Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growth and Yield Performance of Green Capsicum (Capsicum Annuum L.) As Influenced by Vermicompost Application Grown at Rooftop Of Chandpur Area

A pot experiment was conducted during rabi season during 2020-21 at a rooftop of Chandpur 150 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant (CCPP) Area in Chandpur Sadar upazila under Chandpur district to study the impact of different dosages of vermicompost (VC) on the growth and yield parameters of green capsicum plants (Capsicum annuum L.). It was laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications each of six treatments viz. T1: 0 ton VC ha-1 (control), T2: 2.5 ton VC ha-1, T3: 5 ton VC ha-1, T4: 7.5 ton VC ha-1, T5: 10 ton VC ha-1, and T6:15 ton VC ha-1. Results revealed that maximum plant height (38.53 cm), number of leaf plant-1 (80), and highest number of branches plant-1 (6) were recorded in T5 followed by T3. The highest values for rest of the growth and yield parameters were found from the plant receiving VC at the rate of 5 ton ha-1 (T3), such as, longest leaf per plant (12.84 cm), highest number of branches plant-1 (6), maximum girth (3.53 cm), maximum number of fruits plant-1(7), average fruit weight (44.75 g fruit-1), maximum weight of fresh (320.28 g fruits plant-1) and dry (4.43 g fruits plant-1); and maximum total fresh (109.40 g) and dry weight (21.03 g) of plants. Highest fruit length (18.97 cm) and diameter of fruit (7.30 cm) were recorded in T5 and T4, respectively. Almost all of the growth and yield parameters were observed lowest in control (T1). Study indicates that supreme dose of VC 15 ton ha-1 in T6 yielded lower performance compare to 10 and 5 ton VC ha- 1. Considering the overall performance, it may be concluded that vegetative growth and yielding capacity of green capsicum plants can be boosted up by applying vermicompost at the rate of 10 ton ha-1 and 5 ton ha-1, respectively. This new information will be beneficial for growers, researcher and relevant workers. J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2021, 7(2): 13-22
Phylogeography and Population Genetics Analyses Reveal Evolutionary History of the Desert Resource Plant Lycium ruthenicum (Solanaceae)

Climactic oscillations during the Quaternary played a significant role in the formation of genetic diversity and historical demography of numerous plant species in northwestern China. In this study, we used 11 simple sequence repeats derived from expressed sequence tag (EST-SSR), two chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) fragments, and ecological niche modeling (ENM) to investigate the population structure and the phylogeographic history of Lycium ruthenicum, a plant species adapted to the climate in northwestern China. We identified 20 chloroplast haplotypes of which two were dominant and widely distributed in almost all populations. The species has high haplotype diversity and low nucleotide diversity based on the cpDNA data. The EST-SSR results showed a high percentage of total genetic variation within populations. Both the cpDNA and EST-SSR results indicated no significant differentiation among populations. By combining the evidence from ENM and demographic analysis, we confirmed that both the last interglacial (LIG) and late-glacial maximum (LGM) climatic fluctuations, aridification might have substantially narrowed the distribution range of this desert species, the southern parts of the Junggar Basin, the Tarim Basin, and the eastern Pamir Plateau were the potential glacial refugia for L. ruthenicum during the late middle Pleistocene to late Pleistocene Period. During the early Holocene, the warm, and humid climate promoted its demographic expansion in northwestern China. This work may provide new insights into the mechanism of formation of plant diversity in this arid region.
Phenazine and 10H-phenothiazine cocrystal stabilized by N-H···N and C-H···S hydrogen bonds

