Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel approach for increasing productivity under precision nitrogen management in maize (Zea mays L.) through crop sensors

Global maize production reached 1075 million tons in 2016, according to the FAO database. While maize is considered as staple food for many populations across the globe, increasing the productivity using crop sensors like SPAD chlorophyll meter and GreenSeeker meter in maize could be a effective tool to achieve sustainable developmental goal- end hunger and secure food security. The current approaches to detect soil and plant N levels are soil-testing, visual diagnosis and foliar analysis. However, these conventional approaches are time consuming, expensive; require considerable effort for soil collection or plant sampling, processing and results are not immediately available. Therefore, to provide appropriate recommendations of spatial N applications, it is necessary to use several tools simultaneously, such as crop and soil sensors, to achieve reliable measurements of N availability from soil and crops need. The result showed in pooled data of 2016 and 2017, increased growth parameters (viz., plant height, number of green leaves, leaf area, dry matter production and SPAD chlorophyll readings) and yield parameters (viz., number of cobs per plant, cob length and girth, kernels per row, kernels per cob, grain yield and stover yield) recorded in STCR based NPK management for target of 11 t ha-1. However, the nitrogen use efficiency was registered in highest in N management through SPAD-40, N25, but recovery use efficiency, agronomic efficiency and physiological efficiency were higher under GreenSeeker based nitrogen management (NDVI values).
CONVENTIONAL MUTUAL FUNDS OUT PERFORM ISLAMIC MUTUAL FUNDS IN THE CONTEXT OF PAKISTAN. A MYTH OR REALITY

Mutual Funds enable small investors to enjoy the benefits of the capital market instruments with small amount using the expertise of professional managers. This study examines the risk adjusted performance, timing and selection abilities of conventional and Islamic mutual funds in the context of Pakistan. The emergence of Islamic portfolio in the recent years has put mutual fund investors in puzzle, whether to opt for Islamic or conventional funds. The study analyzes 90 (ninety) open ended funds data, which is comprised of 45 each from Islamic and conventional funds, selected randomly over the period of 2011-2019, from the existing population of open-ended mutual funds. We employ asset pricing models i.e. CAPM (1966), and Fama French three factors (1993) model, to measure the risk adjusted performance, and Treynor and Mazuy (1966) model for predicting their selectivity and timing abilities. The results demonstrate that Conventional funds perform better than Islamic funds in term of risk adjusted performance, and conventional funds predict better market timing and selection abilities than its Islamic portfolio. The study has certain implications for the managers of the assets management companies in selecting their best portfolios, making timely investment and will, also be useful for the investors in knowing funds, which perform better.
Supply elasticity of major crops in Jammu region: An Engle-granger Co-integrating approach

A study was undertaken to analyze the supply response of crop sector and its implications on consumption using co integration approach incorporate with Nerlovian partial adjustment model for the period 1981-82 to 2010-11 based on secondary data. Since the study used yearly time series data, thus the unit root test has been done by ADF test for concluding about the stationary of data and the order of integration. The result of ADF test indicates that all the series are stationary after first order difference. Engle-Granger con-integration test was conducted to test the existence of long-run equilibrium among the variables of the rice output response function. The results showed that the coefficients of lagged production was negative for rice and maize while as positive for wheat, bajra and barley. Coefficient for price was negative for all the crops except maize. Likewise coefficient for lagged production was positive for rice, wheat and bajra and negative for maize and barley.
Determination of phytochemicals in Gloriosa superba flower extract using gas gromatography and mass spectroscopic technique

Plant chemistry has developed in recent years as a distinct discipline, somewhere in between natural product organic chemistry and plant biochemistry and is closely related to both. Gas chromatographic-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is a very powerful and ubiquitous analytical technique. It is often the analytical method of choice in toxicology, forensics, food science, and environmental research. In the present study to investigate the phytocomponents in Gloriosa superba flowers using GCMS. Twenty one chemical constituents have been identified from extract of Gloriosa superba flowers by Gas Chromatogram- Mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The prevailing compounds were 2-Octylcyclopropene-1-heptanol, Hexadecanoic acid ethyl ester, Timonacic, l-(+)-9, 12, 15-Octadecatrienoic acid, Phytol and 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid. The presence of various bioactive compounds justifies the use of the whole plant for various ailments by traditional practitioners.
The cognitive-enhancing activity of hydromethanolic leaf extract of Ocimum gratissimum in mice

Cognitive effect of hydromethanolic leaf extract of O. gratissimum (HMOG) was evaluated in mice. Twenty four male mice weighing between 25-30 g were randomly assigned into four groups of 6 mice each. Group 1 received distilled water and served as control, group 2, 3 and 4 received 10 mg/kg body weight (b.wt.) of Ginkgo biloba (standard drug), 200 and 400 mg/kg b.wt. of HMOG respectively for 21 consecutive days. Data were analyzed using one-way and student`s t-test, where p< 0.05 was considered significant. Qualitative phytochemical screening of HMOG done indicated the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides and tannins. The cognitive indices: latency to alternate and percentage spontaneous alternation (% SA) showed a significant decrease (p< 0.001) respectively when compared with the control and the standard drug group. This study concluded that HMOG improved cognition in mice which may be attributed to the phytochemicals in the extract.
THE INVESTMENTS IN ENERGY DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS: DOES COMPANY OWNERSHIP MATTER?

