Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Temperature and breeding success for Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) nesting on man-made structures: ecological traps?

When an environmental cue that previously signaled a suitable habitat leads an animal to use an unsuitable site, individual fitness can decrease, ultimately leading to population declines. Such “ecological traps” may be particularly likely for birds that use human infrastructure for nesting. Here we tested whether high nest temperatures and the physical properties of barns are associated with lower breeding success for a declining population of Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota (Vieillot, 1817)). We monitored nests under barn eaves below wood and metal roofs to determine nestling survival and mass, and recorded temperature under barn eaves, to relate ambient temperature to eave temperature. We found that eave temperature increased with ambient temperatures and was higher at high temperatures and lower at cool temperatures under metal roofs than wood roofs. Nestling survival was lower during periods with higher ambient temperatures, and both survival and mass were lower under metal roofs. Our findings suggest that barn eaves, especially those with metal roofs, may be an ecological trap for Cliff Swallows, where a seemingly suitable nesting site early in the breeding season results in low breeding success. Furthermore, warming temperatures may lead to ecological traps for other bird species, particularly those nesting in man-made structures.
Grocery Shopping Preferences during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Considering the temporary closure of many food-away-from-home establishments, consumer expenditure on groceries during the COVID-19 pandemic has increased. While grocery shopping is an essential activity, not much is known about the dynamic relationship of the COVID-19 pandemic to the behavior of grocery shoppers. With an objective to inform variability in the behavior of grocery shoppers under various scenarios of the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted an online framed choice experiment to elicit preferences for purchasing methods, time windows, minimum order requirements, and fees. The manipulating factor relates to the trend in the COVID-19 pandemic, where we consider three scenarios: an increasing, decreasing, or constant number of new cases in the past two-week period. Using 32,400 choice decisions from a representative sample of 900 grocery shoppers in the United States, we conclude that the trend in the COVID-19 pandemic causes significant differences in grocery shopping preferences. In situations where COVID-19 is spreading at an increasing rate, consumers are generally less willing to shop inside the grocery store. When COVID-19 is spreading at a decreasing rate, the relative importance of the purchasing method attribute is lower in its entirety. We use our findings to inform recommendations for practitioners and policymakers.
Insecticide Seed Treatments Partially Safen Rice to Low Rates of Glyphosate and Imazethapyr

Abstract Each year there are multiple reports of drift occurrences, and the majority of drift complaints in rice are from imazethapyr or glyphosate. In 2014 and 2015, multiple field experiments were conducted near Stuttgart, AR, and near Lonoke, AR, to evaluate whether insecticide seed treatments would reduce injury from glyphosate or imazethapyr drift or decrease the recovery time following exposure to a low rate of these herbicides. Study I was referred to as the “seed treatment study,” and Study II was the “drift timing study. ” In the seed treatment study the conventional rice cultivar ‘Roy J' was planted, and herbicide treatments included imazethapyr at 10.5 g ai ha-1, glyphosate at 126 g aeha-1, or no herbicide. Each plot had either a seed treatment of thiamethoxam, clothianidin, chlorantraniliprole, or no insecticide seed treatment. The herbicides were applied at the two- to three-leaf growth stage. Crop injurywas assessed 1, 3, and 5 wkafter application. Averaged over site-years, thiamethoxam-treated rice had less injury than rice with no insecticide seed treatment at each rating, along with an increased yield. Clothianidintreated rice had an increased yield over no insecticide seed treatment, but the reduction in injury for both herbicides was less pronounced than in the thiamethoxam-treated plots. Overall, chlorantraniliprole was generally the least effective of the three insecticides in reducing injury from either herbicide and in protecting rice yield potential. A second experiment conducted at Stuttgart, AR, was meant to determine whether damage to rice from glyphosate and imazethapyr was influenced by the timing (15, 30, and 45 d after planting) of exposure to herbicides for thiamethoxam-treated and nontreated rice. There was an overall reduction in injury with the use of thiamethoxam, but the reduction in injury was not dependent on the timing of the drift event. Reduction in damage fromphysical drift of glyphosate and imazethapyr as well as increased yields over the absence of an insecticide seed treatment appear to be an added benefit. Nomenclature: Clothianidin; chlorantraniliprole; glyphosate; imazethapyr; thiamethoxam; rice, Oryza sativa L.
Prevalence of multidrug resistance (MDR) and extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) among uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolates from female patients in a tertiary care hospital in North India