A 1:1 co-crystal of phenazine and phenothiazine was prepared. The crystal structure was determined by using a single crystal X-ray crystallography technique. Analysis of the crystal revealed that the molecular complex crystallizes in monoclinic P21/n space group, C12H8N2·C12H9NS, a = 9.068(2) Å, b = 8.872(2) Å, c = 23.935(4) Å, β = 92.16(4)°, V = 1924.1(6) Å3, Z = 4, T = 293(2) K, μ(MoKα) = 0.182 mm-1, Dcalc = 1.310 g/cm3, 8057 reflections measured (3.4° ≤ 2Θ ≤ 46.54°), 2751 unique (Rint = 0.0559, Rsigma = 0.0618) which were used in all calculations. The final R1 was 0.0548 (>2sigma(I)) and wR2 was 0.1029 (all data). The molecules recognize each other through N-H···N and C-H···N hydrogen bonds, thus producing a tetramer unit. These units further interact with one another via C-H···S hydrogen bonds.
Supply Chain Integration and Performance of Humanitarian Aid Organizations in Kenya

Humanitarian organizations are struggling to obtain the highest possible performance from their supply chains by utilizing and adopting various supply chain designs. This is upon realization that despite the huge chunks of money pumped into humanitarian sector, stringent oversight by donors and expectations from vulnerable populations, humanitarian supply chains still respond in a sluggish, inefficient and poorly coordinated manner to emergencies. The purpose of this study was to establish the influence of supply chain integration on performance of humanitarian aid organizations in Kenya. The study was anchored on the Relational View Theory and the Theory of Performance. Survey research design was employed for this study as it enabled the combination of both qualitative and quantitative research approaches. The study entailed a census survey of all the 330 humanitarian aid organizations carrying out their operations in Kenya with supply chain managers as the unit of observation. Objectively developed questionnaires were used to collect primary data. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics was used aided by SPSS version 24 to facilitate data analysis. The data was presented using a combination of statistical and graphical techniques. The study findings revealed that supply chain integration was positively associated with performance of humanitarian aid organizations. The study recommends that humanitarian aid organizations should improve the use of information technology and computerized structures to integrate supply chain processes and ensure distinguishability of internal activities and procedures. Additionally, humanitarian aid organizations are recommended to boost their supply chain integration by exploring and embracing advanced and emerging technologies such as big data analytics, internet of things, cloud computing, machine learning, artificial intelligence and block chain. A multi-stakeholder approach that involves representatives from public sector, private sector, humanitarian sector, academia, military, beneficiaries and the media should be involved in drafting disaster management legislations and push for disaster preparedness to be enshrined in it. Further, humanitarian aid organizations have and will always play a crucial part in complex emergencies. This study proposed that all humanitarian supply chain actors come together and formulate a common response to complex emergencies, making use of the different competences of different players. of supply chain leagility. 6.9%
Rituximab Therapy for Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid: A Retrospective Monocentric Study With Long-Term Follow-Up in 109 Patients

Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP) is a heterogeneous group of rare, chronic, subepithelial autoimmune blistering diseases (AIBDs) with predominant involvement of mucous membranes that can be sight-threatening and life-threatening. Rituximab (RTX) has demonstrated its efficacy in severe MMP refractory to conventional immunosuppressants in small series that differed in RTX scheme, concomitant therapies, and outcome definitions. In a meta-analysis involving 112 patients with MMP treated with RTX, complete remission (CR) was reported in 70.5% of cases. Herein, we report the largest retrospective monocentric study on RTX efficacy in a series of 109 severe and/or refractory patients with MMP treated with RTX with a median follow-up period of 51.4 months. RTX was administered in association with immunomodulatory drugs (dapsone, salazopyrine) without any other systemic immunosuppressant in 104 patients. The RTX schedule comprised two injections (1 g, 2 weeks apart), repeated every 6 months until CR or failure, with a unique consolidation injection (1 g) after CR. The median survival times to disease control and to CR were 7.1 months and 12.2 months, respectively. The median number of RTX cycles required to achieve CR in 85.3% of patients was two. The larynx was the lesional site that took the longest time to achieve disease control. One year after RTX weaning, CR off RTX was obtained in 68.7% of cases. CR off RTX with only minimum doses of immunomodulatory drugs was achieved in 22.0% of patients. Further, 10.1% of patients were partial responders and 4.6% were non-responders to RTX. Relapse occurred in 38.7% of cases, of whom 91.7% had achieved CR again at the last follow-up. In MMP, CR was achieved in a longer time and after more rituximab cycles than in pemphigus, especially for patients with MMP with anti-type VII collagen reactivity. RTX with concomitant immunomodulatory drugs was not responsible for an unusual proportion of adverse events. This large study confirms that RTX is an effective therapy in patients with severe and/or refractory MMP, corroborating previous findings regarding the effects of RTX on AIBDs such as pemphigus.
Acoustic Wave Velocities of Ferrous‐Bearing MgSiO3 Glass up to 158 GPa With Implications for Dense Silicate Melts at the Base of the Earth's Mantle

