Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Viable Options for Diversification of Rice in Non-conventional Rice–conventional Wheat Cropping System in Indo-Gangetic Plains

The IGPs is a relatively homogenous ecological region in terms of vegetation with nearly 13 % of the total geographical area of India and it produces about 50 % of the total food grain to feed 49 % of population of India (Pal et al., 2009). In the western part of IGPs wheat is the dominating crop; while rice dominates eastern region. The IGPs are spread from 670 to 960 E longitudes and from 200 to 330N latitude. Indian portion of IGPs extends from 21031’ to 32020’ N and 73016’ to 89052’E and is spread over the states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Bihar and West Bengal as well as small part of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan (Ali et al., 2000). It extends from Assam and Bay of Bengal on the east to the Afghan border and Arabian Sea in west and Viable Options for Diversification of Rice in Non-conventional Rice–conventional Wheat Cropping System in Indo-Gangetic Plains
Bacterial Leaf Spot of Araliaceous Plants Caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. Hederae in Egypt

A leaf spot symptoms consentient with bacterial leaf spot disease of araliaceous plants were observed on plants of Schefflera actinophylla grown in different plots located in Cairo and Giza governorates during 2014. Eight bacterial isolates resemble Xanthomonas campestris pv. hederae obtained from symptomatic plants were characterized based on physiological and biochemical tests, pathogenicity test and Biolog microbial ID system. Furthermore, the isolates were characterized by comparing them by ERIC PCR which showed highly similar DNA fragment banding patterns between all isolates. Some variance in the isolates virulence were detected when differences in virulence between the isolates were evaluated on the leaves of Schefflera actinophylla and Schefflera elegantissima. Host range of the isolates within Araliaceae family was determined on 7 araliaceous plants where, all isolates were pathogenic on Schefflera arboricola, Schefflera elegantissima and Hedera helix in addition to Schefflera actinophylla and conversely, none of the isolates were pathogenic on Aralia nudicaulis, Dendropanax trifidus and Fatsia japonica. Incidence and severity of the disease were evaluated on araliaceous plants grown in 10 plots located in Cairo and Giza governorates. The disease incidence values significantly differed within surveyed plots whereas these values ranged from 0 to 56.5 % by overall mean equal to 22.9%. The mean of the disease severity ratings ranged from 38.0 to 77.5 % by overall mean equal to 43.5%.
Bacterial community composition in aquatic and sediment samples with spatiotemporal dynamics in large, shallow, eutrophic Lake Chaohu, China

Abstract Lake Chaohu is a representative lake in China that suffers from severe eutrophication and algal blooms. In this study, the composition of bacterial communities in the water and sediment from one of the inlets and outlets of Lake Chaohu in response to spatiotemporal changes was analyzed by Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Substantially distinct bacterial community composition was observed between the water column and sediments in both the Zhaohe (the inlet, C1) and Yuxihe Rivers (the outlet, C2). The phyla of the water samples were Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes, whereas the sediment samples were dominated by Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Chloroflexi and Nitrospirae. The sediment exhibited higher diversity and richness than did the water column at the two sites, with the sediment samples from the Yuxihe River showing higher richness and lower diversity than those from the Zhaohe River. The pattern of spatiotemporal changes indicated the seasonal factor, rather than the region, to be the primary cause of the observed variation in the bacterial structure in Lake Chaohu. In water samples from the two study areas, unclassified genera of Cyanobacteria dominated in winter, with members of unclassified FamilyI and unclassified Cyanobacterium. Moreover, redundancy analysis indicated that water temperature (T), total phosphorus (TP), organic carbon (OC) and total nitrogen (TN) were all determined to be related to bacterial community structure. And T and TP were the main factors influencing the water bacterial structure and that OC and TN were the main indicators determining the sediment bacterial structure. The results of this study may be useful for indicating the tendency of bacteria to respond to environmental changes in Lake Chaohu.
The Effect of Addition of Probiotic Bacteria (Bacillus Subtilis or Enterococcus faecium) or Phytobiotic Containing Cinnamon Oil to Drinking Water on the Health and Performance of Broiler Chickens

