Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detoxification of aflatoxin B1 in poultry and fish feed by various chemicals.

In this study various poultry and fish feed samples were initially analyzed for presence of aflatoxin. All the samples were found contaminated with aflatoxin B1 only. Contaminated samples were treated with different organic and inorganic chemicals to detoxify aflatoxin B1 in poultry and fish feed samples. The maximum reduction in the aflatoxin B1 concentration was observed with 0.5% HCl as 14.20 ppb to 2.09 ppb (86.50%) in the poultry and 69.26 ppb to 10.46 ppb (84.89%) in fish feed samples.
Economic implications of a native tree disease, Caliciopsis canker, on the white pine (Pinus strobus) lumber industry in the northeastern United States

In the northeastern United States, eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) is a leading species in the forest products industry. The native pathogen Caliciopsis pinea Peck is associated with Caliciopsis canker of white pine, with symptoms including excessive resin production and cankers. This study processed 28.0 m3 of white pine lumber to (i) quantify losses resulting from Caliciopsis canker, (ii) assess how damage varies between Caliciopsis canker symptom severity and thinning, and (iii) quantify economic loss resulting from damage. Caliciopsis canker damage was present in 37% of lumber, yet only 10% was downgraded due to canker damage. Of the downgraded lumber, the vast majority (77%) lost one grade. Additionally, severely symptomatic trees consistently had more damage, and their lumber was more likely to be downgraded than trees with low symptom severity. Caliciopsis canker damage resulted in average revenue losses of 2.3%, yet much of the sampled lumber had other, more significant damage that resulted in downgrade: highly symptomatic trees averaged 63% of the revenue of low or asymptomatic trees. Caliciopsis canker, therefore, can be used as an indicator of poor quality trees. We recommend thinning Caliciopsis canker symptomatic trees to meet low-density stocking guidelines, which may minimize revenue loss while simultaneously minimizing stress to residual stock.
The Influence of Information and Communication Technologies on Students' Academic Performance

The present study investigated the Influence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on students’ achievement. One hypothesis was postulated and tested in the study as follows: there will be no statistically significant relationship between Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on students’ achievement. A total of 120 participants were employed for the study. They were selected through simple random sampling technique (Yes/No). A 16item questionnaire on the usage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on students’ academic performance was employed. It was scored on Yes/No format with a norm of 19.5. The questionnaires were distributed to them to fill in their classrooms. The second part of the questionnaire focused on students’ knowledge and experience of computers and internet services. The design adopted for this study is a cross-sectional one because of differences in the participants’ characteristics. Chi-square statistical tool was used because of the nature of data collected. The results indicated that there was no statistically significant relationship between Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and students’ academic performance with X 2 =2.06; critical F value of 3.84 with 0.05 level of significance. Discussions were made based on the findings, implications and recommendations of the study.
Trends in digital library research : a knowledge mapping and ontology engineering approach

Mapping digital library research is very helpful for digital library research and education communities to have a knowledge platform to guide, evaluate, and improve the activities of digital library research, education and transforming it into a digital library ontology for various applications. However, so far, there has not been any research on mapping digital library research for serving such purposes. The thesis was aimed to build a knowledge map of the digital library domain for analysing the past of digital library research (1990-2010) and predicting the future of the digital library research. Also, based on the knowledge map, a digital library ontology and a visual knowledge map were created. The study was conducted in three following phases: Firstly, in the Phase 1, the core topics and subtopics of digital library research were identified and organized in order to build a knowledge map of the digital library domain. The methodology comprised a four - step research process and two knowledge organization methods (classification and thesaurus building). A knowledge map covering 21 core topics and 1015 subtopics of digital library research was created, providing a systematic overview of digital library research of the last two decades (1990-2010). Secondly, in the Phase 2, using the 21 core topics and 1015 subtopics of digital library research from the knowledge map, bibliometric method and regression analysis, R-Square (R²) techniques were used to analyse the past of digital library research (1990-2010) and predict the future of digital library research. Thirdly, in the Phase 3, based on the digital library knowledge map, the Protege ontology software was used for creating the main components of the digital library ontology, viz. individuals, properties and classes, etc. for building the basic digital library ontology that can be visually seen as a knowledge map of digital library research. The research added value in the following areas: Firstly, the digital library knowledge map can be used as a knowledge platform to guide, evaluate and improve the activities of digital library research (digital library research management), education (digital library curriculum development) and practices (digital library project management and development). Also, the research methodology can be used to map any human knowledge domain because it is a scientific method for producing comprehensive and systematic knowledge maps based on literary warrant. Secondly, this research will help digital library researchers, educators, and practitioners to measure and foresee the digital library research outputs for planning and managing the digital library research, education and development effectively. Thirdly, the digital library ontology can be applied to a number of areas within the digital library domain, for example as software agents and Semantic Web development; knowledge management, i.e. knowledge sharing and reuse, knowledge collaboration, knowledge interoperation, digital library research and education, etc. The…
Evaluation of Antimicrobial Potential of the Marine Cyanobacterium, Rivularia mesenterica

