Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimising spot weed control regimes forPinus radiataplantations

Spot spraying, in which only the area around individual trees is treated, is an important method of herbicide application during establishment of Pinus radiata D. Don (radiata pine) in New Zealand. Minimising the spot size reduces costs and has possible environmental benefits from reduced overall herbicide use. An analysis of six experiments at five separate sites tested the growth response of P. radiata to spot weed control on sites dominated by herbaceous vegetation, usually as a result of oversowing with a mixture of grasses and legumes. The analysis showed that, on sites dominated by herbaceous weeds, the reduction in rotation length achieved by applying total weed control compared with no postplant weed control ranged from 0.4 to 1.6 years and averaged 0.9 years. A spot diameter of 1 m maintained for 1 year achieved 28% of the benefit of total weed control, whereas a spot diameter of 2 m maintained for 1 year achieved 66% of the benefit. Generally, there was little benefit in maintaining spots beyond 1 year. An economic analysis indicated that weed control of any kind was generally unprofitable when the time-shift gain from weed control was 0.4 years or less but highly profitable for sites with a time shift of 1.6 years or more.
PGPR (Plant Growth Promoting Rizobacteria) Benefits in Spurring Germination, Growth and Increase the Yield of Tomato Plants

There are microbes that are beneficial to plants. Among these, rhizobacteria, which functions as plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) such as Pseudomonas spp. and Bacillus sp. , can serve as fertilizer. These organisms have proven to accelerate germination and improve the yield of tomato plants. Colonization of rhizosphere by PGPR results in acceleration of plant growth and protection against plant pathogens. Soaking tomato seeds with Pseudomonas spp. and Bacillus sp. suspension accelerated germination by 2–3 days than the control without immersion with both bacteria. Soaking tomato seeds for 10–30 min in the suspension of Pseudomonas spp. yielded the same effect in tomato germination. Soaking in Bacillus sp. tends to cause faster growth as compared to immersion in Pseudomonas spp. suspension. Mixing these two bacterial suspensions had no significant effect in accelerating the germination of tomato seeds. Soaking tomato seeds for 20 min with a suspension of Pseudomonas spp. and Bacillus sp. at densities of 4 × 105 CFU and 8 × 105 CFU showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in plant height, leaf number, root length, number, and weight of tomato fruits. The highest fruit weight using Pseudomonas spp. and Bacillus sp. at 8 × 105 CFU was 491.7 g tomato plant−1 while the control average fruits weight was 100.0 g tomato plant−1.
Long-Term Changes in Age Structures of a Naturalized Population of Freshwater Turtle, Red-Eared Slider Trachemys scripta elegans

Abstract: The red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans, is an invasive species, that may potentially induce negative impacts on native turtle communities and freshwater ecosystems. Effective control of invasive species requires knowledge of the process of invasion and the long-term dynamics of an introduced population. However, such studies are scarce. We investigated temporal changes in the species composition of a freshwater turtle assemblage including density and age structure of the red-eared slider turtle at the Kahokugata lagoon of Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan over 15 years (2001–2003, 2013 and 2015). The number of red-eared sliders increased over time, whereas that of Reeves' pond turtle, Mauremys reevesii, remained flat for 15 years from 2001 to 2015. Data on morphological measurements in the red-eared slider population showed that the proportion of old individuals increased whereas juveniles decreased. Moreover, the body condition index decreased in all age classes. These results suggest that juvenile recruitment was limited in the recent years and thus breeding efficiency was lowered in the redeared slider population at this lagoon perhaps due to high population density.
Incentivizing renewables and reducing grid imbalances through market interaction : A forecasting and control approach

As the penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs) increases, so does the dependence of electricity production on weather and, in turn, the uncertainty in electricity generation, the volatility in electricity prices, and the imbalances between production and consumption. In this context, while RES integration does complicate grid balance and increase price volatility, it also opens up opportunities for flexible market agents to reduce grid imbalances. In particular, by using the nature of the interactions between electricity markets and grid balance, market agents can reduce grid imbalances while increasing their profit. However, despite this obvious win-win situation, traditional research in this field has focused on balancing mechanisms that do not always exploit these relations between electricity markets and grid balance.
Novel technique for identification of the pulmonary intersegmental plane using manual jet ventilation during pulmonary segmentectomy

