Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The population status of breeding Twite Linaria flavirostris in the UK in 2013

ABSTRACT Capsule: The second national survey of Twite Linaria flavirostris estimated a UK breeding population of 7831 pairs (95% confidence limits: 5829–10 137) in 2013. Aims: To estimate the breeding population size of Twite in the UK and constituent countries and to calculate change since the 1999 survey. Methods: Counts of Twite were made on three visits between May and July across a stratified random sample of 1-km squares in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland, a complete census was made of the known range and adjacent 1-km squares with suitable habitat. Field surveys involved walking line transects 200 m apart and, in suitable nesting habitat, making 5-minute stops at 100 m intervals to scan and listen for Twite. Results: The UK population of Twite was estimated at 7831 pairs (95% CL: 5829–10 137). This was 21% lower but not significantly different from the 1999 survey estimate. Scotland held 98% of the UK population (7640, 95% CL: 5629–9954). There were an estimated 164 pairs (95% CL: 76–297) in England, a significant decline of 72% from 1999. Estimated totals for Wales and Northern Ireland were 16 (95% CL: 10–24) and 18 pairs respectively. Conclusion: The second national survey suggests a moderate decline in the UK Twite population since 1999 but with considerable variation between countries. Further work is required to understand the drivers of population change across breeding populations.
Antifungal Activity of Selenium Nanoparticles Extracted from Capparis decidua Fruit against Candida albicans

BACKGROUND Nanotechnology has introduced nanoparticulate form of selenium for a wide variety of applications. Nanoparticles can be used in medicine due to their increased interaction with microbes and also because it has fewer side effects than the drugs. Selenium nanoparticles have unique biomedical applications ranging from antioxidant activity to anticancer activity. It is distinct with its high biological activity and low toxicity and cytotoxic property. Capparis decidua also called as karira belonging to Capparaceae family is a xerophytic small branched shrub found in Africa, Middle East and South Asia. Its fruit is used for preparing curry and pickles in the western parts of India. In our study, the selenium nanoparticles were extracted from its fruit. Candida albicans is pathogenic yeast in the oral cavity, gastrointestinal tract and the urogenital tract affecting the immunocompromised patients and causes various types of infections. It has gained resistance to present antifungals and new formulations are needed to be discovered. Plant extract was prepared from Capparis decidua fruit powder and filtered using Whatman No. 1 filter paper. It was kept in magnetic stirrer for nanoparticle synthesis. Colour change was observed which indicates the synthesis of nanoparticles. UV visible spectroscopy was taken in proper intervals. The nanoparticles synthesized were purified by centrifugation technique and checked for its antifungal activity. Antifungal activity of the prepared nanoparticles against Candida albicans was determined by using agar well diffusion assay method or agar disc diffusion method. The zone of inhibition formed around the disc indicates the sensitivity of the fungi to the plant extract. The inhibition zone diameter was measured using a ruler and compared with the inhibition zone formed by the positive control drug which was done in parallel. Antifungal activity was showed by an inhibition zone which was characterized by a clear zone around the wells. The diameter of the inhibition zone formed for 50 mL of the plant extract was 20.33 mm ± 0.47, for 100 mL of the plant extract was 28.33 mm ± 0.47, for 150 mL of the plant extract was 30.33 mm ± 0.47 and for the positive control drug was 34.33 mm ± 0.47. The diameter of the inhibition zones was compared with the positive control drug. Selenium nanoparticles extracted from Capparis decidua fruit showed high activity against Candida albicans . Further in vivo research can be done for the same and it may represent an alternative for treating fungal infections.
Geospatial Analysis of Vaccination Coverage and Predictors of Non- and Under-Vaccination of Children Aged 12–23 Months in Nigeria

