Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Utilizing Patch Burning to Enhance Vegetation Management in the Southern Great Plains

Prescribed burning and livestock grazing can increase plant diversity by reducing the competitive ability of some invasive plants. The research objectives of this study were: to quantify vegetation response to patch burning, to determine cattle grazing distribution patterns following patch burning, and to quantify performance of grazing heifers following patch burning. Ten percent of 3 pastures was patch-burned. The remaining 3 pastures were not patch burned. All pastures were exposed to cattle grazing at a moderate stocking rate. Vegetation and livestock response were monitored. In addition, we monitored cattle grazing patterns. Pricklypear cover decreased, and pricklypear density tended to decrease. Patch burning increased mesquite mortality. Bitterweed densities were similar between burned and non-burned patches, while annual broomweed densities were reduced by fire. Forage production on the burned patches was similar to non-burned controls, but decreased following burning and grazing by heifers. Heifer weights were greater, but only during certain times post-fire. Heifers grazing in pastures spent more time grazing in burned patches especially early in the grazing season. Patch burning can be used to improve livestock distribution while reducing the cover and density of some invasive plants.
Blob-size distribution as a function of capillary number in sandstones

Changes that occur, with increase in capillary number, in the detailed structure of residual oil trapped in water-wet sandstone core samples, have been investigated. The technique of using a nonwetting phase which can be solidified and separated from the porous medium has been applied using styrene monomer as the nonwetting phase and 2% CaCl/sub 2/ brine as the wetting phase. The size distributions of residual oil blobs, obtained under various flow conditions, were measured by both image analysis and Coulter Counter techniques. Specific features of the results were checked by optical and electron microscopy. The changes in size distribution and shapes of blobs provide insight into the mechanisms of trapping and mobilization of residual oil.
Uterine hemodynamics and ovarian reserve quality in the prediction of in vitro fertilization outcomes

Today, the success of in vitro fertilization (IVF) is seen as a combination of two major factors: the ability of embryos to implant and the receptivity of the endometrium [1]. These two factors are directly dependent on the ovarian reserve of the female patient. In patients with diminished ovarian reserve the quality of oocytes tends to degrade [2] and Doppler ultrasonography reveals decreased uterine perfusion. In the study presented below we chose to focus on the endometrial blood flow as the quality of transferred embryos was good; so their ability to implant is not discussed here. In 2013 the Russian Association of Human Reproduction (RAHR) reported that the use of cryopreserved donor eggs А. К. Рабаданова, Р. И. Шалина, Н. А. Гугушвили ГЕМОДИНАМИКА МАТКИ И СОСТОЯНИЕ ОВАРИАЛЬНОГО РЕЗЕРВА В ОЦЕНКЕ ЭФФЕКТИВНОСТИ ЭКСТРАКОРПОРАЛЬНОГО ОПЛОДОТВОРЕНИЯ
Circuit Degeneracy Facilitates Robustness and Flexibility of Navigation Behavior in C.elegans

Animal behaviors are robust and flexible. To elucidate how these two conflicting features of behavior are encoded in the nervous system, we analyzed the neural circuits generating a C. elegans thermotaxis behavior, in which animals migrate toward the past cultivation temperature (Tc). We identified multiple circuits that are highly overlapping but individually regulate distinct behavioral components to achieve thermotaxis. When the regulation of a behavioral component is disrupted following single cell ablations, the other components compensate the deficit, enabling the animals to robustly migrate toward the Tc. Depending on whether the environmental temperature surrounding the animals is above or below the Tc, different circuits regulate the same behavioral components, mediating the flexible switch between migration up or down toward the Tc. These context-dependencies within the overlapping sub-circuits reveal the implementation of degeneracy in the nervous system, providing a circuit-level basis for the robustness and flexibility of behavior.
The Cultural Validation of Two Scales assessing Albinism - related Social
 Stigma among High School Students in Tanzania

