Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Responses of Vegetation Activity to Drought in Northern China

With the third‐generation normalized difference vegetation index and a multiple‐timescale drought index [standardized precipitation and evapotranspiration index (SPEI)], the relationships between vegetation activity in the growing season and drought occurrences during various seasons and at different timescales were investigated in northern China. Although poorly understood previously, knowledge of these relationships is crucial for climate, vegetation and hydrological studies. Our results show that over the past three decades, vegetation activity during the growing season was significantly correlated (p < 0⋅05) with drought occurrences over 78⋅5% of northern China and highly significantly correlated (p < 0⋅001) in semi‐arid regions. In addition, there were spatially variable responses of vegetation activity to the seasonality of drought events across northern China. When drought events occurred in pre‐season in the northern part of Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang, parts of Shaanxi and Shanxi, and the western part of Xinjiang, they appear to have impacted vegetation activity, as indicated by the short and medium timescales of the drought indices (SPEI‐3 and SPEI‐6, with 3 and 6 months of accumulation, respectively). In the eastern part of Inner Mongolia, eastern part of Gansu and Qinghai, and southern parts of Ningxia, droughts during the growing season played a key role in vegetation growth, as recorded by the drought indices at all four timescales (SPEI‐3, SPEI‐6, SPEI‐12 and SPEI‐24). In addition, we also observed spatial variations in the responses of vegetation activity to droughts in northern China. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Determinant Factor of Tax Aggressiveness: Evidence from Indonesia

Penelitian ini menguji pengaruh profitabilitas, leverage, dewan komisaris independent, ukuran perusahaan dan kepemilikan institusional terhadap agresivitas pajak. Populasi penelitian adalah perusahaan manufaktur sub sector industry makanan dan minuman yang terdaftar di BEI periode 2018-2021. Jumlah sampel 67 perusahaan. Penelitian menggunakan purposive sampling dalam pengambilan sampel. Peneliti menggunakan analisis regresi linear berganda pada struktur data panel. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa profitabilitas, ukuran perusahaan dan kepemilikan institusional berpengaruh positif terhadap agresivitas pajak. Sedangkan, untuk leverage dan dewan komisaris independent berpengaruh negative terhadap agresivitas pajak. Penelitian memberikan kontribusi penting bagi regulator karena membantu dalam mempertimbangkan kebijakan-kebijakan terkait dengan beban pajak penghasilan perusahaan.
MobQoS: Mobility-Aware and QoS-Driven SDN Framework for Autonomous Vehicles

An intelligent transportation system (ITS) is a cyber physical system (CPS) that is well recognized due to its distinctive applications such as passenger safety, enhanced traffic efficiency, and infotainment services. However, very recently, these CPSs have witnessed a rapid increase in the number of autonomous vehicles (AVs), and the count is expected to increase significantly in the years to come. Under such scenarios, the conventional ITS solutions would fall short due to numerous technical limitations such as reduced flexibility, poor connectivity, limited scalability, and lack of adequate intelligence. In this direction, the cloud computing paradigm would also lag behind in meeting the following expected challenges: high mobility, minimal latency, realtime services, and high quality of service (QoS). Software defined networking (SDN) and edge computing (EC) are expected to be promising solutions for modern ITS. SDN allows efficient management of networks by virtue of its decoupled data and control planes. Moreover, EC is an extension of cloud computing that allows data processing, storage, and management at the edge of the network. Thus, these promising paradigms can address the network and data processing challenges of AV networks in rea time. Further, distributed mobility management (DMM) with improvised routing capabilities in the considered setup can bring added advantages in the form of zero tunneling overhead, full-fledged control of flow table entries, QoS-driven routing decisions, and efficient interplay between the edge and the cloud. Keeping in view the potential benefits of SDN, EC, and DMM in future AV networks, this work presents a composite framework with a distributed SDN-DMM approach in ITS ecosystems. Further, conventional DMM has been improved by stacking the Optimized Routing Decision module on it. This coupling yields a mobility-aware and QoS-driven (MobQoS) SDN framework for AVs that handles both the mobility and QoS challenges of the underlying vehicular networks. Additionally, it is also designed to handle the interplay between the edge and the cloud in an optimized manner using the Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm based on Decomposition (MOEA/D). Numerical comparisons depict that the proposed MobQoS outperforms the existing state of the art in terms of overall communication latency and bandwidth utilization. The performance assessment has been carried out using NS-3 and SUMO wherein an overall improvement of 15.95 percent has been reported in terms of end-to-end delay.
Preterm-Born Young Women Have Weaker Hand Grip Strength Compared to Their Full-Term-Born Peers

