Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emerging H9N2 Avian Influenza virus research at the human and animal interface

Most emerging diseases are of zoonotic origin. Globalization and intensive animal farming has led to an increased spread of zoonotic infections and it is therefore of crucial importance to be prepared in managing potential outbreaks. Influenza type A virus is cause of a zoonotic disease, which can affect animal and human health. A number of influenza virus subtypes have successfully crossed the species barrier and have established in mammal and human populations, causing yearly seasonal epidemics. The influenza A viruses of the H9N2 subtype are classified as low pathogenic avian influenza (AI) viruses which infect mostly avian species. The H9N2 type has caused infections both in wild birds and in the poultry population around the globe, including several countries in Asia, Europe, North Africa and Americas since the mid-1990s. The wide circulation of H9N2 viruses throughout Eurasia, along with their ability to cause direct infection in mammals and humans, raises public health concern about their potential to become candidates for the next influenza pandemic. This Ph.D. thesis deals with phylogenetic and Bayesian phylogeographic analyses, genetic nomenclature and molecular evolutionary dynamics to elucidate the different aspects of H9 subtypes circulating worldwide. Focusing on the hemagglutinin gene through the application of bioinformatics tools a large amount of H9 subtype strains global data have been analysed and a unified nomenclature system have been designed producing a lot of data that contributed to clarify the evolution dynamics of H9 subtype viruses identified to date. The evolutionary dynamics of H9N2 in an endemic country as Iran have been elaborated in further detail. Phylogenetic and molecular studies have been performed on all the H9N2 Iranian viruses circulating from 1998 to 2015 along with other neighboring countries to identify the phylogenetic relationships grouping the various introductions and the spread to other countries, in order to highlight the evolution dynamics and the extent of its molecular change since the H9N2 first detection in Iran and after the application of a vaccination program. In addition, one of the research topics includes a serological investigation of H9N2 avian influenza virus among the poultry workers in an endemic country as Iran where, despite of the control measures implemented at national level including mass vaccination of poultry, the subtype H9N2 has rapidly spread and can be considered endemic in Iranian poultry. This study has been carried in collaboration with an Iranian research group to reveal the association between professional exposure to poultry and the presence of antibodies to H9N2 viruses in order to develop surveillance and control programs to monitor the biological risk and thus to preserve public health against the spreading of the H9N2 virus.
Atmospheric CO2 availability does not equate to increased nodularin production in diazotrophic cyanobacteria, but does induce varying responses in net photosynthesis and N2 fixation rates

Increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are suggested to favour increased incidences of cyanobacterial blooms in water bodies, with a potential concomitant increase in toxin production. As nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria are independent of nitrate and ammonium, this pilot study investigated whether elevated atmospheric CO2 levels (eCO2), could increase toxin production and net photosynthesis (NP) rates in both terrestrial and aquatic diazotrophic cyanobacteria. Both toxin and non-toxin producing strains of Nostoc and Nodularia were grown at present atmospheric levels (PAL) of CO2 or near future elevated (eCO2) and net photosynthesis (NP) determined. Short term responses demonstrated CO2 associated increases and decreases in NP, with N. harveyana SAG44.85 showing little change in its NP at eCO2. Long term responses recorded increases in NP for all species in response to eCO2, except for N. harveyana on day 7. Nitrogen fixation rates were significantly higher by approx. 10 fold in the aquatic Nodularia species compared to the terrestrial Nostoc species tested. Moreover, nitrogen fixation rates were not significantly higher at eCO2, except for N. harveyana. There was no direct correlation between increased nodularin production and eCO2 in neither aquatic, nor terrestrial nodularin producing species, however there was a significant correlation between nodularin content and POC:PON ratio for the terrestrial Nostoc sp. 73.1 not observed for the aquatic Nodularia spumigena CCY9414.
Combining Nonprofit Service and Advocacy: Organizational Structures and Hybridity

