Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The antibacterial activity of four Saudi medicinal plants against clinical isolates of Propionibacterium acnes

Abstract This study reports the high susceptibility of Propionibacterium acnes to four medicinal plants collected from western regions of Saudi Arabia. Plant extracts were obtained by using methanol and acetone. The susceptibility was tested by agar well diffusion method. Plants of interest, namely, Rhazya stricta, Azadirachta indica, Camellia sinensis and Ocimum basilicum, exhibited good antibacterial activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 50 mg/mL, 25 mg/mL, 100 mg/mL and 100 mg/mL respectively. The maximum antibacterial effect was observed by A. indica followed by R. stricta. In addition, C. sinensis, and O. basilicum had moderate activities. The results show that these plants could be tested for use in skin care products to prevent or improve acne.
Transportation Users’ Attitudes and Choices of Ride-Hailing Services in Two Cities with Different Attributes

The rapid technological developments in the 21st century created new opportunities for shared-use economy applications around the globe. Among other services, Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) like Uber and Lyft emerged in the US as a transportation alternative that offered a higher level of availability, reliability, and convenience than traditional modes. However, TNCs deployment was also blamed for increases in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in large cities that embraced TNC services early on. Concerns about TNC adoption are also magnified by the current controversy in policy and legislation as to the regulation of TNCs. These new realizations create a need to examine the transportation users’ attitudes and perceptions regarding ride-hailing service, after nearly a decade of service in the Unites States market. In doing so, this paper compares and contrasts results from two recently completed studies aiming at creating links between socio-demographic factors and TNC use. The paper describes the methods employed to collect the data and presents findings from the analysis of 790 users’ responses in the Birmingham, AL and Miami Beach, FL markets. The study documents preferences and attitudes toward TNCs and highlights similarities and differences in travel behaviors related to local considerations. Moreover, the study uses the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (Lasso) method to identify predictors for TNC use based on the users’ responses in Birmingham and Miami Beach case studies. Vehicle availability and waiting time emerged as the only significant predictors for the Birmingham region whereas vehicle ownership, vehicle use, residency, and prior use of transit and TNC where some of the predictors identified for the Miami Beach area. Understanding the characteristics of TNC users and the leading reasons that drive people towards the use of TNCs services is expected to help transportation agencies and TNC providers in their efforts to plan for transportation services that meet customer needs in the future.
Increasing tropical cyclone intensity and potential intensity in the subtropical Atlantic around Bermuda from an ocean heat content perspective 1955–2019

We investigate tropical cyclone (TC) activity and intensity within a 100 km radius of Bermuda between 1955 and 2019. The results show a more easterly genesis over time and significant increasing trends in TC intensity (maximum wind speed (Vmax)) with a decadal Vmax median value increase of 30 kts from 33 to 63 kts (r = 0.94, p = 0.02), together with significant increasing August, September, October sea surface temperature (SST) of 1.1 °C (0.17 °C per decade) r = 0.4 (p < 0.01) and increasing average ocean temperature between 0.5 °C and 0.7 °C (0.08 °C–0.1 °C per decade) r = 0.3(p < 0.01) in the depth range 0–300 m. The strongest correlation is found between TC intensity and ocean temperature averaged through the top 50 m ocean layer ( T50m‾ ) r = 0.37 (p < 0.01). We show how TC potential intensity (PI) estimates are closer to actual intensity by using T50m‾ as opposed to SST using the Hydrostation S time-series. We modify the widely used SST PI index by using T50m‾ to provide a closer estimate of the observed minimum sea level pressure (MSLP), and associated Vmax than by using SST, creating a T50m‾ PI ( T50m‾ _PI) index. The average MSLP difference is reduced by 12 mb and proportional (r = 0.74, p < 0.01) to the SST/ T50m‾ temperature difference. We also suggest the index could be used over a wider area of the subtropical/tropical Atlantic where there is a shallow mixed layer depth.
Theory Testing and Process Evidence in Accounting Experiments

This paper discusses the role of process evidence in accounting research. We define process evidence broadly as data providing insight into how and why cause-effect relationships occur, and we provide a framework to guide the provision and evaluation of process evidence in accounting studies. Our definition allows for an expanded understanding of techniques for gathering process evidence. The framework highlights the importance of the study’s goals and theory in choosing how to provide process evidence as well as how much process evidence to provide. The paper also outlines the strengths and limitations of three approaches to providing process evidence: mediation, moderation, and multiple-study based designs. We provide recommendations for best practices for each approach to minimize threats to validity and maximize the value of process evidence.
Occupational, health and safety situation at small and medium enterprises in Kosovo, contextual factors, barriers, drivers and intervention process