Prematurity has been linked to lower muscular fitness and increased morbidity across the human lifespan. Hand grip strength is widely used as a measure of muscle strength. Previous studies have shown inconsistent results regarding the role of vitamin D in hand grip strength. Here, we investigated hand grip strength and the effects of a yearlong vitamin D supplementation in healthy preterm-born young adults. We recruited 38 young adults born preterm at either ≤32 weeks’ gestation or <34 weeks’ gestation and weighing <1500 g, as well as 39 gender- and age-matched controls, for this study. Anthropometric measurements, hand grip strengths, and vitamin D concentrations were recorded. These investigations were repeated after a yearlong vitamin D supplementation intervention. There was a significant difference in the age- and gender-specific hand grip strength ranks between the preterm- and full-term-born young adults: 57.9% and 30.7%, respectively, were below average (p = 0.009). In the preterm-born group, the females had significantly lower hand grip strengths compared to their full-term-born peers, with a mean difference of −3.46 kg (95% CI: −6.68 to −0.247; p = 0.035). In a linear regression analysis, the preterm-born female adult height was negatively associated with hand grip strength (R2 = 0.24, F (1.43) = 13.61, p < 0.001). The vitamin D concentrations were increased after the supplementation period, with no association with hand grip strength. According to our results, preterm-born young females are at risk for lower muscle strength, independent of their current vitamin D status.
Comparative Analysis of Glycemic and Lipid Profiles in Newly Diagnosed Males and Females With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background Age- and gender-based differences in diabetes demographic characteristics have been studied in many types of research. These differences extend further to diabetes-related comorbidities. Dyslipidemia is a common complication associated with diabetes and causes a substantial increase in cardiovascular morbidity. The study aims to compare the pattern of dyslipidemia between males and females among different age categories in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methodology A retrospective database study was conducted at Faiha Specialized Diabetes, Endocrine, and Metabolism Center (FDEMC), Basrah, Southern Iraq. We included adult patients with newly diagnosed and drug naïve T2DM between January 2018 and October 2022. Patients’ data in the form of body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG), random blood glucose (RBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were used for comparisons. Results Below the age of 35, males exhibited significantly higher levels of HbA1c, FBG, and TG compared to females, along with a significantly lower level of HDL-C. However, there were no significant differences in BMI, RBG, TC, and LDL-C. Between the ages of 35 and 44, females in this study demonstrated significantly higher BMI and HDL-C levels, while males exhibited higher levels of HbA1c, FBG, RBG, and TG. However, there were no significant differences observed in TC and LDL-C levels. Similar results were found among the age group 45 to 55, with the only exception being FBG, which became nonsignificant. In patients between 55 and 64 years old, BMI, HDL-C, and TC were significantly higher in females (P < 0.05). In patients aged above 65 years, BMI and HDL-C remained significantly higher in females, while RBG was significantly higher in males. No significant differences were observed among other parameters (HbA1c, TG, TC, and LDL-C). Conclusions In patients aged 54 years and younger, males were significantly more likely to have severe hyperglycemia, higher TG, and lower HDL-C compared to females at the time of T2DM diagnosis. In older patients, this pattern is lost, with only a significantly lower HDL-C observed.
Retrospective Analysis of Haematological Abnormalities in Older Diabetic Patients with COVID-19

