Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A bioindicator protocol for sustainable agribusiness in South Africa, using new crops as case studies

English: This study is innovative in that it proposes an Index determined by the functional qualities of arthropods and relates a monetary value to these qualities, based on new crop case studies conducted at two contrasting agroecosystem sites in South Africa. The sustainability of an agribusiness depends on the conservation of its biodiversity. The development of a robust methodology that can be used in an Environmental Management System (EMS) is thus necessary by (i) implementing measures of arthropod and general vegetation biodiversity and (ii) incorporating a monetary value to functional diversity, as mechanisms to indicate the degree of disturbance within the agro-ecosystem. The main objectives were to determine the relationship between arthropod diversity indices (species richness, abundance and evenness) and arthropod assemblages; to determine the relationship between the edge effect reaction of arthropods and the resistance and resilience of an agroecosystem; to determine the relationship between agricultural practices (such as pesticides and fertilizers), surrounding vegetation and arthropod richness and abundance; and to determine the relationship between arthropod species richness and abundance, and the proposed AFI (Agroecosystem Function Index), which is based upon the economic value of ecosystem services. Case studies were conducted to pinpoint potential indices of an ecological nature, with specific reference to the diversity indices of arthropods, as part of the methodology. Arthropods were used as an indicator community since they are prevalent, have high species diversity, are easy to sample, are important in ecosystem function, provide early detection of ecological changes and respond to environmental changes faster than vertebrates. The influence of agricultural management practices on this diversity is also taken into consideration. Quantitative and qualitative analysis revealed distinct patterns within the biodiversity at all the locations, relative to the frequency and diversity of vegetation sampled. Thus aspects of ecology (edge-effect, guild structure and functional diversity) should indicate a relationship between communities, which in turn would indicate the level of ecosystem integrity. The level of ecological integrity could be taken into consideration when adopting a quality Environmental Management System (EMS). Possibilities of incorporating a monetary value model, such as the Agroecosystem Function Index (AFI), to biodiversity analysis, that in turn has a bearing on ecosystem services and agribusiness, is also addressed. An EMS bio-indicator protocol is important as an aid to reduce the impact of agricultural management practices on the agro-ecosystem and to increase its functional efficiency.
Feeding Ractopamine Improves the Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics of the Lard-Type Mangalica Pig

Simple Summary A resurgence in U.S. niche markets catering to customers demanding high-quality pork products has renewed U.S. producers’ interest in lard-type, heritage breeds such as the Mangalica pig. However, the excessive amount of lard associated with Mangalica production poses a limitation to the adoption of this breed. This study aimed to determine if feeding 20 mg per kg of ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC) to growing Mangalica pigs would improve their growth performance without impairing carcass merit. Feeding RAC improved both Average Daily Gain and gain efficiency while increasing loin eye area and promoting darker objective color scores. These changes occurred without impacting marbling score or measures of tenderness. Therefore, feeding RAC may be a viable strategy to improve the economic feasibility of utilizing this breed to target niche markets. Abstract Mangalica pigs are gaining popularity within the U.S. as a niche breed, given their reputation for superior-quality pork. However, slow growth rates, a poor lean yield, and excessive adiposity limit the widespread adoption of Mangalica. To determine if feeding the metabolic modifier, ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC), would improve growth performance without impairing pork quality in the Mangalica, pigs were fed either 0 or 20 mg per kg RAC for 21 days. At 24 h postharvest, pork quality and carcass composition measurements were recorded; then, primal cuts were fabricated and assessed. RAC increased ADG (p < 0.04) and gain efficiency (p < 0.03) by 24% and 21%, respectively. RAC increased Loin Eye Area (p < 0.0001) by 21% but did not impact the 10th rib fat depth (p > 0.90) or marbling score (p > 0.77). RAC failed to alter any primal cut weights. Feeding RAC lowered b* values (p < 0.04) and tended to lower L* values (p < 0.08) while not affecting a* values (p > 0.30), suggesting RAC darkened loin color. Finally, RAC decreased cook yield percentage (p < 0.02) by 11% without impacting Warner-Bratzler Shear Force (p > 0.31). These data support the hypothesis that feeding RAC to Mangalica improves growth performance without impairing pork quality in this breed.
TESTS PERSONOLÓGICOS Y CLÍNICOS EN ESPAÑOL PARA EVALUAR ADOLESCENTES INFRACTORES

