Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biosorption of Heavy Metals by the Bacterial Exopolysaccharide FucoPol

Despite the efforts for minimizing the usage of heavy metals, anthropogenic activities still generate high amounts of wastewater containing these contaminants that cause significant health and environmental problems. Given the drawbacks of the conventional physical and chemical methods currently used, natural biosorbents (microbial cells or their products) arise as promising environmentally friendly alternatives. In this study, the binding efficiency of the polysaccharide secreted by Enterobacter A47, FucoPol, towards lead (Pb2+), cobalt (Co2+), copper (Cu2+) and zinc (Zn2+) cations was demonstrated. FucoPol revealed a higher performance for the biosorption of Pb2+, with a maximum overall metal removal of 93.9 ± 5.3% and a specific metal uptake of 41.1 ± 2.3 mg/gEPS, from a Pb2+ solution with an initial concentration of 10 mg/L, by a 5 g/L FucoPol solution. The overall metal removal decreased considerably (≤31.3 ± 1.6%) for higher Pb2+ concentrations (48 and 100 mg/L) probably due to the saturation of FucoPol’s binding sites. Pb2+ removal was also less efficient (66.0 ± 8.2%) when a higher FucoPol concentration (10 g/L) was tested. Pb2+ removal efficiency of FucoPol was maximized at pH 4.3, however, it was affected by lower pH values (2.5–3.3). Moreover, the FucoPol’s sorption performance was unaffected (overall metal removal: 91.6–93.9%) in the temperature range of 5–40 °C. These findings demonstrate FucoPol’s great potential for utilization as a biodegradable and safe biosorbent for treating waters and wastewaters contaminated with Pb2+.
Peripheral serotonin and tryptophan levels in rats under progesterone long-term administration

Tryptophan and serotonin levels in duodenum mucosa and blood serum of rats under progesterone long-term administration have been determined. The studies show that tryptophan and the serotonin content increase in rats under progesterone long-term administration compared with control group of rats. Obtained data give evidence that biosynthetic pathway of serotonin, particularly, content of serotonin, is involved in the obesity development induced by progesterone long-term administration.
Variations saisonnières des populations d' Anopheles gambiae s.l. et transmission du paludisme dans un village de savane soudanienne du Sud-Est du Sénégal

* Département de Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Universitd Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, B.P. 5005, Dakar. Sénégal. ** Entomologie médicale, ORSTOM. BP 1386, Dakar, Sénégal. *** Service de Parasitologie, Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Dakar, Sénégal. **** Dkpartement de I'Epidkmiologie des Affections Parasitaires, Ecole Nationale de Mtklecine, Bamako, Mali.
Non‐declining amphibians can be important reservoir hosts for amphibian chytrid fungus

Amphibian chytridiomycosis, caused by infection with Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is the most devastating vertebrate disease on record. Reservoir hosts are likely to be important in the Bd‐amphibian system because many amphibian species can carry infections without experiencing mortality. However, while a variety of reservoirs have been proposed, few have been empirically demonstrated to act as competent reservoir hosts. In this study, we investigate whether the common eastern froglet, Crinia signifera, a non‐declining species that is widespread in eastern Australia, is a reservoir host for Bd infection. We conducted a long‐term, large‐scale field survey to investigate disease dynamics in C. signifera at sites where four sympatric, threatened anuran species have severely declined. We also monitored Bd‐infected C. signifera in the laboratory to determine susceptibility and survivorship. Finally, we assessed population age structure to investigate disease impact in the wild. We found that C. signifera is a competent reservoir host, maintaining high prevalence and infection intensities in the wild and in the laboratory, with no signs of sub‐lethal effects or clinical disease. In the wild, the modal age is 4 years with individuals living up to 6 years, indicating that adults can survive across multiple years despite high infection prevalence and intensity. The occurrence of C. signifera at sites with remnant populations of threatened species likely contributes to ongoing disease impact in declining species decades after the arrival of Bd. The presence of C. signifera at sites where threatened species have become extinct inhibits effective reintroductions, and we recommend avoiding sites with high reservoir host abundance when planning reintroductions.
Experimental study on low-speed streaks in a turbulent boundary layer at low Reynolds number