Abstract This study (1) examines the spatial variation of uptake for each dose of basic vaccine and (2) identifies the predictors of non- and incomplete vaccine uptake among children aged 12–23 months in 2018 using data from NDHS. Spatial statistical techniques and multinomial logistic regression analyses were employed. Findings indicate wide variation of coverage at regional, urban/rural, and district levels. Coverage for all the vaccines exhibited statistically significant spatial dependence nationally. Locally, vaccination coverage hotspot for all the vaccines clustered among 16 states in the south while cold spots were in seven northern states. Of the 6059 children, 25, 56, and 9 percent were fully vaccinated, under-vaccinated, and non-vaccinated, respectively. Children who did not receive postnatal care, had no health card, resided in poorer households, and whose mothers did not receive tetanus injection had higher odd of being non-vaccinated. Children, who were delivered at home, did not receive postnatal care, whose mothers could not read and lived in poorest, poorer, and middle households had increased risk of being under-vaccinated. Findings suggest that increased access to immunization, community-level health education and communication are required particularly in rural and northern districts.
Differential requirements of tubulin genes in mammalian forebrain development

Tubulin genes encode a series of homologous proteins used to construct microtubules which are essential for multiple cellular processes. Neural development is particularly reliant on functional microtubule structures. Tubulin genes comprise a large family of genes with very high sequence similarity between multiple family members. Human genetics has demonstrated that a large spectrum of cortical malformations results from de novo heterozygous mutations in tubulin genes. However, the absolute requirement for most of these genes in development and disease has not been previously tested in genetic, loss of function models. Here we present two novel pathogenic tubulin alleles: a human TUBA1A missense variant with a phenotype more severe than most tubulinopathies and a mouse ENU allele of Tuba1a. Furthermore, we directly test the requirement for Tuba1a, Tuba8, Tubb2a and Tubb2b in the mouse by deleting each gene individually using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing. We show that loss of Tuba8, Tubb2a or Tubb2b does not lead to cortical malformation phenotypes or impair survival. In contrast, loss of Tuba1a is perinatal lethal and leads to significant forebrain dysmorphology. Thus, despite their functional similarity, the requirements for each of the tubulin genes and levels of functional redundancy are quite different throughout the gene family. The ability of the mouse to survive in the absence of some tubulin genes known to cause disease in humans suggests future intervention strategies for these devastating tubulinopathy diseases.
Analisis Perbandingan Kinerja Keuangan pada Bank Umum Syariah BUMN (Bank BRI Syariah, Bank Syariah Mandiri dan Bank BNI Syariah)

This study aims to investigate and prove empirically about the differences between the financial performance of Bank BRI Syariah, Bank Syariah Mandiri and Bank BNI Syariah during the period 2014-2018. This research is a descriptive comparison. The data used is secondary data in the form of financial statements of companies that obtained from published financial statements of Bank Indonesia through www.bi. go.id sites as well as on the official website of each of the banks. Data analysis was performed by using financial ratio analysis of CAR, ROA, ROA, FDR, and the NPF. And analysis techniques were used to compare the performance of Bank BRI Syariah, Bank Syariah Mandiri and Bank BNI Syariah is a method of Anova. Analysis showed that there were significant differences for ROA, ROA and FDR while in the CAR and the NPF is not a significant difference. Bank BRI Syariah financial performance is better in terms of capital of the CAR, ROA and efficiency ratio of the NPF ratio, the performance of Bank Syariah Mandiri in this study was less good than the other two bank, Bank BRI Syariah and Bank BNI Syariah.
Application of β-function in phytoindication to account for species response curves asymmetry

