Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fungal Diversity in Tomato Rhizosphere Soil under Conventional and Desert Farming Systems

This study examined fungal diversity and composition in conventional (CM) and desert farming (DE) systems in Oman. Fungal diversity in the rhizosphere of tomato was assessed using 454-pyrosequencing and culture-based techniques. Both techniques produced variable results in terms of fungal diversity, with 25% of the fungal classes shared between the two techniques. In addition, pyrosequencing recovered more taxa compared to direct plating. These findings could be attributed to the ability of pyrosequencing to recover taxa that cannot grow or are slow growing on culture media. Both techniques showed that fungal diversity in the conventional farm was comparable to that in the desert farm. However, the composition of fungal classes and taxa in the two farming systems were different. Pyrosequencing revealed that Microsporidetes and Dothideomycetes are the two most common fungal classes in CM and DE, respectively. However, the culture-based technique revealed that Eurotiomycetes was the most abundant class in both farming systems and some classes, such as Microsporidetes, were not detected by the culture-based technique. Although some plant pathogens (e.g., Pythium or Fusarium) were detected in the rhizosphere of tomato, the majority of fungal species in the rhizosphere of tomato were saprophytes. Our study shows that the cultivation system may have an impact on fungal diversity. The factors which affected fungal diversity in both farms are discussed.
WaitSuite: Productive Use of Diverse Waiting Moments

The busyness of daily life makes it difficult to find time for informal learning. Yet, learning requires significant time and effort, with repeated exposures to educational content on a recurring basis. Despite the struggle to find time, there are numerous moments in a day that are typically wasted due to waiting, such as while waiting for the elevator to arrive, wifi to connect, or an instant message to arrive. We introduce the concept of wait-learning: automatically detecting wait time and inviting people to learn while waiting. Our approach is to design seamless interactions that augment existing wait time with productive opportunities. Combining wait time with productive work opens up a new class of software systems that overcome the problem of limited time. In this article, we establish a design space for wait-learning and explore this design space by creating WaitSuite, a suite of five different wait-learning apps that each uses a different kind of waiting. For one of these apps, we conducted a feasibility study to evaluate learning and to understand how exercises should be timed during waiting periods. Subsequently, we evaluated multiple kinds of wait-learning in a two-week field study of WaitSuite with 25 people. We present design implications for wait-learning, and a theoretical framework that describes how wait time, ease of accessing the learning task, and competing demands impact the effectiveness of wait-learning in different waiting scenarios. These findings provide insight into how wait-learning can be designed to minimize interruption to ongoing tasks and maximize engagement with learning.
Molecular motors: forty years of interdisciplinary research

A mere forty years ago it was unclear what motor molecules exist in cells that could be responsible for the variety of nonmuscle cell movements, including the “saltatory cytoplasmic particle movements” apparent by light microscopy. One wondered whether nonmuscle cells might have a myosin-like molecule, well known to investigators of muscle. Now we know that there are more than a hundred different molecular motors in eukaryotic cells that drive numerous biological processes and organize the cell's dynamic city plan. Furthermore, in vitro motility assays, taken to the single-molecule level using techniques of physics, have allowed detailed characterization of the processes by which motor molecules transduce the chemical energy of ATP hydrolysis into mechanical movement. Molecular motor research is now at an exciting threshold of being able to enter into the realm of clinical applications.
Active Versus Passive Procedural Learning in Older and Younger Adults

Twenty-four older and 24 younger adults were compared on procedural learning tasks (i.e. Tower of Hanoi puzzle). Half of the participants in each group went through active training (i.e. standard administration), and the other half through passive training (i.e. followed instructions read to them). The effect of the different types of training was tested immediately and one week after training. In addition the different groups were tested on a more difficult version of the task. The results demonstrate that active training leads to better performance than passive training on the more difficult task. The magnitude of this advantage was consistent for both age groups. Furthermore, active training seems to leave more durable traces in memory than passive training. The effect of elaboration in procedural versus declarative memory is discussed with relation to the effect of age.
Computed torque control with nonparametric regression models

