Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Green and Grey Flood Mitigation Measures in Rural Watersheds

Floods cause considerable damages worldwide and mitigation of their adverse effects through effective protection measures is needed. Along with the commonly applied “grey” infrastructure, “green” measures that can offer additional benefits, such as ecosystem services, are increasingly being considered lately. While the recent research tendencies are focused on the effectiveness and the value of green measures in urban areas, this paper presents a comprehensive financial evaluation of green and grey flood mitigation scenarios for a smaller rural watershed. A micro-scale damage model that builds on the hydrodynamic modeling of hazard, detailed asset identification, and damage assessment is presented and applied for evaluation of benefits from various flood mitigation measures in the Tamnava watershed in Serbia. Four scenarios are considered: (1) existing flood protection system; (2) green scenario involving new detention basins; (3) grey infrastructure enhancement by rising of the existing levees and diverting flood discharges; and (4) green-grey scenario that combines scenarios (2) and (3). The benefits (loss reduction) are the greatest with the green scenario and marginally higher with the combined green-grey scenario. The results suggest that for small rural watersheds, a holistic, integrative approach that includes both types of infrastructure can provide the most effective flood risk mitigation.
Assessment of biochemical and toxic responses induced by titanium dioxide nanoparticles in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus

ABSTRACT Studies in field of toxic effects of nanoparticles on fish are not yet sufficient and seem to be very limited in comparison with more conventional pollutants such as heavy metals and pesticides. Hence, following exposures of 1.0 and 5.0 mg/L titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2-NPs) for 4 and 14 days antioxidant enzymes responses in gill chosen as the target tissue of Oreochromis niloticus were investigated. TiO2-NPs did not induce mortality in fish during exposure period. However, the present investigation provides important evidence on induced responses in O. niloticus after TiO2-NPs exposures. Generally acute exposure of TiO2-NPs caused decreases in activities of superoxide dismutase (27%), catalase (60%), and glutathione peroxidase (37%), while its exposure for 14 days increased the catalase (61%), glutathione peroxidase (32%), glutathione-S-transferase (54%), and glutathione reductase (93%) activities. The findings of this investigation allow us to conclude that the gill of fish can be used as a good target tissue to reflect the toxic effects of TiO2-NPs and these particles can potentially cause oxidative stress which that may lead to disturbance in the antioxidant enzymes systems by either stimulating or inhibiting their activities. Also our work indicated that the antioxidant enzymes of the fish can be used as biomarkers for monitoring nanoparticle toxicity.
Basin‐Scale River Runoff Estimation From GRACE Gravity Satellites, Climate Models, and In Situ Observations: A Case Study in the Amazon Basin

River runoff is estimated as a water budget residual using Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) terrestrial water storage time series, ERA5 reanalysis data, and precipitation observations for January 2003 through December 2015 for the Obidos upstream drainage basin and for the entire Amazon basin. Estimated runoff based on the water budget agrees remarkably well with in situ gauge observations at Obidos, especially at seasonal time scales, with nearly perfect phase agreement but slightly larger seasonal amplitude. The discrepancy in the seasonal amplitude may be attributed to underestimation of river gauge runoff during the wet season when water overflows the riverbanks. The ERA5 model appears to overestimate long‐term mean evapotranspiration in the Amazon by ~2 cm/month based on comparisons with precipitation and runoff observations. Using precipitation data based on satellites and gauge observations relative to gauge observations alone improved agreement between water budget runoff estimates and in situ runoff observations. Seasonal variations in ERA5‐simulated runoff are about twice as large as those from in situ observations and show a large phase lag as well. Water budget‐based runoff for the entire Amazon (~7,200 km3 averaged over the 13‐year period) is significantly larger than observed runoff (~5,700 km3) at Obidos and notably larger than previous estimates for the entire Amazon. These differences may be partly related to submarine runoff from the Amazon basin that cannot be captured by surface gauges.
Ticking Toward a Nuclear Clock