This paper revolves around the challenges currently tackled by the energy distribution sector, where infrastructural investments play a vital role in both increasing the industry’s internal efficiency and developing national economies. In natural gas and electricity sectors, the liberalisation process began in Europe at the end of the 1990s has triggered a change in the industry’s competitive framework, encouraging investments by companies aiming at improving their industrial and organisational efficiency. At the same time, liberalisation also brought about a change in the ownership of firms: Private and mixed ownership companies are now actively participating in the market, together with state-owned enterprises. In the light of these significant changes, this study is aimed at establishing whether the companies’ propensity to invest in infrastructures is connected with a specific form of ownership. So far, this specific topic has not been thoroughly investigated by empirical studies; this work tries to fill this gap by carrying out an empirical analysis on a sample of Italian energy distribution utilities operating in the natural gas and electricity sector.
Impact of shifting cultivation on rhizome rot of ginger (Zinger officinale Rosc.) and its management by native Trichoderma spp. in Manipur

Natural incidence of Rhizome rots of ginger at five different districts of Manipur during July and September 2016 showed higher disease incidence in hill districts viz., Tamenglong, Churachandpur and Bishnupur where shifting cultivation has been practiced. Among these the highest was recorded in Tamenglong with disease incidence of 16.51% during July and 38.62 % during September 2016. Whereas in plains Imphal East district showed higher disease incidence of 10.79% in July and 29.22% during September as compared to Imphal west district which showed 08.89% during July and 25.39% during September 2016. Isolation of the biocontrol agent was done from the air-dried rhizosphere soil of healthy ginger leaves and rhizome using selective media. The studies resulted in recovery of those organisms which are known to act as biocontrol agents of plant pathogens. The isolated cultures of Trichoderma spp. were identified as six isolates of Trichoderma asperellum, six isolates of T. harzianum, one isolate each of T. hamatum and T. longibrachiatum. Maximum growth and sporulation of isolates of Foz was recorded at a temperature of 300C with pH 7. The antagonism test showed that 78% of the Trichoderma isolates strongly invaded Foz in vitro (rating =1 or 2). 47% had a rating of 1, 25% had a rating of 2, 15% had a rating of 3, 9% had a rating of 4 and 4% had a rating of 5. Comparison between the population densities of most potent Trichoderma isolate (T. harzianum-MH259837) and Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. zingiberi in ginger field at plains and under jhum cultivation was carried out. The initial population 6.8 × 105 c.f. u /g seed for T.harzianum-MH259837 and 2.4× 106 c.f. u /g soil was recorded. The result showed that among the different substrate tested for mass multiplication of T. harzianum-MH259837 in plains at 30 DAS highest population densities was recorded in treatment with rice bran + T. harzianum-MH259837 (6.5 × 105 c.f.u /g soil). The success of a biocontrol agent depends much on the establishment of the product, the formulation and delivery system. The production of propagules can be carried out in liquid or solid fermentation. The maximum biomass production is influenced by aeration, agitation, pH, and temperature. It has been reported that the formulation used to introduce Trichoderma in soil influences rhizosphere competence. Agricultural wastes that have been reported to be good substrates as a result rice bran was found to be the most suitable substrate and highest spore count was observed for BCA.
Standardization and preparation of litchi-beetroot blended leather

Litchi is a delicious juicy fruit of excellent quality. It is very delicate fruit and highly perishable in nature. The attractive bright red colour turns to unpleasant brown colour within 24-48 hours which drastically reduces marketability of fruit. In the present study, the litchi and beetroot pulp were blended in the ratios of 100:00, 95:05, 90:10, 85:15, 80:20, 75:25 and 70:30 for the preparation of leather, as per FPO specifications. The processed products were stored at ambient conditions and subjected to chemical, microbial and sensory evaluation at an interval of 30 days for a period of 90 days. With the advancement of storage, phosphorus and iron contents decreased. Sensory evaluation of leather revealed that treatment T6 recorded the highest scores for colour (8.33), texture (8.25) and taste (8.15) followed by treatment T5(80:20: litchi: beetroot).
Germline transformation and isolation of midgut related genes from the potato tuber moth, Phthoramiaea operculella, (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae).

