Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Site-specific Nutrient Management for Enhancing Crop Productivity

Nutrient management plays a crucial role in achieving self-sufficiency in food grain production. High price index of chemical fertilizers coupled with mount pollution problem gave rise to interest in precision nutrient management tools. Site specific nutrient management (SSNM) increases and maintains the yield by optimizing the balance between supply and demand of nutrients. Nutrient application as per SSNM concept resulted in significantly higher grain yields of maize, rice, wheat and other important crop over recommended dose of fertilizers (RDF) and farmer’s fertilizers practices. The SSNM is real time feeding of crops with nutrients while recognizing the inherent spatial variability which enhances crop productivity, nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and avoids nutrient wastage. For effective SSNM, utilization of different sensing devices of soil and plant nutrient status, decision support systems, GIS, remote sensing, simulation models and nenoparticles play an important role. Traditional techniques like balanced fertilization, use of nitrification inhibitors and slow-release nitrogenous fertilizers (SRNF) are also used to attain higher productivity and reduce environmental pollution. This paper deals with the SSNM approaches which are able to enhance crop productivity, NUE and sustainability.
Effects of Glyphosate-Based and Derived Products on Sea Urchin Larval Development

Despite the widespread use of herbicide glyphosate in cultivation, its extensive runoff into rivers and to coastal areas, and the persistence of this chemical and its main degradation product (aminomethylphosphonic acid, AMPA) in the environment, there is still little information on the potential negative effects of glyphosate, its commercial formulation Roundup® and AMPA on marine species. This study was conducted with the aim of providing a comparative evaluation of the effects of glyphosate-based and its derived chemicals on the larval development of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, thus providing new data to describe the potential ecotoxicity of these contaminants. In particular, the effects on larval development, growth and metabolism were assessed during 48 h of exposure from the time of egg fertilization. The results confirm that AMPA and its parent compound, glyphosate have similar toxicity, as observed in other marine invertebrates. However, interestingly, the Roundup® formulation seemed to be less toxic than the glyphosate alone.
Global Business and Financial Cycles: A Tale of Two Capital Account Regimes

Using a new equity price-based measure of the global financial cycle, this paper evaluates the relative importance of global financial shocks for quarterly equity returns and output growths in a large sample of advanced and emerging economies, as well as in South Korea and China--two countries on different sides of the trilemma triangle of international finance. We document that global financial shocks in both China and South Korea explain a substantial share of equity return variability (20 and 50 percent of the total variance, respectively), but a much smaller portion of real output fluctuations (less than 10 percent in Korea and negligible in the case of China). We also find that the combination of a closer capital account and a more rigid exchange rate regime, as in China, is associated with some costs in terms of diversification opportunities quantified by very large exposures to domestic financial and real shocks, dwarfing the contribution of any other shock in the model. More surprisingly, the combination of a relatively open capital account and a flexible exchange rate, as in South Korea, not only is associated with higher exposure to the global financial cycle than in China but also with a significant incidence of domestic financial shocks on output fluctuations.
Beyond Correctional Officers and Prison Guards: Understanding Inmates’ Perceptions, Experiences, and Interactions with Correctional Counselors

ABSTRACT Inmates often accuse correctional officers and prison guards of mistreatment and abusing their power; however, much less is known about how inmates react to correctional counselors. In this study responses to Likert scale items revealed inmates largely perceived counselors as fair and respectable. However, the focus of this exploratory analysis was to review inmates’ written responses about their perceptions, experiences, and interactions with correctional counselors. A content analysis revealed themes including “not helpful”; “respectful”; “no contact”; and “caseload concerns” emerged. Written comments were analyzed separately for male and female inmates. A narrative compiled the most comprehensive comments and provided an overall picture about inmates’ perceptions of correctional counselors. Findings revealed female inmates more often described correctional counselors as rude and disrespectful than male inmates; however, male inmates more often expressed concern that counselors were not adhering to prison policies. Female and male inmates alike criticized correctional counselors for having a general lack of knowledge or were incompetent in their job and they believed counselors were not motivated or lacked responsiveness to inmate requests.
A study of host genetic determinants of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, cervical cancer and herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2) infection