В работе предложен подход для фитоиндикационной оценки экологических факторов на основе диапазональных шкал с учетом значений кардинальных точек и вероятной асимметрии кривых отклика видов растений. Экологические факторы моделируются фитоиндикационными шкалами, диапазон варьирования которых ограничен. В центральной части диапазона фактора кривая отклика вида имеет форму, которую можно надежно аппроксимировать нормальным законом Гаусса. Это позволяет полностью обосновано с помощью кардинальных точек, которые непосредственно обозначаются индикаторными значениями вида, вычислять оценки экологического оптимума вида. Усредненные значения оценок экологических оптимумов видов сообщества, взвешенных с учетом их проективного покрытия, дают фитоиндикационную оценку экологического фактора. При приближении к маргинальным позициям градиента происходит увеличение асимметричности распределения видов. Такое явление наблюдается при исследовании реальных градиентов. Эти явления также являются следствием математических свойств экологических шкал. Для моделирования кривых отклика распределения видов в качестве альтернативы симметричной гауссовой модели применяется β-функция. Эта функция может моделировать как симметричные, так и асимметричные распределения. Так как фитоиндикация выполняет обратную задачу в сравнении с моделированием кривых отклика, то вполне уместно β-функцию также применить для решения задач фитоиндикации. Применение β-функции позволило оценить зону оптимума вида на основе его кардинальных точек с учетом вероятной асимметрии распределения кривой отклика вида. Также моделирование кривой распределения вида дает возможность сузить диапазон возможных значений экологического фактора, в условиях которого вид может демонстрировать наблюдаемое обилие в сообществе. Соответственно, это увеличивает информационную ценность видов в сообществе и таким образом позволяет достичь большей надежности фитоиндикационных оценок.
Ability of arbuscular mycorrhiza to promote growth of maize plant and enzymatic activity of an alluvial soil

A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the response of selected species of mycorrhizae for root colonization and phosphorus uptake by maize in an alluvial soil. Of all the species of mycorrhizae taken under consideration, Glomus mosseae was found to perform better in terms of root colonization, number of spores, grain yield and phosphorus uptake. The maximum plant height (28.5 cm), shoot dry weight (19.45 g plant-1) and root dry weight (4.77 g plant-1) was also found with the application of G. mosseae. Its application significantly increased the root dry weight by 99.58 and 72.82% over application of G. intraradices and control respectively, and was at par with the application of G. coronatum and Gigaspora decipiens. Application of G. decipiens reported the highest bacterial (39.11 cfu g-1 soil) and fungal count (30.68 cfu g-1 soil) that was found to be at par with application of G. mosseae. Application of G. mosseae significantly increased the actinomycetes population by 44.71 and 55.97% over application of a local mycorrhizal strain and control. Maximum dehydrogenase activity (56.00 g-1 TPF g-1 24 h-1) and acid phosphatase activity (0.299 mg PNP g-1 h-1) and was also observed with application of G. mosseae, which in turn resulted in higher yield which was 27.28%, 28.52%, 9.35 and 11.7% more than G. intraradices, G. coronatum, G. decipiens and the local species respectively. G. mosseae inoculation proved to be effective in modifying the soil microbe population and community structure and also in enhancing the soil enzymatic activities and phosphorus uptake of the crop.
Investigation of various techniques for controlled void formation in fiberglass/epoxy composites

The effect of porosity in composite materials has been studied for years due to its deleterious effects on mechanical properties, especially matrix dominated properties. Currently there is an increasing use of composites in infrastructure worldwide, for example bridge components, residential and building structures, marine structures such as piers and docks, and large industrial chemical tanks. Most of these applications use fiberglass composites. Unfortunately, most of the published literature has focused on carbon fiber composites, in which fiber diameter and gas-fiber interactions are different than fiberglass composites. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to revisit the effect of porosity but specifically in fiberglass composites. The goal of this experimental study was to implement and evaluate various methods for creating porosity in fiberglass composites in a controlled manner in terms of obtaining repeatable void content, morphology, and location within the laminate. The various methods included using different amounts of autoclave pressure, adding a small amount of water between prepreg layers, and using dry fabric layers to starve the laminate of resin. Ultrasonic C-scan nondestructive evaluation was used to assess the quality of the cured panels, as well as optical and electron microscopy and void content measurements via resin burn-out. The cured panels were mechanically tested using the short beam shear (SBS) method. The results showed that the water spray method proved to be the best in terms of producing noticeably different levels of porosity, although the panels required drying to remove residual water after cure. The voids from all three techniques were either oval or elongated in-plane between the plies, but they were not uniformly distributed in-plane. The use of C-scan proved to be helpful for characterizing overall uniformity of each panel, although the results could not be used to directly compare void content between panels. The use of SBS testing was successful for evaluating void dominated properties in panels with high void content, although it was not very sensitive to coupons with lower void contents. Several interesting observations are offered in this manuscript of the fracture surface details and their relation to the SBS load deflection curves. Overall, it was found that the failure mechanisms were mixed mode and the voids did not serve as failure initiation sites. However, the voids participated mainly in the horizontal propagation of cracks between layers, presumably making it easier when they were intersected by a crack and reducing SBS strength.
Is a Corruption Crackdown Really Good for the Economy? Firm-Level Evidence from China

