Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physiological response of the facultative halophyte, Aeluropus littoralis, to different salt types and levels

Abstract The present study investigated the effects of NaCl, KCl and Na2SO4 salts on the C4 excreting halophyte Aeluropus littoralis in relation to growth, mineral status and photosynthesis in greenhouse conditions. Plantlets were subjected to five salinity levels: 0, 200, 400, 600 and 800 mM for 30 days. Growth decreased progressively with salinity increase, its reduction might be correlated with the high sodium (and/or chloride) accumulation in plant tissues, the decrease of leaf water status and the decline of the net photosynthetic rate and the intrinsic water use efficiency. Na2SO4 appeared more toxic than KCl and NaCl, especially at 200 mM. At 200 mM, Na2SO4 reduced plant growth by 61% while for other salt forms, the reductions were less than 20%. At this salt level, stomatal conductance showed a consistent pattern with plant growth and could adequately explain the variations between the effects of the three salt types.
Study of a new layered ternary chalcogenide CuZnTe2 and its potassium intercalation effect

A new layered ternary chalcogenide CuZnTe2 and its effect due to potassium (K) intercalation have been investigated using ab-initio method under the framework of density functional theory (DFT). Here, we report the structural, electronic and elastic properties of both proposed parent compound CuZnTe2 and intercalated KCuZnTe2. The electronic band structures and the density of states (DOS) of both these chalcogenides have also been studied. The parent compound demonstrates p-type conductivity with the energy band gap of 0.7 eV but surprisingly, the increase of energy gap (1.5 eV) is found in the intercalated KCuZnTe2, a direct-transition type semiconductor. The optical absorption result in KCuZnTe2 also shows the identical value of gap energy calculated by Wood-Tauc theory. The density of states (DOS) in the valence band for both compounds is dominated by the partial contribution of Cu/Zn 3d and Te 5p orbitals but the prime contribution of Cu/Zn 4s and Te 5s mainly in the conduction band DOS. The DOS value at around Fermi level in these chalcogenides is indicating the degeneracy behavior of a semiconductor. Both compounds are mechanically stable and also malleable. We also calculated the thermal properties in the intercalated KCuZnTe2 using quasi-harmonic Debye model. The observed values of Debye temperature, specific heat capacities and volume expansion coefficient using this model is almost consistent with the estimated values given in theory.
A manikin study comparing the performance of the GlideScope®, the Airtraq® and the C-MAC® in endotracheal intubation using suction-assisted laryngoscopy airway decontamination techniques in a simulated massive haematemesis scenario by emergency doctors

Background: The suction-assisted laryngoscopy and airway decontamination (SALAD) techniques (level 1, SALAD-1 and level 2, SALAD-2) are newly proposed airway management skills to facilitate endotracheal intubation in patients with massive haematemesis. A pilot study using GlideScope® demonstrated the superior performance of SALAD-1 technique in massive haematemesis simulation. Objectives: To compare the performance of three different video laryngoscopes (the GlideScope®, the Airtraq® and the C-MAC®) in endotracheal intubation using SALAD techniques by emergency doctors in a manikin simulating massive haematemesis. Methods: Forty-eight emergency doctors were recruited. The participants’ performance of endotracheal intubation using the GlideScope®, the Airtraq® and the C-MAC® with the conventional and the two SALAD techniques in a manikin simulating massive haematemesis was evaluated. The time for intubation, number of attempts, rate of failed intubation, amount of aspirated fluid and the subjective ease of different devices and techniques were compared. Results: The C-MAC® had shorter intubation time compared with GlideScope® when using conventional (mean intubation time: 28.48 vs 47.00 s, p = 0.018) and SALAD-1 technique (mean intubation time: 29.35 vs 43.25 s, p < 0.039). The intubation time of all three video laryngoscopes was similar in SALAD-2 technique. There was no significant difference in the number of attempts and failed intubation rate among different video laryngoscopes in using different techniques. Intubation with the C-MAC® resulted in the least mean amount of aspiration in all the conventional (35.63 mL), SALAD-1 (14.06 mL) and SALAD-2 (18.13 mL) techniques. However, the results were not significantly different from the GlideScope® and the Airtraq®. The C-MAC® was rated the most favourable video laryngoscope for the SALAD-1 technique (p < 0.001). There was no significant preference for different video laryngoscopes in using the SALAD-2 technique (p = 0.111). Conclusion: All the video laryngoscopes have similar intubation performance with the SALAD-1 and SALAD-2 techniques. The C-MAC® performed better than GlideScope® in terms of intubation time. The C-MAC® was the most favourable video laryngoscope for the SALAD-1 technique.
Dinuclear Silver(I) Nitrate Complexes with Bridging Bisphosphinomethanes: Argentophilicity and Luminescence