Introduction For successful pulmonary segmentectomy, the identification of boundaries between segments is important. Previous measures include tracing the intersegmental vessels by staining with a dye via the affected pulmonary artery or bronchus and inflating with oxygen via a high frequency ventilator. However, problems with these methods have been reported. Aim We developed a novel method using a manual jet ventilator (MJV) and investigated its efficacy in identification of the pulmonary intersegmental plane. Material and methods Patients underwent MJV for pulmonary segmentectomy in the period from January 2013 to December 2017 at our institution. The patients’ characteristics, resected segments, availability of clear resection planes, and complications associated with MJV from medical records were investigated. A questionnaire survey was conducted with the surgeons on the effectiveness of lung segment identification using MJV. Results Of 199 cases of planned pulmonary segmentectomy, 171 cases with descriptions of identified intersegmental planes were analyzed. Of these, 152 (89%) cases showed a clear boundary. There were 19 cases where the exact boundaries were not clearly identified, but segmentectomy was still performed. Furthermore, we found that identification of the right upper lobes was difficult (p = 0.0028). A subjective questionnaire was answered by the 12 surgeons who performed the procedures. All 12 responded that MJV was very effective or effective regarding clarity, safety, shorter identification time, and shorter resection time. Conclusions MJV enabled surgeons to more easily and safely identify the pulmonary intersegmental plane, thereby suggesting that MJV has clinical significance during pulmonary segmentectomy.
The relationship between Iranian EFL learners’ language mindset with goal orientation and responses to failure

Abstract Second language learning is the long-term time process of commitment to seeking a high degree of success. In this manner, the majority of learners get more experience of success than failure. However, a small number of learners involve a string of repeated failures arising from the lack of self-confidence and a feeling of hopelessness. Thus, the role of mindsets is crucial in recognizing how learners respond to challenging situations. Fueled with the role of mindsets and their association with language relevant variables, researching to promote perseverance in challenging situations is still at its infancy. This study fills the lack of systematic research on mindset through examining its correlations with goal orientations and responses to failure in the Iranian EFL context. Three sets of structured questionnaires were distributed to a group of 100 male and female university-level learners. The Pearson product-moment correlational analysis was employed to analyze the data. The findings of this piece of research revealed a direct correlation between fixed and growth mindsets and goal orientation. Likewise, a direct correlation between mindset and responses to failure was found to be present. The results of our study have various implications for foreign or second language learners and associates like university students, instructors, and academic advisors.
Analysis of Credit Ratings Determinants: Evidences in Brazilian and American States

This piece of work, due to its relevance, aims to analyze the methodology used in the determining of ratings, not only expanding the number of variables tested and broadening the discussion on rating determinants, but also using variables which solely measure the market, liquidity credit and operational risks. Thus, the risks mentioned were compared to the ratings set for each Brazilian state from 2013 to 2017 (post-adoption of the MCASP accounting standard for financial statements) and for each American state from 2006 to 2016 (the most recently published financial datum). In face of that, this work is different from the others because it seeks to broaden the researches and the methods used in public listed companies or in financial companies, in public finances of Brazilian and American states, a subject which is little approached in researches. The ordered logit model was used since the credit rating is considered latent variables, besides following an ordinal version. The study was carried out with 50 American states, 26 Brazilian states and 648 ratings altogether. The model proposed in this work proved to be efficient, being able to successfully estimate 64.10% of the sample of the Brazilian states and 68.50% of the sample of the American states. The results reached are specially relevant for stakeholders, who are able to analyze or manage their possible investments regarding risk and return.
Corona and financial stability 4.0: Implementing a european pandemic equity fund

