Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low secondary leaf wax n-alkane synthesis on fully mature leaves of C3 grasses grown at controlled environmental conditions and variable humidity.

RATIONALE Leaf wax n-alkanes are long-chained aliphatic compounds that are present in the cuticle of terrestrial plant leaves. Their δ2 H values are used for the reconstruction of past environments and for plant ecological investigations. The timing of n-alkane synthesis during leaf development and the rate of synthesis of secondary n-alkanes in fully matured leaves are still a matter of debate. METHODS Using a 2 H-labeling approach we estimated secondary leaf wax n-alkane synthesis rates in mature leaf blades of six C3 grass species grown in climate chambers under controlled environmental conditions. RESULTS We found that mature grass leaves continue the synthesis of leaf wax n-alkanes after leaf maturation. The rate of secondary n-alkanes synthesis was, however, relatively low and varied in response to atmospheric humidity and among species from 0.09 to 1.09% per day. CONCLUSIONS Our investigation provides new evidence on the timing of cuticular wax synthesis in grass leaves and indicates that the majority of n-alkanes are synthesized during the initial development of the leaf. Our study will improve the interpretation of leaf wax n-alkane δ2 H values in environmental and geological studies as it suggests that secondary synthesis of leaf wax n-alkanes in grass leaves contributes only slightly to the geological record. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Study of the Rainfall Infiltration Effect and Soil Strength Variation on Unsaturated Laterite Terraces

The lateritic terraces of northern Taiwan have unsaturated soil due to their higher elevation and deeper groundwater level. Under the effects of rainfall infiltration and surface evaporation, the topsoil often changes in humidity; thus, the soil strength also changes. As there are a large number of structures in these terraces, it is necessary to further understand the influence of rainwater infiltration in order to design a safe and economical foundation structure. In this paper, tensiometers were installed in-situ to observe changes in soil matric suction. An undisturbed soil column was taken and drying and wetting tests were conducted to understand the depth of water infiltration. Meanwhile, a direct shear test was performed using specimens with different water contents taken from the soil column. The corresponding soil matric suction was derived from the relationship of the soil water content and tensiometer readings of the tests. The results showed that, during rainwater infiltration, the soil near the surface reacted immediately. The influence of the rainwater infiltration reached about 120 cm below the surface. The soil shear strength decreased with the increasing soil moisture content. In other words, rainfall would reduce the soil matric suction and the shear strength of the soil would decrease.
A locus for autosomal dominant keratoconus maps to human chromosome 3p14–q13

Keratoconus (OMIM148300) is a bilateral, non-inflammatory, slowly progressive, corneal ectasia that is a major cause of corneal transplant. Characteristically, the cornea becomes thin and conical, with myopia and irregular astigmatism that leads to vision impairment. The incidence of keratoconus is between 50 and 230 per 100 000, with remarkable differences between ethnic groups.1 Although the pathogenesis of keratoconus still is unknown, little doubt exists about an underlying genetic background. A positive family history is found in 6–8% of patients with keratoconus, and concordance is high among monozygotic twins.1,2 In rare instances, keratoconus is inherited either as a mendelian trait or is associated with a genetic disorder (for example, Down syndrome, Leber’s amaurosis, or connective tissue diseases). For most patients, however, the disease is sporadic.3 The lack of multiple familial cases is a major obstacle to linkage analysis. To date, three loci have been associated with keratoconus, none of them through a genomewide search in a single informative family. A putative 6.8 cM locus was identified in a family affected by keratoconus by direct scan of chromosome 21 only, while an association at 20q12 was found in seven related Tasmanian patients.4,5 More recently, a non-parametric linkage analysis in 20 Finnish small pedigrees with autosomal dominant keratoconus identified a third locus to chromosome 16q.6 Finally, two distinct heterozygous mutations in the VSX1 homeobox gene were identified with a candidate gene approach in two families affected by keratoconus.7 Recent advances in computerised topographic diagnostic techniques enable higher accuracy in the diagnosis of keratoconus, including forme fruste , which eases the identification of extensive families affected by keratoconus. We describe an Italian family with autosomal dominant pure keratoconus and the localisation of a novel keratoconus locus to chromosome 3p14–q13. ### Clinical studies We identified an Italian pedigree with autosomal …
Ectopic expression of the BoTFL 1-like gene of Bambusa oldhamii delays blossoming in Arabidopsis thaliana and rescues the tfl 1 mutant phenotype