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common bacterial infection in women. It is very common during pregnancy and may present as asymptomatic bacteriuria. Escherichia coli is the primary urinary pathogen accounting for 74-90% of uncomplicated urinary tract infection. The aim of the study was to evaluate in-vitro antibiotic susceptibility among urine isolates of Escherichia coli and prevalence of resistance marker like ESBL producer and MDR status.Methods: Mid-stream urine samples of 205 female patients were processed for culture and sensitivity. All the samples were inoculated on culture media and growth showing significant bacteriuria (>105 cfu/ml) were subjected to identification and antibiotic sensitivity testing on Automated system BD Phoenix 100. ESBL status was detected by the system and MDR status was evaluated by standard guidelines.Results: Out of 205 urine samples, 47 samples (22.93%) showed growth of organism. Out of the 47 growth positive samples, 36 (76.60%) samples showed growth of Escherichia coli and out of which 13 (36.11%) were ESBL producer and 23 (63.89%) were ESBL non-producer. Escherichia coli was mostly isolated from younger age group (21-40 years) (61.11%). Antimicrobial susceptibility showed very good sensitivity towards Amikacin, Tigecycline, Carbapenems, Fosfomycin, Piperacillin-tazobactam and Nitrofurantoin. All the isolates of ESBL producer are MDR (100%) and 21.7% of ESBL non-producer are MDR. There is evidence of transfer of resistance genes for non-β-lactam antibiotics along with ESBL resistance marker.Conclusions: Escherichia coli was the predominant uropathogen isolated from female patients and Amikacin, Nitrofurantoin and Fosfomycin can be used as first line drug.
Ayçiçeğinde Yüksek Oleik Yağ Asidi Özelliğinin Moleküler Markörler Kullanılarak Belirlenmesi

Aycicegi (Helianthus annuus L.), Compositae (Asteraceae), dunyada yenebilir bitkisel yag bakimindan 4. sirada yer almakta olup, dunyadaki aycicegi ekim alanlarinin yaklasik %60’i Karadeniz Bolgesi ulkelerinde bulunmaktadir. Ayciceginin ulkemizde onemli olmasinin nedeni ulkemizin bircok bolgesinde yetistirilebilir olmasidir. Ulkemizde uretilen bitkisel yag, artan nufusa yetmemekte ve mevcut yag acigimiz yildan yila artmaktadir. Bu yag acigi, verim artisina alternatif olarak yag kalitesi iyilestirme calismalariyla azaltilabilir. Oleik asit icerikli aycicegi yagi ureterek ozellikle kizartma sanayinde yag tuketimini azaltmak mumkundur. Yuksek oleik asit iceren cesitler gelistirmek icin kullanilan klasik islah yontemleri hem zor hem de biyotik ve abiyotik stres kosullarindan etkilendigi icin dogruluk derecesi dusuk olmaktadir. Ancak yuksek oleik asit icerigine yonelik yapilacak bitki islahinda, biyoteknolojik yontemler ile molekuler markor destekli seleksiyon (MAS) kullanilarak daha hizli ve daha tutarli sonuclar elde etmek mumkundur. Bu calismada; yuksek oleik karakterinin tespiti icin F3 kademesindeki 40 bireyin ve 55 adet yuksek oleik, orta oleik ve linoleik tip cesidin, yag asidi analizleri ve molekuler markor analizleri yapilmistir. Oleik asit ile baglantili oldugu saptanan FAD2 gen bolgesindeki varyasyona dayali 6 INDEL markoru ile literaturde yuksek oleik karakteri ile baglantili oldugu belirtilen 3 SSR markoru kullanilmistir. Tum orneklerin gaz kromotografi (GC) cihazinda yag asitleri icerik analizi yapilmis ve molekuler markor analizleri ile karsilastirilmistir. Bu calismalar sonucunda yuksek oleik asit karakterini selekte edebilen ve MAS icin kullanilabilir 3 adet markor tespit edilmistir.
Microleakage Evaluation of Class V Resin Composite Restorations with Fluoride Iontophoresis Application on Tooth surface(an in vitro study)