Facilitating political engagement is a vital function of the nonprofit sector. While some public charities engage in political activities like policy advocacy, many focus exclusively on their core service mission. Current nonprofit research does not adequately theorize the inherent tension between service and advocacy activities. We conceptualize nonprofits engaging in service and advocacy as hybrid organizations that incorporate two distinct logics. Using the organizational hybridity literature, and empirical data from a survey of Massachusetts nonprofits, we examine how the logics of service provision and political advocacy are combined and managed across a sample of nonprofits. We find that nonprofit service–advocacy hybrids adopt an array of organizational structures to accommodate these logics, including decoupled, segregated, outsourced, and blended structures. Our results suggest that compartmentalization may be a common strategy and that certain organizational structures are related to the presence of mission integration, funding reliance, competition, and advocacy objectives.
Seasonal flooding, topography, and organic debris interact to influence the emergence and distribution of seedlings in a tropical grassland

In seasonally flooded wetlands, inundation and associated organic debris deposition followed by a drawdown period can promote plant community diversity across space and time. Post‐flood regeneration might be influenced by the direct effect of flooding on seed dispersal and seedling emergence, as well as the indirect effect of organic debris on seed trapping and germination. Our objective was to examine the influence of seasonal flooding, topography, and organic debris cover on seedling distribution in a seasonally flooded grassland. We measured species richness, seedling abundance, and organic debris cover for 3 yr in a seasonally flooded grassland in the Pantanal, Brazil, at three topographic levels at the end of the flood season and during the dry season when there was no debris deposition. A total of 43 species were recorded, with no difference in species richness detected between seasons. However, the abundance of some species was higher post‐flood than during the dry period. The greatest seedling abundance and richness were found post‐flood at intermediate elevations, followed by high and the lowest elevations. Seed germination and seedling establishment were likely suppressed at low topographic positions due to shading from organic debris and poor drainage. Therefore, areas with predictable annual floods promote diversity by creating spatial and temporal variations in environmental conditions.
Flavonoids from Gloriosa Superba Linn. Tissue Culture

In the present investigation two flavonoids, kaempherol and quercitin have been reported from Gloriosa.superba L. of Liliaceae family in vivo and in vitro. Quantification data revealed that the total flavonoid content (free + bound) was higher in tissue culture than in plant parts. The in vitro studies showed that the maximum amount of total flavonoid content was found in 6-weeks old tissue (2.21 mg/g.d.w) and minimum (1.13 mg/g.d.w) in 2-weeks-old tissue. In vivo studies showed higher flavonoids content in leaf (0.84 mg/g.d.w) when compared to rhizome (0.43 mg/g.d.w). whereas the total flavonoids content in their bound form was highest in leaf (0.45 mg/g.d.w) and lowest in rhizome (0.23 mg/g.d.w).
Robust structural determinants of public deficits in developing countries

ABSTRACT Many macroeconomic, institutional, demographic, social and political variables have been proposed by previous studies as significant determinants of public deficits in developing countries. This paper asks whether their estimated impact on public deficits is robust under thousands of possible alternative specifications. We deal with model uncertainty using Sala-i-Martin’s Extreme Bound Analysis. Our results clearly show that external shocks, the debt ratio, financial development, the level of democracy and government control over expenditures are robustly associated with fiscal deficits. Public deficits are lower in countries which provide better stability of public expenditure in the face of revenue instability and which are less exposed to negative external shocks. In contrast, fiscal deficits increase with the debt ratio, financial development and the level of democracy. The relative importance of external shocks in all the regressions argues in favour of greater economic diversification in order to mitigate the impact of negative shocks on public finances.
Intraspecific competition in oat varieties selected for grain yield and milling