Background: Antibiotic resistance is becoming a pivotal concern for public health accelerating the search for new antimicrobial molecules from nature. The prevention and treatment of infectious diseases by applying products from marine organisms, especially Cyanobacteria as a potential and promising source of antimicrobial agents appears as a possible alternative. Aims: To evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial potential of different extracts derived from marine cyanobacterium Rivularia mesenterica against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including multidrug resistant bacteria, by comparison with clinically relevant antibiotics. Methodology: The secondary metabolites were extracted from fresh and dried cyanobacterial biomass in water and different organic solvents. Antimicrobial efficacy of different extracts was evaluated by the disc diffusion assay. Additionally, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the ethanol extracts obtained from fresh and dried biomass was also determined. Results: The ethanol extracts obtained from fresh and dried biomass of R. mesenterica showed significant antimicrobial activity against five Gram-positive and five antibiotic resistant Gram-negative bacteria and four fungal strains in comparison with the clinically relevant antibiotics. The inhibitory effect of the ethanol extracts was observed, with MIC values in the range 0.06 to 32.00 μg/ml against tested strains. Furthermore, the water extract was inactive against of the tested bacteria and fungi. Conclusion: These results suggest that the ethanol extracts of R. mesenterica possess potent broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, which can serve as an interesting source for antimicrobial compounds and promising alternative to synthetic antimicrobial drugs discovery.
SEROLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERISTICS OF TOMATO MOSAIC TOBAMOVIRUS COAT PROTEIN

Plant viruses cause serious disease of crop plants reducing both quality and quantity of final produce. Serological tests are used all over the world in laboratory and field based detection of plant viruses and they are of great indispensable importance in agricultural production; virus certification programs; agricultural quarantine and production of virus-free crops grown for processing or fresh market. Cross reaction between viruses and their strains antisera limits serological differentiation of viruses and their strains by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This study aims to characterize the antigenic property of Tomato mosaic virus ToMV coat protein by using some bioinformatic tools to analyze its gene. Therefore, new methods in antibody production could be used as equivalent to Mabs in its high specificity. ToMV isolate was confirmed by Transmission electron microscope and differential hosts and propagated on N. tabacum cv. Samson. Systemic infection was developed on N. tabacum cv. Samson and local infection on Datora metel; D. stramonium; N. glutinosa; Chenopodium amaranticolor; C. quinoa. ToMV was purified and used as immunizing agent for antiserum production. TEM showed rod shaped particles with 300 x 18 nm dimensions. The titer of produced antiserum was 1:1024 evaluated by microprecipitin test and indirect-ELISA. Coat protein gene was amplified by RT-PCR with expected size of (Approx. 500 bp). The PCR product was sequenced then the generated nucleotide sequence was translated into 160 amino acids. The amino acid sequence of Five B-cell epitopes, of 14 amino acid residues each, were predicted. Identifying Bcell epitopes play an important role in vaccine design, immunodiagnostic tests, and antibody production. Therefore, computational tools for reliably predicting B-cell epitopes are studied.
Acid and inflammatory sensitisation of naked mole-rat colonic afferent nerves