This Policy Letter presents a proposal for designing a program of government assistance for firms hurt by the Coronavirus crisis in the European Union (EU). In our recent Policy Letter 81, we introduced a new, equity-type instrument, a cash-against-tax surcharge scheme, bundled across firms and countries in a European Pandemic Equity Fund (EPEF). The present Policy Letter 84 focuses on the principles and conditions relevant for the operationalization of a EPEF. Our proposal has several desirable features. It: a) offers better risk sharing opportunities, augmenting the resilience of businesses and EU economies; b) is need-based, thereby contributing to an effective use of resources; c) builds on conditions and credible controls, addressing adverse selection and moral hazard; d) is accessible to smaller and medium-sized firms, the backbone of Europe's economy; e) applies Europe-wide uniform eligibility criteria, strengthening support among member states; f) is a scheme of limited duration, reducing (perceived) government interference in businesses; g) creates a template for a growth-oriented public policy, aligning public and private sector interests; and h) builds on the existing institutional infrastructure and requires minimal legislative adjustments.
Retrospective Observational Study from a Chinese Network of the Impact of Combination Therapy versus Monotherapy on Mortality from Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Bacteremia

Data for a total of 164 bloodstream infection cases due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) from 2013 to 2017 were retrospectively collected from 36 tertiary hospitals in 19 provinces in China to evaluate the outcomes and risk factors for mortality by univariable and multivariable analysis. The most frequent infecting species was Klebsiella pneumoniae (69.5%, 114/164). ABSTRACT Data for a total of 164 bloodstream infection cases due to carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) from 2013 to 2017 were retrospectively collected from 36 tertiary hospitals in 19 provinces in China to evaluate the outcomes and risk factors for mortality by univariable and multivariable analysis. The most frequent infecting species was Klebsiella pneumoniae (69.5%, 114/164). The overall in-hospital and 14-day mortality rates were 32.9% (54/164) and 31.1% (42/135), respectively. Multivariable analysis revealed that septic shock (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 6.339; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.586 to 25.332; P = 0.009), the Pitt bacteremia score (aOR, 1.300; 95% CI, 1.009 to 1.676; P = 0.042), and the Charlson comorbidity index (aOR, 1.392; 95% CI, 1.104 to 1.755; P = 0.005) were independently associated with a hazard effect on mortality. Combination therapy, especially tigecycline-based combination therapy, resulted in relatively low rates of in-hospital mortality and failure in clearance of CRE infection. Survival analysis revealed that appropriate therapy was associated with a lower 14-day mortality rate than inappropriate therapy (including nonactive therapy; P = 0.022), that combination therapy was superior to monotherapy (P = 0.036), that metallo-β-lactamase producers were associated with a lower 14-day mortality than strains without carbapenemases or KPC-2 producers (P = 0.009), and that strains with MICs of >8 mg/liter for meropenem were associated with a higher 14-day mortality rate than those with MICs of ≤8 mg/liter (P = 0.037). Collectively, the severity of illness, meropenem MICs of >8 mg/liter, and carbapenemase-producing types were associated with the clinical outcome. Early detection of the carbapenemase type and initiation of appropriate combination therapy within 96 h might be helpful for improving survival.
Research on Cognitive Power Allocation for Secure Millimeter-Wave NOMA Networks

Millimeter-wave (mmWave) non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) networks are considered to be a promising network architecture to address spectrum scarcity, massive connectivity and low latency in the Internet of Things (IoT). This paper investigates the cognitive power allocation scheme to evaluate the reliability and secrecy performance of secondary user in mmWave NOMA networks, where a base station (BS) provides services for primary and secondary users distributed in different regions in the presence of randomly located eavesdroppers. In the proposed cognitive power allocation scheme, under the condition that both the security and quality of service (QoS) of the primary user are first satisfied, the opportunistic service is provided to the secondary user. In addition, a sector eavesdropper-exclusion zone is introduced around BS to ameliorate the secrecy performance of the networks. Considering the path loss and blockage model of mmWave channels, and the secrecy performance of secondary user is comprehensively studied by using the stochastic geometry from three aspects: connection outage probability (COP), secrecy outage probability (SOP), and secrecy throughput (ST). The performance evaluation results have demonstrated that when the security constraint of the primary user is heightened, the secondary user's secrecy performance is weakened to varying degrees, but the tradeoff between security and reliability is improved. Moreover, the ST of the mmWave NOMA communication networks with cognitive power allocation outperforms the equivalent networks with mmWave OMA scheme.
Constraint Solving for Synthesis and Verification of Threshold Logic Circuits

