Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nitrogen Excretion and Enzyme Pathways for Ureagenesis in Freshwater Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

The tilapia of Lake Magadi (pH 10), Oreochromis alcalicus grahami, excrete all nitrogen wastes as urea and possess the ornithine urea cycle (OUC), unlike the majority of teleost fish. It was proposed that liver OUC enzymes could be induced in the freshwater ammoniotelic tilapia Oreochromis niloticus in response to environmental or dietary manipulations that stimulate urea excretion in other animals. Elevated water ammonia (1 mM NH₄Cl) inhibited ammonia excretion over the first 12 h and increased urea excretion rates three- to fivefold over 7 d. The OUC was not functional in control fish, as carbamoyl phosphate synthetase III activity was not detectable and ornithine carbamoyltransferase activity was relatively low. No changes in OUC enzyme activities were detected in NH₄Cl-exposed fish, but the activity of the uricolytic enzyme allantoicase was twofold higher. Exposure to pH 10 water had only a transient effect on nitrogen excretion, and OUC enzymes and allantoicase activities were unchanged. The rate of urea and ammonia excretion increased with an increase in the dietary protein content, but OUC or uricolytic enzymes were not induced. These results demonstrate that O. niloticus, unlike Lake Magadi tilapia, do not recruit the hepatic OUC, even under environmental or dietary conditions that enhance urea excretion. Rather, uricolysis and argininolysis appear to be the major routes for ureagenesis.
Student Involvement in Flipped Classroom Course Design

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to examine changes in content knowledge, clinical reasoning, and metacognition with occupational therapy students involved in course design (collaborative participants), with participants engaged in flipped classroom model only (course participants), and to compare results between the collaborative and course participants. Forty-three occupational therapy students participated in this study. Researchers administered three preand post-test questionnaires and completed three focus groups. Results demonstrated both groups experienced growth in active learning and clinical reasoning and changed their perception of student involvement. The collaborative participants demonstrated additional benefits of development of relationships, increased accountability, and improved metacognitive learning.
Knowledge and Behavioural Intentions for Intergenerational Sexual Relationships among Young Female Students in a Pre-Varsity Institution in Southwest Nigeria

Background: Sexual relationship between young women and older men is a major contributor to women’s risk of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and behavioural intentions for intergenerational sexual relationships (IGS) among young female students in Nigeria. Methods: We conducted study between July and August 2018 using a descriptive cross-sectional design. Using convenience sampling method, we selected 160 young female students enrolled in a Joint Universities Pre-Degree Educational Programme in a Nigeria university. For data collection, we employed a self-report questionnaire. Data were analysed by use of a Chi-square test. Alpha was set at 5%. Results: The study revealed that 60% of the respondents had a moderate level of knowledge regarding IGS. More than half (56.3%) of the respondents had indifferent attitudes towards IGS. About two-thirds (62.5%) of the respondents had a moderate level of behavioural intentions. The main motive of young girls for IGS was to get money and gifts (83.8%). There was a significant association between monthly stipend (P≤0.0001), level of knowledge (P≤0.0001), attitude (P≤0.0001), and overall behavioural intentions to practice IGS among the students. Conclusion: The study concluded that female students had a moderate level of behavioural intentions to practice intergenerational sexual relationships. There is a need for appropriate health interventions that will address both present and future engagement in intergenerational sexual relationships among young women and prevent negative health outcomes from unsafe sex among this age group.
Extreme Precipitation Events in the South-Central United States during May and June 2010: Historical Perspective, Role of ENSO, and Trends

