Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study of associative effects of date palm leaves mixed with Aristida pungens and Astragalus gombiformis on the aptitudes of ruminal microbiota in small ruminants

The objectives of this trial were to evaluate interactions between microbial degradation of three substrates: date palm leaves as tannin-rich substrate, Astragalus gombiformis (as nitrogen source) and Aristida pungens (as carbon source). The model included the principal effects of single substrate and mixtures of multiple interactions. The forages were fermented alone or mixed with date palm leaves in various combinations (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50%), in buffered rumen fluid using in vitro gas techniques. Gas production (mmol/g of dry matter) at 3, 6, 9, 24, 48 and 72 h of incubation was measured from all feed combinations. Treatments were carried out in triplicate and data were submitted to analysis of variance using a mixed procedure with repetition considered as the random effect. The interactions between feeds were evaluated on the basis of differences between single and mixed substrates on the different variables measured. The results showed that the included palm leaves reduced gas production when associated with A. pungens (p<0.0001), whereas this effect was less significant with A. gombiformis . This effect was more pronounced at earlier times of incubations. The in vitro organic matter digestibility decreased linearly with the increasing inclusion of date palm leaves in the mixtures. It is concluded that date palm leaves may be a suitable feed supplement for small ruminants browsing A. pungens and A. gombiformis in arid regions. The present results also showed that the inclusion level should be lower than 20% and for a short period in order to minimise tannins effect. The description of the fermentation profile of in vitro gas production showed that Sandoval model was poor and not appropriate for the characteristic varieties of arid and semi-arid areas in Algeria and the multiple regression models revealed a good linear regression for both mixtures. Keywords: Date palm leaves, forage, semi-arid zone, associative effects, rumen, in vitro fermentation
The distribution of work performed on a NIS junction

Program of Recruitment of Post Doctoral Researchers for the Portuguese Scientific and Technological System, within the Operational Program Human Potential (POPH) of the QREN, participated by the European Social Fund (ESF) and national funds of the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science (MEC); Danish National Research Foundation, Project No. DNRF58; National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant No. 11474250
Low UV-B radiation and substrate acidity impact on photosynthetic parameters of Brassica napus

The aim of this study was to assess combined effect of 1 kJm -2 d -1 UV-B radiation and substrate acidity (pH 4.8) on photosynthesis and growth of summer rape ( Brassica napus ) in a controlled environment. Rape were sown in a neutral (pH 6.0-6.5) peat substrate, when 2nd true leaf unfolded, growth substrate was acidified using 0.07 mM H 2 SO 4 concentration solution and UV-B radiation exposure was started. Duration of the experiment: five days. Gas exchange parameters were measured with portable photosynthesis system LI-6400. Content of chlorophyll was evaluated spectrophotometrically. The results showed that the highest inhibition on Brassica napus growth and photosynthetic parameters was under combined effect of 1 kJm -2 d -1 UV-B radiation and pH 4.8 substrate acidity. The impact of single 1 kJm -2 d -1 UV-B radiation on investigated parameters was low and statistically insignificant, except transpiration rate and water use efficiency. Single substrate acidity affected in 58.6% (p 0.05). The increase (by 2%, p < 0.05) of intercellular CO 2 concentration of Brassica napus affected by combined impact of investigated stressors shows that higher negative impact was on enzymatic reactions of photosynthesis than on transpiration. The highest negative effect on content of photosynthetic pigments and biomass accumulation also was of combined effect of investigated stressors.
THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF SOIL CONSERVATION: THE FARMERS' VIEWPOINT

Most countries in Central America and the Caribbean depend heavily on agriculture; efforts to sustain and improve the sector's productivity are therefore crucial to the region's economic development and to the welfare of its people. Land degradation is thought to pose a severe threat to the sustainability of agricultural production. Yet despite long-standing concern about this threat and dramatic claims of environmental damage, surprisingly little empirical analysis has been done on the causes and severity of land degradation problems in the region and on how best to tackle them. Meanwhile, many of the conservation programs designed to address the problems have fallen short of expectations. Often farmers have not adopted the recommended conservation practices or have abandoned them once the project ended. The research presented in this article attempts to bridge the empirical gap, using cost-benefit analysis to investigate the nature and severity of the soil degradation problem and to assess the cost-effectiveness of proposed solutions. Because soil degradation problems tend to be site-specific, the analysis is rooted in case studies, and because conservation programs stand or fall on the participation of farmers, the study's main focus is on the profitability of the measures and the deterrents to their adoption from the farmer's point of view.
Yersinia enterocolitica Monographic Study