Purpose: Albinism in Tanzania causes fierce stigmatisation. Although various stigma reduction interventions (SRI) are employed, research on their effectiveness is lacking. This research aimed to develop a tool to measure albinism-related social stigma among high school students in Tanzania. Cultural equivalence was tested for the Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue Community Stigma Scale (EMIC-CSS) and Albinism Social Distance Scale for Adolescents (ASDS-A) assessing conceptual, item, semantic, operational and measurement equivalence. Methods: The methods used were workshops, in-depth interviews, translation and re-translation, discussions, a test (n=337) re-test (n=142) of the survey, and follow-up focus group discussions (n=25). Results: The Scales have proven to be adequate on all equivalences other than measurement equivalence. The reproducibility statistics raise questions that can be explained by characteristics of the sample. Conclusion and Implications: The analysis provides insights for further validation of the Scales, contributes to the discussion about a universal stigma measurement tool and demonstrates the importance of validation studies of existing and proven tools used in a different context.
UHPLC‐ESI‐QTOF‐MS phenolic profiling and antioxidant capacity of bee pollen from different botanical origin

In this work, bee pollen samples from different botanical origin were investigated for antioxidant capacity. Thereafter, a phenolic profiling was produced through a mass spectrometric untargeted metabolomic approach. Marked differences were identified in TPC, ranging from 4.2 (Magnolia) to 29.6 mg g⁻¹ GAE (Lamium). Wide differences were also recorded in antioxidant capacity (ORAC, ABTS and DPPH assays). Untargeted profiling allowed annotating 467 compounds with flavonoids being the most frequent class of phenolics followed by phenolic acids, tyrosols, lignans and other. OPLS‐DA clearly discriminated the most represented floral families (Umbelliferae, Rosaceae and Fabaceae), suggesting, thus, that botanical origin leaves a characteristic phenolic signature in pollen. Overall, 35 phenolics accounted for most of the discrimination, with flavonoids being the most represented class. Despite the fact that further research is needed, the phenolic profile of bee pollen is a promising tool to investigate the botanical origin.
Effect of the Fractional Distillation on an Increment Patchouli Alcohol Content in Patchouli Oil

: Indonesia is one of the patchouli oil producers in the world, however, the problem is the quality of patchouli oil, especially patchouli alcohol content that are still below the required standard. One of the methods that can be used to increase the content of patchouli alcohol is fractional distillation method. This research aims to know the influence of the initial concentration of patchouli alcohol and height of column against increment of patchouli alcohol content in patchouli oil. The experimental design which used was Complete Randomized Design (CRD) consist of two factors, first factor namely the initial concentration of patchouli alcohol (C1 = 31,11%, C2 = 32,83%, and C3 = 33,61%) and second factor is height of column (H1 = 25 cm and H2 = 45 cm). Analysis of variance shows that the height of vigreux column has a real influence against the increased levels of patchouli alcohol. The highest levels of patchouli alcohol (83,86%) obtained from the residue fraction of distillation with 31.11 % initial concentration of patchouli alcohol and 45 cm height of column. The higher levels of patchouli alcohol in patchouli oil residue fraction, the higher specific gravity and the refractive index, and solubility in ethanol will be easier. The result shows that this sample have 1.013 specific gravity, clear in ethanol at 1:5 and have 1.5166 refractive index.
Building Computer-Mediated Communication Corpora for Sociolinguistic Analysis.

Quatrieme de couverture Communication between humans via networked devices has become an everyday part of people’s lives across generations, cultures, geographical areas, and social classes. Shaped by the specific social and technical context in which it is produced, synchronous and asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC) has become increasingly participatory, interactive, and multimodal. User interactions and user-generated social media content offer a wide range of research opportunities for a growing multidisciplinary research community.This edited volume combines methodological papers that focus on building and annotating CMC corpora and papers that offer a sociolinguistic analysis of different CMC corpora. The diversity of languages represented in the corpora include Arabic, French, German, Italian, English and Slovenian. In fact, the increasingly multilingual nature of CMC data is a recurring theme throughout the volume, as are the references to the importance of and compliance with standards for CMC corpora development in order to facilitate(the? )re-examination of corpora for reproducibility, and for other areas and objectives of investigation.All but one paper are extended papers from the 2017 edition of the CMC and Social Media Corpora Conference held in Bolzano, Italy where the community met to discuss themes that related to the interaction between language, CMC, and society.
Looking for objective correlates between tinnitus and cochlear synaptopathy