An analysis of extreme daily precipitation events that occurred in the south-central United States during May and June 2010 is carried out using gridded station data and reanalysis products in use at the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). Various aspects of the daily extremes are examined from a climate perspective using a 62-yr (1948–2010) period of record, including their historical ranking, common circulation features, moisture plumes, and the possible influence of ENSO. The analysis also considers how the frequency and intensity of daily extremes is changing in the United States. Each of the 2010 flash flood events examined here was associated with historic daily rainfall totals. Several of the events had meteorological conditions in common at upper and lower levels of the atmosphere, and all of the events fit well into an existing classification scheme for heavy precipitation events associated with flash flooding. Each case exhibited characteristics of the ‘‘Maya Express’’ flood events that link tropical moisture plumes from the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico to midlatitude flooding over the central United States. Consistent with recent assessment reports, it is shown that extreme daily precipitation events in the United States have increased in frequency during the most recent 30-yr period (1980–2009) when compared to the previous 30-yr period (1950–79), though the increases are relatively small during May and June.
Antioxidant Enzymes And Vitamins In Gestational Diabetes

The exact pro-oxidant and antioxidant status in gestational diabetes is still not clear. To add a new insight to the question, levels of erythrocyte antioxidant vitamin Ascorbic acid and plasma vitamin E (non enzymatic antioxidant vitamin parameters) and activities of antioxidant enzymes Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD), Glutathione Peroxidase (GPX) and Catalase in erythrocytes were studied in patients with gestational diabetes and compared to controls. Statistical analysis between controls and patients was performed by Mann Whitney U test using stat view package. It was observed that there was a significant increase in activities of SOD, GPX and a significant decrease in erythrocyte ascorbic acid, plasma vitamin E levels and Catalase activity in patients with gestational diabetes when compared to controls. Results of our study depict higher oxygen free radical production, evidenced by increased levels of MDA and decreased levels of GSH, ascorbic acid, vitamin E and Catalase activity, supporting the evidence of oxidative stress in gestational diabetes patients. Increased activities of antioxidant enzymes might be a compensatory regulation of body in response to increased oxidative stress. Decreased concentrations of antioxidant vitamins support the hypothesis that gestational diabetes is an important causative factor in pathogenesis of lipid peroxidation. These data reveal that antioxidant defense mechanisms might be impaired in patients with gestational diabetes. These findings also provide a theoretical basis for development of novel therapeutic strategies, such as antioxidant supplementation.
Praying Mantids (Mantodea) of Sindh Province, Pakistan

This paper represents the only study of praying mantids of Pakistan since it became an independent country in 1978. The study focuses on seven additional species fromSindh Province, which are added to the previously confirmed number of five. The male of Iris splendida Uvarov is described for the first time. The following species are recorded for the first time from this area: Mantis religiosa L. ; Parhierodula coarctata Saussure; Statilia ocellata Uvarov; Iris oratoria L. ; Creobroter sp. , and Hestiasula brunneriana Saussure. There are few published papers on praying mantids of Sindh Province in Pakistan (Wood-Mason 1889). The first significant information was provided by Wood-Mason 1878), who described three new species, Aethalochroa affinis, A. spinipes, and Taxoderopsis taurus. Nothing further was published until Uvarov (1931) re- corded Microthespis dmitrievi Werner (1908) from Karachi. Since then no work has been carried out on the praying mantids of Sindh, and to date no faunal survey of mantids of Pakistan exists. In our study, we add seven more names to the previously known fauna of five species (Giglio-Tos 1927). It is likely that this number will increase further when more extensive surveys are under- taken.
Applications of Mathematics

We study the N-dimensional Boussinesq system with dissipation and diffusion generalized in terms of fractional Laplacians. In particular, we show that given the critical dissipation, a solution pair remains smooth for all time even with zero diffusivity. In the supercritical case, we obtain component reduction results of regularity criteria and smallness conditions for the global regularity in dimensions two and three.
METABOLIC SCOPE AND BODY TEMPERATURES OF WHIPTAIL LIZARDS (CNEMIDOPHORUS)

Oxygen consumption and body temperatures were measured in active and resting whiptail lizards (Teiidae, Cnemidophorus). When active near the eccritic body temperature, whiptails (1) consume over 2 cc 02 per gram-hour, more than a resting mammal of the same size, and (2) attain body temperatures 1-2 C above ambient if they weigh 80-100 g. These proper- ties of whiptail lizards are similar to but much greater than those of varanid lizards. Thermogenesis could play a role in the thermal ecology and habitat selection of macroteiid lizards.
Who loses income during the COVID-19 outbreak? Evidence from China

