Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterisation of South African isolates of Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense from Cavendish bananas

Fusarium wilt, caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc), is a serious vascular disease of bananas in most subtropical and tropical regions of the world. Twenty-four vegetative compatibility groups (VCGs) and three pathogenic races have been identified in Foc, reflecting a relatively high genetic diversity for an asexual fungus. To characterise a South African population of Foc, a collection of 128 isolates from diverse geographic origins were isolated from diseased Cavendish bananas and subjected to VCG analysis and sequencing of the translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF) gene region. The presence of mating type genes was also determined using MAT-1 and MAT-2 specific primers. VCG 0120 was established as the only VCG of Foc present in the South African population studied. Only the MAT-2 idiomorph was present in all the local isolates of Foc. A phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences of the TEF gene region revealed that the South African isolates grouped closely with VCG 0120 isolates from Australia and Asia. These results suggest that the South African population of Foc was most likely introduced in a limited number of events and that it had spread with infected planting material within the country. The presence of only one mating type and the limited diversity in this pathogen render it unlikely to rapidly overcome disease management strategies involving host resistance.
Blogging as Social Action: A Genre Analysis of the Weblog

�The FBI has been reading my diary,� claimed a high school student in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Elliston, 2003). In fact, Chapel Hill police in training with an FBI task force had read the student�s weblog. They were investigating a possible security breach in the school�s computer system, and the student�s blog had contained references to �hacking. � The student had told only a few friends about her blog and �didn�t intend for it to reach a wider audience. �It was really personal,�� she said. A blogger from Utah harshly criticized her Mormon upbringing and her job and co-workers online, assuming that her technophobic parents and her boss would never find out. But they did, and �All hell broke loose,� as she put it. She alienated her parents and lost her job. �It was shocking for everyone,� she said; �I was extremely na�ve. � (St. John, 2003). Another blogger reports on her friends and her boyfriend, saying, �There�s not a lot I won�t put on there� because �I love to be the center of attention. � This 18-year-old also said that her mother was aware of her blog but did not know how to find it, adding that she relied on security by obscurity (St. John, 2003). In China an intimate blog written by a 25-year-old who also wrote a magazine sex column attracted 10 million daily visitors to the Sina.com server. Her blog initiated a �raging debate� on the internet, and the Chinese censors banned her forthcoming book (Yardley, 2003). Although she defended her right to write about her sex life, the blogger said that she never realized her blog would be read so widely or that it would create such controversy. She quit her job at the magazine and has shut down her blog.
Magnetic structure of an activated filament in a flaring active region

Aims. While the magnetic field in quiescent prominences has been widely investigated, less is known about the field in activated prominences. We report observational results on the magnetic field structure of an activated filament in a flaring active region. In particular, we studied its magnetic structure and line-of-sight flows during its early activated phase, shortly before it displayed signs of rotation. Methods. We inverted the Stokes profiles of the chromospheric He i 10 830 A triplet and the photospheric Si i 10 827 A line observed in this filament by the Vacuum Tower Telescope on Tenerife. Using these inversion results, we present and interpret the first maps of the velocity and magnetic field obtained in an activated filament, both in the photosphere and the chromosphere. Results. Up to five different magnetic components are found in the chromospheric layers of the filament, while outside the filament a single component is sufficient to reproduce the observations. Magnetic components displaying an upflow are preferentially located towards the centre of the filament, while the downflows are concentrated along its periphery. Moreover, the upflowing gas is associated with an opposite-polarity magnetic configuration with respect to the photosphere, while the downflowing gas is associated with a same-polarity configuration. Conclusions. The activated filament has a very complex structure. Nonetheless, it is compatible with a flux rope, albeit a distorted one, in the normal configuration. The observations are best explained by a rising flux rope in which part of the filament material is still stably stored (upflowing material, rising with the field), while the rest is no longer stably stored and flows down along the field lines.
POLLEN AND MICROALGAE IN SEDIMENTS AT SOUTHERN MARGIN OF COLHUE HUAPI LAKE, CHUBUT, ARGENTINA. AN INSIGHT TO AMONG SHORE COMPARISON