Computed torque control allows the design of considerably more precise, energy-efficient and compliant controls for robots. However, the major obstacle is the requirement of an accurate model for torque generation, which cannot be obtained in some cases using rigid-body formulations due to unmodeled nonlinearities, such as complex friction or actuator dynamics. In such cases, models approximated from robot data present an appealing alternative. In this paper, we compare two non- parametric regression methods for model approximation, i.e., locally weighted projection regression (LWPR) and Gaussian process regression (GPR). While locally weighted regression was employed for real-time model estimation in learning adaptive control, Gaussian process regression has not been used in control to-date due to high computational requirements. The comparison includes the assessment of model approximation for both regression methods using data originated from SARCOS robot arm, as well as an evaluation of the robot tracking performance in computed torque control employing the approximated models. Our results show that GPR can be applied for realtime control achieving higher accuracy. However, for the online learning LWPR is superior by reason of lower computational requirements.
Embedding information literacy in a first-year business undergraduate course

This article reports on a project to embed information literacy skills development in a first-year undergraduate business course at an Australian university. In accordance with prior research suggesting that first-year students are over-confident about their skills, the project used an optional online quiz to allow students to pre-test their information literacy skills. The students’ lower than expected results subsequently encouraged greater skill development. However, not all students elected to undertake the first quiz. A final assessable information literacy quiz increased the levels of student engagement, suggesting that skill development activities need to be made assessable. We found that undertaking the information literacy quizzes resulted in a statistically significant improvement in students’ information literacy skills from the pre-test to the post-test. This research therefore extends previous research by providing an effective means of delivering information literacy skill development to large cohorts of first-year students.
Idioms of Subordination and Styles of Protest among Christian and Hindu Harijan Castes in Tamil Nadu

L'etude des strategies employees par les intouchables chretiens et hindous, par les castes harijan du village d'Alapuram (Tamil Nadu) pour parvenir a la mobilite sociale montre non seulement la diversite des actions mais examine aussi la construction sociale de la subordination et les expressions de la dependance et de l'absence de pouvoir qui definissent la position des Harijans dans la societe. L'A. montre comment les Harijan reproduisent les relations de domination et de dependance a l'interieur meme de leur caste. Si l'Eglise catholique a joue un role important dans la lutte pour la mobilite sociale des Pallar, des identites religieuses nouvelles apparaissent car une discrimination de caste dans les institutions ecclesiales persiste. En fait, les Harijans ont utilise les ideologies egalitaires non pour abolir les castes mais pour obtenir un meilleur statut a l'interieur de ce systeme
A Human-Grounded Evaluation Benchmark for Local Explanations of Machine Learning

In order for people to be able to trust and take advantage of the results of advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence solutions for real decision making, people need to be able to understand the machine rationale for given output. Research in explain artificial intelligence (XAI) addresses the aim, but there is a need for evaluation of human relevance and understandability of explanations. Our work contributes a novel methodology for evaluating the quality or human interpretability of explanations for machine learning models. We present an evaluation benchmark for instance explanations from text and image classifiers. The explanation meta-data in this benchmark is generated from user annotations of image and text samples. We describe the benchmark and demonstrate its utility by a quantitative evaluation on explanations generated from a recent machine learning algorithm. This research demonstrates how human-grounded evaluation could be used as a measure to qualify local machine-learning explanations.
Is inquiry possible in light of accountability?: A quantitative comparison of the relative effectiveness of guided inquiry and verification laboratory instruction

In this quantitative study, we compare the efficacy of Level 2, guided inquiry–based instruction to more traditional, verification laboratory instruction in supporting student performance on a standardized measure of knowledge of content, procedure, and nature of science. Our sample included 1,700 students placed in the classrooms of 12 middle school and 12 high school science teachers. The instruction for both groups included a week long, laboratory-based, forensics unit. Students were given pre-, post-, and delayed posttests, the results of which were analyzed through a Hierarchical Linear Model (HLM) using students' scores, teacher, level of school, Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) scores, and school socioeconomic status. Overall, compared to students in traditional sections, students who participated in an inquiry-based laboratory unit showed significantly higher posttest scores; had the higher scores, more growth, and long-term retention at both the high school and middle school levels, if their teacher had stronger implementation of inquiry methods (as measured by RTOP scores); and tended to have better outcomes than those who learned through traditional methods, regardless of level of poverty in the school. Our findings suggest that Level 2 inquiry can be an effective teaching approach to support student learning as measured through standardized assessments. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed94:577–616, 2010
Architecture of the primary taste center of Drosophila melanogaster larvae

