Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stemflow amounts and chemistry IN: Canopy and Soil Modification of Precipitation Chemistry in a Temperate Rain Forest

Little is known about the chemistry of solutions moving through old-growth coastal temperate coniferous rain forests. The major objective of this study was to examine stemflow in an old-growth temperate rain forest in the Hoh River valley on the northwest Washington coast 32 km from the Pacific Ocean, and to determine mechanisms involved with changes in solution chemistry. Dominant species were Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla [Raf.] Sarg.), western redcedar (Tsuja plicata Donn), and Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis [Dougl.] Forbes). Stemflow had an average pH of 4.3, and organic acids were important contributors to acidity. Stemflow was generally enriched in cations, especially K. Organic anions contributed greatly to cation leaching in the canopy, with a much smaller contribution from SO4. Na and Cl dominated stemflow. The highest concentrations of NH4 were found in stemflow, suggesting N fixation in the canopy. Throughfall under Pacific silver fir had the highest concentration of both cations and anions.
On the Staphylinidae of the Greek island Corfu (Insecta: Coleoptera)

A study of nearly 10,000 specimens of Staphylinidae collected in the Ionian island Corfu, Greece, in late spring 2017 yielded more than 233 species. Additional, previously unpublished records of 66 named species are reported from the island. Two species are described and illustrated: Borboropora corcyrana Assing spec. nov. of the Aleocharinae and Ocypus corcyranus Assing spec. nov. of the Staphylininae. As many as 118 named species are reported from Corfu for the first time, 21 of these species represent first records from Greece. One name is revalidated and six names are synonymized: Euplectus jonicus Meggiolaro, 1966 (revalidated) = E. jonicus corcyreus Meggiolaro, 1966, syn. nov.; Mycetoporus punctipennis Scriba, 1868 = M. insulanus Luze, 1901, syn. nov.; Anotylus tetracarinatus (Block, 1799) = A. corcyranus (Coiffait, 1968), syn. nov.; Bledius corniger Rosenhauer, 1856 = B. bubalus Gistel, 1857, syn. nov.; Paederus littoralis Gravenhorst, 1802 = P. pelikani Reitter, 1884, syn. nov.; Leptacinus batychrus (Gyllenhal, 1827) = Phacophallus corcyranus Bordoni, 2017, syn. nov. Including reliable previous literature records and the new records reported in the present paper, 446 named species (plus additional unnamed species) are currently known from Corfu. Thus, the known fauna of this island is significantly more diverse than those of other East Mediterranean islands, including the much larger Cyprus. A checklist of the Staphylinidae fauna of Corfu is provided. Although at present 18 species and subspecies have been recorded exclusively from Corfu, most of them are unlikely to represent island endemics; three of these species are of doubtful taxonomic status. Nomenclatural Acts Borboropora corcyrana spec. nov. – urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8D35093D-8EBF-4E9C-9876-AB758F4FC973 Ocypus corcyranus spec. nov. – urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:812099FA-F72A-41E5-B96B-258F8F48639A
Evaluation of Mist–Netting Technique for Capturing Field Birds

A study to assess the efficacy of mist–netting technique for capturing of avian pests was carried out in a millet field at Gharo, lower Sindh, Pakistan. A total of 1560 (mean: 52.00 ± 3.98/day) house sparrows, Passer domesticus (59.75%), 161 (mean: 4.37 ± 0.45/day) rose–ringed parakeets, Psittacula krameri (6.16%), 833 (mean: 27.77 ± 2.32/day) spice finches, Lonchura punctulata (31.9%) and 57 (mean: 1.87 ± 0.24/day) other birds (2.18%) were captured. House sparrows, Passer domesticus, and spice finches, Lonchura punctulata, were found the most abundant species damaging the crop. Capture success of the birds differed significantly for different bird species and capture times. Mist–nets had been used as an important tool for population monitoring however, the present study highlight the significance of mist net technique as an important tool for reducing number of small pest birds in combination with other avian management techniques used for Integrated Pest Management. Recommended regime would be from sunrise to sunset with have peak duration i.e early sunset and pre–sunset interval.
Side-Information-Aided Preprocessing Scheme for Deep-Learning Classifier in Fingerprint-Based Indoor Positioning

