Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Water Stress during Grain Filling on Yield, Quality and Physiological Traits of Illpa and Rainbow Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) Cultivars

The total area under quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) cultivation and the consumption of its grain have increased in recent years because of its nutritional properties and ability to grow under adverse conditions, such as drought. Climate change scenarios predict extended periods of drought and this has emphasized the need for new crops that are tolerant to these conditions. The main goal of this work was to evaluate crop yield and quality parameters and to characterize the physiology of two varieties of quinoa grown under water deficit in greenhouse conditions. Two varieties of quinoa from the Chilean coast (Rainbow) and altiplano (Illpa) were used, grown under full irrigation or two different levels of water deficit applied during the grain filling period. There were no marked differences in yield and quality parameters between treatments, but the root biomass was higher in plants grown under severe water deficit conditions compared to control. Photosynthesis, transpiration and stomatal conductance decreased with increased water stress in both cultivars, but the coastal variety showed higher water use efficiency and less discrimination of 13C under water deficit. This response was associated with greater root development and a better stomatal opening adjustment, especially in the case of Rainbow. The capacity of Rainbow to increase its osmoregulant content (compounds such as proline, glutamine, glutamate, K and Na) could enable a potential osmotic adjustment in this variety. Moreover, the lower stomatal opening and transpiration rates were also associated with higher leaf ABA concentration values detected in Rainbow. We found negative logarithmic relationships between stomatal conductance and leaf ABA concentration in both varieties, with significant R2 values of 0.50 and 0.22 in Rainbow and Illpa, respectively. These moderate-to-medium values suggest that, in addition to ABA signaling, other causes for stomatal closure in quinoa under drought such as hydraulic regulation may play a role. In conclusion, this work showed that two quinoa cultivars use different strategies in the face of water deficit stress, and these prevent decreases in grain yield and quality under drought conditions.
Salmonid gene expression biomarkers indicative of physiological responses to changes in salinity and temperature, but not dissolved oxygen

ABSTRACT An organism's ability to respond effectively to environmental change is critical to its survival. Yet, life stage and overall condition can dictate tolerance thresholds to heightened environmental stressors, such that stress may not be equally felt across individuals and at all times. Also, the transcriptional responses induced by environmental changes can reflect both generalized responses as well as others that are highly specific to the type of change being experienced. Thus, if transcriptional biomarkers specific to a stressor, even under multi-stressor conditions, can be identified, the biomarkers could then be applied in natural environments to determine when and where an individual experiences such a stressor. Here, we experimentally challenged juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) to validate candidate gill gene expression biomarkers. A sophisticated experimental design manipulated salinity (freshwater, brackish water and seawater), temperature (10, 14 and 18°C) and dissolved oxygen (normoxia and hypoxia) in all 18 possible combinations for 6 days using separate trials for three smolt statuses (pre-smolt, smolt and de-smolt). In addition, changes in juvenile behaviour, plasma variables, gill Na+/K+-ATPase activity, body size, body morphology and skin pigmentation supplemented the gene expression responses. We identified biomarkers specific to salinity and temperature that transcended the multiple stressors, smolt status and mortality (live, dead and moribund). Similar biomarkers for dissolved oxygen were not identified. This work demonstrates the unique power of gene expression biomarkers to identify a specific stressor even under multi-stressor conditions, and we discuss our next steps for hypoxia biomarkers using an RNA-seq study. Summary: Gene expression biomarkers associated with salinity stress and thermal stress, but not hypoxic stress, exist in salmon gill tissue. Biomarkers were also associated with mortality.
The Economics of Fruit and Vegetable Marketing by Smallholder Farmers in Murehwa and Mutoko Districts in Zimbabwe

The study assessed the nature of marketing chain of fruits and vegetables in Murehwa and Mutoko Districts in Mashonaland East Province in Zimbabwe. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques were used. Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, direct observations and document reviews. A structured household questionnaire was used as the basic tool to collect socio-economic and production data pertaining to fruit and vegetable smallholder producers. The study revealed that poor infrastructure for storage, processing and marketing of fruits and vegetables contributed to losses to the farmers. Smallholder farmers generally focused on production activities and showed relatively little interest in postharvest and marketing activities. The major markets included traditional wet markets such as Mbare and Machipisa Vegetable Markets in Harare and spot selling. The presence of informal middlemen at Mbare and Machipisa Vegetable Markets had led to considerable reduction of the farmers’ profit margins. The study recommended strong partnerships through commodity clusters among farmers in order to be able to supply organised markets such as food processors, institutions (hospitals, tertiary colleges and boarding schools), supermarkets and fast food shops with produce of standardised quality, meet volume requirements and assure consistency of supplies and to enhance efficiency in marketing. Buyer-supplier partnerships such as contract farming sponsored by agro-food processors also facilitated fruit and vegetable marketing while providing farmers access to skills, technologies and infrastructure. Further research should focus on value addition of fruits and vegetables produced by smallholder farmers.
Different degrees of tolerance to hydrogen sulphide in populations of Macoma balthica (Bivalvia, Tellinidae)

