Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cost of cultivation and returns on different cost concepts basis of onion in Rajasthan

India is the second largest producer of vegetables in the world next only to China. The Onion is the major vegetable crop of Rajasthan. The present investigation was carried out to study the cost of cultivation and returns on different cost concepts basis of Onion. The study was conducted in Jodhpur and Nagaur which were selected on the basis of highest area and production of Onion. A sample of 50 Onion growing farmers from different land size categories was selected by probability proportion to number of farmers in each size group. Cost of cultivation of onion vegetables on the sample farms in Jodhpur and Nagaur district. Production is normally considered as the function of area and yield. The decision regarding the choice of crop enterprise to be taken on the farm and the allocation of area and resources under it depends to a great extent, on level of yield, price of output and the cost of inputs used in the production of that crop. The cost of cultivation and the returns to different factors of production help in decision making about the selection of crop and hence, these measures were worked out for onion. On an average, 77850 was spent on onion per hectare. Cost of cultivation of large farm category was highest, 91595, followed by medium farms ( 83689) and small farms ( 72258). Among the different components of cost of cultivation, human labour accounted for the largest portion (28.45 per cent) followed by seed (17.43 per cent). The other major components were rental value of land (12.85 per cent), irrigation charges (11.92 per cent), FYM (9.52 per cent), PP chemical (5.87 per cent), fertilizers (5.20 per cent) and machinery (3.22 per cent). The cultivation of onion requires more labour use for harvesting and cutting, application of irrigation and transplanting/sowing and as such the share of human labour accounted for the highest share of 22456 per hectare (28.85%). Large farmers spent 12835 on manures and fertilizers, which was higher than that of medium ( 12134) and small farmers category ( 10853).
A mechanism underlying STAT4‐mediated up‐regulation of IFN‐γ induction inTCR‐triggered T cells

IL-12 promotes Th1 development/IFN-g expression by activating STAT4. However, it is still unclear how STAT4 elicits IFN-g promoter activation. Here, we investigated the mechanism by which IL-12-activated STAT4 functions for IFN-g induction in TCR-triggered T cells. TCR stimulation induced high levels of IFN-g production depending on co-stimulation with IL-12. IL-12 stimulation greatly enhanced the promoter-binding activity of c-Jun/AP-1, a critical transcription factor for IFN-g gene expression in wild-type T cells, but not in STAT4-deficient (STAT4 ‐/‐ ) T cells. Comparable amounts of c-Jun were induced by TCR stimulation in both wild-type and STAT4 ‐/‐ T cells irrespective of IL-12 co-stimulation. However, c-Jun bound to STAT4 in IL-12-co-stimulated wild-type T cells. c-Jun forming a complex with STAT4 efficiently interacted with the AP-1-related sequence of the IFN-g promoter. Such an enhanced c-Jun binding did not occur in STAT4 ‐/‐ T cells. These results show that STAT4 contributes to enhancing IFN-g expression by up-regulating the binding of TCR signal-induced AP-1 to the relevant promoter sequence.
Human Heat Shock Protein 60 Induces Maturation of Dendritic Cells Versus a Th1-Promoting Phenotype1

Heat shock protein (HSP) 60 nonspecifically activates cells of the innate immune system. In the present study, we characterized the effects of human HSP60 maturation, cytokine release, and T cell-activating capacity of bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DC). Furthermore, we analyzed HSP60-induced signal transduction in DC. HSP60 strongly stimulated DC for maturation and release of TNF-α, IL-12, and IL-1β. However, HSP60 elicited only a weak IL-10 response in DC suggesting a Th1 bias. HSP60-treated DC induced proliferation of allogeneic T cells. Again, a Th1 bias was noted in that cocultures of allogeneic T cells and HSP60-treated DC released IFN-γ but only small amounts of IL-10 and no detectable IL-4. Signaling via Toll-like receptor 4 was involved in HSP60-induced cytokine release and maturation because DC of C3H/HeJ mice with a mutant Toll-like receptor 4 showed deficient response to HSP60. HSP60 was found to rapidly activate the mitogen-activated protein kinases p38, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase as well as IκB in DC. Phosphorylation of these signaling molecules was also mediated by LPS, but with much slower kinetics. Thus, HSP60 stimulates DC more rapidly than LPS and elicits a Th1-promoting phenotype. These results suggest that DC play a pivotal role in priming for destructive Th1-type responses at sites of local HSP60 release.
Hurting the World’s Poor in Morality’s Name