Threshold logic (TL) circuits gain increasing attention due to their feasible realization with emerging technologies and strong bind to neural network applications. In this work, we devise techniques for automatic synthesis and verification of TL circuits based on constraint solving. For synthesis, we formulate a fundamental operation to collapse TL functions, and derive a necessary and sufficient condition of collapsibility for linear combination of two TL functions. An approach based on solving the subset sum problem is proposed for fast circuit transformation. For verification, we propose a procedure to convert a TL function to a multiplexer (MUX) tree and to pseudo-Boolean (PB) constraints for formal Boolean and PB reasoning, respectively. Experiments on synthesis show that the collapse operation further reduces gate counts of synthesized TL circuits by an average of 18%. Experiments on verification demonstrate good scalability of the MUX-based method for equivalence checking of synthesized TL circuits, and efficiency of PB constraint conversion in cases where the conjunctive normal form (CNF) formula conversion and MUX tree conversion suffer from memory explosion.
Mediterranean chromosome number reports - 24

Kamari, G. , Blanche, C. & Siljak-Yakovlev, S. (eds): Mediterranean chromosome number reports – 22. — Fl. Medit. 22: 211-232. 2012. — ISSN: 1120-4052 printed, 2240-4538 online. This is the twenty-two of a series of reports of chromosomes numbers from Mediterranean area, peri-Alpine communities and the Atlantic Islands, in English or French language. It comprises contributions on 15 taxa: Cakile, Chrithmum, Dorycnium, Inula, Reichardia and Pancratium from Greece by E. Liveri, P. Bareka & G. Kamari (Nos 1753-1758); Pimpinella from Turkey by
Effect of aqueous extract and compost of invasive weed Ageratina adenophora on seed germination and seedling growth of some crops and weeds

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of invasive weed Ageratina adenophora on the seed germination and seedling growth of Triticum aestivum, Brassica campestris and on weeds Ageratum conyzoides, Bidens pilosa, Galinsoga parviflora and Cyperus rotundus. The aqueous extracts of Ageratina plant’s part root, stem and leaf; and compost extract of Ageratina on different concentrations (control, 1, 2.5, 5 and 10%) were used to determine its effect on the seed germination, shoot and root length of Triticum aestivum, Brassica campestris and some common weed seeds under laboratory condition. The compost of A. adenophora at different doses viz. 0, 10, 20, 40 and 50g compost/kg soil was also applied to study the effect on the seed germination and seedling growth of B. campestris and T. aestivum and some weed seeds. The aqueous and compost extracts of Ageratina caused significant reduction in the seed germination and seedling length (shoot and root) which increased progressively on increasing the concentration of invasive plant's extract. The stem and leaf extracts of A. adenophora have more inhibitory effect on the germination percentage of winter crops as compared to root extract on the test crop seeds under study. In the compost of A. adenophora, the weeds showed more reduction in comparison to the crop plants B. campestris and T. aestivum. J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2018, 4(2): 11-20
Antifungal activity of Boesenbergia rotunda (temukunci) extract against filamentous spoilage fungi from vegetables

