Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estudi dels heteròpters (Insecta, Heteroptera) capturats amb trampa Malaise a Santa Coloma (Andorra)

Study of the Heteroptera collected in a Malaise trap al Santa Coloma (Andorra). A Malaise trap was installed between August 1992 and December 1993, in an spot of mediterranean characteristics, at 1050 m high. Samples were taken monthly in 1992 and forenightly in 1993. 870 specimens and 91 species were collected, belonging to the families: Tingidae, Miridae, Nabidae, Anthocoridae, Reduviidae, Aradidae, Lygaeidae, Coreidae, Alydidae, Rhopalidae, Scutelleridae and Pentatomidae. Miridae were the most frequent, abundant and diverse. The paper includes the list of species collected, and both phenologic and chorologic analyses. Diversity indexes (Shannon-WeaveM were also calculated for each sample. All those results are in good agreement with climatological characteristics of the area of study, and with biology, species richness, frequency and abundance of the families collected.
Techno-Economic Feasibility of a Grid-Connected Hybrid Renewable Energy System for a School in North-West Indonesia

Background: Schools typically have high diurnal fluctuation in electricity demand, with peak loads during daylight hours, which could be adequately met through harnessing solar renewable resources. This study demonstrates the strength of techno-economic assessment in selection and optimization of a grid-connected hybrid renewable energy system (HRES), utilizing local renewable resources to fulfil the daytime electricity demand for a school in northwest Indonesia. Methods: Three different scenarios are developed for optimizing the HRES configurations, comprising of PV panels, Wind turbine, Battery and Inverter. The following optimization parameters are used—one, technological performance of the HRES, in terms of their energy output to fulfil the energy deficit; two, economic performance of the HRES, in terms of their net present cost (NPC) and payback periods. Results: A clear trade-off is noted between the level of complexity of the three HRES, their renewable electricity generation potentials, NPC and payback periods. Scenario II, comprising of Solar PV and Inverter only, is found to be the most feasible and cost-effective HRES, with the optimized configuration of 245 kW PV capacity and 184 kW inverter having the lowest initial capital cost of US$ 51,686 and a payback time of 4 years to meet the school’s annual electricity load of 114,654 kWh. Its NPC is US$ −138,017 at the 20th year of installation. The negative value in year 20 is achieved through the sale of 40% of the renewable energy back to the grid. Conclusions: Techno-economic assessment can provide useful decision support in designing HRES relying on solar energy to serve predominantly daytime school electricity requirements in tropical countries.
Preliminary toxicity assessment of chromium (Cr) and lead (Pb) on terrestrial snail (Helix aspersa)

Received: 27 January 2020 Revised received: 21 March 2020 Accepted: 22 March 2020 Chromium and lead are among the major toxicants that have their own environmental concerns and are very harmful for living organisms even in small concentrations. The present study is performed to evaluate the acute toxicity potential of chromium and lead on terrestrial garden snail (Helix aspersa) at different concentration ranges from 1.0 mg/L to 20 mg/L at different exposure time. In determining acute toxicity, LC50 values after 24, 48, 72 and 96 h for both the metals were determined by probit statistical analysis method. Graphs also plotted between percent mortality and used concentrations to obtain regression equation and R values. The obtained median lethal concentration (LC50) for chromium were 15.13 mg/L, 12.88 mg/L, 6.76 mg/L and 4.027 mg/L for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h period of exposure, respectively. Similarly, for lead obtained LC50 values were 15.282 mg/L, 6.095 mg/L, 2.094 mg/L and 1.352 mg/L for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h period of exposure, respectively. The study signifies the role of these metals in causing metal stress which leads to variation in electrolytes and A/G (Albumin to Globulin) ratio. The analysis of obtained results revealed that chromium is less toxic to H. aspersa in comparison to lead at similar concentrations and exposure time. It is concluded that the present study is one of its own kind of approach which may contribute in developing standard protocols for determining preliminary toxicity assessment of different heavy metals.
Genetic relationships among pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) ecomorphs in freshwater reservoirs of Portugal