We conducted in situ high‐pressure acoustic‐wave velocity measurements of Fe2+‐bearing MgSiO3 glass up to 158 GPa by Brillouin scattering spectroscopy to clarify the effect of iron on the elasticity and structural evolution of silicate melts in the lower mantle. The change in trend of the VS profile, likely induced by the structural transition of Si‐O coordination number from 6 to 6+ proposed in previous studies of silicate glasses, was confirmed to be located at ∼106 GPa. Given the iron contents of partial melts derived from a pyrolitic or chondritic mantle, the transition pressure would be at around 84–97 GPa, which is well within the lowermost‐mantle pressure regime. Our data show the substitution of 12 mol% Fe in MgSiO3 glass decreases the VS by ∼5.5%. This implies that iron affects the buoyancy relations between melts/crystals and the melts at the lowermost mantle will have the higher coordination number than 6.
Sleep well to perform well: the association between sleep quality and medical student performance in a high-stakes clinical assessment

Abstract Study Objectives To investigate medical students’ sleep quality and duration prior to a major clinical assessment, and their association with clinical performance. Methods Third year medical students were surveyed following the end of year Observed Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) using a self-completed questionnaire. The questionnaire focussed on sleep in the month and night before the assessment. OSCE scores were linked to questionnaire data for analysis. Results The response rate was 76.6% (216/282). Poor sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index > 5) was reported by 56.9% (123/216) and 34.7% (75/216) of students the month and night before the OSCE, respectively. Sleep quality the night before the OSCE was significantly associated with OSCE score (p = .038), but not sleep quality in the preceding month. The night before the OSCE, students obtained an average of 6.8 h sleep (median 7, SD 1.5, range 2–12 h). Short sleep duration (≤6 h) was reported by 22.7% (49/216) and 38.4% (83/216) of students in the month and the night before the OSCE, respectively. Sleep duration the night before the OSCE was significantly associated with OSCE score (p = .026), but no significant association was found between OSCE score and sleep duration in the preceding month. Use of medication to help with sleep was reported by 18.1% (39/216) of students in the preceding month and by 10.6% (23/216) in the night before the OSCE. Conclusions Medical students’ sleep quality and duration the night before a clinical assessment were correlated with their performance in that assessment.
Postoperative Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy for Locally Advanced Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Phase II Clinical Trial

Background This study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of postoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) covering partial regional lymph node areas combined with chemotherapy for locally advanced thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients. Methods This was a single-center, single-arm phase II clinical trial that began in 2014. Patients who underwent radical transthoracic resection within 3 months and were histologically confirmed esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (pT3-4 or N+, M0 determined according to AJCC Guidelines, Edition 7) were recruited. Postoperative radiotherapy was performed with a total dose of 50.4Gy in 28 fractions using IMRT. Clinical target volumes (CTVs) included tumor bed, anastomosis, bilateral supraclavicular region, and superior mediastinal lymph nodes. Synchronous chemotherapy for 2 cycles (paclitaxel 150mg/m2, day1; Cisplatin 25mg/m2, day1-3; every 4 weeks), followed by 2 cycles of consolidation chemotherapy with the same regimen. The primary endpoint was the 2-year local control rate, and the secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and adverse events (AEs). Results A total of 75 eligible patients were included from 2014 to 2017. The 2-year LRFS rate, as the primary endpoint, was 73.3%. The 1-year and 3-year OS rates were 88.0% and 68.0%, respectively. Local recurrence occurred in 13/75 (17.4%) patients, of which 2.7% (2/75) were extra-target lymph nodes. Grade 4 adverse events reported in this study included 10 cases (13.3%) of neutropenia, 1 case (1.3%) of anemia, and 2 cases (2.7%) of thrombocytopenia, without toxic-related deaths. Almost all (96%) patients completed the entire postoperative radiotherapy course, and 62 (82.7%) patients completed at least 2 cycles of chemotherapy. Conclusion Postoperative IMRT (clinical target volume including tumor bed, anastomosis, bilateral supraclavicular region, and superior mediastinal lymph nodes) combined with synchronous chemotherapy in patients with locally advanced thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was well tolerated, with a high local control rate and a low probability of recurrence outside the irradiation field. Clinical Trial Registration https://clinicaltrials.gov/ChiCTR1900022689.
The Emerging Use of ASC/Scaffold Composites for the Regeneration of Osteochondral Defects

