Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unclenching the potentials of global core germplasm for root nodulation traits for increased biological nitrogen fixation and productivity in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea being an important food legume crop is able to fix the atmospheric nitrogen and form root nodules that support biologicalnitrogen fixation- a sustainable alternative for nitrogen supply to agriculture worldwide. In order to support findings on nodule formation in chickpeas, a diverse core set of 300 chickpea genotypes, including four checks, was evaluated for morphological and nodulation traits in four different environments. The maximum genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation was observed for a number of nodules, nodule fresh weight, shoot fresh weight, and number of seeds per plant. The heritability for most of the characters ranged from 26.56 for days to 50% flowering to 99.61 for a number of pods per plant. The genotypic and phenotypic correlation coefficient analysis revealed that the number of nodules was positively correlated with seed yield. Further, seed yield was partitioned into direct and indirect effects at genotypic and phenotypic levels through path coefficient analysis. Significant genotypic correlations and direct positive effects were exhibited by a number of nodules and number of pods per plant on grain yield. Based on the D2 statistics, the number of seeds per plant, number of pods per plant, shoot fresh weight and number of nodules have been identified as top-ranking yield contributing traits. The genotypes ICC1013 and ICC16569 for a number of nodules and ICC1049 for the trait number of seeds per plant were identified as potential stable donors for the respective traits with high mean yield, heritability and genetic advance across the locations and can be used as donors in the chickpea breeding programs for increasing biological nitrogen fixation and enhancement of the crop productivity.
The Influence of Leadership Style on Employee Performance at The Cicantayan Sub-District Office

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of leadership style on employee performance in the Cicantayan sub-district office located in Sukabumi Regency. The research will utilize quantitative methods with a descriptive approach. The target population consists of all employees working at the Cicantayan District Office, amounting to 22 individuals who will be included as the sample for this study. Data collection will involve the use of questionnaires and a review of relevant literature. The findings indicate a positive and significant relationship between leadership style and employee performance, confirming the initial hypothesis that increasing leadership style positively influences employee performance
Global variability of carbon use efficiency in terrestrial ecosystems

Abstract. Vegetation carbon use efficiency (CUE) is a key measure of carbon (C) transfer from the atmosphere to terrestrial biomass, and indirectly reflects how much C is released through autotrophic respiration from the vegetation to the atmosphere. Diagnosing the variability of CUE with climate and other environmental factors is fundamental to understand its driving factors, and to further fill the current gaps in knowledge about the environmental controls on CUE. Thus, to study CUE variability and its driving factors, this study established a global database of site-year CUE based on observations from 188 field measurement sites for five ecosystem types – forest, grass, wetland, crop and tundra. The spatial pattern of CUE was predicted from global climate and soil variables using Random Forest, and compared with estimates from Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) from the TRENDY model ensemble. Globally, we found two prominent CUE gradients in ecosystem types and latitude, that is, CUE varied with ecosystem types, being the highest in wetlands and lowest in grassland, and CUE decreased with latitude with the lowest CUE in tropics, and the highest CUE in higher latitude regions. CUE varied greatly between data-derived CUE and TRENDY-CUE, but also among TRENDY models. Both data-derived and TRENDY-CUE challenged the constant value of 0.5 for CUE, independent of environmental controls. However, given the role of CUE in controlling the spatial and temporal variability of the terrestrial biosphere C cycle, these results emphasize the need to better understand the biotic and abiotic controls on CUE to reduce the uncertainties in prognostic land-process model simulations. Finally, this study proposed a new estimate of net primary production based on CUE and gross primary production, offering another benchmark for net primary production comparison for global carbon modelling.
A Multiple Classifier System to improve mapping complex land covers: a case study of wetland classification using SAR data in Newfoundland, Canada

ABSTRACT There are currently various classification algorithms, each with its own advantages and limitations. It is expected that fusing different classifiers in a way that the advantages of each are selected can boost the accuracy in the classification of complex land covers, such as wetlands, compared to using a single classifier. Classification of wetlands using remote-sensing methods is a challenging task because of considerable similarities between wetland classes. This fact is more important when utilizing synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data, which contain speckle noise. Consequently, discriminating wetland classes using only SAR data is generally not as accurate as using some other satellite data, such as optical imagery. In this study, a new Multiple Classifier System (MCS), which combines five different algorithms, was proposed to improve the classification accuracy of similar land covers. This system was then applied to classify wetlands in a study area in Newfoundland, Canada, using multi-source and multi-temporal SAR data. The results demonstrated that the proposed MCS was more accurate for the classification of wetlands in terms of both overall and class accuracies compared to applying one specific algorithm. Therefore, it is expected that the proposed system improves the classification accuracy of other complex landscapes.
Status of large carnivores and their prey in tropical rainforests of South-western Ghats, India

