Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of grazing in maintaining high species‐composition in Imperata grassland in Rwenzori National Park, Uganda*

Summary lmperata cylindrica (L.) is a weed which establishes and spreads by seed and rhizomes, competitively ousting other species in a stand that it colonizes. In unburnt areas the shoots are brownish-yellow, unpalatable and not grazed. The canopy becomes underlain by a thick layer of dead undecomposed leaves which significantly reduce the flow of light through the foliage, consequently reducing the numbers and dry matter production of the other species in the grassland community. Burning removes the dead cover and allows I. cylindrica to generate quickly, flower gregariously and the sprouting leaves are readily grazed. Grazing or clipping reduces the performance of the species. Under natural conditions, burning, followed by intensive grazing, can suppress the competitive vigour of the weed and permit co-existence of a large number of species in the stand. RESUMEE Imperata cylindrica (L.) est une herbe qui setablit et se disperse par graines et rhizomes, supplantant les autres especes des stations queelle colonise. Dans les regions non-brulees, les pousses sont brun-jaune ameres et non-broutees. Les frondaisons deviennent soutenues par une epaisse couche de feuilles mortes non decomposees qui reduisent significativement le flux de lumiere a travers le feuillage, reduisant par consequent le nombre et la production de matiere seche des autres especes herbacees. Le feu supprime la couche morte et les pousses sont facilement broutees. Le broutage ou la tonte reduisent les performances de l'espece. Dans les conditions naturelles, le feu, suivi deun broutage intensif, peut supprimer la vigueur competitive de l'herbe et permettre la coexistence, dans la station, d'un grand nombre d'especes.
MINIMAL FEATURE SELECTION USING SVM BASED ON ANOVA

The main aim of this paper is to find the smallest set of genes that can ensure highly accurate classification of cancer from micro array data by using supervised machine learning algorithms. The significance of finding the minimum gene subset is three fold:1) It greatly reduces the computational burden and noise arising from irrelevant genes.2) It simplifies gene expression tests to include only a very small number of genes rather than thousands of genes, which can bring down the cost for cancer testing significantly. 3) It calls for further investigation into the possible biological relationship between these small numbers of genes and cancer development and treatment. Our simple yet very effective method involves two steps. In the first step, we choose some important genes using an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) ranking scheme. In the second step, we test the classification capability of all simple combinations of those important genes using a good classifier such as Support Vector Machines. Our approach obtained very high accuracy with only two genes.
Avaliação de formulações de glyphosate sobre soja Roundup Ready

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of three glyphosate formulations (Roundup Ready® and R. Transorb® - both with isopropylamine salt and Zapp Qi®, formulated as potassium salt), on transgenic soybean. CD 219RR variety soybean plants displaying the CP4Epsps gene, tolerant to glyphosate, were cultivated. At 25 days after emergence (DAE), when plants showed the second trifolium completely expanded (stadiums V2-V3 ), formulations were applied at 2,000 g ha-1 . Plants intoxication was evaluated 15 days after application as well as the number and dry matter of leaflets, number of radicular nodules and foliar content of N, P, K, S, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mn at flowering and grain yield at the end of the cycle. Soil basal respiration rate, microbial biomass carbon and metabolic quotient were evaluated through soil samples collected during soybean flowering. Isopropylamine salt, present in the Roundup Transorb formulation, was more harmful to the soybean plants, also providing a negative effect on the soil microbiota. Roundup Ready formulation, registered as transgenic soybean, should not be applied on this crop at a higher rate, since it could alter the content of some nutrients, such as N, Ca, Mg, Fe and Cu, besides causing intoxication in the plants.
EFFECT OF SPRINKLER IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT AND STRAW MULCH ON YIELD, WATER CONSUMPTION AND CROP COEFFICIENT OF PEANUT IN SANDY SOIL

