Transition in the Fractal Geometry of Arctic Melt Ponds

During the Arctic melt season, the sea ice surface undergoes a remarkable transformation from vast expanses of snow covered ice to complex mosaics of ice and melt ponds. Sea ice albedo, a key parameter in climate modeling, is determined by the complex evolution of melt pond configurations. In fact, ice–albedo feedback has played a major role in the recent declines of the summer Arctic sea ice pack. However, understanding melt pond evolution remains a significant challenge to improving climate projections. By analyzing area–perimeter data from hundreds of thousands of melt ponds, we find here an unexpected separation of scales, where pond fractal dimension D transitions from 1 to 2 around a critical length scale of 100 m2 in area. Pond complexity increases rapidly through the transition as smaller ponds coalesce to form large connected regions, and reaches a maximum for ponds larger than 1000 m2, whose boundaries resemble space-filling curves, with D ≈ 2. These universal features of Arctic melt pond evolution are similar to phase transitions in statistical physics. The results impact sea ice albedo, the transmitted radiation fields under melting sea ice, the heat balance of sea ice and the upper ocean, and biological productivity such as under ice phytoplankton blooms

An Empirical Study to Measuring the Impact of Organizational Media Performance on the Relationship between Social Media Management and Public Perception in UAE

This studys main contribution is to deepen our understanding of the connections between social media management strategies, social media goals, the use of multiple platforms, content quality, follower interaction, scheduled publications, metrics analysis, organizational media performance, and public perception. The study looks at how social media management elements in government media organizations (such as the usage of social media tools, goals, various platforms, content quality, follower interaction, planned publication, and metrics analysis) affect the level of public perception in Dubai. Analyze the impact of social media management factors on the organizational media performance in Dubais government media organizations, as well as the impact of organizational media performance in Dubais government media institutions on public perception levels. and to investigate how organizational media performance mediates links between social media management characteristics and public perception in the UAE

A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE REVISED ORIGINAL AND SHORT PSYCHOTICISM SCALE DERIVED FROM EYSENCK PERSONALITY QUESTIONNAIRE REVISED AMONG KUWAITI UNDERGRADUATESمقارنة بين الخصائص السيكو مترية للصورة الأصلية والقصيرة لمقياس الذهانية المتفرع من استخبار آيزنك المعدل للشخصية لدى عينات من طلبة جامعة الكويت

Abstract: The aim of this study is to compare the psychometric properties of the original version and the short version of the Psychoticism Scale, which are Derived from Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised. In this study, a sample consisting of (1842) students from Kuwait University (538) male and (1304) female students were used in this study to examine the gender differences and to test the reliability and validity for Psychoticism Scale which are derived from original (EPQ-R) and the short version (EPQR-S) . The Original (EPQ-R) and Short (EPQR-S) Psychoticism Scales, the short version of the NEO FFI-S, and the Big Five Inventory BFI were administered to the sample. The results revealed significant gender differences in the two Psychoticism scales (EPQ-R & EPQR-S) of Psychoticism, in favor of males. The results also revealed the variation of the reliability coefficients for the two Psychoticism Scales. The alpha coefficient was 0.63 for males, and 0.65 for females from the original Psychoticism Scale (EPQ-R). While the alpha coefficient was 0.65 for males and 0.64 for females from the short Psychoticism Scale (EPQR-S). The results of the exploratory factor analysis also resulted in extracting five factors from both the original and the short version of Psychoticism Scales. Moreover, the results revealed significant positive correlations between psychoticism and neuroticism, and low positive correlations between psychoticism and both extraversion and openness. While the results showed a significant negative correlation between psychoticism and both lie, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness . ملخص البحث: تهدف هذه الدراسة إلى المقارنة بين الخصائص السيكو مترية للصورة الأصلية والصورة القصيرة لمقياس الذهانية المتفرع من استخبار آيزنك المعدل للشخصية. استخدمت في هذه الدراسة عينة قوامها (1842) من طلاب جامعة الكويت بواقع (538) من الطلبة و (1304) من الطالبات، وذلك لفحص الفروق بين الجنسين ولحساب الثبات والصدق. تم تطبيق مقياسي الذهانية المتفرعان من الصورة الأصلية ( EPQ-R) والصورة القصيرة (EPQR-S)لاستخبار آيزنك المعدل للشخصية ، والصورة القصيرة المعدلة من قائمة العوامل الخمسة للشخصية NEO FFI-S ، وقائمة الخمسة الكبار BFI. وقد أسفرت النتائج عن وجود فروق جوهرية بين الجنسين في مقياسي الذهانية المتفرعان من الصورة الأصلية والقصيرة لصالح الطلاب. كما كشفت النتائج عن تباين معاملات الثبات لمقياسي الذهانية المتفرعان من الصورة الأصلية والصورة القصيرة لاستخبار آيزنك المعدل للشخصية، بلغ متوسط معامل ألفا 0.63 للذكور، و0.65 للإناث من الصورة الأصلية لمقياس الذهانية. في حين بلغ متوسط معامل ألفا 0.65للذكور، و0.64 للإناث من الصورة القصيرة لمقياس الذهانية. كما اسفرت نتائج الصدق العاملي الاستكشافي عن استخلاص خمسة عوامل مكونة للصورة الأصلية والقصيرة من مقياس الذهانية. كما كشفت النتائج عن ارتباطات جوهرية موجبة بين الذهانية والعصابية، وارتباطات موجبة متدنية بين الذهانية وكل من الإنبساط ةالإنفتاح. في حين أظهرت النتائج عن ارتباطات جوهرية سالبة بين الذهانية وكل من الكذب والقبول واتقان