The filamentous spoilage fungi in vegetables can lead to significant impact in food and economic loss. In order to overcome this problem, chemical fungicide has been implemented in vegetable farming and processing but it causes problems towards environment and food safety. Thus, the utilization of natural products such as plants extracts, which exhibit antimicrobial and antifungal activity, is more acceptable to solve this problem. The aim of this study is to investigate the antifungal activity of Boesenbergia rotunda extract against ten filamentous spoilage fungi isolated from five vegetables. The extract was used to treat fungal isolates from vegetables; CRb 002 (Penicillium sp.), CHa 009 (Aspergillus sp.), TMa 001 (Geotrichum sp.), TMa 002 (Aspergillus sp), ONb 001 (Aspergillus sp.), WBb 003 and WBb 004 (Fusarium sp.) WBb 007 (unidentified), WBb 008 (Aureobasidium sp.) and WBb 010 (Penicillium sp.). The results showed that the yield of the extract of B. rotunda using ethanol (95%) was 11.42% (w/v). The 10% of B. rotunda extract exhibited antifungal activities against ten filamentous fungi after 5 days treatment with growth reduction of 41.56%, 30.68%, 86.20%, 50.62%, 26.67%, 47.44%, 50.74%, 36.39%, 42.86%, and 39.39% for WBb 008, WBb 004, WBb 007, WBb 003, CRb 002, WBb 010, CHa 009, TMa 001, ONb 001, and TMa 002, respectively. B. rotunda extract showed highest antifungal activity against fungi isolated from winged bean (WBb 007) with percentage reduction in growth was 86.20%, while the lowest activity was against fungi isolated from the carrot (CRb 002) with 26.67% reduction in growth. Generally, the TPC of fungi in the vegetable samples were reduced after treatment with 5% of B. rotunda extract at 5 min and 10 min of exposure time. The results suggested that B. rotunda extract has high potential to become natural food preservative which can reduce the fungi spoilage of vegetables.
Pata type best proximity point results in metric spaces

The aim of this paper is to initiate the study of best proximity point and optimal coincidence point results of some α−Pata-proximal admissible contraction of type-I and type-II in the framework of complete metric space. Some examples are presented to support the results obtained herein. Our results unify, extend and generalize various existing results in literature. 2010 Mathematics Subject Classification: 47H10; 47H04; 47H07
Impact of the SARS-Cov2 Pandemic on Orthodontic Therapies: An Italian Experience of Teleorthodontics

Objective: To assess the possibility of controlling patients at a distance according to principles of teleorthodontics to understand its possible usefulness in the future routine activity and the impact pandemic may have had on different types of orthodontic treatments. Material and Methods: One hundred orthodontic patients (57 F, 43 M, age 7-46) during quarantine were checked through videocalls and photos sent by patients following proper instructions. Three groups have been distinguished based on the type of therapy: A-fixed appliances; B-removable appliances; C-clear aligners. Relevant events about dental and gingival health, integrity of appliances, orthodontic therapies related symptoms and overall progress of treatments were recorded. Results: A and B groups reported higher percentages of gingival inflammation (27 and 22%), dental plaque (16 and 13%), deciduous tooth loss (8 and 16%). Bracket and attachment detachment were the most frequent events in A and C groups (22 and 23%). Pain and discomfort were reported in A and B groups (35 and 32%). Therapies continued to progress better in C (51% improved dental alignment) and B (31% improved malocclusions) groups. Conclusion: Orthodontics is safe and allows during emergencies to postpone checks. Everyday mobile-technology is useful in managing orthodontic patients unable to carry out in-person control. When their effectiveness equals other systems, treatments with clear aligners without attachments should be preferred in patients unavailable for regular checks.
CARCASS YIELD AND PHYSICO-CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF JAPANESE QUAIL MEAT

The use of poultry meat and its products has grown throughout the world. Over the last few years, quail (C. coturnix) meat has attained much attractiveness among consumers. During present study twenty (n=20) Japenese quails were purchased and carcass yield and physico-chemical characteristics of meat were determined. Carcass yield, physico-chemical characteristics such as pH, water holding capacity, drip loss, cooking loss, protein, fat, ash, glycogen and calorific value were determined according to the established methods. The results revealed that the average carcass yield in group A (69.52±0.42%) was statistically lower (P 0.05). Average drip loss in quail meat of group A (2.64±0.26%) was remarkably higher than that of group B (2.62±0.25%). The protein content of quail meat in group B (21.21±0.58%) was significantly (P> 0.05) higher than group A (19.40±0.49%). The fat content in group B (3.53±0.21%) was significantly higher (P 0.05) to each other. Less calorific values were obtained from meat of Group A (109.07±3.03k.cal) compared to group B (123.94±2.87 k.cal). In conclusion, the quails less than 45 days age have low dressing %, less macronutrients, thus producing meet with less calorific contents.