Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mapping of basic density within European aspen stems in Latvia

The objective of this study was to investigate basic density and its within-stem variation by studying 84 European aspen stems from 28 forest stands in Latvia. The studied forest stands covered all age classes from young stands to matured forests in representative growth conditions of European aspen. The densities of 2722 wood and 1022 bark specimens were measured from the sampled trees. Only the knot-free wood specimens without obvious wood defects were chosen for analyses. A map of basic density summarizing its radial and axial variations was constructed to show species-specific, within-stem variability and the relationships between density and tree and stand variables were examined. Stem wood and bark of the European aspen show different patterns of basic density variation along the tree stem. Wood density increases from pith to bark up to certain dimensions and shows a slight decrease afterwards. The weighted basic density of bark (446 ± 39.6 kg m–3) was higher than stem wood density (393 ± 30.4 kg m–3). Our results suggest that wood and bark density measurements obtained at breast height can be used for reliable estimation of the densities of whole-tree stem components, while tree parameters such as diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height and social status or stand parameters, including number of trees, basal area and age, are weak predictors in this context.
Enumeration and molecular characterization of circulating tumor cells enriched by microcavity array from stage III non-small cell lung cancer patients

Background Various methods of liquid biopsy through the sampling of blood in cancer patients allow access to minuscule amounts of tumor that can easily be sampled repeatedly throughout therapy. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) represent shed tumor cells that can be characterized by imaging or molecular techniques using an amenable enrichment platform. Here we validate the Hitachi Chemical Micro Cavity Array (MCA) for the enrichment of CTCs from the blood of patients diagnosed with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MCA is a semi-automated filtration system that enriches CTCs on the basis of size and membrane deformability rather than a biased selection of surface antigens. Methods CTCs were enriched from the peripheral blood of 38 patients diagnosed with stage III NSCLC at the start of chemoradiation. Two tubes of EDTA blood were collected from each patient and processed through MCA in parallel. In the first tube, CTCs were identified as pan-cytokeratin (CK)+ CD45− nucleated cells and enumerated. The second tube was depleted of leukocytes using CD45 antibody-coated magnetic microbeads before enrichment by MCA, followed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to interrogate CTC-enriched lysates for expression of 16 target mRNAs from a panel of epithelial, mesenchymal, stem-like, and cancer signaling-related genes. CTC-enriched lysates from similarly prepared peripheral blood samples from 18 healthy donors were used to define positive gene expression. Results CTCs were identified by imaging in 30 of 38 patient samples (79%). At least 1 target gene was positively expressed in 23 of 25 (92%) patient samples that was subjected to molecular characterization. A CTC count of ≥7 was associated with poor progression-free survival (PFS) [hazard ratio (HR) 4.24, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.73–10.40, P=0.020] and poor overall survival (HR 8.17, 95% CI, 2.87–23.26, P<0.001). Expression of BCL2 by MCA-enriched CTCs was associated with poor PFS (HR 3.11, 95% CI, 1.18–8.22, P=0.022). Individually, CTC count and expression of BCL2 each remained statistically significant predictors of disease progression and overall survival in multivariate analysis. Conclusions This is the first demonstration that lysates of MCA-enriched CTCs are amenable to molecular characterization. CTCs enriched by MCA are an independent prognostic marker in NSCLC.
Allelopathic Effects of Two Organic Acids on Microcystis Aeruginosa

We selected two organic acids, heptanoic acid and benzoic acid, with the same carbon length but with different molecular structures to study their mechanisms of algal inhibition and to examine their combined algal inhibition ability. The results showed that the algal inhibition ability of benzoic acid was greater than that of heptanoic acid. The median lethal concentrations of benzoic acid and heptanoic acid were 55.02 mg/L and 83.90 mg/L, respectively. Heptanoic acid and benzoic acid could decrease the Total Superoxide Dismutase (T-SOD) and Catalase(CAT) activities of Microcystis aeruginosa and cause increased Malondialdehyde(MDA) production. The T-SOD and CAT activities initially increased and then decreased. The MDA content quickly decreased after reaching a maximum value. Benzoic acid had a greater effect on the antioxidant enzyme system of Microcystis aeruginosa than heptanoic acid. A hybrid evaluation was performed on the combined algal inhibition effect of heptanoic acid and benzoic acid. The results indicated that benzoic acid and heptanoic acid showed a synergistic effect and that their compound algal inhibition effect was superior to the separate effects of the two organic acids acting independently.
CONTRACEPTIVE USE AMONG IN SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS IN OREDO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EDO STATE, NIGERIA

