Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Urban land suitability analysis using geospatial techniques and combined weighting approach in Gabes zone, Southeastern Tunisia

Abstract Urban Land Suitability analysis is necessary in any development project in order to ensure rational urban planning and sustainable development. In this study, a novel approach based on GIS and Combined Weighting method were used to construct a reasonable assessment model and calculate the Urban Land Suitability Index (ULSI) of Gabes area (Southeastern Tunisia). Seven conditional factors were selected: flooding susceptibility, Lithology, Topography, Seismotectonic, Water table depth, Swelling soils, Soils Aggressivity and the thematic layers were prepared in ArcMap_GIS. The resultant model following combination of the geo-spatial (GIS) and geostatistical (CRITIC-ANP) modeling show that this region is subdivided into four analyzed zones in terms of geo-hazard susceptibility and foundation excavation: flooding risk area; settlement risk zone; collapse risk area and subsidence risk zone. The ULSI is equal to 3.5. The accuracy degree of the achieved model was validated by ROC-AUC curve, it’s is around 78.4%. The ULS model developed enable assured a the assessed thorough and can well reflect an urban land suitability. The results achieved in this study assured planners, engineers, decision-makers and authorities assured a good risk prediction and management plan, could, thus, be facilitate decision-making and can serve as a guideline for all future urban planning projects in this region.
Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Antifungal Resistance in Pathogenic Candida Species

Candidiasis is a highly pervasive infection posing major health risks, especially for immunocompromised populations. Pathogenic Candida species have evolved intrinsic and acquired resistance to a variety of antifungal medications. The primary goal of this literature review is to summarize the molecular mechanisms associated with antifungal resistance in Candida species. Resistance can be conferred via gain-of-function mutations in target pathway genes or their transcriptional regulators. Therefore, an overview of the known gene mutations is presented for the following antifungals: azoles (fluconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole and itraconazole), echinocandins (caspofungin, anidulafungin and micafungin), polyenes (amphotericin B and nystatin) and 5-fluorocytosine (5-FC). The following mutation hot spots were identified: (1) ergosterol biosynthesis pathway mutations (ERG11 and UPC2), resulting in azole resistance; (2) overexpression of the efflux pumps, promoting azole resistance (transcription factor genes: tac1 and mrr1; transporter genes: CDR1, CDR2, MDR1, PDR16 and SNQ2); (3) cell wall biosynthesis mutations (FKS1, FKS2 and PDR1), conferring resistance to echinocandins; (4) mutations of nucleic acid synthesis/repair genes (FCY1, FCY2 and FUR1), resulting in 5-FC resistance; and (5) biofilm production, promoting general antifungal resistance. This review also provides a summary of standardized inhibitory breakpoints obtained from international guidelines for prominent Candida species. Notably, N. glabrata, P. kudriavzevii and C. auris demonstrate fluconazole resistance.
Diversity and Fertility of Soils in Doi Inthanon Area, Chiang Mai Province

The diversity and fertility of 15 soils in the Doi Inthanon area of Chiang Mai province was studied using standard methods for field investigation and laboratory analysis, to characterize differences in their morphology, their physical and chemical properties and to assess their fertility levels. The soils occupied areas from 1,276 up to 1,563 m (above sea level, ASL) with slope ranging from 1 to 62%. Most soils were deep to very deep and acidic, with sand and silt dominating fine earth and a presence of an argillic horizon in all soils. They showed diversity in color, pH, presence of colluviated materials and depth of weathered materials within the profile. Their fertility levels were slightly different, but mostly medium in the upper part and medium or poorer in the layer between 30 and 100 cm. High organic matter content played an integral part in enhancing soil fertility level in all soils, combined with high amounts of available potassium in some soils. A small amount of bases and high values of exchangeable acidity signified the low base saturation percentage, which, in turn, had a negative impact on soil fertility levels in this area of Inthanon.
Evidence of High Genetic Diversity and Differences in the Population Diversity of the Eucalyptus Leaf Blight Pathogen Calonectria pseudoreteaudii from Diseased Leaves and Soil in a Plantation in Guangxi, China