Abstract The aim of the study was to test whether the use of probiotic bacteria Bacillus subtilis or Enterococcus faecium or a phytobiotic containing cinnamon oil can improve the metabolic parameters, immune status, gut microbiota and histology, and growth performance of broiler chickens. The experiment was carried out on 560 one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens raised until the age of 42 days. The broiler chickens were assigned to 4 experimental groups of 140 birds each (7 replications of 20 individuals each). The control group (Control) did not receive additives. A probiotic preparation containing live bacterial cultures of Enterococcus faecium (EF, in the amount of 0.25 g/l) or Bacillus subtilis (BS, 0.25 g/l) or a phytobiotic preparation containing cinnamon oil (OC, 0.25 ml/l) was administered to the broiler chickens with their drinking water throughout the rearing period. The most important results indicate that the use of BS and OC resulted in: a significant (P≤0.05) increase in the level of ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), high-density cholesterol (HDL) and glutathione (GSH + GSSH) and a significant (P≤0.05) decrease in the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH), total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerols (TAG), nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) and interleukin 6 (IL-6), a ratio of heterophils : leukocytes (H:L) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), acidic phosphatase (AC) and creatinine kinase (CK), relative to the C group. In the blood of broiler chickens from the OC treatment, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), lactate dehydrogenase activity and 3-hydroxy-butyrate dehydrogenase (HBDH) significantly (P≤0.05) decreased in relation to the C group, and in broiler chickens from EF and BS treatments there was an increase (P≤0.05) in haemoglobin (Hb) content. Compared with group C, in the broiler chickens’ nutritional content from EF, BS and OC treatments, the total number of coliforms and number of fungi significantly (P≤0.05) dropped and the number of aerobic bacteria increased (P≤0.05) in the length of the villus and the depth of the crypt. It has been found that Bacillus subtilis, Enterococcus faecium and phytobiotic containing cinnamon oil can improve the microbiological and histological appearance of broiler chicken intestine. The addition of probiotic bacteria Bacillus subtilis or phytobiotic containing cinnamon oil to drinking water is more preferable than Enterococcus faecium regarding stimulation of the immune system, blood redox status parameters, parameters of metabolic changes and the gut microbiome and morphometry.
Quantity and Seasonal Variation of Propolis Gathering Activity by Craniolan and Italian Honey Bee Hybrid at kafr El-Sheikh.

This study was conducted in the apiary of bee research plant protection research institute branch of Sakha – Kafr Elsheikh governorate during the period from the beginning of January 2014 until the end of December 2014 to study the activity in the collecting propolis, according to bee races (Craniolan hybrid and Italian hybrid). The propolis amount collected by the Italian hybrid in spring between 1.14 – 2.60g. with a mean value of 1.90g. Whereas the Propolis amount collected by the Craniolan hybrid ranged between 2.697 – 6.353g with a mean value of 4.56. The Propolis amount collected by Italian hybrid 3.67g ranged between 0.520 – 2.170g in winter with mean 1.223g, in summer with a mean value of 4.41g. The highest value in winter season was in Marsh 2.170g, while the lowest value was in January 0.520g. Whereas the Propolis amount collected by Carniolan hybrid 8.766g ranged between 1.913 – 3.870g in winter with mean 2.923g. In summer with a mean value of 6.709g. The highest value in winter season was in February 3.870g, while the lowest value was in January 1.913g, the highest value in summer season was in July 9.214g, while the lowest value was in September 3.124g.
STANDARDIZATION OF SOFTWOOD GRAFTING TECHNIQUES IN SAPOTA (Manilkara achras L.) ON INVIGORATED KHIRNI ROOTSTOCK UNDER POLYHOUSE AND SHADE NET CONDITIONS