Information on large carnivores and their prey is generally lacking in many tropical rainforest habitats of the world. During March to October 2006, 2007 and 2010, we conducted sign and automated camera trap surveys for tiger (Panthera tigris), leopard (Panthera pardus) and dhole (Cuon alpinus) in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR), Western Ghats. Line transect sampling was carried out to estimate prey species density (total effort 353.2 km). Highest sign encounter rate per km walk was observed for leopard (1.26), followed by dhole (0.67) and tiger (0.18). Spatially explicit maximum likelihood and Bayesian model estimates (individuals 100 km -2 ) were 2.2 ± 1.6 and 2.9 ± 1.4 for tigers and 2.8 ± 2.0 and 2.4 ± 1.3 for leopards, respectively. Photographic encounter rate of dhole was 1.9 in 2006 and 0.6 in 2010 / 100 trap-nights. Leopards exhibited peak activity at night while tigers were active during early mornings and late evenings. Dholes appeared to be mostly diurnal. Overall ungulate density was 11.9 ± 3.7 individuals km-2. The ungulate biomass was 2614 kg km-2. This
Enumeration, variability, and transport of Escherichia coli in the foreshore reservoir and surface water at freshwater beaches

Beaches are of immense recreational, societal and economic value. This value, however, is considerably diminished by poor water quality. Fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) are measured at recreational beaches worldwide to assess the water quality. A beach closure or advisory is issued if FIB concentrations in surface water exceed recreational water quality standards. Due to the lengthy time required to enumerate FIB (24 – 96 hours), statistical and mechanistic models have been developed to predict water quality exceedances a priori and to better understand why and under what conditions water quality exceedances occur. These models as well as beach water quality management strategies are often based on limited mechanistic understanding of the fate and transport of FIB in the beach environment. For instance, FIB are known to accumulate at very high concentrations in foreshore sand and porewater at beaches (herein referred to as the foreshore reservoir). The dynamics of FIB accumulation in the foreshore reservoir and its subsequent release, including the impact on surface water quality exceedances, is unknown. It is also unclear how to best quantify the abundance of FIB in the reservoir including its partitioning between the sand and pore water. An increased understanding of the behavior of FIB at beaches is needed to improve the accuracy of predictive water quality models, develop effective measures to reduce water quality exceedances, improve water quality monitoring strategies, and ultimately to better protect human health at recreational beaches. This thesis focuses on addressing key knowledge gaps regarding the behavior and quantification of FIB in the foreshore reservoir. In the first study, seasonal and daily variabilities in FIB concentrations in the foreshore reservoir and surface water are evaluated including determining the influence of environmental factors, such as temperature, waves, and rainfall. In this study, seasonal variability in FIB concentrations in the surface water and foreshore reservoir were found to depend on environmental factors, with some beaches showing a gradual increasing trend through the summer, then decreasing towards the beginning of fall. However, daily variation showed that FIB variability is much more complex and FIB may not simply accumulate over the summer months as previously thought. Further, this study showed for the first time that FIB may be able to replicate in
Reconciling the changes in atmospheric methane sources and sinks between the Last Glacial Maximum and the pre‐industrial era

We know from the ice record that the concentration of atmospheric methane, [CH4], at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) was roughly half that in the pre‐industrial era (PI), but how much of the difference was source‐driven, and how much was sink‐driven, remains uncertain. Recent developments include: a higher estimate of the LGM‐PI change in methane emissions from wetlands―the dominant, natural methane source; and the possible recycling of OH consumed in isoprene oxidation―the principal methane sink. Here, in view of these developments, we use an atmospheric chemistry‐transport model to re‐examine the main factors affecting OH during this period: changes in air temperature and emissions of non‐methane volatile organic compounds from vegetation. We find that their net effect was negligible (with and without an OH recycling mechanism), implying the change in [CH4] was almost entirely source driven―a conclusion that, though subject to significant uncertainties, can be reconciled with recent methane source estimates.
Hydrologic impacts of changes in climate and glacier extent in the Gulf of Alaska watershed