Purpose: This study was directed to evaluate the microleakage of class V composite restoration after fluoride Iontophoresis application on tooth surface. Materials and Methods :60 freshly extracted human non carious premolar teeth were used box-shaped Class V cavities (4x2x2 mm) were prepared on the gingival one third of the tooth with occlusal margin in enamel and gingival margin in cementum half of the teeth received fluoride Iontophoresis application (FI), while the other half were not received any treatment (NF). Teeth were restored with Z250 resin composite and Kalore resin composite. The specimens stored for one month, three months and six months in distilled water at 37o C in an incubator. After storage time, specimens were immersed in dye of silver nitrate for 12 hrs. The tooth restoration interface was investigated under Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Results: no significant difference in microleakage of both restorations. Lower leakage score for the fluoridated group than none fluoridated one. Microleakage levels were higher in teeth occlusally than cervically. Conclusion: Microleakage is adversely affected by Fluoride iontophoresis.
Factors Explaining the Interest of Adult Offspring in Succeeding Their Parents as Forest Owners

In the past, Swedish ownership of the forest estate was predominantly passed on by parents to their descendants. However, a general societal change has given successors a larger say in decisions on such matters. Their willingness to become forest owners has, therefore, become an important factor for who will own the forest in the future. To study what factors explain adult descendants’ interest in taking over as forest owners, this study determined how adult children, who expressed a willingness to take over their parents’ forest estate, were different from those who were not willing. Members of the Northern Forest Owner Association in Sweden were asked to provide contact addresses of their children, in the age group 30 to 50 years old. The logistic regression analysis of the 249 participating offspring respondents revealed several significant factors. Offspring who helped their parents with the management of the estate were more likely to be willing to take it over, showing that developing into a forest owner remains a socialization process that starts with practical work. Values, such as the respondents’ attitude towards maintaining a forest ownership tradition, as well as the interest in forest income, hunting, and fishing, were also found to be factors affecting the willingness to take over. The results also indicate that the socialization process is still gender-biased, and that the distance between a descendants’ present home and the forest estate is a factor that mattered.
Evaluation of lead, copper and zinc levels for autistic children in Thi-qar province/Iraq

Autism (AU) is a developmental disability identified by a substantial deficiency in communication and social interaction. The cause of Au is not known yet. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if exposure to lead, zinc and copper can affect causinAutismsm. In this study, 54 children diagnosed with AU were involved. Ninety (90) % of them were under the age of three years, and 10% were over the age of three years in the Nasiriyah Autism Centre 2019-2020. The results revealed that lead and copper levels did not affect the female children as much as males.On the other hand, the zinc levels showed a significant statistical difference between female and male. The lead, zinc and copper level did not have any impact on the children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Lead, zinc, and copper were recognised as one of the chief causes for Autism in Children in Thi-Qar Province. The children who were exposed to substantial metal metabolism and the environment in Thi-Qar province were affected by AU or ASD.
Comparison of efficacy and safety of keto profen patch versus diclofenac patch as preemptive analgesia in patients undergoing inguinal hernia surgeries

