Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Some Improved Varieties of Cassava (Manihot esculenta) (Crantz) for Resistance to cassava Bacterial Blight (CBB) in a Humid Forest Zone of Nigeria

Ten improved varieties of cassava Manihot esculenta (Crantz) obtained from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan and a local variety (Efuwa) which served as a local check were evaluated for resistance to Cassava Bacterial Blight (CCB) at the Rivers State Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) Research Farm Degema, Rivers State, Nigeria. The varieties were laid out in a randomized complete block design and replicated three times. Field observation showed that seven varieties were resistant to CBB infection with proportional increase in tuber yield except 91/02324, 97/3200 and 98/2101. Two categories of varieties were observed in the study. The first category consists 97/0162, 96/1642, 96/1632, 99/6012 and 94/0026 which had high resistance to CBB and good tuber yield (26.8�� ℎ�� −1 − 35.32�� ℎ�� −1 ) thus having potential in reducing foliar diseases as well as increasing tuber yield. The second category: TMS 30572, 96/1642, 99/6012 and 94/0026 produced relatively high biomass (10.68�� ℎ�� −1 − 23.32�� ℎ�� −1 ) and good tuber Yield (27.71�� ℎ�� −1 − 35.04�� ℎ�� −1 ). This group cantherefore be cultivatedfor good foliage and tuber yield. The
Genomic epidemiology of highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus in wild birds in South Korea during 2021–2022: Changes in viral epidemic patterns

Abstract Clade 2.3. 4.4b highly pathogenic avian influenza A (HPAI) viruses have been detected in wild birds worldwide, causing recurrent outbreaks since 2016. During the winter of 2021–2022, we detected one H5N8 and forty-three H5N1 clade 2.3. 4.4b HPAI viruses from wild birds in South Korea. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that HA gene of H5N1 viruses was divided into two genetically distinct groups (N1.G1 and N1.G2). Bayesian phylodynamic analysis demonstrated that wild birds play a vital role in viral transmission and long-term maintenance. We identified five genotypes (N1.G1.1, N1.G2, N1.G2.1, N1.G2.2, and N1.G2.2.1) having distinct gene segment constellations most probably produced by reassortments with low-pathogenic avian influenza viruses. Our results suggest that clade 2.3. 4.4b persists in wild birds for a long time, causing continuous outbreaks, compared with previous clades of H5 HPAI viruses. Our study emphasizes the need for enhancing control measures in response to the changing viral epidemiology.
Exploring the spatial relatedness network of the global system of international migration

ABSTRACT The global geography of international migration has a complex pattern that emerges from the distinct spatial distributions of many individual migrant groups. To visualise this structure, we use the spatial relatedness network of the global international migration system. Unlike traditional spatial networks based on real spatial interactions, spatial relatedness networks are based on possible relationships which are determined as a degree of agreement between the maps of the analysed phenomena. In this paper, the spatial relatedness network of the global migration system is conceptualised as an undirected network in which nodes represent individual migrant groups defined by the country of origin, and links between nodes correspond to their spatial relatedness in terms of similarity in their spatial distributions. We describe the construction of the network and explore some of its properties such as the clustering of migrant groups that share similar positions in the global migration system, signifying distinct spatial regimes of migrants’ destination choices.
Cervical biopsy after chemoradiation for locally advanced cervical cancer to identify residual disease: a retrospective cohort study

Objective To evaluate the value of cervical biopsies 12 to 16 weeks post chemoradiation (CRT) in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC), to identify patients eligible for salvage surgery. Methods We retrospectively collected data of 154 patients with LACC, who received chemoradiation as primary treatment between 1998 and 2015 at the Radboud university medical center in Nijmegen (Radboud). In patients eligible for salvage surgery, without suspicious lymph nodes on imaging, a cervical biopsy was taken post CRT under general anesthesia to evaluate whether complete clinical remission was obtained. We analyzed data from 78 patients with cervical biopsy post CRT and 60 patients without cervical biopsy. Follow-up, biopsy results, patient characteristics and subsequent treatment modalities were reviewed. Results In total, 154 patients with LACC received CRT. The median follow up time was 30.5 months. Sixteen patients (10.4%) were lost to follow up. Of the remaining 138 women, 78 patients underwent a cervical biopsy post CRT. Eight out of the 78 patients (10.3%) had residual disease after CRT, six of these patients underwent salvage surgery, with long-term complete remission in 4 of these patients (66.7%). Conclusion Post CRT cervical biopsy in locally advanced cervical cancer patients was beneficial in 4 out of 78 patients (5%). As 1 in 20 patients will achieve long-term survival by salvage hysterectomy, taking a cervical biopsy 16 weeks post radiation seems thus advisable.
What is happening with the avifauna of San Cristóbal

