Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biomanipulation: a useful tool for freshwater wetland mitigation?

Summary 1. Natural wetlands have traditionally been considered as efficient ‘ecological engineers’ for waste water treatment. However, the structure and function of many natural wetlands have been severely altered by the chronic exposure to pollutants, especially nutrients. 2. Despite the similarity of symptoms of eutrophied shallow lakes and wetlands, restoration strategies differ distinctly between these rather similar aquatic systems. Many of the tools applied in shallow lake restoration programs, for example biomanipulation, have received little attention in wetland management and restoration. 3. Although a strong conceptual basis for food web management exists, biotic interactions as influences on wetland communities have been largely neglected by wetland scientists and managers. 4. In this paper we show that biomanipulation may have a strong potential for wetland eutrophication abatement. This potential will be demonstrated by reviewing studies carried out in different wetland types in contrasting climatic regions. 5. We propose four different scenarios for when, where and why biomanipulation may be used to rehabilitate freshwater wetlands. These scenarios reflect different settings of hydrological variability, eutrophication sources and gradients of wind exposure and water colour.
Release rates for control of green peach aphid (Homoptera: Aphidae) by the predatory midge Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) under winter greenhouse conditions.

Control of green peach aphid, Myzus persicae , (Sulzer), on green pepper plants by the predatory midge Aphidoletes aphidimyza (Rondani), was investigated under winter greenhouse conditions (21°C daytime maximum, 15°C night minimum). Four release rates (1 predator: 3 aphids, 1:10, 1:50, 1:100) were compared in a randomized complete block design cage experiment from mid-November to mid-January. Best control was achieved with the 1:10 rate. There was significant effect due to location along the temperature gradient on the bench; differences between 1:3 and 1:10 rates appeared to have been due more to location than to initial predator/prey ratio. Aphids were not controlled in a subsequent experiment using the 1:10 rate in late February when daytime temperatures were 23–26°C.
OPTIMIZATION OF ELECTRIC POWER SYSTEMS USING FUZZY NEURAL NETWORK ALGORITHMS

The article addresses optimization of power supply systems by using fuzzy neural networks to increase the accuracy of operational forecasts and implement active control systems in the power supply grids. As a practical example, the article considers the optimization of parameters of the 220 kV Yuzhnaya Substation operated by the Regional Dispatching Office of the Voronezh Region Electric Power System (Voronezh, Russia). The obtained results indicate an increase in the energy efficiency of the studied equipment by 4.38% (in terms of real power loss),as compared to the existing control mode, through the use of fuzzy neural controllers that improve the accuracy of forecasts of the relevant technological parameters. The developed solutions can be used in electrical power systems and load nodes as a part of control modules. The economic effect is achieved by taking into account the poorly for malizable factors and compensating for their impact on real power loss in the transformer equipment
Carbon dioxide exchange in lichens: Partition of total CO2 resistances at different thallus water contents into transport and carboxylation components

The total resistances to CO2 uptake by Sticta latifrons Rich, and Pseudocyphellaria amphisticta Kremp. were separated into transport and carboxylation components by calculation after transformation of net photosynthesis rate against CO2 concentration curves into a linear form. The use of this technique circumvented the problem of measuring the internal CO2 concentration of the lichen thalli. Both species exhibited an increase in transport resistance at high thallus water contents and an increase in both transport and carboxylation resistances at low water contents. At low and intermediate water contents internal transport resistances were larger than carboxylation resistances when measured at limiting CO2 concentrations. However, at ambient CO2 concentrations carboxylation processes were the dominant factors limiting photosynthesis at all, except the high, water contents.
A Success Story: Review of the Implementation and Achievements of the National Newborn Screening Program for Congenital Hypothyroidism in Iran

