Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improving the reproduction and gonadosomatic index of Archachatina marginata using a medicinal plant ( Thymus vulgaris ) in the Equatorial Zone of Cameroon

SUMMARY A study was carried out to assess the reproduction and gonadosomatic index of Archachatina marginata fed with a medicinal plant ( Thymus vulgaris ). Three hundred adult snails were randomly allocated to four treatments and five replicates of 15 comparable snails. Treatment T 0 (control) received only the basal diet. The other treatments (T 0.25 , T 0.5 , and T 0.75 ) received, in addition to the basal diet, Thymus vulgaris powder at 0.25%, 0.5% and 0.75%, respectively. The results showed the lowest egg weight (1.33 ± 0.66) in animals receiving 0.5% Thymus vulgaris in the diet compared to the other treatments, while the lowest egg length (14.68 ± 1.14) was recorded in the control group. The number of clutches per treatment was lowest (16.25 ± 0.00) in animals that received 0.5% Thymus vulgaris in the diet compared to the control group and other treatments. The hatching and fertilization rates increased with the share of Thymus vulgaris in the diet, while the reverse was observed for the mortality rate. The highest gonadosomatic index (0.02±0.00) was recorded in animals receiving the highest level of Thymus vulgaris (T 0.75 ), followed by animals in the control group (T 0 ). Total protein and triglycerides increased significantly (p <0.05) with increasing Thymus vulgaris . In contrast, total cholesterol decreased significantly (p <0.05) as the level of Thymus vulgaris in the diet was increased. In conclusion, Thymus vulgaris at 0.75% can be used in the diet of breeding snails.
Scalable Mixed-Mode MPC

Protocols for secure multi-party computation (MPC) supporting mixed-mode computation have found a lot of applications in recent years due to their flexibility in representing the function to be evaluated. However, existing mixed-mode MPC protocols are only practical for a small number of parties: they are either tailored to the case of two/three parties, or scale poorly for a large number of parties. In this paper, we design and implement a new system for highly efficient and scalable mixed-mode MPC tolerating an arbitrary number of semi-honest corruptions. Our protocols allow secret data to be represented in Encrypted, Boolean, Arithmetic, or Yao form, and support efficient conversions between these representations. 1. We design a multi-party table-lookup protocol, where both the index and the table can be kept private. The protocol is scalable even with hundreds of parties. 2. Using the above protocol, we design efficient conversions between additive arithmetic secret sharings and Boolean secret sharings for a large number of parties. For 32 parties, our conversion protocols require 1184 × to 8141 × less communication compared to the state-of-the-art protocols MOTION and MP-SPDZ; this leads to up to 1275 × improvement in running time under 1 Gbps network. The improvements are even larger with more parties. 3. We also use new protocols to design an efficient multi-party distributed garbling protocol. The protocol could achieve asymptotically constant communication per party. Our implementation will be made public.
Pension Policy Reform and Fertility: Micro Evidence from Ghana

This study analyses the long-run and short-run effects of the pension policy reform that took place in Ghana in 2010. Using a difference in difference identification strategy and data from the Ghana Living Standard Survey (GLSS), the results show that the extension of a pension plan to women that were not previously eligible to have a pension reduced the average number of children of women with completed fertility cycle. This is in line with studies for other developing countries such as Brazil and China. The short-run effects on fertility are also explored showing that there has been a reduction in the probability of getting pregnant within a year after the policy was implemented. Additionally, we try to uncover heterogeneous effects of the impact on fertility of pension reform along cultural practices and religion. The results reveal that the negative impact was more pronounced for women from matrilineal culture and Christian women. Finally, we find no evidence of son or daughter preference.
Oviduct: roles in fertilization and early embryo development