Germs from Yersinia genus have a vast ecologic niche, being met at different domestic and wild animal species, but also in food, water and soil. The majority of yersinis live in the digestive tract of human and numerous animal species, especially rodents, but also in soil, plant debris, waters etc. Numerous species of Yersinia genus could produce characteristic infections in human, the main source of infections is represented by rodents and hematophagous insects or, more frequently, by water or contaminated food. In a 1999 study, Mead and coauthors established that the Yersinia enterocolitica prevalence in food, in USA, is around 90%. Foods of animal origin more frequently contaminated with Yersinia enterocolitica are: pork, poultry, beef and lamb meat, milk, ice-cream, sea fruits etc., among them pork meat and milk represents the sources of the most numerous toxi-infection outbreaks in human, in different world regions. Bacteria determine infections which interest the digestive tract in numerous animal species and human, with diarrhea, lymphadenitis, pneumonia and abortion are the most important symptoms. Yersinia enterocolitica enter the human body regularly by oral ingestion, and localize itself with predilection in the distal portion of the ileum and at the ileocaecal appendix and proximal colon level, were determine a terminal ileitis with lymphadenitis, acute enterocolitis, and secondary accompanied with nodosum erythema, poliartritis that could be complicated with septicemia, sometimes leading to death.
AN OVERVIEW ON STEM CELL AS A GENETIC MEDICINE

Stem cell treatments are a type of genetic medicine that introduces new cells into damaged tissue in order to treat a disease or injury. A number of stem cell treatments exist, although most are still experimental and/or costly, with the notable exception of bone marrow transplantation . Stem cells are a unique and important set of cells that are not specialized. Stem cells retain the ability to become many or all of the different cell types in the body and thereby play a critical role in repairing organs and body tissues throughout life. Stem cells provide the opportunity to study the growth and differentiation of individual cells into tissues. For over 30 years, bone marrow, and more recently, umbilical cord blood stem cells have been used to treat cancer patients with conditions such as leukemia and lymphoma . Understanding these processes could provide insights into the causes of birth defects, genetic abnormalities, and other disease states.
Alterations of Thyroid Volume, Levels of Thyroid Hormone and Autoantibody in Women with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Hashimoto Tiroiditi Tanili Kadin Hastalarda Tiroid Volümü, Hormon ve Otoantikor Düzeylerindeki Değişim

Aim: Our aim was to investigate the changes in thyroid volume, thyroid hormone and autoantibody levels after 2 years in newly diagnosed euthyroid women with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and women with HT treated with levothyroxine (L-T4). Material and Method: We enrolled 60 women with HT (mean age 39.6± 10.8 years) in this study. 27 patients were newly diagnosed and euthyroid (euthyroid group) and L-T4 group (n=33) consisted of women with HT treated with levothyroxine. Thyroid ultrasonography was performed and free T3 (fT3), free T4 (fT4), TSH, anti-thyroglobulin autoantibody (antiTG) and anti-thyroid peroxidase autoantibody (anti-TPO) levels were measured. Thyroid volume was calculated with ellipsoid formula: (Volume (ml) = Length (cm) x Width(cm) x Thickness (cm) x 1/6 Л). Results: Median thyroid volume increased in all subjects (8.6 (1.8-46) vs 10.8 (3.9-54.5) ml, p=0.008). While serum fT3 levels decreased (2.9± 0.5 vs 2.5± 0.3 pg/ml, p 0.05). The change in thyroid volume was negatively associated with thyroid volume at basal (r= -0.290, p=0.027) and TSH (r=-0.271, p=0.039) and positively correlated with fT3 (r= 0.356, p= 0.006). While thyroid volume increased in euthyroid group (9.8 (6.6-35.1) vs 12.5 (6.9-54.5) ml, p=0.006), there was not a change in L-T4 group (7.5 vs 8.3 ml, p=0.428). Discussion: Thyroid volume increased in euthyroid women with HT, however did not change in patients treated with levothyroxine in two years. While thyroid autoantibodies did not change in two groups, hypothyroidism developed in 7.4% of euthyroid subjects.
Symbiotic bacteria (Erwinia sp.) in the gut of Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) do not affect its ability to transmit tospovirus

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) is one of the most harmful plant viruses and one of its most important vectors is the western flower thrips [Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)]. Recently, we reported the close association of Erwinia sp. gut bacteria with this species of thrips. The first instar larvae acquire these bacteria from their food source. A high proportion of adult western flower thrips transmit TSWV after acquiring the virus during the first larval stage when there are no bacteria in their gut. A considerably lower proportion of adults that acquire the virus early in the second instar transmit virus and none of those exposed to virus late on in the second instar do so. The highest prevalence and total number of symbiotic bacteria are recorded in the guts of second instar thrips. This leads to the hypothesis that the build up of bacteria in the gut reduces the acquisition of TSWV, resulting in a lower capacity to transmit the virus. To test this hypothesis, the transmission of this virus by symbiotic and aposymbiotic adult thrips of the NL3 population was studied. Comparison of virus transmission by adult thrips, the larvae of which either had or lacked gut bacteria and were exposed to virus in either the first or second instar, revealed no difference in the ability of symbiotic and aposymbiotic adults to transmit this virus. We conclude that virus transmission is not affected by the number of the symbiotic bacteria Erwinia sp. present in the gut of thrips larvae.
Spatial patterns and interactions of dominant tree species in an Amazon tropical rainforest