High levels of morphological differentiation have been found among pumpkinseeds (Lepomis gibbosus) occupying four habitat types in Portuguese reservoirs. To investigate the underlying mechanism behind the phenotypic differentiation among ecomorphs, we used six microsatellite markers to assess patterns of genetic differentiation among and within eight naturalised reservoir populations. Greater genetic differentiation was seen among reservoir populations than within reservoirs (FST > 0.041, P < 0.002). structure analysis revealed the presence of two distinct genetic groups among the set of eight reservoir populations. However, an analysis of co- occurring forms that were identified a priori by their respective habitats was consistent with a single panmictic group, suggesting that morphological differentiation has arisen in sympatry (i.e., within a reservoir, postintroduction). The observed relationships within and among reservoir populations, combined with the timeframe of ecomorph divergence, suggest the strong likelihood of phenotypic plasticity as the underlying mechanism of diversification in the introduced pumpkinseed.
Effect of storage, size of nut and soaking length on sprout emergence in cashew.

Study carried out at the Kogi State University, Faculty of Agriculture, Anyigba in the Southern Guinea Savanna ecological zone, Nigeria investigated the response of sprouting in cashew nut to storage length, nut size, nut soaking and their interactions. Three storage periods (0, 2 and 4 weeks), nut size (large, medium and small) and four soaking periods (0, 12, 24 and 36 hours) were investigated. Contrary to the non significant (p>0.05) effect of nut storage on days to sprout emergence, nut size significantly (p<0.05) influenced days to sprout emergence, with the least days to nut sprouting observed in small nuts, while large nuts were the last to sprout. Sprout also responded positively to soaking length. Interaction effects revealed significant interactions between nut storage and nut size; nut storage and nut soaking; nut size and nut soaking on sprouting in cashew. Pre-soaking nuts in water for 24 or 36 hours before sowing was observed to give the best result for soaking treatment. Pre-soaking nuts for 24 to 36 hours is therefore recommended for farmers involved in raising cashew crop, as this gave the least mean day to sprout emergence.
Dominance and G×E interaction effects improve genomic prediction and genetic gain in intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium)

Genomic selection (GS) based recurrent selection methods were developed to accelerate the domestication of intermediate wheatgrass [IWG, Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkworth & D.R. Dewey]. A subset of the breeding population phenotyped at multiple environments is used to train GS models and then predict trait values of the breeding population. In this study, we implemented several GS models that investigated the use of additive and dominance effects and G×E interaction effects to understand how they affected trait predictions in intermediate wheatgrass. We evaluated 451 genotypes from the University of Minnesota IWG breeding program for nine agronomic and domestication traits at two Minnesota locations during 2017–2018. Genet‐mean based heritabilities for these traits ranged from 0.34 to 0.77. Using four‐fold cross validation, we observed the highest predictive abilities (correlation of 0.67) in models that considered G×E effects. When G×E effects were fitted in GS models, trait predictions improved by 18%, 15%, 20%, and 23% for yield, spike weight, spike length, and free threshing, respectively. Genomic selection models with dominance effects showed only modest increases of up to 3% and were trait‐dependent. Cross‐environment predictions were better for high heritability traits such as spike length, shatter resistance, free threshing, grain weight, and seed length than traits with low heritability and large environmental variance such as spike weight, grain yield, and seed width. Our results confirm that GS can accelerate IWG domestication by increasing genetic gain per breeding cycle and assist in selection of genotypes with promise of better performance in diverse environments.
Computational Hybrid Machine Learning Based Prediction of Shear Capacity for Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beams