Calonectria pseudoreteaudii is an important causal agent of Eucalyptus leaf blight in southern China. This pathogen causes Eucalyptus tree disease across numerous regions in southern China. In addition to diseased leaves, C. pseudoreteaudii has occasionally been isolated from soil in Eucalyptus plantations. The aim of this study was to clarify whether C. pseudoreteaudii causing Eucalyptus leaf blight in China is mainly clonally reproduced and to determine the potential spreading mechanism of C. pseudoreteaudii between diseased leaves and soil. To this end, 10 polymorphic microsatellite markers were analyzed to detect the genetic diversity of 97 C. pseudoreteaudii isolates from diseased leaves and soil in a Eucalyptus plantation in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China. The analysis showed that the genetic diversity of the isolates from both the diseased leaves and soil was high. However, the gene and genotype diversity of the C. pseudoreteaudii isolates from diseased leaves were higher than those of the isolates from the soil. Moreover, all genotypes detected in the isolates from the soil were also found in the isolates from the diseased leaves. Structural analyses did not show clear population structures related to the population substrates of the diseased leaves or soil, and molecular variance analyses indicated that no significant genetic differentiation existed between the diseased leaf and soil populations. These results suggest that C. pseudoreteaudii in soil spreads from diseased leaves, and that an asexual cycle is the primary reproductive mode in both diseased leaf and soil populations. This is the first study on the genetic diversity and population structure of C. pseudoreteaudii. The high genetic diversity and spread pathways of this pathogen may pose challenges in controlling the disease. C. pseudoreteaudii from both diseased leaves and soils in Eucalyptus plantations needs to be carefully monitored for disease control and management.
Examining the Relationship Between BMI, Sex, and Fundamental Movement Skill Performance in Low-Income Rural Children

This study examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI), Sex, and Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) performance among low-income rural children aged 5 to 7 years. 39 children (20 boys and 19 girls) participated in the study. FMS proficiency was evaluated using the Furtado-Gallagher Child Observational Movement Pattern Assessment System (FG-COMPASS). The children’s height and weight were measured to calculate BMI, which was then classified into ‘normal weight’ and 'overweight'. A two-way factorial ANOVA assessed the effects of sex and BMI group on manipulative fundamental motor skills (MFMS), locomotor fundamental motor skills (LFMS), and total fundamental motor skills (TFMS). We hypothesized that normal weight children would outperform their overweight counterparts in locomotor (LFMS), manipulative (MFMS), and total (TFMS) fundamental motor skills and that boys would outperform girls on MFMS and TFMS but not on LFMS. Our findings showed a significant main effect of sex on MFMS, with boys performing significantly better than girls. However, no significant main effects were found for LFMS or TFMS based on sex or BMI group. Furthermore, Pearson correlation analysis revealed weak, negative, non-significant correlations between BMI percentiles and all three motor skill scores. The study’s results highlight the importance of considering sex differences when assessing FMS in children and indicate that overweight status may not necessarily relate to poorer motor skill performance in a rural, low-income context. Further research should ensure a balanced representation across BMI categories and explore the potential influence of demographic factors on motor skill development.
Comparison of the Sedative Effects of Intravenous Midazolam with Intravenous Dexmedetomidine and Duration of Spinal Anesthesia with Bupivacaine During Cesarean Section: A Randomized Double-Blinded Trial