TERMINAL FLOWER1 (TFL1) homologous genes play major roles in maintaining vegetative growth and inflorescence meristem characteristics in various plant species; however, to date, the function of the bamboo TFL1 homologous gene has not been described. In this study, a TFL1 homologous gene was isolated from Bambusa oldhamii and designated as BoTFL1-like. Phylogenetic analysis of TFL1 homologous genes revealed that BoTFL1-like shared more than 90% identity with the TFL1 genes of other Gramineae. RT-PCR analysis showed that the expression level of BoTFL1-like in floral buds was almost 3.5 times higher than in vegetative buds. In 35S::BoTFL1like transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana plants, the time of flowering was significantly delayed by 5 to 9 days, and development of floral buds 9307 BoTFL1-like gene in bamboo flowering ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp. com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 14 (3): 9306-9317 (2015) and sepals was severely affected compared to wild type Arabidopsis plants. This suggests that the BoTFL1-like gene may play roles in flowering time and flower morphological structure in B. oldhamii. The BoTFL1-like gene driven by the 35S promoter almost fully rescued the phenotype of the tfl1 mutant apart from the number of rosette inflorescences, indicating that the function of BoTFL1-like was similar to TFL1 in Arabidopsis. We conclude the TFL1 gene function has been conserved between B. oldhamii and A. thaliana.
2015 Ieee International Conference on Big Data (big Data) Accelerating Collaborative Filtering Using Concepts from High Performance Computing

—In this paper we accelerate the Alternating Least Squares (ALS) algorithm used for generating product recommendations on the basis of implicit feedback datasets. We approach the algorithm with concepts proven to be successful in High Performance Computing. This includes the formulation of the algorithm as a mix of cache-optimized algorithm-specific kernels and standard BLAS routines, acceleration via graphics processing units (GPUs), use of parallel batched kernels, and autotuning to identify performance winners. For benchmark datasets, the multi-threaded CPU implementation we propose achieves more than a 10 times speedup over the implementations available in the GraphLab and Spark MLlib software packages. For the GPU implementation, the parameters of an algorithm-specific kernel were optimized using a comprehensive autotuning sweep. This results in an additional 2 times speedup over our CPU implementation.
EFFECTS OF TIKTOK ENGLISH TEACHING VIDEOS IN THE SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION OF ELEMENTARY LEARNERS

This study aimed to examine the Effects of TikTok English teaching videos in the Second Language Acquisition of Elementary Learners. The participants of this study were the 21 intermediate learners in Nababarera Elementary School, Baao, Camarines Sur. The researchers came up with the three main questions in this study: (1) What is the level of Second Language Acquisition of elementary learners during: a. Pre-Assessment b. Post-Assessment (2) Is there a significant difference between the raw scores of pre-assessment and post-assessment? (3) What are the challenges encountered in utilizing mobile phones as a tool for second language acquisition? The researchers used mixed-method approach to answer the research questions. A pre- and post-assessment and a semi-structured interview were used as tools. It is discovered that learners who use mobile devices for language learning experience learning setbacks due to physical, pedagogical, and psycho-social issues. The result also showed that there is a significant difference between the raw scores of the learners’ pre- and post-assessment. Hence, TikTok can be an assessment tool for evaluating learners' language learning progress and an out-of-class learning tool to motivate and engage students in their English language skills development.
Tyrosine Phosphorylation of the UDP-Glucose Dehydrogenase of Escherichia coli Is at the Crossroads of Colanic Acid Synthesis and Polymyxin Resistance