الخصائص السيكو مترية للصورة العربية للإصدار الثاني من قائمة الخمسة الكبار

This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the second Edition of The Big Five Inventory (BFI-2) in Kuwait. This study used independent Three samples with the total of (2977) undergraduates (male=1116 & female=1861) from Kuwait University student in order to assess reliability, validity. The BFI-2 alpha cronbach coefficients ranged between 0.75 and 0.82 for males and between 0.74 and 0.81 for females. The explanatory factor analysis of BFI-2 extracts five factors (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to experience, Consciousness, Agreeableness). The criterion validity has been reveled quite high inter correlation between BFI-2 and NEO-PI-R facets. الملخص: هدفت هذه الدراسة لفحص الخصائص القياسية لقائمة الخمسة الكبار في الكويت. استخدمت في هذه الدراسة (3) عينات مستقلة من طلاب جامعة الكويت إجمالي قوامها (2977) فرداً بواقع (1116) من الذكور و (1861) من الإناث وذلك لحساب ثبات الاتساق الداخلي والصدق العاملي وصدق المحك. وقد أسفرت نتائج الدراسة عن تباين معاملات الثبات لقائمة الخمسة الكبار حيث تراوحت معاملات ألفا للثبات بين 0.75 و82,. لعينة الذكور في حين تراوحت معاملات ألفا للثبات بين 0.74 و 0.81 لعينة الإناث. كما كشفت نتائج التحليل العاملي الاستكشافي عن استخلاص خمسة عوامل لقائمة الخمسة الكبار (العصابية، الانبساط، الانفتاح العقلي، الاتقان، القبول). كما كشفت نتائج صدق المحك عن ارتباطات مرتفعة بين مقاييس أوجه السمات الخمسة عشر المكونه للصورة العربية للإصدار الثاني من قائمة الخمسة الكبار ونظيرتها من اوجه السمات المكونة للصورة المطولة من قائمة العوامل الخمسة للشخصية NEO-PI-R

Genotypic and phenotypic characterization of enteric bacteria in an integrated population of swine and humans

In two longitudinal studies, we examined the transmission dynamics of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in an integrated, semi-closed population of humans and swine

Longitudinal Study of Antimicrobial Resistance among Escherichia coli Isolates from Integrated Multisite Cohorts of Humans and Swine

In a 3-year longitudinal study, we examined the relationship between the seasonal prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant (AR) Escherichia coli isolates from human wastewater and swine fecal samples and the following risk factors: the host species, the production type (swine), the vocation (human swine workers, non-swine workers, and slaughter plant workers), and the season, in a multisite, vertically integrated swine and human population representative of a closed agri-food system. Human and swine E. coli (n = 4,048 and 3,429, respectively) isolates from wastewater and fecal samples were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility, using the Sensititre broth microdilution system. There were significant (P < 0.05) differences among AR E. coli prevalence levels of (i) the host species, in which swine isolates were at higher risk for resistance to tetracycline, kanamycin, ceftiofur, gentamicin, streptomycin, chloramphenicol, sulfisoxazole, and ampicillin; (ii) the swine production group, in which purchased boars, nursery piglets, and breeding boars isolates had a higher risk of resistance to streptomycin and tetracycline; and iii) the vocation cohorts, in which swine worker cohort isolates exhibited lower sulfisoxazole and cefoxitin prevalence than the non-swine worker cohorts, while the slaughter plant worker cohort isolates exhibited elevated cefoxitin prevalence compared to that of non-swine workers. While a high variability was observed among seasonal samples over the 3-year period, no significant temporal trends were apparent. There were significant differences in the prevalence levels of multidrug-resistant isolates between host species, with swine at a higher risk of carrying multidrug-resistant strains than humans. Considering vocation, slaughter plant workers were at higher risk of exhibiting multidrug-resistant E. coli than non-swine workers

Assessing the impact of agricultural strategies on soil Artropods: a case study using environmental DNA