about to start at the CDRS, financed by the Fondo Ecuatoriano Canadiense para el Desarrollo (EcuadorianCanadian Development Fund). Concern is growing in the DPA (Direccion Provincial Agropecuaria/ Provincial Land & Livestock Administration). For example, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture recently prohibited the introduction of a new grass for the soccer stadium of Puerto Ayora. The beginning is very slow but itis all we ha ve for the momen t. Unfortuna tel y, this is just like a drop of water in the ocean. There is an urgent need for a broad-scale program and financial support for it. Too many international agencies are interested in "development" projects for Galapagos and quarantine must be fully supported by those agencies promoting it. If we can't work out a solution immediately, these agencies are directly responsible for the rapid acceleration in the destruction of the "natural Galapagos". Quarantine is a system of regulations that must move parallel to the development, and it must be supported. LITERA TURE CITED
Tumor Microenvironment-Responsive Drug Delivery Based on Polymeric Micelles for Precision Cancer Therapy: Strategies and Prospects

In clinical practice, drug therapy for cancer is still limited by its inefficiency and high toxicity. For precision therapy, various drug delivery systems, including polymeric micelles self-assembled from amphiphilic polymeric materials, have been developed to achieve tumor-targeting drug delivery. Considering the characteristics of the pathophysiological environment at the drug target site, the design, synthesis, or modification of environmentally responsive polymeric materials has become a crucial strategy for drug-targeted delivery. In comparison to the normal physiological environment, tumors possess a unique microenvironment, characterized by a low pH, high reactive oxygen species concentration, hypoxia, and distinct enzyme systems, providing various stimuli for the environmentally responsive design of polymeric micelles. Polymeric micelles with tumor microenvironment (TME)-responsive characteristics have shown significant improvement in precision therapy for cancer treatment. This review mainly outlines the most promising strategies available for exploiting the tumor microenvironment to construct internal stimulus-responsive drug delivery micelles that target tumors and achieve enhanced antitumor efficacy. In addition, the prospects of TME-responsive polymeric micelles for gene therapy and immunotherapy, the most popular current cancer treatments, are also discussed. TME-responsive drug delivery via polymeric micelles will be an efficient and robust approach for developing clinical cancer therapies in the future.
Integrative geospatial modeling : combining local and indigenous knowledge with geospatial applications for adaptive governance of invasive species and ecosystem services

ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . iv Integrative geospatial modeling: Seeking adaptive and collaborative management of invasive species and ecosystem services through an adaptive governance framework . 1 “Water is our life”: Assessing impacts of invasive Elodea spp. on aquatic resources and native livelihoods in Alaska.24 Integrating local pastoral knowledge, participatory mapping, and species distribution modeling for risk assessment of invasive rubber vine (Cryptostegia grandiflora) in Ethiopia's Afar region . 61 The importance of knowledge integration and co-production mechanisms for adaptive governance: Reflections on integrative geospatial modeling as a tool for adaptive and collaborative management . 94 Conclusions: Moving forward with integrative geospatial modeling . 132 References . 144 APPENDICES . 165
A Low-Complexity Gaussian Approximate Message Passing Detection Algorithm For Massive MIMO With High Order Modulation

In this paper, the low-complexity Gaussian approximate message passing (LC-GAMP) detection algorithm is proposed for massive MIMO with high order modulation. By using the partial set instead of the full set of the constellation symbols, the iterations in GAMP can be significantly reduced with negligible performance loss. Meanwhile, the proposed LC-GAMP algorithm is further improved via deep learning (DL). After tuning the update step size by introducing the trainable hyper-parameters, considerable detection performance improvement can be achieved. The simulation results show that the proposed LC-GAMP algorithm not only achieves a better trade-off between performance and computational complexity than the original GAMP algorithm, but also has a competitive performance compared to other MP based detection schemes.
The Impact of Education Level on Individual Lifestyle Behaviors among Dietetics Students and Professionals

Lifestyle and habits are acquired in the family environment and then shaped by the potential influence of the environment and received education. In recent years, there has been growing interest in understanding the relationship between sleep and dietary behaviors in various health professionals, including medical and dietetics professionals and students, as well as their self-perceived knowledge and attitudes. Despite the importance of this topic, there is a lack of research on the assessment of individual behaviors in dietetics students and professionals. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of education level on individual behaviors regarding nutrition, sleep, and physical activity in dietetics students and professionals. 71 dietetics students and professionals were enrolled in this study. Their overall knowledge, sleep, and nutritional behavior were assessed with a validated Questionnaire of Eating Behaviors at the beginning of their dietetics university education and then prospectively after a year. It was also compared to dieticians who already graduated. The analysis showed that the educational level did not correlate with sleep length or the physical activity level. However, the educational level was correlated with dietary knowledge and properly self-assessed by the participants. Significant differences were observed in both the prospective and comparative analyses. The educational level and knowledge were not correlated with eating behaviors. The self-assessment of nutritional behaviors also did not correlate with the objective assessment. Sleep length did not correlate with BMI, but it was inversely correlated with overall and healthy diet scores and knowledge levels. On the other hand, physical activity levels were positively correlated with healthy diet scores. Dietary education results in better nutritional knowledge; however, it does not significantly impact individual nutritional behaviors among dietetics students and professionals. Moreover, the inverse relationship between sleep length and nutritional knowledge and behaviors, as well as the positive relationship between physical activity level and dietary behaviors, shows that nutritional aspects of lifestyle are probably prioritized among dietetic students and professionals, with an acknowledgment of the role of physical activity and a neglect of sleep hygiene importance. Dietetics students should be advised to use their theoretical knowledge not only to guide their patients but also to implement it in their own lives.
Leaf litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics in four tree species of dry deciduous forest

