both in the lab with standard BVOC mixtures and in the field with typical broad-leaf and coniferous trees. The lab simulation with a constant flow of standard mixtures and online monitoring of BVOCs by proton transfer-time of flight-mass spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS) revealed that lower real-time mixing ratios and shorter equilibrium times than theoretically predicted due to wall loss in the chamber, and larger flow rates (shorter residence times) can reduce the absorptive loss and improve the transfer efficiencies. However, even flow rates were raised to secure residence times less than 1 min, transfer efficiencies were still below 70 % for heavier BVOCs like α-pinene and β-caryophyllene. Relative humidity (RH) impacted the adsorptive loss of BVOCs less significantly when compared to flow rates, with compound specific patterns related to the influence of RH on their adsorption behavior. When the chamber was applied in the field to a branch of a mangifera indica tree, the enclosure-ambient temperature differences decreased from 4.5 ± 0.3 to 1.0 ± 0.2 °C and the RH differences decreased from 9.8 ± 0.5 % to 1.2 ± 0.1 % as flow rates increased from 3 L min−1 (residence time ~4.5 min) to 15 L min−1 (residence time ~0.9 min). At a medium flow rate of 9 L min−1 (residence time ~1.5 min), field tests with the dynamic chamber for Mangifera indica and Pinus massoniana branches revealed enclosure temperature increase within +2 °C and CO2 depletion within −50 ppm when compared to their ambient counterparts. The results suggested that substantially higher air circulating rates would benefit reducing equilibrium time, adsorptive loss and the ambient-enclosure temperature/RH differences. However, even under higher air circulating rates and with inert Teflon-coated inner surfaces, the transfer efficiencies for monoterpene and sesquiterpene species are not so satisfactory, implying that emission factors for these species might be underestimated if they are obtained by dynamic chambers without certified transfer efficiencies, and that further efforts are needed for field measurements to improve accuracies and narrow the uncertainties of the emission factors.
What Drives Financial Sector Development in Africa? Insights from Machine Learning

ABSTRACT This study uses machine learning techniques to identify the key drivers of financial development in Africa. To this end, four regularization techniques – the Standard lasso, Adaptive lasso, the minimum Schwarz Bayesian information criterion lasso, and the Elasticnet– are trained based on a dataset containing 86 covariates of financial development for the period 1990 - 2019. The results show that variables such as cell phones, economic globalization, institutional effectiveness, and literacy are crucial for financial sector development in Africa. Evidence from the Partialing-out lasso instrumental variable regression reveals that while inflation and agricultural sector employment suppress financial sector development, cell phones and institutional effectiveness are remarkable in spurring financial sector development in Africa. Policy recommendations are provided in line with the rise in globalization, and technological progress in Africa.
Improvement of Structural and Nutritional Quality of Gluten Free Pasta

ABSTRACT In this study, three different ingredients (lentil flour (LF), egg white powder (EWP) and whey powder (WP)) and three different additives (Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), xanthan gum (XG) and transglutaminase enzyme (TG)) were added in gluten-free pasta and their effects on different properties have been investigated. WP addition provided a positive effect on water uptake and volume increase, while EWP addition displayed a significant effect on cooking loss and firmness (p < .05). XG additive was improved all cooking quality and firmness properties of gluten-free pasta. The SEM images were illustrated that the gluten-free pasta fortified with EWP had smoother than other samples. Also, HPMC and XG additive as structure regulation was found important for gluten-free pasta with LF and WP, whereas TG additive was determined for gluten-free pasta with EWP. Gluten-free pasta enriched with WP was desirably found in terms of overall acceptability by panelists.
derivative on the value relevance through tax avoidance and earnings control

This investigation expects to inspect and analyze the effect of derivative transactions on earnings management, the role of corporate tax avoidance in moderating effect of derivative transactions on earnings management, the effect of earnings management worth pertinence of earnings, and the effect of derivative transactions Worth Pertinence of earnings. This examination utilizes information from non-monetary organizations in Indonesia and Thailand for the period 2013-2017 with 91 test of organizations. This investigation, earnings management is calculated based on the Jaggi model and the Jaggi changed model. The value relevance of earnings is calculated based on Ohlson's model. Corporate tax avoidance is calculated based on the book tax difference. The results show that subordinate exchanges have a constructive outcome on earnings management. Corporate tax avoidance has not been proven to strengthen the effect of derivative transactions on earnings management. Earnings management adversely influences the worth pertinence of earnings. Derivative transactions negatively affect the value relevance of earnings. Derivative transactions, especially those with non-hedging criteria, show a high tendency towards earnings management activities. Intercountry testing, derivative transactions have a positive effect on earnings management in Indonesia while in Thailand it does not.
Political Ideology Detection of News Articles Using Deep Neural Networks