Understanding shear behavior is crucial for the design of reinforced concrete beams and sustainability in construction and civil engineering. Although numerous studies have been proposed, predicting such behavior still needs further improvement. This study proposes a soft-computing tool to predict the ultimate shear capacities (USCs) of concrete beams reinforced with steel fiber, one of the most important factors in structural design. Two hybrid machine learning (ML) algorithms were created that combine neural networks (NNs) with two distinct optimization techniques (i.e., the Real-Coded Genetic Algorithm (RCGA) and the Firefly Algorithm (FFA)): the NN-RCGA and the NN-FFA. A database of 463 experimental data was gathered from reliable literature for the development of the models. After the construction, validation, and selection of the best model based on common statistical criteria, a comparison with the empirical equations available in the literature was carried out. Further, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate the importance of 16 inputs and reveal the dependency of structural parameters on the USC. The results showed that the NN-RCGA (R = 0.9771) was better than the NN-FFA and other analytical models (R = 0.5274–0.9075). The sensitivity analysis results showed that web width, effective depth, and a clear depth ratio were the most important parameters in modeling the shear capacity of steel fiber-reinforced concrete beams.
The role of dividend yield as agency conflict determinant: case of Indonesia

This study provides evidence about how stockholders control insiders using dividend policy to prevent overinvestment. This study observes the dividend yield, market risk, profitability, and growth opportunities of 155 public firms listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2017. The dividend yield data were split into quartiles and categorized into the following areas: 1) firms with the lowest dividend yields, 2) firms with lower dividend yields, 3) firms with higher dividend yields, and 4) firms with the highest dividend yields. This study conducts multinomial regression for testing the hypotheses. The results confirm that systematic risk has an insignificant relationship with dividend policy, and profitability has a significant relationship with dividend policy. Consistent with agency theory in supporting free cash flow theory, this study finds that the agency problem exists for firms with high dividend yields relative to firms with low dividend yields in the context of Indonesian public firms. The systematic risk has an insignificant relationship with dividend policy, of which the study sample is limited. The findings also imply that stockholders tend to control insiders in case of overinvestment. Besides, this study also finds that market risk as a systematic risk is insignificant both for firms with high and low dividend yields.
HOMOCYSTEINE LOWERING EFFECT OF DONEPEZIL AND VITAMIN B12 SUPPLEMENT IN ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

Background: Association of homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism with cognitive dysfunction in AD pathogenesis has been revealed by many studies. The aim of this study was to investigate serum levels of vitamin B12 (VB12) and Hcy with response to donepezil and VB12 supplement therapy in AD treatment. Methods: Study comprised of 71 AD patients and 70 healthy controls above 60 years of age. Blood serum samples were analyzed for VB12 and Hcy levels by the chemiluminescence method. AD patients were treated with donepezil (5mg/day) and nutritional supplement containing VB12 (1.5mg/day) and was observed at intervals of 3 and 6 months. Statistical evaluation was done by using IMB SPSS statistics version 25. Results: The serum levels of Hcy were significantly higher and VB12 were significantly low in AD patients as compared to baseline. The therapy did not show any improvement at 3 months interval but after 6 months the serum levels of VB12 increased and Hcy decreased as compared to 3 months. Hcy and VB12 show a negative correlation with each other in AD groups. (p < 0.01) Conclusion: We conclude that the combination of donepezil and VB12 not only render symptomatic reliefs in AD patients, but also helps to revive from the metabolic consequences caused due to HHcy. It lowers the serum Hcy levels in AD, thereby reducing the progressive neurodegeneration and further vascular complications of AD. Research on efficacy of this combination therapy for a longer duration will help in better understanding of the disease pathogenesis and thus develop novel therapeutic target drugs.
Pre-university students’ perceptions about the life cycle of bioplastics and fossil-based plastics