Sexuality is expressed throughout an individual’s whole life, most prominently during adolescent. The reproductive choices made during the period of adolescence produce great effects on an individual’s health, education and, career prospects. It also influences adolescent’s overall transition into adulthood. The major objectives of this study are to determine the level of awareness on contraceptives among adolescent in selected secondary schools in Oredo local government area; as well as to ascertain if contraceptives are commonly used by adolescents in the area. The cross-sectional survey design was adopted for the study. Quantitative data were collected from 374 respondents which were analyzed using frequency tables, percentages and pie- charts. The result from the study showed that there was a significant difference across gender regarding level of awareness about contraceptives with female adolescents having some edge over their male counterparts. However, contraceptive use among adolescents in the area was very low. This has led to unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions as well as pregnancy- related mortality and mobility. The need to strengthen reproductive health education among in-school adolescents in Oredo local government area of Edo state, Nigeria was recommended.
Water and Land as Shared Resources for Agriculture and Aquaculture: Insights from Asia

Although agriculture and aquaculture depend on access to increasingly scarce, shared water resources to produce food for human consumption, they are most often considered in isolation. We argue that they should be treated as integrated components of a single complex system that is prone to direct or indirect tradeoffs that should be avoided while also being amenable to synergies that should be sought. Direct tradeoffs such as competition for space or the pollution of shared water resources usually occur when the footprints of agriculture and aquaculture overlap or when the two practices coexist in close proximity to one another. Interactions can be modulated by factors such as hydropower infrastructure and short-term economic incentives, both of which are known to disrupt the balance between aquaculture and agriculture. Indirect tradeoffs, on the other hand, play out across distances, i.e., when agricultural food sources are diverted to feed animals in aquaculture. Synergies are associated with the culture of aquatic organisms in rice paddies and irrigation waters, seasonal rotations of crop cultivation with aquaculture, and various forms of integrated agriculture–aquaculture (IAA), including jitang, a highly developed variant of pond-dike IAA. Policy decisions, socioeconomic considerations, and technology warrant increased scrutiny as determinants of tradeoffs and synergies. Priority issues for the future include guiding the expansion of aquaculture from its traditional base in Asia, taking advantage of the heterogeneity that exists within both agricultural and aquaculture systems, the development of additional metrics of tradeoffs and synergies, and adapting to the effects of climate change.
Sequential Extraction Resulted in Similar Fractionation of Ionic Zn, Nano- and Microparticles of ZnO in Acidic and Alkaline Soil

The evaluation of nanoparticle bioavailability or the bioavailability of dissolved elements by direct measurement through plant uptake is a strenuous process. Several multi-step sequential extraction procedures, including the BCR sequential extraction procedure, have been created to provide potential accessibility of elements, where real soil-plant transfer can be problematic to implement. However, these have limitations of their own based on the used extractants. For the purposes of our research, we enriched two soils: an untilted forest soil with naturally acidic pH and a tilted agricultural soil with alkaline pH by three Zn forms—ionic Zn in the form of ZnSO4, ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NP) and larger particles of ZnO (ZnO B)—by batch sorption. We then extracted the retained Zn in the soils by BCR sequential extraction procedure to extract three fractions: ion exchangeable, reducible, and oxidizable. The results were compared among the soils and a comparison between the different forms was made. Regardless of the difference in soil pH and other soil properties, ZnO NP, ZnO B, and ionic Zn showed little to no difference in the relative distribution between the observed soil fractions in both forest soil and agricultural soil. Since ionic Zn is more available for plant uptake, BCR sequential extraction procedure may overestimate the easily available Zn when amendment with ionic Zn is compared to particulate Zn. The absence of a first extraction step with mild extractant, such as deionized water, oversimplifies the processes the particulate Zn undergoes in soils.
Closed circuit system in laparoscopy: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