Context Today, newborn screening for congenital hypothyroidism (CH) as one of the significant achievements in preventive medicine is integrated into the health systems of many countries worldwide. The national newborn screening for early identification of CH disorder in Iran was established in 2004. The purpose of this study was to review the national newborn screening for CH and its achievements in Iran. Evidence Acquisition In this study, we reviewed the structures, processes, main indicators, and achievements during the 15 years of implementing the national neonatal screening program for the diagnosis and treatment of CH in Iran. Results Primary TSH measurement with backup thyroxine (T4) determination in infants with high TSH levels was used as the screening strategy in Iran. The coverage of this screening program was higher than 98%. By the end of 2017, 1,501,624 neonates were screened, among which 40,773 were diagnosed with CH and treated based on the national guidelines. The average incidence rate of CH during these years was approximately 2.6:1,000 live births. Conclusions The performance of the newborn screening program for congenital hypothyroidism in Iran is favorable, with over a 95% coverage rate. Due to the high recall rate and incidence rate of CH, it is essential to monitor the screening program in the country and also to conduct further studies to determine the main risk factors for the high recall rate and incidence of this congenital error.
Biomass allocation in hermaphrodite flowers

Patterns of dry matter distribution to male and female organs and to ancillary floral organs were examined in five angiosperm species with hermaphrodite flowers (Lilium superbum, Hibiscus trionum, Podophyllum peltatum, Trillium grandiflorum, and Erythronium albidum). Facultatively self-fertilizing species had higher ratios of female:male allocation while the obligate outbreeder L. superbum had higher male:female patterns. About half the floral dry matter (44–66%) was found in perianth parts as opposed to sporophylls in all species. These preliminary results and others drawn from the literature support the hypothesis that outbreeding species show relatively greater expenditure on male function than self-fertilizing species.
Effects of dietary fat, age and sex of broilers on their requirements for essential and non-essential amino acids

An experiment was conducted to study the variation between sexes of broilers in the requirements for essential (EAA) and non-essential (non-EAA) amino acids and the effect of tallow on these requirements. The practical diets contained a balanced proportion of ten EAA which were expressed collectively as per cent of diet. The difference between dietary percentages of protein and EAA was expressed as per cent non-EAA. In the first three weeks, both sexes performed optimally with 7.6 per cent EAA, 11.5 per cent non-EAA and 11.3 MJ kg-1 energy. However, female chicks responded more to the increase in non-EAA than to EAA (significant interaction P < 0.05). Between three and five weeks of age, maximum growth and best utilization of feed were obtained with diets containing 6.8 and 6.1 per cent EAA, 10.5 per cent non-EAA and 13.4 and 11.3 MJ kg-1 energy for males and females respectively. Beyond five weeks of age, both sexes required 5.8 per cent EAA, but males appeared to require higher levels of non-EAA than females. Both sexes utilized the feed more efficiently when fed higher energy diets (13.4 MJ kg-1). Addition of tallow to diets adequate in amino acids without excess, depressed growth rate of both sexes with the males being more affected than females. The growth depression was absent on diets having higher levels of amino acids. It is postulated that tallow may contain a factor that reduces the availability of amino acids. The study has shown the potential benefits to the broiler industry that could result if diets for each sex of birds of particular ages were formulated on the basis of amino acid content and composition rather than crude protein. The study has also demonstrated that tallow may depress growth unless additional amino acids are also supplied. Avenues for further work are discussed.
Optimal Bailouts and the Doom Loop with a Financial Network

Banks usually hold large amounts of domestic public debt which makes them vulnerable to their own sovereign’s default risk. At the same time, governments often resort to costly public bailouts when their domestic banking sector is in trouble. We investigate how the interbank network structure and the distribution of sovereign debt holdings jointly affect the optimal bailout policy in the presence of this "doom loop". Rescuing banks with high domestic sovereign exposure is optimal if these banks are sufficiently central in the network, even though that requires larger bailout expenditures than rescuing low-exposure banks. Our findings imply that highly central banks can use exposure to their own government as a strategic tool to increase the likelihood of being bailed out. Our model thus illustrates how the "doom loop" exacerbates the "too interconnected to fail" problem in banking.
Ecological features of an overwintering population of the hillock mouse (Mus hortulanus Nordm.) in the south‐west of the U.S.S.R.