Germline Transformation and Isolation of Midgut Related Genes from the Potato Tuber Moth, Phthoramiaea operculella, (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). (August 2003) Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Mohammed, B. Sc. ; M.Sc., Ain Shams University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Craig J. Coates Potato production in tropical and subtropical countries suffers from damage caused by the potato tuber moth (PTM), Phthoramiaea operculella. Development of a germline transformation system and the identification of genes that are differentially expressed within the PTM midgut are the main goals of this research. We tested three components that are critical to genetic transformation systems for insects; promoter activity, marker gene expression, and transposable element function. We compared the transcriptional activities of five different promoters, hsp70, hsp82, actin5C, polyubiquitin and ie1, within PTM embryos. The ie1 promoter flanked with the enhancer element, hr5, showed a very high level of transcriptional activity compared with the other promoters. The expression of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was detected under UVillumination within the embryonic soma demonstrating that it can be used as an effective marker gene for PTM. The transpositional activities of the Hermes, mariner and piggyBac transposable elements were tested in interplasmid transposition assays. The piggyBac element was shown mobile within the embryonic soma with a transposition frequency of 4.2 X 10 transposition/donor plasmid. The piggyBac mobility has been enhanced by incorporating a transactivator plasmid expressing the IE1 protein from the bacoluvirus Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus. Seven transformation experiments were performed. The experiments failed to produce a transgenic PTM.
MZB1 expression indicates poor prognosis in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor in females. Development of novel biomarkers or therapeutic targets may contribute toward the improvement of a patient's prognosis. Marginal zone B and B1 cell-specific protein (MZB1) is an unfolded protein response-related chaperone and mainly exists in the endoplasmic reticulum of B lymphocytes, although little is known regarding its role in BC cells. The present study aimed to investigate the significance of MZB1 expression in BC. To begin with, MZB1 mRNA expression levels in 13 BC cell lines and two non-cancerous mammary cell lines were evaluated. Next, mRNA and protein expression of MZB1 in BC patient tumor specimens was evaluated to assess the association between expression and clinicopathological factors or prognosis. MZB1 mRNA expression levels were detectable in four estrogen receptor (ER)-positive BC cell lines. When ratios of MZB1 mRNA expression levels between BC and non-cancerous specimens were evaluated, patients with stage III disease exhibited a higher ratio than patients with stage 0/I/II disease (P=0.009). Using immunohistochemistry, patients with ER-positive BC more frequently expressed MZB1, compared with patients with ER-negative BC (P=0.003). In patients with ER-positive BC, patients with MZB1-positive BC experienced shorter disease-free survival (DFS) times than patients with negative BC (P=0.026). Multivariate analysis of DFS demonstrated that MZB1 positivity was an independent prognostic factor (P=0.022). The results of the present study suggested that MZB1 expression may be associated with a more advanced stage of BC. Furthermore, in patients with ER-positive BC, MZB1 may be a potential prognostic marker.
Factors Associated With Reoperation After Silicone Metacarpophalangeal Joint Arthroplasty in Patients With Inflammatory Arthritis

Background: Silicone metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint arthroplasty has a high revision rate. It has been suggested that the preoperative degree of ulnar drift and radial wrist deviation influences the durability of MCP silicone arthroplasties. The goal of this study was to evaluate what factors are associated with reoperation after silicone MCP arthroplasty. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated all adult patients who underwent MCP silicone arthroplasty between 2002 and 2016 at one institutional system for inflammatory arthritis. After manual chart review, we included 73 patients who underwent 252 arthroplasties. Fingers treated included 66 index, 67 long, 60 ring, and 59 small fingers. Results: The overall reoperation rate was 9.1% (N = 23). Indications for reoperation were implant breakage (n = 11), instability (n = 4), soft tissue complications (n = 4), infections (n = 3), and stiffness (n = 1). There was a trend that patients who underwent single-digit arthroplasty had higher rates of revision (19% vs 3.5%, P = .067). Radiographic follow-up demonstrated joint incongruency in 50% of cases, bone erosion in 58% of cases, and implant breakage in 19% of cases. There was a trend toward higher rates of revision in patients without preoperative MCP joint subluxation (19% vs 6.7%, P = .065) The 1-, 5-, and 10-year implant survival rates were 96%, 92%, and 70%, respectively. Revision surgery occurred at <14 months in 15 patients (65%) and after 5 years in 8 (35%) patients. Conclusions: Revision surgery after silicone MCP arthroplasty appears to be bimodal. Patients with greater hand function preoperatively may be at higher risk of revision surgery.
HOW OIL PRICE AND EXCHANGE RATE AFFECT NON-OIL GDP OF THE OIL-RICH COUNTRY – AZERBAIJAN?