This survey has been performed as part of a wider survey within the Western Balkan Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SME) Competitiveness Support Project. It presents the current situation of occupational health and safety (OHS) management at 18 SMEs in Kosovo. SMEs in the Republic of Kosovo are facing many difficulties in identifying the real need for interventions, recruiting adequate professional staff to support their activities in OHS. Exposed to an opened market under the regional and international competition, their sustainability has become more difficult and their financial fragility leads very often to the ignorance of OHS issues within their organization.The first objective of this research aimed to understand the OHS contextual factors, barriers and drivers based on the current practice of SMEs in Kosovo. The second objective was to find out if the OHS “ideal intervention process” is applicable to achieve improvements for SMEs in Kosovo. Data collection was expedited through internal documents review, site visits and questionnaires. The statistical data were subject to descriptive analyses and inferential statistics. The findings showed that the contextual factors which influence the intervention process, were of participatory nature, cognitive and physical workplace environment, while the perceived barriers were mainly coming from lack of resources and information. Finally the features of OHS “ideal intervention process” were analyzed and compared for applicability to the SMEs in Kosovo and several interventions in this regards were proposed.
Exploring the Barriers of Moral Courage from Iranian Nurses' Point of View: A Qualitative Study

Background: Nursing is a caring profession. Due to the nature of their, nurses need moral courage to deliver safe nursing care. Research results have reported a low level of moral courage in the majority of nurses. So the current study aimed to explore the barriers to the formation of moral courage nurses who work in hospitals.Methods: In this qualitative study, conventional content analysis was used to explain the barriers to moral courage in hospital nurses. Data was gathered using in-person, semi-structured in-depth interviews. Interviews were conducted from March to September 2020. Purposeful sampling was used and sampling was continued until data saturation was reached. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Participants were 19 nurses working in hospitals in Iran. Results: Three main themes extracted including organizational failure, deterrent individual identity, and defeated professional culture as well as six categories and eighteen sub-categories.Conclusions: The results of this study revealed the barriers to moral courage which were usually overlooked in previous quantitative studies. It appears that the elimination of these barriers is an effective step in the improvement of nurses’ competencies and delivered care. The results of this study can be helpful in the development of management programs to identify the factors affecting nurses' moral courage and how to improve it.
Effect of loess particle shape on its performance under biaxial compression

Abstract The shape of loess particles was determined from scanning electron microscope images and biaxial tests were simulated by the discrete element method. The effects of different percentages of angular, sub-angular, sub-rounded, rounded and well-rounded particles in the samples on the internal friction angle, coordination number and porosity of the loess are studied, and the evolution of the numerical simulation results during the tests are analysed from the microscopic level. The results show that when the combined roundness and combined ellipticity values decrease, that is, the irregular and flat particle percentage content decreases, the internal friction angle, the average coordination number between particles and the porosity of the sample decrease. KEY POINTS Scanning electron microscope images of loess are processed, and the percentage of particles with different shapes in each sample determined. The microscopic and macroscopic changes of samples during biaxial compression are considered via the discrete element method. The effects of different particle shape percentage combinations on the internal friction angle, coordination number and porosity of loess are investigated, and the experimental results are explained from the microscopic point of view.
Click to Count: The Effects of Nonpartisan Cue Endorsements in Selecting Political Information

Abstract The endorser effects literature expects the public to be swayed by cues offered by trusted or liked sources. A useful question for political marketing scholars is whether inherently nonpartisan cues impact public willingness to access nonpartisan political information. We use two social media-based field experiments and two survey-embedded experiments to test whether a randomly assigned visual marketing endorsement of political information by a known nonpartisan organization in paid ads (i.e., the League of Women Voters) encourages users to click on an information video about upcoming elections. We found an overwhelming subject response to the information video when the League of Women Voters (i.e., the endorser) cue is present, relative to the control group that received no cue in either the field or survey experiments (and controlling for partisanship and political interest in the survey experiments).
Volumen de humedecimiento por la aplicación de hidrogel en suelos de diferentes texturas

