Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Supportive effect of naringenin on NaCl-induced toxicity in Carthamus tinctorius seedlings

Abstract In the present study, we used exogenous naringenin (0.5 mM) pretreatment before the stress (25 mM NaCl) on the growth and tolerance of safflower seedlings under non-salinity conditions and salinity conditions. Our results showed that salinity treatment significantly declined the biomass, leaf relative water content, chlorophyll content, K+ content, and K+/Na+ ratio by 28%, 28%, 12%, 36%, and 56%, respectively, as compared to untreated control. The results obtained in the present study showed the beneficial effects of the pretreatment of naringenin in safflower seedlings under non-salinity conditions concerning increasing plant biomass, total phenolic compound, radical scavenging activity (RSA), soluble sugar content, proline, glutathione, enzymatic antioxidants, and K+ content. Nevertheless, naringenin pretreated plants showed a clear increment in the values of biomass, RSA, total phenolic compound, and catalase enzyme activity parameters under salinity stress. Salinity stress caused ionic phytotoxicity and oxidative stress by enhancing Na+ content, H2O2 accumulation, malondialdehyde (MDA), and antioxidants. However, naringenin alleviated salt-induced oxidative stress by decreasing H2O2 and MDA content in the leaves and improving the catalase activity in treated plants. Generally, it could be concluded pretreatment of naringenin before stress could partly diminish NaCl-caused oxidative stress in safflower seedlings, probably due to improvement in enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants and reduced cell membrane damage. Novelty Statement We report for the first time that applying exogenous naringenin pretreatment before the stress could improve growth and diminish NaCl-caused oxidative stress in safflower seedlings, probably due to the improvement in enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants and reduced cell membrane damage. This implies that applying exogenous naringenin pretreatment before the stress is a promising approach for sustainable crop production under salinity stress.
Relational Selection for Collaborative Working Arrangements

Procurement arrangements for collaborative working arrangements (CWAs) should arguably provide suitable protocols under which different project partners can interact effectively and maintain harmonious relationships and mobilize their collective efforts towards common project objectives. Technical abilities of different project partners for carrying out the works are important. Also critical are their “soft” or “relational” qualities to work jointly and synergistically in the project team. The aims of the reported study are to examine the importance of a single set of different factors for selecting consultants, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and clients for CWAs; and to assess the relative importance of various factors and strategies for building CWAs. Data were collected internationally from 17 countries through a questionnaire survey and statistical analyses were conducted. Results attribute varying degrees of importance to various factors for selecting different project partners and suggest a.
Effect of Debt Financing on the Corporate Performance : A Study of Listed Consumer Goods Firms in Nigeria

: The concept of debt financing has assumed considerable importance in recent years given the fundamental role debts now play in forming the financial structure of corporate firms. Quite evident in the debt finance literature is the juxtaposition between debt financing and corporate performance which suggests that debt financing can influence corporate performance. Against the narrow measures of debt financing which are common with most studies that have been carried out on the debt finance-performance dynamics; we attempted a more robust combination of debt finance choices in modelling for corporate performance. Based on data gleaned from the audited annual reports of fifteen (15) consumer goods firms listed in the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) for the period 2006 to 2017, results of the panel regression technique revealed that total debt, long-term debt and short-term debt to asset ratios positively influence the performance of consumer goods firms in Nigeria. Based on the findings of the study, we recommend, among others, that there is need for the Nigerian firms to rely less on short-term debts, which forms the major part of their leverage, and focus more on developing internal strategies that can help improve their performance.
Novel Passive Vector-Sum Reconfigurable Filtering Phase Shifter With Continuous Phase-Control and Tunable Center Frequency