The present study was conducted in a tropical dry deciduous forest at Barnawapara wildlife sanctuary, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India. Leaf litter decomposition and nutrient release were studied in four tree species viz., Shorea robusta C.F. Gaertn.f. , Madhuca indica J.F. Gmel. , Diospyros melanoxylon Roxb. and Schleichera oleosa (Lour.) Oken. The objectives of the study were to determine the weight loss and nutrient mineralization pattern of leaf litter of these four major species. The weight loss was fastest in S. robusta and slowest in M. indica. Monthly weight loss was positively related (P < 0.05) with the climatic factors (rainfall, temperature and relative humidity) except for M. indica for which the relationship was not significant. Weight remaining was inversely related (P < 0.01) to N and P concentrations, but was positively related to K concentration. The nutrient content in the residual litter decreased continuously with time for all species, except in the case of P for S. robusta and D. melanoxylon. We conclude that S. robusta decomposed at fasters rate followed by D. melanoxylon, S. oleosa and M. indica. The former species also released the two important nutrients (N and P) at a faster rate as compared to the other species. M. indica showed the slowest decomposition rate and nutrient release. Resumen: El presente estudio tuvo lugar en un bosque tropical caducifolio en el Santuario para la Vida Silvestre Barnawapara, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India. Se estudiaron la descomposicion del mantillo foliar y la liberacion de nutrientes en cuatro especies arboreas: Shorea robusta C.F. Gaertn, Madhuca indica J. F. Gmel. , Diospyros melanoxylon Roxb. y Schleichera oleosa (Lour.) Oken. Los objetivos del estudio fueron determinar la perdida de peso y el patron de mineralizacion de nutrientes del mantillo de estas cuatro especies principales. La perdida de peso mas rapida se presento en S. robusta y la mas lentaen M. indica. La perdida mensual de peso estuvo relacionada positivamente (P < 0.05) con los factores climaticos (lluvia, temperatura y humedad relativa) excepto para M. indica, especies en la que la relacion no fue significativa. El peso remanente estuvo inversamente relacionado (P < 0.01) conlas concentraciones de N y P, pero se relaciono positivamente con la concentracion de K. El contenido de nutrientes en elmantillo residual disminuyo continuamente con el tiempo en todas las especies, excepto en el caso del P para S. robusta y D. melanoxylon. Concluimos que S. robustatiene la tasa de descomposicion mas rapida, seguida por D. melanoxylon, S. oleosa y M. indica. La primera de estas especies tambien libero dos nutrientes importantes (N y P) a unatasa mas rapida en comparacion con otras especies. M. indica presento las tasasde descomposicion y de liberacion de nutrientes mas lentas.
Využívání krajiny a zdrojů kamenných surovin v mladém paleolitu Českých zemí

In the early phase of the Upper Palaeolithic all three of the parallel technocomplexes make use of environments of this type (on the interface of hillsides and lowland), but spatially they are partly exclusive. In the Garvettian (Pavlovian) settlement concentrated on river valleys, favourable from the point of view of both subsistence and long-distance, inter-group communications. This was expressed in a sharp increase in the import of stone raw material independent of distance from the predominant northern silicites. Both different strategies existed side by side even in difficult climate of the peak of the last pleniglacial, which they were able to confront in traditionally different environmental zones. The disappearance of Epi-Aurignacian adaptation may have owed something to the a certain overspecialisation as reflected in orientation to distance raw material sources and in the very unbalanced typological spectra. The population of the Magdalenian, invading from Western Europe, settled the predominantly karst legions without consideration of preceding local development (moreso in Moravia than in Bohemia), and even here only valleys with watercourses. The surrounding landscape was used pragmatically only for rapid movement after seasonal resources. A certain possibility of distortion arises from the fact that the movements and contacts of groups can he traced exclusively through the movement of stone raw materials, and even then only of the attractive and preferred ones. In all periods it is therefore easy to identify links to the north, where the sources of high quality Polish silicite are, while nothing speaks of any communication in the opposite direction.
Climatic and soil characteristics account for the genetic structure of the invasive cactus moth Cactoblastis cactorum, in its native range in Argentina