Tinnitus is the perception of a sound in the absence of acoustic stimulation. While usually connected to a hearing loss, there exists a subset of tinnitus sufferers with audiologically normal hearing, whose tinnitus was often initiated by a noise trauma. Noise-induced tinnitus might be connected to the noise exposure that leads to a permanent impairment of the hearing system without affecting sensitivity to sound. This is commonly referred to as hidden hearing loss (HHL) and might be connected to cochlear synaptopathy. The hypothesis that HHL is one of the causes underlying tinnitus is based on suppositions that both phenomena are related to deafferentation of auditory nerve fibres and related central gain adjustments. To investigate this connection, a screening procedure consisting of high frequency audiometry (HFA), tinnitus likeness spectrum and loudness, psychophysical tuning curves (PTC) and tinnitus masking curves (TMC), adaptive categorical loudness scaling, and middle-ear muscle reflex test was developed. Pilot results show that all measurements can be completed within a short time frame, due to a Bayesian procedure being adopted to measure HFA, PTC and TMC. These procedures may contribute to investigating the connection between tinnitus and HHL with a large number of outcome measures. This connection will provide important insights toward the development of better diagnoses and treatment methods.
Accounting Information and Lending Decision: Does Sustainability Disclosure Matter?

Lending decisions of banks is a function of accounting information of borrowing firms, however, in contemporary times the quality of their accounting information is not encouraging to be used as a yardstick in taking lending decision. Against this backdrop, we investigated the impact of accounting information on commercial banks’ decision to Manufacturing firms in Nigeria. A sample of thirteen industrial listed firms was used. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to summarize the data and to draw inference on the population studied. We employed the Ordinary Least Squares in testing the hypotheses stated. Findings revealed that monetary value of collateral positively affects lending decisions of banks, profit level of borrowing form negatively influence the lending decision of banks, while corporate sustainability disclosure positively but insignificantly impact on banks’ lending decisions. The study concluded that accounting information affect banks’ lending decisions, also although corporate sustainability insignificantly influence bank lending decision, it does not matter.
The Grassland–Shrubland Regime Shift in the Southwestern United States: Misconceptions and Their Implications for Management

Transitions from semiarid grassland to shrubland states are among the most widely recognized examples of regime shifts in terrestrial ecosystems. Nonetheless, the processes causing grassland–shrubland transitions and their consequences are incompletely understood. We challenge several misconceptions about these transitions in desert grasslands, including that (a) they are currently controlled by local livestock grazing and drought events, (b) they represent severe land degradation, and (c) restoration of grassland states is impossible. Grassland–shrubland transitions are the products of multiple drivers and feedback systems, both ecological and social, interacting at multiple scales of space and time. Grass recovery within shrubland states—with and without shrub removal—produces novel ecosystems that are dissimilar from historical grasslands but that provide important ecosystem services. Projected increases in climate variability are likely to promote the further displacement of perennial grasses by xerophytic shrubs. This article offers guidelines for managing grassland–shrubland transitions in the face of changing biophysical and socioeconomic circumstances.
Metabolically activated macrophages in mammary adipose tissue link obesity to triple-negative breast cancer