In this paper, we present data on murid rodents obtained by three major techniques used in biochemical systematics today: protein electrophoresis, scnDNA hybridization and mtDNA RFLP. The data have been analysed by both phenetic and cladistic methods and results of the three techniques were compared with one another. Four clear major levels of divergence (or nodes) can be recognized by all methods. Node 1 groups four subspecies of M. musculus (domesticus, bactrianus, castaneus and musculus). Node 2 groups four species: M. musculus, M. spretus, M. spicilegus and M. spretoides. Node 3 groups the stem of node 2 and three strictly Oriental species (M.caroli, M. ceruicolor and M. cookii) Node 4 groups the previous lineages with Oriental Pyromys and Coelomys and the Ethiopian Nannomys. However, the relationships within each level cannot be resolved without ambiguity. We argue that this is not due to the resolutive power of our methods, but to a biological reality, that is successive adaptive radiations marked by quasi-simultaneous speciation events linked with geographical colonization. Our estimation of divergence time between different taxa showed that the genus Mus is very young. The youngest 'bona fide' species are 1.1 Myr old, or even less than 0.3 Myr if one takes into consideration the two sibling species M. spicilegus and M. spretoides. It appears that mtDNA evolves three to six times faster than scnDNA. The zoogeographical history of the genus can he reconstructed as a series of adaptative radiations leading to the present day distribution of the Palaearctic, Oriental, and Ethiopian groups of taxa.
Optimizing Allocation of Course Resources in the Colleges of Science and Engineering: a Case Study on the Course Enrollment Database of a University in Beijing

Abstract: A course selection (CS) model is constructed based on the course enrollment database from a Chinese university in this research. By using big-data analysis on the database, we study the factors that may determine the students’ CS and we investigate how to optimize allocation of course resources. Our results reveal that the allocation of course resources (type of courses) and the recent revision of academic programs will significantly influence students’ CS. Courses on natural science and engineering (type-b courses), as well as on literature and art (type-d courses), are becoming most popular in course enrollment, which are followed by practical employment-related courses (type-c courses) such as law and management. The core courses of the major (type-a courses) are least selected. Since the new academic program was implemented, type-b courses have been becoming more popular but type-c and type-d courses are less enrolled than before. Our findings can be referenced by policy makers to improve the allocation of course resources in universities, which will benefit the students’ CS and satisfy the demands from society. Our results will also serve as important information for improving education efficiency.
Using integrated modelling to understand seasonal vegetation dynamics and its relationship to runoff generation

Vegetation dynamics and hydrological processes are major components of terrestrial ecosystems, and they interact strongly with each other. Studies of hydrological responses to vegetation dynamics are usually conducted on a long‐term scale, whereas the hydrological responses within a single year have rarely been studied. In the present study, Poyang Lake runoff (PYL‐R) model, a new hydrological model coupled with leaf area index (LAI) remote sensing products, was established and applied to simulate the runoff process in the Poyang Lake Watershed. The simulation results obtained in three sub‐watersheds of the Poyang Lake Watershed (Ganjiang Watershed, Xinjiang Watershed, and Fuhe Watershed) agreed well with the observations (Nash efficiency coefficient values and R values exceeded 0.6 and 0.9, respectively). The PYL‐R experiment (PYL‐R‐E) model was designed as a contrast model without considering the impact of LAI. The simulated monthly runoff results obtained using the PYL‐R and PYL‐R‐E models were compared, and the within‐year changes in the differences between the two results were analysed to evaluate and quantify the impact of vegetation dynamic on runoff. From January to July, when LAI values increased by around 2.6 m2 m−2, monthly runoff depth differences between PYL‐R and PYL‐R‐E results increased by 35.25, 27.98, and 29.14 mm in the Ganjiang, Xinjiang, and Fuhe watersheds, respectively. Dense vegetation caused high interception and evapotranspiration during summer, which largely reduced runoff. By contrast, during winter, the effect of vegetation was weaker on runoff process whereas the impacts of other factors (e.g., precipitation) were higher. The sensitivity of monthly runoff to vegetation dynamics varied greatly throughout the whole year. In particular, during August and September, the LAI‐caused runoff changes were very high, accounting for 28–42% of monthly runoff in the sub‐watersheds. Our findings clarify the effects of changes in vegetation on hydrological processes over short time scales, thereby providing insights into the effects of scale on eco‐hydrological processes.
In‐vitro rates of rumen proteolysis of ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate carboxylase (rubisco) from lucerne leaves, and of ovalbumin, vicilin and sunflower albumin 8 storage proteins