Field experiments were conducted at El-Bustan Agricultural Research Station, in summer season of 2013 on peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) variety Giza 5, to study the effect of sprinkler irrigation management and the application of rice straw mulch on yield, quality, water consumptive use and crop coefficient of peanut in sandy soil. Two irrigation treatments, (I3) and (I5) were imposed based on the soil water depletion to bring the soil water deficit to the field capacity at two irrigation intervals of 3 and 5 days. Mulching treatments were applied randomly during the 3-leaf growth stage for one half of the experimental area (M) at a rate of about 500 g/m, while the other half remained bare (non-mulched, Mo). The experimental design was splitplot with three replications and consisted of irrigation treatments in the main plots, mulching and non-mulching treatments as subplots. The results revealed that, higher yield and better crop growth were observed in the mulched plots as compared to nonmulched plots under the same irrigation treatments. Also, the effect of I3 treatment was more pronounced than the effect of I5 treatments. The average values of maximum plant length, No. of pods/plant, pods weight/plant, total Bio-mass, 100 kernels weight ,total pods yield and total kernels yield, were 65.00 cm, 39.45, 53.20 g. , 4012.05 kg/fed, 67.10 g, 1658.80 kg/fed and 1176.00 kg/fed, respectively observed with I3M treatment. An increase in the tested quality parameters such as shelling percent, protein and oil percentage, of 8.9, 4.40 and 2.13%, respectively were obtained with I3M treatment as compared to the control treatment (I3MO). The computed ETO value in course of the peanut growth season was 752.25 mm. I3MO treatment had the maximum ETC and applied irrigation water (AIW) values of 2415.0 and 2952.60 m/fed, respectively. Applying rice straw mulch conserved irrigation water by about 14.37 and 21.62% with I3 and I5 treatments, respectively. WUE ranged from 0.60 with I3M and I5M to 0.36 kg/m with I5MO treatment, meanwhile, I5M and I3M treatments had the maximum IWUE values of 0.48 and 0.47 kg/m, respectively. The maximum crop coefficient (KC) value of 0.88 occurred during July, which was less than the generic value listed in FAO-33and-56 by about 16.2 and 10.2%, respectively, however the average KC values of peanut at El-Bustan area of 0.73 was close to FAO-33 and-56 listed values. These results showed that precise management of the available soil moisture content in the course of the growing season, and accurate estimation of ETC as well as, developing site and cultivar specific KC value can be effective way for appropriate irrigation scheduling and water allocation, saving water, maximizing yield and consequently optimizing the economic return.
CHEMICAL RESISTANCE IN POPULATIONS OF TETRANYCHUS URTICAE (KOCH) (ACARINA: TETRANYCHIDAE) FROM APPLE ORCHARDS IN NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

The response of eleven Tetranychus urticae populations from the Orange district of New South Wales to seven commercial acaricides has been determined in laboratory tests. The frequency of resistance to these compounds and the probable source of such resistance are discussed. Widespread resistance at the 50% mortality level to methidathion (up to 108‐fold) and tetradifon (6.4‐fold), and less frequent resistance to dicofol (17.5‐fold) have been established in the sample populations. A rapid bioassay method involving direct excision of mite‐infested leaf dises, adjustment of the test population by a vacuum needle apparatus, and spray tower application, are described.
Using Statistical Analysis to Investigate the Relevance of Accounting Information in Emerging Financial Markets: An Empirical Study

Despite extensive literature and numerous published work on the area of value relevance of accounting information, a major part of the studies have been conducted on large and developed capital markets. While there are a number of published articles in the area of value relevance of accounting information in developing markets, there is still a need to investigate more developing markets to see if there are similarities or different attributes of each market that could shed more light on the importance and usefulness of accounting relevance in developing markets. To study further the gap of accounting relevance in developing markets, this study investigates the relationship between the accounting information – represented in the financial ratios, F-Score, M-Score, in addition to market-related measures – and stock price represented in the ratio of Price to Book Value (PBV) per share and Price-Earnings (PE) Ratio. In order to shed light on the significant variables that affect the stock price in emerging markets, this study examines the cement sector in Saudi Arabia. The results of the study indicate that F-score, inventory turnover, current ratio, debt-to-equity ratio, return on assets, and average trading are significant determinants of PBV. Combined, they explain 75.1% of the variations in PBV. The study also shows that F-score and inventory turnover are significant determinants of PE. Combined, they explain 23.1% of the variations in PE.
Development and comparison of methods for measuring growth of filamentous fungi on wood

Measures of fungal growth with potential for use on wood-chip media were developed. These included (i) visual inspection, (ii) substrate dry weight loss, (iii) rate of fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis, (iv) extractable protein content, and (v) chitin content of the colonized substrate. The responses of the various assays to different growing conditions were assessed by using them on measured weights of mycelium, collected at intervals from liquid media with various composition. Growth of various species on either nutrient supplemented or unsupplemented wood chips was then measured. Each assay measured a different aspect of growth. The relationship between these changed in a distinctive way for each species during growth. Chitin gave the best measure of biomass, whereas fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis was a measure of growth-related metabolic activity. The protein and substrate dry weight loss data gave information about fungal protein and carbohydrate metabolism of the species, respectively. Addition of .
Improve Dengue Vaccine Design through a Comprehensive Understanding of Anti-Dengue Immunity

Dengue virus is one of the most prevalent arborviruses that emerges fast around the world and imposes a substantial disease burden globally. The co-circulation of four serotypes of dengue viruses causes a large number of dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome cases. As there is no specific antiviral treatment, an effective dengue vaccine is one of the most important tools to control the global spread of dengue disease. The development of dengue vaccine, however, is complicated by the interference among four dengue serotypes and an incomplete understanding of host immune responses. This review provides an overview of current work on host immunity against dengue viral infection. The knowledge will help to modify the existing vaccine design strategies and the development of novel dengue vaccine modalities in the future.
Global Trade and GDP Co-Movement