Background: Caesarean section (CS) is a common procedure, and spinal anesthesia is a safe method for inducing anesthesia during this procedure. The disadvantages of this technique are intraoperative pain sensation, the patient’s fear of injection, and remembering surgery. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of intravenous midazolam with intravenous dexmedetomidine on sedation and duration of spinal anesthesia during CS. Methods: In this study, 70 parturients with ASA II were randomly divided into two groups of 35. All parturients underwent spinal anesthesia. One of the groups (i.e., group D) received intravenous dexmedetomidine, and for the other group (i.e., group M), midazolam was injected intravenously. The parturients were compared in terms of the pain score measured by visual pain scoring (VAS), duration of anesthesia, sedation, and hemodynamic stability. Results: The mean pain score in group M was significantly higher than in group D (P < 0.001). The time to the first rescue analgesia was significantly higher in group D than in group M (P < 0.001). Also, the dose of the analgesic used in the postoperative period was significantly lower in group D (P < 0.001). No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of sedation and hemodynamic status. Conclusions: The use of dexmedetomidine in comparison with midazolam resulted in longer bupivacaine-induced spinal anesthesia and duration of analgesia during and after CS, suggesting this method as an appropriate strategy for establishing an appropriate level of intraoperative sedation in parturients undergoing CS. Neither dexmedetomidine nor midazolam caused significant hemodynamic changes.
Drifting snow sublimation: A high‐resolution 3‐D model with temperature and moisture feedbacks

The snow transport model of Alpine3D is augmented with a drifting snow sublimation routine. Contrary to other three-dimensional high-resolution snow transport models, Alpine3D now accounts for feedback mechanisms on the air temperature, humidity, and snow mass concentration in three dimensions. Results show that the negative feedbacks of sublimation on the snow mass concentration, temperature, and humidity are, in general, small but relevant on the slope scale. We analyzed the deposition on a leeward slope for simulations including sublimation and compared these to a reference simulation of the model without sublimation. Including sublimation, but neglecting sublimation feedbacks, leads to a reduction in deposition of approximately 12% on this slope. In a simulation including sublimation and its feedbacks, the reduction in snow deposition on the same slope was 10%. The feedbacks thus reduced the loss of snow due to sublimation by 2%. The sublimation process is therefore quite important for a leeward slope influenced by drifting snow. However, we also show that the spatial variability is large and that drifting snow sublimation will mainly affect small regions within a catchment. Averaged over our model domain (2.4 km(2)) in the Swiss Alps, drifting snow sublimation causes a reduction in deposition of 2.3% during a 43 h test period, which is comparable to the sublimation loss from the snow cover during the same time.
A New Hardware-Efficient and Low Sensing-Time Cooperative Spectrum-Sensor for High-Throughput Cognitive-Radio Network

This paper proposes implementation-friendly cooperative spectrum-sensing (CSS) algorithm for the data fusion based cooperative cognitive-radio network. It has been designed with the notion of alleviating the computational complexity that results in efficient hardware design, without degrading the detection performance. In addition, this work presents hardware-efficient architecture of cooperative spectrum sensor (CSR), based on the suggested CSS algorithm and with the aid of resource-sharing architectural optimization. Extensive performance analysis of our CSS algorithm showed that the detection probability of 0.9 has been achieved at the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of −2.6 dB which is adequate for many real-world applications. Furthermore, hardware implementation of the proposed CSR architecture is carried out on the FPGA platform (Nexys-4 DDR Artix-VII board) and its functional validation is performed in real-world scenario. Subsequently, the suggested CSR is ASIC synthesized and post-layout simulated in UMC 90 nm-CMOS technology node. As a result, it occupies a silicon area of 0.0369 mm2 and it is capable of operating at a maximum operating frequency of 251 MHz. This design has a latency of 79 clock cycles and it delivers a sensing time of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.31 ~\mu \text{s}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> while operating at the aforementioned maximum clock-frequency. In comparison to the state-of-the-art implementation, the proposed CSR occupies 34.1% lesser area, delivers <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$10\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> shorter sensing time, and has achieved <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$15.45\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> better hardware efficiency.
Depicting the Profile of METTL3-Mediated lncRNA m6A Modification Variants and Identified SNHG7 as a Prognostic Indicator of MNNG-Induced Gastric Cancer