Con el objetivo de conocer las comunidades vegetales del lago Colhue Huapi e inferir los cambios en el nivel del lago ocurridos durante el Holoceno Tardio, se analizo el contenido polinico y algal de un perfil de la margen sur, sitio La Campanita (45o38’ S, 68o37’ O). El segmento analizado posee dos dataciones 14C (AMS), una de 1711 ± 35 14C anos AP a 95 cm de profundidad, correspondiente a la base del perfil, y otra de 979 ± 42 14C anos AP a 40 cm. Se observo un predominio de taxa no arboreos, de los cuales Chenopodiaceae fue el taxon arbustivo mas importante y Cyperaceae el taxon herbaceo principal. El perfil mostro cambios a nivel local y pocas diferencias respecto del ingreso de polen regional y extra regional. Desde 1711 ± 35 14C anos AP hasta ca. 1212 anos AP, la baja representacion de Cyperaceae - relacionada con una menor disponibilidad de sitios someros para colonizar - y los mayores porcentajes de las algas planctonicas estudiadas, sugieren un nivel alto del lago. Entre ca. 1212 y 414 anos AP se observa un periodo de cambio en el nivel del lago, con reiteradas fluctuaciones. La tendencia se modificaria hacia 979 ± 42 14C anos AP con una disminucion del nivel del agua indicado por una expansion de las Cyperaceae y una reduccion de las algas. Desde ca. 414 anos AP hasta ca. 195 anos AP continuo el descenso del nivel del lago aunque con una tendencia mas neta y menos fluctuante, indicado por los mayores porcentajes de Cyperaceae del perfil y mas bajos para las algas. Para los ultimos ca. 195 anos AP se registro una recuperacion del nivel del lago dada por una reduccion de los porcentajes de Cyperaceae, y un leve aumento de las algas. Asimismo, el perfil La Campanita se comparo estadisticamente con un perfl extraido de la margen noroeste del mismo lago. Ambas secuencias reflejaron tendencias similares de variaciones de nivel del lago para los intervalos anteriores a 979 ± 42 14C anos AP.
Probing AGN triggering mechanisms through the starburstiness of the host galaxies

We estimate the fraction of AGNs hosted in starburst galaxies (fbursty) as a function of the AGN luminosity predicted under the assumption that starburst events and AGN activity are triggered by galaxy interactions during their merging histories. The latter are described through Monte Carlo realizations, and are connected to star formation and BH accretion using a semi-analytic model of galaxy formation in a cosmological framework. The predicted fraction fbursty increases steeply with AGN luminosity from . 0.2 at LX . 10 44 erg/s to &0.9 at LX & 10 45 erg/s over a wide redshift interval from z ’ 0 to z’ 6. We compare the model predictions with new measurements of fbursty from a sample of X-ray selected AGNs in the XMM-COSMOS field at 0:3 < z < 2, and from a sample of QSOs (LX & 10 45 erg/s) in the redshift range 2 < z < 6:5. We find preliminary indications that under conservative assumptions half of the QSO hosts are starburst galaxies. This result provides motivation for future systematic studies of the stellar properties of high luminosity AGN hosts in order to constrain AGN triggering mechanisms.
The excretion of Ca, Mg, Zn and Cu via excreta of laying hens fed low phosphorus diets and phytase

An 8 week experiment was conducted to study the effect of adding phytase (Natuphos 5000 BASF) to low and normal available phosphorus diets of laying hens on the excreta content and excretion of Ca, Mg, Zn and Cu. A total of 144 Hisex Brown laying hens that were 22 weeks old at the start of the experiment were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments. Treatments included three replicates (12 hens each) or 36 hens per treatment in total. Four corn-soybean meal-based diets were formulated to contain two levels of available phosphorus (AP; 0.12 and 0.46%) and two phytase levels (0 and 600 FTU kg 1). The results showed that there was no significant effect of added phytase on excreta Ca and Mg content (P > 0.05), but there was a significant effect of the dietary treatment on the content of Zn (P = 0.0075) and Cu (P = 0.0002). In terms of the excretion of these minerals, the dietary treatment had no effect on Ca and Zn excretion and a borderline effect (P = 0.0522) on Mg excretion measured as the amount of the mineral excreted per egg mass produced is observed. The results however showed a very strong effect of all three factors (available phosphorus, phytase and their interaction) on Cu excretion. The results indicate that adding 600 FTU to the corn-soybean meal laying hen diet with 0.12% or 0.46% AP beneficially affects the content and the excretion of Ca, Mg, Zn and Cu. Therefore, we can conclude that a laying hen diet containing 0.12% available phosphorus and 600 FTU during the first production cycle may not only satisfactorily s
A coronagraph for operational space weather predication