We revisit the association between trade and GDP comovement for 135 countries from 1970 to 2009. Guided by a simple theory, we introduce two notions of trade linkages: (i) the usual direct bilateral trade index and (ii) new indexes of common exposure to third countries capturing the role of similarity in trade networks. Both measures are economically and statistically associated with GDP correlation, suggesting an additional channel through which GDP fluctuations propagate through trade linkages. Moreover, high income countries become more synchronized when the content of their trade is tilted toward inputs while trade in final goods is key for low income countries. Finally, we present evidence that the density of the international trade network is associated with an amplification of the association between global trade flows and bilateral GDP comovement, leading to a significant evolution of the trade comovement slope over the last two decades.
COVID-19 Induced Lockdown Consequences on Air Quality and Economy - A Case Study of Bangladesh

The present study involves the investigation of air quality of Dhaka city, Bangladesh, before and during the periods of lockdown imposed to reduce the spread of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and comparison of data in corresponding periods of two previous years. Further, the consequences of COVID-19 in terms of economic disruptions were also studied. The accelerated and vast diffusion of COVID-19 in Dhaka has a high association with air pollution compared to the other cities of Bangladesh. Air pollution can be considered as an important determinant in the COVID-19 crisis. It was found that the mean air quality index (AQI) in Dhaka before lockdown in March in 2020 was found to be 4.82% and 5.30% lower compared to the corresponding period in 2018 and 2019, respectively. On the other hand, the average AQI during the lockdown in 2020 was found to be 9.57% and 16.74% lower respectively compared to the same period in 2018 and 2019. A significant negative correlation was found between AQI and rainfall (p<0.01) during the period of lockdown. Indeed, Dhaka city had better air quality during the lockdown but it was prognosticated that the remittance would fall by about 22% and GDP would plunge to a range between 2% and 3% in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Update on pulmonary arterial hypertension in children: management strategies and clinical utility of sildenafil

Pulmonary hypertension is an area of growing interest in cardiology, respiratory, and rheumatic diseases due to the increased treatment that is now available to ameliorate the disease process and the improved survival with such medication. The most common cause of pulmonary hypertension is secondary to congenital heart disease and the availability of a medication that is widely used and familiar in clinical practice enables pediatricians to manage this condition. However, there is much to be learned regarding the indications for this medication, for example, in chronic lung disease, and perioperatively in congenital heart disease. It is not yet clear when the therapy should commence, when the disease is mild or when it has progressed. This article summarizes the current state of knowledge of disease therapy concentrating on the use of sildenafil in the pediatric population.
Genotypic Variation for Hordeum bulbosum L.‐Mediated Haploid Production in Winter and Facultative Barley

There was significant genotypic variation for haploid production efficiency (HPE), computed as the number of haploid plants regenerated/100 florets pollinated with both techniques. The highest HPE (48) was achieved with «Schuyler» using floret culture, a technique in which barley florets pollinated with H. bulbosum L. are cultured on modified N 6 media containing 0.5 mg L −1 kinetin and 1.2 mg 2,4-D L −1 . Mean HPEs achieved with floret and tiller culture were 35 and 15, respectively. Cultivars exhibited differential HPE response
Comparison of fish communities and abundance in unmodified streams of Kahurangi National Park with other areas of New Zealand

Abstract New Zealand landscapes were extensively modified after European settlement in the late 1800s. Large areas of native forest were converted to pasture and few large areas of unmodified forest remain. Trout (Salmo trutta and Oncorhynchus mykiss) were introduced into the rivers at the same time, and these two changes are thought to have affected native fish communities. Kahurangi National Park is a large area of unmodified native forest with few introduced trout in smaller rivers draining to the west. A survey of these streams was made to determine whether their communities differed from those in other areas of New Zealand. No non‐diadromous native fish were found, suggesting a biogeographic separation from adjacent eastern and southern areas since the Pliocene or early Pleistocene. Contrary to popular expectation, fish diversity and abundance was often lower than at equivalent elevations in other areas of New Zealand. Lowland fish communities comprised a small stream community dominated by inanga (G.
Telomere length and physical performance at older ages