In this article, a novel reconfigurable filtering vector-sum phase shifter (RFPS) with a continuous phase shift range of $\ge 300^{\circ }$ and tunable operating frequency range from 1.05 to 1.3 GHz is proposed. It consists of two identical wideband Wilkinson power dividers (or power combiners) (WPDs) and a reconfigurable filtering quadrature coupler (RFQC) that is connected between the two WPDs. Through the first WPD, the split waves are fed into the RFQC and are then combined at the output ports of the RFQC. The phase of the combined waves can be continuously tuned by adjusting different combinations of coupling types between interstage resonators of the RFQC, and the resulted output waves are then summed up through the second WPD with the desired output phase. Different from the conventional active vector-sum phase shifter, the vector summing is realized by the proposed RFQC and is a pure passive design, resulting in a low-cost, low-noise, easy-design, and highly flexible system. A prototype is designed and fabricated to demonstrate the proposed technique. Detailed theoretical analysis and design procedure have been given. The experimental results show that the proposed RFPS features the continuous phase-control range of more than 300° with a tunable filtering response covering the frequency range from 1.05 to 1.3 GHz.
New approach needed for diagnosis of human brucellosis in Morocco

Human brucellosis is an infectious disease, caused by different species of the genus Brucella. It is a mandatory notifiable disease in most countries, including Morocco, and thus requires special vigilance on the part of health agencies. Prevention of this disease is based on surveillance and prevention of risk factors. Its management is based on serological or other diagnostic tests. The National Laboratory of Epidemic Diseases received 17 blood samples of human origin for notified cases of brucellosis in a region of southern Morocco. Biological confirmation of these samples was performed by Rose Bengal test and ELISA IgM test. The results showed a positivity rate of 88% proving the important role of serological tests in the diagnosis of brucellosis. Other rapid and efficient techniques are becoming essential for the confirmation of cases, taking into account the advanced biosafety procedures for these highly infectious pathogens.
Co-varying effects of vegetation structure and terrain attributes are responsible for soil respiration spatial patterns in a sandy forest–steppe transition zone

Abstract. Forest–steppe habitats in central Hungary have contrasting canopy structure with strong influence on the spatiotemporal variability of ecosystem functions. Canopy differences also co-vary with terrain feature effects, hampering the detection of key drivers of carbon cycling in this threatened habitat. We carried out seasonal measurements of ecosystem functions (soil respiration and leaf area index), microclimate and soil variables as well as terrain features along transects for 3 years in poplar groves and the surrounding grasslands. We found that the terrain features and the canopy differences co-varyingly affected the abiotic and biotic factors of this habitat. Topography had an effect on the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon content. Canopy structure had a strong modifying effect through allocation patterns and microclimatic conditions, both affecting soil respiration rates. Due to the vegetation structure difference between the groves and grasslands, spatial functional diversity was observed. We found notably different conditions under the groves with high soil respiration, soil water content and leaf area index; in contrast, on the grasslands (especially in E–SE–S directions from the trees) soil temperature and vapor pressure deficit showed high values. Processes of aridification due to climate change threaten these habitats and may cause reduction in the amount and extent of forest patches and decrease in landscape diversity. Owing to habitat loss, reduction in carbon stock may occur, which in turn has a significant impact on the local and global carbon cycles.
Success Factors of SMEs: Empirical Study Guided by Dynamic Capabilities and Resources-Based View

This study aims to identify and analyse the success factors of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) following the lines of dynamic capabilities and resources-based views. To achieve this objective, the multiple case study method was followed, where 10 SMEs/cases in Portugal were selected. From a content analysis of the interviews conducted to the owner-managers of these SMEs, the most important success factors identified were: (1) strategic planning, (2) manager/management capacity, (3) entrepreneurship and innovation, (4) human resources, (5) networks/partnerships, and (6) financing. These factors are considered as drivers of sustained growth and creation of competitive advantage for SMEs in their regions. The results also show that SMEs are oriented towards success, although some evolution is still needed in the way they are managed, where the transition from a “domestic/entrepreneurial” management to a “professional” management and a greater focus on the rarity of their resources and on the dynamic capabilities of their human capital stand out. Conclusions, implications and a future research agenda are also outlined.
Health vigilance concerning bacteremia in neonatology - neonatal intensive care unit at the Mohammed VI University Hospital of Oujda (Morocco): epidemiological profile and antibiotic resistance