Background: This study was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of ketoprofen versus diclofenac patch for pre-emptive analgesia in patients undergoing inguinal hernia surgeries. Method: This was a prospective, randomized, comparative clinical study conducted at MGM and MY groups of hospital, Indore, MP. 60 male patients of ASA grade 1 and 2 undergoing inguinal hernia surgeries were divided into N=30 each. Sample size calculation was based on the difference of mean of two independent samples. Transdermal patches of ketoprofen and diclofenac sodium were applied to the participants in both the study groups one hour prior to the induction of anesthesia. Postoperative pain was assessed using VAS and VRS at 2,4,8,12,16 and 24 hours. Result: Mean VAS in ketoprofen group was (2.88 ± 0.67) which was significantly low (P value less than 0.05) as compared to the diclofenac group (3.42 ± 0.17). Likewise, VRS mean in ketoprofen group (1.60 ± 0.34) was low as compared to diclofenac group (1.81 ± 0.23) suggesting better efficacy of ketoprofen patch over diclofenac patch. Data were analysed using unpaired students T test. Conclusion: In our study we found ketoprofen patch as better analgesic then diclofenac patch for postoperative hernia surgeries pain. Also the transdermal route is very comfortable for the patient compared to oral, intramuscular, intravenous route for pain alleviation.
Reactive Sputtering Deposition of Epitaxial TiC Film on Si (100) Substrate

Epitaxial (100) TiC film deposition on Si (100) substrate by direct current magnetron reactive sputtering of a metallic Ti target with 3%–6% CH4 in Ar gas was investigated. X-ray diffraction and cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) reveal that epitaxial cubic TiC can be grown on the Si substrate by domain matching epitaxy in 5/4 ratio with the epitaxial relationship of TiC (100)[0 1 ¯ 1] // Si (100)[0 1 ¯ 1]. For sputtering with 3% and 4% CH4, the deposited films are found to consist of both TiC and metallic Ti phases. Increasing the CH4 flow ratio to 5% results in a deposited film completely consisting of TiC without metallic Ti phase. The crystallinity of the deposited TiC is also improved with increasing the CH4 ratio to 5%. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows that the [C]/[Ti] atomic ratio in TiC is nearly close to 1 for growth with 5% CH4 flow ratio and above. The measured electrical resistivities of the deposited films also increase from 41 to 153 μΩ·cm with increasing the CH4 ratio from 3% to 6%. With film growth beyond 50 nm thickness, it is shown that some disoriented TiC grains are formed.
Microsatellite Marker Development and Population Structure Analysis in Japanese Apricot (Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.)

Japanese apricot ( Prunus mume Sieb. et Zucc.) is one of the major fruit tree crops in Japan. However, a paucity of molecular tools has limited studies on the species’ genetic diversity and clone identification. Therefore, we newly designed 201 microsatellite markers using the P. mume reference genome and selected 20 highly polymorphic markers. The markers showed higher polymorphism detectability than those previously developed using peach and apricot genomes. They were used successfully for fingerprinting most of the Prunus cultivars examined (124 P. mume accessions and one accession each of P. armeniaca , P. salicina , P. persica , and P. dulcis ), and the resulting genotype data were used to examine the genetic differentiation of six Japanese apricot cultivar groups, including those producing normal fruit, small-fruit, and ornamental flowers, as well as Taiwanese cultivars, putative hybrids of P. armeniaca and P. mume , and putative hybrids of P. salicina and P. mume . Phylogenetic cluster analysis showed three clades with high support values; one clade comprised the putative P. armeniaca × P. mume hybrids, and the two others included Taiwanese and ornamental cultivars. The rest of the accessions were grouped into two wide clusters, but not clearly divided into the respective cultivar groups. These complex relationships were supported by the principal coordinate and STRUCTURE analyses. Since Japanese apricot is thought to have originated in China, many factors such as human preference, geographical separation, introgression, and local breeding, may have been involved to form the present complex genetic structure in Japanese apricot.
Characterization of structures from X-ray scattering data using genetic algorithms

We have developed a procedure for fitting experimental and simulated X–ray reflectivity and diffraction data in order to automate and to quantify the characterization of thin–film structures. The optimization method employed is a type of genetic algorithm called‘differential evolution’. The method is capable of rapid convergence to the global minimum of an error function in parameter space even when there are many local minima in addition to the global minimum. We show how to estimate the pointwise errors of the optimized parameters, and how to determine whether the model adequately represents the structure. The procedure is capable of fitting some tens of adjustable parameters, given suitable data.
Drivers and trajectories of social and ecological change in the Karoo, South Africa§

