Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Invasive species in the soil seed bank of two limestone hills in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia

Abstract. Putri WU, Qayim I, Qadir A. 2021. Invasive species in the soil seed bank of two limestone hills in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 4019-4027. Study on the impact of invasive species on plant communities has been conducted mainly on the aboveground vegetation. The impact on the soil seed bank has received less attention mostly due to practical difficulties in conducting seed bank assessment. Evaluation of seed bank composition is useful in detecting invasive plant species that may have been present as buried seeds. Information on the vegetation composition in Nyungcung and Kapur hills both under and aboveground is available, but specific information on invasive species has not been discussed yet. This paper describes and analyzes the structure (composition and density) of invasive species in the soil seed bank. Eighty soil samples were taken from the study sites. The soil seed banks were analyzed using seedling emergence and seed extraction methods. 2602 and 1280 seedlings emerged from soil seed bank of Nyungcung and Kapur hills, respectively. From that number, approximately 48.96% and 68.51% of the seedlings are invasive species in the soil seed bank of Nyungcung and Kapur hills. The invasive species were dominants in the soil seed bank of the two sites. Cecropia peltata and Clidemia hirta were the most abundant invasive species in the Kapur and Nyungcung hills seed bank, respectively. Species richness and seedling density were higher in Nyungcung hills than Kapur hills, which were invaded for a relatively longer period.
Fomitiporia mediterranea M. Fisch., the historical Esca agent: a comprehensive review on the main grapevine wood rot agent in Europe

Fomitiporia mediterranea M. Fisch. (Fmed) is a basidiomycete first described in 2002, and was considered up to then as part of Fomitiporia punctata (P. Karst) Murrill. This fungus can degrade lignocellulosic biomass, causing white rot and leaving bleached fibrous host residues. In Europe Fmed is considered the main grapevine wood rot (Esca) agent within the Esca disease complex, which includes some of the most economically important Grapevine Trunk Diseases (GTDs). This review summarises and evaluates published research on Fmed, on white rot elimination by curettage or management by treatments with specific products applied to diseased grapevines, and on the relationship between wood symptoms and Grapevine Leaf Stripe Disease (GLSD) in the Esca disease complex. Information is also reviewed on the fungus biology, mechanisms of pathogenicity, and their possible relationships with external foliar symptoms of the Esca disease complex. Information on Fmed control strategies is also reviewed.
Natural killer cell activity level in colorectal cancer screening in an average risk population

Introduction Increased natural killer cell activity (NKCA) is linked to reduced risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Several prior studies have investigated the association of NKCA and the incidence of CRC in high-risk subjects. The aim of our study was to investigate NKCA sensitivity in diagnosing advanced neoplasia (AN) and CRC in an average risk population. Material and methods NKCA was assessed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) blood test in average risk subjects with a range of 25–2500 pg/ml set for ELISA. NKCA higher than 200 pg/ml was defined as negative. The performance of NKCA was evaluated using measures such as sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive values (NPV, PPV), clinical utility index, etc. In addition, odds ratios for developing CRC using logistic regression models were calculated. Results NKCA was evaluated in 354 average risk individuals (mean age: 58.5 years; 36.2% male). The diagnostic accuracy of NKCA for CRC and AN was 75.5% and 72.3% respectively, with 96.4% NPV. The NKCA test demonstrated a good negative clinical utility index for CRC and AN (0.664 and 0.741, respectively). Individuals with low NKCA had 6.84 times higher odds of having CRC (95% CI: 2.31–20.27; p < 0.001). NKCA was higher in men vs. women (548.5 pg/ml vs. 500.0 pg/ml) and lower in smokers (412 pg/ml vs. 544 pg/ml), non-exercisers (413 pg/ml vs. 653.5 pg/ml), alcohol users (389 pg/ml vs. 476 pg/ml), and native Kazakhs and other Asian ethnic groups (446 pg/ml vs. 514 pg/ml). Conclusions A high NKCA level has potential ability to rule out CRC and AN in an average risk population.
Plastic Degrading Microbes: A Review