Animal oviducts and human Fallopian tubes are a part of the female reproductive tract that hosts fertilization and pre-implantation development of the embryo. With an increasing understanding of roles of the oviduct at the cellular and molecular levels, current research signifies the importance of the oviduct on naturally conceived fertilization and pre-implantation embryo development. This review highlights the physiological conditions within the oviduct during fertilization, environmental regulation, oviductal fluid composition and its role in protecting embryos and supplying nutrients. Finally, the review compares different aspects of naturally occurring fertilization and assisted reproductive technology (ART)-achieved fertilization and embryo development, giving insight into potential areas for improvement in
Chapter 11 The rock coast of Korea

Abstract The rocky shores of the east and west coasts of Korea have distinctly different geomorphologies. Tidal processes dominate coastal landform development on the west coast, facing the Yellow Sea, while wave processes are more important on the east coast. This gives rise to broad differences in the nature of rocky landforms between these coastlines. With the exception of coastal terraces, there is limited understanding of rock coast systems in South Korea owing to a lack of quantitative analysis. In particular, wide shore platforms along the west coast have been interpreted as inherited features from the Last Interglacial or earlier stages, but the chronology of their development remains poorly constrained and understood because of insufficient investigation. Recently, cosmogenic surface exposure dating has been successfully applied to these platforms, providing new information on their development and offering the possibility of making better predictions of future coastal change. The absolute dating of contemporary and inherited rock coast landforms should help to better constrain the histories of relative sea-level change and coastal morphodynamics in Korea.
Ameliorative Eﬀect of Chitosan-Propolis Nanoparticles on the Estradiol Valerate-Induced Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Model

Background: Polycysticovarysyndrome(PCOS)isanendocrinedisorderaﬀectingwomen. PreviousresearchhasshownthatPCOS is associated with insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and immune system malfunctions. Also, the antioxidant eﬀects of propolis and the positive eﬀects of chitosan nanoparticles on the reproductive system have been demonstrated in some reports. Objectives: The current study is designed to investigate the protective eﬀects of chitosan-propolis nanoparticle against estradiol valerate-induced (EV) PCOS model of rats compared to metformin (Met) (as a control treatment). Methods: Intramuscular injection of EV (4 mg/kg, 28 days) was used to induce PCOS in rats, followed by oral administration of 500 mg/kg chitosan-propolis nanoparticle for 42 days. Rats were divided into 4 groups: Control, PCOS, metformin (PCOS and 150 mg/kg metformin), and chitosan-propolis nanoparticles (PCOS and chitosan-propolis nanoparticle administration, 500 mg/kg) groups. Results: All animals were subjected to serum factors analysis and histopathological study of ovaries. Estradiol valerate-induced induced PCOS while administration of chitosan-propolis nanoparticle recovered it. The body weight (P < 0.01) and ovarian morphology improved. The serum biochemical parameters, including estrogen (P < 0.05), progesterone (P < 0.001), vitamin D (P < 0.01), calcium (P < 0.01), and insulin resistance index (P < 0.05) were reversed after chitosan-propolis nanoparticle intervention. These EV-induced alterations included inhibited superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (P < 0.05) and increased malondialdehyde (MDA)level(P< 0.001),anditwasdemonstratedthatchitosan-propolisnanoparticle/
Snowmelt Lysimeters for Real-Time Snowmelt Studies in Turkey

Snowmelt lysimeters collect and measure the meltwater that is released from the snowpack. The data recorded from a snowmelt lysimeter are valuable for the formulation of the physical basis of modules of a snowmelt runoff model. There are few snow studies on the eastern region of Turkey in basins that feed the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. The design and performance evaluation of the first real-time snowmelt lysimeter in this region is presented in this paper. Detailed information about the snowmelt lysimeter designs in the literature is also summarized. The water released from the monitored snowpack is evaluated on hourly and daily bases and compared with rain and snow-water equivalent values. The snowmelt lysimeter performed well, matching streamflow trends in large basins. Data from rain-on-snow, rainfall-only, and snowmelt-only events could be explained by the lysimeter and other data. The lysimeter rainfall catch (about 5% greater than a rain gauge) was similar to rainfall measurements from a soil-block lysimeter in the USA. This paper contributes to the literature by documenting the first near real-time snow lysimeter research in eastern Turkey. The results are useful for improving the design for other areas in this understudied portion of the world, where snowmelt contributes the major portion of runoff.
Phase function method for elastic nucleon-nucleon scattering using Hellmann plus coulomb potential