Background In recent years, an idiosyncratic new class of bacterial enzymes, named BY-kinases, has been shown to catalyze protein-tyrosine phosphorylation. These enzymes share no structural and functional similarities with their eukaryotic counterparts and, to date, only few substrates of BY-kinases have been characterized. BY-kinases have been shown to participate in various physiological processes. Nevertheless, we are at a very early stage of defining their importance in the bacterial cell. In Escherichia coli, two BY-kinases, Wzc and Etk, have been characterized biochemically. Wzc has been shown to phosphorylate the UDP-glucose dehydrogenase Ugd in vitro. Not only is Ugd involved in the biosynthesis of extracellular polysaccharides, but also in the production of UDP-4-amino-4-deoxy-L-arabinose, a compound that renders E. coli resistant to cationic antimicrobial peptides. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we studied the role of Ugd phosphorylation. We first confirmed in vivo the phosphorylation of Ugd by Wzc and we demonstrated that Ugd is also phosphorylated by Etk, the other BY-kinase identified in E. coli. Tyrosine 71 (Tyr71) was characterized as the Ugd site phosphorylated by both Wzc and Etk. The regulatory role of Tyr71 phosphorylation on Ugd activity was then assessed and Tyr71 mutation was found to prevent Ugd activation by phosphorylation. Further, Ugd phosphorylation by Wzc or Etk was shown to serve distinct physiological purposes. Phosphorylation of Ugd by Wzc was found to participate in the regulation of the amount of the exopolysaccharide colanic acid, whereas Etk-mediated Ugd phosphorylation appeared to participate in the resistance of E. coli to the antibiotic polymyxin. Conclusions/Significance Ugd phosphorylation seems to be at the junction between two distinct biosynthetic pathways, illustrating the regulatory potential of tyrosine phosphorylation in bacterial physiology.
The role of interaural time difference and fundamental frequency difference in the identification of concurrent vowel pairs.

The ability of subjects to identify both components of a concurrent vowel pair was determined when vowel fundamental frequency difference and an interaural time difference (ITD) in one of the vowels were introduced. In agreement with earlier studies it was found that introduction of a fundamental frequency difference significantly improved detection performance (by 22% for a 1 semitone difference). Identification performance improved as the ITD was made larger but this improvement was small compared to the fundamental frequency difference effect (7% improvement between 0 and 400 μs).
Effects of aeration on lettuce (Lactuca sativa) growth in deep water culture aquaponics

Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu Tampere University of Applied Sciences Degree Programme in Environmental Engineering DANIEL BODENMILLER: Effects of Aeration on Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) Growth in Deep Water Culture Aquaponics Bachelor's thesis 41 pages, appendices 2 pages September 2017 The main objective of this thesis was to investigate the effects of increased aeration on lettuce (Lactuca sativa) growth in deep water culture aquaponics systems. Oxygen levels play an important role in plant growth, especially in soilless systems a sufficient amount of oxygen needs to be supplied to the root zone to prevent oxygen depletion. Aeration, on the other hand, also represents a cost factor; therefore it is necessary to strike a balance between supplying enough oxygen to ensure good growth and avoiding energy wastage by supplying too much. Research on aeration of growbeds in aquaponics systems is very limited and the results of this study could help growers maximize outputs and resource efficiency. The experiment was conducted in the TAMK greenhouse where a deep water culture aquaponics setup was installed. In the test setup lettuce (Lactuca sativa) was grown in 3 consecutive trials for a period of 6 weeks each. For the experiment six separate growbeds were available. Three were fitted with air supply systems pumping air into the beds at rates of 275 L/h, 550 L/h and 825 L/h while the other three beds served as control without additional aeration. Dissolved oxygen as well as other important water quality and environmental parameters were monitored throughout the experiment. The lettuce yield and several growth indicators were monitored biweekly and compared for different treatments. All treatments showed dissolved oxygen levels above 5 mg/L, which should rule out oxygen depletion affecting the results. The average yield at harvest was 29% lower in the aerated beds compared to the controls but only 12% lower after drying the samples. The lower yield could be partly attributed to the higher pH readings that were accompanied by the added aeration. The results show that heavy aeration can cause a pH shift in the system and even be a limiting factor to plant growth. Therefore it is highly recommendable to monitor and manage dissolved oxygen levels in deep water culture aquaponics.
Observing the Observer (II): Deciding When to Decide

