Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Germination and growth response of three wheat cultivars to NaCl salinity.

Salinity adversely affects germination and establishment of crop plants. Germination and early seedling growth response of wheat to NaCl salinity was assessed in a laboratory bioassay. Seeds of three different wheat cultivars (Sehar-2006, AARI-2011 and Millat-2011) were sown in Petri dishes and three salinity levels (6.8, 13.2 and 19.0 dS m -1 ) were imposed by developing NaCl solution concentration of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%, respectively. A control (distilled water) was maintained for each cultivar for comparison. Data regarding germination attributes and early seedling growth of wheat were recorded. Results revealed that increasing concentration of NaCl solution resulted in gradual reduction in seed germination and suppression of early seedling growth in all wheat cultivars. However, pronounced differences regarding salinity tolerance were observed among three wheat cultivars. Millat-2011 recorded least (11-40%) suppression in final germination percentage at different salinity levels as compared to 1086% and 19-72% reduction observed for AARI-2011 and Sehar-2006, respectively. Millat-2011 also suffered less reduction in seedling dry biomass (21-43%) than 29-97% and 14-86% recorded for AARI-2011 and Sehar-2006, respectively. Millat-2011 appeared superior to Sehar-2006 and AARI-2011 due to its better germination and early seedling growth even at high salinity levels. Millat-2011 may tolerate moderate levels of salinity and may be tried for its field appraisal for cultivation on marginal salt affected lands.
Applications of leaf architecture characters in delineating selected species and infraspecific taxa of Genus Cucumis L. (Cucurbitaceae)

Leaf venation characters of twelve (12) Cucumis taxa, comprised of eight species, three subspecies, and three varieties were examined to determine patterns of leaf architectural characters and delineate these accessions at the species, subspecies, and variety level. The leaf architecture of twenty-seven accessions representing six taxa were examined and described in this study. Additionally, data on the leaf architecture of another six taxa (represented by 57 accessions) published by Masungsong et al. (2022) were incorporated in the analysis. Results revealed that the twelve (12) taxa of Cucumis primarily varied in blade class, apex angle, primary vein size, secondary vein spacing, tertiary vein angle to primary vein, and areole development. These variations were found consistent with Cucumis species examined in previous studies. A dichotomous key was constructed for the twelve Cucumis taxa using leaf characters derived. Cluster analysis (based on UPGMA) formed two major clusters at 0.130 Gower distance. Cluster I includes Cucumis melo subsp. melo, C. pustulatus, C. melo var. flexuosus, C. melo subsp. agrestis, and C, melo var. texanus which exhibited secondary vein spacing that increases towards the base. while Cluster II is composed of the remaining Cucumis taxa, all displaying irregular secondary vein spacing. Furthermore, sub-clusters were formed based on tertiary vein angle in relation to primary vein, blade class, apex angle, and primary vein size. Results showed that utilizing leaf architecture is an effective technique to describe, characterize and delineate closely related taxa with many similar characters.
De Novo ANCA-Negative Pauci-Immune Crescentic Glomerulonephritis After COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination: A Case Report

To prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, vaccines have been authorized for emergency use and implemented worldwide. We present a case of de novo glomerulonephritis (GN) after use of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine BNT162b2. A 48-year-old man with no relevant medical history was referred for sudden and persistent worsening of renal insufficiency 1.5 months after the second vaccine dose. He had arthralgia and skin rash a week after vaccination. Abdominal pain and diarrhea started 2 weeks later, and he was admitted to the hospital for enteritis treatment. Colonoscopy showed multiple ulcerations and petechiae suggestive of vasculitis in the terminal ileum. After prednisolone therapy, his gastrointestinal symptoms improved, but his renal function continued to deteriorate. Based on kidney biopsy findings and nephrotic-range proteinuria (5,306 mg/24 hours), he was diagnosed with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-negative pauci-immune crescentic GN (CrGN). He received high-dose steroid pulse therapy and oral cyclophosphamide, and then, gradually underwent steroid tapering, with improvement in proteinuria and renal function over several weeks. Several cases of GN suspected to be related to COVID-19 vaccines have been reported. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of ANCA-negative pauci-immune crescentic CrGN with extrarenal involvement after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. Our finding expands the spectrum of COVID-19 vaccine-associated GN.
Deficient Mismatch Repair Proteins in Gastric Mixed Neuroendocrine Non-Neuroendocrine Neoplasm: A Rare Case Report

