Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Onion yield response to irrigation level during low and high sensitive growth stages and bulb quality under semi- arid climate conditions of Western Ethiopia

Abstract Under the scarcity of irrigation water, the need to use the available water economically and efficiently is unquestionable. Deficit irrigation improves water use efficiency, by maintaining soil moisture content below optimum level throughout the growing season. The objective of this study was to study the effect of onion yield response to irrigation level during low and high sensitive growth stages and bulb quality under semi-arid climate conditions. The treatments consisted of 10 different levels of irrigation water application. The experiments were laid out in RCBD with three replications. The result showed that the variation in the level of irrigation water application had a significant effect on onion yield. Treatments that had deficit irrigation and skipping of irrigation in one growth stage had a lower yield than those that had full irrigation (P < 0.05). The highest total onion yield was observed from a control treatment (full irrigation), which was not statically different from the treatment receiving 75% ETc and no irrigation at the initial and late-season stage. Deficit by 75% ETc throughout the growing season resulted in the highest yield reduction. The crop water use efficiency was the lowest under full irrigation and the highest under 75% deficit throughout the growing stages. From resource conservation point of view, maximum water use efficiency may be of interest, which could be obtained under severe deficit irrigation. Therefore, there is a need to find out the deficit level at which a reasonable level of water saving can be achieved without significant yield loss, which could be of significant importance for both production and water conservation.
Spray Pyrolysis Deposition of Single and Mixed Oxide Thin Films

The influence of processing parameters is investigated on the structural characteristics of single and mixed oxides produced by spray pyrolysis technique. The films were synthesized by spraying precursor solutions through a noz-zle onto a heated alumina substrate. The precursor consisted separately of aqueous solutions of tin chloride for SnO2 and zinc chloride for ZnO for single oxide cases, and aqueous solutions of tin chloride and indium nitrate for SnO2 + In2O3 and zinc chloride and indium nitrate solutions for ZnO + In2O3 for mixed oxide cases. The substrate temperature was varied accordingly for each single and mixed case. The films produced were characterized by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The results indicate that a non-homogenous film is formed at low temperature for both single oxides considered. The temperature has significant effect on the composition of the synthesized films of both single oxides below 450℃. The results for mixed oxides show that the best homogeneous films are obtained for 80 wt% ZnO + 20 wt% In2O3, and 80 wt% SnO2 + 20 wt% In2O3.
On the deterministic and stochastic model applications to typhoid fever disease dynamics

A deterministic and stochastic model depicting typhoid fever spread in human host community is considered. The deterministic model is analyzed and found to be positively invariant, well – posed and meaningful in the sense of typhoid infection spread. Using the typhoid fever – absent equilibrium points, the control basic reproduction threshold (Rtyp ) of the model is obtained and the estimation yields Rtyp ≈ 0.744. This value implies that controls of vaccination, screening and treatment is effective enough to drive Rtyp below unity, that is, the level of infection is not effective to cause a typhoid epidemic. Also, the deterministic model is changed into a stochastic model system and the mean and variance of the stochastic model are obtained. The existence and uniqueness of the stochastic model is discussed and the corresponding graphical description of the impact of some parameters against is Rtyp plotted, while the stochastic simulations are done using the Euler - Maruyama numerical scheme coded in matlab to describe the behavior of each sub - population of human individuals of the model system.
Oxidative and Microbial Stability of Pomegranate Peel Extracts and Bagasse Supplemented Cookies