High‐resolution regional‐scale hydrologic models were used to quantify the response of late 21st century runoff from the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) watershed to changes in regional climate and glacier extent. NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis data were combined with five Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 general circulation models (GCMs) for two representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios (4.5 and 8.5) to develop meteorological forcing for the period 2070–2099. A hypsographic model was used to estimate future glacier extent given assumed equilibrium line altitude (ELA) increases of 200 and 400 m. GCM predictions show an increase in annual precipitation of 12% for RCP 4.5 and 21% for RCP 8.5, and an increase in annual temperature of 2.5°C for RCP 4.5 and 4.3°C for RCP 8.5, averaged across the GOA. Scenarios with perturbed climate and glaciers predict annual GOA‐wide runoff to increase by 9% for RCP4.5/ELA200 case and 14% for the RCP8.5/ELA400 case. The glacier runoff decreased by 14% for RCP4.5/ELA200 and by 34% for the RCP8.5/ELA400 case. Intermodel variability in annual runoff was found to be approximately twice the variability in precipitation input. Additionally, there are significant changes in runoff partitioning and increases in snowpack runoff are dominated by increases in rain‐on‐snow events. We present results aggregated across the entire GOA and also for individual watersheds to illustrate the range in hydrologic regime changes and explore the sensitivities of these results by independently perturbing only climate forcings and only glacier cover.
A meta‑ and bioinformatics analysis of maspin expression levels influencing the prognosis of patients with breast cancer

Maspin is a serine protease inhibitor that is encoded by the human SERPINB5 gene. As a tumor inhibitor, it can inhibit the growth of tumor cells, increase adhesion between tumor cells and inhibit tumor angiogenesis. In the present study, a meta- and bioinformatics analysis was performed through the PubMed and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases including entries added until up to March 20, 2023. It was found that compared with normal breast tissue, maspin expression was downregulated in breast cancer tissue. Maspin expression was negatively associated with lymph node metastasis. According to Kaplan-Meier plotter, it was found that lower maspin expression was negatively associated with the overall and distant metastasis-free survival rate of patients with estrogen receptor-positive, luminal A and grade 2 breast cancer. High expression of maspin was also positively associated with the relapse-free survival rate of patients of the luminal A subtype. Low maspin expression was positively associated with the post-progression and distant metastasis-free survival rate of the progesterone receptor-negative subtype. According to the GEPIA database, SERPINB5 mRNA expression was higher in normal than breast cancer tissues and negatively correlated with the TNM stage. High expression of maspin was also positively associated with the overall survival rate. In the UALCAN database, it was found that the mRNA and promoter methylation levels of SERPINB5 were higher in normal than in breast cancer tissues. These findings suggest that the expression of maspin may serve as a potential marker to indicate the occurrence, subsequent progression and even prognosis of breast cancer.
Effect of Autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy on the Pregnancy Outcomes of Women with Repeated Implantation Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background : A major challenge in reproductive medicine is repeated implantation failure (RIF). Possible benefits of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for pregnancy outcomes are still uncertain, and more evidence is required to properly evaluate this. The current meta-analysis was therefore carried out to assess the impact of intrauterine PRP infusion on pregnancy outcomes in women with RIF. Methods : Various databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase) were screened for English-language papers that investigated the effect of PRP treatment on pregnancy outcomes in RIF women who underwent in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI). This effect was analyzed in both frozen-thawed and fresh cycles. These studies involved randomized controlled trial (RCT) and quasi-experimental (non-randomized experimental) studies, but excluded case-control, case series, self-control, cross-sectional studies. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was employed to determine study quality. Risk ratios (RRs) were calculated for dichotomous outcome variables, and weighted mean difference (WMD) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for continuous outcome variables. These were performed under fixed-or random-effect models. Results : This meta-analysis evaluated 15 articles from the literature. Improved pregnancy outcomes were observed in RIF women who received PRP, including higher rates of implantation, clinical pregnancy and live birth compared to control patients. Conclusions : The results of this study indicate that PRP could be a useful treatment strategy for RIF patients and those with a thin endometrium. Additional large RCTs are required to identify the subpopulation of women who could derive the maximum benefit from PRP.
First Ex Situ In Vitro Propagation Protocol of Coronilla viminalis Salisb., An Endangered Fodder Species Adapted to Drought and Salinity

Coronilla viminalis Salisb. is a fodder leguminous plant from the Canary Islands and Northwestern Africa with adaptation to drought. Its conservation status is critical. Its low germination capacity and intense loss of viability of the seeds over time complicate its conservation, limiting its long-term maintenance in germplasm banks and hampering its potential use as a resilient fodder crop. Therefore, in this work, two alternative propagation methods have been addressed. The first was based on facilitating seed germination under aseptic conditions, supplementing the media with gibberellic acid (GA3). The latter consisted of creating a micropropagation method from nodal segments and testing different media and pretreatments with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). The quantity and quality of the roots were assessed, and the plant acclimation rate was measured. The results showed that the optimum concentration of GA3 for germination, up to 98%, was 250 PPM. The experiments showed that using IAA in the micropropagation media is critical for in vitro rooting in this species. A hormonal pretreatment with IAA significantly improved the rooting efficiency compared to supplementing it into the culture media. One hundred percent of acclimated plants survived the process. These new protocols will help conserve the species and explore its possibilities as fodder crops.
The Effect of Locus Of Control, Self Efficacy, and E-Learning Effectiveness on Accounting Understanding