Identifying the economic factors that affect economic growth is an important issue for each economy. It is a matter of debate to determine the building blocks of non-oil Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, especially in oil-rich countries, such as Azerbaijan. Using the Fully Modified Ordinary Smallest Square approach between 2005 and 2019, this study aims to investigate the relationship between real non-oil GDP growth of Azerbaijan and exchange rate and oil prices. Zivot-Andrews unit root test is applied to deal with structural breaks in data and the Gregory-Hansen (GH) test for robustness. While conventional unit-root tests decision that the series are not stationary at their level, the Ziwot-Andrews test decision that the series is stationary with structural break. According to the GH test result, there is a structural break date in the long-run relationship between the real nonoil GDP growth and the oil price and the USD/AZN exchange rate in early 2009. According to Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squared results, the increase in oil price increases real non-oil GDP growth, and the increase in USD/AZN exchange rate has a decreasing effect on it. This study contains considerable information for future economic policies for oil-rich countries that want to develop the non-oil sector.
How far are Pneumatic Artificial Muscles from biological muscles?

There is a long history demonstrating humans’ tendency to create artificial copies of living creatures. For moving machines called robots, actuators play a key role in developing human-like movements. Among different types of actuation, PAMs (pneumatic artificial muscles) are known as the most similar ones to biological muscles. In addition to similarities in force generation mechanism (tension based), the well-accepted argumentation from Klute et al., states that the PAM force-length (fl) behavior is close to biological muscles, while the force-velocity (fv) pattern is different. Using the multiplicative formulation of the pressure (as an activation term), fl and fv beside an additive passive parallel elastic element, we present a new model of PAM. This muscle-based model can predict PAM dynamic behaviors with high precision. With a second experiment on a two-segmented leg, the proposed model is verified to predict the generated forces of PAMs in an antagonistic arrangement. Such a dynamic muscle-like model of artificial muscles can be used for the design and control of legged robots to generate robust, efficient and versatile gaits.
FACTORS DETERMINING HOUSING DEMAND IN SAUDI ARABIA

Against the backdrop of real estate development and rising prices, which affect the affordability of housing in Saudi Arabia, this study empirically estimates housing demand using time-series analysis from 1987 to 2016. To find the main factors affecting housing demand in Saudi Arabia, this study developed an econometric model with explanatory variables such as income level, housing prices, population growth rate, demand for loans, and consumer price index (CPI). The results show that demand for housing is inelastic with respect to price, income, and population growth rate; moreover, the price elasticity of demand is less than that of income and population growth rate, in absolute terms. A regression analysis suggests that the most significant factors that determine housing demand in Saudi Arabia are population growth rate, CPI and demand for housing loans. This study was conducted with a particular focus on the Saudi Arabian market and showed some surprising results, which are not consistent with popular economic theories.
Effect of Strain Rate on Tensile Behavior of Cubic Silicon Carbide by Molecular-Dynamics Simulation

This paper analyzes the strain-rate sensitivity and mechanism of failure of silicon carbide (SiC) single crystal. The effect of strain rate on the tensile behavior of the [001]-oriented SiC single crystal was investigated via the molecular dynamics simulation at room temperature. The results show that the tensile strength increases when the strain rate increases from 0.01 ps to 10 ps, and a transition from crystalline to amorphous state occurs, leading to the increase of the strength. At the strain rate of < 0.01 ps, the fracture occurs along the (111) plane, and the strength becomes 71.4 GPa. At the strain rate of 10 ps, the tensile strength is 243 GPa without the amorphous transformation.
Evaluating the impact of physical frailty during ageing in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii)

While declining physical performance is an expected consequence of ageing, human clinical research has placed increasing emphasis on physical frailty as a predictor of death and disability in the elderly. We examined non-invasive measures approximating frailty in a richly sampled longitudinal dataset on wild chimpanzees. Using urinary creatinine to assess lean body mass, we found moderate but significant declines in physical condition with age in both sexes. While older chimpanzees spent less of their day in the trees and feeding, they did not alter activity budgets with respect to travel or resting. There was little evidence that declining lean body mass had negative consequences independent of age. Old chimpanzees with poor lean body mass rested more often but did not otherwise differ in activity. Males, but not females, in poor condition were more likely to exhibit respiratory illness. Poor muscle mass was associated acutely with death in males, but it did not predict future mortality in either sex. While there may be some reasons to suspect biological differences in the susceptibility to frailty in chimpanzees versus humans, our data are consistent with recent reports from humans that lean, physically active individuals can successfully combat frailty. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Evolution of the primate ageing process’.