Two silver nitrate complexes with bisphosphines were obtained and characterized: [Ag(dcypm)]2(NO3)2 (1; dcypm = bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)methane) and [Ag(dppm)]2(Me2PzH)n(NO3)2 (n = 1, 2a; n = 2, 2b; dppm = bis(diphenylphosphino)methane, Me2PzH = 3,5-dimethylpyrazole). The steric repulsions of bulky cyclohexyl substituents prevent additional ligand coordination to the silver atoms in 1. Compounds obtained feature the bimetallic eight-member cyclic core [AgPCP]2. The intramolecular argenthophilic interaction (d(Ag···Ag) = 2.981 Å) was observed in complex 1. In contrast, the coordination of pyrazole led to the elongation of Ag···Ag distance to 3.218(1) Å in 2a and 3.520 Å in 2b. Complexes 1 and 2a possess phosphorescence both in the solution and solid state. Time-dependent density-functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations demonstrate the origin of their different emission profile. In the case of 1, upon excitation, the electron leaves the Ag–P bonding orbital and locates on the intramolecular Ag···Ag bond (metal-centered character). Complex 2a at room temperature exhibits a phosphorescence originating from the 3(M + LP+N)LPhCT state. At 77 K, the photoluminescence spectrum of complex 2a shows two bands of two different characters: 3(M + LP+N)LPhCT and 3LCPh transitions. The contribution of Ag atoms to the excited state in both complexes 2a and 2b decreased relative to 1 in agreement with the structural changes caused by pyrazole coordination.
Ruderal Plants Providing Bees Diversity on Rural Properties

Many are the anthropogenic drivers of pollinator decline, but the loss of suitable habitats, among other effects caused by agricultural intensification, deserves special attention. Reduction in the availability of floral resources negatively affects bee communities, compromising bee species composition, foraging behavior, corporal size, and fitness. Our study aims to understand whether the presence of herbaceous plants, acting as foraging sites, next to crops contributes to bee species richness in smallholder rural properties. Bee sampling was performed on smallholder rural properties in the municipality of Guapiara, southern Sao Paulo state. Individuals who visited the flowers of ruderal plants and crops were collected, using an entomological net, for ten months. A total of 61 bee species were identified, with the highest species richness being sampled in ruderal plant flowers in the three properties studied. Only in one property, ruderal plants hosted a more diverse bee assemblage (Shannon-Weiner and taxonomic diversity indices), but species composition differed from that sampled in crop plants (Jaccard index) in all properties. Thirty-two species were sampled exclusively in ruderal plants, versus 9 only in crops and 20 species in both types of plants. Pollen analysis showed that of the 22 species of bees that were sampled only on flowers of ruderal plants, 9 species carried pollen of tomato and one species of bee carried pollen of kabocha squash. Ruderal plants can provide an alternative food resource for pollinators, enabling these insects to remain in or be attracted to crop areas, where, in addition to visiting such plants, they also visit the cultivated plant flowers. Allowing coexistence between crops and ruderal plants, provided that the issues of plant health are observed, is a simple and low-cost measure for farmers and will provide both economic and environmental benefits.
Peroxisomal membrane contact sites in the yeast Hansenula polymorpha