Abstract. Oats likely emerged as part of the weedy grass assemblage in early wheat and barley crops. Some Avena species, such as A. fatua and A. sterilis, evolved into aggressive weeds, and the high interspecific competitive ability of cultivated oats (A. sativa) is valued agronomically to facilitate weed control in rotations. We tested the hypothesis, verified in many crops, that high yield of oats is related to low intraspecific competitive ability. Ten contemporary oat varieties, selected for grain yield and milling attributes, where grown in three environments. Response to competition was calculated as 100 × (Yb – Yc)/Yc, where Y is yield measured in border (b) and centre (c) rows. The same definition was used to calculate response to competition of yield components (biomass, harvest index, grain number, grain weight) and the components of grain number (panicle number and grains per panicle). Yield response to competition was affected by all three sources of variation, i.e. environment, variety and variety × environment interaction. The interaction demonstrates the plasticity of yield response to intraspecific competition; for example, the response to competition of variety Mortlock varied from 9% to 71% among environments. This plasticity in yield response to competition was partially related to variety-dependent responses to competition for biomass and harvest index, number of panicles and number of grains per panicle. We did not find the expected negative association between yield and variety-dependent response to competition. We discuss how this lack of correlation could relate to sampling issues, i.e. a limitation in the range of environments and varieties explored in this study, or reflect a legitimate feature of oat crops arising from early and contemporary selective pressures.
Ant colony optimization based Information‐Centric networking delivery strategy via flow analysis and scheduling

Information‐Centric Networking (ICN) has been deeply investigated in recent years since it shows the rich and wide application value in some emerging fields, such as Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile communication. Because of the feature of in‐network caching, there exists several content providers in ICN network. Under the situation, it is obvious that there are multiple paths from an interest requester to these content providers; that is to say, the routing of ICN aims to select a path from these paths, which guaranteeing the selected path is optimal according the requirements of users and network status. Especially during the phase of content delivery, the elephant flows usually cause the serious load unbalance and network congestion due to the unreasonable scheduling even though the proportion of elephant flows is very low. In this paper, the content delivery strategy of ICN is proposed with the load balance consideration, in which Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is used to schedule the optimal path based on the dynamically analyzed network status, called ACOF. The simulation results show that ACOF efficiently improves delivery latency, bandwidth utilization and load balance over the simulated network topology.
Screening the Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties of the Lichenized Ascomycete Tornabea scutellifera

The study was aimed at evaluating the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the methanol extract of Tornabea scutellifera collected from Eastern Mediterranean Region of Turkey. Antioxidant activity was employed by three complementary test systems namely phosphomolybdenum, β-carotene/linoleic acid and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging systems. In β -carotene-linoleic acid system, T. scutellifera methanol extract exhibited 72.0% inhibition against linoleic acid oxidation. In DPPH assay, IC 50 value of the methanol extract was determined as 147.06 μg/mL. Total phenolic content in the methanol extract was determined spectrometrically applying the Folin- Ciocalteu assay. The extract was tested against thirteen bacteria and two yeasts by agar diffusion assay and found active against Aeromonas hydrophila , Klebsiella pneumonia , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Bacillus brevis , Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus . No antimicrobial activity against the yeasts ( Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) was detected. The results obtained in the present study indicate that T. scutellifera may be a potential source of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agents
Revisiting the Credit-Output Nexus in India: A Macro and Sectoral Analysis

ABSTRACT The study examines the inter-relationship of credit and output and brings to the fore the critical role of bank credit in financial intermediation. Applying Johansen’s cointegration and vector error correction model (VECM), the study finds long run association between credit and output at the aggregate level during 1997-98:Q1 to 2019-20:Q2 as also at the sectoral level for agriculture and services during 2007-08:Q1 to 2019-20:Q2. The Gregory-Hansen test revealed break in 2013-14:Q2 in the relationship between overall credit and output possibly reflecting the absence of long-run relationship for capital intensive sector such as industry and manufacturing. The coefficient measuring long-run impact of overall credit on output in the economy showed an upward movement after the break – reflecting the combined impact of structural reforms undertaken in the banking system and availability of spare capacity. Thus, notwithstanding hiccups observed sometimes, the underlying relation of credit and output appears strong and sustained.
After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass, Enterohepatic Bile Circulation Is Altered and Bile Acid Retention Increased while Bile Acid Homeostasis Remains Normal after Sleeve Gastrectomy