Deep-learning classifiers can effectively improve the accuracy of fingerprint-based indoor positioning. During fingerprint database construction, all received signal strength indicators from each access point are combined without any distinction. Therefore, the database is created and utilised for deep-learning models. Meanwhile, side information regarding specific conditions may help characterise the data features for the deep-learning classifier and improve the accuracy of indoor positioning. Herein, a side-information-aided preprocessing scheme for deep-learning classifiers is proposed in a dynamic environment, where several groups of different databases are constructed for training multiple classifiers. Therefore, appropriate databases can be employed to effectively improve positioning accuracies. Specifically, two kinds of side information, namely time (morning/afternoon) and direction (forward/backward), are considered when collecting the received signal strength indicator. Simulations and experiments are performed with the deep-learning classifier trained on four different databases. Moreover, these are compared with conventional results from the combined database. The results show that the side-information-aided preprocessing scheme allows better success probability than the conventional method. With two margins, the proposed scheme has 6.55% and 5.8% improved performances for simulations and experiments compared to the conventional scheme. Additionally, the proposed scheme, with time as the side information, obtains a higher success probability when the positioning accuracy requirement is loose with larger margin. With direction as the side information, the proposed scheme shows better performance for high positioning precision requirements. Thus, side information such as time or direction is advantageous for preprocessing data in deep-learning classifiers for fingerprint-based indoor positioning.
Echiniscidae (Heterotardigrada) of Tanzania and Uganda

Faunistic survey of Tanzania and Uganda resulted in the finding of eight species belonging to the genus Echiniscus C.A. S. Schultze, 1840, three of which are new to science. Echiniscus belloporus n. sp. has no trunk cirri and dorsal plates densely covered with pores (sculpture of the spinulosus type); it lacks a spine I and the dentate collar IV, a combination of traits so far unseen in Echiniscus. Echiniscus ornamentatus n. sp. possesses regularly distributed pores on its dorsal plates, scapular and caudal plates with contrasting faceting, and anterior portions of the paired plates distinctly darker than their posterior parts. Echiniscus tristis n. sp. is also a new member of the spinulosus group, but differs from all other species of this complex by having small pores, a trunk appendage combination C-Dd-E, and large spurs on its internal claws. Three other species: Echiniscus baius, Echiniscus dariae and Echiniscus manuelae, are recorded as new additions to the African fauna. Two last species: Echiniscus africanus and Echiniscus cirinoi, are scarcely reported elements of the Afrotropical fauna. Scanning electron microscopy microphotographs supplementing the description of E. dariae, and amendments to the outdated description of E. manuelae are also provided. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B8494205-58D5-4E54-B54E-2C40976892E1http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F439D375-F44F-4C3A-997F-EDC0D0A45F88http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B602FA08-3E17-4149-A1FE-22829E13DFFD
The Relationship between the Exchange Rate, Interest Rate and Inflation: The Case of Turkey

The purpose of the study is to measure the effects of changes in exchange rates and interest rates on inflation and to determine which of the exchange rates or interest rates has a greater impact on inflation rate following the July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. Our expectation is that similar to most authors is to find that there is a long-term relationship between the inflation rates and both the exchange rate and interest rates and that the effect of the exchange rate on the Producer Price Index (PPI) is greater than that of the interest rates. Moreover, we expect to find a unidirectional causality relationship between the Interest Rate of Commercial Banks Credit (IRBC), Over Night Interest Rate (O/N) and United States Dollar (USD) and the PPI, but not between the IRBC, O/N, USD and the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Temperament systems influence emotion induction but not makam recognition performance in Turkish makam music