Obesity is associated with increased incidence and severity of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC); however, mechanisms underlying this relationship are incompletely understood. Macrophages, which accumulate in adipose tissue and are activated during obesity, are an attractive mechanistic link. Here, we show that, during obesity, murine and human mammary adipose tissue macrophages adopt a pro-inflammatory, metabolically- activated (MMe) macrophage phenotype that promotes TNBC stem-like markers and functions, including increased tumorsphere growth in vitro and tumor-initiating potential in vivo. We demonstrate that MMe macrophages release cytokines in an NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2)-dependent manner that signal through glycoprotein 130 (GP130) on TNBC cells to promote their stem-like properties. Accordingly, deleting Nox2 in myeloid cells or depleting GP130 in TNBC cells attenuates the ability of obesity to drive TNBC tumor formation. Our studies implicate MMe macrophage accumulation in mammary adipose tissue during obesity as a mechanism for promoting TNBC stemness and tumorigenesis. HIGHLIGHTS ⁘ Obesity promotes TNBC tumor formation and stemness. ⁘ Mammary adipose tissue macrophages are metabolically activated (MMe) in obese mice and humans. ⁘ MMe macrophages in mammary adipose tissue contribute to obesity-induced stemness. ⁘ MMe macrophages promote TNBC stemness through GP130 signaling.
Do large Polish cities substitute their own-source revenues with fees and user charges?

This paper aims to assess if large Polish cities use fees and user charges to substitute other own-source revenues. The analysis has been conducted on a panel of 65 large cities in Poland in the period of 2004-2015. Using OLS and fixed effect panel analysis, it has been proved that cities pursue their policy in order to maximize their revenues, which is in line with the Leviathan theory assuming that public authorities maximize public revenues. Additionally, using the normalization quotient mapping, it has been confirmed that cities do not change their revenue policy in terms of taxes vs. fees and user charges trade-offs.
Marula Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra dispersal by mammals: are squirrels seed predators or seed dispersers?

The marula (Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra) is a well known dioecious tree found across much of central and southern Africa. Dispersal mechanisms for marulas are still unclear, although it is known that endozoochory, especially by elephants, plays an important role by increasing the percentage germination of the seeds. The tree squirrel (Paraxerus cepapi subsp. cepapi) has been observed removing marulas from elephant dung, and there are a few observations of them scatterhoarding seeds. The goals of this study were: 1) to determine if tree squirrels scatterhoard marula seeds, 2) to examine natural predation rates of stones under adult trees, and 3) to investigate whether the possible dispersal relationship is visible in density and demographic signals across the landscape. To accomplish this, we performed cafeteria experiments and surveyed marula populations and seed predation inside and outside large herbivore exclusion plots at N'waxitshumbe, Shingwedzi, Skuku / and Pretoriuskop in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Our findings confirmed that squirrels do scatterhoard and disperse marulas. They were observed burying 46% of marula stones (n = 50). The average burial depth was 0.53cm (±0.3 1; n = 15) and mean dispersal distance 4.57m (±6.81; n = 33). Predation rates of marulas under adult trees were lower than expected: between 30 and 56% of stones lying on the surface were not predated at all). Patterns of marula demography and distribution across the landscape varied greatly between sites, which is likely to be related to different fire regimes, herbivore densities and climates. It was, however, evident that scatter-hoarding could be an important dispersal mechanism for the marula, and could be the second phase of a diplochorous seed-dispersal relationship with elephants. Un ive rsi ty of Ca pe To wn
Evaluation of Intraocular Pressure (IOP) Regarding Circadian Rhythm, Age, Sex and Eye Side in Awassi Sheep

Measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP) in domestic animals has become a part of routine eye examination with advent of applanation tonometer. Delayed control of high IOP may lead to permanent blindness due to retinal ganglion cells dysfunction and optic nerve degeneration. This study aimed at evaluating IOP of Awassi sheep with respect to circadian rhythm, age, sex and eye sides and finally to establish a reference (baseline, normal) IOP value for this particular species. A total of 24 healthy sheep with different ages and sexes were used. The animals were divided into 2 equal groups, <1 (6 male, 6 female, n = 12) and ≥1 (6 male, 6 female, n = 12) years old. IOP measurements were performed twice, in the morning (6:00 a.m.) and in the evening (8:00 p.m.) with Tono-pen Vet® applanation tonometer. Mean IOP in the animals decreased from 16.21 mmHg in the morning to 12.65 mmHg in the evening with an approximately rate of 22% (P <0.0001). Comparison of mean IOP values of right eyes (n=12) to the left (n=12), male (n=48) to female (n=48), and ages < 1 (n=48) to ≥ 1 (n=48) showed no difference (P >0.05). The reference IOP for this animal was calculated as 14.43±2.72 mmHg notwithstanding any variable. It was concluded that in this breed IOP values can vary significantly as far as circadian rhythm is concerned and Tono-pen Vet® can be used for sheep IOP measurement as an alternative to other applanation tonometry.
Bats of the Serra da Bocaina National Park, southeastern Brazil: an updated species list and a distribution extension for Trinycteris nicefori (Sanborn, 1949)