This study aimed at exploring pomegranate peel (PoP) for its potential as an ingredient of choice in baked products primarily to stabilize lipids and inhibit microbiological spoilage. Pomegranate peel extracts (PoPx) and pomegranate peel bagasse (Pbg) were supplemented to wheat flour cookies at 0.25–1.0% and 1.5–7.5%, respectively. Cookies supplemented with 7.5% Pbg reduced caloric contents and significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced dietary fiber and inorganic residues of the product. Positive correlation was observed for cookies phenolics contents with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay. Total phenolics recovery from Pbg and PoPx was shown to range from 78.35 to 315.7 mg GAE/100g), respectively. PoPx supplemented cookies, holding significant antioxidant properties, inhibited thiobarbituric acid number by 67% and reduced growth of aerobic counts (2.04–1.30 log10 cfu/g) and yeasts/molds (1.70–1.05 log10 cfu/g). Sensory evaluation of Pbg supplemented cookies indicated relatively lower score for texture and crispiness while other treatment combinations were ranked acceptable at 9-point hedonic scale for all sensory parameters. Practical Applications Synthetic antioxidants and antimicrobials being injudiciously exploited as food preservatives are hampering quality of food and life. Programmed replacement of preservative cum intoxicating agents with relatively least to nontoxic natural phytochemicals is referred to be the sustainable and safe approach in food preservation. On account of its tremendous food quality enhancement features, PoP vide its ethnobotanical extracts deliver significant antioxidant, antimicrobial and nutraceuticals properties. As witnessed in current study, PoPx supplementation in bakery products has a prospective role in inhibiting lipid oxidation and microbiological spoilage and, hence can be considered as viable substitute of synthetic preservatives. Nutritional enhancement features of peel bagasse further endeavors underutilized fruit waste as ingredient of choice in formulating virtually balanced therapeutic formulation against certain critical ailments.
Identification of Targetable Gene Fusions and Structural Rearrangements to Foster Precision Medicine in KRAS Wild-Type Pancreatic Cancer

PURPOSE It has recently been described that alternative oncogenic drivers may be found in KRAS wild-type (KRASWT) pancreatic cancers. This study aimed to determine the incidence of targetable gene fusions present in KRASWT pancreatic adenocarcinoma and response to targeted therapy. METHODS One hundred consecutive patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma who underwent targeted next-generation sequencing using DNA sequencing with RNA sequencing (n = 47) or without RNA sequencing (n = 53) at a single institution were included in the study. The frequency and landscape of targetable fusions in KRASWT pancreatic adenocarcinoma was characterized and compared with the frequency of fusions in KRAS-mutated (KRASMUT) pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Results were validated in two independent cohorts using data from AACR GENIE (n = 1,252) and TCGA (n = 150). The clinical history of fusion-positive patients who received targeted treatment is described. RESULTS Pancreatic cancers from 13 of 100 patients (13%) were found to be KRASWT. Targetable fusions were identified in 4/13 (31%) KRASWT tumors compared with 0/87 (0%) KRAS MUT pancreatic adenocarcinomas (P = .0002). One patient with a novel MET fusion had a complete response to targeted therapy with crizotinib that is ongoing at 12+ months of treatment. In the validation cohorts, gene fusions were identified in 18/97 (19%) and 2/10 (20%) KRASWT tumors reported in the AACR GENIE and TCGA cohorts, respectively. CONCLUSION Oncogene fusions are present in KRASWT pancreatic adenocarcinomas at an increased frequency when compared with KRASMUT pancreatic adenocarcinomas. As these fusions may be susceptible to targeted therapy, molecular analyses for the detection of fusions in KRASWT pancreatic adenocarcinomas may warrant increased consideration.
Comments on “Do Ultrafine Cloud Condensation Nuclei Invigorate Deep Convection?”