We study the impact of anticorruption efforts on firm performance, exploiting an unanticipated corruption crackdown in China’s Heilongjiang province in 2004. We compare firms in the affected regions with those in other inland regions before and after the crackdown. Our main finding is an overall negative impact of the crackdown on firm productivity and entry rates. Furthermore, these negative impacts are mainly experienced by private and foreign firms, while state-owned firms are mostly unaffected. We present evidence concerning two potential explanations for our findings. First, the corruption crackdown may have limited bribery opportunities that helped private firms operate. Second, the corruption crackdown may have interfered with personal connections between private firms and government officials to a greater extent than institutional connections between state-owned firms and the government. Overall, our findings suggest that corruption crackdowns may not restore efficiency in the economy, but instead lead to worse economic outcomes, at least in the short run (JEL L2, M1, O1).
Head Start educators’ conceptions of early childhood mathematics teaching and learning

ABSTRACT Given the recent attention on early childhood mathematics education, it is important to understand how early childhood educators conceptualize the work of mathematics teaching and learning. This article describes a study of preschool educators’ conceptions of mathematics teaching and learning in the context of a multi-year professional development project at two Head Start preschool centers. In particular, I examined how participants in this study perceived their roles in mathematics teaching and learning, and how their conceptions demonstrated awareness of children’s ways of thinking and learning in play. I found that educators’ conceptions converged around three themes of practice: 1) engaging and nurturing, 2) noticing children’s mathematical activity, and 3) guiding children’s mathematical learning. These conceptions shed new light on the promises and challenges of professional development aimed at improving mathematics teaching and learning in early childhood education.
The Social Terrain of Rebel Held Territory

The extent of local order varies widely in rebel held areas, from total chaos to well-run governing institutions. When these institutions exist, why do some include civilian input in local affairs, while others exclude civilians from governance? I argue that rebels choose different governing strategies that maximize their utility of territorial control, based on certain characteristics of civilian inhabitants populating the territory. Rebels’ constituency determines whether rebels seek to govern civilians or control them solely with coercive violence, and community cohesion (or lack thereof) then determines the type of institutions that rebels develop. I focus on three different outcomes for communities under rebel control—no institutions, exclusive institutions, and inclusive institutions. I test my argument using historical, statistical, and case evidence, leveraging original cross-national data on local order in rebel held territory as well as interviews with village heads, ex-combatants, and community members in Aceh, Indonesia.
Effect of the Introduction Time of Trichoderma harzianum into Soil on its Biocontrol Potential against Meloidogyne javanica on Tomato Plants under Greenhouse Conditions

1 Al Mahalliah Trading and Agriculture Company, Ltd., Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 2 Department of Plant Protection, College of Agricultural Studies, Sudan University of Science and Technology 3 University of Hafr Albatin, the university college in Alkhafji, Department of Biology, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 4 Department of Nematode Diseases, Plant Pathology Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, 9 Gamaet El-Qahera street, Giza 12619, Egypt 5 Department of Plant Protection, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, P. O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia *Corresponding author
Unusual Concentration of Black-chested Buzzard-Eagles in Central Argentina