Abstract A study of low-speed streaks (LSSs) embedded in the near-wall region of a turbulent boundary layer is performed using selective visualization and analysis of time-resolved tomographic particle image velocimetry (tomo-PIV). First, a three-dimensional velocity field database is acquired using time-resolved tomo-PIV for an early turbulent boundary layer. Second, detailed time-line flow patterns are obtained from the low-order reconstructed database using ‘tomographic visualizations’ by Lagrangian tracking. These time-line patterns compare remarkably well with previously observed patterns using hydrogen bubble flow visualization, and allow local identification of LSSs within the database. Third, the flow behaviour in proximity to selected LSSs is examined at varying wall distances ($10 < y^+ < 100$) and assessed using time-line and material surface evolution, to reveal the flow structure and evolution of a streak, and the flow structure evolving from streak development. It is observed that three-dimensional wave behaviour of the detected LSSs appears to develop into associated near-wall vortex flow structures, in a process somewhat similar to transitional boundary layer behaviour. Fourth, the presence of Lagrangian coherent structures is assessed in proximity to the LSSs using a Lagrangian-averaged vorticity deviation process. It is observed that quasi-streamwise vortices, adjacent to the sides of the streak-associated three-dimensional wave, precipitate an interaction with the streak. Finally, a hypothesis based on the behaviour of soliton-like coherent structures is made which explains the process of LSS formation, bursting behaviour and the generation of hairpin vortices. Comparison with other models is also discussed.
The Prediction of Diseases using Rough Set Theory with Recurrent Neural Network in Big Data Analytics

: In a modern life, early healthcare prediction plays an important role to prevent the loss of life caused by prediction delays in treatment. Nowadays, the researchers focused on the Big data analysis, which is used to identify the future health status and provides an efficient way to overcome the issues in early prediction. Many researches are going on predictive analytics using machine learning techniques to provide a better decision making. Big data analysis provides great opportunities to predict future health status from health parameters and provide best outcomes. However, the data classification is one of the major challenging tasks due to noisy data or missing data in the dataset. Feature selection techniques play an important role in the classification process by removing irrelevant features from the extracted data. In this research work, the Rough Set Theory (RST) technique is used to select the most relevant features, which helps to provide the efficient classification of medical data and disease detection. The selected features are given as input to the Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) technique for disease prediction. The proposed method is also called as RST-RNN, where the experiments are carried out on the UCI machine learning repository dataset in terms of accuracy, f-measure, sensitivity and specificity. The results showed that the RST-RNN method achieved accuracy of 98.57%, where the existing Support Vector Machine (SVM) achieved 90.57% accuracy and Naive Bayes (NB) achieved 97.36% accuracy for heart disease dataset.
Genetic diversity between and within half-sib families of Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa Bonpl.) originating from native forest of the Brazilian Amazon

Brazil nut tree is a species of economic importance for the Amazon region, known for the commercialization of its almonds. The objective of this work was to study the genetic diversity among half-sib progenies from different Brazil nut trees present in native forest in the municipality of Itauba, MT, belonging to the Brazilian Amazon. In a native forest area of nine hectares, fruits of nine parent trees, randomly selected in the plot, were collected. The seeds were planted at greenhouse and they were named, according to their origin, identifying seed tree and fruit. After the seed germination and initial development of the seedlings, leaves were collected for DNA extraction and analyzed with microsatellite molecular markers. It was performed analysis of molecular variance and cluster analysis of progenies and seed trees. There is greater genetic diversity between families than among progenies from the same family. The clustering of progenies from different families in the same group can be explained by the low dissimilarity between the seed trees. Among the loci analyzed in this study, eight were informative for evaluations of genetic diversity in Brazil nut, except BET12 and BET16 loci
Traditional home garden agroforestry systems: habitat for conservation of Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus (Passeriformes: Ploceidae) in Assam, India

The present study was conducted in 18 homegarden agroforestry systems of Assam to assess the role in the conservation of Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus . Observations were made on the type of host trees, location of host trees, their spatial arrangement pattern, height and diameter of host trees chosen for nesting and the number of complete and helmet stage nests. Trail walks were employed for assessing the encounter rates of predators. A total of 2357 individuals of potential host trees for nesting of P. philippinus were found belonging to Areca catechu (2272), Cocos nucifera (56), Phoenix sylvasticus (13) and Borassus flabellifer (16). According to the spatial arrangement pattern of host trees, among 2272 individuals of A. catechu, 96.5% (n=2192) and 3.5% (n=80) of individuals were arranged in block and row pattern respectively. The other three host trees were arranged in single pattern. Among these 80 individuals of A. catechu planted in row pattern, 47.5% (n=38) had nests (complete and helmet stage) on them. In total, 293 nests (both complete and helmet stage) were observed in A. catechu , out of which, 46.1% (n=135) were complete nests. The other three host trees had nests in various stages of development but none of them were completed by P. philippinus . The encounter rates of predators (arboreal mammals) was significantly higher in block patterns (2.56 ± 0.51) as compared to row patterns (0.53 ± 0.17) of host tree spatial arrangement whereas, the encounter rates of reptiles showed no statistical difference among the two patterns of host tree arrangement. Thus, A. catechu planted in row pattern was the most preferred host tree species for nesting by P. philippinus as compared to the other three host tree species. The height and DBH of A. catechu trees having nests varied from seven to 11 m (7.8 ± 1.11) and 10.5–16.5 cm (12.6 ± 1.4) respectively. The homegarden agroforestry systems provided suitable habitat for survival of P. philippinus as this system has ample water sources, feeding grounds, nesting material and host tree sources and conservation attitudes of the homegarden owners, thus, suggesting that homegarden agroforestry system can be a potential site for conservation of P. philippinus in human-modified land use.
Quality of Life of People Living with Type 2 Diabetes in Ho, Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Health related quality of life represents the effect of an illness on a patient, as perceived by the patient, and yields complementary information used as an outcome measurement. This study evaluated the quality of life of patients with diabetes mellitus and its relationship with clinical laboratory endpoint parameters. Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted between January, 2016 and April 2016. One hundred and fifty (150) diabetic patients attending diabetic clinic at the Ho Municipal Hospital were recruited for this study. Using a semi-structured instrument, data including clinical, socio-demography and quality of life was captured. Serum creatinine and fasting blood glucose were estimated for all the respondents. Results: Among the total study population, diabetes affected the quality of life of 12% severely and majority (52%) moderately. Risk of anxiety and worry as well as sexual dysfunction was associated with the male gender. Increasing renal insufficiency was observed to degrade the overall quality of life of a diabetic patient. Conclusion: People living with diabetes suffer from deteriorating quality of life. The severity however is influenced by gender and clinical endpoints such as renal insufficiency and complications.
Ultrastructural organization of replicating chromatin in prematurely condensed chromosomes

