Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in microbial biomass and activity support ecological intensification of marginal land through cultivation of perennial wheat in organic agriculture

ABSTRACT Ecological intensification of agroecosystems on marginal land through cultivation of perennial wheat may provide greater belowground biomass than cultivation of annual wheat, and thus improve soil organic carbon (SOC) and consequently benefit soil microbial activity. However, little is known about how organically managed hybridised perennial wheat (Triticum aestivum L. × Thinopyrum spp.) stimulates SOC, microbial biomass and activity in marginal soils. Therefore, the effect of three organically managed cropping systems: i) sole perennial wheat; ii) perennial wheat with clover intercrop; and iii) annual wheat; were investigated at three sites in Germany on marginal soils with different textures (silt loam (SL) with impervious soil layer, clay loam (CL) with 30–35% stone content and sandy soil (SS) with low nutrient content). Soil samples, from each cropping system and site, were taken from A- and B-horizons after 3 years of cultivation and were evaluated for SOC, microbial biomass C and N (MBC, MBN), basal respiration, and C-enzyme activities. In CL and SS soils, perennial wheat with clover intercrop increased SOC in the A-horizon compared with annual wheat and sole perennial wheat. Varied effects were observed in the B-horizon, with sole perennial wheat in CL having higher SOC and MBC than the other two cropping systems. SOC storage stock in the B-horizon of perennial wheat was on average 18% higher relative to annual wheat, revealing a considerable C storage potential. Overall, the study showed that perennial wheat cultivation can improve microbial biomass and activity in marginal soils compared with cultivation of annual wheat.
Exposure Diversity as a New Cultural Policy Objective in the Digital Age

Diversity has been conceptualized as a key objective of national and international cultural policies. The 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions is a clear proof of this. The UNESCO Convention is a culmination of the efforts of the international community to secure regulatory space for domestic policy-makers in the field of culture, on the one hand. On the other hand, it goes beyond this and the inherent trade versus culture, international versus culture contestations and tries to promote diversity as a matter of global law and policy. One flaw of the Convention that has been rarely thematized is that in this endeavour, the primary focus has been placed upon analogue means of communication. This flaw of the Convention is natural rather than triggered by political economy contexts, and has to do with the conventional evolution of law and its tendency to lag behind technological advances. Indeed, this ‘error’ flows from the similar ‘errors’ made at the national level in formulating and implementing cultural policy tool kits for the protection and promotion of diversity. This chapter argues that a peculiar characteristic of all these policies has been the almost concentration on the diversity of supply – that is, on the availability of diverse formats, outlets, media owners, etc. The chapter casts some doubt upon the both the viability as well as the efficiency of such policies in the digital age. It will on the one hand question the underlying presumption for a causal link between source diversity, diversity of content, and the actual consumed diverse content. On the other hand, it should be underscored that the chapter is not intended to criticize past and existing policies. Learning from past mistakes, it is rather meant to serve as a forward-looking analysis of the possibilities offered by digital technologies and how these can be best utilized to ensure exposure diversity – that is, a palette of diverse contents, as actually consumed by users. The chapter argue argue that although the balance between state intervention and non-intervention in the digital media certainly is precarious and individual rights are to be safeguarded, there may be subtle ways of intervening and promoting exposure diversity, such as for instance by fostering serendipity or facilitating exposure. It will explore a number of tools as potentially more efficient instruments of cultural policy aimed at diversity.
Investigation of Drug-Related Problems and Influencing Factors of COVID-19 Patients in Hospital Settings: An observational Study