De cel vormt de fundamentele en structurele eenheid van alle levende organismen. Eukaryote cellen bevatten een kern (die het genetisch materiaal bevat) en membraangebonden organellen. Organellen stellen de cel in staat om biochemische processen te compartimenteren waardoor ze efficient onder optimale condities kunnen plaatsvinden. Peroxisomen zijn organellen die betrokken zijn bij een reeks van metabole en niet-metabole routes. In gist groeien deze organellen door inbouw van membraan- en matrix eiwitten. Hoe peroxisomen membraanlipiden verkrijgen is echter niet helemaal duidelijk. Recent onderzoek toont aan dat lipide transport tussen organellen kan plaatsvinden via Membraan Contact Sites (MCSs), regio’s waar twee membranen elkaar zeer dicht naderen. Hier is de rol van peroximale MCSs bij de ontwikkeling van peroxisomale membranen bestudeerd. Onze data laten zien dat peroxisomen onder repressieve groeicondities (op glucose) geassocieerd zijn met het endoplasmatisch reticulum (ER) terwijl zij onder inducerende groeicondities (op methanol) contact maken met de vacuole. We zien ook dat gelijktijdig verlies van de componenten/regulatoren van peroxisoomcontacten met het ER en de vacuole, groei van de peroxisomale membraan blokkeert; terwijl het verlies van een van die contacten (met het ER of de vacuole) dat niet doet. Ten slotte tonen we aan dat de defecten in de ontwikkeling van de peroxisomale membraan worden hersteld door expressie van een kunstmatig ER-peroxisoom linker-eiwit. Onze data duiden erop dat peroxisomen hun membraanlipiden mogelijk verkrijgen via peroxisomale MCSs.
A perfectly inelastic collision: Bulk prey engulfment by baleen whales and dynamical implications for the world's largest cetaceans

The largest animals are the rorquals, a group of whales which rapidly engulf large aggregations of small-bodied animals along with the water in which they are embedded, with the latter subsequently expulsed via filtration through baleen. Represented by species like the blue, fin, and humpback whales, rorquals can exist in a wide range of body lengths (8–30 m) and masses (4000–190,000 kg). When feeding on krill, kinematic data collected by whale-borne biologging sensors suggest that they first oscillate their flukes several times to accelerate towards their prey, followed by a coasting period with mouth agape as the prey-water mixture is engulfed in a process approximating a perfectly inelastic collision. These kinematic data, used along with momentum conservation and time-averages of a whale's equation of motion, show the largest rorquals as generating significant body forces (10–40 kN) in order to set into forward motion enough engulfed water to at least double overall mass. Interestingly, a scaling analysis of these equations suggests significant reductions in the amount of body force generated per kilogram of body mass at the larger sizes. In other words, and in concert with the allometric growth of the buccal cavity, gigantism would involve smaller fractions of muscle mass to engulf greater volumes of water and prey, thereby imparting a greater efficiency to this unique feeding strategy.
Integration of quadratic loss function approach in the economic design of VSI control chart with combined attribute‐variable inspection

This paper proposes a variable sampling interval npx−X¯ control chart for monitoring the process mean using combined attribute‐variable inspection. An economic design of the proposed chart using Taguchi's quadratic loss function is presented. The proposed model minimizes the total expected cost per unit time while minimizing out‐of‐control average time‐to‐signal and maintaining reasonable in‐control average time‐to‐signal. The numerical results indicate that, compared with the corresponding fixed sampling interval control chart scheme, the proposed control chart yields better performance in terms of both shorter time to signal a process shift and less total expected cost per unit time. Sensitivity analyses of the cost model are also carried out by using a fractional factorial experimental design.
Coarse-to-fine waterlogging probability assessment based on remote sensing image and social media data