Aim. The ultrastructural aspect of replicating chromatin organization is a matter of dispute. Here, we have analyzed the ultrastructural organization of replication foci using prematurely condensed chromosomes (PCC). Methods. To investigate the ultrastructure of replicating chromatin, we have used correlative light and electron microscopy as well as immunogold staining. Results. Replication in PCC occurs in the gaps between condensed chromatin domains. Using correlative light and electron microscopy, we observed that the replication foci contain decondensed chromatin as well as 80 and 130 nm globules, those were also found in condensed non-replicating chromatin domains. Using immunogolding, we demonstrated that DNA replication in S-phase PCC occurs in loose chromatin on the periphery of dense chromatin domains. Conclusion. Replication in PCC occurred in the decondensed chromatin neighboring the condensed chromatin without formation of special structures.
mTOR Inhibitor Therapy for Tuberous Sclerosis Complex: Longitudinal Study of Muscle Mass Determined by Abdominal Cross-sectional Imaging with CT and MRI.

Purpose To determine the effect of chronic mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibition on skeletal muscle mass in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Materials and Methods In this retrospective study, patients with TSC who were taking mTOR inhibitors and who underwent at least two abdominal CT or MRI examinations between 2005 and 2017 were included (n = 24; 14 males; mean age, 14.5 years ± 7.8 [standard deviation] at first examination). One reviewer drew regions of interest around psoas muscles at L3 to measure cross-sectional area. Multiple linear mixed-effect modeling was performed to evaluate the association between muscle mass and the covariates over time. Results The 24 patients underwent a total of 129 abdominal CT or MRI examinations. Median duration of mTOR inhibition at last examination was 106 months (range, 1310-3717 days). There was no significant association between the duration of mTOR inhibitor therapy and psoas muscle area on multiple linear mixed-effect modeling (P = .055); however, patient height and height squared were significant predictors of psoas area (P = .014 and P < .0001, respectively). Conclusion Duration of mTOR inhibition in TSC was not significantly associated with a decrease in psoas muscle area, suggesting that chronic mTOR inhibition is not associated with sarcopenia.Keywords: CT, MR-Imaging, Pediatrics© RSNA, 2020.
The Effect of Managerial Litigation Risk on Earnings Warnings: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

We examine the causal effect of managerial litigation risk on managers’ disclosure of earnings warnings in the face of large earnings shortfalls. Exploring the staggered adoption of universal demand (UD) laws as an exogenous decrease in litigation risk, we find that the adoption leads to a decrease in managers’ issuance of earnings warnings, especially among firms facing a higher litigation risk prior to the adoption. In contrast, we find no change in managers’ tendency to alert investors of impending large positive earnings surprises. Collectively, our results provide causal evidence that higher litigation risk incentivizes managers to issue more earnings warnings. Our results differ from Bourveau et al.’s finding of an increase in the frequency of management earnings forecasts after the adoption of UD laws. We reconcile our findings with theirs by demonstrating that the effect of adopting UD laws on management earnings forecasts depends critically on forecast horizon: The adoption increases long‐horizon forecasts, but decreases short‐horizon forecasts.
Hydrothermal Carbonization of Olive Tree Pruning as a Sustainable Way for Improving Biomass Energy Potential: Effect of Reaction Parameters on Fuel Properties