As a representative example of an environmental chemical carcinogen, MNNG exposure is closely associated with the onset of gastric cancer (GC) where N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation tends to be the critical epigenetic event. However, the effect of m6A modification on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in MNNG-induced GC onset is still unclear. To address the above issue, based on the Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-seq) data of MNNG-induced malignant cells (MCs) and GC cells, we comprehensively analyzed the MNNG exposure-associated vital lncRNAs. MeRIP-seq analysis identified 1432 lncRNA transcripts in the MC cell, and 3520 lncRNA transcripts were found to be m6A modified in the GC cell, respectively. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that MNNG exposure could spark cellular localization change, which might be the critical cellular note variation for malignant transformation. We demonstrated that METTL3 is responsible for N6 methylation of lncRNAs and identified SNHG7 as a downstream target of METTL3. More importantly, we observed that SNHG7 was progressively up-regulated during gastric carcinogenesis by MNNG exposure. Finally, we investigated SNHG7 expression in different stages of GC malignancies and found that elevated SNHG7 expression correlated with advanced clinical features and poor prognosis in GC. In conclusion, our study found for the first time that METTL3 regulates the m6A methylation level of lncRNA SNHG7 and its expression in MNNG exposure-induced GC, suggesting that SNHG7 as a predictive biomarker or therapeutic target for GC.
What Do Americans Think about Federal Tax Options to Support Public Transit, Highways, and Local Streets and Roads? Results from Year 6 of a National Survey

This report summarizes the results of a national public opinion poll asking respondents if they would support various tax options for raising federal transportation revenues, with a special focus on understanding support for increasing revenues for public transit. Eleven specific tax options tested were variations on raising the federal gas tax rate, creating a new mileage tax, and creating a new federal sales tax. Other questions probed various perceptions related to public transit, including knowledge and opinions about federal taxes to support transit. Results show that a majority of Americans would support higher taxes for transportation—under certain conditions. For example, a gas tax increase of 10¢ per gallon to improve road maintenance was supported by 67 percent of respondents, whereas support levels dropped to just 23 percent if the revenues were to be used more generally to maintain and improve the transportation system. Survey results show that most people want good public transit service in their state and two-thirds of respondents support spending gas tax revenues on transit. However, questions exploring different methods to raise new revenues found relatively low levels of support for raising gas tax or transit fare rates.
What Do Americans Think About Federal Tax Options to Support Public Transit, Highways, and Local Streets and Roads? Results from Year Five of a National Survey

This report summarizes the results of year five of a national poll asking 1,503 respondents if they would support various tax options for raising federal transportation revenues, with a special focus on understanding support for increasing revenues for public transit. Eleven specific tax options tested were variations on raising the federal gas tax rate, creating a new mileage tax, and creating a new federal sales tax. Other questions probed various perceptions related to public transit, including knowledge and opinions about federal taxes to support transit. The survey results show that a majority of Americans would support higher taxes for transportation under certain conditions. For example, a gas tax increase of 10¢ per gallon to improve road maintenance was supported by 69 percent of respondents, whereas support levels dropped to just 25 percent if the revenues were to be used more generally to maintain and improve the transportation system. For tax options where the revenues were to be spent for undefined transportation purposes, support levels varied considerably by what kind of tax would be imposed, with a sales tax much more popular than either a gas tax increase or a new mileage tax. With respect to public transit, results show that most people want good public transit service and nearly two-thirds support spending gas tax revenues on transit. However, questions exploring different methods to raise new revenues found relatively low levels of support for raising gas tax or transit fare rates. Also, not all respondents were well informed about how transit is funded, with only half knowing that fares do not cover the full cost of transit.
Unsolved Issues in Thymic Epithelial Tumour Stage Classification: The Role of Tumour Dimension

