Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of Spent Mushroom Substrate in New Mushroom Crops to Promote the Transition towards A Circular Economy

The use of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) in new cultivation cycles has already been reported due to its economic and environmental viability. When considering the application of the circular economy concept in the production of edible mushrooms, the re-use of the SMS within the same process is highly attractive, because it allows a better use of the biomass and the energy involved in the process and, therefore, tends to improve energy efficiency and resource conservation. However, this alternative generates important challenges, which derive from maintaining the quality standards of the mushrooms produced and, at the same time, not incurring excessive costs that are detrimental to the process itself. In our opinion, the main difficulty of the process in achieving success is regarding the biological and agronomic parameters that involve the production of the mushroom. It is useless to apply SMS in new cycles if the mushroom harvest is impaired and farms become non-viable. However, numerous examples are reported here where SMS was recycled into new substrates for either the same or different mushroom species without negatively affecting yield compared with using substrates prepared from 100% fresh raw materials. Thus, we suggest that each farm has its own specific technological study, since a small variation in the raw material of the compost, and mushroom cultivation practices and casing layer used, can influence the entire viability of the mushroom circular economy.
Estimating the Influence of Extraction Method and Processing Location on Forest Harvesting Efficiency - A Categorical DEA Approach

The increasing level of competition in the global forestry market demands that stakeholders continuously measure their performance with the aim of remaining competitive and profitable in the ever-changing wood market. This study applies categorical data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology to the New Zealand forest harvesting sector. This methodology is able to account for ordinal non-discretionary variables in the DEA. The influence of log extraction method and processing location on the estimated efficiency scores were examined. To define the forest harvesting DEA production technology, three inputs (harvest area, average piece size, level of mechanization), one output (tons/scheduled hour) and one categorical non-discretionary variable with three levels were used. The categorical variables were defined by the level of difficulty as reported by harvest supervisors for specific forest harvesting operating environment. The study demonstrated the appropriateness of the categorical DEA approach in measuring performance in forest harvesting operations. It showed significant influence of timber extraction methods on the overall performance estimate, whereby grapple skidders at 58% had the highest mean efficiency score. While log processing locations showed no significant influence on the estimated performance, processing at the stump had the highest mean efficiency score.
Hydrological and productive impacts of recent land‐use and land‐cover changes in the semiarid Chaco: Understanding novel water excess in water scarce farmlands

Over the last decades, the rapid replacement of native forests by crops and pastures in the Argentinean semiarid Chaco plains has triggered unprecedented groundwater level raises resulting from deep drainage increases, leading to the first massive waterlogging event on records (~25,000 Ha flooded in 2015 near Bandera, one of the most cultivated clusters of the Chaco). In this paper, we link this episode to the ongoing deforestation and cropping scheme shifts through the combined analysis of remote sensing data, agricultural surveys, local farmer information and hydrologic modelling. From 2000 to 2015, the agricultural area of Bandera increased from 21% to 50%, mostly at the expense of dry forests. In this period, agriculture migrated from more intensive (i.e., double‐cropping) to more water‐conservative (i.e., late‐summer single crops) schemes as a general strategy to reduce drought risks. These changes reduced regional evapotranspiration and increased the intensity of deep drainage in wet years. Contrasting cropping schemes displayed significant evapotranspiration differences, but all of them experienced substantial drainage losses (~100–200 mm) during the wettest year (2014/2015), suggesting that cropping adjustments have a limited capacity to halt the generation of water excesses. Nearly 50% of the cropped area in Bandera could not be sown or harvested following the groundwater recharge event of 2014/2015. In the ongoing context of shallow and rising water tables, the introduction of novel cropping schemes that include deep‐rooted perennials, to promote transpirative groundwater discharge, seems crucial to avoid the recurrence of water excesses and their associated dryland salinity risk in the region.
Policy Recommendation from Stakeholders to Improve Forest Products Transportation: A Qualitative Study

With recently announced federal funding and subsidies to redevelop vacant mills and the communities they were in, the forest products industry in Maine is poised to gain its momentum once again. One of the important components influencing the cost of delivered forest products is transportation. A recent study in the region has shown that the location and availability of markets along with lack of skilled labor force are the major challenges faced by the forest products transportation sector in Maine. This study was focused on developing a management guideline which included various field level options for improving trucking enterprises in Maine. For this, a qualitative research approach utilizing a case study research tradition was employed, with in-depth semi-structured interviews with professionals directly related to the forest products transportation sector used for data generation. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted, with each being audio recorded and later transcribed verbatim. Interview transcriptions were analyzed using NVivo 11. Suggestions, like increasing benefits to drivers and providing training, were proposed for challenges related to manpower shortage, while the marketing of new forest products and adjustment in some state-level policies were proposed for challenges related to the forest products market condition of the state.
Crustal Accretion in a Slow Spreading Back‐Arc Basin: Insights From the Mado Megamullion Oceanic Core Complex in the Shikoku Basin