T oday’s most accurate clocks tick at frequencies defined by ultranarrow electronic transitions of atoms at optical wavelengths. These optical atomic clocks are accurate to within one part in 1018, meaning that they’d slip by less than one second over the age of the Universe. However, an even more accurate clock could, in principle, be built by using a nuclear transition instead of an electronic transition. Since the atomic nucleus is much smaller than the atomic electron shell, such a “nuclear optical clock” (Fig. 1) is expected to be less sensitive to external perturbations.
The impact of epidermal growth factor supernatant on pig performance and ileal microbiota1

Abstract Weaning of pigs can lead to low-feed intake resulting in a lag in growth performance, reduced gut health, and diarrheal diseases. Epidermal growth factor (EGF), the most abundant growth factor in milk, increased weaned pig BW gain and feed efficiency in our previous work. It is believed that intestinal microbiota plays an important role in gut health and pig growth, but limited data are available on the impact of feed additives, such as EGF, on the microbial communities of the intestines. The objective of the study was to investigate if the positive influence of EGF supplementation on weight gain and gut health was related to differences in intestinal microbiota. To examine the efficacy of EGF, a 21-d animal trial was performed using 72 pigs (two equal blocks of 36 pigs with three barrows and three gilts/pen). Pigs were assigned to one of two dietary treatments at weaning (20 ± 2 d of age; n = 6 pens/treatment) balancing across treatment for litter, gender, and initial BW. Recombinant yeast supernatant containing EGF at 120 μg/kg BW/d and without EGF (control) was added to the feed for 21 d, followed by a common diet for 7 d. Pig performance was measured weekly and ileal digesta was collected at day 21 from six pigs/treatment for microbiome analysis. Pigs fed diets containing EGF fermentation supernatant had greater (P = 0.01) daily gain in week 3 and overall resulting in heavier (P = 0.029) BW at day 28, which was consistent to our previous finding. No difference in alpha-diversity (Chao1, Shanon, and Simpson indices) and beta-diversity (weighted and unweighted UniFrac distances) of ileal digesta microbiota between EGF supplemented and control pigs were observed. The relative abundances of bacterial taxa did not differ among treatment groups at the phylum level. The relative abundances of Corynebacterium (0.0 vs. 0.9%), Blautia (0.003 vs. 0.26%), and Coprococcus (0.0 vs. 0.05%) genera, and Rumminococcaceae family (0.001 vs. 0.08%) were decreased (P < 0.05) in EGF group compared to control and were negatively correlated (P < 0.05, r > 0.60) with growth performance. Pathways related to detoxification and carbohydrate metabolism were differentially represented in the luminal bacterial populations. The improved growth of pigs supplemented with EGF supernatant produced by Pichia pastoris may be related to changes in functional capacity of the gut microbial populations. However, the impact on mucosa-associated or large intestinal communities is still unknown.
XPS and AES surface analysis of WC‐Co‐(Cr) cemented carbide after immersion in neutral solution

The binder phase Co in WC‐Co cemented carbide is dissolved easily in corrosive media (even in neutral solution), which has limited its application in a wider range. In this paper, the influence of Cr on corrosion resistance of WC‐Co immersed in neutral solution was studied, with a focus on the surface chemistry of the corrosion product. The results show that in neutral solution, the corrosion is mainly caused by the selective dissolution of Co and the dominant surface corrosion product after immersion is Co (OH)2. The corrosion resistance of WC‐Co cemented carbide can be improved by the addition of Cr. This can be explained by the formation of more protective chromium containing oxide on the binder phase of WC‐Co‐Cr alloy, leading to reduced corrosion rate.
Executive Accountants and the Reliability of Financial Reporting