ABSTRACT Urban waterlogging probability assessment is critical to emergency response and policymaking. Remote Sensing (RS) is a rich and reliable data source for waterlogging monitoring and evaluation through water body extraction derived from the pre- and post-disaster RS images. However, RS images are usually limited to the revisit cycle and cloud cover. To solve this issue, social media data have been considered as another data source which are immune to the weather such as clouds and can reflect the real-time public response for disaster, which leads itself a compensation for RS images. In this paper, we propose a coarse-to-fine waterlogging probability assessment framework based on multisource data including real-time social media data, near real-time RS image and historical geographic information, in which a coarse waterlogging probability map is refined by using the real-time information extracted from social media data to acquire a more accurate waterlogging probability. Firstly, to generate a coarse waterlogging probability map, the historical inundated areas are derived from Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and historical waterlogging points, then the geographic features are extracted from DEM and RS image, which will be input to a Random Forest (RF) classifier to estimate the likelihood of hazards. Secondly, the real-time waterlogging-related information is extracted from social media data, where the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model is applied to exploit the semantic information of sentences by capturing the local and position-invariant features using convolution kernel. Finally, fine waterlogging probability map scan be generated based on morphological method, in which real-time waterlogging-related social media data are taken as isolated highlight point and used to refine the coarse waterlogging probability map by a gray dilation pattern considering the distance-decay effect. The 2016 Wuhan waterlogging and 2018 Chengdu waterlogging are taken as case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework. It can be concluded from the results that by integrating RS image and social media data, more accurate waterlogging probability maps can be generated, which can be further applied for inundated areas identification and disaster monitoring.
Dietary supplementation with Artemisia argyi extract on inflammatory mediators and antioxidant capacity in broilers challenged with lipopolysaccharide

Abstract This study investigated the effects of Artemisia argyi extract (AAE) on broilers challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). A total of 96 Arbour Acres broilers (1-d-old) were assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with two dietary treatments (AAE at 0 or 1000 mg/kg) and two immunological challenge treatments (saline or LPS). On d 14, 16, 18 and 20, the broilers were injected intra-abdominally with LPS solution at 500 μg/kg of body weight or an equivalent amount of sterile saline. Blood, liver, spleen and small intestine were collected on day 21. The increased relative weights of the thymus and spleen induced by LPS were significantly decreased by AAE supplementation. The level of serum nitric oxide (NO) and the activity of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) were significantly compromised by AAE inclusion. Dietary AAE significantly inhibited the mRNA expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and iNOS in the different tissues of LPS-challenged broilers. The AAE supplementation tended to increase the levels of serum GSH-Px and CAT, but significantly reduced the level of serum malondialdehyde (MDA). Collectively, feeding AAE to LPS-challenged broilers could decrease serum NO level, maintain the relative weight of internal organs, enhance the antioxidant capacity, and inhibit TLR4/NF-κB signalling pathway at the transcriptional level. Highlights AAE inclusion significantly inhibited the serum NO level, and the activity of iNOS induced by LPS. AAE supplementation tended to increase the levels of serum GSH-Px and CAT, but significantly reduced the level of serum MDA. Feeding AAE to the LPS-challenged broilers reduced the expression of TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB in the liver, spleen and small intestine.
Antibacterial, antioxidant and anticancer activities of biphenyls from Streptomyces sp. BO-07: an endophyte in Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) Mansf A.

ABSTRACT Strain BO-07 was isolated from the root tissue of Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) Mansf A. and identified as Streptomyces sp. on the basis of morphology, chemotaxonomy and 16S rDNA sequencing. The fractionation of the crude extract from strain BO-07 cultures led to the isolation of two biphenyls: 3′-hydroxy-5-methoxy-3,4-methylenedioxybiphenyl (1) and 3′-hydroxy-5,5′-dimethoxy-3,4-methylenedioxybiphenyl (2); these compounds and the crude extract had potent antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria, and antioxidant and anticancer activities. These compounds showed the highest activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25932, Bacillus cereus ATCC7064 and Bacillus subtilis ATCC6633 with a minimum inhibitory concentration value of 0.5 µg/ml and minimum bactericidal concentration of 2–8 µg/ml. Compounds 1 and 2 showed the highest (1, 1diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl) DPPH antioxidant activity with a scavenging concentration (SC50) value of 85.84 and 88.26 µg/ml, respectively, and also showed strong cytotoxicity against all the three cancer cell lines (HeLa, HepG2 and Huh7) at an IC50 value of 3.04–20.30 μg/ml. Both the compounds were less toxic on normal cells (L929) than on the investigated cancer cell lines.
The Profile of Higher Education Sport Students in England: Implications for Successful Transition and Effective Teaching and Learning Practice