This review article explores past, present and possible future drivers of change in Karoo social-ecological systems. Biogeographically, the Karoo comprises the arid Succulent Karoo and Nama-Karoo biomes covering significant portions of the Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces and a smaller part of the Free State. Despite the Karoo’s specific environment and spatial importance nationally (covering some 30% of South Africa), no government structures address its needs holistically. Today it is a politically and economically marginalised region; perceptions of it as a desert easily morph into perceptions of it as deserted and ripe for exploitation for the benefit of external constituencies, whether in the name of astronomy, shale-gas and uranium mining or renewable energy. To manage the Karoo better for present and future generations, it is clearly desirable for social and natural scientists to work collaboratively, yet there is relatively little interdisciplinary work to date. Against this background this review article provides an overview of social and ecological changes historically and in the present, and offers some cautious reflections concerning climate change, changing land use and governance as key drivers affecting trajectories of change into the future.
Can Different Types of Non-Territorial Working Satisfy Employees’ Needs for Autonomy and Belongingness? Insights From Self-Determination Theory

Organizations are increasingly adopting non-territorial organizational models with unassigned desks. However, previous research has: (1) shown mixed results regarding the impact of non-territorial working on employees, (2) largely examined non-territorial working in its purest sense without considering the nuanced differences in non-territorial working, and (3) not understood the mechanisms underlying the relation between non-territorial working and employee outcomes. To address these research gaps, we apply self-determination theory, which argues that meeting basic psychological needs of autonomy and belonging allows optimal human development, to the physical environment of office spaces. Specifically, we investigated whether the relationship of two types of non-territorial working with employee work engagement, emotional exhaustion, job satisfaction, and affective commitment is mediated via autonomy over office spaces and belongingness. Data were collected from 127 working New Zealanders who have adopted two types of non-territorial working (i.e., work arrangement 1 and work arrangement 2) in an organization. We found that although workers with work arrangement 2 did not report higher belongingness than those with work arrangement 1, workers with work arrangement 1 reported higher autonomy over office spaces than those with work arrangement 2. Moreover, belongingness was related to higher work engagement, job satisfaction, and affective commitment but lower emotional exhaustion, while autonomy over office spaces was related to increased job satisfaction and affective commitment but decreased emotional exhaustion. We also found that autonomy over office spaces, but not belongingness, mediated the relationship of non-territorial working with emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction.
Influence of Lithology on Reactive Melt Flow Channelization

To investigate channelization during migration of a reactive melt, we performed a series of Darcy‐type experiments in which an alkali basalt infiltrated partially molten harzburgites and lherzolites at a confining pressure of 300 MPa, temperatures of 1200°C and 1250°C, and pore pressure gradients of ~2 to 60 MPa/mm. We compare our results to those from previously published experiments performed on wehrlites. In all experiments, irrespective of the exact mineralogy, a planar reaction layer composed of olivine + melt developed in which all of the pyroxene was consumed. Under specific conditions controlled primarily by the melt flow velocity, finger‐like channels composed of olivine + melt also developed. In wehrlites, these reaction infiltration instabilities formed at 1200°C and 1250°C at pressure gradients >25 and >5 MPa/mm, respectively. In harzburgites, channelization occurred only at 1250°C at a pressure gradient of 35 MPa/mm. In lherzolites, a planar melt‐filled vein developed at 1250°C; no finger‐like channels formed under a pressure gradient of ~25 MPa/mm. Both the finger‐like channels and the planar vein led to very efficient extraction of melt from the reservoir. Channelization established large compositional variations over short distances in the crystalized phases as well as in the local melt and greatly enhanced the abundance of the reaction product, olivine, similar to dunite channels in the Earth. The range of chemical‐mechanical responses displayed by this array of compositions provides a set of targets for reactive transport and mechanical modeling studies.