The phase function method/variable phase approach to potential scattering is exploited to calculate the phase shifts for nucleon-nucleon systems in low and intermediate energy regions by representing the nuclear part of the interaction by the Hellmann potential while the electromagnetic part by the Coulomb one. In addition, the differential and total scattering cross-sections are estimated with our phase parameters. Results reproduced by the concerned potential are in good agreement with the previous works in the literature
On the farm assessment of maize assortments in the temporary and savannah zones of Ghana: causalities of farmer inclinations

Maize is one of the most important food crops in Ghana even though its production has not reached self sufficiency levels. Drought and striga infestation are among the most important production constraints of maize in Ghana. Promising high yielding, drought and striga tolerant maize varieties are being evaluated by CSIR and IITA in participatory on-farm trials and demonstrations. These varieties however need to meet farmers’ varietal preferences in order for them to adopt. This study therefore sought to assess farmers’ preference for the different drought tolerant maize varieties, and determine factors that influence their choices. Kendall’s coefficient of concordance was used to test the level of agreement between farmers on their preferences. The ordered logistic regression was used to estimate the determinants of farmer’s preference using cross-sectional observations from 120 maize farmers in the Transitional and Savannah zones of Ghana. Results indicate that maize varieties that are early maturing (2.38) and drought tolerant (2.45) were most preferred by farmers. Area under maize cultivation, fertilizer usage and family size are the factors that were found to influence farmers’ preference for improved maize varieties. These factors should therefore be considered in varietal promotion.
Economics analysis of smoked – dried fish marketing in Akinyele local government area of Oyo state, Nigeria

It is obvious that increased production of fish without corresponding increase in Processing and marketing may leads to wastage of resources, therefore this study investigated the economics analysis of smoked dried fish marketing in Akinyele local government area Oyo state, Nigeria. One hundred and twenty fish marketers were selected using a multi-stage random sampling technique. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Majority (90%) of the respondents were female with the mean age of 38 years, About 70% of the respondents were married and had formal education with average household size of six (6) persons. Majority did not belong to any marketing association or cooperative. Marketing margin was estimated as 42.43%, the gross margin profitability was N 913,000 per annum and the Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) was N 1.5. Major constraints in the study area includes lack of capital, high tax rate, poor marketing system, poor storage facility, poor transportation network, processing and inadequate technical knowhow. Thus, it is imperative that marketers form cooperative societies so as to get access to credit loan from both cooperative societies and other financial institutions in order to increase their size of production and thereby increase profit. Also there is need for the provision of improve infrastructural facilities to increase the profitability of the marketers as well improve welfare for community development.
Characteristics and Clinical Signi�cance of Spondylolisthetic and Spino-pelvic Sagittal Parameters in Kyphotic Low-grade Degenerative Lumbar Spondylolisthesis

