Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thoracoabdominal asynchrony correlates with peripheral vascular resistance changes in a cohort of obese children.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between the thoracoabdominal asynchrony (phase angle), as an index of inspiratory airflow resistance, pulse transit time arousal index (PTT Ar/I), as changes in peripheral vascular resistance and intrathoracic pressure, and obstructive apnea index (OA), Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI), snoring (% estimated Total Sleep Time - eTST) and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in a cohort of exogenous obese children. Material and Methods: Body mass index (BMI) and BMI z-scores were calculated according to age and sex in 36 consecutive obese children. Nasal patency, tonsil size, Friedman palate position scoring were also recorded. An overnight sleep respiratory recording was performed using an polygraphic ambulatory device . Results: Subjects studies had normal to mild sleep respiratory involvement (assessed by respiratory polysomnographic scoring). Phase angle correlated significantly with PTT Ar/I, but not with AHI (n/hr), OA (n/hr), ODI (n/hr) and snoring (% eTST), even adjusting for nasal patency, tonsil hypertrophy, palate position and BMI (z-score). Conclusion: Thoracoabdominal asynchrony (phase angle) is correlated with peripheral vascular resistance changes (PTT Ar/I), suggesting a subclinical upper respiratory airflow anomaly with autonomic activation in obese subjects.
Openness, Economic Reforms, and Poverty: Globalization in Developing Countries

This paper addresses a key issue in the current debate on economic development: the impact of globalization on poverty. After having discussed the problems related to the definition and measurement of both poverty and globalization, we perform a panel analysis which adds to recent literature by explicitly considering relative poverty and by conducting robustness analysis with respect to data, sources and dimensions of globalization. As far as absolute poverty is concerned, both trade openness and the "size of the government" seem to be associated with lower poverty levels. Conversely, financial openness is not linked to more poverty. With respect to relative poverty, trade openness does not affect it significantly, while weak evidence suggests that financial openness and policies aimed at reducing the size of the public intervention in the economy are linked to higher relative poverty.
DETERMINATION OF IN VITRO RESPONSES OF TURKISH BARLEY CULTIVARS TO PRESENCE OF ALUMINIUM

Aluminium (Al) is a limiting factor for plant growth in acidic soils due to its toxic property under acidic conditions. Highest Al sensitivity of barley among other cereals is important for cultivation of this crop. In this study, in vitro responses of four Turkish barley cultivars to presence of Al were analyzed based on the changes in root length, shoot length, pH of growth medium and eriochrome cyanine R staining. All cultivars were grown in MS medium with agar containing different Al concentrations (0, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 μM). Average root length measurements obtained daily over 6 d periods showed that variations in lengths were present up to 60 μM Al. However, root lengths were decreased numerically for all cultivars at 80 μM Al. Based on the root growth inhibition level at an increase of Al concentration from 60 to 80 μM, a numerically lowest root growth inhibition was observed for Konevi-98 (37.6 vs. 33.4 mm). Therefore, Konevi-98 was determined as the most tolerant variety, while Kıral-97 (32.3 vs. 29.9 mm) was followed by Konevi-98. Beyşehir-98 (31.5 vs. 21.4 mm) and Karatay-94 (31.3 vs. 23.8 mm) were determined as the most sensitive cultivars. In accordance with the root growth inhibition results, Konevi-98 had the highest shoot growth (97.3 mm; P< 0.05) and caused the least pH change (4.32; P< 0.05) on the growth medium. On the other hand, eriochrome cyanine R staining results of roots grown under various Al concentrations was not definitive for the separation of cultivars based on Al tolerances.
Constraining the boundary between the Sunda and Andaman subduction systems: Evidence from the 2002 Mw 7.3 Northern Sumatra earthquake and aftershock relocations of the 2004 and 2005 great earthquakes