Populations of the Baltic clam Macoma balthica show different degrees of sulphide tolerance in relation to su lph~de contamination of their habitats. Specimens from sulphidic habitats such a s the Gulf of G d k k (Baltic Proper) and shallo~v waters near the island of Hiddensee (Southern Baltic Sea) have higher survival capaclt~es during sulphide exposure than those from low sulphide contaminated environments such as K ~ e l Bight (Western Baltic Sea) and the Wadden Sea near Dorum-Neufeld (Weser estuary, North Sea). The tolerant clams are better able to protect cytochrome c oxidase against sulphide toxification. I t can be assumed that this protection is due to slower sulphide diffus~on Into the tissues Sulphide-tolerant specimens from h~gh ly sulphidic habitats have apparent sulphide d~ffusion coefflc~ents which al-e roughly half those of sulphide-sensitive specimens from low sulphidic stations. Higher su lph~de influx into the sensitive clams will negatively affect t h e ~ r metabolism, combined with longer inhibition of cytochrome c oxidase, resulting in higher mortality. KEY WOKLIS: A4acoma balthica . Population . Hydrogen sulphide Apparent diffusion coefficient Apparent detoxificatlon constant Cytochrome c oxidase Macrofauna Baltic Sea North Sea
A Novel Direction-of-Arrival Estimation via Phase Retrieval with Unknown Sensor Gain-and-Phase Errors

In signal array processing, high-resolution direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation algorithms work well on the assumption that the system models are perfect. However, in practicality, there are imperfect system models in which sensor gain-and-phase errors are considered. In this paper, we propose a novel framework that can effectively solve direction-of-arrival estimation tasks in the presence of sensor gain-and-phase errors. In contrast to existing approaches based on phase retrieval, our method eliminates gain errors by using the compensated covariance matrix. Meanwhile, we propose a data preprocessing method by taking only one column of the compensated covariance matrix without losing any magnitude information. Additionally, the phase retrieval problem is formed by the proposed data preprocessing method. Furthermore, the phase retrieval problem is solved by the recently proposed sparse feasible point pursuit algorithm, and DOA estimates are obtained. To prevent the model from ambiguities, we employ the known DOA to place reference sources. Numerical results show that the proposed scheme achieves better performance compared to state-of-the-art approaches.
Sinus rhabdomyosarcoma invading the orbit in an adult

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common primary malignant orbital tumor in children. However, it is rare in adults. We present a case report of a 22-year-old man who initially presented with nasal obstruction, as the only clinical symptom, but subsequently was diagnosed as having RMS of the ethmoid sinus invading the orbit.
A transcallosal fibre system between homotopic inferior frontal regions supports complex linguistic processing

Inferior frontal regions in the left and right hemisphere support different aspects of language processing. In the canonical model, left inferior frontal regions are mostly involved in processing based on phonological, syntactic and semantic features of language, whereas the right inferior frontal regions process paralinguistic aspects like affective prosody. Using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) based probabilistic fiber tracking in 20 healthy volunteers, we identify a callosal fiber system connecting left and right inferior frontal regions that are involved in linguistic processing of varying complexity. Anatomically, we show that the interhemispheric fibers are highly aligned and distributed along a rostral to caudal gradient in the body and genu of the corpus callosum to connect homotopic inferior frontal regions. In light of converging data, taking previous DTI-based tracking studies and clinical case studies into account, our findings suggest that the right inferior frontal cortex not only processes paralinguistic aspects of language (such as affective prosody), as purported by the canonical model, but also supports the computation of linguistic aspects of varying complexity in the human brain. Our model may explain patterns of right hemispheric contribution to stroke recovery as well as disorders of prosodic processing. Beyond language-related brain function, we discuss how interspecies differences in interhemispheric connectivity and fiber density, including the system we described here, may also explain differences in transcallosal information transfer and cognitive abilities across different mammalian species.
Reactive school closure weakens the network of social interactions and reduces the spread of influenza

