Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Importance of Higher Education in the EU Countries in Achieving the Objectives of the Circular Economy in the Energy Sector

The main purpose of the article was to identify and present the current situation and changes in higher education in the field of electricity and energy studies in the European Union countries. The specific objectives include determining the degree of concentration of education in the fields of electricity and energy in the EU countries, showing the directions of their changes, types of dominant education in this field, establishing the correlation between education in the fields of electricity and energy and the parameters assessing the achievement of circular economy assumptions in the energy sector. All Member States of the European Union were deliberately selected for research. The research period covered the years 2013–2018. The source of the materials is a literature review on the subject and Eurostat data. For the analysis and presentation of materials, methods such as descriptive, tabular, graphical, dynamics indicators with a constant basis, Gini concentration coefficient, concentration analysis using the Lorenz curve, coefficient of variation, Pearson’s linear correlation coefficient were used. A high concentration of education in the fields of electricity and energy was found in several EU countries, the largest in countries with the highest energy consumption, i.e., in France and Poland. Changes in the level of concentration practically did not take place, only in the case of master’s studies, there was an increase in concentration. However, the EU countries did not differ significantly in terms of the structure of the number of students studying electricity and energy.
TREE COVER, PATCH STRUCTURE AND PATCH ISOLATION CORRELATE WITH PATTERNS OF TUFTED TIT‐SPINETAIL (LEPTASTHENURA PLATENSIS) OCCURRENCE IN ESPINAL FOREST REMNANTS FROM EAST‐CENTRAL ARGENTINA

Abstract ∙ The Tufted Tit‐Spinetail (Leptasthenura platensis) is a common species from the southern Neotropical Region, but several ecological aspects, such as abundance patterns and habitat use, remain poorly known. I studied the relationship between Tufted Tit‐Spinetail presence and characteristics of native forest patches (tree cover, patch area and interpatch distance) in eastern Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The probability of presence increased with tree cover and patch area and decreased with interpatch distance. Occurrence probability also decreased from summer to winter. Although the Tufted Tit‐Spinetail is not considered a species under threat, my results show that habitat features related to forest fragmentation are major factors explaining occurrence patterns in forest patches, and suggest that it could be a species sensitive to fragmentation. Resumen ∙ La cobertura de árboles, la estructura del parche y el aislamiento de los parches se correlacionan con los patrones de ocurrencia del Coludito Copetón (Leptasthenura platensis) en remanentes de bosque del Espinal del centro‐este de ArgentinaEl Coludito Copetón (Leptasthenura platensis) es una especie común del sur de la región Neotropical, pero varios aspectos de su ecología, como patrones de abundancia y uso de hábitat, son escasamente conocidos. Estudié la relación entre la presencia de Coludito Copetón y características de parches de bosque nativo (cobertura de árboles, área del parche y distancia entre parches) en la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. La probabilidad de presencia de Coludito Copetón aumentó con la cobertura arbórea y el área del parche, y disminuyó con un incremento en la distancia entre parches. La probabilidad de presencia también disminuyó desde el invierno hacia el verano. Aunque no es considerada una especie bajo amenaza, mis resultados muestran que ciertas características del hábitat asociadas a la fragmentación representan factores clave que explican patrones de ocupación en parches de bosque, y apoyan la idea de que sería una especie sensible a la fragmentación.
Do Intentions Indicate Actual Behaviour? A Comparison between Scenario‐Based Experiments and Real‐Time Observations of Warning Response

The sharp increase in the use of smartphones and rapid advances in mobile communication offer new ways to warn the public about developing natural or technological hazards. So far, the effectiveness of different warning types, namely standard and impact&#8208;based warnings (SW and IBW), were mainly tested in scenario&#8208;based experiments and not in real life. However, it can be questioned whether scenario&#8208;based experiments are the appropriate methodology to test different warnings, for instance due to the absence of feelings catalysed by real events. Therefore, we collected information about warning responses in real time via the smartphone application &#8216;Wetter&#8208;Alarm&#8217; of a Swiss weather provider. In the first phase of the study, we conducted a field experiment to investigate actual responses for SW and IBW. In the second phase, we compared these results with behavioural intentions collected via a scenario&#8208;based experiment with an almost identical set&#8208;up. The comparison shows that warning messages were perceived and understood very similar in both experiments. Also, we did not observe any significant interactions between warning type (SW vs. IBW) and study (field vs. scenario&#8208;based experiment). These findings indicate that the effects of warning type on behaviour can be studied on the basis of experimental (i.e. scenario&#8208;based) research designs. The paper ends with some reflections on the potential of big data in the social sciences and on a research agenda for real&#8208;time data collection to improve warning effectiveness and, ultimately, climate risk management.
Participatory upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) seed rate determination for row method of sowing under irrigated eco-system