The 2004 Mw 9.0 Sumatra‐Andaman earthquake initiated along the Andaman subduction zone, north of the last great Sumatra earthquake along the Sunda Trench in 1861. During the 2005 Mw 8.7 Banyak Islands earthquake, a portion of the 1861 rupture subsequently failed. The boundary between the 2004 and 2005 ruptures broadly coincides with local trench rotation and the southern edge of the Andaman microplate, which suggests structural control on fault segmentation. Aftershock relocations of the 2004 and 2005 earthquakes show little overlap, and the sharp boundary between the series locates near the 2002 Mw 7.3 Northern Sumatra earthquake. We posit that these features represent the southern extent of the stable Andaman microplate, ∼50–100 km northwest of what was previously reported. Broadband analyses of the 2002 earthquake yield a bilateral rupture pattern that is used to model Coulomb stress changes near the 2004 hypocenter to assess stress interactions along adjacent fault segments.
Lignin content in seed coats of Glyphosate-resistant soybean and their respective parents

The large-scale cultivation of Roundup Ready (RR) has recently increased among Brazilian farmers. However, few studies have compared the intrinsic characteristics of the seeds of RR soybean cultivars and their respective conventional parental. Thus, the purpose of this study is to verify if the genetic modification of the RR soybean affects the lignin content and its monomeric composition in the seed coats, in comparison with the parental cultivar. To do that, five groups, each one with a RR cultivar and its respective parental were selected. After the physiological analysis of the seeds, the coats were separated and dried in an incubator at 80°C for 24 h. Next, the contents of lignin and its monomers p-hydroxyphenyl (H), guaiacyl (G) and syringyl (S) were determined. In order to compare the RR cultivars and their respective parents, a statistical evaluation of contrasts was performed. The results revealed that only the group BRS133 vs BRS245RR was different; the transgenic cultivar showed significant increases in the lignin contents and their monomers. In conclusion, the introduction of the sequence CP4-EPSPS in the genome of soybean cultivars, had no any influence on seed coat lignification. Key words: Monolignols, seeds, Glycine max L. Merrill, RoundupâReady.
On the nature of the galaxy NGC 5666

We present B and R CCD images and optical spectroscopy in the range 3700–8900 A for the galaxy NGC 5666, which until now was considered as a low-luminosity elliptical. The high-resolution images show a conspicuous spiral pattern which is limited to the inner region ($r \le 5\arcsec$, or 1/6 of the isophotal radius) and a faint (presumably tidal) outer feature dotted with small knots resembling star clusters or tidal dwarf galaxies. The patchy spiral structure and the luminosity profiles suggest a late-type morphological type, but the disk is of high central surface brightness and the bulge weak and very extended. The nuclear spectrum reveals typical emission lines found in late-type galaxies, but the underlying nuclear stellar population and continuum only match that of an elliptical galaxy combined with a young (<1 Gyr) stellar population. These and other properties of the galaxy suggest that this could be a minor merger, at an intermediate stage, between a gas-rich dwarf and a small early-type disk galaxy. If this is the case, the galaxy NGC 5666 will provide important constraints to the theory of hierarchical galaxy formation.
Stevia rebaudiana: Its agricultural, biological, and chemical properties

Stevia rebaudiana is a member of the Compositae, native to Paraguay. It produces a number of high-potency low-calorie sweeteners in its leaf tissue. The sweeteners are diterpene glycosides and range between 30 and 320 times sweeter than sugar. Increasing consumer interest in natural food ingredients means that products like stevia sweeteners will be subject to increasing demand. Such demand will need to be supported by a modern mechanised production system. The purpose of this review is to summarize the existing agricultural, chemical and biochemical literature to provide a baseline for new research. Key words: Stevia, diterpene, steviol glycoside, sweeteners
ESLAS - a robust layered learning framework

