Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preparing for, coping with and bouncing back after shocks. A nuanced resilience assessment for smallholder farms and farmers in Northern Ghana

ABSTRACT Smallholder farmers in Northern Ghana regularly face shocks, challenging the sustainability of their farms and livelihoods. Different farm households and household members may be differently affected and respond with different coping strategies. We combined whole-farm modelling and farmer consultations to investigate the vulnerability, buffer and adaptive capacity of three farm types in Northern Ghana towards severe climate, economic and social shocks. We further assessed intra-household differences in respective risk mitigation and coping strategies. Our model results indicate that the drought shock would most severely affect all farm types, drastically reducing their operating profits and soil organic matter balance. The medium resource endowed farm was most affected by shocks, but all farm types could enhance their capacity to recover by adopting technology packages for sustainable intensification. Gendered coping strategies included livestock sales, post-harvest storage, activating social networks, rice processing and the collection, processing and sales of wild nuts and fruits. Farmers reported to aim at becoming more resilient by increasing their herd size and expanding their farmland, thereby risking to increase rather than reduce the pressure on natural resources. New questions arise concerning the carrying capacity of local ecosystems and resilience at community and landscape level. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Modelling the region-based VoLTE cell capacity estimation using resource optimisation

In this study, the authors introduce analytical models for region-based Voice over Long Term Evolution (VoLTE) cell capacity estimation. Using the authors' proposed analytical models, they estimate cell capacity in different regions by using several user-specific voice traffic characteristics such as Voice Activity Factor (VAF) and Silent Insertion Descriptor (SID), and different advanced techniques like Packet bundling and Transmission Time Interval (TTI) bundling. It also incorporates Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmission. In this work, the cell is divided into multiple regions, each corresponding to the area in which user equipment generates a certain level of Channel Quality Indication (CQI) value based on Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR). This proposed model for region-based VoLTE capacity estimation optimises the network resource utilisation and enhances the number of concurrent active VoLTE users within the cell in each region. In this work, they have defined packet bundling and TTI bundling factors for appropriate regions to optimally allocate the radio resources for capacity estimation. Numerical results obtained using their proposed model considering different radio specific parameters are found improving the VoLTE cell capacity significantly. Further, the impact of HARQ on region-based VoLTE cell capacity is also obtained.
Estimation of Seroprevalence of Anti-Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 IgG Among Healthy Blood Donors in Sakaka City, Aljouf, Saudi Arabia

Background: Herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) is a highly infectious neurotropic virus. The data on HSV-1 infection in Saudi Arabia, including the seroprevalence of HSV-1 antibodies, are scarce. Objectives: This is the first study to evaluate the prevalence of anti-HSV-1 immunoglobulin G (IgG) in donated blood in Sakaka, Aljouf, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A total of 300 donated blood samples were collected from the Blood Bank of Prince Mutaib Bin Abdulaziz Hospital in Sakaka. Sensitive and specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect anti-HSV-1 IgG. A comparison of the age, gender, education, occupation, income, hand hygiene, travel history, and cupping practice of blood donors stratified for the extent of anti-HSV-1 IgG was made. Results: There was a low prevalence of anti-HSV-1 IgG (20%; n = 60/300). Moreover, 50.0% of IgG-positive participants were in the age group of 41 - 45 years, and 81.7% of the participants had a household income of < 10000 SAR (statistically highly significant; P < 0.001*). All the participants performed hand washing with soap before handling food and after using the toilet. Furthermore, IgG-positive participants had a bachelor’s degree (50.0%), were governmental employees (60.0%), were international travelers (50.0%), and practiced cupping (50.0%) with statistically significant associations (P < 0.05*). Conclusions: The current study’s findings support previous reports about the key importance of improving socioeconomic conditions and hygiene measures in reducing the spread of HSV-1. The present study provides an alarm regarding reaching the age of sexual debut without acquiring protective anti-HSV-1 immunoglobulins, consequently becoming more susceptible to acquiring HSV-1 infection through the genital route. These data support the urgent need to develop an effective anti-HSV-1 vaccine.
Agronomic practices to remain competitive in the oil palm industry.