Accurate prediction of the arrival of solar wind phenomena, in particular coronal mass ejections (CMEs), at Earth, and possibly elsewhere in the heliosphere, is becoming increasingly important given our ever-increasing reliance on technology. The potentially severe impact on human technological systems of such phenomena is termed space weather. A coronagraph is arguably the instrument that provides the earliest definitive evidence of CME eruption; from a vantage point on or near the Sun-Earth line, a coronagraph can provide near-definitive identification of an Earth-bound CME. Currently, prediction of CME arrival is critically dependent on ageing science coronagraphs whose design and operation were not optimized for space weather services. We describe the early stages of the conceptual design of SCOPE (the Solar Coronagraph for OPErations), optimized to support operational space weather services.
Factors controlling temporal and spatial variations of atmospheric deposition of 7Be and 210Pb in northern Taiwan

(1) Fluxes of 7 Be and 210 Pb monitored at two contrasting sites in northern Taiwan were studied along with meteorological data to elucidate factors controlling their temporal and spatial variations. The 9 year time series of both nuclides at Nankang in the Taipei Basin show dependence on wet precipitation and follow an annual cycle regulated by typhoons, monsoons, and mei-yu¨. Superimposed on the annual cycle are interannual variation caused by El Nino-Southern Oscillation and intraseasonal oscillations due to the passage or invasion of fronts, cold surges, dust storms, and the Pacific high-pressure system. The observed 7 Be/ 210 Pb ratios are indicative of the source regions of the fallout nuclides, with higher ratios from high-altitude rain and lower ratios from dry fallout and low-altitude rain. The 2 year time series at Yangminshan shows that 7 Be and 210 Pb fluxes at the mountainous site are in phase with those at Nankang. However, nuclide fluxes at Yangminshan are 4-5 times those at Nankang. After combining results from this and other ancillary studies at Yangminshan, we suggest that (1) in applying fallout nuclides to study the Earth's surface processes, the assumption of constant flux should be made judicially according to the timescales involved, and that (2) the application of fallout nuclides to study soil erosion in hilly areas must consider not only control by wet and dry precipitation but also by direct contact and interaction of clouds with soils enhancing nuclide fluxes.
Anomalies: Foreign Exchange

most (all? ) behavior can be explained by assuming that agents have stable, well-defined preferences and make rational choices consistent with those preferences in markets that (eventually) clear. An empirical result qualifies as an anomaly if it is difficult to "rationalize," or if implausible assumptions are necessary to explain it within the paradigm. This column will present a series of such anomalies. Readers are invited to suggest topics for future columns by sending a note with some reference to (or better yet copies of) the relevant research. Comments on anomalies printed here are also welcome. The address
Haematobiochemical profile in chronic acetamiprid exposure in Sprague Dawley rats.

| A chronic study was conducted on Sprague Dawley (SD) rats for 13 weeks using 48 rats in four groups each having 12 animals. Group I was control. Group II, III and IV were treatment groups receiving acetamiprid in distilled water in the amount of 5mg/kg, 20mg/kg and 40mg/kg, respectively. Body weight gain and feed consumption was decreased. There was lymphocytopenea in acetamiprid treated animal. Liver and kidney marker enzymes and analyte were altered compared to control after 13 weeks of acetamiprid exposure. This study concluded that acetamiprid, used even in this dose range could cause a significant effect on hematobiochemical profile.
Three-Dimensional Image Analysis to Quantify the Temporo-Spacial Expression of Cellular Receptors