Laboratory systems were developed, based upon in-vitro incubations with rumen fluid, to examine the rate of proteolysis (ie degradation) of sunflower albumin 8 (SFA 8; 24% sulphur amino acids; SAA) from sunflower seeds, ovalbumin (6% SAA) from chicken egg white, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco; 3% SAA) from lucerne leaves, and vicilin (0% SAA) from pea seeds. After fractionation by SDS-PAGE, proteins were analysed by either Western blotting, using specific antibodies (SFA 8, vicilin and ovalbumin) or by Coo-massie blue staining (Rubisco). Proteolysis of the large subunit of Rubisco occurred very quickly and as two components, with half-lives of 11.6 and 1.5 h. The small subunit of Rubisco was more resistant to degradation, with a half-life of 17.3 h. Vicilin was degraded extremely rapidly (half-life 0.16 h). SFA 8 and ovalbumin both showed resistance to degradation, but by two different mechanisms. Ovalbumin was not degraded at all during the initial 16 h of incubation, but then degraded with a half-life of 8.7 h. SFA 8 (mol wt 12 100) disappeared very rapidly, with a half-life of 3.0 h. The degradation of SFA 8 was associated with the appearance of a polypeptide (mol wt 8000), which was extremely resistant to degradation, with a half-life of 69.3 h. It was concluded that both the number of disulphide linkages and tertiary structure were important in determining resistance of proteins to rumen degradation, and that incorporation of SFA 8 and ovalbumin proteins into forages using genetic engineering techniques would be likely to increase the quantity of SAA by passing rumen fermentation.
Efisiensi di Bank Syariah: Studi Empiris pada Unit Usaha Syariah Bank Pembangunan Daerah di Indonesia

This study aims to evaluate Sharia Unit of Regional Development Bank (Bank Pembangunan Daerah) perform in Indonesia period 2012-2017. Considering the development of UUS in Indonesia including BPD, this research seeks to analyze the bank performs considering the BPD. BPD have important role to support the regional economy. One of the indicators used to know about bank perform is efficiency. The input variables used in this research are Third Party Fund, Labor Cost, Total Financing and Other Bank Placements. Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method, we found out that the efficiency level of UUS BPD in Indonesia is quite good with an average efficiency level above 85%. Meanwhile, by using tobit regression, we known that all variables used significantly influence the perform of UUS BPD efficiency level in Indonesia. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi tingkat efisiensi Unit Usaha Syariah Bank Pembangunan Daerah di Indonesia periode 2012-2017. Memperhatikan perkembangan UUS di Indonesia termasuk BPD, penelitian ini berusaha untuk melihat sejauh mana kinerja bank tersebut mengingat BPD memiliki peran penting dalam membantu ekonomi daerah. Salah satu indikator yang digunakan yaitu tingkat efisiensi menggunakan pendekatan dari sisi teknis. Variabel yang digunakan pada penelitian ini yaitu Dana Pihak Ketiga (DPK), Biaya Tenaga Kerja, Total Pembiayaan dan Penempatan Bank Lain dengan menggunakan sampel 12 Unit Usaha Syariah Bank Pembangunan Daerah di seluruh Indonesia. Dengan menggunakan metode Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) didapatkan hasil bahwa tingkat efisiensi UUS BPD di Indonesia sudah cukup baik dengan tingkat rata-rata efisiensi diatas 85%. Sementara dengan menggunakan regresi tobit, diketahui semua variabel yang digunakan berpengaruh signifikan terhadap pencapaian tingkat efisiensi UUS BPD di Indonesia.
Liver injury induced by paracetamol and challenges associated with intentional and unintentional use