Acid sensing in the gastrointestinal tract is required for gut homeostasis and the detection of tissue acidosis caused by ischaemia, inflammation and infection. In the colorectum, activation of colonic afferents by low pH contributes to visceral hypersensitivity and abdominal pain in human disease including during inflammatory bowel disease. The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) shows no pain-related behaviour to subcutaneous acid injection and cutaneous afferents are insensitive to acid, an adaptation thought to be a consequence of the subterranean, likely hypercapnic, environment in which it lives. As such we sought to investigate naked mole-rat interoception within the gastrointestinal tract and how this differed from the mouse (Mus Musculus). Here, we show the presence of calcitonin gene-related peptide expressing extrinsic nerve fibres innervating both mesenteric blood vessels and the myenteric plexi of the smooth muscle layers of the naked mole-rat colorectum. Using ex vivo colonic-nerve electrophysiological recordings, we show differential sensitivity of naked mole-rat, compared to mouse, colonic afferents to acid and the prototypic inflammatory mediator bradykinin, but not direct mechanical stimuli. In naked mole-rat, but not mouse, we observed mechanical hypersensitivity to acid, whilst both species sensitised to bradykinin. Collectively, these findings suggest that naked mole-rat colonic afferents are capable of detecting acidic stimuli; however, their intracellular coupling to downstream molecular effectors of neuronal excitability and mechanotransduction likely differs between species.
A pheromone-based toolbox of longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) for monitoring biodiversity in ephemeral deadwood substrates of oak

Forest biodiversity is exhibiting a worldwide decline in response to environmental changes that result in the rapid loss, degradation, and fragmentation of essential forest habitats. Saproxylic insects, especially beetles, are an important part of forest biodiversity by contributing to deadwood decomposition, and serving as important components of food webs. Many saproxylic beetles display negative population trends, and are listed on national and European Red Lists of threatened species. Despite their great importance, present knowledge on the ecology and conservation requirements of these beetles is limited, in part due to the absence of efficient tools to sample populations of many species. Recently, pheromone-based methods have been proposed as a novel tool to study saproxylic insects. Unfortunately, thus far, pheromones have only been identified for a small number of species of interest to conservation. In this work I identified the aggregation-sex pheromones of longhorn beetles dependent on fresh, recently dead, wood substrates of oak in Sweden, and examined the usefulness of the pheromone-based trapping approach for detecting local populations, and studying the species’ ecology. The pheromone-chemistry of eight species was considered, with a total of seven identified pheromone compounds (hydroxyketones, alcohols, and one ketone). The pheromones were used for systematic, large-scale monitoring studies in southern Sweden. The results served to significantly change the perception of several species’ distribution and abundance. Further, local beetle abundance (trap captures), was best correlated with habitat at relatively large spatial scales, indicating that future detailed analyses of the species’ ecology need to consider large spatial scales. Effects of oak forest management and habitat structure were examined in a three-year monitoring study. Generally, beetle abundance did not differ between ordinary oak production stands and two types of set-aside habitats for biodiversity. Most species also preferred more open, sun-exposed oak habitats. In addition, the beetles displayed short-term positive responses to logging in oak production stands, when fresh oak substrates were retained on site. The work clearly demonstrated the advantages of using pheromones to study these species and also offered early insights into the complicated, and highly dynamic, ecology of the species.
Multi-Rater Feedback - In Promoting And Stimulating An Institution Or Organisation Employees

In order to improve the performance of employees of an institution, regardless of its profile method is applicable 360o Feedback. This is one of the most modern and current performance appraisal methods and motivating them to get professional results set. This is a system or process by which employees are aware of an anonymous feedbeck from some stakeholders of the organization. The method shows a high degree of objectivity and requires the acquisition of various assessments from a large number of assessors, both within the institution and outside it. By applying the method 360 may pursue the evaluation of any type of objective pursued by performance management is applied in particular to the improvement and development of employees an organization. The purpose of this article is to highlight the role, importance and advantages of this method can be successfully applied.
Microbiome composition shapes rapid genomic adaptation of Drosophila melanogaster