The objective of the study was to determine the wetting volume (wet bulb) of the hydrogel applied to three types of soil. Soils used were: a) clay (clay 52%; silt 32%; sand 16%); b) silty clay loam (36% clay; 56% silt; 6% sand) c) sandy loam (12% clay; 32% silt; 56% sand), to which 1% potassium hydrogel was applied. The application was made with previously hydrated hydrogel, in three diameters that were: 4.7, 7.0 and 10.5 cm with a length of 10 cm where the following initial volumes were obtained 173.5, 384.8 and 866 cm3 occupied by the hydrogel. The wetting volume (cm3), moisture percent, and the hydration of the hydrogel in the soil were measured. The results indicate that the humidification volume depends on the initial volume, so the higher the initial volume, the greater the humidification volume regardless of the type of soil; however, it presents a greater volume of humidification in the sandy loam soil, probably due to mobility of the water in it. The moistened area increases its humidity by 14% regardless of the type of soil. The hydration of the hydrogel in the soil only reaches 42% compared to hydrating it in free water. Determining the volume of wetting allows estimating the amount and location of hydrogel to be applied to a crop based on the bulb that needs to be formed in the soil.
Assessment of soil surface scarification and reseeding with sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.) of degraded Mediterranean semi-arid rangelands

Climate change and degradation of natural resources pose daunting challenges in arid and semi-arid rangelands of southern Mediterranean region. Overcoming these challenges requires considerable management actions efforts. In this context, the current two-year (2017/2018 and 2018/2019) study investigated the effects of soil surface scarification and reseeding of rangelands with sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.) on botanical composition, biomass production, water productivity and pastoral value in the Sbaihia community, Tunisia. The experimental design consisted of a randomised complete block design with six replications. The treatments were: (i) soil surface superficial scarification; (ii) reseeding sulla following soil scarification; and, (iii) control. Despite the relatively important interannual variation, the highest aboveground net primary production (2 307 and 5 330 kg dry matter ha−1), water productivity (9.5 and 11.8 kg DM mm−1), and pastoral value (2 099 and 4 853 forage units ha−1) values were recorded in the rangelands reseeded with sulla in both growing seasons. Sulla contribution in the species composition of reseeded rangelands increased from 1.7% in 2018 to 2% in 2019. Although soil surface scarification increased the vegetation cover, its effect on biomass production was not significant. Therefore, combined soil scarification and reseeding well-adapted native forage species has a great potential to improve productivity of semi-arid rangelands.
On the Systematics and Biodiversity of the Opheliidae and Scalibregmatidae

In this paper we review the systematics, diversity, and ecology of two related annelid families: Opheliidae Malmgren, 1867 and Scalibregmatidae Malmgren, 1867. Opheliids are deposit-feeders and that are mainly found as burrowers in sandy sediments. Morphologically, opheliids are characterized by the smooth cuticle, as well as the presence of a conspicuous ventral groove, reduced parapodia, and a tubular-shaped structure often projecting from the posterior end. Scalibregmatids are also deposit-feeders, but compared to opheliids, they have a characteristic arenicoliform body, a T-shaped anterior end and a glandular, reticulated epidermis. For each family, we summarize the available information about the evolutionary relationships, taxonomic history, geographical distribution, ecological preferences and diversity of life strategies along with the techniques most commonly used for their study. By highlighting the main gaps in knowledge on each of these topics, this review ultimately aims at stimulating further research into members of these two families in the future.
Race, Climate, and Turnover: An Examination of the Teacher Labor Market in Rural Georgia

Teacher turnover across the country presents a persistent and growing challenge for schools and districts, with the highest rates of turnover geographically concentrated in the American South. Research on teacher staffing and turnover problems consistently highlight two subsets of schools as struggling to attract and retain well-credentialed, effective educators—predominantly Black schools and rural schools. However, research has rarely explicitly examined the schools that meet both these criteria. We use administrative records and unique climate survey data from Georgia to examine how the intersecting roles of race, money, and school climate shape evolving teacher turnover patterns in rural schools. Findings suggest that while teacher mobility is generally less common in rural schools, considerable inequities exist within the rural space, with majority Black rural schools bearing far more of the brunt of rural teacher turnover. Among rural teachers, Black teachers have higher mobility rates—more likely to make interdistrict moves and to exit rural settings for teaching opportunities in urban and suburban contexts. However, in majority-Black rural schools, higher salaries and school climate factors, such as relational climate and parental involvement, were strong predictors of retention, even after controlling for a rich set of covariates.
The pressure–temperature–time–deformation history of the Beni Mzala unit (Upper Sebtides, Rif belt, Morocco): Refining the Alpine tectono‐metamorphic evolution of the Alboran Domain of the western Mediterranean