Oceanic core complexes (OCCs) represent tectonic windows into the oceanic lower crust and mantle; they are key structures in understanding the tectono‐magmatic processes shaping the oceanic lithosphere. We present a petrological and geochemical study of gabbros collected at the Mado Megamullion, a recently discovered OCC located in the extinct Shikoku back‐arc basin. Bathymetry of the Mado Megamullion reveals spreading‐parallel corrugations extending 25 km from the breakaway to the termination. Samples from several locations include peridotites, gabbros, dolerite, and rare pillow basalts. Gabbros range from granular to varitextured olivine gabbros and oxide gabbros. The emplacement of these gabbroic rocks within the oceanic lithosphere was followed by a multiphase tectono‐metamorphic evolution including (i) dynamic recrystallization within shear zones, developed under granulite‐ to upper‐amphibolite‐facies conditions, and (ii) intrusion of highly evolved melts forming felsic segregations. This tectono‐metamorphic evolution recalls that of the lower crust from other OCCs worldwide, demonstrating that this OCC exposes deep‐seated intrusions progressively exhumed by detachment faulting. Nonetheless, the Mado Megamullion lower crustal gabbros show an unusual crystal line of descent, different from what is reported from mid‐ocean ridge lower crustal rocks. We infer that the water‐bearing character of the primary melts in this back‐arc basin triggered the early precipitation of clinopyroxene, soon followed by amphibole and Fe‐Ti oxides. Such modifications in phase saturation are likely to be directly related to the back‐arc setting of the Mado Megamullion. If so, the phase assemblages of oceanic gabbros may be a diagnostic for the tectonic setting of lower crustal rocks in ophiolites.
Burden of anemia and its associated factors among pregnant women of Vindhya region: prospective observational study

Anemia is one of the most frequently observed nutritional diseases in the world and major public health problem. It is especially prevalent in women of reproductive age, particularly during pregnancy. WHO defines anemia as less than 11 gm/dl in the first and third trimester and less than 10.5 gm/dl in second trimester. The main causes of anemia in developing countries include: inadequate intake and poor absorption of iron, early age at marriage, teenage pregnancy, ill spacing between two pregnancies, blood loss during labour and delivery, heavy menstrual blood flow, malaria, hookworm infestation, genetic disorders (e.g., sickle cell and thalassemia). According to the NFHS 4, anemia is prevalent in approximately 53.1% of non-pregnant and 50.1% of pregnant women in India, and in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh it is 40.8% in nonpregnant and 44% in pregnant women.
Comparison of the Hybrid Capture II Method with a PCR-Based Screening Method Using a Carboxyfluorescein-Labeled Primer for Detecting Human Papillomavirus in Cervicovaginal Liquid-Based Cytology

Objective: Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are DNA viruses, of which over 120 types have been identified. The main screening methods for HPV-DNA include the hybrid capture II (HC-II) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. Liquid-based cytology (LBC) is a high-quality technique developed to improve the diagnostic reliability of traditional Papanicolaou tests (Pap tests). However, relatively few studies have compared the efficacy of PCR and HC-II assays using cervicovaginal LBC specimens. In this study, we conducted a comparative analysis with results derived from the HC-II assay to assess whether a PCR-based assay using a novel carboxyfluorescein (FAM)-labeled primer could be applied to cervicovaginal LBC specimens. Methods and Results: We analyzed 59 specimens diagnosed as atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) by Pap tests. After extracting DNA from cervicovaginal LBC specimens, we performed PCR using a FAM-labeled consensus primer, and then conducted fragment analysis to confirm the results. The value of the kappa statistic measuring the agreement between the PCR and HC-II results was 0.8557, or “almost perfect agreement. ” Conclusion: Our novel HPV-PCR assay can be successfully applied to cervicovaginal LBC specimens for the detection of HPV subtypes.
Growth facilitation by the octocoral Gorgonia ventalina explains spatial difference in the population size structure of the common demosponge Ircinia felix