Here we elaborate on the deficiencies associated with the theoretical arguments and model simulations in a paper by Grabowski and Morrison (2020, hereafter GM20) that argued convective invigoration by aerosols does not exist. We show that the invigoration can be supported by both accurate theoretical analysis and explicit physics modeling with prognostic supersaturation and aerosols. Negligible invigoration by aerosols via drop freezing in GM20 was explained by a complete compensation between the heating effect from the freezing of extra liquid water and the extra loading effect during droplet ascending. But the reality is that droplet ascending then freezing occur at different locations and time scales, producing complex nonlinear responses that depend on the duration and location of the forcing. Also, this argument neglects the effect of off-loading of precipitating ice particles, increases in condensation during ascending, and riming and deposition accompanying droplet freezing. Regarding the warm-phase invigoration, the quasi-steady assumption for supersaturation as adopted in GM20 makes condensation independent of droplet number and size, therefore an incorrect interpretation of warm-phase invigoration. We illustrate that the quasi-steady assumption is invalid for updrafts of deep convective clouds in clean conditions because of the high acceleration of vertical velocity and the fast depletion of droplets by raindrop formation and accretion. Any assumption imposed on supersaturation, such as quasi-steady approximation and saturation adjustment, leads to errors in the evaluation of aerosol effects on diffusional growth and related buoyancy. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the piggybacking approach they used cannot prove or disprove the convective invigoration.
Undergraduates Attitudes towards Adopting a Flipped Learning Approach in Jordanian Universities: Empirical Study

The present study investigated the undergraduates’ attitudes towards adopting a flipped learning approach in Jordanian universities. An analytical descriptive approach was adopted. The purposive sampling technique was used to choose a sample. This sample consists from 392 BA students. The researchers selected those students from the faculty of education at the University of Jordan. The forms of the questionnaire were distributed by hand. They were retrieved, but 4 ones have been excluded. The final sample consists from 388 BA students. The researchers concluded that the students show positive attitudes towards adopting this learning approach. They found that the flipped learning approach enables students to learn at their own pace and motivates them to learn. It was found that the flipped learning approach facilitates the process of taking notes and improves the students’ comprehension of information. The researchers recommend enacting policies for encouraging faculty members at Jordanian universities to adopt a flipped instructional approach. They recommend using social media by faculty members at Jordanian universities when adopting a flipped instructional approach. That shall motivate students to learn.
Autonomous Multiple Instruments Tracking for Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery With Visual Tracking Space Vector Method

The robot-held laparoscope efficiently maintains the stability of the surgical screen in comparison with the laparoscope held by the assistant. The collaboration between the robot-held laparoscope and the surgeon is achieved without the artificial manipulation by tracking surgical instruments automatically. In this article, a visual tracking space vector method is proposed to autonomously control the field of view by tracking multiple surgical instruments. In the proposed method, a visual tracking space vector is introduced to track the motion of multiple instruments, and a constraint vector is defined to ensure that the laparoscope is always within the safe working space. In addition, a modified YOLOv3 algorithm is proposed to robustly detect and classify the surgical instruments. The proposed method automatically adapts to the changes in the number of surgical instruments, as compared to other visual servoing methods for tracking surgical instruments. The proposed method does not require the depth information of the tracked surgical instruments. Experimental and simulation results verify that the proposed method accurately and efficiently controls the robot-held laparoscope to track the motion of multiple surgical instruments and ensure safe tracking movement.
Analysis of Employee Performance Based on Competence and Work Climate in Lubuklinggau Barat I District at Indonesia

This study aims to see the magnitude of commitment and employee work discipline effect on the employees’ performance at Lubuklinggau Barat I District, in Lubuklinggau Indonesia. This study uses quantitative associative methods, which aim to explain the relationship between the independent variables with the dependent variable. This research was conducted by distributing questionnaires to employees at Lubuklinggau Barat I District, with a total sample of 93 respondents. The sampling technique was conducted by the saturated sample technique. Data were analyzed by using multiple linear regression analysis methods and hypothesis testing. Statistical testing using the SPSS 24.0 application. The results of this study indicate that partially Employee Placement has a positive effect on employee performance, and Work Climate also has a positive effect on employee performance. Simultaneously, Employee Placement and Work Climate have a positive effect on employee performance at Lubuklinggau Barat I District, in Lubuklinggau. With an influence of 65.7% and the remaining 34.3% is influenced by other factors that are not examined. Researchers limit the focus of the problem on employee placement and work climate on employee performance. Performance is also influenced by other variables such as: leadership, work environment, placement, etc. which are still open for in-depth study in subsequent studies. This study comes from the actual problems faced by employees at Lubuklinggau Barat I District, in Lubuklinggau, due to the low quality and quantity of existing employee performance. This study is not merely looking for a relationship between the independent and dependent variables and the magnitude of their effect on performance, but it further links the research results and managerial impacts that arise after the research results are obtained.
Role of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance on the long-term rising of intrinsic water use efficiency in dominant trees in three old-growth forests in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro

Abstract: Old-growth forests have an important role in maintaining animal and plant diversity, are important carbon (C) reservoirs and are privileged sites to study long-term plant physiological responses, long-term forest dynamics and climate change impact on forest ecosystems. Several studies have highlighted how old-living trees undergo age-related declines with hydraulic limitations and reduction in photosynthesis, though some recent works have suggested that such a decline is not always observed. Our study aims at understanding the role of atmospheric CO2 increase on tree C uptake and stomatal conductance (gs) in old-living trees by analysing the long-term patterns of tree growth and intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) in three old-growth forests in the Balkans (Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro), using dendrochronology and isotopic analysis. We hypothesised a long-term increase in iWUE in the studied old-growth forests, mostly related to enhanced photosynthesis rather than reduced stomatal conductance. Tree cores were sampled from dominant silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) trees in each forest. Tree-ring widths were measured and basal area increments (BAI) were assessed for each sampled tree and, from the six longest chronologies, five decades were chosen for cellulose extraction, its isotopic analysis (δ13C, δ18O), iWUE and leaf water 18O evaporative enrichment above the source water (Δ18OL) determination. We observed a continuous and significant increase in iWUE from 1800 to 2010 in the sampled dominant trees at all the three old-growth forests. Our BAI data and our estimates of Δ18OL across the study period support the idea that enhanced photosynthesis rather than reduced stomatal conductance is the major driver of the measured iWUE increase. Thus, our results support some recent findings challenging the hypothesis that iWUE in forests is primarily the result of a CO2-induced reduction in stomatal conductance as well as the so called hydraulic limitation hypothesis.
Effective moderation in asynchronous discussion forums in online language classrooms

Aquest estudi investiga l’eficacia de practiques diferents en l’ensenyament d’idiomes en linia comparant la participacio de quatre grups d’estudiants i professors en dues tasques asincrones als forums, en el context d’un curs d’angles com a llengua estrangera B2 en una universitat catalana. Els missatges del professorat s’analitzen de manera qualitativa; es realitzen despres analisis estadistiques inferencials per comparar les dades de participacio dels estudiants en aules virtuals amb indexs de finalitzacio diferents i en dos tipus de tasca. Els resultats indiquen que, quan els professors participen en els debats com si fossin un membre mes i fan preguntes per fomentar l’intercanvi, augmenta la probabilitat de participacio dels estudiants, un patro que sobresurt en aules amb majors indexs de finalitzacio de curs.
Evaluation of available silicon content and its determining factors of agricultural soils in Japan