Elucidating how agricultural practices affect soil arthropod\u2019s communities is of relevant for both scientific and economic interests. Thus, using DNA metabarcoding approach, Arthropods communities inhabiting soil of organic and conventional farms were characterized. Soil samples were collected from organic and conventional farms, covering the margin and three levels towards the center of a stable meadow and a barley field in both farms; each sample consisted of 10 homogenized cores of soil (~560 cm3), sampling was performed in spring, summer and autumn Soil texture, pH, N and C parameters were measured. DNA was extracted from three replicates of each soil sample. A fragment mitochondrial cox1 was amplified using three primer pairs and sequenced using Illumina Miseq. Raw sequences were processed and analyzed using Qiime to obtain Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) table. Approximately 75% of the obtained reads were identified as Animalia, and among these ~80% as Arthropods. \u3b1-diversity indices barley field in conventional farming were significantly lower (OTUs= 854, H'= 5.34\ub10.53, Pielou\u2019s evenness= 0,77\ub10,06) comparing with the other samples (OTUs> 1100, H'> 6 and Pielou\u2019s evenness> 0,8). Fitting the farming system, the field, position as factors in NMDS showed that Arthropods communities were not affected by the collecting season and the farming system (organic vs conventional), instead crop vs stable meadows and the position in the field (margin vs middle) have a strong effect. Soil properties affected the Arthropods communities, especially the pH on Chilopoda and Diplopoda and the C/N ratio on Arachnida and Insecta. Our results pointing out that the strategy of farm management does not affect the arthropod communities of the soil as much as the soil properties itself, while the position in the filed had a major effect, highlighting the importance of green corridors for maintaining the soil biodiversity and the agroecosystem functioning

Soil DNA metabarcoding: evaluating the efficiency of multiplex primer sets in recovering the soil invertebrate&apos;s community as soil quality indicators

DNA Metabarcoding was used to investigate the efficiency of two sets of primers (combinations A and B) for characterizing the soil invertebrate\u2019s communities in different farming management systems. Soil samples were taken from three different sites in the South-West of Milan and DNA was extracted directly. PCR was applied by using 4 pairs of previously published primers targeting invertebrate\u2019s cox1, followed by Illumina Miseq sequencing. The results showed that the presence of the most popular primer pair used in barcoding studies (LCOI490-HCO2198) has affected negatively the taxonomic assignment of OTUs, since about 67.88 % of the obtained sequences where not identified. Our analysis showed that a higher percentage of Arthropoda, Annelida, Nematoda and Rotifera &Tardigrada (41.6, 5.9, 0.8 and 1% of total reads, respectively) was obtained with primer combination B; thus this primers set can be considered a promising method to evaluate the soil arthropods community

Genetic and Morphological Diversity Assessment of Five Kalanchoe Genotypes by SCoT, ISSR and RAPD-PCR Markers

Determining the appropriate parents for breeding programs is the most important decision that plant breeders must make to maximize the genetic variability and produce excellent recombinant genotypes. Several methods are used to identify genotypes with desirable phenotypic features for breeding experiments. In this study, five kalanchoe genotypes were morphologically characterized by assessing plant height, number of inflorescences, number of flowers, flower length, flower diameter and number of petals. The analysis showed the distinction of yellow kalanchoe in the plant height trait, while the orange kalanchoe was distinguished in the number of inflorescences, the number of flowers and flower length traits, whereas the violet kalanchoe possessed the largest flower diameter and the highest number of petals. The molecular profiling was performed by random amplified polymorphism DNA (RAPD), inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) and start codon targeted (SCoT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tools. Genomic DNA was extracted from young leaves and the PCR reactions were performed using ten primers for each SCoT, ISSR and RAPD marker. Only four out of ten primers showed amplicon profiles in all PCR markers. A total of 70 bands were generated by SCoT, ISSR and RAPD-PCR with 35 polymorphic bands and 35 monomorphic bands. The total number of bands of RAPD, ISSR and SCoT was 15, 17 and 38, respectively. The polymorphism percentages achieved by RAPD, ISSR and SCoT were 60.25%, 15% and 57%, respectively. The cluster analysis based on morphological data revealed two clusters. Cluster I consisted of violet and orange kalanchoe, and cluster II comprised red, yellow and purple kalanchoe. Whereas the cluster analysis based on molecular data revealed three clusters. Cluster I included only yellow kalanchoe, cluster II comprised orange and violet kalanchoe while cluster III comprised red, and purple kalanchoe. The study concluded that orange, violet and yellow kalanchoe are distinguished parents for breeding economically valued traits in kalanchoe. Also, the study concluded that SCoT and RAPD markers reproduced reliable banding patterns to assess the genetic polymorphism among kalanchoe genotypes that consider the basis stone for genetic improvements in ornamental plants