Obscured by the debate over the Bush administration s occupation of Iraq and the tactics of antiterrorism warriors at home, there is another Bush legacy, one that threatens to undercut development in the poorest, most vulnerable nations, with more loss of goodwill for the United States. Four years of ideologically driven, unrealistic, and outdated social policies have turned American foreign aid into a vehicle for the most intractable, irrational, and uninformed elements of the conservative right. The Bush administration, bucking nearly all current expert thinking on how to tackle world poverty, persistent hunger and the Hiv/AIDS epidemic, has entrenched itself behind global policies that draw their inspiration from the most illiberal of American anti-abortion, anti-choice, anti-gay lobbies. These policies have opposed women's rights, especially the freedom of choice in reproductive health services; denied women abortion for any reason; railed against increased sex education for the school-aged young urging abstinence on a disbelieving world instead and fought to block all global efforts to distribute emergency contraception, even to devastated women in refugee camps or combat zones, where rape is a significant fact of life and a war crime that complicates the rebuilding of torn societies. All this has been happening as United Nations agencies, the World Bank, and independent aid groups have come to conclude, some even reluctantly, that with enough of the right help, ordinary women may be more important than governments in cutting high poverty rates, alleviating food shortages, and reducing widespread transmission of the virus that causes AIDS.
Evaluating Chicago's Success in Reaching the Healthy People 2000 Goal of Reducing Health Disparities

Objective. This study was designed to assess Chicago's progress from 1980 to 1998 in addressing the Healthy People 2000 goal of reducing health disparities. Methods. Chicago vital statistics and surveillance data were used to calculate black:white rate ratios of mortality and morbidity for 1980–1998. Mortality and morbidity rate ratios were also used to compare people living in areas with the lowest median household income with those living in the highest for 1979–1981, 1991–1993, and 1996–1998. The health measures included mortality associated with leading causes of death; all-cause mortality, incidence rates for two communicable diseases; and two birth outcomes. Results. Both black:white and low-income:high-income rate ratios monotonically increased for virtually all measures of mortality and morbidity. Almost all of the rate ratios and linear trends were statistically significant. From 1980 to 1998, the black:white rate ratio for all-cause mortality increased by 57% to 2.03. From 1979–1981 to 1996–1998, the low-income:high-income rate ratio for all-cause mortality increased by 56% to 2.68. Conclusions. These findings provide clear evidence that disparities in health did not decrease in Chicago. Instead, racial and economic disparities increased for almost all measures of mortality and morbidity used in this study. The fact that the Healthy People 2000 campaign to reduce and then eliminate health disparities was not effective must serve as a stimulus for improved strategies.
Comparison of the Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube with MB Redox, Löwenstein-Jensen, and Middlebrook 7H11 Media for Recovery of Mycobacteria in Clinical Specimens

ABSTRACT The rate of recovery and the mean time to detection of mycobacteria in clinical specimens were evaluated with two nonradiometric broth-based systems, the Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) and MB Redox systems. The data obtained for each system were compared with each other and with those obtained with the Löwenstein-Jensen (LJ) and Middlebrook 7H11 reference media. A total of 117 mycobacterial isolates (Mycobacterium tuberculosis, n = 112; nontuberculous mycobacteria, n = 5) were detected in 486 clinical specimens. The recovery rates for M. tuberculosis were 91 of 112 (81.3%) isolates with MGIT and 81 of 112 (72.3%) isolates with MB Redox. The combination of MGIT plus MB Redox recovered 104 of the 112 (92.9%) M. tuberculosisisolates. MGIT plus LJ plus Middlebrook 7H11 recovered 106 of the 112 (94.6%) isolates, MB Redox plus LJ plus Middlebrook 7H11 recovered 99 of the 112 (88.4%) isolates, and LJ plus Middlebrook 7H11 recovered 84 of the 112 (75.0%) isolates. The mean time to detection of M. tuberculosis in smear-positive specimens was 7.2 days with MGIT, 6.9 days with MB Redox, 20.4 days with LJ, and 17.6 days with Middlebrook 7H11. The mean time to detection of M. tuberculosis in smear-negative specimens was 19.1 days with MGIT, 15.5 days with MB Redox, 25.8 days with LJ, and 21.6 days with Middlebrook 7H11. The contamination rates were 4.4, 3.8, 2.1, and 2.7% for MGIT, MB Redox, LJ, and Middlebrook 7H11, respectively. In conclusion, MGIT and MB Redox can be viable tools in the routine mycobacteriology laboratory.
A preliminary study of the acaricidal activity of clove oil, Eugenia caryophyllus.