Sustainability has become a prominent theme in society and can be considered as an integral part of scientific citizenship. This study investigates to what extent the production, use and re-use of (bio)plastics initiates students’ reasoning and to identify the kind of content knowledge students put forward. The structure of students’ arguments was mapped according to Toulmin's model of argumentation, i.e., claim, data, warrant & backing and qualifier & rebuttals. Students (N = 27, grade 10 & 11) participated in groups of three. The students were introduced to the topic of the production, use and re-use of plastics by watching a video, answering questions, reading articles and having interviews and group discussions. Students were prompted to argue on the sustainability of bioplastics and fossil-based plastics. The results show that students frequently used arguments related to preventing pollution, designing to recycle and designing to degrade. However, themes such as avoiding waste, origin of energy and materials, energy efficiency and costs were rarely used or even absent in students’ reasoning. Overall, the students’ reasoning contained all of Toulmin's categories, and especially the increase in the number of qualifier & rebuttals is interpreted as an indication of awareness of the complexity of the issue at hand. This study underlines that students are able to bring in relevant scientific knowledge when confronted with a suitable sustainability issue, but also more societally oriented arguments enriched their perspective. Implications for the design of interventions aiming to engage students in life cycle analysis (on plastics) are discussed.
The efficacy of riparian tree cover as a climate change adaptation tool is affected by hydromorphological alterations

Riparian tree cover has been widely proposed as a key climate change adaptation and mitigation strategy for stream temperature management. Riparian tree cover moderates stream temperature by intercepting solar radiation, a significant heat source in affected systems. However, many aspects of hydromorphological state can shape the realised temperature regime of a river and these elements may interact with riparian tree cover. This study investigated the thermal buffering effect of tree cover on rivers with varying degrees of hydromorphological alteration for example, modified channel morphology, substrate and floodplain connectivity. Results indicated that the effectiveness of tree cover as a stream temperature management tool can change across systems depending on the extent of hydromorphological alteration. Greater tree cover had a pronounced cooling effect on stream temperature in altered study sites, but temperatures were typically still lower in more natural (less disturbed) sites, irrespective of the extent of tree cover. This finding suggests a hydromorphological threshold at which the effectiveness of riparian tree cover as a temperature management tool diminishes. Climate proofing in some rivers may thus require provision of both riparian tree cover and functioning hydromorphological processes to replicate more natural stream temperature dynamics. This perspective also suggests that more pristine rivers will retain greater resistance to projected temperature disturbance associated with a warming climate because of their inherent thermal buffering capacity.
Parkinsonism Versus Concomitant Parkinson's Disease in Fragile X–Associated Tremor/Ataxia Syndrome

Fragile X–associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a late‐onset neurodegenerative disorder associated with premutation alleles (55–200 CGG repeats) of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene. FXTAS is characterized by the presence of ubiquitin‐positive inclusions in neurons and astrocytes and by cerebellar tremor and ataxia. Parkinsonism has been reported in FXTAS, but most patients lack the characteristic rest tremor and severe rigidity seen in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD).
Single-phase fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of nanofluid in a circular microchannel: Development of flow and heat transfer correlations

The convective heat transfer in microchannels with the use of nanofluids has proved to be a potential candidate for cooling of micro-electromechanical system devices. The current research article presents the experimental study on fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of Al 2 O 3 /water nanofluid in a microchannel under thermally developing laminar flow at Reynolds number ranging from 300 to 1000. The experimental set-up of a circular microchannel test section with an inner diameter of 500 μ m and length of 100 mm is fabricated to conduct the experimental study. The effect of nanoparticle concentration ( 1 . 0 - 3 . 0 % ), Reynolds number ( 300 ≤ Re ≤ 1000 ) on fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of Al 2 O 3 /water nanofluid have been measured and compared with that of distilled water (DW). The results indicate that the maximum enhancement in local heat transfer coefficient is achieved up to 24 . 5 % , while friction factor is achieved up to 22 . 7 % for Al 2 O 3 /water nanofluid with nanoparticle concentration of 3 . 0 % as compared to DW. The results showed that the performance evaluation criterion of Al 2 O 3 /water nanofluid is greater than unity ( η > 1 . 0 ), implying the benefits of nanofluids as compared to DW. Moreover, the predicted data obtained by the present proposed correlations for friction factor and local Nusselt number using Al 2 O 3 /water nanofluid show reasonably good agreement with the deviations of ± 5 % and ± 10 % , respectively, with the numerical data as compared to the predicted data obtained by the existing correlations available in the literature.
Influence of plant hormones on virus replication and pathogenesis-related proteins inPhaseolus vulgarisL. infected with white clover mosaic potexvirus