Background: Understanding the severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in elderly diabetic patients is crucial, considering the impact of age, comorbidities, and clinical biomarkers. However, the assessment of common haematological markers in this specific population remains limited. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 27 elderly patients (mean age: 61.81±7.14 years) with COVID-19 infection. We analysed the medical e-records of COVID-19 positive patients who presented to a COVID-19 centre in Qatar in July 2020. Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction was used to confirm COVID-19 infection using throat-swab upper respiratory samples. Clinical haematological parameters were analysed and compared with normal ranges. Results: Among the 27 patients investigated, 51.85% were male. A low viral load (cycle threshold (Ct) ≥ 30) was observed in 7.4% of patients, while 92.59% had a high viral load (Ct < 30). At presentation, 59.25% of patients were symptomatic. The observed haematological abnormalities ranked in descending order of frequency were as follows: high red blood cell counts, and high mean platelet volume (52% each), high platelet distribution width (48%), low haemoglobin values, and low haematocrit values (22% each), leukopenia, neutropenia, and lymphopenia (15% each), thrombocytosis, thrombocytopenia, leucocytosis, and neutrophilia (7% each), and lymphocytosis (4%). Conclusion: Our study highlights the common occurrence of haematological abnormalities in older diabetic patients with COVID-19 infection. Monitoring haematological parameters may be valuable in managing these patients, especially in severe cases, and could facilitate early identification of individuals requiring intensive care, potentially reducing mortality.
Extension of the Vase Life of Cut Roses by Both Improving Water Relations and Repressing Ethylene Responses

In cut roses (Rosa hybrida L.), the vase life of ethylene-sensitive cultivars (SENS) is determined by ethylene, and that of ethylene-insensitive cultivars (INSENS) is closely related to water relations. This variation in senescence among rose cultivars makes it difficult to prolong the vase life of cut roses after harvest. In this study, we investigated the combination effect of germicide and ethylene inhibition on the postharvest characteristics of cut rose ‘Matador’ and ‘Dolcetto’ cultivars. Cut roses were treated with three preservative solutions: sodium hypochlorite (Cl), sodium hypochlorite + aminoisobutyric acid (ClA), and sodium hypochlorite + aminoisobutyric acid + 1-methylcyclopropene (ClAM), subsequently exposed to ethylene. We found that all treatments extended the vase life and improved the postharvest quality in the both rose cultivars. Among these, ClAM was the most effective treatment solution, significantly extending the vase life by 4.3 days in ‘Matador’ (SENS) and 4.7 days in ‘Dolcetto’ (INSENS) compared with control flowers. ClAM also effectively inhibited bacterial growth in the vase, enhanced solution uptake, and maintained the initial fresh weight and a positive water balance for longer periods. In addition, we found that ClAM strongly inhibited ethylene-induced petal senescence by suppressing the transcript levels of RhACS2 and RhACO1 in the both rose cultivars. These results suggest that ClAM can be used in a wide range of rose cultivars to prolong the longevity of cut roses due to its combination effects with inhibition of ethylene damage and improvement of water absorption. Additional key words: 1-MCP, ethylene biosynthesis, longevity, senescence, water stress
While stocks last : the live reef food fish trade

Abstract This book is the result of the work by nine independent scientists who agreed to contribute their time to write on speci c topics within their individual expertise on live reef food sh (LRFF) trade issues. At a workshop in Suva, the Fiji Islands in September 2002, it was agreed that the alarming data and information published recently about the perilous state of most of the world’s sh populations more than justi ed the need to document the special concerns about the LRFF trade in a standalone publication. This book does not in any way claim to cover all the di erent aspects of the LRFF trade, but should be read as o ering a thorough analysis of the situation in 2003.
The Emerging Roles of the Metabolic Regulator G6PD in Human Cancers