Background: Cervical cancer, caused by oncogenic types of human papillomavirus (HPV), is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. Although large numbers of young sexually active women get HPV-infected only a small fraction develop cervical cancer pointing to co-factors including host genetics playing a role in the outcome of the disease. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the role of genetic polymorphisms in the cell death pathway genes, Fas (FasR-1377G/A and FasR-670A/G), FasL (FasL-844T/C) and CASP8 (CASP8 -652 6N ins/del) in cervical cancer, pre-cancers and HPV infection. The genes have also been investigated in herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2) infection, a co-factor for developing cervical cancer. Another immune response gene, CCR2 (CCR2V64I) was also investigated. Materials: DNA from 1879 subjects comprising 447 women with cervical cancer (106 black African and 341 women of mixed-ancestry) and 1432 controls (306 black African and 1075 mixed-ancestry) matched in a 1:3 ratio to the cases on age, ethnicity and domicile status (urban/rural) was available. 265 HSV-2 infected and 142 HSV-2 non-infected controls were used to study the genotype-HSV-2 Un ive rsi ty Of C ap e T ow n
Normal Kinematics of the Syndesmosis and Ankle Mortise During Dynamic Movements

Background: Documenting the healthy articulation of the syndesmosis and talocrural joints, and measurement of 3D medial and lateral clear spaces may improve diagnostic and treatment guidelines for patients suffering from severe syndesmotic injury or chronic instability. This study aimed to define the range of motion (ROM) and displacement of the fibula and talus during static and dynamic activities, and measure the 3D movement in the tibiofibular (syndesmosis) and medial clear space. Methods: Six healthy volunteers performed dynamic weightbearing motions on a single-leg: heel-rise, squat, torso twist, and box jump. Participants posed in a nonweightbearing neutral stance as well as weightbearing neutral standing, plantarflexion, and dorsiflexion. High-speed stereoradiography measured 3D rotation and translation of the fibula and talus throughout each task. Medial clear space and tibiofibular gap distances were measured under each condition. Results: Total ROM for the fibula was greatest in internal-external rotation (9.3 ± 3.5 degrees), and anteroposterior (3.3 ± 2.2 mm) and superior-inferior (2.5 ± 0.9 mm) translation, rather than lateral widening (1.7 ± 1.0 mm). The total rotational ROM of the talus was greatest in dorsiflexion-plantarflexion (34.7 ± 12.9 degrees) and internal-external rotation (15.0 ± 3.4 degrees). Single-leg squatting increased the lateral clear space (P = .045) and widened the medial tibiofibular joint, whereas single-leg heel-rises decreased the lateral clear space (P = .001) and widened the tibiotalar space. Gap spaces in the tibiofibular and medial clear spaces did not exceed 2.3 ± 0.9 mm and 2.7 ± 1.2 mm, respectively. Conclusion: These data support a potential shift in the clinical understanding of fibula displacements during dynamic activities and how implant device constructs might be developed to restore physiologic mechanics. Clinical Relevance: Syndesmosis stabilization and rehabilitation should consider restoration of normal physiologic rotation and translation of the fibula and ankle mortise rather than focusing solely on the restriction of lateral translation.
The Effect of Stocking Density on the Growth of Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris Cuvier, 1830) With Recirculation