ABSTRACT In this study, the demography of the common demosponge Ircinia felix was examined at Tamarindo, a coral reef located in the island municipality of Culebra, Puerto Rico. A preliminary study comparing the size structure of two subpopulations within the reef, Tamarindo Norte (TN) and Tamarindo Sur (TS), indicated that sponges at TN are significantly larger than sponges at TS. This result served as a baseline for the present comparative study in which we aimed to determine whether the spatial differences in population size structure can be explained either by a difference in rates of survival, growth, or recruitment, or a combination of these. To accomplish our goal, we followed the growth, survival and recruitment of I. felix at the two localities for one year. Growth was the only demographic parameter that differed significantly between localities. Because the most obvious distinction between the study sites was the absence of the octocoral Gorgonia ventalina at TS, we hypothesized that the faster overall growth rate of sponges at TN was related to the presence of the octocoral. To test this hypothesis, we compared growth rates between sponges associated with the octocoral and those individuals not associated. We found that sponges growing near G. ventalina grew significantly faster than non-associated sponges. This result suggests that the octocoral facilitates the growth of I. felix and therefore may account, at least in part, for the spatial differences in population size structure.
When There Is No Offset: A Demonstration of Seismic Diffraction Imaging and Depth‐Velocity Model Building in the Southern Aegean Sea

A vast majority of marine geological research is based on academic seismic data collected with single‐channel systems or short‐offset multichannel seismic cables, which often lack reflection moveout for conventional velocity analysis. Consequently, our understanding of Earth processes often relies on seismic time sections, which hampers quantitative analysis in terms of depth, formation thicknesses, or dip angles of faults. In order to overcome these limitations, we present a robust diffraction extraction scheme that models and adaptively subtracts the reflected wavefield from the data. We use diffractions to estimate insightful wavefront attributes and perform wavefront tomography to obtain laterally resolved seismic velocity information in depth. Using diffraction focusing as a quality control tool, we perform an interpretation‐driven refinement to derive a geologically plausible depth‐velocity model. In a final step, we perform depth migration to arrive at a spatial reconstruction of the shallow crust. Further, we focus the diffracted wavefield to demonstrate how these diffraction images can be used as physics‐guided attribute maps to support the identification of faults and unconformities. We demonstrate the potential of this processing scheme by its application to a seismic line from the Santorini Amorgos Tectonic Zone, located on the Hellenic Volcanic Arc, which is notorious for its catastrophic volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis. The resulting depth image allows a refined fault pattern delineation and, for the first time, a quantitative analysis of the basin stratigraphy. We conclude that diffraction‐based data analysis has a high potential, especially when the acquisition geometry of seismic data does not allow conventional velocity analysis.
Mesozoic Subduction Accretion History in Central Tibet Constrained From Provenance Analysis of the Mugagangri Subduction Complex in the Bangong‐Nujiang Suture Zone

The Mugagangri Complex in central Tibet provides a record of the subduction accretion history between the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes and consists of coherent sedimentary sequences, strongly dismembered formations, and siliciclastic‐matrix block‐in‐matrix mélange. We identified three different groups of sandstone within the Mugagangri Complex. Group 1 is volcaniclastic lithic (Q41F19L40, Lm16Lv77Ls7) and exhibits youngest U‐Pb detrital zircon (YDZ) ages of 177–170 Ma. Group 2 is litho‐quartzose (Q67F6L27, Lm23Lv63Ls13) with YDZ ages of 237–213 Ma. Groups 1 and 2 show provenance affinity with the Qiangtang terrane to the north. Group 3 is similar to Group 2 in detrital mode (Q67F2L31) and U‐Pb detrital zircon age spectra but is distinguished by more sedimentary fragments (Lm17Lv24Ls59), a 1,200–1,100 Ma age peak that is possibly characteristic of the Lhasa terrane to the south and YDZ ages of 284–246 Ma. During (and possibly prior to) Late Triassic time, the recycled orogen‐derived sandstones, including Group 2 and possibly Group 3, were deposited on the ocean floor adjacent to the Qiangtang terrane. During the early Middle Jurassic, the arc‐derived sandstone (Group 1) was deposited and accreted through the northward subduction of Bangong‐Nujiang oceanic lithosphere. During the late Middle to Late Jurassic, Groups 2 and 3 may have been deposited in a trench or trench slope basin, with Group 3 receiving detritus from both the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes. These three groups of sandstone and ocean plate stratigraphy were mixed in the mélange during the accretion between the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes.
Dental and oral health status of an Iranian population of drug abusers: A comparative study

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of hallucinogens, opioids and methamphetamines abuse on oral and dental health of an Iranian population. Methods: In this descriptive cross sectional survey conducted in 2017, 500 drug abusers referred to addiction rehabilitation centers in Tehran Province in Tehran were selected as the study population. A questionnaire was developed to evaluate demographic data, self-reported oral health experiences during periods of substance abuse and details of substance abuse including types of substances abused, patterns and period of substance abuse. Results: After excluding 23 addicts due to incomplete data, 500 peoples participated. Of the 500 included subjects, 390 (88 %) were male and 110 (22 %) were female. As for the qualitative variables the differences were found to be significant for route of abuse (p < 0.001), smoking (p < 0.03), pain (p < 0.001) and abnormal sounds (p < 0.001) of TMJ, sensitivity of chewing muscles (p = 0.002), smoking melanosis (p < 0.05), hypertrophic lesions (p = 0.01) and bleeding on probing (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The findings reveal the poor dental and oral health status of drug addicts in Iran, especially methamphetamine abusers. Therefore, the results call for the design and implementation of oral health improvement programs for addicts in Iran. Keywords: Drug abuse, Dental health, Addicts, Hypertrophic lesions, Chewing muscles, Smoking melanosis, Methamphetamine
Rootstock age and grafting season affect graft success and plant growth of papaya (Carica papaya L.) in greenhouse