A field experiment was conducted in 2013 cropping season at Bedloale and Werer sites in Amibara district, Afar Regional State, to determine optimum seeding rate for row method of sowing for productivity of rice (Oryza sativa L.) under irrigated ecosystem. The experiment was conducted with five levels of seed rate treatments (50, 60, 70, and 80 kg ha-1 and local practice) laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. The results of agronomic analysis showed that there was no statistical difference for all parameters at Bedolale site. However, at Werer site total number of tillers per plant, number of productive tillers per plant, total biomass and grain yield were significantly affected by seed rate. Compared to the control, 50 and 60 kgha-1 seed rates have shown a grain yield and superior performance in total biomass yield advantage. Moreover, the partial budgeting analysis results showed that sowing of 60 kg ha-1 NERICA-4 seed yielded positive gross margin at Werer site. While at Bedolale site, the two least cost treatments, that is, 50 and 60 kg ha-1 could be economically viable. In general, from the results of this study, it can be concluded that 60 kg ha-1 drilling is optimum seed rate for row method of sowing. Key words: Seed rate, rice productivity, NERICA-4, sowing method, row planting.
Effect of Leptin Alone and in Combination with IL1 on Human Chondrocytes in a Pellet Culture System

Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of disability among elderly, with obesity being a risk factor. The mechanical force on load-bearing joints in obese patients is known to induced Osteoarthritis development, however, low load-bearing joints in obese patients have also been found to develop Osteoarthritis. Leptin is a systemic hormone, associated with body-weight, and therefore may be the link between obesity and Osteoarthritis. This study aimed to investigate the effect of leptin on primary chondrocyte metabolism in a pellet culture system. The pellets were treated with IL1β or leptin (0.1-10g/ml) or IL1β and leptin (0.1-10g/ml) for 21 days. During that period, sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAGs) and hydroxyproline released in culture media and remaining in the pellets, as well as the expressions of ACAN, COL2A1, COL1A1, MMP3, MMP13 genes and MMP3, MMP13 enzymes were measured. Additionally, sGAGs and collagen accumulation in the extracellular matrix was determined by histological analysis. Leptin (1.0-10g/ml) was able to reduce the ECM molecule contents, both sGAGs and collagen, through up-regulation of MMPs expression, down-regulation of ACAN expression and induction of the dedifferentiation stage of chondrocytes. The effect of 10g/ml leptin was similar to IL1β, the main cytokine involved in cartilage degradation. Interestingly, leptin had an additive effect with IL1β on the reduction of pellet ECM molecule contents. This study shows that leptin can induce cartilage CMU J. Nat. Sci. (2020) Vol. 19 (4) 812 breakdown by down regulation of ECM molecules and up regulation of protease enzymes and has an additive effect with IL1β on cartilage degradation.
Detection of Cholesterol and its Oxidized Derivatives in Human Sperm Membranes through a Fast and Reliable LC-MS Method

1Department of Medicine, Unit of Andrology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani, Italy 2Department of Clinical and Experimental Oncology, Veneto Institute of Oncology -IRCCS, Padova, Italy 3Department of Pharmaceuticals and Pharmacological Sciences, Laboratory of Protein Chemistry, School of Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy 4Familial Cancer Clinic and Oncoendocrinology, Veneto Institute of Oncology, Via Gattamelata 64, Italy #The first two authors should be regarded as joint first authors Received date: 09 Feb 2017; Accepted date: 02 Mar 2017; Published date: 07 Mar 2017.
Plant and soil microbe responses to light, warming and nitrogen addition in a temperate forest

1. Temperate forests across Europe and eastern North America have become denser since the 1950s due to less intensive forest management and global environmental changes such as nitrogen deposition and climate warming. Denser tree canopies result in lower light availability at the forest floor. This shade may buffer the effects of nitrogen deposition and climate warming on understorey plant communities. 2. We conducted an innovative in situ field experiment to study the responses of co-occurring soil microbial and understorey plant communities to nitrogen addition, enhanced light availability and experimental warming in a full-factorial design. 3. We determined the effects of multiple environmental drivers and their interactions on the soil microbial and understorey plant communities, and assessed to what extent the soil microbial and understorey plant communities covary. 4. High light led to lower biomass of the soil microbes (analysed by phospholipid fatty acids), but the soil microbial structure, i.e. the ratio of fungal biomass to bacterial biomass, was not affected by light availability. The composition of the soil bacterial community (analysed by high-throughput sequencing) was affected by both light availability and warming (and their interaction), but not by nitrogen addition. Yet, the number of unique operational taxonomic units was higher in plots with nitrogen addition, and there were significant interactive effects of light and nitrogen addition. Light availability also determined the composition of the plant community; no effects of nitrogen addition and warming were observed. The soil bacterial and plant communities were co-structured, and light availability explained a large part of the variance of this co-structure. 5. We provide robust evidence for the key role of light in affecting both the soil microbial and plant communities in forest understoreys. Our results advocate for more multifactor global change experiments that investigate the mechanism underlying the (in) direct effects of light on the plant-soil continuum in forests.
Phylogenetic Relationships among Fishes in the Order Zeiformes Based on Molecular and Morphological Data