Plastic accumulation is the vital cause of environmental pollution and is an ever-increasing ecological threat. The sustainable use of synthetic polymers is one of the major challenges of the twenty- first century. The conventional techniques employed to degrade plastic in the environment are inadequate as it releases harmful by-products. One of the solutions for reducing the plastic pollution is biodegradation of plastic by using microorganisms. In the present review, we have analysed the potential of plastic degrading microbes reported by different investigators.
Collaborative Computing and Resource Allocation for LEO Satellite-Assisted Internet of Things

Satellite-assisted internet of things (S-IoT), especially the S-IoT based on low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, plays an important role in future wireless systems. However, the limited on-board communication and computing resource and high mobility of LEO satellites make it hard to provide satisfied service for IoT users. To maximize the task completion rate under latency constraints, collaborative computing and resource allocation among LEO networks are jointly investigated in this paper, and the joint task offloading, scheduling, and resource allocation is formulated as a dynamic mixed-integer problem. To tack the complex problem, we decouple it into two subproblems with low complexity. First, the max-min fairness is adopted to minimize the maximum latency via optimal resource allocation with fixed task assignment. Then, the joint task offloading and scheduling is formulated as a Markov decision process with optimal communication and computing resource allocation, and deep reinforcement learning is utilized to obtain long-term benefits. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme has superior performance compared with other referred schemes.
Reading Eye Movements Performance on iPad vs Print Using a Visagraph

This study investigated reading comprehension, reading speed, and the quality of eye movements while reading on an iPad, as compared to printed text. 31 visually-normal subjects were enrolled. Two of the passages were read from the Visagraph standardized text on iPad and Print. Eye movement characteristics and comprehension were evaluated. Mean (SD) fixation duration was significantly longer with the iPad at 270 ms (40) compared to the printed text (p=0.04) at 260 ms (40). Subjects’ mean reading rates were significantly lower on the iPad at 294 words per minute (wpm) than the printed text at 318 wpm (p=0.03). The mean (SD) overall reading duration was significantly (p=0.02) slower on the iPad that took 31 s (9.3) than the printed text at 28 s (8.0). Overall reading performance is lower with an iPad than printed text in normal individuals. These findings might be more consequential in children and adult slower readers when they read using iPads.
Crown Ether Grafted Graphene Oxide/Chitosan/Polyvinyl Alcohol Nanofiber Membrane for Highly Selective Adsorption and Separation of Lithium Ion

Nanofiber membranes were successfully prepared with crown ether (CE) functionalized graphene oxide (GO), chitosan (CS), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) by low-temperature thermally induced liquid–liquid phase separation. The physical and chemical properties and adsorption performance of nanofiber membrane were studied through SEM, FT-IR, XRD, and static adsorption experiments. The results show that the specific surface area of the nanofiber membrane is as high as 101.5 m2∙g−1. The results of static adsorption experiments show that the maximum adsorption capacity of the nanofiber membrane can reach 168.50 mg∙g−1 when the pH is 7.0. In the selective adsorption experiment, the nanofiber membrane showed high selectivity for Li+ in salt lake brine. After five cycles, the material still retains 88.31% of the adsorption capacity. Therefore, it is proved that the material has good regeneration ability.
Pelvic and Testicular Biometry of Sahel Goats in Maiduguri, Nigeria