Propagation studies in sapota with softwood grafting on invigorated khirni rootstocks were carried out with use of two length of scion (15 and 10 cm), under two propagation conditions (polyhouse and shade net) and in 4 different month of grafting (May, June, July and August). Growth of the grafted plant was recorded in 30 days intervals up to 120 days and there was increase in the growth parameters like number of leaves, height of the scion and number of sprouts per grafted plant had increased with the increase in days after grafting. In relevance to growth parameters like early sprouting, maximum number of leaves was recorded in grafts when they were made using 10 cm scion, propagated under polyhouse and grafted during the month of July. Maximum number of sprouts per grafted plant was observed in the month of May. The maximum growth in terms of height (above the union) were recorded in grafts made with use of 15 cm scion, propagated under polyhouse and grafted during the month of July.
Nutritional Evaluation of Fermented by-Products Mixtures in Comparison with Clover Hay and Impact of Its Feeding on Productive Performance of Zaraibi Goats.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of inclusion fermented field (Potato vines & rice straw) and food industrial by-product (dried beet pulp & molasses) mixture (FBM) to be replacement with clover hay in dairy goats does diets and its effect on nutrient digestibility, milk yield, milk composition and some blood parameters. Eighteen lactating Zaraibi goats does, average live body weight of 40.5+ 1.5 kg at the 3 and 4 parities were divided randomly into three similar groups (6 animals each), were used to receive one of 3 experimental diets. The first group was received concentrate feed mixture (CFM) and clover hay (CH) as control diet (CD). Meanwhile, second and third group received CFM and replacement (CH) with (FBM1) which composed of 65% potatoes vines (PV), 12 % dried beet pulp (DBP), 15% rice straw (RS) and 8% molasses as (TD1) group or with (FBM2) which composed of 74% potatoes vines( PV), 14% dried beet pulp ( DBP), 7% rice straw (RS) and 5% molasses (on dry matter basis) as (TD2) group. The FBM based silage contained on average 41.7 & 40.5% dry matter, 12.45 & 12.83% crude protein (CP), and 55.4 & 52.6% neutral detergent fiber (NDF), 44.7 & 40.8% acid detergent fiber (ADF), Ether extract 2.5 &2.2% and ash content 9.5 &10.3%, for (FBM1 & FBM2), respectively. Results showed that there were no significant differences between two fermented by–products mixtures (FBM1 and FBM2) concerning NH3-N concentration and pH value. It was also observed that there was an increase in concentration of total volatile fatty acids with mixture (FBM2) compared with (FBM1) mixture. The highest (P<0.05) digestibility of DM, CP, NDF and ADF was recorded with (TD2). The nutritive values as TDN, DCP and ME (Mcal/kg) of (TD1 &TD2) were significantly (P<0.05) improved compared with control group. While, increasing in TDN for (TD1) was significantly . The highest significantly (P<0.05) value of milk yield was recorded for group TD2 as compared with control diet (CD), but there were no significant differences between (TD1) and (TD2) group was recorded. Meanwhile, the lowest value of milk yield was recorded with control diet (CD). There were no significant differences between the tested groups concerning milk composition percentages which were almost similar among experimental groups. Also, there were no significant differences between tested groups for some blood parameters (Glucose, AST and ALT). The feeding cost / head /day was decreased by 8.8 and 10.5 % with TD1 and TD2 groups, respectively as compared with control group, leading to an improvement of economic efficiency by 32.7 and 43.6%, with TD1 and TD2 diets, respectively compared with control group. Therefore, the replacement of clover hay with fermented by-products mixtures (FBM1&FBM2) with dairy goats does diet is highly recommended in the feeding practices of goats.
Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effects of synthesised tanshinone I and isotanshinone I analogues in zebrafish

During inflammation, dysregulated neutrophil behaviour can play a major role in chronic inflammatory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, for which current treatments are generally ineffective. Recently, tanshinones have shown promising antiinflammatory effects by targeting neutrophils in vivo, yet are still an underexplored general group of compounds. Here, an existing six step synthetic route was optimised and used to prepare a small family of substituted tanshinone and isomeric isotanshinone analogues, together with the synthesis of other structurally similar molecules. Evaluation of these using a transgenic zebrafish model of inflammation revealed that many of these compounds exhibit promising anti-inflammatory effects in vivo. Several compounds affect neutrophil recruitment and/or resolution of neutrophilic inflammation, and broad structure-activity relationships were constructed. In particular, the methoxy-substituted tanshinone 39 specifically accelerates resolution of inflammation without affecting organism host defence, making this a particularly attractive candidate for potential pro-resolution therapeutics. On the other hand, β-lapachones exhibit effects on neutrophil recruitment yet not on resolution. Notable differences in toxicity profiles between compound classes were also observed.
Comparison of Sensitivity of Salmonella Typhi Bacteria Isolate Tifoid Fever Patients And Pure Culture To Some Antibiotics In Laboratory