With increasing capabilities today robots get more and more complex to program. Not only the low-level skills and different strategies for different subgoals have to be specified, which by itself is not a trivial task even for simple domains. Both, the skill set and the strategies, also have to be compatible with each other. This turns out to be a major hassle as they are designed and implemented under assumptions about the future environment and conditions the robot will be faced with, that usually do not hold in reality. The Evolving Societies of Learning Autonomous Systems architecture (ESLAS) is targeted to this problem. With minimal need for specification, it is able to learn skills and strategies independently in order to accomplish different goals, which the designer can specify by means of an intuitive motivation system. In addition, it is able to handle system and environ- mental changes by learning autonomously at the different levels of abstraction. It is achieving this in continuous and noisy environments by 1) an active strategy-learning module that uses reinforcement learning and 2) a dynamically adapting skill module that proactively explores the robot's own action capabilities and thereby provides actions to the strategy module. We demonstrate the feasibility of simultaneously learning low- level skills and high-level strategies in a Capture-The-Flag scenario. Thereby, the robot drastically increases its overall autonomy.
Assessment of the High-heel Shoes Effect on Head Protrusion Angle

Methods: This study was conducted at University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran. A simulated instrument to high-heel shoes was used in this research. Participants of this study were 25 healthy female students with the average (SD) age of 26.64 (3.86) y, average (SD) weight of 57.04 (7.06) kg, average (SD) height of 164.04 (5.76) cm, and average (SD) body mass index of 21.17 (2.14) kg/m2. A digital camera was used and fixed on a 1-m tripod at the distance of 2.40 m from the used instrument on the heel. A software (Corel VideoStudio ProX4) was used to get the pictures from the movie for each cm increase in heel height and 9 pictures were taken from 0 to 8 height points. AutoCAD 2012-English software was used to take measurements at 9 levels.
International Journal of Food Engineering Effects of Pre-Treatments and Air Drying Temperatures on Colour and Antioxidant Properties of Gac Fruit Powder

Gac fruit contains extraordinarily high levels of carotenoids that are well-known as strong antioxidants with an attractive yellow-orange-red colour. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different pre-treatments and air drying temperatures on colour characteristics, total carotenoid content (TCC) and total antioxidant activity (TAA) of resultant Gac fruit powder. Results showed that pre-soaking in solutions of ascorbic acid or bisulfite prior to air drying at low temperature of 40°C was effective in preserving TCC and TAA. Loss of TCC and TAA increased as drying temperatures increased (50, 60, 70, and 80°C). Moreover, the colour characteristics of Gac powder, such as chroma and hue angle, were not significantly affected by pre-treatments and air drying temperatures. The sorption isotherm curve of Gac aril powder has sigmoid shape.
Characterization of Conjugated Linoleic Acid-Producing Lactic Acid Bacteria as Potential Probiotic for Chicken

Aims: Dietary intake of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) by human is insufficient to exhibit properties of anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerosis, anti-obesity and enhancing immune system. Thus, enrichment of CLA in chicken by bacteria is a suggestion to solve the problem. It would be an advantage to have bacteria capable of producing CLA and has probiotic potential in chicken. Thus, probiotic properties of CLA-producing bacteria were accessed in this study. Methodology and results: In this study, 47 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from gastrointestinal tract of chickens were screened for conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) production. Lactobacillus salivarius strain P2, Enterococcus faecium strain P1 and Lactobacillus agilis strain P3 were shown to produce 21.97, 23.35 and 31.08 μg/mL of CLA in MRS broth containing free linoleic acid (0.5 mg/mL) and 2% (w/v) Tween 80, respectively. Lactobacillus salivarius strain P2, E. faecium strain P1 and L. agilis strain P3 were found to be able to tolerate 0.3% oxgall (Difco, France) and pH 2.5. Lactobacillus agilis strain P3 and L. salivarius strain P2 showed better acid tolerance compared to E. faecium strain P1. Besides that, L. agilis strain P3 and L. salivarius strain P2 were resistant to two out of eight types of antibiotics tested, able to produce 220.04 mM lactic acid and 200.17 mM of lactic acid, respectively. Enterococcus faecium strain P1 was resistant to five out of eight types of antibiotic tested, produced 90.39 mM lactic acid and showed hemolytic activity. Only L. agilis strain P3 can produce acetic acid at a concentration of 2.71 mM. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: These results showed that the CLA-producing L. salivarius strain P2 and L. agilis strain P3 could be potential probiotic bacteria for chickens, which may eventually lead to production of chicken with better meat quality.
ZnO nanoparticles on Si, Si/Au, and Si/Au/ZnO substrates by mist-atomisation