Limited studies have explored sport students experiences of transitioning into university, which is surprising considering the high annual numbers recruited to English Higher Education (HE) sport programmes. The primary study aim was to gain specific insight into the expectations, motivations, anticipated challenges and concerns of first year sport degree students who had recently enrolled at an English post 1992 university. Three hundred and thirty-four participants completed a 23-question survey, with key findings outlining the profile of students. Most notably, this indicated a high frequency of vocational entry qualifications, the dominance of expectations around employability and a general lack in confidence to successfully integrate, both socially and academically. Strategies and recommendations to inform future curriculum reform which best support the social and academic needs of modern day HE sports students are presented, as are limitations and avenues for future research.
The Relationship between Glutamate and Multiple Sclerosis

1. Immunogenetic Research Center, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. 2. Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. 3. Faculty of Dentistry, Student Research Committee, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. 4. Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
Development and Testing of an Ultrasound-Compatible Cardiac Phantom for Interventional Procedure Simulation Using Direct Three-Dimensional Printing

Organ phantoms are widely used for evaluating medical technologies, training clinical practitioners, as well as surgical planning. In the context of cardiovascular disease, a patient-specific cardiac phantom can play an important role for interventional cardiology procedures. However, phantoms with complicated structures are difficult to fabricate by conventional manufacturing methods. The emergence of three-dimensional (3D) printing with soft materials provides the opportunity to produce phantoms with complex geometries and realistic properties. In this work, the aim was to explore the use of a direct 3D printing technique to produce multimodal imaging cardiac phantoms and to test the physical properties of the new materials used, namely the Poro-Lay series and TangoPlus. The cardiac phantoms were first modeled using real data segmented from a patient chest computer tomography (CT) scan and then printed with the novel materials. They were then tested quantitatively in terms of stiffness and ultrasound (US) acoustic values and qualitatively with US, CT, and magnetic resonance imaging systems. From the stiffness measurements, Lay-fomm 40 had the closest Young's modulus to real myocardium with an error of 29–54%, while TangoPlus had the largest difference. From the US acoustics measurements, Lay-fomm 40 also demonstrated the closest soft tissue-mimicking properties with both the smallest attenuation and impedance differences. Furthermore, the imaging results show that the phantoms are compatible with multiple imaging modalities and thus have potential to be used for interventional procedure simulation and testing of novel interventional devices. In conclusion, direct 3D printing with Poro-Lay and TangoPlus is a promising method for manufacture of multimodal imaging phantoms with complicated structures, especially for soft patient-specific phantoms.
Contribution of Non-Timber Forest Product Valorisation to the Livelihood Assets of Local People in the Northern Periphery of the Dja Faunal Reserve, East Cameroon

A large community of scientists has demonstrated that millions of people located in tropical zones derive a significant proportion of their livelihoods from the extraction of non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Despite these results, questions remain as to whether the valorisation of NTFPs can sustainably contribute to the improvement of the livelihood assets of the extractors. This study therefore evaluated the contribution of NTFP valorisation to the livelihood assets of local people around the northern periphery of the Dja Faunal Reserve (DFR), East Cameroon. To achieve this objective, data collected from 215 households in 32 villages were analyzed using factor analysis, Mann–Whitney U tests, and structural equation modelling. The results suggest that NTFP valorisation significantly contributes to the livelihood assets of local people at the periphery of the DFR. However, NTFP revenue was not significant in predicting their livelihood assets. Moreover, the local conservation management practices were not significant in predicting the livelihood assets in the long run. The results also revealed that individuals who received training and capacity building on good practices such as efficient collection techniques, effective drying techniques, and good conservation techniques earned better revenues and the impact on their livelihood was more significant than for those who did not. These results therefore recommend that the way forward for NTFP valorisation lies at the level of improving its quality and the market.