Introduction: Elevated bile acid (BA) concentrations have been suggested to partly drive metabolic improvements after bariatric surgery but the mechanisms remain poorly understood. We assessed flow of bile and foods using scintigraphy after Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) and Sleeve Gastrectomy (SG). Materials and Methods: 15 RYGB, 10 SG and 15 gender, age and BMI matched controls (C) underwent a combined cholescintigraphy and fatty test-meal with frequent blood sampling, for concomitant visualization of radiolabeled bile and food markers in the GI tract. BA retention was estimated 7 days after ingestion of a radiolabeled taurine-conjugated BA analogue (75Se-HCAT). Results: Prior to meal intake, gallbladder filling was lower (mean ± SEM: RYGB 23% ± 4, SG 39 ± 4, C 36 ± 5, RYGB vs. C p = 0.04) and more bile marker had passed passively into the small intestine in RYGB but not SG (RYGB 48% ± 6, SG 21 ± 5, C 20 ± 6, RYGB vs. C p Conclusion: After RYGB, enteric BA appearance is altered (more hepatic less gallbladder derived) and food is instantly mixed with bile due to negligible retention of foods in the gastric pouch. BA retention is increased. In contrast, BA appearance and retention remains normal after SG, although gastric emptying is accelerated. The metabolic impact of the changes in BA circulation after RYGB needs further evaluation. Disclosure A. Eiken: None. S. Fuglsang: None. M.L. Eiken: None. M.S. Svane: None. J.J. Holst: Advisory Panel; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S. Board Member; Self; Zealand Pharma A/S. Speaker9s Bureau; Self; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., AstraZeneca. Research Support; Self; Danish Diabetes Academy, Novo Nordisk Foundation. Other Relationship; Self; Antag Therapeutics. Other Relationship; Spouse/Partner; Antag Therapeutics. K.N. Bojsen-Moller: None. S. Madsbad: Advisory Panel; Self; AstraZeneca. Speaker9s Bureau; Self; AstraZeneca. Research Support; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Advisory Panel; Self; Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Speaker9s Bureau; Self; Eli Lilly and Company, Eli Lilly and Company. Advisory Panel; Self; Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., Sanofi-Aventis, Novo Nordisk A/S. Speaker9s Bureau; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S. Research Support; Self; Novo Nordisk A/S. J.L. Madsen: None. C. Dirksen: None.
Additional records of striped eel catfish Plotosus lineatus (Osteichthyes: Plotosidae) from the syrian coast (eastern mediterranean)

The authors describe in the present paper four additional records of striped eel catfish Plotosus lineatus (Thunberg, 1787), including morphometric measurements and meristic counts. All captured specimens were mature females carrying developed ovaries with yellow yolked oocytes. Additionally the use of the local ecological knowledge allows to assess the status of P. lineatus which is successfully established in the area where it is able to live and reproduce.
Succinic acid: a novel and efficient organo-catalyst for synthesis of α-amino nitriles under solvent free condition

A simple, efficient and eco-friendly general protocol has been developed for the synthesis of threecomponent reaction methodology of Strecker’s α-amino nitriles by using various aldehyde or ketone, amines and trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMS-CN). In this methodology, succinic acid is used as a novel and efficient organocatalyst in catalytic amount. This method was carried out under solvent free condition at room temperature for preparation of variety of α-amino nitriles derivatives in excellent yields. The present method provides significant advantages of organo-catalyst such as inexpensive, highly stable, environmentally benign and commercially available as well as solvent free reaction conditions and high conversions of the products with excellent yield.
Robustness of local control strategies under modelling uncertainties: the 2004 avian influenza H5N1 outbreak in Thailand