This study was carried out to document the pelvic and testicular biometric characteristics of Sahel goats. Record of body weight, body condition score, height at withers, scrotal length, scrotal circumference and external pelvic circumference were obtained from 400 male and 600 female Sahel goats. All the goats were approximately 1.5 years old and weighing 14 to 18 kg, with body condition score of 3 or 4 (scale of 1-5). The mean bodyweight of Sahel bucks was 15.12 ± 1.10 kg while that of Sahel does was 13.22 ± 1.12 kg, height at withers in bucks and does were 52.22 ± 1.20 cm, and 48.13 ± 1.23 cm respectively. The scrotal length and circumference in Sahel bucks were 11.39 ± 1.12 cm and 17.95 ± 1.21 cm respectively. The external pelvic circumference in Sahel does was 55.13 ± 1.16 cm. There was significant (P<0.05) positive correlation between the body weight and body condition score in bucks (r=0.52) and in does (r=0.42). It was observed that there was weak but positive correlation between the body weight and height at withers (r=0.34), in bucks and in does (r=0.25; P <0.5). A low but significant positive correlation was found between the body weight and scrotal circumference r=0.28, (P<0.05) in bucks. There was a highsignificant positive correlation between the scrotal length and scrotal circumference r=0.66, (P <0.05). The external pelvic circumference in Sahel does was also significantly positively correlated with body weight r=0.40, (P<0.05) and with the body condition score r= 0.33, (P<0.05). In conclusion, the body weight, body condition score, height at withers, scrotal length, scrotal circumference and external pelvic circumference of Sahel goats in Maiduguri were successfully determined, these parameters studied might serve as a bases for determining the breeding soundness of Sahel goats.
COPD_A_318969 2591..2604

1Value Evidence and Outcomes, GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC, USA; 2Value and Evidence Outcomes, GlaxoSmithKline, Uxbridge, UK; 3Real World Evidence and Epidemiology, GlaxoSmithKline, Uxbridge, UK; 4Global Respiratory Franchise, GlaxoSmithKline, Brentford, UK; 5Value Evidence and Outcomes, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, PA, USA; 6Department of Health Research Methods, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada Background: Available data on the relationship between COPD symptoms, disease outcomes, and mortality are currently limited. This study investigated the clinical characteristics, outcomes, healthcare utilization, and prescribing practices across GOLD 2017 groups (A, B, C, and D) in a large-scale, population-based cohort of COPD patients managed in an English primary care setting. Patients and Methods: This retrospective analysis included patients aged ≥35 years, with a confirmed diagnosis of COPD and ≥1 record of pulmonary function testing in their medical history. Medical Research Council dyspnea score and exacerbation history were used to define patients’ GOLD 2017 classification. Patients were identified using the UK Clinical Practice Research Database and were followed for 12 months. Results: Eligible COPD patients’ (N=42,331; mean [SD] age, 69.5 [10.7] years; 54% males), GOLD 2017 categorizations were: Group A: 49.1%, Group B: 30.5%, Group C: 8.2%, Group D: 12.1%. Overall, 37.7% of patients experienced ≥1 moderate COPD exacerbation. The rate of moderate exacerbations per person per year (PPPY) was highest in GOLD group D (0.72), followed by C (0.53), B (0.22), and A (0.15), while the rate of exacerbations leading to hospitalization PPPY was much higher in D (0.27) than in B (0.10), C (0.08), or A (0.03). Overall, 56.4% of patients visited their general practitioner ≥5 times in the 12 months of follow-up. Time-to-event analysis suggested that breathlessness contributed to exacerbation severity and frequency. One-year mortality was highest in GOLD groups D and B. The most frequent prescribed maintenance therapies were inhaled corticosteroids with long-acting β2-agonists, multiple-inhaler triple therapy, or long-acting muscarinic antagonist, irrespective of GOLD classification. Conclusion: The burden of COPD remains substantial in England. Stratification of this large primary care population according to GOLD criteria predicted the risk of COPD exacerbations. Understanding populations of patients with COPD may enable the optimization of patient care.
GENETIC EVALUATION FOR MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS OF CORIANDRUM SATIVUM GROWN UNDER SALT STRESS