The objective of our study was to describe the epidemiological profile of blood culture isolates in the neonatology - neonatal intensive care unit of the Mohammed VI University Hospital of Oujda (Morocco) and to specify the resistance profile of the main germs isolated to antibiotics . This is a retrospective and descriptive study of 21 months from December 14, 2016 to September 14, 2018 and covering all positive blood cultures processed in the microbiology laboratory in accordance with REMIC (reference in medical microbiology) and EUCAST (European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing). contaminated blood cultures were excluded. As results, we collected 275 positive blood cultures. They occurred in the context of intravascular device (IVD) use in 59% (n=162) of cases. The most isolated bacterial groups were coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) 41.45 %( n=114), followed by Enterobacteriaceae 32.36 %( n=89). CNS were resistant to all beta-lactams in 57.89 %( n=66), and to glycopeptides in 5.26 %( n=6). Enterobacteriaceae were producers of extended-spectrum betalactamases in 79.77% (n=71) and producers of carbapenemases in 13.48% (n=12) of cases. The alarming increase of enterobacteriaceae isolates and their antibiotic resistance rates should encourage the reinforcement of hygiene measures in our University Hospital.
PD-1 Inhibitor Maintenance Therapy Combined Iodine-125 Seed Implantation Successfully Salvage Recurrent Cervical Cancer after CCRT: A Case Report

Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in females worldwide. Patients with stage III and IV cervical cancer based on the Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) classification have higher recurrence rates. Because of organs at risk (OAR) protection and the low indication rate of salvage surgery, the choice of treatment is always challenging. Systemic chemotherapy is palliative and can be performed in conjunction with surgery or radiotherapy; however, it has no significant benefit to survival. Brachytherapy and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) are characterized by extremely high radiation doses applied to tumor cells while sparing the normal tissues. Several studies have investigated the efficacy of these technologies in recurrent cervical cancer and showed promising results. The immune checkpoint inhibitors approach was also investigated and showed promising results too. Herein, we report a case of a patient with cervical cancer that recurred five months after adjuvant chemotherapy and concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The disease prognosis after interstitial implantation brachytherapy (IIB) was determined. Then, the patient underwent radioactive 125I-seed implantation combined with PD-1 inhibitor treatment. The patient exhibited a partial response after seed implantation, and up to now, the duration of this partial response was 24 months.
CRC Handbook of tables for Applied Engineering Science

New tables in this edition cover lasers, radiation, cryogenics, ultra-sonics, semi-conductors, high-vacuum techniques, eutectic alloys, and organic and inorganic surface coating. Another major addition is expansion of the sections on engineering materials and compos-ites, with detailed indexing by name, class and usage. The special Index of Properties allows ready comparisons with respect to single property, whether physical, chemical, electrical, radiant, mechani-cal, or thermal. The user of this book is assisted by a comprehensive index, by cross references and by numerically keyed subject headings at the top of each page. Each table is self-explanatory, with units, abbreviations, and symbols clearly defined and tabular material subdivided for easy reading.
Handbook of semiconductor lasers and photonic integrated circuits

Introduction. Fundamental lightwave devices. Semiconductor optical waveguides. Radiative and non-radiative recombination in semiconductor lasers. Fundamental theory of semiconductor lasers. Advanced theory of semiconductor lasers. Rate-equation analysis of semiconductor lasers. Direct modulation characteristics of semiconductor lasers. Light control and noise of semiconductor lasers. Fabry-Perot laser diodes. Integrated lasers. Dynamic-single-mode lasers. Photonic integrated circuits. Epitaxy of compounds. Fabrication process of semiconductor laser and photonic integrated circuits. Applications of semiconductor lasers.
An Experimental Study on the Effects ofWinglets on the Wake and Performance of a ModelWind Turbine