espanolLa evaluacion psicologica de los adolescentes infractores es imprescindible en su recorrido por los servicios de justicia juvenil. Gracias a esta evaluacion se garantiza la exigencia legal y la eficiencia de las medidas judiciales y educativas que se prescriben en estos servicios. En el presente articulo, el primero de una serie de dos, se revisan las principales pruebas de evaluacion psicologica en espanol disponibles para profesionales de la psicologia que trabajan con adolescentes infractores de los paises hispanohablantes. Clasificaremos estas herramientas en tres grupos: a) Personologicas adecuadas para cualquier contexto profesional de la Psicologia, b) Clinicas, cuya utilidad inicial se circunscribe al trabajo con adolescentes que presentan necesidades de salud mental y c) Forenses, aquellas desarrolladas especialmente para su uso en adolescentes atendidos en los servicios penales. Los instrumentos forenses se describen en la segunda parte de este articulo (Wenger & Andres-Pueyo, 2016 b) (en este mismo numero de la revista). Para cada apartado se presentan y revisan los instrumentos mas importantes y de utilidad contrastada. EnglishThe psychological assessment of offenders is the core of professional activity throughout the juvenile justice system. It ensures the adequacy of the legal and educational measures to be applied in the process. This paper reviews the main tests for psychological assessment available in Spanish, suitable for use by psychology professionals who work with young offenders in the juvenile justice services in Spanish-speaking countries. We classify these tools into three groups: a) Personological, i.e. generic tests, suitable for any professional context in psychology, b) Clinical, i.e. tests whose initial use has been limited to working with adolescents with mental health needs, and c) Forensic, tools that have been specially developed for use in the juvenile justice population. This last group is described in the second part of this article (Wenger & Andres-Pueyo, 2016 b) (which appears in this same issue). The most important instruments of proven utility are presented and reviewed for each group.
Frentizole, a Nontoxic Immunosuppressive Drug, and Its Analogs Display Antitumor Activity via Tubulin Inhibition

Antimitotic agents are one of the more successful types of anticancer drugs, but they suffer from toxicity and resistance. The application of approved drugs to new indications (i.e., drug repurposing) is a promising strategy for the development of new drugs. It relies on finding pattern similarities: drug effects to other drugs or conditions, similar toxicities, or structural similarity. Here, we recursively searched a database of approved drugs for structural similarity to several antimitotic agents binding to a specific site of tubulin, with the expectation of finding structures that could fit in it. These searches repeatedly retrieved frentizole, an approved nontoxic anti-inflammatory drug, thus indicating that it might behave as an antimitotic drug devoid of the undesired toxic effects. We also show that the usual repurposing approach to searching for targets of frentizole failed in most cases to find such a relationship. We synthesized frentizole and a series of analogs to assay them as antimitotic agents and found antiproliferative activity against HeLa tumor cells, inhibition of microtubule formation within cells, and arrest at the G2/M phases of the cell cycle, phenotypes that agree with binding to tubulin as the mechanism of action. The docking studies suggest binding at the colchicine site in different modes. These results support the repurposing of frentizole for cancer treatment, especially for glioblastoma.
Community Size and Electoral Preferences: Evidence From Post-Second World War Baden-Württemberg