ABSTRACT To evaluate the available silicon (Si) content in agricultural soils in Japan and to investigate the determining factors of this content, we collected 180 soil samples from the surface layer of paddies and upland fields in Japan and determined their available Si contents. A phosphate buffer (PB; 0.02 M, pH 6.9) or an acetate buffer (AB; 0.1 M, pH 4.0) was used to extract available Si from the soil samples, and the Si concentrations in the extracts were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emissions spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The total Si content and selected physicochemical properties were also determined for the soil samples. The median values of the available Si contents by the PB and AB methods were 48.8 and 79.7 mg kg−1 and corresponded to 0.017% and 0.027% of the total Si content, respectively. The overall data showed log-normal distributions. The available Si content of the upland soils was significantly higher than that of the paddy soils by both the PB (p < 0.01) and AB methods (p < 0.05). The available Si contents by the PB and AB methods had a significant positive correlation (p < 0.01) and they had significant negative correlation with the total Si content (p < 0.01). The values of the available Si contents by the PB and AB methods correlated positively with the pH, total carbon (C) content, and dithionite-citrate bicarbonate extractable iron (Fed) and aluminum (Ald), acid oxalate extractable iron (Feo) and aluminum (Alo), Fed-Feo and Alo+1/2Feo values (p < 0.01). A multi-regression analysis indicated that pH, amorphous minerals and crystalline iron (Fe) oxides were the dominant determining factors of available Si in the soils, and these three variables explained approximately two thirds of the variation of available Si content in agricultural soils in Japan. In terms of soil type, Terrestrial Regosols, Dark Red soils and Andosols had relatively high available Si contents, whereas Sand-dune Regosols, Red soils and Gray Lowland soils had relatively low contents. In terms of region, the soils in the Kanto and Okinawa regions had relatively high available Si contents and those in the Kinki, Shikoku and Chugoku regions had relatively low contents. In conclusion, the available Si content and its determining factors for agricultural soils in Japan were quantitatively elucidated, and this will contribute to the establishment of rational soil management —including the application of silicate materials, taking into account the Si-supplying power of the relevant soils—for sustainable and productive agriculture in Japan.
AN OVERALL PICTURE ABOUT ACADEMIC LITERATURE FOCUSED ON ONLINE LEARNING IN PRISON

ABSTRACTDigital competency – which is indicated by the European Framework of Reference as one of the key competencies for Lifelong Learning – has been increasingly important in the international policy agenda as well as in the studies and academic publications. Taking into account that Adult Education mediated by a virtual environment may be an opportunity for knowledge acquisition and digital inclusion, there are, however, some contexts in which access, usage and participation are particularly obstructed or even precluded. Prisons are one of those contexts. Aiming to map trends in academic literature about Adult Learning supported by digital resources in prisons, we resorted to Education Source and ERIC databases to perform a literature review – published between 2010 and 2019 – and using the keywords prison, education, technology. The analysis of the 20 identified articles made it possible to know when and where they have emerged, as well as their objectives and the focus of the studies. With worldwide representation – although mainly European – and with particular expression in the last 5 years, the studies are mainly focused on prison education resources, learning results, educational staff and cultural aspects and policies.Keywords: Lifelong Learning. Adult Education. Prison Education. Online Learning. RESUMOA competencia digital, indicada pelo Quadro de Referencia Europeu como uma das competencias-chave para a Aprendizagem ao Longo da Vida, tem vindo a ganhar um crescente interesse quer nas agendas politicas internacionais, quer nos estudos e publicacoes academicas. Considerando-se que a Educacao de Adultos, mediada por um ambiente virtual, pode constituir uma oportunidade de aquisicao de conhecimentos e de inclusao digital, ha, no entanto, contextos nos quais o acesso, o uso e a participacao sao particularmente dificultados ou mesmo impossibilitados. As prisoes constituem um destes contextos. Com o objetivo de mapear tendencias da literatura academica sobre aprendizagem de adultos em ambiente prisional, apoiada por recursos digitais, foi feita uma revisao de literatura publicada entre 2010 e 2019, recorrendo as bases de dados Education Source e ERIC e usando como palavras-chave prisao, educacao, tecnologia. A analise dos 20 artigos identificados permitiu conhecer a sua dimensao espacial e cronologia, assim como os objetivos e os focos dos estudos. Com representacao mundial mas, sobretudo, Europeia, e com maior expressao nos ultimos 5 anos, os estudos focam sobretudo os recursos digitais utilizados, os resultados de aprendizagem, as pessoas envolvidas na formacao, o staff dos estabelecimentos prisionais e aspectos culturais e politicas de atencao a esta problematica.Palavras-chave: Aprendizagem ao longo da vida. Educacao de adultos. Educacao em prisoes. Aprendizagem online.