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) is an important fruit crop in many tropical and subtropical countries; it is commercially propagated through seeds, which lead to production of non true-to-type plants. Grafting for mass multiplication of the selected variety is therefore necessary. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of rootstock age and grafting season on the success of cleft grafting and growth of grafted plants under greenhouse conditions. The trial was conducted using an experimental randomized complete block design with 4A × 2B factorial scheme, four blocks, and 15 grafted plants per experimental unit. Factor A represented four rootstock ages (1, 2, 3, and 6 mo) and factor B represented two grafting seasons (summer and autumn). Results showed that rootstock age and grafting season had a significant effect on all the parameters: sprouting time, percentage of graft success, scion sprout length, and number of new leaves per graft. The youngest rootstock age (1 mo) achieved the best results for all the parameters. The best season for grafting was summer. The treatment combination of 1-mo-old rootstocks in summer produced minimum sprouting time (8.40 d), the highest percentage of graft success (93.33%), and graft growth in the greenhouse. Therefore, 1-mo-old rootstocks and grafting in summer or autumn should be used to propagate papaya by cleft grafting.
Annotation-Agnostic Differential Expression and Binding Analyses

My thesis work is centered around the development of R software packages for analyzing RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and ChIP sequencing (ChIP-seq) high throughput genomic data. Chapter 2 describes the derfinder Bioconductor package which implements the DER Finder approach for identifying differentially expressed regions with RNA-seq data in an annotation-agnostic manner. Chapter 3 shows how derfinder can be applied to ChIP-seq data to identify differentially bounded regions. Chapter 4 describes the regionReport Bioconductor package for producing HTML or PDF reports from region-based genomic analyses, such as the derfinder analyses described in the previous chapters.
Health seeking behaviour of geriatric population in rural area of Puducherry: a community based cross sectional study

Globally the proportion of elderly has been rising steadily. This phenomenon in which the older individuals come to form a proportionately larger share of total population in the community is known as ‘population ageing’. It has increased from 7% in 1950 to 11% in 2007 and expected to rise by 22% in 2050. Increase in life expectancy with decrease in fertility has led to a demographic transition towards a higher proportion of older individuals in India. The old age dependency ratio has increased from 10.9% in 1961 to 13.1% in 2001 and is projected to increase to 16.1% by 2021.
Characterization of regional differences in cerebral vascular response to breath holding using BOLD fMRI

Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) is a specific indicator of autoregulatory efficiency. Studies have demonstrated that CVR depends on the baseline vascular dilation status between groups. Within the brain, there also exist spatial variations in both the resting cerebral blood flow (CBF) and CVR across different cerebral regions. However, the relationship between the regional CBF and CVR remains unclear. Hence, the primary goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between the resting CBF using pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) technique and CVR using blood oxygenation level‐dependent (BOLD) technique across different cerebral regions. Eleven male and 14 female young volunteers were recruited in this study. Each subject was asked to perform the breath‐holding challenge to evaluate CVR at 3 T. The resting CBF was measured using pCASL in each subject. The relationships between CBF and CVR across the lobes were evaluated using the Spearman's rank test. The results showed that, for both sexes, the frontal lobe had the maximal resting perfusion but minimal vascular response to hypercapnia, whereas the occipital lobe had the lowest baseline CBF but maximal reactivity to hypercapnia, suggesting low and high autoregulatory efficiencies at high and low resting CBF in the brain, respectively. Sex‐related differences were observed in CBF but not in CVR. These findings may be of clinical interest in the assessment of cerebrovascular reserve and regional‐dependent vascular diseases.
The tradeoffs of using female suicide bombers

Why are there so few female suicide bombers despite their tactical effectiveness? To explain the rarity of this phenomenon, I examine the tradeoffs that armed groups face when using female suicide bombers. While rigid gender norms make female bombers more effective because security personnel are less suspicious of them, gender inequality also drives down the demand for female suicide bombers. I posit that the tradeoffs of using female bombers induce a curvilinear relationship between women’s status and the prevalence of female suicide bombers. Specifically, I argue that female bombers will be more common in countries with middling levels of gender equality than in highly equal or unequal societies. Using data on over 5,500 suicide attacks, from 1974 to 2016, I find support for this hypothesis.