En 1996, el aceite de palma malasio respondió por el 50% de la producción mundial y el 65% de la participación en el mercado de exportación de aceite de palma. La industria generó alrededor de RM 11,4 millardos en ganancias por exportaciones durante el mismo período. Sin embargo, la industria actualmente está enfrentando numerosos retos que amenazan su competitividad, entre los cuales se encuentran los costos de producción en aumento y los precios de los productos de utilidad en descenso. Este artículo examina los temas claves y revisa las prácticas agronómicas existentes y potenciales que mejorarían los rendimientos de la palma de aceite y las ganancias, y así permanecer competitivos.
COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF ANTICANCER AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITIES OF ENDOPHYTIC FUNGUS-DERIVED ZNO NANOPARTICLES AND CHEMICALLY SYNTHESIZED ZNO NANOPARTICLES

Depending to the WHO, antibiotic resistance and limited anticancer and antimicrobial therapies continue to be serious worldwide health challenges. Current medicines' efficacy suffers by issues such as insufficient solubility, stability, and side effects. To create effective and dependable therapies against antibiotic resistance and robust illnesses, new techniques and strategies are required. Several metal nanoparticles synthesised via green synthesis or chemical synthesise, such as gold (Au), zine (ZnO), and others, have shown promising biological effects against malignancies and a wide spectrum of microbial illnesses caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria. An eco-friendly biosynthetic technique was used to create zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), as well as their antibacterial and anticarcinogenic activities. Extracellular synthesis of nanoparticles made of zinc oxide ZnO nanoparticles was achieved in the current work using the cell filtrate of the endophytic fungus Fusarium chlamydosporum MW341592.1 isolated from healthy leaves of Eucalyptus sideroxylon plant. The nanoparticles were characterised by UV-VIS spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), transition electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The UV-Vis absorption spectra of the produced ZnO NPs showed bands in the UV area at (305) nm. Transmission electron microscopy TEM revealed average sizes of 19.3 nm, while shape revealed spherical like shape. The distinctive pattern of crystalline ZnO NPs was revealed by XRD diffract grams. Furthermore, Biological assay has shown that raising the nanoparticle concentration lowers the number of HCT-116 human colon cancer cells and CACO2 human intestinal cancer cells, as well as antibacterial pathogens Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
ON APPROXIMATION OF FIXED POINTS OF MEAN NONEXPANSIVE MAPPINGS IN CAT(0) SPACES

A new iterative algorithm for approximating fixed pointsof mean nonexpansive mappings in CAT(0) spaces is introduced. As a result, a weak convergence theorem is established.The result we obtain improves and extends several recent results in the literature. Finally, some numerical examples are presentedto illustrate the main result and to compare the new algorithm with some existing ones.
HORSE FLIES OF SREDNA GORA MOUNTAINS, BULGARIA

Based on the study on the composition of the tabanid fauna of the Sredna Gora Mountains and the summarized reference data 54 species and 2 subspecies of 10 genera have been identified: Silvius (1 species), Chrysops (4 species), Atylotus (4 species), Therioplectes (2 species and 1 subspecies), Hybomitra (5 species), Tabanus (23 species and 1 subspecies), Heptatoma (1 species), Haematopota (10 species), Dasyrhamphis (2 species) and Philipomyia (2 species). For the first time, data on the tabanid fauna of the Ihtimanska and Sashtinska Sredna Gora Mountains have been reported. For the Ihtimanska Sredna Gora Mountains 17 species of 4 genera have been identified: Atylotus (1 species), Tabanus (12 species), Haematopota (2 species) and Philipomyia (2 species), and for Sashtinska - 20 species of 6 genera: Chrysops (2 species), Atylotus (2 species), Hybomitra (1 species), Tabanus (12 species), Haematopota (2 species), and Philipomyia (1 species). The species Atylotus latistriatus Brauer in Br. & Bergenstamm, 1880, Tabanus spodopterus Meigen, 1820 and Philipomyia aprica (Meigen, 1820), registered in the Ihtimanska and the Sashtinska Sredna Gora Mountains have been reported for the first time for the fauna of the Sredna Gora Mountains.
Electromyography (EMG) Analysis of Multi-Regional Lower Extremity and Trunk Musculature During Sidelying Hip Abduction With Frontal Plane Stabilization