A simple nervous system combined with stereotypic behavioral responses to tastants, together with powerful genetic and molecular tools, have turned Drosophila larvae into a very promising model for studying gustatory coding. Using the Gal4/UAS system and confocal microscopy for visualizing gustatory afferents, we provide a description of the primary taste center in the larval central nervous system. Essentially, gustatory receptor neurons target different areas of the subesophageal ganglion (SOG), depending on their segmental and sensory organ origin. We define two major and two smaller subregions in the SOG. One of the major areas is a target of pharyngeal sensilla, the other one receives inputs from both internal and external sensilla. In addition to such spatial organization of the taste center, circumstantial evidence suggests a subtle functional organization: aversive and attractive stimuli might be processed in the anterior and posterior part of the SOG, respectively. Our results also suggest less coexpression of gustatory receptors than proposed in prior studies. Finally, projections of putative second‐order taste neurons seem to cover large areas of the SOG. These neurons may thus receive multiple gustatory inputs. This suggests broad sensitivity of secondary taste neurons, reminiscent of the situation in mammals. J. Comp. Neurol. 502:834–847, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Life’s Simple 7 and Incidence of Diabetes Among American Indians: The Strong Heart Family Study

OBJECTIVE The American Heart Association’s recommendations for optimal health, summarized in Life’s Simple 7, have been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related end points, but no studies have examined the association of these goals with incident type 2 diabetes, which is associated with high risk for CVD. The purpose of this analysis was to examine the associations of Life’s Simple 7 goals with incident diabetes among American Indians, a population at high risk of cardiometabolic diseases. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Strong Heart Family Study participants without diabetes (n = 1,639) at baseline and who participated in a follow-up examination were included in the analysis. Risk scores ranging from 0 to 7 were created using physical activity, diet, BMI, smoking, blood pressure, fasting glucose, and cholesterol metrics in accordance with Life’s Simple 7 goals. Diabetes was defined using 2003 American Diabetes Association criteria, including use of insulin or oral antidiabetes medication or a follow-up fasting plasma glucose level ≥126 mg/dL. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine the association of risk scores with incident diabetes. RESULTS During a mean 5-year follow-up (range 4–8 years), we identified 210 cases of incident type 2 diabetes. Compared with participants who achieved 0–1 goals, those who achieved 2–3 or 4+ goals had lower odds of diabetes, with odds ratios = 0.40 (95% CI 0.29–0.56) and 0.11 (95% CI 0.05–0.21), respectively. CONCLUSIONS The adoption of as few as two or three Life’s Simple 7 goals is associated with a lower risk of diabetes.
Marinomonas primoryensis sp. nov., a novel psychrophile isolated from coastal sea-ice in the Sea of Japan.

Two bacterial strains (KMM 3633(T) and KMM 3634) were isolated from marine coastal sea-ice and characterized by using phenotypic and molecular methods. The isolates were aerobic, Gram-negative, psychrophilic, halophilic and motile by means of a single polar flagellum. The DNA G + C content was 45.3-45.6 mol%. The major cellular fatty acids were C(16 :0), C(16 : 1)omega9c and C(18 : 1)omega7c. Comparison of almost-complete 16S rDNA sequences demonstrated that the strains were phylogenetically closely related to each other (99.5% sequence identity), and related to Marinomonas species (94.4-96.4% identity). DNA-DNA reassociation between KMM 3633(T) and KMM 3634 occurred at a level of 92%. Based on phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic properties, the name Marinomonas primoryensis sp. nov. is proposed for strains KMM 3633(T) and KMM 3634; the type strain is KMM 3633(T) (= JCM 11775(T) = NRIC 523(T)).
Clostridium perfringens Type D Enterotoxaemia in the Chinkara Deer (Gazella bennettii)