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed every facet of society. In addition to directly affecting population health, the economic impact of this social shock has begun to be palpable at the individual level. Situated in this context, this research note draws on data collected from Mainland China in March–April, 2020 to examine the individual-level economic toll of the COVID-19 outbreak. We investigate how individuals’ income (when surveyed) has changed relative to before the outbreak, and pay particular attention to the potentially unequal distribution of economic vulnerability based on structural (dis)advantages and COVID-19 related conditions. We show that education, family economic status, Communist Party membership, state-sector employment, and urban hukou—all long-standing status markers in China—mitigate the adverse effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on individuals’ income losses. In addition, people who live in families or regions that were hit harder by COVID19 are more likely to experience income losses. Taken together, this study shows that the COVID-19 pandemic not only exacerbates pre-existing social inequalities but also creates new forms of disparities. Therefore, instead of acting as a great equalizer, the pandemic may well magnify the social distribution of economic vulnerability. To alleviate inequality and aid post-pandemic recovery, public policies need to be oriented toward vulnerable and marginalized populations.
Teratogenicity of sodium fluoride on newly born rats

Fluoride (F) is widely used to sterile drinking water against bacterial infection as well as for normal cleaning of teeth. Although intake of low doses of fluoride is required to prevent dental caries, increased uptake for long time injured bone and soft tissues causes fluorosis (Susheela, 1999). The present study aims to illustrate the teratogenicity and histopathological alterations of fluoride in maternal liver, kidney and thyroid glands. Twenty virgin female and male albino rats of Wistar strain at ratio of 2 female/ 1male were kept under good ventilation with controlled conditions and excess food and water were supplied ad libitum. Pregnant rats were arranged into two groups (n= 6) including, control and fluoride-intoxicated group. Body weight, size and crown rump length of newly born rats were determined. The offspring 1-day old were sacrificed by light anesthesia with diethyl ether and immediately fixed in 10% formal saline. Alizarin red S preparation of both control, and experimental groups were made and the incidences of deformed bones were recorded. Histological preparations of maternal liver, kidney and thyroid glands were made and examined under bright field light microscopy. Experimental group exhibited disruption of the normal integrity of hepatic lobules with prominent centrilobular necrosis and dilatation of blood sinusoids. Perivascular leukocytic cell infiltration was remarked with bile duct obliteration. Also, peritubular inflammatory cellular infiltration associated with degeneration of renal tubular lining epithelial cells and reduction of their tubular lumina were also detected. Degeneration of the thyroid follicles with marked reduction and vacuolation of colloid. Few numbers of the thyroid follicles exhibited exfoliation of their lining cells within their follicular lumina. Interfollicular hemorrhage and congested blood vessels were remarked. Fluoride-intoxication showed abortion of one /6 mothers. There were numerical decreases of offspring of fluoride-intoxicated mother . Increase average of congenital malformations was observed.
Effect of mixing structure on the water uptake of mixtures of ammonium sulfate and phthalic acid particles