Objective: Clinical prognosis of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) may be severe and unexpected. Patients may quickly progress to respiratory failure, infections, multiple organ dysfunction, and sepsis. The main objective of this study is to investigate the drug-related problems of patients with COVID-19 and related factors. Method: A prospective observational study was conducted on patients with COVID-19 between September 2020 and May 2021. Patients' demographics, comorbid diseases, prescribed medicines and laboratory findings were recorded. Drug-related problems (DRPs) were identified by a clinical pharmacist according to recent guidelines, UpToDate® clinical decision support system and evidence-based medicine. Results: The median age of 107 patients was 64 and 50.46% of them were male. The median number of comorbidities was 3 (2-4) per patient. The majority of the patients had at least one comorbidity (88.79%) other than COVID-19 and the most frequent comorbidities were hypertension, diabetes mellitus and coronary artery disease. The total number of DRPs was recorded as 201 and at least one DRP was seen in 75 out of 107 patients. The median number of DRPs was 2 (0-8). In multivariate model, number of comorbidities (odss ratio (OR)=1.952;95% confidence interval (CI)=1.07-3.54, p<0.05, number of medications (OR=1.344;95% CI=1.12-1.61, p<0.001), and serum potassium levels (OR=5.252;95% CI=1.57-17.56, p<0.001) were the factors related with DRP. Conclusion: This study highlights the DRPs and related factors in patients with COVID 19 in hospital settings. Considering unknown features of the infection and multiple medication use, DRPs are likely to occur. It would be beneficial to consider the related factors in order to reduce the number of the DRPs. (English) [ FROM AUTHOR]
Block-Holders and Dividends: Evidence from Pakistan

This study is designed to examine the effect of multiple large shareholders on dividend payouts. We employed the data of seventy-five non-financial firms of the KSE-100 index from 2006 to 2018. Results report that the multiple large shareholders have a significant negative effect on dividend payouts. It implies that a weak legal structure supports large shareholders to expropriate wealth from the minorities. Moreover, we find that firms pay more dividends when they have a high level of profitability, larger assets, lower debt in the capital mix, and greater cash holding. Thus, our study contributes to the scant literature of block-holders and dividend payouts policy.
Association of Occupational Noise Exposure and Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome in a Retrospective Cohort Study

Metabolic syndrome is one of the common causes of cardiovascular diseases and cancers. Although noise is an environmental factor to which people can be commonly exposed at work and in daily life, there are currently insufficient studies on the relationship between noise and metabolic syndrome. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between noise and metabolic syndrome. Using a multivariate time-dependent Cox proportional hazard model, the impacts of occupational noise exposure on metabolic syndrome and its components were analyzed in a retrospective cohort of 60,727 participants from 2014 to 2017. The noise exposure group showed a significantly higher incidence of metabolic syndrome and was associated with elevated triglycerides, blood sugar, and blood pressure, but decreased high-density lipoprotein, among subgroups. There was no statistically significant association with abdominal obesity. Occupational noise exposure significantly contributed to the incidence of metabolic syndrome and changes in its components. This study could be a basis for establishing policies and guidelines to reduce noise exposure that might improve workers’ health.
An integrative description of a new Richtersius species from Greece (Tardigrada: Eutardigrada: Richtersiusidae)

In this paper, we describe a new tardigrade species, Richtersius tertius sp. n. , from Greece. The description is based on morphological and morphometric analysis using light and scanning electron microscopy as well as genetic analysis based on four molecular markers (DNA sequences of three nuclear, i.e., 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, ITS-2 and one mitochondrial COI fragment). Morphological and morphometric differences, together with genetic comparisons, provide independent verifications of Richtersius tertius sp. n. as a species new to science. Phenotypically, the new taxon differs from Richtersius coronifer (Richters, 1903) and Richtersius ziemowiti Kayastha, Berdi, Miaduchowska, Gawlak, Łukasiewicz, Gołdyn, Jędrzejewski et Kaczmarek, 2020 mainly by the morphology and size of cuticular pores, present only in hatchlings (first instars), as well as some morphometric characters. The results presented herein contribute further to the recognition of the morphological variability and biodiversity within Richtersius, with Richtersius tertius sp. n. being the third species formally described within the genus.
A paper‐based self‐pumping microfluidic fuel cell stack with a novel vertical structure