Using hand-collected data from mandatory disclosures of executive officers, we examine financial reporting outcomes associated with delegating significant accounting responsibilities to an executive accountant, not concurrently serving as the chief financial officer or chief executive officer. We find executive accountants are associated with a significant reduction in the likelihood of restatement. Moreover, we find evidence of a positive association between executive accountants and accrual quality and faster remediation of material weaknesses in internal control when an executive accountant is present. Taken together, this evidence is consistent with more reliable financial reporting at firms with an executive accountant. In contrast, accountants identified in commonly used datasets (i.e., Execucomp or BoardEx) are not consistently associated with the reliability of financial reporting. We highlight the significant differences between datasets, largely attributable to the objectives and sources of the underlying data. We conclude that Execucomp and BoardEx are not substitute datasets for the executive officers disclosed in firms’ 10-K and proxy statement filings. Furthermore, we caution future research to consider which data are most appropriate in the context of each research question. This paper was accepted by Shiva Rajgopal, accounting.
Low 25‐Hydroxyvitamin D in Primary Hyperparathyroidism: Enhanced Conversion Into 1,25‐Hydroxyvitamin D May Not Be “True” Deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency is reported in individuals with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP). However, decreased 25OHD may be attributed to enhanced conversion into 1,25‐hydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)D]. To examine vitamin D metabolism in individuals with PHP, serum calcium, PTH, 25OHD, and 1,25(OH)D levels were determined in 210 adults: 102 with PHP, 40 with normal 25OHD, and 68 with vitamin D deficiency. Concentrations were redetermined in 37 individuals with PHP following vitamin D supplementation and 43 patients postsurgery. Comparisons were conducted by Student's t test and ANOVA. Correlations were assessed between PTH and 25OHD, 1,25(OH)D, and 1,25(OH)D/25OHD in individuals with PHP. Calcium, PTH, and 1,25(OH)D were higher (p < 0.001) in individuals with PHP (11.4 ± 0.4, 116 ± 21, 79 ± 6) than in individuals with normal 25OHD (9.6 ± 0.2, 49 ± 5, 57 ± 6) and vitamin D deficiency (9.3 ± 0.2, 62 ± 6, 32 ± 4). Compared with individuals with normal 25OHD (47 ± 5), 25OHD was lower (18 ± 3), but not different from subjects with vitamin D deficiency (15 ± 2). In individuals with PHP, vitamin D2 supplementation induced rises in 1,25(OH)D and calcium without lowering PTH, whereas postsurgery, calcium, PTH, 25OHD, and 1,25(OH)D normalized. Finally, in individuals with PHP, significant correlations (p < 0.01) were documented between PTH and calcium (r = 0.74), 25OHD (r = −0.43), 1,25(OH)D (r = 0.52), and 1,25(OH)D/25OHD (r = 0.46); and between 1,25(OH)D/25OHD and calcium (r = 0.47). Subnormal 25OHD in most individuals with PHP may be attributed to enhanced conversion to 1,25(OH)D—not “true” vitamin D deficiency—although in some patients, both PHP and vitamin D deficiency coexisted. Moreover, vitamin D supplementation exaggerated hypercalcemia in individuals with PHP. © 2020 The Author. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Prevalence of stroke in Pakistan: Findings from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa integrated population health survey (KP-IPHS) 2016-17

Objective: To study the prevalence of stroke and associated risk factors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan. Methods: This study was a part of cross-sectional KP Integrated Population Health Survey 2016-17 conducted on population aging ≥18 years at 24 districts of KP. Primary (n=1061) and secondary sampling units (n=15724) were developed, based on urban/rural and socio-economic status. Each primary-unit comprised of 250-300 households. Sample was selected through a multi-staged stratified systematic cluster sampling technique by taking every 16th household per rural and every 12th household per urban-unit. A validated “Cincinnati Stroke Scale” for identification of stroke patients in community was used along with demographics and potential risk factors. Results: Among the 15724 randomly selected households, 22500 participants (51.4% females; 74.6% rural areas, mean age 42±12.6 years) were interviewed. Stroke was identified in 271 cases (137 males, 134 females; Mean age=43.39±0.85 years) and prevalence of stroke was 1.2% (1200 per 100,000 population). Obesity/overweight (38.8%), hypertension (21.8%), smoking (6.6%) and known diabetes mellitus (5.9%) were the common associated risk factors of stroke. Age groups >60 years (adjusted OR=1.68; 95% CI: 1.05-2.68); urban area (adjusted OR=1.68; 95% CI: 1.29-2.19); unemployment (adjusted OR=3.78; 95% CI: 2.49-5.73) and lower formal (primary) education (adjusted OR 2.18; 95% CI: 1.30-3.64) were significantly associated with stroke (p <0.05). Conclusion: Prevalence of stroke is 1.2% in the province of KP. Obesity, hypertension, smoking and Diabetes Mellitus are the common associated risk factors of stroke. Higher age, urban area, unemployment and lower formal education are significantly associated with stroke.
A micro-level analysis of the contagion effect: Evidence from the Kurdish conflict