During an enterotoxaemia outbreak, 9 out of 11 (82%) Chinkara deer (Gazella bennettii) died; 5 animals died of peracute disease, whereas acute death was observed in 4 animals. The case fatality rate was 100%. Clinical signs, including high temperature, depression, anorexia, abdominal pain, greenish watery diarrhoea, and respiratory distress, were recorded in the affected deer. Post-mortem examinations of the affected animals revealed muscular and serosal haemorrhages, hydroperitoneum, hydrothorax, and hydropericardium. Severe haemorrhages were also observed in the small intestine, colon, and kidneys. Histopathologically, haemorrhagic enterocolitis, pulmonary oedema, accumulation of proteinaceous fluid in alveoli, perivascular oedema, and interstitial and intertubular haemorrhages were seen in the kidneys. Anaerobic incubation, mouse inoculation, and mouse seroneutralisation with intestinal contents collected from the affected deer confirmed the Chinkara deer were infected with Clostridium perfringens type D.
Photosynthesis and Calcification at Cellular, Organismal and Community Levels in Coral Reefs: A Review on Interactions and Control by Carbonate Chemistry

SYNOPSIS. Photosynthesis and calcification in zooxanthellate scleractinian corals and coral reefs are reviewed at several scales: cellular (pathways and transport mechanisms of inorganic carbon and calcium), organismal (interaction between photosynthesis and calcification, effect of light) and ecosystemic (community primary production and calcification, and air-sea CO2 exchanges). The coral host plays a major role in supplying carbon for the photosynthesis by the algal symbionts through a system similar to the carbon-concentrating mechanism described in free living algal cells. The details of carbon supply to the calcification process are almost unknown, but metabolic CO2 seems to be a significant source. Calcium supply for calcification is diffusional through oral layers, and active membrane transport only occurs between the calicoblastic cells and the site of calcification. Photosynthesis and calcification are tightly coupled in zooxanthellate scleractinian corals and coral reef communities. Calcification is, on average, three times higher in light than in darkness. The recent suggestion that calcification is dark-repressed rather than light-enhanced is not supported by the literature. There is a very strong correlation between photosynthesis and calcification at both the organism and community levels, but the ratios of calcification to gross photosynthesis (0.6 in corals and 0.2 in reef communities) differ from unity, and from each other as a function of level. The potential effect of global climatic changes ( p CO2 and temperature) on the rate of calcification is also reviewed. In various calcifying photosynthetic organisms and communities, the rate of calcification decreases as a function of increasing p CO2 and decreasing calcium carbonate saturation state. The calculated decrease in CaCO3, production, estimated using the scenarios considered by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is 10% between 1880 and 1990, and 9–30% (mid estimate: 22%) from 1990 to 2100. Inadequate understanding of the mechanism of calcification and its interaction with photosynthesis severely limits the ability to provide an accurate prediction of future changes in the rate of calcification.
Outcome of patients with cirrhosis admitted to intensive care.

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to evaluate the outcome of cirrhotic patients admitted to Intensive Care Unit. METHODS We conducted a prospective cohort of cirrhotic patients admitted to two intensive care unit between June 1999 to September 2004. We collected demographic, comorbid conditions, diagnosis, vital signs, laboratory data, prognostic scores and evolution in intensive care unit and hospital. The patients were divided in groups: non surgical, non liver surgery, surgery for portal hypertension, liver surgery, liver transplantation, and urgent surgery. RESULTS We studied 304 patients, which 190 (62.5%) were male. The median of age was 54 (47-61) years. The mortality rate in intensive care unit and hospital were 29.3 and 39.8%, respectively, more elevated than in the other patients admitted critically ill patients (19.6 and 28.3%; p<0.001). Non surgical patients and those submitted to urgent surgery presented high mortality rate in the intensive care unit (64.3 and 65.4%) and in the hospital (80.4 and 76.9%). The variables related to hospital mortality were [Odds ratio (confidence interval 95%)]: mean arterial pressure [0.985 (0.974-0.997)]; mechanical ventilation in the first 24 h [4.080 (1.990-8.364)]; confirmed infection in the first 24 h [7.899 (2.814-22.175)]; acute renal failure [5.509 (1.708-17.766)] and APACHE II score (points) [1.078 (1.017-1.143)]. CONCLUSIONS Cirrhotic patients had higher mortality rate compared to non cirrhotic critically ill patients. Those admitted after urgent surgery and non surgical had higher mortality rate.
Relationship Between Repeated Sprint Performance and both Aerobic and Anaerobic Fitness