The Coriandrum is most important among the herb which is used as an ingredient in daily human food. It contains a good amount of antioxidants and health improving ingredients that save human body cells from diseases. It is very sensitive for abiotic environmental stress conditions involving drought, heat, and salt stress as important stress conditions. For this purpose, a study was planned to conduct in the greenhouse of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Lahore to determine the effects of salt stress on Coriandrum seedling growth. For our study we have selected four Coriandrum varieties viz., GAMZE, EAGLE, SUPER XO, and PAK-ORG. The results revealed that there were significant differences among the treatments of NaCl concentrations, Coriandrum genotypes, and the interactions among the Coriandrum genotypes and salt concentrations applied. The average Coriandrum seedling length was recorded as 23.021±1.2026cm while root length was recorded as 22.0128±1.0027cm. The genotype GAMZE showed higher root and shoot length which indicated that GAMZE was a higher salt-tolerant genotype and may be used as a salt-tolerant genotype to improve yield per plant in Coriandrum. The genotype EAGLE has shown poor performance for all of the studied traits which indicated that it was a salt-sensitive Coriandrum genotype. The genetic advance and heritability were found higher for all of the studied traits. The significant correlation between shoot length and root length indicated that the genotypes grow longer roots under stress conditions to increase the shoot length of plants while survive under stressful environmental conditions. The selection of Coriandrum genotype on the basis of root length and shoot length may be useful to improve slat stress tolerance in Coriandrum genotypes for higher seed and green plant biomass yield.
Relationship between sexual function and type 2 diabetes in infertile men referred to Royan institute

Introduction: Endocrine disorders are one of the causes of infertility and sexual dysfunction is one of the neurological complications of diabetes. Objectives: The present study investigated the relationship between sexual function and type 2 diabetes in infertile men referring to the Royan Institute in 2019. Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 on 150 non-diabetic infertile men and 126 diabetic infertile men who referred to the Royan institute and were qualified in terms of research inclusion criteria. The convenience sampling method was used. The tools used to collect data include a demographic checklist, an 11-item version of Sexual Quality of Life-Male (SQOL-M), and a 15-question International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) Questionnaire. Results: A total of 276 people were evaluated in this study. The mean age of participants was 40.98 (7.44) years in the diabetic group and 35.2 (6.08) years in the non-diabetic group. Sexual function, failure to reach ultimate pleasure, sexual desire, satisfactory sexual intercourse, overall sexual satisfaction, erectile function, as well as the standard index of sexual quality of life (SQOL-M score) showed no statistically significant difference between diabetic and non-diabetic infertile men (P> 0.05). In people with normal body mass index (BMI) and employees, the relationship between diabetes and the overall score of sexual function was statistically significant (P< 0.05). In addition, there is a significant relationship between diabetes and the SQOL-M in people under 37 years of age and people with primary infertility (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Age and BMI are the two main factors influencing sexual function. In the present study, statistical relationship of these two factors in two groups of diabetics and non-diabetic infertile men not in general but in subgroups was proved. Our investigation indicated no statistically significant relationship between the two groups of diabetic and non-diabetic infertile men in any of the factors of sexual function and the standard index of male quality of sexual life.
Fabrication and Modelling of Tribological Performance of Al-Si/12Al2O3/2MoS2 Composite using Taguchi Technique

This paper investigates the effect of mechanical, microstructural and dry sliding wear behaviour of Al-Si/2wt%MoS2, Al-Si/12wt%Al2O3, and Al-Si/12wt% Al2O3/2wt%MoS2 composites that prepared using the stir-casting route. To avoid friction and wear at the interfaces of materials, an attempt has been made by adding solid lubricant MoS2 to build such a self-lubricating composite with Al-matrix. The tribological analysis has been described based on the Taguchi orthogonal array (L27). Three variables combination such as sliding velocity, sliding distance and contact pressure are used for this study to determine the tribological responses, i.e. wear rate and coefficient of friction. The properties of composites were improved by increasing the weight % of MoS2 and Al2O3. The tensile strength of Al-Si/2MoS2, Al-Si/12Al2O3, and Al-Si/12 Al2O3/2MoS2 composites is 6.02%, 12.46%, and 2.44% compared to the base matrix. The addition of MoS2 helps the hybrid composite to attain better tribological properties with a slightly lower specific strength. Analysis of variance showed that the composites such as Al-Si/2 MoS2 and Al-Si/12Al2O3/2MoS2 were strongly influenced by the pressure in wear rate. Similarly, sliding velocity affects the coefficient of friction for Al-Si/2MoS2. Wear tracks formed during the dry slide process were analysed using optical and SEM with an EDS. It was discovered that pressure plays a vital effect in the wear mechanism. The hybrid composite (Al-Si/12 Al2O3/2MoS2) material can be utilised in place of conventional materials in tribological demanding automotive applications
PATIENTS WITH CONVERSION DISORDER