Wind tunnel experiments were performed to investigate the effects of downstream-facing winglets on the wake dynamics, power and thrust of a model wind turbine. Two similar turbines with and without winglets were operated under the same conditions. Results show an increase in the power and thrust coefficients of 8.2% and 15.0% for the wingletted case. A simple theoretical treatment of a two-turbine system suggests a possible positive tradeoff between increasing power and thrust coefficients at a wind farm scale. The higher thrust coefficient created a region of enhanced mean shear and turbulence in the outer portion of the wake. The winglets did not significantly change the tip-vortex strength, but higher levels of turbulence in the far wake decreased the tip-vortex strength. Because of the increased mean shear in the wingletted turbine’s wake, the Reynolds stresses were higher, potentially leading to a higher energy flux downstream.
Influence of Manure, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium Fertilizer Application on Growth of One-year-old Oil Palms on Marginal Soil in Jonggol, Bogor, Indonesia

The oil palms ( Elaeis guineensis Jacq. ) are highly efcient oil producers. It produces ve to seven times more vegetable oil per hectare than soybean, sunower, and rapeseed. The objectives of this research were to study the role of organic and N, P, and K fertilizers on growth of one-year-old immature oil palm on marginal soil in Jonggol. The research was conducted at IPB Cargill Teaching Farm (ICTF) of Oil Palm, Jonggol, Bogor,West Java from March 2013 to March 2014. The experiment was arranged in a factorial experiment following a randomized block design with three replications. The rst factor was organic fertilizer (manure) consisting of 0 (O), 15 (O1) and 30 (O2) kg per tree per year. The second factor was inorganic fertilizer consisting of 0 (S0); 0.25 kg N + 0.25 kg P O + 0.39 kg 2 5 K O(S ) 0.50 k N+ 0.50 kg P O + 0.78 kg K O(S ) 2 25 2 1and g 2 per tree. The results demonstrated that application of manure up to 30 kg per tree per year did not affect the growth of one-year-old oil palm. Application of 0.50 kg N + 0.50 kg P O + 0.78 kg K O highest 2 5 2 per tree gave the result in increasing frond production, stem girth, and leaf nutrient concentration. The results of leaf analysis and plant growth responses suggested that the rates of manure and inorganic fertilizers applied in this study are not sufcient to improve young oil palm growth in marginal soil in Jonggol. Keywords: cow manure, critical nutrient level, inorganic fertilizer, soil fertility, vegetative growth
Public Health Action International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease Health solutions for the poor

PHA 2021; 11(s1): 18–23 e-ISSN 2220-8372 AFFILIATIONS 1 Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University Hospital, Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal 2 Sustainable Health Systems, Freetown, Sierra Leone 3 Department of Operational Research, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), Mandalay, Myanmar 4 Centre for Operational Research, The Union, Paris, France 5 UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), WHO, Geneva, Switzerland
Fault-diagnosis systems : an introduction from fault detection to fault tolerance

Fundamentals. - Supervision and fault management of processes - tasks and terminology. - Reliability, Availability and Maintainability (RAM). - Safety, Dependability and System Integrity. - Fault-Detection Methods. - Process Models and Fault Modelling. - Signal models. - Fault detection with limit checking. - Fault detection with signal models. - Fault detection with process-identification methods. - Fault detection with parity equations. - Fault detection with state observers and state estimation. - Fault detection of control loops. - Fault detection with Principal Component Analysis (PCA). - Comparison and combination of fault-detection methods. - Fault-Diagnosis Methods. - Diagnosis procedures and problems. - Fault diagnosis with classification methods. - Fault diagnosis with inference methods. - Fault-Tolerant Systems. - Fault-tolerant design. - Fault-tolerant components and control. - Application Examples. - Fault detection and diagnosis of DC motor drives. - Fault detection and diagnosis of a centrifugal pump-pipe-system. - Fault detection and diagnosis of an automotive suspension and the tire pressures.
Factors Affecting the Adoption and Use of Hearing Aids among Older Adults: A Systematic Review

