Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phenology of Terminalia chebula tree in the Dry Deciduous Forest of Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, Southern India

The study was conducted at Cauvery wildlife sanctuary, Karnataka, India from 2015 to 2019. This study intended to understand the periodic events in biological life cycles concerning changes in the timings of seasonal events. It includes leafing, flowering, and fruiting patterns among the selected tree species of Terminalia chebula Retz. , which is an important non-timber forest product (NTFPs) species in the Cauvery wildlife sanctuary. A total of 32 adult individual trees, from two transects at different places were selected and were observed at thirty days intervals. It was observed that there was a species-specific phenological relationship between the deciduous period and the initiation of seasonal rainfall and warm periods. Leaf maturity peak was in August. Leaf fall activity was in January before the arrival of an intense dry period. The reproductive phenology like flowering, fruiting, and fruit obsession was significantly varied across the different seasons among the observed tree species. The majority of tree species (56%) revealed synchronous flowering with Leaf flush activity. The results indicate that Leafing (58%) and flowering phenology (75%) occur during the dry period before the onset of first rains and fruiting, fruit fall timing was in consequence to utilize the growing season. Thus, species specificity was recorded concerning flowering and fruiting and was found to be with the seasonal rainfall distribution and in turn soil moisture availability in the study area. The results of the study would help in better management of fruiting tree species in natural forests.
Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Female Sexual Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Context: Since sexual function is significantly influenced by tension, fear, and melancholy, all of which are intensified throughout epidemics, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) globally can also affect individuals’ sexual function and life. The strong relationship between sexual dysfunction and quality of life disorders has made it an important public health concern. Objectives: The current study was conducted to assess female sexual function throughout the COVID-19 quarantine. Methods: ScienceDirect, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases were searched with no language limitations. Two independent researchers reviewed all relevant articles published until November 30, 2021. Finally, 22 articles were included in the study, 13 of which were eligible for meta-analysis. The data were combined using meta-analysis and a random effect model. A Begg’s funnel plot and Egger’s test were used to check the potential bias of publication. Results: The mean score of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was 23.34 (95% confidence interval: 21.17 - 25.52) using the random effect model. Out of the 6 studies that reported the FSFI scores before and throughout the COVID-19 crisis, 5 studies indicated a statistically significant drop in the mean scores of female sexual function throughout COVID-19, contrasting with before the epidemic. Most studies comparing the repetition of sexual activity before and through the COVID-19 epidemic reported a decrease in the repetition of sexual activity throughout the epidemic. Conclusions: Adverse psychological outcomes and restrictions caused by the COVID-19 crisis decreased female sexual function and the repetition of sexual activity. Health policymakers worldwide should scheme and execute helpful syllabi and interventions to reduce the adverse impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the sexual health of individuals.
Potential for N pollution swapping from riparian buffer strips and an instream wetland

iii Acknowledgements . v Chapter 1 Introduction . 1 1.1 Global Nitrogen Enrichment . 1 1.2 The problem of ‘N pollution’ . 5 1.3 Environmental impacts of N enrichment . 8 1.3. 1 Eutrophication . 9 1.3. 2 Human health . 10 1.4 Managing N in the agro-ecosystem: the UK perspective . 11 1.4. 1 The EU Nitrates Directive . 12 1.4. 2 The EU Water Framework Directive . 14 1.4. 3 Financial incentives for farmers . 15 1.4. 4 Agri-environment schemes . 16 1.5 N processes in the biosphere . 19 1.5. 1 Inorganic N species . 19 1.5. 2 N fixation . 20 1.5. 3 Ammonification . 21 1.5. 4 Nitrification . 22 1.5. 5 Denitrification . 23 1.5. 6 Nitrifier-denitrification . 24 1.6 Mitigation of diffuse N pollution: Wetlands and Buffer Zones/Strips . 25 1.7 Greenhouse gases and climate change . 27
Provision or limitation? Digital technology experiences of students with disabilities at the University of Dhaka

As digital technology is becoming an integral part of education systems, there are substantial risks of a digital divide among the students reaching beyond the divide influenced by different socio-economic backgrounds. Despite there being constitutionally endorsed equality for all Bangladeshis, students with disability often face difficulties in accessing their fundamental human rights, including education. Notwithstanding the nationwide aim for inclusive education throughout, very few students with disability can achieve even limited success, which prompts questions about the system, the process and the provisions. With the qualitative methodology at the core to capture and analyse detailed data in depth and with sufficient trustworthiness, this paper investigated the institutional provisions of technology available for students with disabilities at the University of Dhaka. It particularly focuses on the provisions of digital technology support services of the university and the perceived impact of those provisions on the living and learning of students with disabilities. This study used a multiple case study approach for generating data using semi-structured interviews and FGD. A deductive thematic analysis approach was used for data analysis. The findings systematically indicate that, in most cases, the underdeveloped provision of services is not a result of resource scarcity but mainly a consequence of the perceived unimportance or ‘negligence’ of the needs of students with disability. And these are the results of collective normalised norms and ideals that, by design, exclude such students. The findings also depicted how technology uses helped students with disability to empower themselves and to become primarily self-dependent. However, at the same time, some service provisions and attitudes of relevant personnel led them to opt out of availing equal opportunities to learn and to thrive. Vol. 48 (University of Dhaka Centennial Special Issue), June 2022 p.83-94
Prescribing Patterns of Dupilumab for Atopic Dermatitis in Adults: Retrospective, Observational Cohort Study