CARMEN M. LÓPEZ, JUAN M. GRANDE, AND PAULA M. OROZCO-VALOR Instituto de las Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa (INCITAP)–Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientı́ficas y Técnicas de Argentina (CONICET), Avenida Uruguay 151, (6300) Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina and Centro para el Estudio y Conservación de las Aves Rapaces en Argentina (CECARA), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, Avenida Uruguay 151, (6300) Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina.
DeepFed: Federated Deep Learning for Intrusion Detection in Industrial Cyber–Physical Systems

The rapid convergence of legacy industrial infrastructures with intelligent networking and computing technologies (e.g., 5G, software-defined networking, and artificial intelligence), have dramatically increased the attack surface of industrial cyber–physical systems (CPSs). However, withstanding cyber threats to such large-scale, complex, and heterogeneous industrial CPSs has been extremely challenging, due to the insufficiency of high-quality attack examples. In this article, we propose a novel federated deep learning scheme, named DeepFed, to detect cyber threats against industrial CPSs. Specifically, we first design a new deep learning-based intrusion detection model for industrial CPSs, by making use of a convolutional neural network and a gated recurrent unit. Second, we develop a federated learning framework, allowing multiple industrial CPSs to collectively build a comprehensive intrusion detection model in a privacy-preserving way. Further, a Paillier cryptosystem-based secure communication protocol is crafted to preserve the security and privacy of model parameters through the training process. Extensive experiments on a real industrial CPS dataset demonstrate the high effectiveness of the proposed DeepFed scheme in detecting various types of cyber threats to industrial CPSs and the superiorities over state-of-the-art schemes.
Intracellular pharmacokinetics of Paclitaxel : relationship with Pharmacodynamics and therapeutic implications /

Paclitaxel is one of the most important anticancer drugs developed in the last two decades. It is active against multiple cancers. The two major challenges to the clinical use of paclitaxel are the development o f tumor resistance to the drug, and the lack o f scientific rationales to define the most effective treatment schedules. The anticancer activity o f paclitaxel is determined by its accumulation in cells and penetration into tumors. Paclitaxel binds to cellular components including its pharmacological target, i.e., tubulins/microtubules and is also a substrate o f P-glycoprotein (Pgp) which is the membrane protein responsible for drug efflux and resistance in cancer cells. Paclitaxel shows limited penetration into solid tumors. The overall goals of my dissertation study are to (a) determine the intracellular pharmacokinetics o f paclitaxel and to established a computational model to describe the quantitative effects o f biological changes in tumor cells that affect intracellular drug accumulation, (b) determine the barriers and factors that affect paclitaxel delivery into solid tumors, and (c) use the results of (a) and (b) to define the best treatment schedule. These studies were conducted using in vitro systems including monolayer cultures o f tumor cells and histocultures o f solid tumors where the heterogeneous cell types and the 3-dimensional structures are retained, and using in vivo systems o f tumor-bearing animals. The major findings are (a) Pgp-mediated paclitaxel
Uncertainties in Drought From Index and Data Selection

This study compares various drought indices, the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), and the uncertainties in each to the input data from which they are derived. The abilities of the PDSI, SPEI, and SPI to capture drought periods are assessed through a comparison with soil moisture estimates from two generations of the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS). This comparison shows that the skill with which a drought index represents variations in soil moisture does not necessarily improve when evapotranspiration is included (i.e., PDSI/SPEI rather than SPI), though this depends on location and the time scale of the drought. The differences in the abilities of the drought indices to represent soil moisture are also compared to the magnitude of the uncertainty in each index arising from the choice of input data. In many cases, the uncertainties in the variations of the PDSI, SPEI, and SPI to the choice of input data are larger in magnitude than the differences between the indices themselves, particularly when considering the dry tails of the distribution. The results show that no one drought index outperforms the others during drought conditions.