Abstract The aims of this study were firstly, to examine the relationship between repeated sprint performance indices and anaerobic speed reserve (AnSR), aerobic fitness and anaerobic power and secondly, to identify the best predictors of sprinting ability among these parameters. Twenty nine subjects (age: 22.5 ± 1.6 years, body height: 1.8 ± 0.1 m, body mass: 68.8 ± 8.5 kg, body mass index (BMI): 22.2 ± 2.1 kg•m-2, fat mass: 11.3 ± 2.9 %) participated in this study. All participants performed a 30 m sprint test (T30) from which we calculated the maximal anaerobic speed (MAnS), vertical and horizontal jumps, 20m multi-stage shuttle run test (MSRT) and repeated sprint test (10 x 15 m shuttle run). AnSR was calculated as the difference between MAnS and the maximal speed reached in the MSRT. Blood lactate sampling was performed 3 min after the RSA protocol. There was no significant correlation between repeated sprint indices (total time (TT); peak time (PT), fatigue index (FI)) and both estimated VO2max and vertical jump performance). TT and PT were significantly correlated with T30 (r=0.63, p=0.001 and r=0.62, p=0.001; respectively), horizontal jump performance (r = -0.47, p = 0.001 and r = -0.49, p = 0.006; respectively) and AnSR (r=-0.68, p= 0.001 and r=-0.70, p=0.001, respectively). Significant correlations were found between blood lactate concentration and TT, PT, and AnSR (r=-0.44, p=0.017; r=-0.43, p=0.018 and r=0.44, p=0.016; respectively). Stepwise multiple regression analyses demonstrated that AnSR was the only significant predictor of the TT and PT, explaining 47% and 50% of the shared variance, respectively. Our findings are of particular interest for coaches and fitness trainers in order to predict repeated sprint performance by using AnSR that can easily identify the respective upper performance limits supported by aerobic and anaerobic power of a player involved in multi-sprint team sports.
Chromogranin B Regulates Calcium Signaling, Nuclear Factor &kgr;B Activity, and Brain Natriuretic Peptide Production in Cardiomyocytes

Altered regulation of signaling pathways can lead to pathologies including cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. We report that neonatal and adult cardiomyocytes express chromogranin B (CGB), a Ca2+ binding protein that modulates Ca2+ release by the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (InsP3R). Using fluorescent Ca2+ indicator dyes, we found that CGB regulates InsP3-dependent Ca2+ release in response to angiotensin II, an octapeptide hormone that promotes cardiac hypertrophy. ELISA experiments and luciferase reporter assays identified angiotensin II as a potent inducer of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), a hormone that recently emerged as an important biomarker in cardiovascular disease. CGB was found to regulate angiotensin II–stimulated and basal secretion, expression and promoter activity of BNP that depend on the InsP3R. Moreover, we provide evidence that CGB acts via the transcription activity of nuclear factor &kgr;B in an InsP3/Ca2+-dependent manner but independent of nuclear factor of activated T cells. In vivo experiments further showed that cardiac hypertrophy induced by angiotensin II, a condition characterized by increased ventricular BNP production, is associated with upregulation of ventricular CGB expression. Overexpression of CGB in cardiomyocytes, in turn, induced the BNP promoter. The evidence presented in this study identifies CGB as a novel regulator of cardiomyocyte InsP3/Ca2+-dependent signaling, nuclear factor &kgr;B activity, and BNP production.