The return of the old enemy "Severe acute respiratory syndromecoronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2)" in a more powerful way has hit the world hard (Figure 1). Healthcare system is an epi-centre of this challenge. Many studies have shown the presence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B surface antigen (HbSAg) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the cautery smoke. Research has shown the presence of SARS COV-2 in feces, blood, peritoneal fluid and mucosa. SARS-CoV-2 Ribonucleic acid (RNA) has been found in the feces of infected patients. So there is a significant theoretical risk of generating aerosol contaminated SARS-CoV-2 while using energy source (Harmonic>>>ligasure>>cautery>standard), so in the Carbon dioxide (CO2) venting in laparoscopy. Laparoscopy/minimal access surgery (MAS) is the preferred method for most abdominal surgeries for obvious benefits. Healthcare workers (HCW) on the frontline in Operation theatre (OT) are at great risk. Many countries around the world had stopped elective operations as laparoscopy being an aerosol generating procedure (AGP) was a big concern. We in India too followed a similar path, but we had a worry of “safety versus economy”. ABSTRACT
High genetic diversity with low connectivity among Mauritia flexuosa (Arecaceae) stands from Ecuadorean Amazonia

Mauritia flexuosa dominated palm swamps are an important forest resource covering over 30,000 km2 across the Amazon basin. In Ecuadorean Amazonia, Mauritia flexuosa, a dioecious and arborescent palm species, forms small and isolated populations or large and dense stands on poorly drained soils. How these populations are genetically interconnected and how genetic diversity varies between cohorts of different ages remains little studied although they are important for conservation of these ecosystems. The genetic structure of Mauritia flexuosa was studied in five natural stands using eight microsatellite loci and two cohorts (seedling and adults). In addition, age structure and sex ratio within the stands were assessed using transects. The age structure of the studied Mauritia flexuosa stands is represented by a high number of seedlings (mean = 1,153.6/ha) and adults (mean = 563.2/ha), with a sex ratio favoring female individuals (1.42:1). These stands are also characterized by a fine‐scale genetic structure, high observed heterozygosity (mean: HO seedlings=0.52; HO adults=0.52), high inbreeding (mean: FIS seedlings = 0.26; FIS adults = 0.26), low number of migrants (Nm=0.29), strong genetic differentiation (mean: pairwise RST/ D‐values seedlings = 0.08/ 0.74; mean RST/D‐values adults = 0.17/ 0.76), and an average effective population size (Ne) of 191.42 individuals. No intergenerational genetic variation was detected between seedlings and adults. We suggest that the high genetic diversity and inbreeding as well as the strong differentiation among stands of these populations could be explained, at least partially, by a low genetic connectivity among populations. Destructive harvesting of its fruits and defaunation will be major threats to Mauritia flexuosa populations in the future.
Comparison of the Effectiveness of Ethanol and Radiofrequency Ablation in the Treatment of Thyroid Nodules and Their Effects on Cosmetic Scoring

Abstract Purpose In this study, we aimed to retrospectively evaluate the volumes and cosmetic scores of mixed-type and spongy-type thyroid nodules treated with ethanol and radiofrequency (RF) ablation before and after treatment. In addition, the safety and efficacy of ethanol and RF ablation treatment methods were compared. Methods In the radiology department, mixed-type and spongy-type benign thyroid nodules undergoing ethanol and RF ablation between February 2015 and March 2020 were evaluated retrospectively. Consequently, 50 patients who received ethanol ablation therapy and 46 patients who received RF ablation therapy were included in the study. Nodule volumes obtained in pretreatment, third-month, and sixth-month control ultrasounds were noted. Similarly, the cosmetic scores obtained pretreatment and at the sixth-month follow-up were recorded for all patients. Results All of the patients had a single nodule, and 46 patients (47.9%) received RF ablation, and 50 patients (52.1%) received ethanol ablation. The mean volume pretreatment in nodules with RF ablation was 21.41 ml, at the third-month control was 5.68 ml, and at the sixth-month control, it was 4.12 ml (p < 0.05). In ethanol ablation therapy, the mean volume pretreatment was 20.52 ml, at the third-month control was 8.76 ml and at the sixth-month control was 6.01 ml (p < 0.05). Conclusion A minimally invasive approach is increasingly used in the treatment of benign thyroid nodules. Our study showed that RF ablation was somewhat more successful in reducing cosmetic scores in patients with biopsy-proven benign mixed-type and spongy-type thyroid nodules, and both techniques were similarly effective in volume reduction.
CHALLENGING SPATIAL MARGINALIZATION THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION? A CASE STUDY OF THE TWITTER DISCOURSE ON HOUSING IN BERLIN