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) allows the conversion of organic waste into a solid product called hydrochar with improved fuel properties. Olive tree pruning biomass (OTP), a very abundant residue in Mediterranean countries, was treated by HTC to obtain a solid fuel similar to coal that could be used in co-combustion processes. Three different reaction temperatures (220, 250, and 280 °C) and reaction times (3, 6, and 9 h) were selected. The hydrochars obtained were extensively analyzed to study their behavior as fuel (i.e., ultimate, proximate, fiber and thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), activation energy, and combustion performance). The concentrations of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin in the samples depict a clear and consistent trend with the chemical reactions carried out in this treatment. Regarding O/C and H/C ratios and HHV, the hydrochars generated at more severe conditions are similar to lignite coal, reaching values of HHV up to 29.6 MJ kg−1. The higher stability of the solid is reflected by the increase of the activation energy (≈60 kJ mol−1), and ignition temperatures close to 400 °C. With this, HTC is a proper thermal treatment for the management of raw OTP biomass and its further conversion into a solid biofuel.
Disentangling the factors that vary the impact of trees on flooding (a review)

There is growing interest in the role of trees and forests in reducing the risk of flooding. The establishment of forests and planting of trees changes surface and subsurface hydrology, often delaying peak discharge and reducing overland flow and flood risk. However, it is increasingly recognised that a blanket recommendation to ‘plant trees’ is rarely an efficient approach to flood‐risk management. This is because the role of trees varies spatially and temporally as a function of climate, topography, rainfall properties, soil type and condition, catchment scale and geology, among others. This paper presents a review of the complex relationship between tree cover and flooding. It discusses how the interaction is affected by species, position in the landscape, catchment scale, soils, magnitude of rainfall event and changing geologic and climatic conditions. Finally, it highlights how, when and where trees and forests can be effectively used to assist in managing the risk of flooding. Knowledge gaps that require future research are also identified.
In-ovo injection of tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia)extract on the pre-hatch development of chicken embryo

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of in-ovo administration of Tongkat Ali (TA) on the mortality and pre-hatch development of chicken embryo. The fertile eggs of cross-bred village chicken were injected with liquid TA that diluted from powder form at the beginning of incubation. Initially, a dosage response study of TA (0 mg, 0.1 mg, 1 mg and 10 mg/ 100g egg) was conducted. Then, the effects of 0.1 mg/ 100g egg TA were investigated on the embryonic mortality and body parts development until 19th day of incubation. Results showed a toxic effect of TA on the embryonic survivability and development, and the LDâ‚…â‚€ was found at around 10 mg/ 100g egg in comparison of control mortality. At 88 to 96 hours of incubation, the 0.1 mg/ 100g egg TA injection (38 somites) significantly reduced the number of somite in the embryo as compared to that in the control (42 somites). At 19th day of incubation, this dosage also attributed an insignificantly lower embryonic weight (53.38 % to egg weight) than in the control (70.50 % to egg weight). The dosage applied showed the insignificant difference on the wing length at 9th, 16th and 19th day of incubation. For limb length parameter, the TA dosage had showed a significant higher in 19th day TA injected chick embryo. Relatively much earlier and huge feather-follicle development was observed in the TA injected embryos compared to control. On the day 19th of incubation, 100 % TA exposed chicks produced a traceable vocal sound along with pipping mark in the shell, but these phenomena were completely absent in the chick of control group. This study suggested that administration of TA through in-ovo injection route could bring both the positive and negative effects in developing chicken embryo, however, more studies are required to elucidate the mechanisms of TA effect including the embryonic sex-specificity in different poultry species.
Variational Bayesian Neural Network for Ensemble Flood Forecasting

Disastrous floods are destructive and likely to cause widespread economic losses. An understanding of flood forecasting and its potential forecast uncertainty is essential for water resource managers. Reliable forecasting may provide future streamflow information to assist in an assessment of the benefits of reservoirs and the risk of flood disasters. However, deterministic forecasting models are not able to provide forecast uncertainty information. To quantify the forecast uncertainty, a variational Bayesian neural network (VBNN) model for ensemble flood forecasting is proposed in this study. In VBNN, the posterior distribution is approximated by the variational distribution, which can avoid the heavy computational costs in the traditional Bayesian neural network. To transform the model parameters’ uncertainty into the model output uncertainty, a Monte Carlo sample is applied to give ensemble forecast results. The proposed method is verified by a flood forecasting case study on the upper Yangtze River. A point forecasting model neural network and two probabilistic forecasting models, including hidden Markov Model and Gaussian process regression, are also applied to compare with the proposed model. The experimental results show that the VBNN performs better than other comparable models in terms of both accuracy and reliability. Finally, the result of uncertainty estimation shows that the VBNN can effectively handle heteroscedastic flood streamflow data.