The ornamental fish business is now an economic driver. The ocellaris clownfish ( Amphiprion ocellaris Cuvier, 1830) is one of the leading commodities of marine ornamental fish that is in great demand, especially in foreign markets. One obstacle faced by farmers in determining the appropriate density for the ocellaris clownfish rearing stage. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of stocking density on production factors, which included survival rate, and growth rate of ocellaris clownfish. Three hundred fish were used as experimental fish with an average length of 23.00 ± 2.36 mm and a weight of 0.27 ± 0.02 gather study was conducted using 4 treatment tanks with a volume of 120 L with densities of 0.17, 0.37, 0.67, and 0.80 fish/L. Observations showed that the density of 0.37 fish per L (K2) gave the best results with a survival rate of 98.18%. For the SGR parameter, the highest value was 1.14% per day in the K1 treatment. This indicated that the stocking density has a relationship with the factor of production in rearing ocellaris clownfish in the recirculation system.
The Psychosocial Effects Of Mobile Phone Usage Among The Youth: The Case Of A Selected Christian University

This study’s aim was to investigate the psychosocial effects of mobile phone among the youth. This is because the mobile phone has become ‘a must have’ technological tool among many youths in Kenya and beyond. It has ended up bringing different effects in the lives of many users and of great concern to the negative ones. Through the findings of this research, it was found that some negative psychological and social effects amongst the students can be attributed to their mobile phone usage. The study was carried out in a Christian University among the students aged between 18 and 25 years. 120 respondents were selected in a stratified manner from the various programmes and years of study. All of them had used mobile phone with majority (98%), for a period between 2 – 10 years. The researcher used both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. The findings revealed that majority of the students (83.8%) were aware of the negative effects that might result from the continued use of mobile phone. The following were some of the negative psychosocial effects found among the respondents: financial challenges, cheating, stealing, stress, anxiety, and mobile phone addiction.
Self‐Aggregation of Convective Clouds With Interactive Sea Surface Temperature

This study investigates the feedbacks between an interactive sea surface temperature (SST) and the self‐aggregation of deep convective clouds, using a cloud‐resolving model in nonrotating radiative‐convective equilibrium. The ocean is modeled as one layer slab with a temporally fixed mean but spatially varying temperature. We find that the interactive SST decelerates the aggregation and that the deceleration is larger with a shallower slab, consistent with earlier studies. The surface temperature anomaly in dry regions is positive at first, thus opposing the diverging shallow circulation known to favor self‐aggregation, consistent with the slower aggregation. But surprisingly, the driest columns then have a negative SST anomaly, thus strengthening the diverging shallow circulation and favoring aggregation. This diverging circulation out of dry regions is found to be well correlated with the aggregation speed. It can be linked to a positive surface pressure anomaly (PSFC), itself the consequence of SST anomalies and boundary layer radiative cooling. The latter cools and dries the boundary layer, thus increasing PSFC anomalies through virtual effects and hydrostasy. Sensitivity experiments confirm the key role played by boundary layer radiative cooling in determining PSFC anomalies in dry regions, and thus the shallow diverging circulation and the aggregation speed.
Peanut (Arachis hypogea) Response to Low Rates of Dicamba at Reproductive Growth Stages

Tank contamination and off-target movement of dicamba is a probable issue facing peanut producers in Mississippi. In 2017 and 2018, a field study was conducted at Mississippi State University’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville, Mississippi, to evaluate the response of peanut to low rates of dicamba at three growth stages. Dicamba at 35 and 17.5 g ae ha−1 with and without non-ionic surfactant (NIS) was applied to peanut at R1 (beginning bloom), R2 (beginning peg), and R3 (beginning pod). In each site year, peanut injury was visible following exposure to dicamba. Peanut lateral growth was also reduced regardless of treatment or growth stage following exposure to dicamba. Peanut injury was most prominent 14 days following exposure to dicamba, regardless of timing in both site years. Peanut yield was not different following dicamba treatments in 2018 due to late-season environmental conditions. In 2017, dicamba at 1/32 X plus NIS, 1/16 X and 1/16 X plus NIS reduced peanut yield 16%, 16%, and 30% when averaged over growth stage, respectively. Based on this study, visible peanut injury, lateral growth reduction, and yield decreases were observed following exposure to dicamba.
Making the Unfamiliar Familiar: The Effect of Exposure on Ratings of Unfamiliar Musical Chords