ZnO nanoparticles were prepared on Si substrates by a mist-atomisation technique. Precursor of aqueous solution zinc nitrate and HMTA were released on substrates heated at 200, 300, and 400°C confined in chamber box. The surface of Si substrate was varied, that is, gold-seeded Si (Si/Au), ZnO nanorods on Si/Au (Si/Au/ZnO), and just Si. The samples were subsequently analysed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy to study their structural, surface morphology, and PL emission properties. Analysis from the XRD patterns of the films showed strong a- and c-axis lattice and of pure ZnO hexagonal wurtzite type. The crystallite size varied from 6 to 43 nm and was found to generally increase with increasing substrates' temperatures(Ts). SEM micrographs revealed granular-like structure throughout. Shifts pattern of PL emission at ultraviolet and visible range was found to support size changes observed. Both substrate surface type and deposition temperature were found to significantly affect crystalline growth of ZnO nanoparticles. Chemical equations and justification for growth patterns are also suggested.
Microbial Fuel Cell and its Efficiency in Treating Wastewater - a Novel Technique for Wastewater Treatment

Due to depletion of coal and other natural fuel there is an urgent need to find eco-friendly and workable technology for alternate energy. Microbial fuel cells is considered as assuringmethod to extract energy from various sources of wastewater and to generate electricity. But, due to practical limits, MFCs are still unsuitable to meet high power demands. Since wastewater contains several contaminants including organic substances, therefore, generation of electric energy from wastewater using MFC can offer an alternate solution for electricity issue as well as to reduce environmental pollution. Microbial fuel cells harvest electrical energy from wastewater with the help of microorganisms present within the wastewater. The energy confined in organic matter converted in to useful electric current. In Microbial Fuel Cell electrons from the microorganisms transfer from a reduced electron donor to an electron acceptor at a higher electrochemical potential. The study highlights that wastewater with high organic content found to be more effective and it also gives good energy production. If the same concept implemented in large scale it can help in achieving sustainable development and it helps in achieving 3R formula in the process of wastewater treatment.
Cultural Literacy Skills of University Students Who Get Arts Education on Art Works

This study aims to determine the perception levels of art educator candidate students of traditional culture and popular culture symbols or expressions on the works of art. This study is important in terms comprehension of students' perception skills and to determine whether these understandings are reflected in their artistic skills or not. A survey was conducted to find out the perception of culture on a total of 70 students studying in the 1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd , 4 th grades at the Painting Education Department of Necmettin Erbakan University, Ahmet Kelesoglu Education Faculty, Fine Arts Education Department. Art works containing cultural symbols and expressions were used by the researcher in the study. Student views were taken over eight works of art with details from different cultures. The data of the research where the qualitative research method was used are collected in the form of written opinions about the works. In the analysis of the work, the data obtained from the views taken with the help of the questions which reveal the nature of the art history of the work was analyzed and interpreted through content analysis. Keywords: Culture, Popular Culture, Art Education, Cultural Perception.
Phytosociology of Pinus roxburghii Sargent. (Chir pine) in Lesser Himalayan and Hindu Kush range of Pakistan.

A phytosociological study of Pinus roxburghii was undertaken in Lesser Himalayan and Hindu Kush range of Pakistan during summer 2005. Thirteen stands were sampled at five different locations i.e., Mansehra, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Swat and Lower Dir ranging from 750 - 1700 meters elevation. P. roxburghii was forming pure vegetation in 12 stands but in one location, it was associated with some angiospermic tree species. Quantitative attributes viz. relative density, relative frequency and relative basal area and absolute values were calculated. Circular plots were used to assess the vegetation association on the forest floor. Pine seedlings were recorded in nine stands. The common angiospermic species were found in association with Chir pine like Dodonaea viscosa, Punica granatum, Erodium cicutarium, Medicago denticulate and Vicia sativa. The most rare species encountered were Ailanthus altissima, Daphne mucronata, Melia azedirach, Potentilla nepalensis, Urtica dioica and Olea ferruginea. It was also observed that the studied forests are unstable and degraded and would be vanished if not maintained properly.
MULTILOCUS PHYLOGENY OF THE LICHEN FAMILY MEGASPORACEAE