Microfluidic fuel cell (MFC) stacking is a prerequisite to enhance its power output for practical applications. However, most MFC stacks reported in the present literature require external pumps to maintain the co‐laminar flow and complex fluidic management networks for homogeneous flow and reactant distributions. To address these issues, a novel paper‐based self‐pumping MFC stack with potassium formate as the fuel and hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant is proposed in this study. The capillary action is employed to achieve passive liquid flow. A vertical stack structure with the unit cells piled one above another compactly is adopted to reduce the volumetric costs. The experimental results show that the maximum power outputs of the two‐cell and three‐cell stack prototypes are 4.01 and 7.26 mW cm−2, outperforming the MFC unit by 5.81 and 10.52 times, respectively. The superior performance is attributed to its distinct vertical stacking structure, which brings the enhanced capillary flows in the paper wicks and reduced ohmic losses in comparison with the unit cell. Further, effects of the filter paper and reactant concentrations on the stack performance were examined, and mass transfer of the fuel and/or oxidant to the electrode/electrolyte interface was identified as the main limiting factor. A loose microstructure of the paper wick was found beneficial in enhancing the mass transfer. The potential applications of the MFC stack in a variety of portable electronics are broad.
Anti-obesity effects of Arum maculatum, Nasturtium officinale plant extracts and exercise in high fat diet-induced obese rats

ABSTRACT The Aim: To investigate and distinguish the anti-obesity activities of Arum maculatum, Nasturtium officinale plant extracts and exercise against high-fat diet induced obesity at rat model. Methods: Thirty healthy male albino rats were randomly separated into 5 groups (n=6): Normal control (NC), high-fat diet control (HFD-C), Arum maculatum extract (AME), Nasturtium officinale extract (NOE) and exercise. The NC group fed with normal diet (ND) and all other groups a high fat diet (HFD) to induce obesity and hyperlipidemia for 8 weeks. Corresponding treatments were established to the respective groups during study period. Rat body weights (BW) and food intake were obtained weekly. Glucose, Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low, very low and high-density lipoprotein cholesterols (LDL-C, VLDL-C and HDL-C), malondialdehyde (MDA) with aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were estimated in serum at the end of the study. Results: The HFD-C rats were associated with a significant increase (P<0.05) in BW gain with the elevations in serum glucose, lipid profiles (TC, TG, LDL-C &VLDL-C), liver function tests (AST & ALT) and MDA in comparison with NC rats whereas the level of serum HDL-C decreased. Furthermore, treatments of AME, NOE and exercise along with HFD significantly (P<0.05) reduced HFD-induced changes in BW gain and the levels of serum biochemical parameters as compared to rats fed HFD. The most significant effect on reducing weight gain at model rats were recorded by NOE treatment, while the attenuated effects AME on BW gain and AST, exercise on BW gain, TG, VLDL, MDA and AST were not significant (P>0.05). Conclusions: Consumption of HFD for 8 weeks caused HFD-C rats obese, hyperglycemic and hyperlipidemic with hepatic cellular injury when compared to the NC rats. AME, NOE and exercise treatments were suppressed the development of obesity as well as attenuated HFD induced changes in serum biochemical parameters of the respective groups when compared to the HFD-C group.
Effects of environments and cultivars on grain ionome of spring wheat grown in Kazakhstan and Russia

ABSTRACT Kazakhstan–Siberian Network on Spring Wheat Improvement unites 18 spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) research and breeding programs and presents opportunities to study genotype × environment interactions. Trial data from six locations in Kazakhstan and Russia in 2017–18 were used for grain ionomics analysis to evaluate the relative contributions of environment and genotype to variation in elemental composition and to formulate a methodology to enhance concentrations of important minerals in grain. The effect of year was least important to variation. For several elements (P, S, Cu, Mn and Mo), the effect of site was 2–3 times higher than the effect of genotype. The effects of genotype and site were similar for Ca, Mg, Fe, Cd and Sr concentration. Average broad-sense heritability across six sites in both years was: (for macroelements) Mg 0.59 > Ca 0.50 > K 0.44 > P 0.30 > S 0.20; and (for microelements) Zn 0.44 > Mn 0.41 > Cu 0.40 > Fe 0.38. Biplot analysis grouped the traits into five clusters: (1) concentrations of Co, Cu, Mo and Sr; (2) concentrations of Mg, P and Zn; (3) concentrations of K and Ni; (4) protein content, concentrations of Cd, Fe, Mn and S; and (5) grain yield, concentrations of Ca and Rb. These associations reflect regional soil and environment variation independent of genotype. Protein content had positive and significant genotypic correlations with Mg (0.57), P (0.60), S (0.68), Fe (0.64), Cu (0.50), Mn (0.50) and Zn (0.53). A combination of high grain yield, relatively high protein content, and high concentrations of P, S, Mn, Cu and Zn (singly or combined) was identified in the genotypes Element-22 (check cultivar), Lutescens-3-04-21-11, and Silach. The study contributes to research and cultivar development to improve the nutritional profile of grain for consumers.
Hispanics’ Response to Ethnic Targeting Ads for Unhealthy Products: Examining the Roles of Endorser Identification and Endorser–Product Matchup