The structural and thermal relaxation overprint associated with the Neogene Alboran rifting have obscured the early Alpine tectono‐metamorphic evolution of the Alboran Domain, representing the metamorphic core of the Betic–Rif orogen of the western Mediterranean region. This study focuses on the Beni Mzala unit, forming the lower and deeper structural level of the Alpine metamorphic nappe stack (Upper Sebtides) in the Moroccan Rif. Meso‐ and micro‐scale structural investigations are carried out on high‐P aluminum silicate (Ky‐bearing)‐quartz segregations that occur as boudins within the main retrogressive syn‐greenschist foliation (S2/D2) and assumed to preserve the early M1 HP metamorphism associated with the Alpine orogenic construction in the Alboran Domain. These boudins host an early crenulated high‐P foliation (S1, D1/M1) made of quartz–kyanite–white mica–rutile. A large spread in white mica composition is documented, with the highest Si content per formula unit (up to 3.18 apfu) preserved along the S1 foliation and the lower Si content observed in the white mica marking the S2 retrogressive foliation (D2/M2) and the rim of S1 mica. Microtextural evidence documents post‐tectonic andalusite growth and static recrystallization of the quartz microlithons. Inverse (Zr‐in‐Rt thermometry) and forward modelling thermobarometry are integrated with Ar–Ar white mica geochronology to define the peak and exhumation pressure–temperature–time (P–T–t) path of the Beni Mzala unit. Minimum thermo‐baric estimates for the M1 event are ~1.4 GPa and 600°C, corresponding to a metamorphic gradient of ~11°/km, consistent with subduction zone metamorphism. Exhumation is constrained by re‐equilibration of the white mica composition (from high to low celadonite) between c. 29 and 22 Ma, during a nearly isothermal retrogressive path, with final equilibration at high‐T/low‐P conditions within the andalusite stability field (~0.2–0.3 GPa and 500°C). A minimum late Oligocene age is proposed for the Alpine D1 tectono‐metamorphic stage in the Rif, suggesting as feasible the previously proposed Eocene timing for the subduction‐zone metamorphism of the Alboran Domain. Conclusive evidence is provided to link the early Miocene tectono‐metamorphic event to a late thermal perturbation that affected the Alboran Domain at shallow crustal conditions, post‐dating the almost complete exhumation of the deep roots of the Alpine belt in the western Mediterranean.
Comparison of Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activity in Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus L.) Fruits of Mutant Lines at the Different Harvest Time

Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus L.) are a good source of antioxidants and contain appreciable levels of functional compounds. This study was carried out to evaluate fruit qualities (pH, soluble solids content, titratable acidity, and minerals), functional compounds (total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid), and antioxidant activity among five mutated blackberry lines over three ripening stages to examine the effect of fruit maturation on functional compounds and antioxidant activity. The content of sugars, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and anthocyanins (cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, cyanidin-3-O-xyloside, cyanidin-3-O-malonylglucoside, and cyanidin-3-O-dioxalylglucoside) increased as fruit development advanced, whereas the ellagic acid content decreased as the fruit became more mature. Among the minerals tested, potassium showed the highest concentrations at all stages of development. The antioxidant activity was correlated with total phenolic content (P≤0.01), total flavonoid content (P≤0.01), and total anthocyanins (P≤0.05). The results indicate that Maple and B201 lines contained the highest anthocyanin content and exhibited greater antioxidant activity.
Influence of Habitat on Presence of Striped Skunks in Midwestern North America

Striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) are urban-adapted, generalist mesocarnivores widely distributed throughout North America. Although striped skunks have been studied extensively at small scales, knowledge of habitat influences on striped skunks at large scales is lacking. We developed a species distribution model (SDM) to examine potential striped skunk presence in a 16,058 km2 portion of southern Illinois, USA. We built models using SDM Toolbox and MaxEnt, and incorporated known presence locations, 1 km2 land cover data, and an index of human modification of the landscape. Land cover and human modification explained 98% and 2% of variation in our model, respectively. The highest presence of striped skunks existed in areas with forest cover and developed open space with moderate human modification. The striped skunk presence was lowest in areas with cultivated crops and woody wetlands with either low or high human modification. Forest cover provides natural food and shelter resources for striped skunks, but resources are likely augmented by human activity in developed open space. Cultivated crops only provide seasonal resources, and inundation limits denning in wooded wetlands. Our model indicated striped skunks are a synanthropic species that regularly inhabits both natural and anthropogenic habitats over a large scale.