We examine whether electoral preferences depend on a community's population size by studying post-Second World War Baden-Württemberg in Southwest Germany. Our identification strategy exploits the fact that the French administration zone prohibited German expellees from entering, contrary to the contiguous American zone. Population size positively predicts voting for the Social Democrats (the party advocating substantial government involvement in practically all domains) and negatively for the Christian Democrats (the small-government party advocating free-market policies). Results are neither driven by pre-existing voting patterns, religious compositions, and location- and time-specific unobservables, nor other measurable cultural, demographic, economic, or political characteristics. Alternative explanations pertaining to expellee voting behaviour or a backlash of natives against expellees appear unlikely – population size prevails as a predominant voting predictor.
Chemical properties and outflow patterns of anthropogenic and dust particles on Rishiri Island during the Asian Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE-Asia) : Characterization of Asian aerosols and their radiative impacts on climate

Investigations of chemical properties and transport mechanisms of continental aerosols are necessary for estimating their influences on global radiative budget and on the global material cycle. Intensive measurements of atmospheric aerosols and the associated species on Rishiri Island, near the northern tip of Japan, were conducted from March to May 2001, in order to understand the chemical properties, source regions, transport pathways, and transport patterns of anthropogenic and mineral aerosols over the east Asian Pacific Rim region during the spring. Mean concentrations of nss-SO 2- 4, NO - 3, NH + 4, nss-Ca 2+ in aerosols were 2.48, 0.64, 0.72, and 0.17 μg m -3 , respectively. Elemental carbon and organic carbon in fine particles (d < 2.5 μm) yielded mean concentrations of 0.25 and 0.80 μg m -3 , respectively. The concentrations of these species frequently increased to higher values because of outbreaks of continental polluted air masses, whereas under background conditions, they decreased to lower values similar to those observed over the remote ocean. Our results demonstrate that nss-SO 2- 4 and NH4 coexist in fine particles, that NO - 3 and nss-Ca 2+ coexist in coarse particles, and that each set is transported in an alternate manner. Continentally derived NO - 3 is transported as coarse particle to the east Asian Pacific Rim region. Anthropogenic pollutants and dust particles are not necessarily transported together. It was often found that anthropogenic fine particles containing abundant nss-SO4- appeared first and were then followed by large mineral particles that had absorbed NO - 3. Short-term intrusion of the air masses containing abundant particulate carbonaceous compounds, probably due to the influence of biomass burning, also often occurred during the outflow events of continental air masses. Atmospheric behaviors of sulfate, nitrate, and carbonaceous species are different from one another, although they are all derived mainly from combustion processes.
Flood Inundation Modelling for Mid‐Lower Brisbane Estuary

This study utilizes a two‐dimensional hydrodynamic model to calibrate and validate an inundation model for the Brisbane River estuary in Queensland, Australia. The bathymetry data used in the hydraulic model are derived from one arc second (1 s) shuttle radar topography mission digital elevation model, and the two‐dimensional hydraulic model is parameterized using the generated bathymetry with four open boundaries with water level observations and roughness coefficients. The calibration performance is evaluated by comparing the simulated results with the digitized records during the January 2013 flood event (a low magnitude event) at three gauging stations. The calibrated model is validated with water level data and available discharge data during the January 2011 flood (a large magnitude event) at four gauging stations located along the Brisbane River. Different performance indices are applied to demonstrate that the developed model performs well during calibration and validation. A sensitivity analysis is presented to assess the influence of riverbed elevation changes on the model because the main uncertainty of the model is the bathymetry data. The proposed model with the shuttle radar topography mission digital elevation model‐derived riverbed elevation for the Brisbane estuary is able to predict the flood inundation extent at an accuracy of 66.9% which is higher than or comparable with the accuracies of the existing studies. However, it is expected that the accuracy will increase if some improved bathymetry data become available in the future. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Systematic Literature Review: Students' Mathematical Literacy Ability Through the Problem Based Learning Model

This research aims to examine several literatures related to the Problem Based Learning learning model on mathematical literacy abilities. The research method used in this research is the SLR method. Journal searches were carried out using the keywords PBL learning model and mathematical literacy skills published in the 2019-2023 period obtained with the help of the Publish or Perish application. The results of this research show that: 1) the problem-based learning model can improve students' mathematical literacy skills; 2) research related to the PBL learning model on students' mathematical literacy abilities in the 2019-2023 period tends to be mostly carried out in 2021, at junior high school level, and is a type of quantitative research.
Using the Green and Ampt infiltration equation on native and plowed rangeland soils.