Affective responses to music have been shown to be influenced by the psychoacoustic features of the acoustic signal, learned associations between musical features and emotions, and familiarity with a musical system through exposure. The present article reports two experiments investigating whether short-term exposure has an effect on valence and consonance ratings of unfamiliar musical chords from the Bohlen-Pierce system, which are not based on a traditional Western musical scale. In a pre- and post-test design, exposure to positive, negative and neutral chord types was manipulated to test for an effect of exposure on liking. In this paradigm, short-term (“mere”) exposure to unfamiliar chords produced an increase only in valence ratings for negative chords. In neither experiment did it produce an increase in valence or pleasantness ratings for other chord types. Contrast effects for some chord types were found in both experiments, suggesting that a chord’s affect (i.e., affective response to the chord) might be emphasised when the chord is preceded by a stimulus with a contrasting affect. The results confirmed those of a previous study showing that psychoacoustic features play an important role in the perception of music. The findings are discussed in light of their psychological and musical implications.
Crossing the line: Tunas actively exploit submesoscale fronts to enhance foraging success

Fronts—i.e., the boundaries between water masses—are ubiquitous in the world oceans and have been shown to significantly influence pelagic ecosystems with enhanced local productivity and increased abundances of forage fish and top predators. Here we use data from archival tags to document how four juvenile albacore tunas foraged at and exploited a thermal front. Of the 3098 observed trips, the albacore mainly swam across the front between the warm side above the thermocline and the cold side below the thermocline with an average of 78 ± 20.4 cross‐frontal trips per fish per day. The warm frontal surface waters provided a thermal resource, allowing the tuna to maintain higher body temperatures and thus forage more efficiently in the food‐rich waters of the cold side of the front. Foraging success of the tunas decreased as the cross‐front thermal gradient weakened. This first look into small‐scale use of fronts by a top predator demonstrates that ephemeral, submesoscale oceanic features can play a significant role in pelagic ecology.
A Simple and Efficient One-Pot Route for the Synthesis of 3-[1-Aryl(Alkyl)-2-Pyridin-2-yl-Ethyl]-4-Hydroxy-6-Methyl-2H-Pyran-2-Ones under Catalyst-Free Conditions

Abstract Reaction between 4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one and aldehydes with 2-methylpyridine in dioxane under catalyst-free conditions provided a simple and efficient one-pot route for the synthesis of 3-[1-aryl(alkyl)-2-pyridin-2-yl-ethyl]-4-hydroxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-ones. The reaction is characterized by inexpensive and easily available starting materials, the formation of a single product, high yields of biologically active products, and a simple work-up process. Graphical Abstract
An International Perspective: Teaching Chemistry and Engaging Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the loss of many lives and transformed the global educational system. This has resulted in a rapid transition from face-to-face classroom meetings to online education delivery. Online education provides another opportunity to engage students during crises, such as pandemics. However, during the transition to online education, both students and educators faced tremendous challenges, especially at rural locations. To shed light on these experiences, we conducted a survey to learn more about student learning and engagement in two similarly sized institutions in Dhule, India, and St. Cloud, USA. The data collected provides an insight into student engagement and their learning during the crisis. About 49% of participants from Dhule reported that internet issues were a major challenge they faced, while 19% of participants reported a financial burden as a major challenge met during the pandemic. In comparison, 63% of participants from St. Cloud reported that internet issues were a major challenge they faced, while 11% of participants reported financial burden as a major challenge they faced. However, only 22% and 9% of the students from Dhule and St. Cloud, respectively, rated the level of chemistry learned during the crisis as exceptional. Through analysis of these results, strategies to overcome some of the challenges and improve student learning outcomes are presented.
Influence of Modified Atmosphere Packaging on the Postharvest Quality and Chilling Injury of Tomato Harvested at Different Maturity Stages