Metabolic reprogramming, especially reprogrammed glucose metabolism, is a well-known cancer hallmark related to various characteristics of tumor cells, including proliferation, survival, metastasis, and drug resistance. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is the first and rate-limiting enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), a branch of glycolysis, that converts glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) into 6-phosphogluconolactone (6PGL). Furthermore, PPP produces ribose-5-phosphate (R5P), which provides sugar-phosphate backbones for nucleotide synthesis as well as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), an important cellular reductant. Several studies have shown enhanced G6PD expression and PPP flux in various tumor cells, as well as their correlation with tumor progression through cancer hallmark regulation, especially reprogramming cellular metabolism, sustaining proliferative signaling, resisting cell death, and activating invasion and metastasis. Inhibiting G6PD could suppress tumor cell proliferation, promote cell death, reverse chemoresistance, and inhibit metastasis, suggesting the potential of G6PD as a target for anti-tumor therapeutic strategies. Indeed, while challenges—including side effects—still remain, small-molecule G6PD inhibitors showing potential anti-tumor effect either when used alone or in combination with other anti-tumor drugs have been developed. This review provides an overview of the structural significance of G6PD, its role in and regulation of tumor development and progression, and the strategies explored in relation to G6PD-targeted therapy.
Multiple branching rupture of the 2009 Tonga‐Samoa earthquake

Several source models have been proposed to explain the enigmatic 2009 Tonga‐Samoa earthquake. The long‐period data require a composite source model and can be fit with a normal‐faulting subevent followed by one or more reverse‐faulting subevents. The short‐period data, in contrast, indicate a more compact rupture pattern around the epicenter. The lack of a unified source model reflects the complexity of the event. We analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of this earthquake with P wave back‐projection from globally distributed stations in different frequency bands (low frequency: 0.05–0.2 Hz, high frequency: 0.2–2 Hz) and a multiple moment tensor inversion. The rupture propagation revealed by back‐projection exhibits frequency‐dependent behavior, with two branches of high‐frequency‐enriched bilateral rupture around the epicenter and a high‐frequency‐deficient rupture branch at the subduction interface. A composite source model with one Mw 8.0 normal‐faulting earthquake east of the trench axis (seaward) followed by one Mw 8.1 reverse‐faulting earthquake along the subduction interface west of the trench axis (landward) can explain the very long period data (200∼500 s). Combined with high‐resolution swath bathymetry data, the back‐projection images show that the azimuth of rupture branches east of the trench axis were controlled by the geometry of bending‐related faults on the Pacific plate and that the rupture branch west of the trench axis may correlate with the along‐strike fore‐arc segmentation. The rupture along the subduction interface was triggered by the seaward rupture and a partially subducted normal fault may have played a key role in facilitating the triggering. The apparent normal‐reverse faulting interactions pose a higher seismic risk to this region than their individual strands at the northernmost corner of the Tonga subduction zone.
Shift work is associated with extensively disordered sleep, especially when working nights

Background Shift work is generally associated with working and sleeping out of phase with the endogenous, circadian sleep–wake cycle. This exerts detrimental effects on sleep health. The present study aimed at evaluating the presence of short and long sleep as well as sleep disorders within a broad range of shift work schedules and elucidating the role of sociodemographic factors therein. Methods A large dataset containing information on sleep was collected through advertisement in a Belgium newspaper (De Standaard). Adult, working individuals were selected (n = 37,662) and categorized based on their work schedule (regular day, early morning, evening, night, and rotating shift). In this cross-sectional study, prevalence rates of short sleep (≤6 h), long sleep (≥9 h) and sleep disorders (screened with Holland Sleep Disorders Questionnaire), and associations between these sleep variables and sociodemographics (age, sex, education, living companion(s)) were analyzed using binominal logistic regression analyses. Results In the total sample all sociodemographic factors affected prevalences of short, long and disordered sleep, consistent with previous studies. Compared to day workers, shift workers more frequently reported short sleep, most prominently night workers (26 vs. 50%) (p < 0.001). Furthermore, all sleep disorders as well as sleep disorder comorbidity were more common in shift workers, again most pronounced in night workers (all p < 0.05). In night shift workers the level of education had the strongest associations with disturbed sleep with a two-fold higher prevalence of short and disordered sleep in low relative to academic educated groups (all p < 0.02). Conclusion Shift work is related not only to curtailed sleep and shift work disorder, but also to a plethora of sleep disorders, including insomnia, sleep-related breathing disorders and sleep-related movement disorders. Our findings imply that education on coping strategies may be especially important for young and/or lower educated shift workers.
Characterization of Terpenoids from the Ambrosia Beetle Symbiont and Laurel Wilt Pathogen Harringtonia lauricola