Typhoid fever is one of the infectious diseases which can cause many problems in Indonesia and other developing countries. This fever occurs as a result of infections triggered by Salmonella typhi bacteria. The growth of Salmonella typhi can be inhibited using antibiotics. This study aims at investigating whether there is a difference in the sensitivity test of Salmonella typhi bacteria in an isolate of patients with typhoid fever and pure culture in a laboratory on some antibiotics.Salmonella typhi bacteria were isolated typhoid fever suspects at one of the hospitals in Surakarta. Pure cultures of Salmonella typhi bacteria were obtained from Microbiological Laboratory of Setia Budi University. Sensitivity test of antibiotics on Salmonella typhi bacteria used diffusion method. Data on antibiotics of inhibition zone diameter (mm) of antibiotics were analyzed statistically using the Two-Way Anova test.The research results demonstrate that the sensitivity test on Salmonella typhi bacteria in an isolate of patients with typhoid fever shows resistance (R) towards amoxicillin and sensitivity (S) towards trimethoprim, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin. Meanwhile, pure culture shows sensitivity (S) towards trimethoprim, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin. The diameter of the inhibition zone of the patient isolate is smaller than that of pure culture.
Development of 28 EST‐SSR markers based on transcriptome sequences of
 Gobiobotia filifer
 and cross‐species amplification

Gobiobotia filifer is a small benthic fish distributed in Yangtze River Basin. The abundance of G. filifer increased after impoundment of Xiluodu Dam and Xiangjiaba Dam. The state of population structure and changes of genetic diversity before and after impoundment of Xiluodu Dam and Xiangjiaba Dam were interesting issues. However, efficient molecular markers were rare, which will limit us to solve above problems. Twenty‐eight expressed sequence tag SSRs (EST‐SSRs) were successfully identified and verified as stable amplification and polymorphic loci by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and capillary electrophoresis. The number of alleles at these EST‐SSR loci ranged from 3 to 14, the polymorphism information content values were 0.125–0.897, and the observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.0–0.857 and 0.132–0.928, respectively. Cross‐species amplification of the 28 loci developed in this study was examined in seven individuals of each of the 7 taxa. The amplification efficiency of 28 EST‐SSRs primer pairs is related to the distance of genetic relationship between cross‐species with G. filifer, and same subfamily species (Xenophysogobio boulengeri and Xenophysogobio nudicorpa) showed the highest (50%) amplification efficiency. These EST‐SSR markers could be used to analyse genetic diversity and population structure of G. filifer and related species.
Relationships between dietary and cow factors with the fecal phosphorus contents of dairy cows in Manitoba

Abstract: A survey was carried out on 19 dairy farms in Manitoba that varied in size, diet composition, housing, and feeding strategy to identify factors that affect the phosphorus (P) content of feces. On each farm, 10 early, 10 mid, and 10 late lactation cows were included. Multiple regression analysis showed that high dietary P concentrations and free-stall instead of tie-stall housing were mostly associated with high P contents of feces. Hence, a closer matching of the requirements and supply of P of dairy cows enhances the utilization of dietary P on these farms.
Short Residence Times of DNA-Bound Transcription Factors Can Reduce Gene Expression Noise and Increase the Transmission of Information in a Gene Regulation System

Gene expression noise is not just ubiquitous but also variable, and we still do not understand some of the most elementary factors that affect it. Among them is the residence time of a transcription factor (TF) on DNA, the mean time that a DNA-bound TF remains bound. Here, we use a stochastic model of transcriptional regulation to study how this residence time affects gene expression. We find that the effect of residence time on gene expression depends on the level of induction of the gene. At high levels of induction, residence time has no effect on gene expression. However, as the level of induction decreases, short residence times reduce gene expression noise. The reason is that fast on-off TF binding dynamics prevent long periods where proteins are predominantly synthesized or degraded, which can cause excessive fluctuations in gene expression. As a consequence, short residence times can help a gene regulation system acquire information about the cellular environment it operates in. Our predictions are consistent with the observation that experimentally measured residence times are usually modest and lie between seconds to minutes.
Repellancy and contact toxicity of clove bud oil and its constituents against German cockroaches, Blatella germanica (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae), under laboratory conditions