Objectives: To assess the frequency of the various psychosocial stressors and stressful life events in patients presenting with conversion disorder. Study Design: Case series study. Place & Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Sciences, Bahawal Victoria Hospital & Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur from January, 2009 to March, 2009. Subjects & Methods: The sample consisted of 100 in-patients (89 Female, 11 Male) with Conversion Disorder. They were interviewed andresults were analysed from the entries in a Performa. Results: Stressors were clearly identified in 100 patients. In all patients, we found more than one stressor. Among patients, there were (24%) In-laws problems, (23%) Love problems, (21%) Relationship problems with family, (20%) exam/study stress, (15%) marriage against will, (13%) demanding and pampered child, (11%) Issue less, (10%) sexual abuse, (8%) demand of marriage, (6%) overage in wait of marriage, (4%) death of partner, (3%) husband abroad and (3%) patient’s engagement break. Conclusions: We concluded that stressors and life events were present in all conversion disorder’s patients and these stressful life events are important causal factors for Conversion Disorder. Conversion Disorder has strong relationship with psychosocial stressors.
Prevalence of contrast nephropathy following the administration of N-acetyl cysteine; a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Nephropathy is a serious complication in patients receiving contrast during imaging. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) can reduce the contrast nephropathy. This review evaluates the prevalence of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) following the administration of NAC. Methods: A systematic literature search and meta-analysis was conducted in Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed for articles published by December 30, 2019 including the keywords of "N-acetyl cysteine ", "Acute kidney injury", "Nephrotoxicity", "Contrast media", "Contrast-induced AKI" and "Contrast nephropathy". Results: A total of 29 articles of 537 studies examining 5,980 individuals were incorporated in this systematic review and meta-analysis. Pooled estimation of a meta-analysis of prevalence studies reported a prevalence of 9% (0.09), i.e. nine out of every 100 patients undergoing contrast media resulted in CIN but a prevalence of 14% (0.14) was observed in the placebo group. In addition, 41 out of every 100 patients with hypertension undergoing contrast media resulted in CIN (prevalence: 41%) and 64 out of every 100 patients with diabetes undergoing contrast media resulted in CIN (prevalence: 64%). Conclusion: The prevalence of CIN in the group receiving NAC is lower than those who did not receive this drug. Additionally, in patients suffering from diabetes and hypertension, CIN is more prevalent compared to healthy people.
An experimental study of the effect of the projection ratio and throat-aspect ratio on the efficiency and loss coefficient of a water jet pump

This study focuses on the influence of dimensionless geometry parameters on the performance and loss coefficient of the throat and diffuser of the water jet pump apparatus. A water jet pump system was designed for a total of nine experimental cases with three different projection ratios and three throat-aspect ratios . The volumetric and pressure ratios - performance parameters are measured at a constant motive pressure and under varying backpressure. The efficiencies of the water jet pump in each configuration were assessed and compared. It was found that increasing 2 or 3 times of projection ratio degrades efficiency about 2% to 5.5%, respectively. Higher projection ratio ( > 1) expands the water jet diameter, which clogs the secondary flow. Hence, the changes in > 3 may have a significant impact on efficiency degradation. Shorter may cause the loss of kinetic energy in the diffuser, while longer reduces momentum transfer on the secondary flow. Moreover, the changes in and influence friction loss coefficient in the throat and diffuser section, and it reduces with increasing of volumetric ratio. It can be concluded that the appropriate value of projection ratio and throat-aspect ratio plays a role in the kinetic energy dissipation. It is also responsible for the location friction process, at a different volumetric ratio. However, the experimental results denoted the best efficiency and loss coefficient was achieved at a low projection ratio ( = 1) and small throat-aspect ratios ( = 5). The best efficiency of the study was about 23.37%.