Background: Telomeres are involved in cellular ageing and shorten with increasing age. If telomere length is a valuable biomarker of ageing, then telomere shortening should be associated with worse physical performance, an ageing trait, but evidence for such an association is lacking. The purpose of this study was to examine whether change in telomere length is associated with physical performance. Methods: Using data from four UK adult cohorts (ages 53–80 years at baseline), we undertook cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. We analysed each study separately and then used meta-analytic methods to pool the results. Physical performance was measured using walking and chair rise speed, standing balance time and grip strength. Telomere length was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in whole blood at baseline and follow-up (time 1, time 2). Results: Total sample sizes in meta-analyses ranged from 1,217 to The LBC1921 work was undertaken by the University of Edinburgh Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, part of the cross council Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Initiative (Centre grant G0700704/84698). Funding from the BBSRC, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC) is gratefully acknowledged. The NSHD is funded by the UK Medical Research Council and supports DK, RH and RC. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Relationship between morphometric and genetic variation in pure and hybrid populations of the smooth and Montandon's newt (Triturus vulgaris and T. montandoni)

The variation in 10 morphometric characters and the degree of sexual dimorphism in size and shape was studied in pure and hybrid populations of smooth Triturus vulgaris and Montandon's T. montandoni newts. Multivariate analyses showed pronounced interspecific differences in both sexes. Females differed mainly in traits related to general size, whereas males differed mainly in body proportions. Triturus vulgaris males possessed a relatively longer trunk and tail. Sexual size dimorphism was much stronger in T. montandoni, the females being the larger sex. In hybrid zone populations a general correlation between morphometric traits and nuclear genotypes was found. This does not, however, fully explain the variation in size and shape. Whereas the majority of genetically identified hybrids fell into the range of morphologically pure species, many genetically pure individuals were classified as morphometric intermediates. The linear relationship between the morphometric and genetic variation suggested no strong differential selection on the molecular markers and loci responsible for morphometric differences between species. The differences in the level of sexual size and shape dimorphism, however, suggest that females of both species show dissimilar mate preferences, and thus hybrid males may experience reduced fitness resulting from lower mating success.
IMPACT OF EFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE EXPECTANCY, EFFORT EXPECTANCY AND SOCIAL INFLUENCE ON STUDENTS' BEHAVIOURAL INTENTION TO USE BLACKBOARD

Learning Management Systems (LMS), such as Blackboard, are widely used in universities. However, many universities employing Blackboard have encountered various difficulties during implementation, specifically in the domains of effectiveness, acceptance of the LMS-based delivery of teaching courses, and students’ Behavioural Intention (BI) to use the LMS. Conducted at the Faculty of Computing and Information Technology (FCIT), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this empirical study aims to investigate the impact of Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE) and Social Influence (SI) on students' BI to use Blackboard. This study identifies three hypotheses to validate the effects of PE, EE and SI on the students' BI to use Blackboard. The participants of this study were students at FCIT, King Abdulaziz University. The pilot study sample consisted of 31 students. A questionnaire containing Arabic-language questions adapted from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) instrument was distributed amongst the participants. The result exhibited both validity and internal reliability; furthermore, a correlation analysis validated the hypotheses, thus exhibiting that EE and SI do not have a significant effect on BI. Conversely, PE was observed to positively influence users’ BI. Although this study is a pilot study, the obtained results are promising that able to conclude the hypotheses.
Photosynthetic parameters of phytoplankton from 50°N to 50°S in the Atlantic Ocean

We conducted 150 photosynthesis-irradiance (P-E) experiments along 2 Atlantic meridional transects from 50°N to 50" S in April-May and October-November 1996. The latitudinal and vertical distributions of the maximum chlorophyll a-normalized rate of photosynthesis (PE,) and the initial slope of the P-E curve (aB) were examined in relation to the variations in relevant physical, chemical and biological variables. PE, ranged from c 1 mgC mgchl-' h-' in the central oligotrophic gyres to > l 0 mg C mgchl" h" in temperate regions and the upwelling area off Mauritania. The dynamic range of the observed variations in the P-E parameters was 3 to 4 times higher than assumed in productivity models that divide the ocean into blogeochemical provinces. Variability in the physiological parameters of phytoplankton was as high as that of chlorophyll concentrat~on. We obtained a model of multiple linear regression to calculate integrated primary productivity from data of surface temperature, chlorophyll a and P:. Changes in P:, accounted for 30% of the total variability in productivity. whereas variations in chlorophyll a explained only 5%, which indicates that phytoplankton photophysiology is more relevant than biomass in the control of primary productivity. We found a significant, negative correlation between the latitudinal changes in P: and those in the depth of the nitracline, suggesting an important role for the nutrient supply from below the thermocline in the regulation of photosynthetic efficiency over large spatial scales. A large degree of temporal variability was observed in the subtropical gyres: P! , and an varied by a factor of 3 between the 2 cruises, whereas phytoplankton biomass remained constant. The differences in the photosynthetic parameters between seasons were larger than between biogeochemical provinces. We emphasize the need to include nutrientdriven changes of phytoplankton photophysiology in models of primary productivity.