BACKGROUND The search for more eco-friendly acaricides has prompted testing of medicinal plants from botanical sources. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the eradication of house dust mites (HDM), Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, by direct contact using the essential clove oil (Eugenia caryophyllus). METHODS A pilot study was initiated to determine the killing power of clove oil. Synthetic fibers were immersed in 2% clove oil for 30 min, dried in a hot air oven at 60°C for 2 hrs after which 0.5 gm of HDMs were exposed to these coated fibers placed in the Siriraj Chamber (SC). Two additional long-term methods were employed. Ten mites were placed in the SC and 10 μl of clove oil was pipetted or sprayed onto them. These latter two procedures were each carried out for 3 consecutive days at 0, 1, 3 and 6 months. The solutions antimicrobial and antifungal properties were evaluated by exposing common bacteria and fungi to sterile filter disks impregnated with the mixture, and after overnight incubation, the disc diffusion method on nutrient agar was used. Ethyl alcohol served as the placebo. 99% and 81%, respectively, while the placebo mortality was <5%. The zone of inhibition indicated significant clearance for all the bacteria and fungi indicating greater biocidal activity when compared to the controls. RESULTS SEMs revealed dead mites on the fibers. The effectiveness of pipetting and spraying was 99% and 81%, respectively, while the placebo mortality was <5%. The zone of inhibition indicated significant clearance for all the bacteria and fungi indicating greater biocidal activity when compared to the controls. CONCLUSIONS Clove oil is a promising agent for killing dust mites with a potential use in dust-mite laden mattresses. Spraying diminishes in efficiency after 3 months.
Perceived quality of angular resolution for light field displays and the validy of subjective assessment

Angular resolution plays a vital role in the perceived quality when displaying visual content on autostereoscopic 3D displays, since it affects the motion parallax effect. In this paper, we present the results of a subjective quality assessment carried out on a light field display, investigating the perceptual quality of visual content with different angular resolutions. We also address the question of subjective assessment validity, since the visual experience of suboptimal, reduced angular resolution is currently a completely new phenomenon for test participants.
Molecular structure of a barley alpha-amylase-inhibitor complex: implications for starch binding and catalysis.

alpha-Amylases are widely occurring, multidomain proteins with a catalytic (beta/alpha)8-barrel. In barley alpha-amylase, insight into the catalytic mechanism is gained from the X-ray crystal structure of its molecular complex with acarbose, a pseudotetrasaccharide that acts like a transition-state analogue and which is shown to bind at two specific regions of the enzyme. The structure of the complex has been refined to an R-factor of 15.1% for all observations with Fo>sigma(Fo) between 10 and 2.8 A resolution. A difference Fourier map produced after refinement of the native structure against the data of the acarbose complex clearly revealed density corresponding to two oligosaccharide-binding sites. One of these is defined as the surface-located starch granule-binding site characteristic of cereal alpha-amylases. It involves stacking of two acarbose rings on Trp276 and Trp277. The other binding region is the active site covering subsites -1, +1 and +2. Here, Glu204 is positioned to act in general acid/base catalysis protonating the glucosidic oxygen atom assisted by Asp289. A water molecule that bridges Glu204 and Asp289 is found at the entrance cavity containing a total of five water molecules. This water molecule is proposed to reprotonate Glu204 and supply the hydroxyl ion for nucleophilic attack on the glucosyl C1 atom. Asp 179 acts as the nucleophile that can bind covalently to the substrate intermediate after bond cleavage. The present complex structure together with the conservation of active-site residues among alpha-amylases and related enzymes, are consistent with a common catalytic mechanism for this class of retaining carbohydrases.
Dexamethasone Incorporating Liposomes: Effect of Lipid Composition on Drug Trapping Efficiency and Vesicle Stability