Sidelying hip abduction (SHA) is a common exercise utilized in rehabilitation to strengthen the gluteus medius (GMed). Alterations in the exercise can produce different patterns of muscular activity. No studies have examined the effect of mechanical pelvic stabilization during SHA. This study enrolled 19 participants (male = 11, female = 8) who performed the same SHA exercise under two randomized conditions: standard and with a mechanical block to prevent frontal-plane movement. Electromyographic amplitudes during exercise were obtained through surface electrodes and compared against maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) testing: GMed, gluteus maximus, biceps femoris, tensor fascia latae, quadratus lumborum, and vastus lateralis. While no significant differences were found in GMed activity during SHA with or without pelvic stabilization, reduced concomitant activation of other musculature was observed, potentially producing a more isolated exercise for the GMed with less compensatory activity.
Assessment of Blood Lead and Its Determinants among Cables Industry Workers at 10th of Ramadan City in Egypt

Background: Lead poisoning remains a major occupational health problem, especially in developing countries which lack strict legislations for protection of health of workers. Objective: This study was conducted among cable industry workers aiming to assess blood lead level (BLL) of lead exposed workers and to determine the associated occupational risk factors of elevated blood lead. Subjects and methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 170 cable industry workers at 10 th of Ramadan City in Egypt during the period from July 2022 to June 2023, using a semi structured questionnaire assessing present history of lead toxicity symptoms and by investigating BLL. Results: The current study showed that (80 %) of cable workers had elevated BLL, and reported lead toxicity symptoms as (10%) suffered irritability and nervousness, (9.4%) memory problems, (9.4 %) tingling or numbness in extremities, (5.3 %) difficult concentration, (6.5 %) abdominal pain, (3.5%) constipation and (8.8 %) muscle pain. By regression analysis, the study indicated that, current occupation, previous occupational exposure and gown nonuse were the significant predictors of occurrence of current high BLL. Conclusion: Implementation of engineering control measures, ensuring continuous availability of properly designed personal protective equipment (PPE) with applying health education programs for workers about occupational health hazards and preventive measures are recommended.
COVID-19 Laboratory diagnosis methods

: Coronavirus-19 is caused by “Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2” (SARS-CoV-2), COVID-19 pandemic, has led to millions of confirmed cases and deaths worldwide. Efficient diagnostic tools are in high demand, as rapid and specific testing plays an important role in patient management and decelerating disease spread. the current technologies used to detect COVID-19 in clinical laboratories will be classified into main three categories, I - The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method , II - Immunological or serological methods (Antigen and Antibody Detection ), III - Biochemical and hematological methods which include 1-Inflammatory biomarkers (Elevated and decreased group), 2. Multi-organ damage/failure (Cardiac, Hepatic, and Renal) .
AFLATOXINS ASSOCIATED WITH STORAGE FUNGI IN FISH FEED