Significance The effectiveness of school-closure policies to mitigate seasonal and pandemic influenza is controversial, mostly because of the lack of empirical evidence about the behavior of the population during the implementation of these policies. In this study, we measure the behavior of the population during regular school/work days and when schools/classes are closed as a consequence of a school-closure policy. We leverage the obtained data to develop an innovative data-driven predictive-modeling framework to reduce the uncertainty surrounding school-closure policies. School-closure policies are considered one of the most promising nonpharmaceutical interventions for mitigating seasonal and pandemic influenza. However, their effectiveness is still debated, primarily due to the lack of empirical evidence about the behavior of the population during the implementation of the policy. Over the course of the 2015 to 2016 influenza season in Russia, we performed a diary-based contact survey to estimate the patterns of social interactions before and during the implementation of reactive school-closure strategies. We develop an innovative hybrid survey-modeling framework to estimate the time-varying network of human social interactions. By integrating this network with an infection transmission model, we reduce the uncertainty surrounding the impact of school-closure policies in mitigating the spread of influenza. When the school-closure policy is in place, we measure a significant reduction in the number of contacts made by students (14.2 vs. 6.5 contacts per day) and workers (11.2 vs. 8.7 contacts per day). This reduction is not offset by the measured increase in the number of contacts between students and nonhousehold relatives. Model simulations suggest that gradual reactive school-closure policies based on monitoring student absenteeism rates are capable of mitigating influenza spread. We estimate that without the implemented reactive strategies the attack rate of the 2015 to 2016 influenza season would have been 33% larger. Our study sheds light on the social mixing patterns of the population during the implementation of reactive school closures and provides key instruments for future cost-effectiveness analyses of school-closure policies.
PERCEPTIONS OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE NORTHERN REGION OF GHANA

This study sought to find out beneficiaries’ views about development and the qualities of a good development project, among others. The study was carried out in Tamale, Savelugu and Kpalsogu/Dundo in the Northern region of Ghana. The stratified and simple random sampling techniques were used to select the communities and 240 respondents respectively. Data collection techniques consisted of focus group discussions, individual face-to-face questionnaire administration and observations. Respondents’ definition for development was; meeting one’s welfare goals, such as Peace, Enough food, Good health, High income and Education, in line with the moden definitions of development. In terms of the qualities of development projects, respondents were most concerned about their usefulness, use of local resources, legality as well as conformity to culture and religious beliefs. The two main findings that did not meet our apriori expectations were that respondents did not place much importance on the need for their involvment in the planning, design and implementation of projects and programmes and the notion that Governement alone has the responsibility of providing for the people. The community members must be sensitized and educated to appreciate their role in the planning, design and implementaion of development programmes.
Singularity methods for meromorphic solutions of differential equations

This chapter is mainly a tutorial introduction to methods recently developed in order to find all (as opposed to some) meromorphic particular solutions of given nonintegrable, autonomous, algebraic ordinary differential equations of any order. The examples are taken from physics and include Kuramoto-Sivashinsky and complex Ginzburg-Landau equations.
MILK FATTY ACIDS FROM DIFFERENT HORSE BREEDS COMPARED WITH COW, GOAT AND HUMAN MILK

The essential role of fatty acids (FA) in human nutrition was widely documented. Since unsaturated fatty acids amount in mare milk seems to be higher than in cow milk, an approach was considered to evaluate differences between some equine breeds and compare fatty acids composition in different species. Trial was carried out on 30 Haflinger, 6 Noriker and 12 Thoroughbred milk samples collected at 30, 60 and 90 days from delivery. FA profile was investigated referring to linoleic (LA), α-linolenic acid (ALA), LA/ALA ratio and saturated/unsaturated ratio. LA was higher in Thoroughbred milk at 30, 60 and 90 days, ALA in Noriker mares versus Thoroughbred and Haflinger, underlining an interesting genetic characteristic. LA/ALA ratio was 0.51, 0.49, 0.39 in Noriker at 30, 60, 90 days with a sat/unsat ratio about 1. In Thoroughbred sat/unsat ratio was 0.87, 0.71, 0.57; in Haflinger 1.24, 1.09, 1.28. Investigations concerned also milk FA from Haflinger, Noriker and Thoroughbred mares collected at 60 from delivery compared with cow, goat and human milk. Unsaturated FA were found about 55% in mare samples, higher than cow and goat (30–33%) and similar to human. Sat/unsat ratio was lower than 1 in mare milk, about 2 in cow and 2.3 in goat. All mare samples were rich in LA (6.22–15.41%) and ALA (7.09–12.50%). In human milk LA and ALA were 13.54% and 1.02%; lower in goat (2.62% and 0.63%) and in cow (1.86% and 0.57%). Sat/unsat ratio was between 0.70 and 1.09 in horses, 2.30 in goat, 1.88 in cow and 0.83 in human milk.
Evaluating the performance of two surface layer schemes for the momentum and heat exchange processes during severe haze pollution in Jing-Jin-Ji in eastern China