Abstract The German cockroach, Blattella germanica L. (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae), an invasive pest of human habitats, is distributed throughout the world, except in Antarctica. They have developed resistance against chemical pesticides used for the management of their populations. Numerous essential oils and their constituents have been tested; however, the insecticidal activities of clove bud powder, oil, and their constituents have not yet been tested against the German cockroaches. Thus, in this study, clove bud powder, oil, and their major constituents, eugenol and eugenol acetate, were evaluated for their contact toxicity and repellancy against adult German cockroaches under laboratory conditions. The clove bud powder applied at 30 mg/cm2 killed 92% of German cockroaches at 6 hours after treatment (HAT). Similarly, clove bud oil, eugenol and eugenol acetate applied at 4.00 ml/cm2 provided 95%, 85%, and 87% German cockroach mortality at 24, 6, and 24 HAT, respectively. At 2.0 ml/cm2, clove bud oil repelled 80% of German cockroaches within 30 min. In contrast, eugenol and eugenol acetate repelled 85% at 1.0 ml/cm2 and 2.5 ml/cm2, respectively, at 0.5 HAT. Based on this study, clove bud powder, oil, eugenol, and eugenol acetate could be environmentally friendly tools for the management of German cockroaches.
Bridging sensory and language theories of dyslexia: towards a multifactorial model

Competing theories of dyslexia posit that reading disability arises from impaired sensory, phonological, or statistical learning mechanisms. Importantly, many theories posit that dyslexia reflects a cascade of impairments emanating from a “core deficit”. Here we collect a battery of psychophysical and language measures in 106 school-aged children to investigate whether dyslexia is best conceptualized under a core-deficit model, or as a disorder with heterogenous origins. Specifically, by capitalizing on the drift diffusion model to separate sensory encoding from task-related influences on performance in a visual motion discrimination experiment, we show that deficits in motion perception, decision making and phonological processing manifest largely independently. Based on statistical models of how variance in reading skill is parceled across measures of sensory encoding, phonological processing and decision-making, our results challenge the notion that a unifying deficit characterizes dyslexia. Instead, these findings indicate a model where reading skill is explained by several distinct, additive predictors, or risk factors, of reading (dis)ability. Research Highlights Our research provides direct evidence that a single-mechanism, or core-deficit, model of dyslexia cannot account for the range of linguistic and sensory outcomes in children. Individual differences in visual motion processing, perceptual decision making, phonological awareness and rapid naming each account for unique variance in reading skill. Our data support an additive risk-factor model, in which multiple independent dimensions each confer risk for reading difficulties.
Increased expression of mitochondrial dysfunction stimulon genes affects chloroplast redox status and photosynthetic electron transfer in Arabidopsis

Mitochondrial retrograde signals control expression of nuclear mitochondrial dysfunction stimulon (MDS) genes. Although MDS gene products mostly affect mitochondrial functions, they also influence production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and redox status of chloroplasts. To study this inter-organellar interaction, we analysed the response of the Arabidopsis MDS-overexpressor mutant rcd1 to methyl viologen (MV), which catalyses electron transfer from Photosystem I (PSI) to molecular oxygen, generating ROS in Mehler’s reaction. The response of plants to MV was investigated by imaging chlorophyll fluorescence in aerobic and hypoxic environments, and by membrane inlet mass spectrometry. Hypoxic treatment abolished the effect of MV on photosynthetic electron transfer in rcd1, but not in wild type. A similar reaction to hypoxia was observed in other MDS-activating lines and treatments. This suggests that MDS gene products contribute to oxygen depletion at the PSI electron-acceptor side. In unstressed growth conditions this MDS-related effect is likely masked by endogenous oxygen evolution and gas exchange with the atmosphere. In rcd1, altered Mehler’s reaction coincided with more reduced state of the chloroplast NADPH-thioredoxin oxidoreductase C (NTRC) and its targets, suggesting that NTRC performs feedback control of photosynthesis. This regulation may represent a novel mechanism whereby mitochondrial retrograde signalling affects chloroplast functions.