Cereals and legumes are a very important part of feed used in culturing fishes. Feed, when not properly stored, enhances the growth of storage fungi which is a source of mycotoxins, secondary metabolites produced by storage fungi. This study investigates storage fungi and aflatoxin in fish feed stored under three different storage conditions. Storage fungi were isolated and identified using direct isolation technique; detection and identification of aflatoxins using the High Performance Liquid Chromatography and Proximate analysis of the stored feed were also carried out. Two fungi species (Mucor species and Fusarium oxysporium) were isolated from the stored feed. It was observed that it takes five weeks after sporulation of storage fungi for production of mycotoxins to take place. Four types of Aflatoxins (G1, G2, B1 & B2) were identified in the stored feed. The results on the proximate analysis on the stored feed prior to and after storage periods revealed decrease in the carbohydrate, protein, ash and the crude fiber content of the stored feed and increase in the moisture and crude fat content of the feed. The results from this study revealed that good storage condition is very essential and there is need for further work to assess the implication of aflatoxin on the health of fish and human (final consumer).
Assessing the Effectiveness of Eco-Friendly Management Approaches for Controlling Wheat Yellow Rust and Their Impact on Antioxidant Enzymes

Wheat stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is a destructive disease that causes significant yield losses in wheat production worldwide, including in Egypt. The use of biocontrol agents is among the best eco-friendly management strategies to control this disease, as they are more sustainable and environmentally friendly than traditional chemical control methods. In a comparative analysis, antioxidant enzyme activity and various management approaches were compared with two bacterial biocontrol agents, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas putida. This study showed the remarkable efficacy of endophytic bacteria, B. subtilis and P. putida, in mitigating wheat stripe rust infection across three wheat varieties, namely Misr1, Gimmeiza11, and Sids12. B. subtilis exhibited superior performance compared to P. putida, resulting in infection types of 1 and 2.66, respectively, following inoculation. The highest reduction rate was observed with Tilit fungicide (500 ppm), followed by B. subtilis and Salicylic acid (1000 ppm), respectively. Variations in wheat varieties’ response to Pst infection were observed, with Misr1 exhibiting the lowest infection and Sids12 showing high susceptibility. Among the tested inducers, Salicylic acid demonstrated the greatest reduction in disease infection, followed by Indole acetic acid, while Oxalic acid exhibited the lowest decrease. Additionally, the study evaluated the activities of five antioxidant enzymes, including Catalase, Ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POX), in the wheat-stripe rust interaction under different integrated management approaches. The wheat variety Misr1 treated with Tilit (500 ppm), B. subtilis, Salicylic acid, Montoro (500 ppm), and P. putida exhibited the highest increase in all enzymatic activities. These findings provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of B. subtilis and P. putida as biocontrol agents for wheat stripe rust control in Egypt, emphasizing their potential role in sustainable, integrated, and environmentally friendly management practices.
Screen Media Dependency and Its Associated Factors Among Preschool Children in Kuala Lumpur

Introduction: Excessive screen time among young children is associated with screen dependency. At this moment, there is a lack of data on screen dependency among young children in Malaysia. This study aimed to measure the prevalence of screen dependency and its associated factors among preschool children in Kuala Lumpur. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at registered preschools in Kuala Lumpur. 300 parents of preschool children aged 4 to 6 years old who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were recruited via simple random sampling. The Screen Dependency Scale (SDS) were used to assess their dependency to screen media. Univariate and multivariate statistics were analysed using IBM SPSS version 27. Results: The prevalence of screen dependency among preschool children in Kuala Lumpur was 65.7%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that using the screen to resolve children’s quarrels (aOR 2.855, 95% CI 1.187 - 6.868), children who use smartphones (aOR 2.735, 95% CI: 1.244 - 6.013), children’s screen time exceeds 2 hours over the weekend (aOR 2.261, 95% CI: 1.058 - 4.830) and having a television in the bedroom (aOR 5.562, 95% CI: 1.591 - 19.442) were predictors for screen dependency. While active co-use mediation (aOR 0.505, 95% CI: 0.302 - 0.845) were protective. Conclusion: The prevalence of screen dependency was high among preschool children in Kuala Lumpur. Active screening at health care clinics or in schools is essential to identify early children with risk factors for screen dependency.
Postnatal Overfeeding in Rodents Induces a Neurodevelopment Delay and Anxious-like Behaviour Accompanied by Sex- and Brain-Region-Specific Synaptic and Metabolic Changes