� Abstract≤O varian folliculogenesis is primarily controlled by the action of gonadotropins namely follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (L H). Several reports indicated that the process of initial recruitment of primordial follicles to the growing follicles is not gonadotropin-dependent but Bone morphogenetic protein (B M P)-dependent. However, this has not been unequivocally confirmed. T he aim of this study was to investigate the temporo-spacial protein expression of the B M P receptors 1B (B M PR1b), FSH R and L H R in several stages of follicle development. W hile the localization of all receptors was found in granulosa cell membrane of the follicles the temporal expression was varied. B M PR1b was expressed in all follicle stages, FSH R was detected in primary follicles onward and L H R was absent in both primordial and primary follicles but appeared in later stages. Q uantitative analysis based on the intensity of fluorescent signals showed that the expression of B M PR1b, FSH R and L H R significantly (p< 0.001 p< 0.0001 p< 0.0001 respectively) increased with follicular development. W e have concluded that the combination of sensitive immunofluorescence labeling and computerized 3D image analysis proves efficient tools for in situ detection and quantification of the expression of small amount of protein in a complex tissue structure.
Centralized Wage Bargaining and the Celtic Tiger Phenomenon

Drawing on a variety of sources and research methods, this article argues that centralized wage bargaining contributed to the “Celtic Tiger” phenomenon by linking wage increases in the dynamic multinational companies sector to wage and productivity increases in the much more sluggish domestic sector of the economy and, in so doing, considerably increased the competitiveness of foreign multinational companies—a key driver of Irish growth. The article also argues that much-received wisdom about the institutional and organizational preconditions for centralized wage regulation needs to be reconsidered in light of the Irish case. Public sector unions played a pivotal role in initiating and sustaining wage centralization, yet their leadership role did not undermine its effectiveness. Likewise, internal democratic procedures and the absence of wage compression policies, rather than centralized organizational structures, facilitated compliance with centralized wage policies.
Augmenting Postgraduate Student Problem-Solving Ability by the Use of Critical Thinking Exercises

This paper describes the results of a research programme whose focus was critical thinking and explores how information technology (IT) postgraduate students model problems. Some results from the programme show that IT students appear to improve their problem-solving ability by undertaking structured critical thinking exercises. An AC Nielsen survey commissioned by DETYA in 2000 sought to gauge employer satisfaction with graduates using a variety of methods including questionnaires, focus groups and in-depth interviews. A key finding was that ‗the skills employers consider to be most important in graduates are creativity and flair, enthusiasm and the capacity for independent and critical thinking‘. Similar conclusions were drawn in earlier work from the UK and USA. Generally, critical thinking, if it is taught in a university, is taught as a formal or symbolic logic subject, usually by the philosophy or mathematics department. While there is nothing inherently wrong with teaching students the syllogisms of Aristotle, as formal logic has its uses, that does not necessarily equate to critical thinking. The assessment of critical thinking skills is also somewhat problematic. There are several generic assessment tools available but if critical thinking is discipline-specific, then such tools may not be particularly useful. One solution is to use a formal critical thinking assessment instruments in a pre/post treatment experiment, the treatment being the exercises. This study evaluated the critical thinking skills of Masters-level students. The participants were a class of coursework Master students at an Australasian university. These students were administered two Mensa-style tests that targeted critical thinking skills regarded as essential elements in a university education. The design was a classic pre/post treatment experiment, with the treatment being the intervening structured critical thinking exercises. The results indicate that the students‘ problem-solving ability improved over time which suggests that the exercises were effective.
The outer rings of SN 1987A

Aims. We investigate the physical properties and structure of the outer rings of SN 1987A to understand their formation and evolution. Methods. We used low resolution spectroscopy from VLT/FORS1 and high resolution spectra from VLT/UVES to estimate the physical conditions in the outer rings, using nebular analysis for emission lines such as [O II], [O III], [N II], and [S II]. We also measured the velocity at two positions of the outer rings to test a geometrical model for the rings. Additionally, we used data from the HST science archives to check the evolution of the outer rings of SN 1987A for a period that covers almost 11 years. Results. We measured the flux in four different regions, two for each outer ring. We chose regions away from the two bright neighbouring stars and as far as possible from the inner ring and created light curves for the emission lines of [O III], Hα, and [N II]. The light curves display a declining behaviour, which is consistent with the initial supernova-flash powering of the outer rings. The electron density of the emitting gas in the outer rings, as estimated by nebular analysis from the [O II] and [S II] lines, is <3 × 10 3 cm −3 , has not changed over the last ∼15 years, and the [N II] temperature remains also fairly constant at ∼1.2 × 10 4 K. We find no obvious difference in density and temperature for the two outer rings. The highest density, as estimated from the decay of Hα, could be ∼5 × 10 3 cm −3 however, and because the decay is somewhat faster in the southern outer ring than it is in the northern, the highest density in the outer rings may be found in the southern outer ring. For an assumed distance of 50 kpc to the supernova, the distance between the supernova and the closest parts of the outer rings could be as short as ∼1.7 × 10 18 cm. Interaction between the supernova ejecta and the outer rings could therefore start in less than ∼20 years. We do not expect the outer rings to show the same optical display as the equatorial ring when this happens. Instead soft X-rays should provide a better way of observing the ejecta - outer rings interaction.
Transitioning Older Adults from Nursing Homes: Factors Determining Readmission in One Ohio Program