Little is known concerning terpenoids produced by members of the fungal order Ophiostomales, with the member Harringtonia lauricola having the unique lifestyle of being a beetle symbiont but potentially devastating tree pathogen. Nine known terpenoids, including six labdane diterpenoids (1–6) and three hopane triterpenes (7–9), were isolated from H. lauricola ethyl acetate (EtOAc) extracts for the first time. All compounds were tested for various in vitro bioactivities. Six compounds, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9, are described functionally. Compounds 2, 4, 5, and 9 expressed potent antiproliferative activity against the MCF-7, HepG2 and A549 cancer cell lines, with half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) ~12.54–26.06 μM. Antimicrobial activity bioassays revealed that compounds 4, 5, and 9 exhibited substantial effects against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Ralstonia solanacearum) with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values between 3.13 and 12.50 μg/mL. Little activity was seen towards Gram-positive bacteria for any of the compounds, whereas compounds 2, 4, 7, and 9 expressed antifungal activities (Fusarium oxysporum) with MIC values ranging from 6.25 to 25.00 μg/mL. Compounds 4, 5, and 9 also displayed free radical scavenging abilities towards 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and superoxide (O2−), with IC50 values of compounds 2, 4, and 6 ~3.45–14.04 μg/mL and 22.87–53.31 μg/mL towards DPPH and O2−, respectively. These data provide an insight into the biopharmaceutical potential of terpenoids from this group of fungal insect symbionts and plant pathogens.
Oxymatrine Alleviates High-Fat-High-Fructose-Induced Fatty Liver in Rats: Understanding the Molecular Mechanism Through an Untargeted Metabonomics Study

Objective Previous studies have shown that oxymatrine (OMT) can improve high-fat-high-fructose-diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and our study aimed to explore its possible metabolic potential mechanisms. Methods Wistar rats were fed a high-fat-high-fructose diet for 8 weeks and treated with oxymatrine by gavage for the last 4 weeks. We measured biochemical indicators and pathological changes in each group and used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) to analyze changes in metabolites in the serum and liver of the rats. Results The results showed that OMT can alleviate the high-fat-high-fructose-induced weight gain and hepatic lipid deposition in rats. Metabolomic analysis showed that the level of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was downregulated and levels of desmosterol and d-galactose were upregulated in livers fed with HFDHFr. The levels of L-isoleucine, L-valine, arachidonic acid (AA), taurocholic acid (TCA), chenodeoxycholyltaurine (TDCA), isocitrate, and glutathione (GSH) were downregulated in the liver, whereas those of linoleic acid (LA), phosphocholine (PC), glycerophosphocholine (GPC), and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) were upregulated in the serum treated with OMT. Conclusion In summary, OMT can improve HFDHFr-induced NAFLD, and metabolomic analysis can provide an early warning for the development of NAFLD as well as provide a rationale for therapeutic targets.
An appraisal of scientific names used in the 1915 list of lichens of the Maltese Islands by Stefano Sommier and Alfredo Caruana Gatto

In 1915 Stefano'Sommier and Alfredo Caruano Gatto published a list of lichens from the Maltese islands. Since then no other lists of local lichens have been published. This work reviews the lichen names appearing in the original checklist and, where relevant, alternative names are suggested based on contemporary usage.