In a companion paper [1], we have presented a generic approach for inferring how subjects make optimal decisions under uncertainty. From a Bayesian decision theoretic perspective, uncertain representations correspond to “posterior” beliefs, which result from integrating (sensory) information with subjective “prior” beliefs. Preferences and goals are encoded through a “loss” (or “utility”) function, which measures the cost incurred by making any admissible decision for any given (hidden or unknown) state of the world. By assuming that subjects make optimal decisions on the basis of updated (posterior) beliefs and utility (loss) functions, one can evaluate the likelihood of observed behaviour. In this paper, we describe a concrete implementation of this meta-Bayesian approach (i.e. a Bayesian treatment of Bayesian decision theoretic predictions) and demonstrate its utility by applying it to both simulated and empirical reaction time data from an associative learning task. Here, inter-trial variability in reaction times is modelled as reflecting the dynamics of the subjects' internal recognition process, i.e. the updating of representations (posterior densities) of hidden states over trials while subjects learn probabilistic audio-visual associations. We use this paradigm to demonstrate that our meta-Bayesian framework allows for (i) probabilistic inference on the dynamics of the subject's representation of environmental states, and for (ii) model selection to disambiguate between alternative preferences (loss functions) human subjects could employ when dealing with trade-offs, such as between speed and accuracy. Finally, we illustrate how our approach can be used to quantify subjective beliefs and preferences that underlie inter-individual differences in behaviour.
Exploring the incorporation of executive functions in intelligence testing: Factor analysis of the WAIS-III and traditional tasks of executive functioning.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – third edition (WAIS-III) and executive functions. The Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Stroop Color-Word Test were administered to a heterogeneous group of 234 psychiatric patients and 24 healthy volunteers. Maximum likelihood procedures with promax rotation were applied to two, three and four factor solutions. The four factor model fitted the data best, confirming the four factor indices of the WAIS-III. All three executive tasks had their highest loading on the factor corresponding to the perceptual organization index (POI) of the WAIS-III. Results confirm the overload of crystallized intelligence in the subtests and EF involvement in the POI of the WAIS-III. Results are discussed as to the need for an integrated, multifaceted view on cognitive disorders and intellectual (dis) abilities.
The hypoglycemic effects of soy isoflavones on postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVES Soy isoflavones have many effects similar to those of estrogen and have become popular among postmenopausal women as an alternative for hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of soy isoflavones on glucose, insulin, and lipid profiles in postmenopausal Taiwanese women. METHODS We conducted a randomized, double-blind, active placebo-controlled clinical trial to compare the effects of isoflavones with estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) on blood glucose, insulin, and lipid profiles in postmenopausal Taiwanese women. Thirty postmenopausal Taiwanese women were randomly assigned to two groups, and each received treatment for 6 months. The isoflavone group received 100 mg isoflavone soft capsules, 300 mg calcium, and a blank vitamin capsule per day. The estrogen active control group received 0.625 mg conjugated estrogen, 300 mg calcium, and blank isoflavone soft capsules per day. We measured baseline levels of fasting blood sugar, insulin, lipid profiles, and isoflavone concentrations prior to the study and repeated the same measurements every 3 months for a total duration of 6 months. RESULTS Two-way ANOVA revealed that fasting glucose (p < 0.001) and insulin (p < 0.005) levels were significantly affected by estrogen and isoflavone treatments after 6 months. For the isoflavone group, the average blood genistein concentration was 6-10 times higher than those of the estrogen group. Within the same periods, the fasting blood glucose was reduced to 83% and 85% of the baseline levels, and insulin was reduced to 56% and 67% of the baseline levels, respectively, in the estrogen and isoflavone groups. CONCLUSIONS Soy isoflavones (100 mg) and 0.625 mg conjugated estrogen equally lower fasting blood glucose and insulin levels in postmenopausal women.
Altered Cerebral Vessel Innervation in the Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat

Autonomic innervation in the cerebral arterial walls of adult male spontaneously hypertensive rats and of normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats was studied. When examined by fluorescence microscopy, dense catecholamine fluorescence was observed in anterior cerebral and middle cerebral arteries of both Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats. However, vertebral and basilar arteries and small pial arteries of Wistar-Kyoto rats received extremely sparse or no catecholamine fluorescence, whereas, in the respective regions of spontaneously hypertensive rats, catecholamine fluorescence was found to be significantly elevated. The endogenous norepinephrine content was also higher in cerebral arteries of spontaneously hypertensive than of Wistar-Kyoto rats. When examined ultrastructurally (potassium permanganate fixation), the incidence of granular vesicle-containing nerves, indicative of sympathetic nerves, was found to be significantly elevated in all cerebral arteries of spontaneously hypertensive rats examined. In contrast, the agranular vesicle-containing nerve, indicative of nonsympathetic nerves, with close synaptic cleft distance (<2 μm) was found to decrease or remain unchanged in the cerebral arteries of spontaneously hypertensive rats. These results suggest that cerebral sympathetic vasoconstriction may become more prominent than nonsympathetic vasodilation in spontaneously hypertensive rats. This finding lends further credence to the previous in vivo findings that cerebral sympathetic vasoconstrictor nerves become more functional and exhibit a protective effect against brain lesions during hypertension. The potential roles of neurogenic components involved in cerebral blood flow autoregulation are also discussed.
Evaluation of a paper-based visual acuity questionnaire

Purpose To validate a paper-based visual acuity (PBVA) questionnaire. Methods In 2015, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among 301 young and middle-aged, mostly male, Japanese subjects. The participants were asked to self-rate their visual acuity (VA) on a scale from 1 to 5. Self-ratings of VA were categorized into three groups: good (1 and 2), normal (3), and poor (4 and 5). For objective validation, we performed a functional VA (FVA) assessment in the same subjects. Results A total of 301 subjects answered the PBVA and completed the FVA test including initial VA. We found out that the result of PBVA was significantly correlated with FVA test and initial VA (r=0.33, P<0.0001, r=0.273, P<0.0001). The trend test analysis between PBVA and FVA also showed statistically significant (P<0.0001). Conclusion There was a significant statistical correlation between the PBVA and the FVA, as well as the initial VA. This short questionnaire on VA might be a sensitive tool that is easy to implement and utilized in large epidemiological and clinical researches.
IMPACT OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF RURAL WOMEN ON POVERTY ALLEVIATION STRATEGIES IN KOGI STATE, NIGERIA

A study was conducted to investigate the impact of socio-economic characteristics of rural women on poverty alleviation strategies in Kogi State, Nigeria. Stratified random sampling technique was used for the selection of the respondents for this research work. The twenty-one (21) Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state were stratified into three, that is, those in the Eastern, Central and Western Zones. From these, two LGAs were randomly selected from each Zone. In all, six LGAs were randomly selected from the three Zones of Kogi State. These include Bassa and Ankpa LGAs from Eastern, Okene and Adavi LGAs from the Central and Lokoja and Kogi LGAs from the Western Zones respectively. A total of (N=360) rural women were selected to participate in the study. The study revealed that from the socio-economic characteristics of rural women, majority of the respondents were between the ages of 36 and 55 years with a total of (73.9%) while less than one (0.8) percent were above 60 years. Majority of the respondents (50.8%) had no formal education while (16.4%) had adult education. Majority of them (74.4%) were married while the remaining (25.6%) of the respondents were single, widowed or divorced. Few of the respondents, (15.8%) had 2-4 children while majority (a total of 83.7%) had more than the maximum number of children as recommended by the Federal Government of Nigeria which is four. The result further showed that the hypothesis was rejected because the chi-square (X 2 ) tests indicated that there were significant associations between socio-economic characteristics of the respondents age (X 2 = 636.04), highest educational level (X 2 =153.29), marital status (X 2 = 63.80), husband’s number of wives (X 2 = 27.22), head of house hold (X 2 =78.27), religion (X 2 =153.29), place of origin (X 2 =46.88), and position among wives (X 2 =45.80) and their use of poverty alleviation strategies at 0.05 significant level. It was recommended that there is need to increase the level of awareness of rural populace to the importance of education as majority of the rural women were not educated. This will make the rural women to use the various opportunities that may open to them in getting out of poverty.