Background: Degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis (DLS) has been a common disease that make increasing patients suffer from different degrees of low back pain and radicular symptoms. At present, the incidence of kyphosis in DLS and the differences in spinal sagittal morphology between kyphotic and non-kyphotic DLS still remain unclear. Our study aimed to determine the incidence of kyphosis in DLS, explore the characteristics of spondylolisthetic and spino-pelvic sagittal parameters, and evaluate the impact of kyphosis on the life quality of patients with DLS. Methods/Design: All 108 patients with L4/5 low-grade DLS were enrolled and divided into kyphotic and non-kyphotic group. 2 spine surgeons who have certain clinical experience were selected to measure the spondylolisthetic and spino-pelvic parameters, as well as visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI). Differences between the 2 groups and characteristics of measurements were analyzed. Results: The inter-observer agreement of all parameters between the 2 spine surgeons were excellent with each ICC > 0.75. Kyphotic group had higher SA, SD, SDM, SAM, PDH, PT and SVA, and lower ADH, SS and LL than those in non-kyphotic group (p < 0.01). There was no signi�cant difference in PI and TK between the two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The incidence of kyphotic spondylolisthesis in patients with L4/5 low-grade DLS is 16.7%. Compared with those in non-kyphotic group, patients with kyphosis show inferior results of spondylolisthetic parameters, more severe loss of LL, more obvious pelvic retroversion and trunk anteversion, which indicates worse spino-pelvic sagittal balance. In addition, their quality of life was signi�cantly lower than that of patients in non-kyphotic group.
Changes in daily climate extremes in the eastern and central Tibetan Plateau during 1961–2005

[1] Changes in indices of climate extremes are analyzed on the basis of daily maximum and minimum surface air temperature and precipitation at 71 meteorological stations with elevation above 2000 m above sea level in the eastern and central Tibetan Plateau (TP) during 1961–2005. Twelve indices of extreme temperature and nine indices of extreme precipitation are examined. Temperature extremes show patterns consistent with warming during the studied period, with a large proportion of stations showing statistically significant trends for all temperature indices. Stations in the northwestern, southwestern, and southeastern TP have larger trend magnitudes. The regional occurrence of extreme cold days and nights has decreased by −0.85 and −2.38 d/decade, respectively. Over the same period, the occurrence of extreme warm days and nights has increased by 1.26 and 2.54 d/decade, respectively. The number of frost days and ice days shows statistically significant decreasing at the rate of −4.32 and −2.46 d/decade, respectively. The length of growing season has statistically increased by 4.25 d/decade. The diurnal temperature range exhibits a statistically decreasing trend at a rate of −0.20°C per decade. The extreme temperature indices also show statistically significant increasing trends, with larger values for the index describing variations in the lowest minimum temperature. In general, warming trends in minimum temperature indices are of greater magnitude than those for maximum temperature. Most precipitation indices exhibit increasing trends in the southern and northern TP and show decreasing trends in the central TP. On average, regional annual total precipitation, heavy precipitation days, maximum 1-day precipitation, average wet days precipitation, and total precipitation on extreme wet days show nonsignificant increases. Decreasing trends are found for maximum 5-day precipitation, consecutive wet days, and consecutive dry days, but only the last is statistically significant.
CORSnet-NSW: Improving Positioning Infrastructure for New South Wales

CORSnet-NSW is a rapidly expanding network of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) providing fundamental positioning infrastructure for New South Wales that is accurate, reliable and easy to use. It is built, operated and managed by Land and Property Information (LPI), a division of the NSW Department of Finance & Services. Currently (September 2011) consisting of 68 reference stations, the network will grow to more than 120 CORS within the next two years. CORSnet-NSW supports a wide range of GNSS applications in areas such as surveying, agriculture, mining and construction, and provides a solid platform for research and innovation involving satellite positioning technology. It undergoes a continuous program of maintenance to ensure the best possible positioning infrastructure is available to NSW. This paper presents the current status of the CORSnet-NSW rollout and discusses several issues critical to providing (and achieving) reliable GNSS positioning of homogeneous and high accuracy across the State. These issues include the direct connection to the national datum via GDA94(2010) coordinates, the importance of site transformations and absolute GNSS antenna models, considerations regarding GNSS-based height determination using CORS, and the automated monitoring of CORSnet-NSW sites for quality control. Efforts to support regional geodesy in the Asia-Pacific region and future plans are also outlined.
Machine Learning Methods to Improve Spatial Predictions of Coastal Wind Speed Profiles and Low-Level Jets using Single-Level ERA5 Data