Soil textur8i rei8tionship were used on 3 soil series on both plowed end native rangeinnd to predict Green and Ampt infUtration equation paremeters. Infiitr8tion rates predicted from the Green and Ampt soil texture reiationahips were regressed a&net field infiltration rata. Good predictability wee found on only 4 of 94 plots, all of which were in the l griculturai area. Result8 indicate that current soil texture relationships developed for eathnating infiltration ratea may not be sufficient for UIC in either agricuitural or rangeland semiarid environments. At thir point in time, if infiltretion valuea are important, then they rhouid be measured (not e8timated) u&g 8ppropriete methodologie8.
Afferents to Action: Cortical Proprioceptive Processing Assessed with Corticokinematic Coherence Specifically Relates to Gross Motor Skills

Voluntary motor control is thought to be predicated on the ability to efficiently integrate and process somatosensory afferent information. However, current approaches in the field of motor control have not factored in objective markers of how the brain tracks incoming somatosensory information. Here, we asked whether motor performance relates to such markers obtained with an analysis of the coupling between peripheral kinematics and cortical oscillations during continuous movements, best known as corticokinematic coherence (CKC). Motor performance was evaluated by measuring both gross and fine motor skills using the Box and Blocks Test (BBT) and the Purdue Pegboard Test (PPT), respectively, and with a biomechanics measure of coordination. A total of 61 participants completed the BBT, while equipped with electroencephalography and electromyography, and the PPT. We evaluated CKC, from the signals collected during the BBT, as the coherence between movement rhythmicity and brain activity, and coordination as the cross-correlation between muscle activity. CKC at movements’ first harmonic was positively associated with BBT scores (r = 0.41, p = 0.001), and alone showed no relationship with PPT scores (r = 0.07, p = 0.60), but in synergy with BBT scores, participants with lower PPT scores had higher CKC than expected based on their BBT score. Coordination was not associated with motor performance or CKC (p > 0.05). These findings demonstrate that cortical somatosensory processing in the form of strengthened brain–peripheral coupling is specifically associated with better gross motor skills and thus may be considered as a valuable addition to classical tests of proprioception acuity.
Comparative analysis of mitogenomes among three species of grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acridoidea: Gomphocerinae) and their phylogenetic implications

Whole mitochondrial genomes have been widely used in phylogenetic analysis, population genetics and biogeography studies. This study sequenced and characterized three complete mitochondrial genomes (Dasyhippus peipingensis, Myrmeleotettix palpalis, Aeropedellus prominemarginis) and determined their phylogenetic position in Acrididae. The length of the mitochondrial genomes ranged from 15,621–15,629 bp and composed of 13 PCGs, 2 rRNA, 22 tRNA genes and an AT control region. The arrangement and structure of the mitochondrial genomes were similar to those of other invertebrates. Comparative genomics revealed that the three mitochondrial genomes were highly conserved in terms of gene size, structure, and codon usage, all PCGs were purified selections with an ATN start codon and a TAN stop codon. All tRNAs could be folded into the typical clover-leaf structure, except tRNA Ser (AGN) that lacked a dihydrouridine (DHU) arm. Phylogenetic analysis based on 13 PCGs of 34 Acrididae species and seven outgroup species revealed that differences in the shape of antennae within the family Acrididae should be given less weight as a taxonomic character for higher-level classification. Moreover, the divergence time estimates indicates that in Gomphocerinae, the species with clubbed antennae were formed within the nearest 18 Mya, and Pacris xizangensis is more ancient.
Unusual migratory behaviour in a newly established subpopulation of Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) breeding in the highlands of Poland