We tested how induced emotions and Turkish makam recognition are influenced by participation in an ear training class and whether either is influenced by the temperament system employed. The ear training class was attended by 19 music students and was based on the Hicaz makam presented as a between-subjects factor in either unfamiliar Turkish original temperament (OT, pitches unequally divided into 24 intervals) or familiar Western equal temperament (ET, pitches equally divided into 12 intervals). Before and after the class, participants listened to 20 music excerpts from five different Turkish makams (in both OT and ET versions). Emotion induction was assessed via the 25-item version of Geneva Emotion Music Scales (GEMS-25), and participants were also asked to identify the makam that was present in the excerpt. The unfamiliar OT was experienced as less vital and more uneasy before the ear training class, and recognition of the Hicaz makam increased after ear training classes (independent of the temperament system employed). Results suggest that unfamiliar temperament systems are experienced as less vital and more uneasy. Furthermore, being exposed to this temperament system for just 1 hr does not seem to be enough to change participants’ mental representations of it or their emotional responses to it.
Socio-economic inequality in early childhood health 2010-2016: evidence from China

ABSTRACT Although health inequality issues caused by the differences in economic status gain much attention, specific information on early childhood health inequality is still scarce. This study aims to assess socioeconomic inequality in the distribution of early childhood health among Chinese children with concentration index (CI) decomposition method. Using national data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), we find that the overall health level of children has increased and the health inequality has reduced to some extent from 2010 to 2016. However, health inequality still exists among children aged 0–5 with different economic statuses, and children from higher-income families have better health. The decomposition of inequality shows that family economic status, genetic factors related to parents’ health, and type of childcare all have a positive contribution to inequality.
Isolation and Characterization of Exosomes from Cell Culture Medium and Human Plasma in Relation to Cancer Diagnostics

The interest in exosomes and other extracellular vesicles (EVs) has been steadily increasing for the past several years, as a growing body of evidence for their potential use as non-invasive biomarkers for disease such as cancer has emerged. Evidence indicates that these EVs may contain high quantities of tumour specific proteins and nucleic acids (including DNA), and their ubiquity in bodily fluids make them ideal candidates for novel liquid biopsy methods. Four different methods for EV isolation was used on conditioned cell culture media from the PANC-1 cell line and their performance was compared to that of traditional differential centrifugation (UC) for exosome isolation. The methods tested were qEV Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC, Izon Science), ExoEasy affinity chromatography (Qiagen), as well as the Total Exosome Isolation (TEI, Thermo Fisher) and ExoQuick (System Biosciences) polymer precipitation reactions. Isolated EVs were characterized according to size, concentration and relative vesicle fraction by Tuneable Resistive Pulse Sensing (TRPS) analysis. Their relative content of exosome marker proteins was measured by bead-assisted flow cytometry (BAFC) analysis and their dsDNA content was isolated and then measured by fluorometry. The three best methods according to exosome content, purity and DNA content were selected for further validation by isolating exosomes from human plasma. EV isolation by TEI, qEV and ExoEasy techniques were validated on plasma from healthy control persons and patients with pancreatic cancer by the same analyses as described above. In addition, the level of tumour DNA in the EV fractions were estimated by KRAS Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) Clamp PCR assay. It was shown that traditional EV isolation method of differential centrifugation is ineffective with regards to EV yield, specificity and purity from contaminants, when compared to newly available EV isolation methods. All tested techniques performed as well or better than UC in every aspect investigated. It was demonstrated that the qEV technique provides the purest, least contaminated exosome isolates, and the most highly concentrated tumour DNA of all the tested techniques, but at a low overall EV concentration. TEI yielded the by far greatest dsDNA concentrations from both CCM and plasma, but co-isolated many non-target biomolecules. ExoEasy was shown to isolate some exosomelike vesicles and some dsDNA, but with a generally heterogeneous and non-specific EV population. Tumour DNA, identified by mutated KRAS alleles, were detected in EV isolate samples of ExoEasy, TEI and qEV, and with the highest overall yield detected in samples from the qEV technique.
Control of waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus) regrowth after failed applications of glufosinate or fomesafen