Effect of lipid composition on encapsulation and stability of dexamethasone (DXM) incorporating multilamellar vesicles (MLV) is studied. MLVs composed of phosphatidylcholine (PC) or distearoyl-glycero-PC (DSPC), with or without cholesterol (Chol), are prepared and the release of DXM during vesicle incubation in buffer or plasma proteins is evaluated. Incorporation of DXM is slightly higher in DSPC liposomes compared with PC, whereas the drug is displaced from liposomes, as the Chol content of liposome membranes increases. Plain lipid and Chol-containing liposomes lose similar fractions of vesicle-incorporated DXM during incubation in buffer or serum, whereas DXM release kinetics are similar (for each liposome type studied), implying that drug release is due mainly to dilution of liposome dispersions that leads to repartitioning of DXM.
Children are sensitive to averted eyes at the earliest stage of gaze processing

Event-related responses to a face with forward gaze or averted gaze (gaze task) and two equiluminous mosaic images (mosaic task) were recorded from healthy children aged 8–12 years and adults, using MEG and EEG. In children, a clear occipito-temporal magnetic field activity (P1m, around 140 ms) was observed bilaterally, and the right P1m amplitude was increased when viewing a face with averted gaze compared with that when viewing a face with forward gaze. This effect was not observed in adults. Furthermore, the source for the right P1m in children in the gaze task was mainly located around the putative human MT/V5 area. These data suggest that the early occipito-temporal brain response observed as the P1m is a gaze-sensitive component in children.
Empowering Consumers Through Data and Smart Technology: Experimental Evidence on the Consequences of Time‐of‐Use Electricity Pricing Policies

This paper investigates the extent to which technology used to automate household responses to time‐of‐use pricing for electricity leads to higher energy savings than simply providing households with information on current prices and quantities. Using a large randomized field trial, we find that informed households with “smart” thermostats achieve impressive reductions in consumption during on‐peak periods of up to 48 percent, but also engage in substantial load shifting to off‐peak hours. We also document the extent to which household responses to time‐of‐use pricing are heterogeneous and vary significantly by demographics, weather, and across the usage distribution.
Unraveling a model of TCL/RhoJ allosterism using TC10 reverse chimeras

ABSTRACT In addition to the classical regulation of GTPase activity by effector proteins, investigating the variations in the amino acid sequence and structures of GTPases often provides insights into regulatory mechanisms that are more GTPase-specific. TCL/RhoJ is a Rho GTPase most closely related to Cdc42 and TC10; however, its nucleotide exchange activity is distinctly influenced by N-terminal amino acids 17–20 and the more distal amino acids 121–129. In this short study, we have further explored the differences between TCL and its homolog TC10 and show that its unique mode of allosteric regulation requires broader diversification of its amino acid sequence than previously appreciated.
Plaque formation by influenza viruses in the presence of trypsin.

Summary Eight strains of influenza virus were titrated as plaque-forming units in both monolayers and suspensions of chick embryo cells. In the absence of trypsin, satisfactory plaques were formed only by the A/WSN strain of virus. When trypsin was included in the overlay medium of cell monolayers, all the influenza virus strains tested produced plaques, and the plaque infectivities of all but one strain were close to the egg infectivities. Using cells suspended in agar in the presence of trypsin, four strains gave plaque infectivities indistinguishable from egg infectivities, two strains formed plaques with rather low efficiency and two strains did not produce plaques. Plaque formation was also enhanced by pronase or subtilisin. A preliminary investigation was made of the mode of action of trypsin.
No evidence for a carbohydrate moiety affecting the clearance of circulating human leukocyte interferon in rabbits.