The migratory behaviour of a subpopulation of Whooper Swans breeding in highlands of southern Poland was studied over a 17-year period, from 1997 to 2013. Birds ringed in their breeding area spent winters and moulting periods in the vicinity of their natal sites, and the mean distance between breeding area and wintering sites was only 149.1 ± 11.7 km. Moreover, 57.0% of all winter re-sightings were obtained within 100 km of the study area. There was an increase in winter site fidelity by individual Whooper Swans over their lifetime (R 2 = 0.09, p = 0.019), reflected by a linear decrease in the distance travelled between two consecutive winters (b = 0.22 ± 0.09). We did not find any association between winter severity and the birds migratory behaviour, neither in the distance travelled nor the location of winter recoveries. The mean distance between the study area and the moulting site was 142.7 ± 34.6 km and c. 66.6% of ring re-sightings during the moulting period were within 100 km of the study area. During autumn many immature birds were observed close to their parents breeding territory and this could help them reunite with parents or siblings from other seasons. The apparent reduction of migratory behaviour compared with representatives of northern populations indicates behavioural plasticity in the Whooper Swan, which may facilitate further southward expansions of the species.
Metabolic syndrome and the risk of coronary artery disease among the physicians

Background: Physicians, due to their work and lifestyle patterns, can be at risk for metabolic syndrome (MetS). We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of MetS among physicians and its association with coronary artery disease (CAD). Materials and methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study collected data on Thai physicians who had medical examination including cardiovascular testing from 14 February to 31 October 2022, in our hospital. Inclusion criteria were those who had complete data for MetS diagnosis per Adult Treatment Panel III criteria and CAD diagnosis information. Outcome measures were prevalence of MetS and CAD prevalence in affected vs non-affected physicians. Results: Of 1194 physicians, the median age was 48.0±10.29 years. The authors found 4.5% were obese, 30.6% having high blood pressure, 26.6% high fasting blood sugar (FBS), 12.7% high triglycerides, and 13.7% low high-density lipoprotein (HDL). The prevalence of MetS was 8.9%. Increasing age, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, FBS, triglyceride, and decreasing HDL were identified as independent risk factors of MetS. The prevalence of CAD was 11.4%: 47.2% vs. 7.9% among the physicians with and without MetS respectively (odds ratio 10.41: 95% CI, 6.70–16.16%, P<0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of MetS among Thai physicians in this study was 8.9%. Those physicians with MetS were associated with a 10-fold higher risk of CAD. Physicians who were at risk of developing MetS should consider modifying their health habits and being vigilant about the potential consequences of CAD. Further prospective cohort studies are warranted to validate these results.
Chemopreventive approach of Indian spice “Curcumin” in the treatment of breast cancer

One of the primary concerns for women in good health is breast cancer. The most typical hazardous growth is this one. It spreads easily, and the clinical conditions are terrible. Bosom illness is the second‐most common type of malignant tumor that regularly causes women to pass away in the U.S. bosom malignant growth is the most well‐known disease among women worldwide, with 2.1 million cases reported in 2018 and more than 620,000 fatalities per year. Natural components are viewed as promising alternatives for the development of novel anti‐tumor drugs. Curcumin, also termed diferuloylmethane, is a yellow pigment made by the turmeric plant, Curcuma longa Linn. It is the curcuminoid and polyphenol present in the plant’s root that is most abundant. The antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory qualities of curcumin have been demonstrated, and it is frequently utilized in traditional medicine and cuisine. Due to its sophisticated pharmacological capabilities of chemoprevention and anticancer effects, curcumin, the main component of turmeric, has been linked to the treatment of breast cancer. The morbidity or mortality of the disease have not been significantly decreased by current breast cancer treatment options such as surgery, radiation, adjuvant chemotherapy, or hormone therapy. The expansion, estrogen receptor (trauma center), and human epidermal development factor receptor 2 (HER2) pathways are all involved in the activity of curcumin in illness. In breast cancer cells, curcumin is also known to regulate microRNA, cell stage-related characteristics, and apoptosis. This study reviews recent research on the atomic targets and anticancer effects of curcumin in breast cancer.