Mixed neuroendocrine non-neuroendocrine neoplasm (MiNEN) is a rare type of gastric carcinoma with controversial diagnosis and treatment. Recent data implies that deficiency mismatch repair proteins inducing microsatellite instability are considered one of the potential drivers of this disease. Hence, we report a stomach MiNEN with MMR protein loss. An admitted 60-year-old woman complained of epigastric pain. The pathological analysis of the gastro-endoscopic biopsy specimen revealed gastric adenocarcinoma. The radiological staging was cT3N1M0; therefore, she received D2 distal gastrectomy. Suspecting neuroendocrine component admix with adenocarcinoma part on the resected specimen microscopy, applying biomarkers including AE 1/3, synaptophysin, and chromogranin A to confirm the diagnosis of MiNEN. The neuroendocrine part was classified as neuroendocrine tumor grade 2 with Ki 67 at 16.5%. To further understand the molecular characterization of this disease, we evaluated mismatch protein expression by staining MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2 antibodies. Interestingly, both components lost MLH1 and PMS2 proteins. Her radical surgery followed oxaliplatin/capecitabine adjuvant chemotherapy. The patient is still well after eight cycles of chemotherapy. dMMR gastric MiNENs and dMMR gastric cancer share many clinical and genetic characteristics. Further studies are necessary to survey the role of dMMR in the prognosis and treatment of this entity.
Application of Satellite Radar Observed Precipitation to Accuracy Analysis in Yangtze River Basin

Aiming at the drawback of traditional precipitation station observed method,based on high temporal and spatial resolution for TRMM satellite precipitation data,the serviceability of TRMM data in Yangtze River Basin is studied by comparative analysis of TRMM and observed data from the respect of temporal and spatial distribution.The results show that TRMM data has high accuracy in the Yangtze River Basin and it can provide good data support for distributed hydrologic model.
Water/Oil Displacement Characteristics in Crossbedded Reservoir Zones

An analytical model is presented for gas/oil gravity drainage in a homogeneous, dipping reservoir. The model provides expressions for the oil-saturation distribution in the gas-invaded zone, and for the thickness of the layer of oil accumulated at the bottom of the dipping reservoir. The model has been validated with numerical simulations. The sensitivity of gas/oil gravity drainage to key variables such as injection rate, oil relative permeability and permeability anisotropy, can be quickly determined with this model. Example calculations show that miscible-like recovery efficiencies are possible with immiscible gas injection into high-permeability dipping reservoirs with light oil. A procedure has been developed, based on the analytical model, to accurately simulate immiscible gas injection into highly stratified reservoirs. This simulation procedure allows a great deal of geological detail to be incorporated into reservoir models, because it permits relatively coarse grids. Application of the simulation procedure to a reservoir containing many discontinuous shales reveals that the presence of shales may favourably affect the recovery efficiency of an immiscible gas-injection process.
Symptoms and signs of kidney diseases in children during COVID-19 pandemic in Slovenia