The most effective modality for presbycusis is using hearing aids. However, the rate of adoption and use of hearing aids among the elderly is not in line with the expectations. This review investigates the current evidence to identify factors affecting the adoption and use of hearing aids among the elderly with hearing loss. This is a systematic review whose sample includes English articles published in peer-reviewed journals from January 2015 to October 2020. The search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Scopus electronic databases. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessments were performed by two independent reviewers. In the 22 studies included in this review, a number of factors, including demographic status (economic status and level of education), auditory factors (hearing loss severity, presence of tinnitus, and the sound quality of hearing aids), attitudinal and psychosocial factors (self-perceived hearing problems, perceived self-efficacy, perceived benefit, support from significant others, and extrovert and ambivert personality types) were identified as variables potentially impacting the adoption and use of hearing aids. The results show that demographic, attitudinal, and psychosocial factors, as well as auditory factors, play an influential role in the adoption and use rate of hearing aids among older populations suffering from hearing loss. Therefore, it is necessary to consider these factors in order to formulate hearing healthcare policies and adopt targeted and appropriate interventions in the process of prescribing, adjusting, and evaluating hearing aids. The protocol of this systematic review was published in the International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO) with registration number: CRD42021227684 (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php? ID=CRD42021227684)
Theory and experiment on microstrip patch antennas with shorting walls

Experimental and calculated results based on the finite-difference time-domain method are presented on the impedance and radiation characteristics of the classic shorted quarterwave patch. It is found that, for foam substrates with relative permittivity close to unity, the bandwidths of the quarterwave patches are significantly larger than the halfwave patches. On the other hand, for microwave substrates with relative permittivites equal to 2.32 and 4.0, the bandwidths of quarterwave patches are less than those of halfwave patches, owing to the excitation of surface waves. The maximum gain in the case of foam substrate is in the range of 2–3.5 dBi, occurring 0–45° from broadside, depending on the substrate thickness. The use of a partial short, while reducing the resonant frequency, also decreases the bandwidth. The paper also describes the application of the shorting-wall principle to realise a compact wideband L–probe patch antenna.
Health risk assessment of heavy metals in irrigated fruits and vegetables cultivated in selected farms around Kaduna metropolis, Nigeria

ABSTRACT This study assessed heavy metals levels in water, soil, fruits (banana, pawpaw) and vegetables (cucumber, cabbage and garden egg) from Bashama, Danmani and Danbushiya farms within Kaduna metropolis, Nigeria. A total of 63 samples (water (9), soil (9), fruits and vegetables (45)) were randomly collected, processed and analyzed for heavy metals using a microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometer. The heavy metal concentration in soil was found to be highest for Fe (57.30–63.51) mg/kg and the least was observed for Cu (0.45–1.45) mg/kg. High levels of Pb (0.02–0.03) mg/l, Cd (0.07–0.1) mg/l and Fe (3.23–3.42) mg/l were determined in the irrigation water exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) standard. Some of the heavy metals (Fe, Zn and Cu) found in the various fruits and vegetables were essentials metals. Toxic metals like Pb and Cd were also present with concentrations above the World Health Organization permissible limit of 0.2 and 0.1, respectively. In the fruits and vegetables examined, the average mean concentration of metals showed significant variations with Fe having highest concentration of (7.82 mg/kg) in most of the samples from the farms. Health risk assessment of heavy metals from the fruit and vegetable samples indicated that all metals are within hazard quotient limit of less than 1 except for Cd, while for the hazard index, all the metals surpass limit of 1 which showed that the samples are likely to be of health concern. For permissible maximum tolerable daily intake in the metals studied, Cd has the highest concentration. The activities around these farms play a significant role in elevating the concentration of Cd and Pb in the fruits and vegetables a little above the WHO set standard of 0.3 mg/kg and 0.2 mg/kg, respectively. Measures to reduce the concentration of heavy metals in fruits and vegetables should be carried out in further works to avoid their health risk in human.