Abstract. Aerosol mixing state regulates the interactions between water molecules and particles and thus controls aerosol activation and hygroscopic growth, which thereby influences visibility degradation, cloud formation, and its radiative forcing. There are, however, few current studies on the mixing structure effects on aerosol hygroscopicity. Here, we investigated the hygroscopicity of ammonium sulfate / phthalic acid (AS / PA) aerosol particles with different mass fractions of PA in different mixing states in terms of initial particle generation. Firstly, the effect of PA coatings on the hygroscopic behavior of the core-shell-generated mixtures of AS with PA was studied using a coating hygroscopicity tandem differential mobility analyzer (coating HTDMA). The slow increase in the hygroscopic growth factor of core-shell-generated particles is observed with increasing thickness of the coating PA prior to the deliquescence relative humidity (DRH) of AS. At relative humidity (RH) above 80 %, a decrease in the hygroscopic growth factor of particles occurs as the thickness of the PA shell increases, which indicates that the increase of PA mass fractions leads to a reduction of the overall core-shell-generated particle hygroscopicity. In addition, the use of the Zdanovskii–Stokes–Robinson (ZSR) relation leads to the underestimation of the measured growth factors of core-shell-generated particles without consideration of the morphological effect of core-shell-generated particles, especially at higher RH. Secondly, in the case of the AS / PA initially well-mixed particles, a shift of the DRH of AS (∼80 %, Tang and Munkelwitz, 1994) to lower RH is observed due to the presence of PA in the initially well-mixed particles. The predicted hygroscopic growth factor using the ZSR relation is consistent with the measured hygroscopic growth factor of the initially well-mixed particles. Moreover, we compared and discussed the influence of mixing states on the water uptake of AS / PA aerosol particles. It is found that the hygroscopic growth factor of the core-shell-generated particles is slightly higher than that of the initially well-mixed particles with the same mass fractions of PA at RH above 80 %. The observation of AS / PA particles may contribute to a growing field of knowledge regarding the influence of coating properties and mixing structure on water uptake.
Phasic Neural responses Abbreviated title : Neural circuit mechanism of multiple reward based learned responses Author names and affiliations

Phasic activity of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the ventral tegmental area or substantia nigra compacta (VTA/SNc) has been suggested to encode reward prediction error signal for reinforcement learning. Recent studies have shown that the lateral habenula (LHb) neurons exhibit similar response, but for nonrewarding or punishment signals. Hence the transient signalling role of LHb neurons is opposite that of DA neurons, and also that of several other brain nuclei such as the border region of the globus pallidus internal segment (GPb) and the rostral medial tegmentum (RMTg). Previous theoretical models have investigated the neural circuit mechanism underlying reward-based phasic activity of DA neurons, but the feasibility of a larger neural circuit model to account for the observed reward based phasic activity in other brain nuclei such as the LHb has yet to be shown. Here we propose a large-scale neural circuit model and show that parallel excitatory and inhibitory pathways underlie the learned neural responses across multiple brain regions. Specifically, the model can account for the phasic neural activity observed in the GPb, LHb, RMTg and the VTA/SNc. Based on sensitivity analysis, the model is found to be robust against changes in the overall neural connectivity strength. The model also predicts that striosome plays a key role in the phasic activity of VTA/SNc and LHb neurons by encoding previous and expected rewards. Taken together, our model identifies the important role of parallel neural circuit pathways in accounting for phasic activity across multiple brain areas during reward and punishment processing.
An Analysis of the Factors Influencing the Successful Implementation of MICE eRFP Platforms in the Hotel Business

Although the hotel business relies on MICE as a survival strategy amongst stiff competition, uncertainty about the returns on investment for MICE platforms remains a problem for hotels. This research study collected data from staff from 403 Thai hotels that use electronic Requests of Proposal (eRFP). The data were analyzed using a data science approach, which is an interdisciplinary method combining service design, digital technology and statistical data analysis. By employing linear regression to test for factors influencing successful eRFP implementation in the hotel business, the results showed that speed of business and hotel management leadership were statistically significant in influencing staff performance via eRFP in fulfilling customer expectations. In terms of organizational size, small and medium-sized hotels, managerial commitment and staff participation in driving the organization were found to be statistically significant in impacting successful eRFP implementation in the hotel business. A personal touch, including customer interaction/response, user interface design, and the accommodation of special customer requests were also found to be statistically significant in affecting successful eRFP implementation. The tested factors can be applied in a successful eRFP development or procurement approach for the hotel business.
Haematological parameters of apparently healthy neonates at the Federal Medical Centre Bida, North Central Nigeria