TRANSITIONING OLDER ADULTS FROM NURSING HOMES: FACTORS DETERMINING READMISSION IN ONE OHIO PROGRAM by Courtney Joy Reynolds Nursing home transition programs (NHTPs) use home and community based services (HCBS) to relocate nursing home residents to the community. Because these programs are relatively young, little is known about the factors affecting nursing home readmission in NTHPs. Using Andersen’s Behavioral Model (1995) as a guiding framework, this study uses binary logistic regression analysis to examine factors of nursing home readmission in the Providing Alternatives to Transitioning Home program (PATH). PATH is a NHTP that connects nursing home residents with Medicaid HCBS waiver programs in four northeast Ohio counties. Secondary data from PATH program records were analyzed and 302 program participants were included in the sample. Two factors, county nursing home density and the number of hospitalizations, were significant predictors of readmission for PATH participants (p<0.05). These findings illuminate a few of the challenges that policymakers face in trying to rebalance Ohio’s long term care system. TRANSITIONING OLDER ADULTS FROM NURSING HOMES: FACTORS DETERMINING READMISSION IN ONE OHIO PROGRAM
Comparison of Two Cut-to-Length Harvesting Systems Operating in Eastern Hardwoods

Abstract We compared production rates, operating costs, and break-even points (BEP) for small and large cut-to-length (CTL) harvesting systems operating at several machine utilization rates (MUR) in mixed hardwood and softwood stands in Vermont. The small CTL harvester produced 11. 08 m3 [391.4 ft3] per productive machine hour (PMH) compared to 14.83 m3 [523.80 ft3] per PMH for the large harvester. The impact of average tree size (volume) on cost was substantial but similar for both CTL systems. At a fixed stump-to-landing logging cost of about $14.12/m3 or [$0.40/ft3], the BEP tree size was 0.14 m3 [5.0 ft3] for the small harvester and 0.26 m3 [9.33 ft3] for the large system at the 85 percent MUR. At an MUR of 70 and 85 percent, the processing cost for trees that averaged 0.08 m3 [3.0ft3] was $22.19 and $18.28/m3 [$0.6285 and $0.5176/ft3], respectively, for the small CTL harvester. Results were similar for the large harvester. Either CTL system would be effective in helping managers meet forest management goals in eastern hardwood stands.
New species of Neogene radiolarians from the Southern Ocean

Antarctic Neogene radiolarians are abundant and have great potential for biostratigraphy and evolutionary research. Many of the species found in sediments have not yet been described and are thus unavailable for research purposes. In the first of a planned series, 24 new species of Antarctic Neogene radiolarians are described herein: two entactinarians (Orodapis hericina and Orodapis? ferrealuma), two spumellarians (Actinomma nigriniae and Carposphaera? annikae) and twenty nassellarians (Acrosphaera cuniculiauris, Amphimelissa? hibernifortuna, Antarctissa ballista, Artostrobus semazen, Botryopera gibbera, Carpocanium? uburex, Ceratocyrtis dolvenae, Cystophormis gargantua, Dendrospyris jobstae, Dictyophimus? kiwi, Dictyophimus larus, Gondwanaria clarae, Lithomelissa vespa, Lophophaena leberu, Siphonosphaera abelmannae, Siphostichartus jahnae, Spirocyrtis? hollisi, Stichophormis? cheni, Syscioscenium? wabisabi, Trisulcus pinguiculus).