Abstract: The Serra da Bocaina National Park (SBNP) is a large remnant of Atlantic Forest located within an endangered biodiversity hotspot, which contributes to the connectivity among protected areas in the region. Despite the ecological importance of the SBNP, its bat fauna is poorly-known, and no comprehensive inventory is available. The present study provides an updated list of the bat species found in the SBNP. The four-year study was based on a capture-mark-recapture approach at four sites within the park, in the municipality of Paraty, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. A total of 22 bat species were recorded, representing two families, Phyllostomidae (n = 19 species) and Vespertillionidae (n = 3). This added 14 species to the known bat fauna of the SBNP, which is hereby updated to 24 species, including Dermanura cinerea Gervais, 1856, Platyrrhinus recifinus (Thomas, 1901), and Myotis ruber (É. Geoffroy, 1806), which are listed as endangered in Rio de Janeiro state. The specimen of Trinycteris nicefori (Sanborn, 1949) captured in the present study is the first record of the occurrence of this species in Rio de Janeiro state. This record extends the geographic range of the species by approximately 650 km to the southeast. Additional inventories, in particular at poorly-studied Atlantic Forest sites, combined with environmental suitability analyses, and taxonomic and biogeographic data, are urgently required to elucidate the distribution of many Brazilian bat species, such as T. nicefori.
Chromium originating for tanneries in river sediments: a preliminary investigation from the Upper Dunajec River [Poland]

In this paper we examine the mineralogy of sediments and the distribution of chromium between particle-size classes, and describe the contaminated sediment distribution in the upper Dunajec River. No relationship between grain-size classes and Cr concentration was found in the contaminated sediments, but chromium concentration increased with decreasing grain-size in non-contaminated sediments. Fragments of leather were identified in the bottom sediments in proximity to wastewater discharges from tanneries. At each of the contaminated sites, Cr is enriched in the organic fraction of the uppermost surface sediments, while the clay fraction is relatively poor in this metal. The contamination factor in sediments is about 100.
Financial Globalization and Financial Sector Effectiveness: An Index Based Analysis of Pakistan

This paper tried to assess the nature of relationship betweenfinancial sector openness and financial sector deepening forPakistan. The study utilized data set of annual frequency onfinancial sector openness index, institutional quality index,trade openness and a set of control variables over a periodfrom 1995 to 2018. The application of econometric method ofAutoregressive Distributed Lag Model (ARDL) confirmed theextensively debated long run association, and after havingestablished this, found the estimates (both short run and longrun). Results demonstrated that financial openness andinstitutional quality improve the quality of financial sectorefficiency in Pakistan for short run; however, in the long runfinancial openness did not lead financial sector development.These findings indicate that policies promote financial sectoropenness appear to help Pakistan to derive the benefits ofquality of financial sector efficiency. Our analysis suggeststhat there are unavoidable risks associated with financial sectoropenness. Therefore financial openness is not just an isolatedpolicy goal. Along with institutional quality soundsmacroeconomics framework is an essential prerequisite formaking sure that financial development is beneficial.
KÄHLER-RICCI SOLITONS ON CERTAIN TORIC BUNDLES

In this paper, we shall introduce the notion of a KSM-manifold, which has the structure of a ﬁber bundle over an Einstein–K ¨ ahler Fano manifold whose ﬁber is a toric Fano manifold, and prove that every KSM-manifold admits a K ¨ ahler–Ricci soliton.