The lichen symbiosis is one of the oldest studied mutualisms; in fact, Frank and De Bary coined the term "symbiosis" while studying lichens (Frank, 1877; De Bary 1879). The widespread, stable association between the mycobiont and photobiont in lichens offers an ideal system for the study of co-evolution. The recent application of molecular data to lichens has begun to unveil the complexities involved in these associations (Upreti et al. 2015, Spribille et al. 2016). Lichenized fungi make up a huge fraction of fungal diversity (Nash 2008), yet very little is known of their genetic diversity. Fungal taxonomy is notoriously difficult using the standard “barcoding” genes, so the deep relationships between most lichens are poorly resolved (Schoch et al. 2012). Here I apply a combination of Sanger and next-generation sequencing technologies to the cosmopolitan lichen family Megasporaceae to generate a robust phylogenetic tree for the group. The genus Aspicilia is highly diverse, poorly collected, common across all continents, and lives on a wide range of substrates and environments (Nordin et al. 2010). Aspicilia is principally a genus of crustose lichens inhabiting rocks (saxicolous), although a few species are known to inhabit soil and wood. They are usually tightly attached to the substrate, with a few groups occasionally lifting off the substrate and becoming semi-fruticose (3-dimensional). Aspicilia is one of five genera in the recently resurrected family Megasporaceae (Nordin et al. 2010) and the most speciose in the family, with over 230 valid names. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the monophyly of the family Megasporaceae. The new genera Antidea and Arctidea are described. The recently described Teuvoa is subsumed within an expanded Lobothallia. The genera Megaspora and the recently resurrected Aspiciliella are subsumed within Circinaria. This study supports the segregation of the Megasporaceae into seven genera, Antidea, Aspilidea, Lobothallia, Arctidea, Sagedia, Circinaria and Aspicilia, describes three new species, proposes nineteen new combinations, and provides a robust phylogeny for the group that will be used as a backbone for future studies in the family.
Burst error control based on weighted checksum

This paper studies the problem of increasing the efficiency in controlling burst errors that are caused by external noise in the context of digital data transmission. For this purpose, the utilization of special weighted check sum modification has been proposed. Indeed, an algorithm for burst error control is presented and its use is illustrated via the presentation of an example in order to show that the technique proposed in this paper ensures superior data transmission error control effectiveness compared with already known codes.
Dynamics of ventilated coherent cold eddies on a sloping bottom

A theory is presented to describe the propagation and structure of coherent cold-core (mesoscale) eddies on a sloping bottom including dynamical and thermodynamical interaction with the surrounding fluid. Based on parameter values suggested by oceanographic and rotating-tank experimental data, the evolution of the baroclinic eddy is modelled with nonlinear ‘intermediate lengthscale’ geostrophic dynamics which is coupled to the surrounding fluid. The process of ventilation is modelled with a simple cross-interfacial mass flux parameterization. The surrounding fluid is governed by nonlinear quasi-geostrophic dynamics including eddy-induced vortex-tube compression. Assuming a relatively weak ventilation rate, a multiple-scale asymptotic theory is constructed to describe the propagation of an initially isolated or coherent baroclinic eddy. Throughout the evolution the eddy is assumed to be interacting strongly with the surrounding fluid. To leading order, the eddy and surrounding fluid satisfy the Stern isolation constraint. The magnitude of the Eulerian velocity field in the surrounding fluid above the eddy is shown to be larger than the swirl velocities in the eddy interior as suggested by experimental data. Also, to leading order, the along-shelf translation speed is given by the Nof formula. The process of ventilation is shown to induce a slowly decaying upslope translation in the propagating eddy, and acts to stimulate a weak slowly decaying topographic Rossby wave field in the surrounding fluid. The important features of the theory are illustrated with a simple example calculation.