The unit of analysis in almost all large-N studies on conflict contagion and diffusion is collective actors, such as states and ethnic groups or movements. Thus, contagion dynamics and processes at the individual level have been neglected. Using original data derived from a public opinion survey, this study examines the micro-level dynamics of contagion in the context of Turkey’s Kurdish conflict. The study suggests that transnational ethnic ties, and in particular, cross-border familial bonds and interactions, facilitate conflict contagion through several strategic and ideational mechanisms. First, transborder familial ties and interactions amplify the demonstration effect of ethnic-kin achievements in contiguous conflict countries. Second, cross-border familial bonds facilitate collaboration between cross-border co-ethnics. Finally, such ties to conflict zones with ethnic kin groups empower pan-ethnic identities. The empirical findings show that Kurds living in Turkey who have close relatives in nearby countries hosting conflicting ethnic-kin groups (i.e. Syria, Iraq, and Iran) have stronger ethnonationalist orientations and claims against the center. However, having close relatives elsewhere (e.g. Europe) does not generate the same impact. The Kurdish case evidences that contagion processes and dynamics might vary substantially across the members of a particular ethnic group. Hence, it is necessary to broaden the conventional focus on collective actors in conflict contagion research and pay greater attention to micro-level variables and factors.
Role of serum immunoglobulins in patients of oral lichen planus and oral lichenoid reaction

Introduction: The aim of the study is to find out the role of immunoglobulin IgA and IgM as indicators of humoral immune response in the etiopathogenesis and for the differentiation between oral lichen planus (OLP) and oral lichenoid reaction (OLR). Materials and Methods: The study comprises of 50 patients. From them 20 patients were of OLP, 20 patients of OLR and 10 patients as controls. After histopathological confirmation, approximately 5 ml of venous blood was collected by venepuncture from OLP patients, OLR patients and from control patients. The serum IgA and IgM were measured by immunoturbidimetry method using automated chemistry analyzer and data were analysed using t-test. Results: The mean serum level of IgA and IgM was 2.14±1.19g/L and 0.88±0.47g/L respectively in reticular OLP, 2.21±0.98g/L and 0.78±0.49g/L respectively in erosive OLP, 1.64±0.60g/L and 0.99±0.34g/L respectively in OLR, 2.62±0.40g/L and 1.51±0.47g/L respectively in control patients. The results showed statistically significant IgM level for reticular and erosive OLP (p value=0.007 and 0.042 respectively). Conclusion: Patients with OLP shows systemic immunologic alterations suggest that humoral immune system may play a part in pathogenesis of OLP and also OLP and OLR lesions can be differentiate on the basis of serum level of IgM. © 2020 Published by Innovative Publication. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)
Computational studies into urea formation in the interstellar medium

Formation routes, involving closed shell, radical, and charged species for urea, have been studied using computational methods to probe their feasibility in the interstellar medium. All reactions involving closed shell species were found to have prohibitive barriers. The radical–radical reaction possesses a barrier of only 4 kJ mol−1, which could be surmountable. A charged species based route was also investigated. A barrier of only 8 kJ mol−1 was found in that case, when a partial water ice shell was included.
Convolutional neural networks for automated microseismic detection in downhole distributed acoustic sensing data and comparison to a surface geophone array