Knowledge of spatial patterns and interactions of tree species allows for understanding the ecological processes of spatiotemporal structures of tropical forests, becoming essential for the establishment of strategies for the conservation and management of their resources in the long term. The aim of this study was to investigate the spatial patterns and interactions of Astronium lecointei, Dinizia excelsa and Peltogyne paniculata, three dominant timber tree species in the Jamari National Forest, Rondônia, Brazilian Amazon. The Kernel estimator was used aiming to verify the possible influence of first-order factors on species distributions. Inhomogeneous K-functions were applied to analyze species spatial patterns and interactions by means of second-order factors. Univariate analyses revealed different scale-dependent spatial patterns for the species. Aggregation related to ecological characteristics, such as habitat preference and dispersal limitation, was verified for A. lecointei and P. paniculata. D. excelsa presented a random spatial pattern, explained by specific features of its establishment, such as the need for clearings due to light requirements. Interspecific associations were evidenced by bivariate analyses, in which spatial attraction of species resulted from the same preference for microhabitats and the repulsion was a result of niche segregation. Rev. Biol. Trop. 66(3): 1009-1017. Epub 2018 September 01.
A Non-Local Signal Processing Approach for Filtering Point Set Surface

Different from previous local smoothing filters based on local geometry signal, a novel denoising technique based on a non-local averaging of geometry signal of all sampled points on the point set surface is proposed. By using the bilateral filtering operator, the differential signal for each discrete point is obtained. The final geometry information of sample point can be reconstructed as the averaged geometry gray level computed by the NL-means. The mixture tree is applied to accelerate the similarity matching computation, which makes the NL-means more efficient for dealing with large point set surface. Experimental results illustrate that the approach is
How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain

Always Happy Hour—Mary U. Miller . 5 American War—Omar El Akkad . 9 An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back—Elisabeth Rosenthal . 13 An Extraordinary Union—Alyssa Cole . 18 Anatomy of Terror: From the Death of Bin Laden to the Rise of the Islamic State—Ali Soufan . 22 Anything Is Possible—Elizabeth Strout . 27 Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon—Jeff rey Kluger . 32 Astrophysics for People in a Hurry—Neil deGrasse Tyson . 37
ANALYSIS OF INTER-ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE SHARING NEEDS AMONG MICRO, SMALL, AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES WITHIN TRADITIONAL MARKET (Survey on Traditional Market in Malang City)

Inter-organizational knowledge sharing is the key to improve the performance of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) performance within traditional market. MSMEs within traditional market plays an important role for Indonesian economic activities and its development for a long time. The purpose of this research is to analyze and to investigate the inter-organizational knowledge sharing needs among MSMEs in Indonesia. A questionnaire survey was conducted on MSMEs within traditional market enlisted in the Traditional Market Bureau in Malang City. The survey was conducted in ten selected traditional markets including Besar, Blimbing, Kebalen, Tawangmangu, Bunul, Burung, Sawojajar, Sukun, Bunga, and Wilis. Data were analyzed using generalized structured component analysis (GSCA) that represents a component-based approach. Upon seven variables and out of 99 respondents, the findings show that basically knowledge sharing is critical to be examined among MSMEs within traditional market. The empirical result reveals the urgency of inter-organizational knowledge sharing within traditional market. The better knowledge sharing activities, the better organizational performance can be realized. MSMEs within traditional market need support from many stakeholders such as government, academician, and society. Considering the importance of MSMEs in Indonesia, the finding of this research may be useful for the MSMEs development plan in the future. Keywords: Knowledge sharing, Micro to medium sized enterprises, Traditional market, GSCA
Collaborative Principal Preparation Programs: A Systematic Review and Synthesis of Qualitative Research

The purpose of this systematic review was to (1) conduct the systematic search of the literature to identify the studies on partnerships in school leader preparation; and to (2) systematically review the findings of these studies and synthesize them into major themes reflecting the state of the art in collaborative leadership preparation in the United States. Descriptive themes focused on the reasons for universities and school districts to collaborate; the content of collaborative leader preparation programs; the practitioners’ involvement; factors to success; implementation barriers and successes; and the lessons learned. Reflections on the collaborative approach to principal preparation are provided.
Vadose Zone Gas Migration and Surface Effluxes after a Controlled Natural Gas Release into an Unconfined Shallow Aquifer