According to the different classifications now in use, thymic tumours are staged by the extent of local invasiveness, and tumour size is not included as a major determinant for the T category. The aim of this double-site retrospective study is to analyse the correlation between tumour dimension and overall survival (OS) in patients who underwent surgical treatment. From January 2000 to December 2020, patients with thymic epithelial tumours who underwent surgical resection were included in this study. Data from a total of 332 patients were analysed. Five- and ten-year overall survival (5–10 YOS) was 89.26% and 87.08%, respectively, while five- and ten-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 88.12% and 84.2%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed a significant correlation between male sex (p-value 0.02), older age (p-value < 0.01), absence of myasthenia gravis (p-value < 0.01), increase in pTNM (pathological Tumor Node Metastasis) (p-value 0.03) and increase in the number of infiltrated organs (p-value 0.02) with an increase in tumour dimension. Tumour dimension alone was not effective in the prediction of DFS and OS, both when considered as a continuous variable and when considered with a cut-off of 3 and 5 cm. However, with multivariate analysis, it was effective in predicting OS in the aforementioned conditions (p-value < 0.01). Moreover, multivariate analysis was also used in the thymoma and Masaoka I subgroups. In our experience, the role of tumour dimension as a descriptor of the T parameter of the TNM (Tumor Node Metastasis) staging system seemed to be useful in improving this system.
TFIIB-Related Protein BRP5/PTF2 Is Required for Both Male and Female Gametogenesis and for Grain Formation in Rice

Transcription factor IIB (TFIIB) is a general transcription factor for RNA polymerase II, exerting its influence across various biological contexts. In the majority of eukaryotes, TFIIB typically has two homologs, serving as general transcription factors for RNA polymerase I and III. In plants, however, the TFIIB-related protein family has expanded greatly, with 14 and 9 members in Arabidopsis and rice, respectively. BRP5/pollen-expressed transcription factor 2 (PTF2) proteins belong to a subfamily of TFIIB-related proteins found only in plants and algae. The prior analysis of an Arabidopsis atbrp5 mutant, characterized by a T-DNA insertion at the 5′ untranslated region, demonstrated the essential role of BRP5/PTF2 during the process of pollen germination and embryogenesis in Arabidopsis. Using a rice transformation system based on CRISPR/Cas9 technology, we have generated transgenic rice plants containing loss-of-function frameshift mutations in the BRP5/PTF2 gene. Unlike in the Arabidopsis atbrp5 mutant, the brp5/ptf2 frameshift mutations were not transmitted to progeny in rice, indicating an essential role of BRP5/PTF2 in both male and female gamete development or viability. The silencing of rice BRP5/PTF2 expression through RNA interference (RNAi) had little effect on vegetative growth and panicle formation but strongly affected pollen development and grain formation. Genetic analysis revealed that strong RNAi silencing of rice BRP5/PTF2 was still transmissible to progeny almost exclusively through female gametes, as found in the Arabidopsis atbrp5 knockdown mutant. Thus, reduced rice BRP5/PTF2 expression impacted pollen preferentially by interfering with male gamete development or viability. Drawing upon these findings, we posit that BRP5/PTF2 assumes a distinct and imperative function in the realm of plant sexual reproduction.
Transient stress-coupling between the 1992 Landers and 1999 Hector Mine, California, earthquakes

A three-dimensional finite-element model (FEM) of the Mojave block region in southern California is constructed to investigate transient stress-coupling between the 1992 Landers and 1999 Hector Mine earthquakes. The FEM simulates a poroelastic upper-crust layer coupled to a viscoelastic lower-crust layer, which is decoupled from the upper mantle. FEM predictions of the transient mechanical be- havior of the crust are constrained by global positioning system (GPS) data, inter- ferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) images, fluid-pressure data from water wells, and the dislocation source of the 1999 Hector Mine earthquake. Two time- dependent parameters, hydraulic diffusivity of the upper crust and viscosity of the lower crust, are calibrated to 10 2 m 2 •sec 1 and 5 10 18 Pasec respectively. The hydraulic diffusivity is relatively insensitive to heterogeneous fault-zone permeabil- ity specifications and fluid-flow boundary conditions along the elastic free-surface at the top of the problem domain. The calibrated FEM is used to predict the evolution of Coulomb stress during the interval separating the 1992 Landers and 1999 Hector Mine earthquakes. The predicted change in Coulomb stress near the hypocenter of the Hector Mine earthquake increases from 0.02 to 0.05 MPa during the 7-yr interval separating the two events. This increase is primarily attributed to the recovery of decreased excess fluid pressure from the 1992 Landers coseismic (undrained) strain field. Coulomb stress predictions are insensitive to small variations of fault-plane dip and hypocentral depth estimations of the Hector Mine rupture.