Stoltenberg, D. (2020, October 28-31). Challenging Spatial Marginalization through Social Media Communication? Paper presented at AoIR 2020: The 201th Annual Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers. Dublin, Ireland: AoIR. Retrieved from http://spir.aoir. org. CHALLENGING SPATIAL MARGINALIZATION THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION? A CASESTUDY OF THE TWITTER DISCOURSE ON HOUSING IN BERLIN
On Geography and War: New Perspectives on the Ardennes Campaigns of 1940 and 1944

We use examples from the European theater in World War II to argue that the assumption that combat is typically chaotic yields only limited insight into the large-scale evolution of military operations. To do this we examine the Ardennes campaigns of 1940 and 1944 in the context of explanatory devices used in physical geography such as complexity, nonlinearity, and emergence. We show that during the successful 1940 offensive that eventually led to the fall of France, the Germans were operating close to a set of thresholds in what we call the strategic space; the success of the offensive was contingent on a rapid advance and outmaneuvering of the Allied forces. In the readily defensible tactical space of the narrow Ardennes valleys, small changes in the conduct of or response to the German advance could have forced delays with profound consequences for the campaign. In 1944, by contrast, the Germans were not operating close to a system threshold and the attacking columns were frequently delayed or halted by determined resistance. Even if resistance had been weak, however, a breakout to Antwerp is unlikely to have been sustainable given the superiority in Allied power and the crippling supply problems facing the Germans.
Drought in the Upper Hron Region (Slovakia) between the Years 1984–2014

Climate change causes an increase in the frequency and severity of weather extremes. One of the most relevant severe and damaging phenomena in Europe is drought. However, a difference in the spatial frequency of the occurrence and drought trends is evident between southern and northern Europe. Central Europe and particularly the West Carpathian region form a transitional zone, and drought patterns are complicated because of the geomorphologically complicated landscape. Since almost half of the Slovak state territory is represented by such natural landscape, it is necessary to investigate regional drought specifics. Therefore, we decided to analyze drought occurrence and trends using the SPI (Standardised Precipitation Index) and the SPEI (Standardised Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index) at available climatological stations of the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMI) in the upper Hron region within the 1984–2014 period. We found that (1) drought incidence decreased with increasing altitude, (2) increasing air temperature increased the difference in drought trends between lowlands and mountains during the studied period, and (3) abrupt changes in time series of drought indices, that could indicate some signals of changing atmospheric circulation patterns, were not revealed. Finally, we constructed a simplified map of drought risk as an explanation resource for local decision-makers.
Character Association among Yield and Quality Traits in Early Maturing Sugarcane Clones

Eleven early maturing sugarcane clones were planted in Randomized Block Design for this study. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships among the yield and quality parameters with cane yield and sugar yield in sugarcane, in order to provide information to help breeders in adopting traits for developing high yield and quality varieties. The analysis of variance revealed significant differences among genotypes for eleven yield and quality characters. Highest cane yield (176.66 t/ha) was recorded in clone 2015R10 and highest Commercial Cane Sugar (CCS) % (14.16) were observed in Co C 671. Correlation coefficient results indicated that cane yield was positively correlated with germination (0.166), number of millable canes (0.210), cane length (0.650), cane girth (0.610), single cane weight (0.880), CCS yield (0.518) whereas Brix% (-0.838), Sucrose% (-0.821), Purity % (-0.720) and CCS % (-0.812) showed negative correlation with cane yield. Sugar yield per hectare is positively correlated with purity% (0.187), cane length (0.413), cane Original Research Article Reddy et al.; CJAST, 39(30): 137-143, 2020; Article no.CJAST. 61105 138 girth (0.503), single cane weight (0.515) and cane yield (0.518). Results indicate that the genotypes should be selected on the basis of cane length, cane girth and single cane weight for getting higher sugarcane yield.
Ethology Of Holcocephala fusca In Virginia (Diptera, Asilidae)