Abstract Hispanics are the largest minority in the United States, making this segment attractive for brands. Yet, little research has focused on Hispanic consumer behavior on social media. We investigated the roles of endorser identification and the perceived matchup between the endorser and the product in influencing Hispanic consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions. Results show that identification with Hispanic models leads to stronger ad attitudes and purchase intentions for unhealthy products. Perceived matchup between the endorser and the product significantly moderates the positive effect of endorser type on consumers’ purchase intentions. Implications for scholars and practitioners are discussed.
Joint Resource Management for Intelligent Reflecting Surface–Aided Visible Light Communications

Though visible light communication (VLC) is a significant supplement to current communication technologies, disadvantages such as the sensitivity to obstacles limit its development and commercialization. As a revolutionizing technology, intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) offers an ability to reconfigure the wireless environment dynamically and passively, which is considered beneficial to improve the performance of VLC. This paper devotes to investigating the effect of VLC IRS and putting forward a joint resource management method for an instantaneous IRS-aided VLC system. To this end, the line-of-sight (LoS) and non-LoS channel gains are first discussed under the point source assumption, after which the system model is established and the optimization problem is formulated. Then, the frozen variable algorithm and minorization-maximization algorithm are proposed to iteratively maximize the overall spectral efficiency (SE), and detailed discussions on the weak/severe interference cases and computational complexity analysis are carried out. Moreover, numerical results are provided to show the improvement of SE and the effects of the proposed algorithms, which offers beneficial insights on joint resource management of IRS-aided VLC.
Two-Tier Care Pathways for Liver Fibrosis Associated to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in HIV Mono-Infected Patients

(1) Background: Developing strategies to identify significant liver fibrosis in people with HIV (PWH) is crucial to prevent complications of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We aim to investigate if five simple serum biomarkers applied to PWH can optimize a care pathway to identify significant liver fibrosis defined by transient elastography (TE). (2) Methods: A two-tier fibrosis pathway was applied to three prospective cohorts of PWH undergoing TE with CAP. NAFLD was diagnosed as a controlled attenuation parameter ≥ 248 dB/m. Five simple fibrosis biomarkers (FIB-4 < 1.3, BARD score 0–1, NAFLD fibrosis score < −1.455, AST:ALT ratio < 0.8 and APRI < 0.5) were applied as first-tiers to exclude significant liver fibrosis. We determined the decrease in referral for TE that would have occurred based on biomarker assessment and the discordance between low simple fibrosis biomarkers and high TE (≥7.1 kPa), indicating significant liver fibrosis. (3) Results: Of the 1749 consecutive PWH, 15.1% had significant liver fibrosis by TE and 39.1% had NAFLD. The application of the fibrosis biomarkers as first tiers would have resulted in a decrease in TE referrals between 24.9% (BARD score) and 86.3% (APRI). The lowest discordance rate was with NAFLD fibrosis score (8.5%). After adjustments, BMI (odds ratio (OR) 1.12, 95% CI: 1.08–1.17) and triglycerides (OR 1.26, 95% CI: 1.11–1.44) were independent predictors of discordance for APRI < 0.5 and TE ≥ 7.1. The performance of the two-tier pathways was similar in PWH with and without NAFLD. (4) Conclusions: Implementing a two-tier pathway could save a substantial proportion up of TE examinations, reducing costs and helping resource optimization in HIV care. Patients with metabolic risk factors for NAFLD and low fibrosis biomarker may still be considered for TE referral.
The Removal of Time–Concentration Data Points from Progress Curves Improves the Determination of Km: The Example of Paraoxonase 1