Significance Natural selection can drive evolution over short timescales. However, there is little understanding of which ecological factors are capable of driving rapid evolution and how rapid evolution alters allele frequencies across the genome. Here, we combine a field experiment with population genomic data from natural populations to assess whether and how microbiome composition drives rapid genomic evolution of host populations. We find that differences in microbiome composition cause divergence in allele frequencies genome-wide, including in genes previously associated with local adaptation. Moreover, we observed concordance between experimental and natural populations in terms of the direction of allele frequency change, suggesting that microbiome composition may be an agent of selection that drives adaptation in the wild. Population genomic data has revealed patterns of genetic variation associated with adaptation in many taxa. Yet understanding the adaptive process that drives such patterns is challenging; it requires disentangling the ecological agents of selection, determining the relevant timescales over which evolution occurs, and elucidating the genetic architecture of adaptation. Doing so for the adaptation of hosts to their microbiome is of particular interest with growing recognition of the importance and complexity of host–microbe interactions. Here, we track the pace and genomic architecture of adaptation to an experimental microbiome manipulation in replicate populations of Drosophila melanogaster in field mesocosms. Shifts in microbiome composition altered population dynamics and led to divergence between treatments in allele frequencies, with regions showing strong divergence found on all chromosomes. Moreover, at divergent loci previously associated with adaptation across natural populations, we found that the more common allele in fly populations experimentally enriched for a certain microbial group was also more common in natural populations with high relative abundance of that microbial group. These results suggest that microbiomes may be an agent of selection that shapes the pattern and process of adaptation and, more broadly, that variation in a single ecological factor within a complex environment can drive rapid, polygenic adaptation over short timescales.
Drought Stress Response in Agricultural Plants: A Case Study of Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Drought is one of the major threats to common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.), affecting its growth and productivity and, thus, contributing to considerable losses in yield in many regions worldwide. The development of varieties tolerant of drought stress has, therefore, become one of the primary goals in many common bean breeding programs. Plants have developed various mechanisms of their adaptation, to a greater or lesser extent, to drought. These are expressed, on the molecular level, by changes of gene expression and of protein content, together with responses at physiological and morphological levels. The response of common bean to drought is still not sufficiently well characterized due to its genetic complexity and its diverse, often ambiguous, phenotypic effects. Understanding these mechanisms is thus of fundamental importance for developing varieties that are better adapted to such stress conditions. In this chapter, we present research that provides an insight into the morpho-physiological adaptation and its underlying molecular changes in common bean plants exposed to drought. We include our contribution to establishing the basis for breeding of common bean with greater tolerance to this abiotic stress that uses molecular markers and identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs).
The effects of nutrient availability on Schedonorus pratensis infected with Epichloë uncinata in an old field community

THE EFFECTS OF NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY ON SCHEDONORUS PRATENSIS INFECTED WITH EPICHLOË UNCINATA IN AN OLD FIELD COMMUNITY Jenn Roloson Advisor: University of Guelph, 2019 Jonathan Newman Early field studies working with tall fescue have demonstrated that endophyte infected tall fescue can reduce species richness and become dominant in natural communities, however some studies have observed that endophyte infected grasses under nutrient limited conditions are not successful at invading natural communities and endophyte advantages are not always prominent. My research is aimed at answering two questions: (a) how does the plant community alter when exposed to Schedonorus pratensis over time (b) how does nutrient availability affect the symbiosis between S. pratensis and E. uncinata. Plant communities were sampled in unmanaged plots, the plots were either E+ S. pratensis plots, ES. pratensis plots or unseeded control plots. My research suggests that S. pratensis abundance is decreasing with time. Species abundances and measures of community richness, Simpson’s diversity and evenness fluctuated with year Fertilizer did not have a significant effect on endophyte concentration. Due to the experimental site being nutrient poor when S. pratensis plots were established it may be that S. pratensis cannot overcome years of exposure to nutrient low conditions or it is possible that meadow fescue and its fungal endophyte are not behaving mutualistically together.
Soil Amendments and Soil Profiling Impact on Macadamia Growth and Yield Performance

Macadamia (Macadamia integrifolia, Maiden & Betche) orchard management in Hawaii can result in the loss of organic matter and soil degradation. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of macadamia husk mulch, husk mulch combined with biochar, husk mulch combined with effective microorganisms (EM), soil profiling, and wood chip mulch on yield, nut quality, root growth, and SPAD values during a 1-year study of mature macadamia orchards at two locations in Hawaii. A partial cost–benefit analysis was performed to compare the costs and yield benefits of each treatment. Soil profiling resulted in higher yields than any other treatment, at a mean of 86.6 kg wet-in-husk per tree. No treatments significantly affected nut quality or dry kernel weight. Nut quality was affected by harvesting time, with the earliest harvesting (Aug. 2017) period resulting in the highest recovery rate of number 1 grade kernels (33%). SPAD values increased with the husk mulch combined with EM (6.5%) treatment and soil profiling treatment (6.9%). Husk combined with EM caused an 87% increase in total root biomass during the study period due to increased proteoid root biomass. The soil profiling treatment had the second lowest estimated cost per hectare and had the highest estimated partial profit per hectare. Soil profiling is a destructive management practice and should be used judiciously until its long-term effects on orchard health are studied. The inoculation of EM or sugar signaling may have been responsible for the proliferation of proteoid roots with the husk mulch and EM treatment.