Subsurface gas migration results in localized surficial CH4 releases. Surficial CH4 emissions show pronounced temporal variations. Methane concentrations in soil gas exceed lower explosive limits at low leakage rates. Increasing CO2 effluxes and stable C isotope signatures indicate vadose zone CH4 oxidation. Instantaneous surficial effluxes do not indicate the magnitude of subsurface gas leakage rates.
Water vapor variability and comparisons in the subtropical Pacific from The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment-Pacific Asian Regional Campaign (T-PARC) Driftsonde, Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC), and reanalyses

[1] During the THORPEX (The Observing System Research and Predictability Experiment) Pacific Asian Regional Campaign (T-PARC), from 1 August to 30 September 2008, ∼1900 high-quality, high vertical resolution soundings were collected over the Pacific Ocean. These include dropsondes deployed from four aircrafts and zero-pressure balloons in the stratosphere (NCAR's Driftsonde system). The water vapor probability distribution and spatial variability in the northern subtropical Pacific (14°–20°N, 140°E–155°W) are studied using Driftsonde and COSMIC (Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate) data and four global reanalysis products. Driftsonde data analysis shows distinct differences of relative humidity (RH) distributions in the free troposphere between the Eastern and Western Pacific (EP and WP, defined as east and west of 180°, respectively), very dry with a single peak of ∼1% RH in the EP and bi-modal distributions in the WP with one peak near ice saturation and one varying with altitude. The frequent occurrences of extreme dry air are found in the driftsonde data with 59% and 19% of RHs less than or equal to 5% and at 1% at 500 hPa in the EP, respectively. RH with respect to ice in the free troposphere exhibits considerable longitudinal variations, very low (<20%) in the EP, but varying from 20% to 100% in the WP. Inter-comparisons of Driftsonde, COSMIC and reanalysis data show generally good agreement among the Driftsonde, COSMIC, ECMWF Reanalysis-Interim (ERA-Interim) and Japanese Reanalysis (JRA) below 200 hPa. The ERA-Interim and JRA are approved to be successful on describing RH frequency distributions and spatial variations in the region. The comparisons also reveal problems in Driftsonde, two National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalyses and COSMIC data. The moist layer at 200–100 hPa in the WP shown in the ERA-Interim, JRA and COSMIC is missing in Driftsonde data. Major problems are found in the RH means and variability over the study region for both NCEP reanalyses. Although the higher-moisture layer at 200–100 hPa in the WP in the COSMIC data agrees well with the ERA-Interim and JRA, it is primarily attributed to the first guess of the 1-Dimensional (1D) variational analysis used in the COSMIC retrieval rather than the refractivity measurements. The limited soundings (total 268) of Driftsonde data are capable of portraying RH probability distributions and longitudinal variability. This implies that Driftsonde system has the potential to become a valuable operational system for upper air observations over the ocean.
The Brand Through the Prism of a Model – An Interdisciplinary Concept

A brand is a symbol that is created by the strategic management of the brand, so-called brand management, which is a dynamically developing discipline in the field of international marketing. If the brand is legally protected, it is called a registered trademark. In this form, it fulfils the essence of intellectual property in the sense of the law and plays a vital and strategic role in the assets of the company. It helps create business opportunities, and, generally speaking, it strives to make the maximum of its value. To fully comprehend it, it is necessary to understand the interdisciplinary circumstances that helped create the brand and its unique identification. The aim of this paper is to present a model that offers an interdisciplinary perspective on a brand with the potential to expand its unique identification.
A Growth Model of Global Imbalances

Recent empirical evidence shows that gross official capital transactions flow upstream in the international financial markets due to government policy objectives and that they account for the current account surpluses observed in the last decade in the fast-growing emerging economies. Following the Asian financial crisis, the governments of these countries have used national wealth to create a financial buffer to stave off or to confront new balance-of-payments crises by accumulating foreign reserves. We argue that government intervention in the capital market has led to forced saving in these countries generating large global imbalances. This paper builds a two-country neoclassical growth model, which takes public saving into account. Calibrated on IMF data and forecasts between 1981 and 2016, the model rightly predicts the reversal and the size of current account balances observed between the advanced economies and other countries from 1998 onwards. Contrary to the recent theoretical literature on global imbalances, our results support the explanatory and predictive power of the neoclassical growth model when it focuses on national saving and not only on private saving.
A Fall Classic? Assessing the Economic Impact of the World Series

An empirical analysis of the economic impact of the Major League Baseball’s postseason on host-city economies from 1972-2001 suggests that any economic benefits from the playoff are small or non-existent. An examination of 129 playoff series finds that any increase ineconomic growth as a result of the post-season is not statistically significantly different than zero and that a best guess of the economic impact is $6.8 million per home game. As a general method of economic development, public support of a baseball team’s attempt to reach the World Series should be seen as a gamble at best.