Abstract The influence of plant hormones on the replication of white clover mosaic potexvirus (WClMV) in Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Top Crop was examined. Plants were wick-fed hormones and the influence on virus replication was assessed using ELISA to measure virus titre. Abscisic acid, indole-3-acetic acid and gibberellic acid did not affect virus replication, while dihydrozeatin, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), salicylic acid and jasmonic acid all inhibited virus replication. Hormone treatment did not prevent systemic spread of the virus but virus titre in the systemic leaves was reduced by dihydrozeatin, ACC, salicylic acid and jasmonic acid. Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins from groups 2 and 3 were detected in hormone treated plants but only following virus challenge. PR-proteins are unlikely to act directly upon viruses, and the expression of PR-proteins may be the result of viral-induced hormone imbalance. The absence of both induced PR-1 proteins and a hypersensitive response indicated that resistance to WClMV was independent of systemic acquired resistance.
Biomass and Chemical Composition of Tobacco Plants Under High Density Growth

Abstract Ten tobacco cultivars representing various tobacco types were directly seeded in the field at 70 to 80 plants per square meter and were harvested when 50 to 60 cm high. Biomass yield ranged from 44 to 70 metric tons per hectare, with Ky16 Mammoth having the highest yield. The Mammoth variety, however, had the lowest leaf/stalk ratio (1.77), whereas Coker 139 bad the highest (4.04). One metric ton of wet biomass produced about 6 to 8 kg of soluble protein, which is independent of the leaf/stalk ratio. Analyses of the deproteinized fibrous residues revealed that the levels of neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, cellulose, and apparent hemicellulose were comparable among the ten cultivars. A large variation of lignin content was observed among the dark green tobaccos. Burley, in general, had lower concentrations of starch and protein in the fibrous residue than the dark green tobacco. When compared with the deproteinized alfalfa fibrous residue, the low concentrations of lipids, lignin, and cellulose and a greater amount of apparent hemicellulose in the tobacco residue show its suitability as animal feed. The present results also indicate that the selection of tobacco genotypes is of importance for high density cultivation in the production of soluble protein and fibrous residue.
Methyl-coenzyme M formation in methanogenic archaea

Methyl-coenzyme M (2-methylthioethane sulfonate) is the key intermediate of methane formation in methanogenic archaea. It is generated from coenzyme M (2-mercaptoethane sulfonate) in methyl transfer reactions catalyzed by proteins containing zinc. Here, we report that, for methyltransferase MtaA from Methanosarcina barkeri, the zinc is involved in coenzyme M activation. For the experiments an inactive MtaA apoprotein was obtained by heterologous overproduction in Escherichia coli grown in the presence of 2 mm EDTA. The apoprotein was found to react with zinc or cobalt to the fully active holoenzyme. Appoximately 1 mol of transition metal was bound per mol of protein. Upon incubation of the holoenzyme with coenzyme M ≈ 1 mol of proton was released per mol of zinc or cobalt. Protons were not released upon incubation of the apoprotein with coenzyme M or of the holoprotein with other thiol compounds or with methyl-coenzyme M. The findings are interpreted as indicating that the role of the transition metal in MtaA is to lower the microscopic pKa of the thiol group of coenzyme M by coordination to the zinc, and thus to increase its nucleophilicity for methyl group attack. The pKZn2+ of MtaA was re-determined and found to be > 15 and not 9.6 as previously reported by us.