Aim: The purpose of the study was to determine the prevalence of symptoms and signs of kidney diseases in children in Slovenia and to gain insight into the burden of kidney diseases in children at the primary care level at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study methodology was cross-sectional. Data were obtained via an anonymous online questionnaire sent to all pri- mary care paediatricians in Slovenia via e-mail. An exact binomial test was used for each symptom case in order to determine whether the proportion of symptoms and/or signs in the sample deviates from the “theoretical” prevalence reported in the literature. Results: Data were obtained from 65 paediatricians and 9829 evaluated children were included in the study. The proportion of chil- dren with some symptoms and signs of kidney diseases, mostly found incidentally, such as haematuria, proteinuria and hyperten- sion were lower than previously described in the literature. There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of symp- toms and signs suggesting serious kidney diseases, such as oedema or persistent proteinuria. The most common cause of children’s visit to the outpatient clinics at the primary care level due to symptoms and signs of kidney diseases was urinary tract infection. Conclusions: Children with serious kidney diseases were identified as commonly as described in the literature, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The latter influenced negatively the discovery rate of symptoms and signs of kidney diseases that are found incidentally, such as haematuria, proteinuria and hypertension.
University of Digital Commons @ University of South Florida South Florida

Abstract Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used to control pain, inflammation, and limit the cardinal signs of injury in humans. However, prolonged use of NSAIDs increases the risk of heart attack (myocardial infarction; MI) and the subsequent risk of heart and renal failure. The molecular and cellular mechanism of action for this adverse effect, particularly along the cardiorenal network, is incomplete. To define the mechanism, carprofen (CAP), an NSAID was administered at the dose of 5 mg/kg to C57BL/6 male mice for two weeks. After last dose of CAP treatment mice were subjected to permanent occlusion of coronary artery that induces irreversible cardiac remodeling while maintaining naive and MI-controls. After MI, cardiac pathology and dysfunction were confirmed, along with additional measurements of kidney function, histology, and injury markers, such as plasma creatinine. CAP treatment increased plasma creatinine levels and subsequently, myocardial structural disorganization increased. Kidney neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL) and protein expression were increased post-MI. After two weeks CAP treatment, the expression of pyrogenic pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1 β were increased compared to non-CAP treated mice, indicative of amplified inflammatory response. There was also evidence that renal injury of both the post-CAP treatment controls and post-CAP MI were much greater than the non-CAP treated naïve controls, as serum creatinine and NGAL levels were elevated along with obvious structural impairment of the glomerulus. Therefore, CAP treatment tampers with the acute inflammatory response that promotes cardiorenal syndrome and non-resolving inflammation post-MI in acute heart failure.
A Neural Network Approach to Real-Time Rainfall Estimation for Africa Using Satellite Data

Abstract Operational, real-time rainfall estimation on a daily timescale is potentially of great benefit for hydrological forecasting in African river basins. Sparseness of ground-based observations often means that only methodologies based predominantly on satellite data are feasible. An approach is presented here in which Cold Cloud Duration (CCD) imagery derived from Meteosat thermal infrared imagery is used in conjunction with numerical weather model analysis data as the input to an artificial neural network. Novel features of this approach are the use of principal component analysis to reduce the data requirements for the weather model analyses and the use of a pruning technique to identify redundant input data. The methodology has been tested using 4 yr of daily rain gauge data from Zambia in central Africa. Calibration and validation were carried out using pixel area rainfall estimates derived from daily rain gauge data. When compared with a standard CCD approach using the same dataset, the neural .
Flow characteristics through submerged rigid vegetation over a sinusoidal perturbed bed

ABSTRACT The flow through submerged, rigid vegetation on a sinusoidal bed is investigated. The steady, two-dimensional mass and momentum conservation laws in a porous media are solved using the perturbation technique. The rigid bed is approximated with sinusoidal function and its amplitude is assumed small compared to the total depth of the flow. The periodic bed considered in the study is similar to the equilibrium bedforms develop within vegetation array. Two fluid layers for the vegetated and non-vegetated zones are considered. Vegetation porosity is defined as the ratio of water volume with respect to the total volume of the vegetated layer. For the plane and sinusoidal bed, proposed model results compared well with previous studies. It is found that due to the perturbed nature of the bed, longitudinal and vertical velocity profiles follow a periodic pattern. A 180° phase of the vertical velocity with respect to the bed is observed. The vertical velocity is minimum at the crest of the perturbed bed and reaches maximum near the trough. In both layers, the magnitude of the longitudinal velocity is approximately an order of magnitude higher than the vertical velocity. Vegetation density causes a decrease in longitudinal velocity and increase in vertical velocity component. The amplitude of the periodic variation of bed shear stress increases, whereas the magnitude decreases with increase of vegetation density.
Spatial distribution of black carbon concentrations in the atmosphere of Eurasian sector of the Arctic using Merra-2 reanalysis data