Background Knowledge of the physical and environmental conditions that may limit the migration of invasive species is crucial to assess the potential for expansion outside their native ranges. The cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum, is native to South America (Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil) and has been introduced and invaded the Caribbean and southern United States, among other regions. In North America there is an ongoing process of range expansion threatening cacti biodiversity of the genus Opuntia and the commercial profits of domesticated Opuntia ficus-indica. Methods To further understand what influences the distribution and genetic structure of this otherwise important threat to native and managed ecosystems, in the present study we combined ecological niche modeling and population genetic analyses to identify potential environmental barriers in the native region of Argentina. Samples were collected on the host with the wider distribution range, O. ficus-indica. Results Significant genetic structure was detected using 10 nuclear microsatellites and 24 sampling sites. At least six genetic groups delimited by mountain ranges, salt flats and wetlands were mainly located to the west of the Dry Chaco ecoregion. Niche modeling supports that this region has high environmental suitability where the upper soil temperature and humidity, soil carbon content and precipitation were the main environmental factors that explain the presence of the moth. Environmental filters such as the upper soil layer may be critical for pupal survival and consequently for the establishment of populations in new habitats, whereas the presence of available hosts is a necessary conditions for insect survival, upper soil and climatic characteristics will determine the opportunities for a successful establishment.
A Predictive Approach to Simulate Possible Impacts of Climate Change on the Agricultural Sector

The aim of this paper is to investigate the possible implications of climate change of maize and beans crop in the country of Belize. The approach utilized PRECIS and observed input data in combination with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) CROPWAT program. Six scenarios were predicted looking at Maximum Temperature (Tmax), Minimum Temperature (Tmin) and Rainfall for the years 2050-2055 along with observed data of similar climatic variables for the year 1998. The approach was use for three sites namely Towerhill which is located to the north of the country, Central Farm which is located at the center of the country and Toledo Research and Development Project Site (TRDP) which is located at the southernmost part of the country. The results showed that there was an increase in both maximum and minimum temperature at two of the three sites with the exception of the Towerhill site and there was a reduction in rainfall in all predicted scenario with the exception of Towerhill site in 2051 which exhibited a 4.28 % increase over the baseline scenario. The reference evapotranspiration ETo value illustrated more precisely the possible impact of climate change as there was an increase in of all ETo values at the three observation sites. In regards to yield percent reduction the scenarios determine that climate change would have an impact on crop yield. Where yield percent reduction was as high as 80.1% at the Central Farm site. The results determined that climate change will affect these crops, by validating this, more suitable strategies and mitigating programs can developed and established to assist Belize in the prevention of a future food crisis.
Detection of increased heating and estimation of coseismic shear stress from Raman spectra of carbonaceous material in pseudotachylytes

Frictional heat generated during earthquakes provides insight into the coseismic fault strength. To detect increased heating associated with faulting at seismic slip rates, we analyzed the Raman spectra of carbonaceous material in natural and experimental pseudotachylytes derived from argillite. The results indicate that the increased carbonization in pseudotachylytes relative to the host rocks could be detected when the ambient temperature is lower than 280°C. This increased carbonization can occur in ~4–16 s and is preserved even after alteration of pseudotachylytes. The comparison between experiment and Raman data demonstrated that there is a correlation between the average shear stress and the Raman spectra in pseudotachylytes. The average coseismic shear stress estimated from the correlation was 1.8 MPa. The resulting apparent friction coefficient under hydrostatic conditions at depths of 4–6 km was ~0.03–0.05. Raman analysis of carbonaceous material‐bearing pseudotachylytes will be useful for estimation of coseismic fault strength.
Evaluation of Seed Borne Mycoflora of Stored Cocoa Beans in South-West, Nigeria

Healthy and infected stored cocoa beans were obtained from three randomly selected cocoa stores in each of the five cocoa producing states of Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Ekiti and Ogun in South-West, Nigeria. Mycoflora associated with the beans were isolated using three different techniques. A total number of eleven storage moulds: Aspergillus flavus, A. ochraceous, A. versicolor, Rhizopus sp. , Pythium sp. , Fusarium solani, A. terreus, A. niger, A. fumigatus, Lasiodiplodia theobromae and Penicillium digitatum were isolated from both healthy and infected beans samples. Findings from this study have revealed that while members of the Aspergillus spp. are the dominant storage fungi of cocoa beans in South-West, Nigeria, the direct plating technique can be relied upon for effective microbial isolation. Observation of good agricultural and handling practices is therefore necessary to reduce the storage mould population on the beans and thus limit the risk of contamination.