Background Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory disease caused by a type 2 T helper cell–mediated immune response to environmental antigens. Approximately 1 in 5 patients with AD presents with moderate to severe disease, and treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration include emollients, topical glucocorticoids, and calcineurin inhibitors. Dupilumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody, improves AD via inhibition of interleukin-4 and interleukin-13. Objective Our aim was to characterize the prescribing patterns of dupilumab for AD in adults at a large university-affiliated health system. Methods A retrospective, observational cohort study was conducted using electronic data from the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics database, assessing data from the University of Colorado Medical Campus and its affiliates. The outcome measured was the prevalence of dupilumab prescribed for adults with AD (n=6421), between March 28, 2013, and March 28, 2021. We assessed whether the characteristics of patients who received dupilumab were different from those who did not. Each patient characteristic was assessed using a univariate logistic regression with the binary outcome of receiving or not receiving dupilumab. Results We found a population prevalence of 5.6% (6421/114,476) for AD. In our cohort, Black patients with AD were more than twice as likely to have received dupilumab compared to White patients (odds ratio 2.352, 95% CI 1.58-3.39). Patients with a diagnosis of atopic neurodermatitis were approximately twice as likely to have received dupilumab compared to those with other diagnostic variants of AD (odds ratio 1.87, 95% CI 1.01-3.22). Conclusions Our results demonstrate that both patient racial characteristics and specific AD diagnoses were associated with variations in dupilumab prescription patterns.
Indole-3-Acetamido-Polyamines as Antimicrobial Agents and Antibiotic Adjuvants

The widespread incidence of antimicrobial resistance necessitates the discovery of new classes of antimicrobials as well as adjuvant molecules that can restore the action of ineffective antibiotics. Herein, we report the synthesis of a new class of indole-3-acetamido-polyamine conjugates that were evaluated for antimicrobial activities against a panel of bacteria and two fungi, and for the ability to enhance the action of doxycycline against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and erythromycin against Escherichia coli. Compounds 14b, 15b, 17c, 18a, 18b, 18d, 19b, 19e, 20c and 20d exhibited strong growth inhibition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Cryptococcus neoformans, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) typically less than 0.2 µM. Four analogues, including a 5-bromo 15c and three 5-methoxyls 16d–f, also exhibited intrinsic activity towards E. coli. Antibiotic kill curve analysis of 15c identified it to be a bactericide. While only one derivative was found to (weakly) enhance the action of erythromycin against E. coli, three examples, including 15c, were found to be strong enhancers of the antibiotic action of doxycycline against P. aeruginosa. Collectively, these results highlight the promising potential of α,ω-disubstituted indole-3-acetamido polyamine conjugates as antimicrobials and antibiotic adjuvants.
Groundwater contamination risk indices for pear and sugar beet cultivations in the Province of Ferrara.

Groundwater contamination risk indices are presented for 106 pesticides currently applied on two widespread cultivations in the Province of Ferrara, sugar-beet and peartree. The indices were evaluated on the basis of the Attenuation Factor (Rao, 1985), for six soils representative of the pedological regions of the area under study. Transit times are calculated separately in each soil horizon, on the basis of the pesticide chemiodynamic properties and of pedological data supplied by the Emilia-Romagna Region. The application rates are those suggested by the Emilia-Romagna Regional Plant Protection Service. The resulting pesticide ranking is consistent with that predicted by the GUS percolation index, the chemicals with higher risk index being those assessed as leachers by the latter. The soil vulnerability to leaching is also estimated. The highest vulnerability is found in soils belonging to the coastal and the deltaic planes. The comparison between different pesticide application strategies on pear cultivation, shows that a reduction in pesticide percolation is attained by integrated pest management.
Toward Stability Enhancement of NTS1R-Targeted Radioligands: Structural Interventions on [99mTc]Tc-DT1