Background: Haematological parameters are used as screening tools for patient’s care and treatment. Objective: To determine the haematological parameters of apparently healthy term Nigerian babies and generate normative data. Methods: This was a descriptive, longitudinal study of consecutively recruited babies. The haematological parameters were determined using venous blood samples drawn at delivery and on the 14th day of life using a haematology auto-analyser. Results: Of the 309 babies recruited on the first day of life, 160 (51.8%) were males while 149 (48.2%) were females. Two hundred and seventy-nine (90.3%) were delivered vaginally. Most (75%) of the neonates were of Nupe origin. The mean haematocrit, haemoglobin concentration, Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin (MCH), Mean Corpuscular Haemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), Red Blood Cell and reticulocyte count on Day 1 were 48.8±8.0%, 15.0±2.6g/dl, 104.1±8.8fl, 31.9±3.3pg, 30.7±1.7g/dl, 4.7±0.9 (×109/l) and 2.0±1.4% respectively. Corresponding Day 14 values were 41.2±5.2%, 12.8±1.9g/dl, 97.2±9.8fl, 30.3±3.8pg, 31.1±1.7g/dl, 4.5±0.6 (×109/l) and 1.0±0.7% respectively. The mean White Blood Cell (WBC) and platelet counts were 13.3±4.8 (×109/l) and 228.3±81.2 (×109/l) respectively, on the 1st day of life and 10.1±2.4 (×109/l) and 370.1±120.7 (×109/l) respectively on the 14th day. The mean differential WBC counts were 49.4±12.0% for neutrophils and 37.4±11.3% for lymphocytes on the 1st day and 32.4±10.0% and 52.8±9.3% respectively on the 14th day. Conclusion: Neonates from Bida have haematological parameters comparable with previously reported values from other parts of Nigeria.
Natural Language Processing for Low-resourced Code-switched Colloquial Languages – The Case of Algerian Language

In this thesis we explore to what extent deep neural networks (DNNs), trained end-to-end, can be used to perform natural language processing tasks for code-switched colloquial languages lacking both large automated data and processing tools, for instance tokenisers, morpho-syntactic and semantic parsers, etc. We opt for an end-to-end learning approach because this kind of data is hard to control due to its high orthographic and linguistic variability. This variability makes it unrealistic to either find a dataset that exhaustively covers all the possible cases that could be used to devise processing tools or to build equivalent rulebased tools from the bottom up. Moreover, all our models are language-independent and do not require access to additional resources, hence we hope that they will be used with other languages or language varieties with similar settings. We deal with the case of user-generated textual data written in Algerian language as naturally produced in social media. We experiment with five natural language processing tasks, namely Code-switch Detection, Semantic Textual Similarity, Spelling Normalisation and Correction, Sentiment Analysis, and Named Entity Recognition. For each task, we created a dataset from user-generated data reflecting the real use of the language. Our experimental results in various setups indicate that end-to-end DNNs combined with character-level representation of the data are promising. Further experiments with advanced models, such as Transformer-based models, could lead to even better results. Completely solving the challenge of code-switched colloquial languages is beyond the scope of this experimental work. Even so, we believe that this work will extend the utility of DNNs trained end-to-end to low-resource settings. Furthermore, the results of our experiments can be used as a baseline for future research.
Finite Element Simulation of Steel Plate Concrete Beams subjected to Shear

In a test series ofSteel plate Concrete (SC) beams conducted by the authorsto determine the minimum shear reinforcement ratio, complex structural behavior of the tested beams was observed, including shear cracking occurred within the concrete in the web and bond-slip failure of the bottom steel plate of the beam due to insufficient shear reinforcement ratio (Qin et al. 2015). This paper focuses on finite element simulation (FEM) of the SC beams withemphasis on shear and bond-slip behavior. A new constitutive model is proposed to account for the bond-slip behavior of steel plates. Also, the Cyclic Softened Membrane Model proposed by Hsu and Mo (2010)is utilized to simulate the shear behavior of concrete with embedded shear reinforcement. Both constitutive models areimplemented into a finite element analysis program based on the framework of OpenSees (2013). The proposed FEM is able to capturethe behavior of the tested SC beams.