Abstract Foliar herbicide applications to waterhemp can result in inadequate control, leading to subsequent regrowth that often necessitates a second herbicide application to prevent crop interference and seed production. The most effective herbicides and application timings are unknown in situations where waterhemp has regrown from previous injury, such as failed applications of glufosinate or fomesafen. The objective of this research was to determine the optimum combination of herbicide and time from the first failed herbicide application to a sequential herbicide application for control of waterhemp regrowth. Reduced rates of either glufosinate or fomesafen were applied to 30-cm waterhemp plants to mimic failure of the initial herbicide application in separate bare-ground experiments. Respray treatments of glufosinate, fomesafen, lactofen, 2,4-D, or dicamba were applied 3, 7, or 11 d after the initial application. Glufosinate and fomesafen as respray treatments resulted in 90% to 100% control of waterhemp regardless of application timing following a failed glufosinate application. After a failed application of fomesafen, applying glufosinate or 2,4-D resulted in 87% to 99% control of waterhemp. Waterhemp control with fomesafen and lactofen was 13% to 21% greater, respectively, when those treatments followed glufosinate compared with fomesafen as the initial herbicides. On the basis of these results, glufosinate and fomesafen should be used for respray situations after inadequate control from glufosinate; and 2,4-D or glufosinate should be used for respray situations following inadequate control from fomesafen where crop tolerance and herbicide product labels allow. Although glufosinate followed by glufosinate was very effective for controlling waterhemp regrowth, caution should be exercised to avoid sequential application of herbicide with the same site of action. Nomenclature: Fomesafen; glufosinate; lactofen; 2,4-D; dicamba; waterhemp, Amaranthus tuberculatus (Moq) J.D. Sauer
Atomistic investigation of the interfacial mechanical characteristics of graphene reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane composite

ABSTRACT In the current study, the effects of different graphene (Gr) parameters on the interfacial properties of graphene reinforced thermoplastic polyurethane (Gr/TPU) nanocomposites have been assessed by the atomistic simulation, in particular, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. To explore the enhancement mechanisms of interfacial mechanical strength of the Gr/TPU nanocomposite, constant strain method is used and the pull-out simulation process (both normal and transverse direction) between TPU and Gr is carried out, examined and interpreted. The results show that the transverse failure may be much easily compared to the normal failure in case of a flat Gr-based nanocomposite. For a flat single-layer Gr of size (1.5 nm × 1.7 nm), the shear pull-out force is found to be nearly 100 kcal/mol/nm while that for the normal pull-out case is nearly 600 kcal/mol/nm. Stronger molecular bindings happen between the wrinkled Gr and the polymer matrix to result in a higher shear pull-out force (nearly 700 kcal/mol/nm). Moreover, it is observed that pull-out of a single Gr layer from the polymer nanocomposite is found to be much easier than in case of multilayer Gr. The Gr sheet having Stone–Wales (SW) type defect is found to play a better role in enhancing the interfacial properties in nanocomposites than single-vacancy (SV) or double-vacancy (DV) type defective Gr sheets, as discussed later. Pristine Gr structures exhibit lesser tendency to increase interfacial shear strength than surface functionalized Gr structures.
THE PRESENCE OF PERIPHERAL INFLAMMATORY MARKERS IN PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER, THE ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS PROFILES AND THE ANTIDEPRESSANT EFFICACY OF CELECOXIB

Despite the treatability and advances in treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), treatment responsiveness is still only around 30 50%. The involvement of pro-inflammatory factors in the pathogenesis of major depression is one of the new perspectives of current research. This is a prospective study over an 8-week period in 50 MDD patients with single or multiple episodes recruited from the Timișoara Psychiatry Clinic during 2016-2019. Several psychometric measures were applied and baseline for C Reactive Protein (CRP) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) blood levels were determined. Among the 17item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), somatic anxiety, somatic symptoms-general and insight had significantly higher scores in MDD patients with elevated inflammatory markers compared to their counterpart with normal inflammatory marker levels (p < 0.05). Add-on celecoxib treatment determined a significantly lowered mean HAM-D scores at endpoint in MDD patients with elevated inflammatory markers (p < 0.01). Linear regression analysis revealed the presence of inflammation (IL-6 and/or CRP) and add-on celecoxib treatment as significantly influencing endpoint HAM-D scores (p < 0.01). Routine determination of inflammatory markers in MDD patients, together with add-on celecoxib treatment, generates new opportunities for the clinical management of this highly frequent psychiatric condition in the general population.
Anti-schistosomal activities of Echinops kebericho Mesfin root and Hagenia abyssinica (Bruce) J.F Gmel flower part crude extracts in Swiss albino mice