The neurotensin subtype 1 receptor (NTS1R) is overexpressed in a number of human tumors, thereby representing a valid target for cancer theranostics with radiolabeled neurotensin (NT) analogs like [99mTc]Tc-DT1 (DT1, N4-Gly7-NT(8-13)). Thus far, the fast degradation of intravenously injected NT–radioligands by neprilysin (NEP) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) has compromised their clinical applicability. Aiming at metabolic stability enhancements, we herein introduce (i) DT7 ([DAsn14]DT1) and (ii) DT8 ([β-Homoleucine13]DT1), modified at the C-terminus, along with (iii) DT9 ([(palmitoyl)Lys7]DT1), carrying an albumin-binding domain (ABD) at Lys7. The biological profiles of the new [99mTc]Tc–radioligands were compared with [99mTc]Tc-DT1, using NTS1R-expressing AsPC-1 cells and mice models without or during NEP/ACE inhibition. The radioligands showed enhanced in vivo stability vs. [99mTc]Tc-DT1, with [99mTc]Tc-DT9 displaying full resistance to both peptidases. Furthermore, [99mTc]Tc-DT9 achieved the highest cell internalization and tumor uptake even without NEP/ACE-inhibition but with unfavorably high background radioactivity levels. Hence, unlike C-terminal modification, the introduction of a pendant ABD group in the linker turned out to be the most promising strategy toward metabolic stability, cell uptake, and tumor accumulation of [99mTc]Tc-DT1 mimics. To improve the observed suboptimal pharmacokinetics of [99mTc]Tc-DT9, the replacement of palmitoyl on Lys7 by other ABD groups is currently being pursued.
Is more information always better? Associations among parents’ online information searching, information overload, and self-efficacy

The internet constitutes an important platform for parents to find information. How online information searching is linked to parental self-efficacy (PSE)—defined as parents’ perceptions about their abilities to have a positive impact on their children—is still unknown. This two-wave study examined cross-lagged associations between PSE and parents’ online information searching, as well as the prospective effect of perceived information overload on PSE and online information searching. Moreover, we examined whether these associations differed depending on the online context (governmental-run or nongovernmental-run websites). We used a sample of 214 parents of children (equal number of boys and girls) <4 years (85% of the parents were mothers and 93% were born in Sweden), who completed an online survey twice, 1 year apart. The results showed that parents who felt more efficacious at T1 reported a decrease in online information searching over time. The frequency of parents online searching, however, did not predict changes in PSE. In addition, the effects of information overload depended on the type of websites parents used. Among parents who used both types of websites to search for information, higher information overload was linked with increases in information searching and decreases in PSE over time. The results suggest that perceptions of low self-efficacy and feelings of overload might motivate parents to use the internet more to search for information.
Evaluation of Different Integrated Management Strategies against Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on Mung Bean

The study was conducted in the experimental field of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, Bangladesh during April‒June, 2021 to evaluate the effectiveness of integrated management approaches against thrips on mung bean. The treatments comprising seed treatment, blue sticky trap and bio-pesticides i.e. Tracer 45SC (Spinosad), Biotrin 0.5% AS, Ecomec 1.8EC or synthetic chemical insecticides i.e. Confidor 70 WG, Actara 25WG, Stargate 48SC, Novastar 56EC and an untreated control were evaluated against thrips. The efficacy of the integrated management packages differed significantly against the thrips species Megalurothrips usitatus and Thrips palmi. Among them, the integrated management approach comprising seed treatment+blue sticky trap+Stargate 48SC was the most effective and reduced the highest percent of total thrips population on top trifoliate leaves and terminal shoots (84.46% and 80.77%, respectively) at vegetative stage and on flower buds and flowers (81.26% and 80.54%, respectively) at reproductive stage of mung bean. The lowest flower bud and flower infestation (17.35% and 21.66%, respectively) and shedding (13.32% and 8.41%, respectively) and the highest number of pod (34.28 plant-1), pod length (9.29 cm), seed (10.82 pod-1), 1000 seed weight (34.10 g) and yield (1642.19 kg ha-1) of mung bean was found in the integrated management package including seed treatment+blue sticky trap+Stargate 48SC followed by the management strategy comprising seed treatment+blue sticky trap+Confidor 70 WG and seed treatment+Blue sticky trap+Actara 25WG.
Where to Go from Here? An Exploratory Meta-Analysis of the Most Promising Approaches to Depression Prevention Programs for Children and Adolescents