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of locus of control, self-efficacy, and effectiveness of e-learning on accounting understanding, with the background of the importance of the role of universities in producing competent graduates in accounting. With the Covid-19 pandemic, the learning process has changed, namely by learning through online media compared to face-to-face learning. The research population is students who graduated from the 7th semester in the accounting department at Pamulang University. The sample contains 100 data using the Slovin formula with an error margin of 10%. Data was collected through the distribution of google form questionnaires and analyzed using the combination concurrent embedded method. This research can be a reference for the academic community and also the government to produce policies and provide online-based learning services so as to produce reliable and competent graduates in the accounting field. The results show that locus of control has a significant effect on understanding Accounting, Self Efficacy, has a significant effect on accounting understanding, while the effectiveness of E-Learning has no significant effect on accounting understanding
Reference intervals for serum creatinine and urea in the adult western Sudanese population

Introduction: Serum creatinine and urea levels are affected by numerous factors such as ethnicity, environment, age, sex, and anthropometric measurements. The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) recommends that each laboratory should establish its own reference intervals for biochemistry and haematology. There are no local reference intervals for serum creatinine and blood urea in Sudan; instead, intervals derived from worldwide research are used. The purpose of this study was to determine the blood urea and serum creatinine reference intervals for healthy adults in the Western Sudanese population. Method: Randomly selected adult Sudanese residents of Al Fashir City who were from the Western Sudan states of Kordofan and Darfur were the subjects of a cross-sectional study conducted in September and October 2018. We recruited 153 participants. After giving their consent, they were evaluated using a questionnaire that collected medical history and demographic information. We used standard techniques to measure blood pressure, body mass index, urea, and creatinine. Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests were used to assess the distributions of the creatinine and urea values, and reference intervals calculated. T-tests were used to investigate differences of mean creatinine and urea levels by sex and age. IBM SPSS Statistics version 25 was used to analyse the data and p ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Overall, the reference intervals (Mean±1.96*SD) for serum creatinine and urea levels were 0.45-0.92 mg/dL and 7.6-27.9 mg/dL respectively, compared to international reference intervals adopted from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) serum creatinine (males 0.7-1.3, females 0.5-1.1 mg/dL) and blood urea (17.12-42.8 mg/dL for both sexes) and The Western Sudanese population’s mean serum creatinine and urea levels were, respectively, 0.69 mg/dL and 17.8 mg/dL. Male sex was associated with higher levels of both creatinine and urea (p<0.001). Conclusion: This study documented lower reference intervals for creatinine and urea in the Western Sudanese population.
Reserve-building as a buffer for depression among individuals living with disability: a longitudinal study of current activities related to brain health

Aims This study examined whether reserve-building activities are associated with attenuated reported depression among people who were disabled from work due to a medical condition as compared to employed, retired, and unemployed participants. Methods This secondary analysis included 771 individuals who provided data at three time points: baseline (late Spring 2020), follow-up 1 (Spring 2021), and follow-up 2 (Fall 2021). The DeltaQuest Reserve-Building Measure assessed current activities related to brain health. An analysis of variance and Pearson correlation coefficients assessed group differences in reserve-building activity scores. Classification and regression tree (CART) modeling investigated factors associated with higher and lower reported depression by employment group. The random effects (RE) models tested two buffering hypotheses: (1) comparing all groups to the employed group and (2) examining within-group effects. Results Engaging in outdoor activities, exercise, and religious/spiritual activities was associated with reduced depression over time in the overall sample. While disabled participants endorsed lower levels of being Active in the World, Outdoor activities, and Exercise and higher levels of Inner Life and Passive Media Consumption than the other employment groups, more reserve-building activities distinguished depression levels in the disabled group's CART models compared to the others. Among the disabled, unemployed, and retired participants, engaging in any reserve-building activities was also associated with lower depression scores, which was distinct from the employed participants. In the RE models that used the employed group as the reference category, only the disabled group's level of depression was buffered by engaging in creative activities. In the within-group RE models, the disabled group's engagement in Religious/Spiritual, Outdoors, and Games was associated with substantially reduced within-group depression, which was different from the other employment groups. In contrast, reserve-building activities were not implicated at all as buffers for employed participants. Conclusion This study revealed a beneficial effect of reserve-building activities on buffering depression over time during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly for disabled people. It documented that even if such individuals engaged in lesser amounts of such activities as compared to other employment groups, the buffering effect was substantial. Given the low-cost and accessible nature of reserve-building activities, it would be worthwhile to encourage such activities for disabled individuals.