Based on multiyear (2007-2022) MERRA-2 reanalysis data, we discuss the specific features of the average spatial distribution of absorbing substance (black carbon еВС) in aerosol composition in Eurasian sector of the Arctic. Main attention is devoted to the spatial distribution of the concentrations еВС in the period of expedition measurements (July- October). It is noted that outflows of smokes from massive forest fires in Siberia influence markedly the spatial distribution of еВС in Arctic regions. We present statistical characteristics of the concentrations еВС for six Arctic seas (from the Greenland to Chukchi Sea) and four regions of Northern Eurasia. Latitudinal variations in the concentrations еВС over separate seas are estimated. The model (MERRA-2) calculations are compared with actual multiyear measurements of black carbon concentrations in marine expeditions.
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE EFFECT OF ANTIULCER DRUGS AND PLACENTA CRYOEXTRACT ON THE INTENSITY OF LIPID PEROXIDATION AND THE ACTIVITY OF THE ANTIOXIDANT SYSTEM IN EXPERIMENTAL HEPATITIS WITH ETHANOL-INDUCED CIRRHOSIS

Introduction. It is well recognized that drug metabolism products in the liver can induce oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to the development of hepatocellular injury. As a potential agent capable of counteracting the hepatotoxic effects of drugs, we focused our attention on a domestic biotechnological preparation – cryopreserved placental extract (CPE). The aim. To characterize gender differences in the effect of esomeprazole, clarithromycin, metronidazole (E/C/M), and CPE on the intensity of lipid peroxidation and the activity of the antioxidant system in tetrachloromethane (CCl4) hepatitis with a background of ethanol-induced cirrhosis (ETCM). Materials and methods. The study was conducted with varying levels of sex hormones on 112 male and female rats. Chronic ETCM was induced by administering a 50.0% oil solution of CCl4 at a dose of 8 ml/kg body weight of the animals twice a week, in combination with a 5.0% ethanol solution for drinking over a period of 45 days. The content of TBA-RP in liver homogenates was determined spectrophotometrically by the method described by Asakawa T. et al. Catalase activity in liver homogenates was determined spectrophotometrically according to the method of Korolyuk M.A. and co-authors. Results. The most pronounced increase in lipid peroxidation processes was observed in females with chronic ETCM-induced liver damage and administration of antiulcer drugs following ovariectomy, resulting in a TBA-RS content of 36.1±2.79 μmol/kg of tissue. Administration of E/C/M in animals with chronic liver damage led to a suppression of the antioxidant system, as evidenced by a decrease in catalase activity in liver tissues. Conclusion. The combined use of anti-ulcer drugs and CPE on the background of chronic ETCM mitigated the activation of lipid peroxidation processes, which was indicated by a statistically significant (p < 0.001) 2.7-fold lower content of TBA-RP in liver homogenates. Additionally, it was established that the administration of CPE was accompanied by a statistically significant increase in catalase activity in females, more prominently than in males. In females without changes in hormonal status, the introduction of CPE resulted in a growth (p < 0.001) of catalase activity by 75.0%, with the most significant increase observed in females after ovariectomy – catalase activity statistically significantly (p < 0.001) increased by 2.6 times compared to the indicators of females not administered with CPE. The administration of CPE in female rats without altering hormonal status was accompanied by a twofold (p < 0.01) increase in the antioxidant-prooxidant index compared to male rats, indicating more pronounced antioxidant properties of CPE in female rats.
Effects of Abattoir Effluent on Microbial Degradation of Diesel Oil in Tropical Agricultural Soil.