Articular cartilage is composed of chondrocytes surrounded by a porous permeable extracellular matrix. It has a limited spontaneous healing capability post-injury which, if left untreated, can result in severe osteochondral disease. Currently, osteochondral (OC) defects are treated by bone marrow stimulation, artificial joint replacement, or transplantation of bone, cartilage, and periosteum, while autologous osteochondral transplantation is also an option; it carries the risk of donor site damage and is limited only to the treatment of small defects. Allografts may be used for larger defects; however, they have the potential to elicit an immune response. A possible alternative solution to treat osteochondral diseases involves the use of stromal/stem cells. Human adipose-derived stromal/stem cells (ASCs) can differentiate into cartilage and bone cells. The ASC can be combined with both natural and synthetic scaffolds to support cell delivery, growth, proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Combinations of both types of scaffolds along with ASCs and/or growth factors have shown promising results for the treatment of OC defects based on in vitro and in vivo experiments. Indeed, these findings have translated to several active clinical trials testing the use of ASC-scaffold composites on human subjects. The current review critically examines the literature describing ASC-scaffold composites as a potential alternative to conventional therapies for OC tissue regeneration.
Color-Aware Two-Branch DCNN for Efficient Plant Disease Classification

Deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) have been successfully applied to plant disease detection. Unlike most existing studies, we propose feeding a DCNN CIE Lab instead of RGB color coordinates. We modified an Inception V3 architecture to include one branch specific for achromatic data (L channel) and another branch specific for chromatic data (AB channels). This modification takes advantage of the decoupling of chromatic and achromatic information. Besides, splitting branches reduces the number of trainable parameters and computation load by up to 50% of the original figures using modified layers. We achieved a state-of-the-art classification accuracy of 99.48% on the Plant Village dataset and 76.91% on the Cropped-PlantDoc dataset.
Electroacupuncture Ameliorates Acute Myocardial Ischemic Injury and Long QT Interval in Mice through the α1A-Adrenergic Receptor: Electrophysiological, Morphological, and Molecular Evidence

Acute myocardial ischemia (AMI) is a condition caused by a decrease in blood flow to the heart that can sometimes predispose to acquired long QT syndrome (LQTS), thereby resulting in sudden cardiac death. Recent evidence indicates that electroacupuncture (EA) can alleviate MI injury, but its specific mechanism remains unclear. This study was aimed at investigating the efficacy of EA, which utilizes α1A-adrenergic receptors (α1A-AR) in alleviating MI injury as well as the resulting LQTS. The AMI model was established by ligating the left anterior descending arteries (LAD) of both the wild-type and α1A gene-knockout mice and treating them with EA for three consecutive days. A PowerLab 16 physiological recorder was used to collect the electrocardiogram (ECG) while the serum creatine kinase isoenzymes (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and norepinephrine (NE) levels in myocardial tissue were determined by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Moreover, TTC staining was used to observe the myocardial ischemic area, while H&E and TUNEL staining determined the pathological morphology of the myocardium. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the α1A mRNA, and Western blot was used to detect the specific proteins, such as α1A, cleaved caspase-3, Gq, PLC, p-PKCα, and p-hERG. Our results showed that EA could effectively reduce elevated ST-segment, shorten the extended QT interval, and reduce the serum myocardial enzyme content and the degree of pathological injury in wild mice with MI. EA can also decrease the expression of α1A-AR, PLC, p-PKCα, and NE content in myocardial tissues of wild mice, while those of p-hERG increased in ischemic myocardial tissue. These findings suggested that α1A-AR is involved in the development of MI as well as LQTS. Additionally, EA treatment improves the cardiac function and ischemic long QT interval and plays an important role in reducing the hERG inhibition through the α1A-AR-mediated Gq/PLC/PKCα pathway and myocardial apoptosis. Hence, it is suggested that α1A-AR might become a potential target for EA in treating AMI treatment of myocardial ischemia injury and acquired long QT intervals caused by MI.
The Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, Gut Bacteria and Bone Strength of Broilers Offered Alternative, Sustainable Diets Varying in Nutrient Specification and Phytase Dose