Objective: To evaluate the in vivo antischistosomal activities of the crude extracts of Echinops kebericho Mesfin (E. kebericho) root and Hagenia abyssinica (Bruce) J.F. Gmel (H. abyssinica) flower. Methods: Mice were infected with (150 ± 10) Schistosoma mansoni cercariae by paddling technique. Crude extracts were administered orally for five consecutive days at doses of 300, 600 and 1 200 mg/kg/day along with 200 mg/kg/day praziquantel and 3% tween 80 given as a control. Results: E. kebericho root extract showed a statistically significant (P < 0.05) reduction in fecal egg count of 64.44%, 42.96% & 26.82% and worm burden of 65.71%, 47.86% & 31.43% at treatment doses of 1 200 mg/kg/day, 600 mg/kg/day and 300 mg/kg/day, respectively. Similarly, H. abyssinica flower extracts showed a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in fecal egg count up to 84.57%, 77.06% & 63.89% and worm burden of 91.43%, 81.43% & 70.71% at a respective dose levels. In addition, a significant (P < 0.05) reduction in liver granuloma score was observed in all H. abyssinica administered dose groups and E. kebericho at 1 200 mg/kg/day dose group as compared to infected untreated control group. Conclusions: H. abyssinica and E. kebericho crude extracts show a promising antischistosomal activity.
Mapeo de fluorescencia inducida por láser de pigmentos en murales secco pintados

La fluorescencia inducida por láser es una técnica de análisis a distancia, aplicada con éxito en tiempo real para el diagnóstico de obras de arte, permitiendo la observación de características invisibles al ojo humano, como rastros de retoques o la presencia de consolidantes modernos. El objetivo de este artículo es generar una base de datos de pigmentos históricos con sus respectivos aglutinantes y consolidantes, realizada para respaldar la identificación remota y el mapeo de estos materiales en un mural de la forma menos invasiva posible. Para este objetivo, se ha utilizado una fuente láser monocromática ultravioleta que emite a 266nm con escaneado remoto en combinación con reflectancia. Se realizaron modelos de pintura mural en técnica a secco de acuerdo con las recetas tradicionales del siglo XVII. Análisis digital de imagen, análisis de componentes principales y mapeado de ángulo espectral ha sido llevado a cabo para obtener los datos de mapeado de dos pigmentos seleccionados, azul esmalte y rojo carmín en una pintura mural real (siglo XVII). Esta técnica no invasiva nos permitió trabajar de manera remota, a una distancia de 11 m de la obra de arte. Los resultados son consecuentes con los microanálisis tradicionales llevados a cabo para identificar pigmentos mayoritarios.
Supervision of Graduate Studies: A Case Study of Postgraduate and Academic Satff

Although the success of graduate students is heavily influenced by their supervisors, there is a lack of documented graduate student insight into their learning experience in countries with recent expansions of graduate programs. To provide rich, in-depth qualitative data on graduate student and faculty supervisor perspectives on students’ learning experiences, we conducted in-depth individual interviews with final-year graduate students and their supervisors at Najran University in Saudi Arabia. We asked participants two open-ended questions about the quality of teaching and learning in their program and how this quality could be improved. Interview transcripts were coded to identify and categorize recurring themes. We found that graduate students and their supervisors had differing perceptions of students’ learning experiences. Students indicated that the organization and development of learning experiences needed to be guided by their supervisors. Additionally, students expressed concerns regarding the main concern expressed by students as will be described in the results section with more details and more accurate reflection with the need for high-quality learning experiences. On the other hand, supervisors gave examples of effective teaching practices, including building self-confidence in student decision making. These findings could be used to develop curriculum content, support faculty use of effective teaching strategies, and improve practices in graduate programs and could further stimulate broad discussions of shared decision-making and evaluations of student and teacher performance.