The effects of non-sterile and sterile abattoir effluent on microbial degradation of diesel oil in soil were evaluated. Samples collected were analyzed chemically and microbiologically. The residual diesel oil recovered in treatments (TA, TB, TC, and TD) at week 10 were 0.013, 0.033, 0.004 and 0.015 g/g soil respectively from initial corresponding concentrations of 0.169, 0.169, 0.169 and 0.17 g/g soil, representing percent degradations of 92.31, 80.47, 97.63, and 91.12%, respectively, at which time the corresponding value obtained for control was 35.50%.
Clinical, imaging, and molecular features of radiation-induced glioblastomas developing more than 20 years after radiation therapy for intracranial germinomatous germ cell tumor: illustrative cases

BACKGROUND Germinomatous germ cell tumor is highly sensitive to chemoradiotherapy; patients are expected to survive for decades. Many radiation-induced malignant gliomas (RIMGs) occur >10 years after radiotherapy. Standard therapy for RIMGs has not been established because of the lesion’s rarity, the patient’s shorter survival period, and the risk of radiation necrosis by repeat radiation. OBSERVATIONS Two patients, a 32-year-old man and a 50-year-old man, developed glioblastomas more than 20 years after radiation monotherapy for germinoma with or without mature teratoma. The first patient showed a tumor in the left frontotemporal region with disseminated lesions and died 2 months after partial resection of the tumor without responding to the chemotherapy with temozolomide and bevacizumab. Methylation classifier analysis classified the pathology as closest to diffuse pediatric-type high-grade glioma, Rtk1 subtype. The second patient showed a tumor mass in the brainstem and left cerebellar peduncle, which worsened progressively during chemotherapy with temozolomide and bevacizumab. The tumor transiently responded to stereotactic radiotherapy with the CyberKnife. However, the patient died of RIMG recurrence-related aspiration pneumonia 11 months after the biopsy. Methylation classifier analysis classified the pathology as closest to infratentorial pilocytic astrocytoma. LESSONS Chemoradiotherapy may improve the survival of patients with RIMGs. Furthermore, molecular features may influence the clinical, locoregional, and pathological features of RIMG.
Eulerian and Eddy-Induced Meridional Overturning Circulations in the Tropics

Abstract Inspired by recent measurements of the eddy-induced Meridional Overturning Circulation in the tropical North Pacific Ocean by Roemmich and Gilson, the authors analyze an oceanic general circulation model for its Eulerian and eddy-induced Meridional Overturning Circulations throughout the Tropics. The model representation for the mesoscale eddy-induced circulation is the parameterization by Gent and McWilliams, and there are also rectified contributions to the time-mean overturning circulation due to seasonal and interannual fluctuations. The eddy-induced circulation is similar in all tropical basins. It has a strength of about 10% of the Eulerian (mainly Ekman) circulation, and its contribution to the meridional heat flux is a similar fraction. The pattern of the meridional streamfunction is one of double cells in the vertical and antisymmetry about the equator. Near the equator there is downwelling above the undercurrent and upwelling below, with the return circulations closed within the upper 2.
Science Students’ Motivational Orientations of EFL Reading through the Lens of Self-Determination Theory

This mixed-method study aims to investigate science students’ motivational orientations and their self-perceived experiences contributing to self-determination in EFL reading at a secondary school in Thailand. Drawing upon the questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, the findings revealed that the overall science students’ EFL reading motivations were moderate. Each of their motivational orientations was ranked as follows: identified regulation (ID), intrinsic motivation (IM), external regulation (ER), introjected regulation (IJ), and amotivation (AM), accordingly. ID, a motivational orientation with regard to autonomous motivation, seemed to best correspond with the science students’ perceptions. They also valued the influence of social-contextual variables (i.e., families, peers, and teachers) as relatively important to their behavioural control toward EFL reading (ER and IJ). This study offers pedagogical implications to improve science students’ EFL reading motivation.