Observations of the wind speed at heights relevant for wind power are sparse, especially offshore, but with emerging aid from advanced statistical methods, it may be possible to derive information regarding wind profiles using surface observations. In this study, two machine learning (ML) methods are developed for predictions of (1) coastal wind speed profiles and (2) low-level jets (LLJs) at three locations of high relevance to offshore wind energy deployment; the U.S. Northeastern Atlantic Coastal Zone, the North Sea, and the Baltic Sea. The ML models are trained on multiple years of lidar profiles and 5 utilize single-level ERA5 variables as input. The models output spatial predictions of coastal wind speed profiles and LLJ occurrence. A suite of nine ERA5 variables are considered for use in the study due to their physics-based relevance in coastal wind speed profile genesis, and the possibility to observe these variables in real-time via measurements. The wind speed at 10 m a.s. l. and the surface sensible heat flux are shown to have the highest importance for both wind speed profile and LLJ predictions. Wind speed profile predictions output by the ML models exhibit similar root mean squared error (RMSE) with 10 respect to observations as is found for ERA5 output. At typical hub heights, the ML models show lower RMSE than ERA5 indicating approximately 5% RMSE reduction. LLJ identification scores are evaluated using the Symmetric Extremal Dependence Index (SEDI). LLJ predictions from the ML models outperform predictions from ERA5, demonstrating markedly higher SEDIs. However, optimization utilizing the SEDI results in a higher number of false alarms when compared to ERA5
The relationship between teacher care behavior and EFL learning anxiety: the chain mediation effect of learning engagement and learning strategies

This study aims to discuss the impact of teacher care behavior on EFL learning anxiety, as well as the mediating role of learning engagement and learning strategies. The Process plugin Model6 was used to measure the interaction between teacher care behavior (TCB), EFL learning anxiety (EFLLA), learning engagement (LE), and English learning strategies (ELS), in order to analyze and summarize their impact characteristics on college students’ EFL learning anxiety. The results show that teacher care behavior has a direct impact on EFL learning anxiety and a significant negative predictive effect on it. Learning engagement and English learning strategies play a mediating and chain mediating role between teacher care behavior and EFL learning anxiety. Thus, it can be seen that these factors can help reduce EFL learning anxiety, manifested in aspects such as mood, cognition, emotion, and behavior. Given the research findings, this study further provides suggestions for alleviating college students’ EFL learning anxiety, optimizing English teaching and learning design, and cultivating English learning strategies for college students.
Bald eagle nest site and nest tree characteristics in select biogeoclimatic zones of the 100 Mile House Forest District, British Columbia

Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) nest site and nest tree characteristics were studied in the Sub-Boreal Spruce (SBS), Interior Cedar–Hemlock (ICH), Sub-Boreal Pine–Spruce (SBPS), and interior Douglas-fir (IDF) biogeoclimatic zones in the 100 Mile House Forest District, British Columbia. Dominant or codominant Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) containing large trunk forks or multiple forks of the trunk comprised 85% of 121 bald eagle nest trees. Black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) comprised 11% of known nest trees, and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), and hybrid white spruce (Picea glauca x engelmannii) each contained 1% of known bald eagle nests. Tree height and diameter at breast height (DBH), nest height, and distance of nest to fish-bearing water were less for island nests compared to non-island nests. The mean distance of nests to fish-bearing water, by biogeoclimatic zone, was 78 m in the SBS, 104 m in the ICH, 241 m in the SBPS, and 368 m in the IDF. Ground slope and aspect were not factors in nest site location. The bald eagle nest trees studied were generally of low economic value to the forest industry as they contained less recoverable lumber than similar-sized trees with better form. To maintain bald eagle nesting habitat, large diameter, dominant or codominant trees containing large trunk forks, or multiple forks or leaders of the trunk and (or) large limbs should be identified and retained in groups, patches, or forest stands.