Drug induced liver injury (DILI) is a common cause of acute liver injury. Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, is a widely used anti-pyretic that has long been established to cause liver toxicity once above therapeutic levels. Hepatotoxicity from paracetamol overdose, whether intentional or non-intentional, is the most common cause of DILI in the United States and remains a global issue. Given the increased prevalence of combination medications in the form of pain relievers and antihistamines, paracetamol can be difficult to identify and remains a significant cause of acute hepatotoxicity, as evidenced by its contribution to over half of all acute liver failure cases in the United States. This is especially concerning given that, when co-ingested with other medications, the rise in serum paracetamol levels may be delayed past the 4-hour post-ingestion mark that is currently used to determine patients that require medical therapy. This review serves to describe the clinical and pathophysiologic features of hepatotoxicity secondary to paracetamol and provide an update on current available knowledge and treatment options.
Quantification of the Effects of Coating Parameters on the Properties of TiAlZrN Coatings

In this study, TiAlZrN layer was coated on AISI H13 substrate surface with variable substrate bias voltage, Zr target current, and ambient pressure deposition parameters by using closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering (CFUBMS) technique. The main goal of this paper is to determine the effect percentages of these variable parameters on the properties of TiAlZrN coatings by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). These coating properties include average grain size, thickness, hardness, adhesion strength and wear resistance. The numerical data obtained as a result of this study will shed light on the select of parameters which have a direct effect on coatings to the researchers who will work on this topic. The parameters used as variables in the deposition process were leveled with Taguchi experimental (33) design method. Average grain size and thickness of coatings were established by SEM images. The average grain sizes of coatings were between 290 and 440 nm and the most effective parameter was substrate bias voltage with 58.4 %. The hardness, adhesion strength and wear properties of the coatings were determined using micro hardness tester, scratch test and ball on disc wear device respectively. The maximum hardness of coatings was 1674 HV, while the wear resistance was increased by 37 times compared to the substrate material. The maximum adhesion strength value of the coatings was reached 56N. The superiority of the effect of substrate bias voltage on the hardness, adhesion strength and wear resistance of the coatings compared to other deposition parameters was again prominent (respectively 86.15%, 53.63% and 70.86%). Also, the hardness and wear resistance properties were found to be directly related to each other. The sample with the highest coating hardness also showed the highest wear resistance performance. In the sample with the lowest hardness, this situation found to be similar.
Grazer-induced toxin formation in dinoflagellates: a transcriptomic model study

The cosmopolitan marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum is known to produce toxins causing paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). As has recently been shown, this toxicity can be enhanced by the presence of certain copepod species. Inducible defences are known from a variety of marine organisms, but the associated transcriptomic changes have only been investigated in model angiosperms. Here, we use a microarray approach to investigate the changes in gene expression during the copepod-provoked induction of higher toxicity in A. minutum. We found a limited set of 14 genes (0.35% of the tested sequences) to be affected by copepod presence; gene expression changed by a factor of 1.9 to 11.4 when compared with control samples. We compared the differentially expressed genes after one day – before the onset of augmented toxicity – and after 3 days, when cellular toxin content in the induced samples was five times higher than in control cultures. Comparison with differences previously found between toxic and non-toxic strains revealed two sequences apparently associated with PSP toxin content. Our study is the first investigation of transcriptomic effects associated with grazer-induced induction of elevated toxicity in a protist. This provides a novel approach to the ecology of predator–prey interactions, as well as a highly targeted method for investigating the genes associated with toxin production and regulation in toxic dinoflagellates.