The Zeiformes (dories) are mid-water or deep (to 1000 m) marine acanthomorph fishes with a global, circumtropical, and circumtemperate distribution. Some species have a near-worldwide distribution, while others appear to be regional endemics, e.g., near New Zealand. Six families, 16 genera, and 33 species are currently recognized as valid. Relationships among them, however, remain unsettled, especially in light of recent proposals concerning the phylogenetic placement of zeiforms within the Paracanthopterygii rather than allied with beryciforms or percomorphs. The present study uses both morphological and molecular characters to investigate zeiform interrelationships given their revised phylogenetic placement and attendant changes to their close outgroups. Results indicate that revised outgroups affected the phylogenetic conclusions, especially those based on morphology. All analyses recovered monophyletic Zeidae, Cyttidae, and Oreosomatidae. Zeniontidae were recovered as polyphyletic, with the clade Capromimus + Cyttomimus sister to Oreosomatidae. Based on morphological evidence, Grammicolepididae are paraphyletic. Parazenidae are monophyletic in all results except maximum likelihood based on molecular data. Morphometric analysis revealed a star-like radiation in morphospace with three diverging trends, each trend exemplified by convergences in body form. Overall, our results are suggestive of a rapid diversification among the major lineages of Zeiformes during the Late Cretaceous.
IoT Enabled Crop Prediction and Irrigation Automation System Using Machine Learning

India, an agriculture country with more than 50% population depends on agriculture as the main source of income. With increasing population and shrinking agricultural land and fragmentation may create severe challenges to food safety in India. Therefore, there is an intense need for the application of technological innovations in the agriculture sector to improve its growth. The objective of the study is to design and develop an automated crop yield maximization system with an irrigation automation process using the Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning. The proposed study focuses on the maximization of crop yield and profits of the farmer using crop prediction and automation of the irrigation process leading to water conservation. The proposed system firstly rolls around making the irrigation system automated to ease the burden of getting water for the plants when they need it. In automatic irrigation system, data sensed by temperature sensor and soil sensor in real-time are sent to microcontroller board and based on the values received, it will instruct the relay to turn on/off the water pump and thus automate the irrigation process. Secondly, it involves to predicting suitable crop types using soil parameters and weather conditions that may be implanted by the farmers, using machine learning techniques, displayed on an android based application. The system proposed in this work recommends suitable crop as per the current weather and soil conditions in a particular geographical area by applying XGBoost classifier with the automation of the irrigation process. The study also does a comparative performance analysis of XGBoost classifier based on F1 Score and Accuracy. The study proposed a micro-controller-based model for crop maximization and irrigation automation. The system mainly fulfills two major objectives of agriculture-maximization of crop yield and farmer's profit using crop prediction and automation of irrigation process leads to water conservation.
Genome-wide search for candidate genes determining vertebrae number in pigs

Longer porcine carcasses may be expected to have more vertebrae. Therefore, vertebrae number in pigs is an economically important trait. To examine the genetic basis of this trait, we genotyped 578 F2 Large White Minzhu pigs using the Porcine SNP60K BeadChip. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified 36 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the chromosomes SSC1 (294.28–300.32 Mb) and SSC7 (102.22–109.39 Mb). A 6.04-Mb region that contained all 13 significant SNPs on SSC1 also contained the gene NR6A1, previously reported to influence the number of vertebrae in pigs. However, the reported putative casual mutation of NR6A1 c.748C>T showed no genome-wide significant association with the trait, suggesting it was not a causal mutation in our population. The remaining 23 significant SNPs on SSC7 were concentrated in a 7.17-Mb region, which was within a quantitative trait locus interval for number of vertebrae. TMED10 was the closest gene to the most significant SNP and might be a candidate. Haplotype sharing and block analysis refined the QTL to an interval of about 3 Mb containing 29 candidate genes. Of these 29 genes, the previously reported possible casual mutation of VRTN g.19034A>C was not found to be a causal mutation in our population. Exploration of these genes via additional genetic and functional studies in mammals revealed that TGFβ3 could be a good candidate on SSC7. A mutation of TGFβ3 c.1749G>Awas detected by GWAS and could be proposed as a candidate causal mutation, or as closely linked to a causal mutation, for the number of vertebrae in pigs.
Exploring the perceived benefits of self-produced videos for developing oracy skills in digital media environments