Abstract. The turbulent flux parameterization schemes in the surface layer are crucial for air pollution modeling. There have been some deficiencies in the prediction of air pollutants by atmosphere chemical models, which is closely related to the uncertainties of the momentum and sensible heat fluxes calculated in the surface layer. The differences between two surface layer schemes (Li and MM5 schemes) were discussed, and the performances of two schemes were mainly evaluated based on the observed momentum and sensible heat fluxes during a heavy haze episode in Jing-Jin-Ji in eastern China. The results showed that the aerodynamic roughness length z0m and the thermal roughness length z0h played major roles in the flux calculation. Compared with the Li scheme, ignoring the difference between z0m and z0h in the MM5 scheme induced a great error in the calculation of the sensible heat flux (e.g., the error was 54 % at Gucheng station). Besides the roughness length, the algorithm for the surface turbulent flux as well as the roughness sublayer also resulted in certain errors in the MM5 scheme. In addition, magnitudes of z0m and z0h have significant influence on the two schemes. The large z0m and z0m∕z0h in megacities with a rough surface (e.g., Beijing) resulted in much larger differences of momentum and sensible heat fluxes between Li and MM5, compared with the small z0m and z0m∕z0h in suburban areas with a smooth surface (e.g., Gucheng). The Li scheme could better characterize the evolution of atmospheric stratification than the MM5 scheme in general, especially for the transition stage from unstable to stable atmospheric stratification, corresponding to the PM2.5 accumulation. The biases of momentum and sensible heat fluxes from Li were lower, about 38 % and 43 %, respectively, than those from MM5 during this stage. This study indicates the superiority of the Li scheme in describing regional atmospheric stratification and an improved possibility of severe haze prediction in Jing-Jin-Ji in eastern China by coupling it into atmosphere chemical models.
Are There Spatial Spillovers in the Adoption of Clean Technology? The Case of Organic Dairy Farming

This paper examines spatial spillovers associated with the adoption of organic dairy farming. We hypothesize that neighboring farmers can help to reduce the uncertainty of organic conversion by lowering the fixed costs of learning about the organic system. A spatially explicit 10-year panel dataset of more than 1,900 dairy farms in southwestern Wisconsin is used as input into a reduced-form econometric model of the decision to convert to organic production. Using an identification strategy that exploits the panel aspect of the micro dataset, we find evidence that the presence of neighboring organic dairy farms affects the conversion decision. (JEL Q15, Q24)
The current account-interest rate relation: A panel data study for OECD countries

The issue of the current account is important for policy makers, since it provides information about quantity of foreign resources that must be borrowed to fund domestic investment. This study examines the relationship between current account balance as a percentage of GDP and real interest rate over the period from 1980-2009 for a sample of 21 OECD countries that are high income economies using recent developed panel estimation techniques. The two-way panel estimation technique is used in order to investigate the relationship between the selected variables. The two-way Panel OLS estimation results show that there is a positive relationship between current account and real interest rate as expected. This finding illustrates the fundamental understanding of the role of real interest rate in determining the current account balance for high income economies, and it is useful for policy considerations. From policy perspective, we can say that the authorities can overcome current account imbalances by altering interest rates.
The effect of trustworthiness on OCB II

There have been several studies which focused on trust and organizational outcomes. However, there has been no research into the effects trust in a supervisor has on the intention of employees to perform Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (OCB), which is ‘behaviour that contributes indirectly to the organization through the maintenance of the organization’s social system’ (LePine, Erez, & Johnson, 2002, p. 52). This research used a 2x2x2 factorial design, in which respondents were randomly assigned to one out of eight scenarios. Scenarios were made using high or low variations of the three trustworthiness criteria (ability, benevolence, and integrity). Questionnaires were used to measure the intention of employees to perform forms of OCB (conscientiousness, sportsmanship, civic virtue, altruism, and courtesy). The results show that the distinct trustworthiness criteria do have influence on different dimensions of OCB, of which integrity has the most effect, followed by ability and lastly benevolence. No interaction effects were found. The results indicate that the three trustworthiness criteria should be considered separate in research to the effects on OCB. The results also show a significant difference between men and women concerning the effects trust has on OCB. The majority of the intentions to perform OCB’s were directed towards the company, and not towards other employees. This demonstrates that the distinction between OCB-I and OCB-O could be valid. The results validate some previous research in that trust in a supervisor mostly has an effect on OCB’s directed towards the company, but also contradict the findings from previous studies, for example the finding that trust has an effect on courtesy, which effect was not found in the present research. Implications of this research are that being perceived as trustworthy as a direct supervisor can increase organizational outcomes in the form of OCB’s of employees. Future research could focus on the different effect of trust between male and females, on clarifying the construct of OCB, and on the effect of perceived trustworthiness in the relation between employees