— Holcocephala fusca Bromley foraged primarily from twig tips on the edges of forest clearings. Prey were captured and immobilized in flight. The preferred prey consisted of Hymenoptera and Diptera. While in copula the male assumed a position similar to that observed in Leptogaster spp. , with his head down and dorsal surface facing the same way as the female's ventral surface. Collected eggs had hexagonal sculpturing on the chorion. Grooming behavior and nocturnal resting position are similar to that described for other species of Asilidae.
The Micro Anatomy of Macro Consumption Adjustments

We study crises characterized by large adjustments of aggregate consumption through their microlevel patterns. We document the cross-sectional patterns of consumption adjustment across the income distribution and find large adjustments for top-income households, who exhibit consumption-income elasticities similar to or larger than the average. We construct a heterogeneous-agent open economy model of consumption under income fluctuations and show that the data patterns are largely consistent with theories that attribute the dynamics of aggregate consumption to changes in aggregate permanent income. We also discuss our findings’ implications for theories based on the tightening of households’ borrowing constraints and analyze policy implications. (JEL D31, E21, E32, F33, G51, O11, O12)
Seasonal alteration in prevalence and intensity of naturally occurring gastrointestinal helminth infection in goats of New Alluvial zone of West Bengal, India

Abstract Parasitic gastroenteritis is one of the major limiting factors for optimum productivity in small ruminants. The present study was carried out to determine the seasonal alteration in prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths (GIH) and intensity of gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infection in goats of New Alluvial zone (NAZ) of West Bengal. A total of 4320 faecal samples of goats from six different places of NAZ were examined by the standard coprological techniques for the presence of gastrointestinal parasites during January 2014 to December 2015. The meteorological data of the study area were also collected from the Regional Meteorological Station, Kolkata. The prevalence of GIH was recorded as 70.52% and Strongyle (65.18%) group of nematodes was found significantly (p < 0.05) higher than other helminths. Highest (p < 0.05) prevalence (85.11%) as well as intensity of GIN infection (EPG = 640) was observed in monsoon and lowest (p < 0.05) prevalence (60.55%) and intensity (EPG = 340) was recorded in summer. Haemonchus contortus was found to be the predominant GIN species. The observations of the present study both in terms of parasite epidemiology and meteorological data should be utilised for planning strategic control measures against GI helminths in goats of NAZ of West Bengal.
Low-power high-performance 32-bit RISC-V microcontroller on 65-nm silicon-on-thin-BOX (SOTB)

In this paper, a 32-bit RISC-V microcontroller in a 65-nm Silicon-On-Thin-BOX (SOTB) chip is presented. The system is developed based on the VexRiscv Central Processing Unit (CPU) with the Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) extensions of RV32IM. Besides the core processor, the System-on-Chip (SoC) contains 8KB of boot ROM, 64KB of on-chip memory, UART controller, SPI controller, timer, and GPIOs for LEDs and switches. The 8KB of boot ROM has 7KB of hard-code in combinational logics and 1KB of a stack in SRAM. The proposed SoC performs the Dhrystone and Coremark benchmarks with the results of 1.27 DMIPS/MHz and 2.4 Coremark/MHz, respectively. The layout occupies 1.32-mm 2 of die area, which equivalents to 349,061 of NAND2 gate-counts. The 65-nm SOTB process is chosen not only because of its low-power feature but also because of the back-gate biasing technique that allows us to control the microcontroller to favor the low-power or the high-performance operations. The measurement results show that the highest operating frequency of 156- MHz is achieved at 1.2-V supply voltage (V DD ) with + 1.6-V back-gate bias voltage (V BB ). The best power density of 33.4- (cid:22) W/MHz is reached at 0.5- V V DD with + 0.8-V V BB . The least current leakage of 3-nA is retrieved at 0.5-V V DD with (cid:0) 2.0-V V BB .