Simple Summary Phytase has been routinely included in poultry diets for over 20 years with the benefits to bird growth performance, nutrient digestibility and bone parameters widely documented. However, with the costs of feed increasing, particularly of imported soyabean meal and pressure to reduce the environmental footprint of production, the need for alternative sustainable local protein sources is ever important. This work found that phytase superdosing to rapeseed meal (RSM) and maize dried distiller grains with solubles (DDGS) diets can improve performance, increase digestibility and reduce P excretion by 15% compared to birds offered the diet without exogenous phytase. Abstract This study assessed the use of locally sourced sustainable feed ingredients, rapeseed meal (RSM) and maize dried distiller grains with solubles (DDGS) in diets over traditional ingredients on the growth performance, bone strength and nutrient digestibility of broilers. This work also investigated the effects of supplementing exogenous phytase in two doses (500 vs. 1500 FTU/kg). Using male Ross 308 chicks (n = 320) assigned to receive one of four experimental diets: (1) Positive control diet 1 (PC1), a wheat, soya-based diet + 500 FTU/kg phytase. (2) Positive control diet 2, RSM/DDGS diet + 500 FTU/kg phytase (PC2). (3) Negative control (NC) reduced nutrient RSM/DDGS diet, no phytase. (4) The NC diet plus 1500 FTU/kg phytase (NC+). PC1 birds displayed higher feed intake and body weight gain consistently throughout the trial (p < 0.001) as well as increased body weight by 28 d and 42 d (p < 0.001). Whole-body dual emission X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) analysis revealed PC1 birds also had higher bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), total bone mass, total lean mass and total fat mass than birds offered other treatments (p < 0.01). Diet had no significant effect on bone strength. Phytase superdosing improved the digestibility of dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), gross energy (GE), calcium (Ca), potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg) compared to birds in other treatment groups. The phytase superdose also improved performance in comparison to birds offered the NC diet. Phytase superdosing increased the IP6 and IP5 degradation and increased the ileal inositol concentration of the birds. N excretion was lower for birds offered the traditional wheat–soya diet and highest for those offered the high-specification RSM/DDGS diet with a commercial dose of phytase. The addition of a phytase superdose to the negative control diet (NC+) reduced P excretion of birds by 15% compared to birds offered NC.
Trade Creation and Trade Diversion of ASEAN’s Preferential Trade Agreements

This paper analyzes the effects of ASEAN Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) and employs the gravity model over 2007-2011. The regressions include all 6 ASEAN PTAs in a single regression which is run separately. Our pool regression results show that ASEAN members trade with each other at a level higher than without preferential trade agreements. RCEP displays intra-bloc trade creation so as to ACFTA, AJCEP, and AIFTA. There have been stumbling-blocs in AANZFTA. Our results show that export trade diversion in AKFTA and most of the import extra-bloc trade dummies are not statistically significant. PTAs with higher external tariffs is likely to be associated with trade diversion. Also, the finding confirms that the results for the pooled regression and the results for individual regressions are different. Simultaneous estimation for all PTAs in a single regression enables us to avoid bias in the results by accounting for interactions among PTAs.