: To examine the overall effect of individual depression prevention programs on future likelihood of depressive disorder and reduction in depressive symptoms. In addition, we investigate whether Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) and other therapeutic techniques may modify this effectiveness. This study is based on and includes the trial data from meta-analyses conducted in the Cochrane systematic review of depression prevention programs for children and adolescents by Merry et al , 2011. All trials were published or unpublished English language randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or cluster RCTs of any psychological or educational intervention compared to no intervention to prevent depression in children and adolescents aged 5–19 years. There is some evidence that the therapeutic approach used in prevention programs modifies the overall effect. CBT is the most studied type of intervention for depression prevention, and there is some evidence of its effectiveness in reducing the risk of developing a depressive disorder, in targeted populations. Fewer studies employed approach taken in the prevention programs modify the overall treatment effects of prevention programs for children and adolescents. More research is needed to identify the specific components of CBT that are most effective or indeed if there are other approaches that are more effective in reducing the risk of future depressive episodes. It is imperative that prevention programs are suitable for large scale roll-out, and that emerging popular modes of delivery, such as online dissemination continue to be rigorously tested.
Study on the on-farm diversity of local date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) genetic resources grown in Northern region of Sudan

The status of the conservation of the date palm genetic resources (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in the Northern region of Sudan was assessed through morphological characterisation of mature trees on farm, by conducting interviewing farmers and by molecular analysis of samples collected from the field. The morphological characterisation was conducted on 116 date palm female farmers’ varieties and 20 male farmers’ varieties in the districts River Nile and Northern States using 18 vegetative and fruit characteristics (quantitative and qualitative). The results show that there are highly significant differences among cultivars/farmers’ variety with regard to all investigated characters. The genetic diversity in the date palm farmers’ varieties, 63 females and 12 males, was analyzed using microsatellite (SSR) loci. The investigated SSR markers exhibited a high level of polymorphism. A total of 92 alleles, with an average of 13.1 alleles per locus, were detected at 7 loci. A high level of expected heterozygosity was recorded among farmers’ varieties from River Nile. , The value for the female and soft date palm farmers’ varieties were 0.804, 0.803 and 0.774, respectively. To investigate the current status of existing on-farm date palm production regarding preferred cultivars/farmers’ verities and threats facing the date palm culture, 215 date palm farmers were interviewed in River Nile and Northern State. The results show that Barakawi is the most preferred cultivar/farmers’ varieties while cvs. Um-dokan, Sakot, Berira, Sagaai and Kolmah were the least. The results show that introduction of new varieties, novel diseases and some socio-economic factors were the main problems facing date palm cultivation in the Northern region of the Sudan. The results of this study will contribute to the formulation of a national strategy for the conservation and sustainable use of date palm genetic resources in Sudan. This study suggests further studies to identify the origin of the seedling cultivars/farmers’ varieties (Jaw and males).
Service-Learning and soft skills in higher education: a systematic literature review

The study presents a systematic literature review on Service-Learning (SL) and soft skills in higher education. The findings are presented according to three macro-areas: the first explores the reasons for universities to support SL in the development of students’ soft skills by analysing the theoretical frameworks and definitions used; the second area investigates the SL contexts and application models, the impact scale, the quality standards and the main challenges for the actors involved; finally, the third area explores the current state of the art of the research reporting on the methods and procedures as well as any findings and relevant challenges. This study provides insights on how SL reduces the gap between significant dichotomies in higher education. Service-Learning e soft skills nell’istruzione superiore: una revisione sistematica della letteratura. Lo studio presenta una revisione sistematica della letteratura su Service-Learning (SL) e soft skills nell’istruzione superiore. I risultati vengono presentati in relazione a tre macro-aree: la prima esplora le ragioni che spingono le università a sostenere il SL per promuovere lo sviluppo delle soft skills negli studenti universitari, analizzando i quadri teorici e le definizioni fornite; la seconda area analizza i contesti e i modelli di applicazione del SL, la scala di impatto, gli standard di qualità e le principali sfide per gli attori coinvolti; infine, la terza area esplora lo stato dell’arte della ricerca su SL e soft skills, riportando metodi e strumenti utilizzati, gli esiti e le sfide più rilevanti. Lo studio permette di evidenziare in che modo il SL riduce il divario tra importanti dicotomie nell’istruzione superiore.
Performance of Inverter Fed Induction Motor Drive Using Neuro Fuzzy Type-2 Controller

The conventional speed and current controllers perform well when the indirect vector control’s working point is constant. The operating point, however, is always shifting. In a closed-system situation, the inverter’s measured reference voltages show higher harmonics. As a result, the provided pulse is uneven and contains more harmonics, which enables the inverter to create an output voltage that is higher. A space vector modulation technique is presented in this paper for type-2 neuro fuzzy systems (NFT2). The inverter’s performance is compared to that of a neuro-fuzzy type-1 (NFT1) system, a neuro-fuzzy type-2 system, and classical space vector modulation (SVM) using Matlab simulation and experimental validation. When using neuro-fuzzy type-2 space vector modulation, the induction motor’s performance metrics for current, torque, and speed are compared to those of conventional and neuro-fuzzy type-1 SVM. The performance of an induction motor created by simulation is examined using the experimental validation of a Dspace-1104. The 2 HP induction motor in the lab is taken into consideration in the experimental validations.