Abstract This research provides insight into Spanish English for Specific Purposes (ESP) engineering students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of video production for developing their digital oracy skills versus the effectiveness of in-class presentations for developing their public speaking skills. In addition, the authors discuss students’ preferences regarding the two communication modes. Ninety-seven students from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain) took part in the study. A 12-item quantitative questionnaire using a four-point Likert scale and an open-ended qualitative questionnaire were used. The results showed that students considered self-created videos to be effective tools for developing their oracy skills. However, results were not conclusive for students’ preferences regarding mode of communication. Contrary to our expectations, a considerable number of students did not feel confident in their use of video presentations and felt intimidated by the cameras. This suggests that a greater emphasis should be put on the development of digital communication skills to prepare our students for the new communication reality.
Analysis of Chondroitin/Dermatan Sulphate Disaccharides Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

Chondroitin sulphates belong to a group of naturally occurring glycosaminoglycans and play a role in many physiological processes including ageing and the effects of various diseases. Research into chondroitin sulphates has found that the most important analytes are 4- and 6-sulphated disaccharides. We developed an HPLC method for the separation and quantification of underivatized chondroitin/dermatan sulphates—unsaturated disaccharides (4- and 6-sulphated disaccharides). This method is based on the separation of disaccharides by amido as well as amino columns under acidic conditions. These columns enabled the successful separation of 4- and 6-sulphated disaccharides using 50 (amido column) and 25 mmol/L (amino column) phosphate buffer, pH 4.25 (detection at 230 nm), at retention times of less than 10 min. The limit of quantification was 0.5 μg/mL. The applicability of this method was demonstrated through analysis of unsaturated disaccharides produced from the enzymatic digestion of chondroitin/dermatan sulphates of the solubilized extracellular matrix produced from porcine urinary bladder and human umbilical cord.
A multi frequency point broadband compound antenna for partial discharge detection in gas insulated switchgear

In order to meet the requirements of the miniaturized and wide‐band antennas for ultra‐high frequency (UHF) detection method, a multi frequency point broadband compound antenna for detecting partial discharges (PD) of gas insulated substations (GIS) was designed. Firstly, through the analysis of the principle of miniaturization and broadbandization of the compound antenna, the meander technology was used to realize the miniaturization of the antenna, the multiple radiation unit technology was used to broaden the detection frequency band of the antenna, and the HFSS simulation software was used to simulate the design of the compound antenna. Then we made the antenna object according to the optimized simulation results, and the voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) of this antenna was tested by vector network analyzer. Finally, the GIS PD test system was built in the laboratory to conduct the actual measurement research on the antenna. The test results show that: The compound antenna has the characteristics of miniaturization, high gain and multi‐band. In the frequency range of 1.0 GHz to 3.0 GHz, its VSWR is less than 2, has a wide frequency range, can record most of the PD information. With the increase of frequency, the compound antenna gain is gradually increasing, and the maximum gain of the antenna can reach 6.5 dB, which can effectively receive weak UHF signals. The proposed antenna is quite promising for PD on‐line detection applications.
Structure of ground‐dwelling ant communities in burned and unburned areas in Brazilian subtropical grasslands

Fire is frequently used in the management of pastures in southern Brazil, but its effects on ground‐dwelling ant communities in Brazilian subtropical grasslands is still poorly understood. Here, we compared ant species richness and composition between periodically burned and unburned areas in native grasslands of the Atlantic Forest biome. In total, we found 35 epigeic ant species in burned and unburned areas. There was slightly higher species richness in burned than in unburned areas, independent of the sampling period (season). There was a significant difference in richness over the sampling period (season effect). Species composition varied significantly between the areas, in which nine species (26%) occurred only in burned areas, eight (23%) occurred only in unburned areas, and 18 (51%) occurred in both. Four species showed a significant preference for burned sites (Camponotus crassus, Linepithema humile and two undetermined species of Pheidole and Solenopsis). Although this study did not separate fire effects on ground‐dwelling ant communities (due to sampling design), it provides new information regarding subtropical native grasslands that can be used as a baseline for future studies.
Length-Weight Relationships of Five Elasmobranch Species from the Pacific Coast of Mexico

Length-weight relationships (LWR) were estimated for five elasmobranch species found in the Eastern Pacific: Heterodontus francisci (Girard, 1855), Urobatis halleri (Copper, 1863), Urobatis maculatus (Garman, 1913), Diplobatis ommata (Jordan and Gilbert, 1890), and Rhinobatos productus (Ayres, 1854). Species were selected because none had previously published data on LWR. The specimens were sampled along the Pacific west coast of Mexico, including the Gulf of California, between June 2009 and May 2013, using different fishing gear. The values of the exponent “b” of the LWR ranged from 2.52 to 3.06. This study provides the first reference on the LWR for these elasmobranch species.