After treatment with neuraminidase, human leukocyte interferon (HLI) retained its characteristic heterogeneity when subjected to isoelectric focusing. The clearance of HLI from the circulation of rabbits, injected intravenously, was unaffected by treatment with neuraminidase or subsequent treatment with galactose oxidase. Complementary chemical treatments were similarly without effect. None of the treatments resulted in destruction of biological activity. Sialic acid and galactose or its derivatives do not appear to contribute to either the antiviral activity or the pharmaco-kinetics of HLI.
Folding of A+U-rich RNA Elements Modulates AUF1 Binding

In mammals, A+U-rich elements (AREs) are potentcis-acting determinants of rapid cytoplasmic mRNA turnover. Recognition of these sequences by AUF1 is associated with acceleration of mRNA decay, likely involving recruitment or assembly of multi-subunit trans-acting complexes. Previously, we demonstrated that AUF1 deletion mutants formed tetramers on U-rich RNA substrates by sequential addition of protein dimers (Wilson, G. M., Sun, Y., Lu, H., and Brewer, G. (1999)J. Biol. Chem. 274, 33374–33381). Here, we show that binding of the full-length p37 isoform of AUF1 to these RNAs proceedsvia a similar mechanism, allowing delineation of equilibrium binding constants for both stages of tetramer assembly. However, association of AUF1 with the ARE from tumor necrosis factor (TNFα) mRNA was significantly inhibited by magnesium ions. Further fluorescence and hydrodynamic experiments indicated that Mg2+ induced or stabilized a conformational change in the TNFα ARE. Based on the solution of parameters describing both the protein-RNA and Mg2+-RNA equilibria, we present a dynamic, global equilibrium binding model describing the relationship between Mg2+ and AUF1 binding to the TNFα ARE. These studies provide the first evidence that some AREs may adopt higher order RNA structures that regulate their interaction withtrans-acting factors and indicate that mRNA structural remodeling has the potential to modulate the turnover rates of some ARE-containing mRNAs.
Surgical treatment of lumbar epidural varices.

OBJECT An epidural varix of the lumbar spine is an acquired pathological entity that results from dilation of the internal vertebral venous plexus. The dilated veins in the epidural spaces or in the intervertebral foramen cause irritation or compression of the thecal sac and nerve roots, and this in turn causes lumbar radiculopathy. The lesions develop as an independent process or are accompanied by degenerative changes of the lumbar spine. Resection of varicose veins can be complicated when significant venous bleeding occurs. The purpose of the present study was to develop diagnostic criteria for lumbar epidural varices and methods of surgical treatment and to analyze the results of treatment. METHODS There were 43 surgically treated patients in whom lumbar radiculopathy was caused by epidural varices. The mean duration of symptoms was 11 months (range 5-49 months) and the mean age of the patients was 41 years (range 26-68 years). Segmentary varices were found in 14 patients, local varices in 21, and extensive varices in eight. Patients underwent preoperative magnetic resonance imaging and vertebral venography. Of 43 cases, the varicose veins were completely occluded in all 14 patients with segmentary varices of the segmentary-type lesion. Of 21 patients with local varices, total occlusion was obtained in 17 patients and partial occlusion in four. In the patients with extensive varices, total occlusion was not performed; instead, partial occlusion was undertaken. Resolution of lumbar radicular syndromes was observed, to some extent, in all patients. Radicular pain regressed in 12 of 14 patients with segmentary varices, in 18 of 19 patients with local varices, and in three of four patients with extensive varices. Nerve root-related sensory disturbances regressed in six of 10 patients with segmentary varices, in 11 of 15 patients with local varices, and in one patient with extensive varices. Motor deficits regressed in three of eight patients with segmentary varices, in three of six patients with local varices, and in none among those with extensive varices. CONCLUSIONS Epidural varicosity is a specific form of spinal disease. Its diagnostic clarification and surgical treatment are difficult and have only recently been developed. Precise diagnosis and a well-planned surgery allow for a positive outcome.