The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) subtype H5N1 virus persists in many countries and has been circulating in poultry, wild birds. In addition, the virus has emerged in other species and frequent zoonotic spillover events indicate that there remains a significant risk to human health. It is crucial to understand the dynamics of the disease in the poultry industry to develop a more comprehensive knowledge of the risks of transmission and to establish a better distribution of resources when implementing control. In this paper, we develop a set of mathematical models that simulate the spread of HPAI H5N1 in the poultry industry in Thailand, utilising data from the 2004 epidemic. The model that incorporates the intensity of duck farming when assessing transmision risk provides the best fit to the spatiotemporal characteristics of the observed outbreak, implying that intensive duck farming drives transmission of HPAI in Thailand. We also extend our models using a sequential model fitting approach to explore the ability of the models to be used in “real time” during novel disease outbreaks. We conclude that, whilst predictions of epidemic size are estimated poorly in the early stages of disease outbreaks, the model accurately predicts the preferred control policy that should be deployed to minimise the impact of the disease.
Effects of habitat fragmentation on the population genetic diversity of the Amur minnow (Phoxinus lagowskii)

Abstract Phoxinus lagowskii is a freshwater fish that is widely distributed in China. In this study, a comparative analysis of the mtDNA control region (D-loop) was performed to analyze the natural population structure and genetic diversity of 54 individuals from eleven locations (T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8, T9, T10 and T11) which was divided with reservoirs. The estimated haplotype and nucleotide diversity were 0.734 and 0.03514, respectively. An AMOVA indicated that 79.78% of the total variation originated from individual populations and 20.22% came from variation within the 11 geographic populations, which showed high genetic differentiation among the 11 geographic groups. A test of neutral evolution and mismatch distribution indicated that historical expansion occurred in these populations. However, the findings of low genetic diversity and high genetic differentiation demonstrated that the reproduction isolated by reservoir has showed a certain effect for the development of the populations, and the results should provide new information for the conservation and exploitation of this species.
Seed mass and germination traits relationships among different plant growth forms with aerial seed bank in the sub-tropical arid Arabian deserts

ABSTRACT Background: Seed mass and plant growth forms can affect dispersal syndrome that determines where seed is stored until germination, which can consequently determine germination requirements and the fate of emerged seedlings. Aims: This study aimed to assess the relationships between seed mass, germination rate and light and temperature requirements during germination of 23 desert plants with an aerial seed bank. Methods: Freshly collected seeds and those stored for 9 months at room temperature and enclosed within plant parts in the field were germinated in three growth chambers adjusted to three temperatures and two light regimes. Results: Trees and shrubs had significantly heavier seeds with greater dormancy compared to herbs. Germination at all storage conditions responded positively to light in herbs and germinated in both light and dark in shrubs and trees. Field storage enhanced light germination in trees, but not in shrubs and herbs. Germination rate index was greater for seeds of herbs and trees compared to those of shrubs. The relationships between seed mass and final germination in both light and dark regimes were positive in herbs but negative in shrubs. Conclusions: Growth form, seed size, storage condition can affect light, but not temperature, requirement of the studied plants.
Numerical modeling of two microwave sensors for biomedical applications

The purpose of this invited paper is to give readers a critical and comprehensive overview on how to extract dielectric properties of a bioliquid within a broad frequency range. Two sensors are used in the paper to characterize saline solutions by measuring the broadband complex permittivity. The two sensors are based on transmission line and interdigital electrodes designed for low‐ and high‐ frequency measurements, respectively, on the basis of the coplanar waveguide structure due to its convenience of fabrication and integration with microfluidic structures for liquid measurements. Different from traditional work where the finite element simulation method is used, the characterization theories of the two sensors are built based on a numerical modeling procedure, which can dramatically increase the device design efficiency, taking just a few seconds. Differently from the finite element method, the proposed numerical analysis utilizes a conformal mapping technique for both sensors. The characterization theories of the two sensors are validated by measuring de‐ionized water. The platform is finally used to measure 0.1 and 0.5 mol/L saline solutions within a broadband frequency range going from 10 up to 50 GHz, with the repeatability error within 5%.