Individuals inadvertently allow emotions to drive their rational thoughts to predetermined conclusions regarding political partiality issues. Being wellinformed about the subject in question mitigates emotions’ influence on humans’ cognitive reasoning, but it does not eliminate bias. By nature, humans tend to pick a side based on their beliefs, personal interests, and principles. Hence, journalists’ political leaning is defining factor in the rise of the polarity of political news coverage. Political bias studies usually align subjects or controversial topics of the news coverage to a particular ideology. However, politicians as private citizens or public officials are also consistently in the media spotlight throughout their careers. Detecting political polarity in the news coverage of politicians rather than topics adds a new perspective. Determining the best approach for detecting political polarity in the news relies on the news delivery method. Data types such as videos, audio, or text could summarize the news delivery methods. Text is one of the most prominent news delivery methods. Text pattern recognition and text classification are well-established research areas with applications in many multidisciplinary domains. We propose to use deep neural networks to detect ideology in news media articles that cover news related to political officials, namely, President Obama and Trump. Deep network models were able to identify the political ideology of articles with over 0.9 F1-Score. An evaluation and analysis of deep neural network performance in detecting political ideology of news articles, articles’ authors, and news sources are presented in the paper. Furthermore, this paper experiments on and provides a detailed analysis of newly reconstructed datasets.
SAMA peptide, a rationally designed antimicrobial peptide

Antimicrobial peptides (AMP) are gaining increasing attention as a potential alternative to existing antibiotics to tackle bacterial resistance. Herein, we aimed to design and examine a novel antimicrobial peptide with superior antimicrobial activity and safety profiles. The design relied on a hybridization approach of selected parts of two naturally existing peptides; the brevinin-1E and bombolitin IV peptides were used to design a novel peptide named SAMA, which was characterized in silico prior to experimental approaches. The antimicrobial and antibiofilm activities of SAMA were examined in vitro on representative control and multi-drug-resistant bacterial strains, alone or combined with five traditional antibiotics. The SAMA peptide displays strong and broad-spectrum antimicrobial effects against selected strains at concentrations of 5 to 15 μM. Moreover, 30–40 μM of the peptide was sufficient to eradicate the biofilmforming Gram-positive strains. Combining the SAMA peptide with traditional antibiotics displayed a synergistic or additive mode of action, which significantly reduced their needed MIC values. In addition, SAMA displayed potential anticancer properties against the adenocarcinoma cell line. Importantly, therapeutic concentrations of SAMA displayed minimal hemolytic activity. Therefore, this study demonstrated that AMP indeed offer favorable substitutes to current antibiotics for the management of infectious diseases. The SAMA peptide is a broad-spectrum AMP and a promising candidate for antimicrobial and anticancer drug development.
Regulatory Networks of Prognostic mRNAs in Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in children refers to a malignant tumor caused by the abnormal proliferation of immature myeloid cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood. The prognosis of patients with pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains poor, highlighting the need for improved targeted therapy. The expression data of lncRNAs, mRNAs, and miRNAs and survival information of pediatric AML patients were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Cox regression analysis was used to screen the lncRNAs, mRNAs, and miRNAs that significantly affect the overall survival (OS) of patients as OS-related genes (included lncRNAs, mRNAs, and miRNAs). Enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction were performed for the OS-related mRNAs. We further established a ceRNAs regulatory network. In addition, the potential prognostic role of genes was further evaluated by risk score. We have identified 5275 lncRNAs, 176 miRNAs, and 6221 mRNAs that significantly affect the prognosis of pediatric AML patients. It is worth noting that OS-related mRNAs are mainly involved in ribosome, RNA transport, and spliceosome. We identified the top 10 most connected mRNAs in the PPI network as important mRNAs and constructed a ceRNAs regulatory network (including NCBP2, RPLP0, UBC, RPS2, and RPS9). The risk score and nomogram results suggest that NCBP2 may be a risk factor for pediatric AML, while RPLP0, UBC, RPS2, and RPS9 may be protective factors. Our results construct 5 gene signals as new prognostic indicators for predicting the survival of pediatric AML patients. Our research has demonstrated the ceRNAs regulatory network may become a new target for pediatric AML treatment.