Distributed acoustic sensing is a growing technology that enables affordable downhole recording of strain wavefields from microseismic events with spatial sampling down to ∼1 m. Exploiting this high spatial information density motivates different detection approaches than typically used for downhole geophones. A new machine learning method using convolutional neural networks is described that operates on the full strain wavefield. The method is tested using data recorded in a horizontal observation well during hydraulic fracturing in the Eagle Ford Shale, Texas, and the results are compared to a surface geophone array that simultaneously recorded microseismic activity. The neural network was trained using synthetic microseismic events injected into real ambient noise, and it was applied to detect events in the remaining data. There were 535 detections found and no false positives. In general, the signal‐to‐noise ratio of events recorded by distributed acoustic sensing was lower than the surface array and 368 of 933 surface array events were found. Despite this, 167 new events were found in distributed acoustic sensing data that had no detected counterpart in the surface array. These differences can be attributed to the different detection threshold that depends on both magnitude and distance to the optical fibre. As distributed acoustic sensing data quality continues to improve, neural networks offer many advantages for automated, real‐time microseismic event detection, including low computational cost, minimal data pre‐processing, low false trigger rates and continuous performance improvement as more training data are acquired.
Behavioral Reluctance in Adopting Open Access Publishing: Insights From a Goal-Directed Perspective

Despite growing awareness of the benefits of large-scale open access publishing, individual researchers seem reluctant to adopt this behavior, thereby slowing down the evolution toward a new scientific culture. We outline and apply a goal-directed framework of behavior causation to shed light on this type of behavioral reluctance and to organize and suggest possible intervention strategies. The framework explains behavior as the result of a cycle of events starting with the detection of a discrepancy between a goal and a status quo and the selection of behavior to reduce this discrepancy. We list various factors that may hinder this cycle and thus contribute to behavioral reluctance. After that, we highlight potential remedies to address each of the identified barriers. We thereby hope to point out new ways to think about behavioral reluctances in general, and in relation to open access publishing in particular.
The evolution and stability of multi-ethnic residential neighbourhoods in England

This paper analyses the most ethnically diverse spaces in England. We define multi-ethnic neighbourhoods as spaces where no one group is in a majority and at least five ethnic groups have representation. Around 4% of all English neighbourhoods (Lower Layer Super Output Areas) met these criteria in 2011. Often mislabelled as “segregated” spaces, the growth of ethnically diverse neighbourhoods helps benchmark increased inter-ethnic contact, yet we know very little about their spatial extent and the dynamics of their expansion. We use Census data for 1991, 2001, and 2011 to consider how neighbourhood-level diversity has changed during a period of substantial increase in ethnic diversity at the national scale. To what extent did these highly diverse areas grow, and what is the geography of that growth? Which types of areas did these neighbourhoods transition from? For example, were multi-ethnic neighbourhoods formerly low or moderately diverse, and which groups dominated these locales? We also consider if multi-ethnic neighbourhoods are here to stay, or if they are compositionally unstable. We reveal a surprising aspect in England’s neighbourhood transitions: multi-ethnic neighbourhoods are highly stable, and increasingly so. Some 88% of neighbourhoods that were multi-ethnic in 1991 retained their high-diversity status in 2001, while over 95% of 2001 multi-ethnic neighbourhoods remained highly diverse by 2011. This is a different story to that of the USA, where high-diversity neighbourhoods have received more scholarly attention, and where these neighbourhoods have high attrition rates, functioning as stepping stones to another type of space. We explore the demographic and housing dynamics associated with this stability.
Kultur Antera untuk Mendapatkan Galur Padi Toleran Salinitas

ABSTRACT Haploid breeding through anther culture allows shortening of the breeding cycle and production of homozygous lines from a segregating population in the immediate generation. This technique has been used for crop improvement especially in rice. The objective of this research was to determine regeneration ability of twelve F1s, derived from reciprocal crossing between high yielding rice variety and rice tolerance to salinity, through anther culture. Completely randomized design with 20 replications was used in this research. Medium for callus induction was based on N6 medium + 2.0 mg NAA L-1 + 0.5 mg kinetin L-1 + 1 mM putrescine, while regeneration medium was based on MS + 0.5 mg NAA L-1 + 2.0 mg kinetin L-1 + 1 mM putrescine. Rooting were done in MS medium + 0.5 mg IBA L-1 + 1 mM putrescine. The result indicated that F1 derived from IR77674/Inpari 29 (3.1% green plants/total anther) was the most responsive genotypes in rice anther culture (high anther culture ability). After greenhouse grow out 125 putative double haploid plants were obtained (41.5% from total acclimated green plantlets). Keywords: double haploid, green planlets, indica rice, salt tolerance