Several approaches for determining an enzyme’s kinetic parameter Km (Michaelis constant) from progress curves have been developed in recent decades. In the present article, we compare different approaches on a set of experimental measurements of lactonase activity of paraoxonase 1 (PON1): (1) a differential-equation-based Michaelis–Menten (MM) reaction model in the program Dynafit; (2) an integrated MM rate equation, based on an approximation of the Lambert W function, in the program GraphPad Prism; (3) various techniques based on initial rates; and (4) the novel program “iFIT”, based on a method that removes data points outside the area of maximum curvature from the progress curve, before analysis with the integrated MM rate equation. We concluded that the integrated MM rate equation alone does not determine kinetic parameters precisely enough; however, when coupled with a method that removes data points (e.g., iFIT), it is highly precise. The results of iFIT are comparable to the results of Dynafit and outperform those of the approach with initial rates or with fitting the entire progress curve in GraphPad Prism; however, iFIT is simpler to use and does not require inputting a reaction mechanism. Removing unnecessary points from progress curves and focusing on the area around the maximum curvature is highly advised for all researchers determining Km values from progress curves.
Overnight Delta Dynamics Associated with Daytime Psychomotor Performance in Adults with Insomnia and Healthy Controls

Purpose Sleep is vital to cognition, yet underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Although sleep duration and continuity are two well-established contributors, additional factors—including homeostatic sleep drive processes—may also underlie cognition-related sleep restoration. This study investigates the relative contributions of sleep EEG factors to psychomotor functioning in adults with insomnia and healthy controls (HC) to identify the most significant sleep factors supporting psychomotor functioning. Materials and Methods Adults with insomnia (n = 37) and HC (n = 39) completed 3 nights of polysomnography and a complex psychomotor task (switching attention task; SAT). Univariate correlations identified the most significant predictors (traditional PSG, spectral EEG, initial delta peak, and overnight delta decline) of SAT performance, which were then entered into multivariable linear regressions examining whether predictors remained significant after accounting for shortened/fragmented sleep and whether relationships differed across groups. Results In addition to greater wake after sleep onset (WASO; r = 0.33), a slower overnight delta decline (r = 0.50) and a lower initial delta peak (r = −0.38) were the most significant predictors of poorer SAT performance. Both overnight delta decline (F(7, 68) = 12.52, p < 0.001) and initial delta peak (F(7, 68) = 7.85, p = 0.007) remained significant predictors after controlling for demographics, total sleep time, and WASO. Relationships were analogous across subject groups. Conclusion Findings suggest that, in addition to sleep duration and continuity, processes related to recovery from and dissipation of homeostatic sleep drive may support psychomotor performance and broadly support daytime functioning in individuals with and without insomnia. Future research may examine overnight delta dynamics as transdiagnostic processes supporting cognition-related sleep restoration across a range of clinical populations.
Optimization of energy efficiency in smart manufacturing through the application of cyber-physical systems and industry 4.0 technologies

Sustainability is a topic that has been addressed and enhanced with significant improve opportunities by the fourth industrial revolution, which is an essential strategy in the medium- and long-term for industries to adapt to an urgent necessity from society: for competitive and sustainable manufacturing of goods. In that regard, energy efficiency is one of the key aspects for industries that want to achieve a sustainable and carbon neutral production process. This paper approaches how the application of technologies and methodologies can substantially improve processes overall efficiency in terms of energy consumption. The paper is divided in a three-step research, starting with: a systematic review to identify how smart manufacturing and cyber-physical systems are leveraging results in manufacturing energy efficiency; followed by experiments to make real time monitoring and simulation of industrial energy consumption to optimize processes and reduce energy waste and as a third and final step results are discussed showing gains in production planning and potential saving opportunities in manufacturing energy consumption and costs.