Nutritional disturbances during the early postnatal period can have long-lasting effects on neurodevelopment and may be related to behavioural changes at adulthood. While such neuronal connection disruption can contribute to social and behaviour alterations, the dysregulation of the neuroendocrine pathways involved in nutrient-sensing balance may also cause such impairments, although the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. We aimed to evaluate sex-specific neurodevelopmental and behavioural changes upon postnatal overfeeding and determine the potential underpinning mechanisms at the central nervous system level, with a focus on the interconnection between synaptic and neuroendocrine molecular alterations. At postnatal day 3 (PND3) litters were culled to three animals (small litter procedure). Neurodevelopmental tests were conducted at infancy, whereas behavioural tests to assess locomotion, anxiety, and memory were performed at adolescence, together with molecular analysis of the hippocampus, hypothalamus, and prefrontal cortex. At infancy, females presented impaired acquisition of an auditory response, eye opening, olfactory discrimination, and vestibular system development, suggesting that female offspring neurodevelopment/maturation was deeply affected. Male offspring presented a transitory delay in locomotor performance. , while both offspring had lower upper limb strength. At adolescence, both sexes presented anxious-like behaviour without alterations in short-term memory retention. Both males and females presented lower NPY1R levels in a region-specific manner. Furthermore, both sexes presented synaptic changes in the hippocampus (lower GABAA in females and higher GABAA levels in males), while, in the prefrontal cortex, similar higher GABAA receptor levels were observed. At the hypothalamus, females presented synaptic changes, namely higher vGLUT1 and PSD95 levels. Thus, we demonstrate that postnatal overfeeding modulates offspring behaviour and dysregulates nutrient-sensing mechanisms such as NPY and GABA in a sex- and brain-region-specific manner.
Development of Mobile Application in Assessing Commuting Accident Risk (CommuRisk) Amongst Commuters at Klang Valley

Introduction: Globally, commuting accident risks are always neglected in an organisation. There is a need to assess the impact of commuting accidents based on sociodemographic, human, vehicle, road, and environmental factors and to find suitable and effective mitigation strategies to alleviate the associated undesirable outcomes. Methods: This research was designed to develop a mobile application to assess commuting accident risk levels using artificial intelligence principles, as we are now in the 21st-century technology era. A total of 216 respondents from private and government industries participated in this study. Besides, to prove the developed application’s effectiveness, the study evaluated the effectiveness of the identified risk factor in determining the level of commuting risks predicted by respondents with the risk level calculated by the mobile application. Results: A major contribution of this paper is the effectiveness and accuracy of a mobile application known as CommuRisk. The app was developed using Android Studio and natively uses Java. There was a significant difference between with and without mobile applications in determining the level of commuting risks, and the effectiveness was proven with a (p-value = 0.001) at a 95% confidence interval with large sample size. Conclusion: Thus, this paper proved the effectiveness and accuracy of a mobile application in calculating risk levels exposed by commuters compared to risk levels predicted by commuters.
Participative Budgeting, Procedural Fairness, Distributive Fairness and Budgetary Slack: Evidence from Hospitality Sector in Indonesia

Budgets are important for owners and management in planning, controlling and serving as the basis for measuring performance. In the budgeting process, management often acts unethically, such as making budgetary slack and manipulating data. This study analyzes the direct and indirect relationship between budget participation and budgetary slack. Questionnaires were distributed to 74 respondents who work as supervisors or managers in the hospitality industry in the city of Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. The data is processed using a SEM with the help of Smart-Partial Least Square software with structural models and measurement models. This study shows that budget participation has a positive relationship with procedural fairness and distributive fairness. In addition, budget participation, procedural fairness and distributive fairness has a negative relationship with budgetary slack. Moreover, procedural fairness and distributive fairness mediate the relationship between budget participation and budget slack. This study supports the theory of budget participation and budgetary slack and has implications for budgeting practice. Hence, in the process of preparing the budget, it is very important to involve subordinates because it can reduce budgetary slack.