The present study was performed to determine effects of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on postharvest quality and chilling injury alleviation of tomatoes during low temperature storage. Tomatoes were harvested at two different stages (breaker and pink stage) and packed with MAP (Xtend® bags MAP). Air stored fruits were considered as control. All samples were stored at 5°C with 90% RH for 21 days. Weight loss, firmness, surface color, lycopene, ascorbic acid, total phenol, total antioxidant activity and chilling injury were investigated with intervals of 7 days. At the end of the storage, MAP of either breaker or pink fruits reduced the weight loss, maintained firmness and exhibited less biochemical changes than the control fruit. Moreover, tomatoes stored in MAP have less chilling injury than control at breaker maturity stage. The onset of chilling injury was also delayed by packaging compared to nonpackaged fruits. The general qualities of MAP fruits were better than those of air stored fruits. Overall findings indicate that MAP can be an effective method for enhancing the phytochemical content, delaying the senescence and chilling injury of tomatoes at breaker or pink maturity stages during low temperature storage.
Spectral Efficiency of Dynamic Licensed Shared Access

In licensed shared access (LSA) the radio spectrum is dynamically shared between an incumbent and one or more licensee systems. Protective measures are applied to the licensees’ communication activity to protect the normal operation of the incumbent system. Such measures are therefore crucial components of the LSA, and thus fundamentally affect the achievable spectrum efficiency. In this paper, we investigate a vertical LSA including an airport traffic control system, as the incumbent, and a mobile network as the licensee. While some previous works only consider the licensee uplink, we analytically obtain the interference received by the incumbent from the licensee's transmission both in the uplink and downlink. We then obtain optimal uplink and downlink power allocation in the licensee using an optimisation problem with the objective of maximizing licensee's spectral efficiency (SE) subject to the incumbent interference threshold. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of the number of users and cell size on the SE. Our results provide quantitative insights for practical system design and deployment of LSA system. We then examine the whole LSA spectrum utilization by characterising the availability of the LSA spectrum using a tandem queue setting. Using this model we obtain an expression for the spectral utilization as a function of the licensee's achievable spectral efficiency and the statistics of the LSA spectrum availability. Simulation results show more than a seven-fold improvement in the licensee SE using the optimal power allocation. It is also seen that a higher SE gain is achieved with the proposed optimal power allocation in cases where the number of user equipment in the eNodeB coverage area is very small. Furthermore, higher spectrum utilization efficiency is achieved as a result of shorter busy period and higher achievable SE for distant cells.
An Index Intercomparison for MJO Events and Termination

The Madden‐Julian oscillation (MJO) is a significant contributor to climate variability in the tropics. While many studies have examined the MJO, few have considered its termination. Multiple indices exist to track and forecast the MJO although the influence of each index on MJO decay has not been documented. This study presents an intercomparison of several MJO indices for a 34‐year period to examine the evolution of MJO events and comprises an index‐specific climatology for MJO termination. We present an analysis of common indices including the OLR‐based MJO index (OMI) and filtered OMI (FMO) in addition to the real‐time multivariate MJO (RMM) and velocity potential MJO (VPM) index. Normalized empirical orthogonal function comparisons reveal only minor shifts in longitude and time in the corresponding convection and circulation anomalies between indices. The daily rate‐of‐change (ROC) for each index is derived, and we find that the RMM and VPM indices experience twice as large of daily amplitude changes as the univariate indices. Results from the ROC analysis are implemented in an MJO event identification algorithm to study the sensitivity of MJO termination to changes in the temporary minimum amplitude and threshold used to define events. The corresponding counts of primary, continuing, and circumnavigating events are recorded with primary events being robust to changes in the temporary minimum amplitude. Finally, an MJO climatology is created that presents MJO termination as a function of phase for each index. Physical reasons behind differences in the termination climatology are proposed in addition to applications for future work.