Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growth and yield of sunflower (Helianthus annus L.) as influenced by nitrogen, sulphur and farmyard manure under temperate conditions

A field experiment was conducted at the Research farm, Division of Agronomy, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, India for two consecutive rainy ( kharif ) seasons of 2009 and 2010 to find out the impact of nitrogen, sulphur and farmyard manure (FYM) on growth and yield of sunflower ( Helianthus annuus L.). Application of 120 kg N ha-1 significantly increased all the yield components viz. , plant height, leaf area index, dry matter production, capitulum diameter, achenes capitulum -1 and 1000-seed weight. Pooled yield increased by 26% with 120 kg N but it was statistically at par with 80 kg N ha -1 . With increased N dose, the oil content consistently decreased but the oil yield improved during both years. Sulphur application at the rate of 60 kg ha -1 significantly increased plant height, leaf area index and dry matter production after 25 days of sowing (DAS). All yield contributing characters viz., filled achenes capitulum -1 , head diameter and 1000-seed weights were higher with 60 kg S ha -1 over 30 kg S ha -1 . Seed and stalk yield with 60 kg S ha -1 were significantly higher than those of 30 kg S ha -1 . Similarly, oil content and oil yield with 60kg Sha -1 was 2 and 10.5 % over 30 kg S ha-1. Application of FYM at the rate of 10 and 20 t ha -1 was at par with each other but recorded significant improvement in the plant height, leaf area index and dry matter production of sunflower after 25 days of sowing over no FYM. FYM @10 and 20 t ha -1 increased the oil yield by 11 and 5.4 %, respectively over no application. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/sja.v11i1. 18386 SAARC J. Agri. , 11(1): 81-89 (2013)
A PHILOSOPHY OF HABITAT MANAGEMENT FOR NORTHERN BOBWHITES

Northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) have received considerable research attention since the 1920s. I evaluated published results for patterns that might be meaningful in developing a general philoso- phy of habitat management for this species. Bobwhite populations show similar mean demographics (sur- vival, productivity) as climates, landscapes, and predator populations vary about them; this suggests some operational constancy in habitat quality wherever populations persist. Neither food abundance nor habitat type interspersion are satisfactory general predictors of population density on a management area, although interspersion provides a limiting condition (after min. interspersion requirements are met, further intersper- sion has, at best, neutral effects on density). Long-term, mean density on an area may vary in proportion to the quantity of space (amt permanent cover) that fits the physical, behavioral, and physiological adaptations of bobwhites through time. The goal of habitat management on an area should be to provide bobwhites the opportunity for unconstrained use of space through time (space-time saturation). This common sense out- look seems to have been obscured by unjustified concerns over food and interspersion and lack of a general understanding of successional affiliation. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 61(2):291-301
American contact dermatitis society core allergen series.

Evidence for the effectiveness of patch testing and the need for an expanded series that provides experience and evidence-based suggestions for an extended patch testing series are examined in this review. Many of those testing with shorter allergen series are interested in expanding the spectrum of patch testing. The American Contact Dermatitis Society (ACDS) Core Allergen Series Group has arranged a group of suggested allergen groups that can be logically scaled up or down depending on the needs of the patch tester and the community being tested. This is not an "ACDS 80 Standard. " We suggest a core group of allergens similar to the TRUE Test (SmartPractice, Phoenix, Ariz) with subsequent trays providing a greater breadth of coverage in a logical fashion, with more likely allergens being higher in the tray. For more extensive testing, specialty trays (ie, cosmetics, metals, plant, etc) are recommended.
Severity of asthma: the role of CD25+,CD30+, NF-κB, and apoptotic markers

Objectives: We studied the role of the regulatory T cells CD4+CD25+ (Treg) and activated CD4+CD30+ cells in the pathogenesis of asthma and their association with apoptosis and NF-κB in patients with mild intermittent asthma (MA), severe persistent asthma (SA), and healthy volunteers (HV). Methods: Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were extracted from asthmatic patients during exacerbations, and CD4+ cells were separated using Dynal beads. Immunostaining of whole PBL for NF-κB, Bax, and Bcl-2, and immunostaining of CD4+ cells for CD25+ and CD30+ cells were performed using immunocytochemistry. Results: Treg cells were expressed at higher levels in MA than in HV and SA (P<.05), while CD30+ T cells were expressed at higher levels in both SA and MA than in HV (P<.05), although there was no remarkable difference between SA and MA (P>.05). Levels of NF-κB, Bcl-2, and Bcl-2/Bax increased, whereas those of Bax decreased, progressively, from MA to SA (P<.05). NF-κB levels correlated directly with the Bcl-2/Bax ratio and with CD4+CD30+ cells in SA and MA, whereas CD4+CD30+ cells correlated inversely with the Bcl-2/Bax ratio. Conclusions: Unregulated Treg cells probably return inflammatory responses to normal values during exacerbations in MA; however, expression of Treg cells was extensively diminished in SA, leading to probable loss of suppressive control over underlying immune reactions. CD4+CD30+ cells were associated with the pathogenesis of asthma but not with severity. NF-κB seems to be the central inflammatory factor in SA, with a remarkable loss of PBL apoptosis, diminished Treg levels, and high CD30+ cell levels that probably induce NFκB, which in turn blocks the proapoptotic potential of CD30 induction itself. Keyword: Asthma; Apoptosis; Memory cells; CD45RO; TH1; TH2; IL-4; IFN-γ
Reversible ALS-like disorder in HIV infection. An ALS-like syndrome with new HIV infection and complete response to antiretroviral therapy.

To the Editor: Two recent articles by Moulignier et al.1 and MacGowen et al.2 present clinical and laboratory evidence of a probable increased incidence of ALS in patients infected by human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV)-1 and HIV-2. Several possible mechanisms were suggested including direct neuronal damage, disease due to cytokine production and autoimmunity. The fact that symptoms and signs of ALS improved with antiretroviral therapy implied that the effect was specifically on HIV-induced disease. However, Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), which now appears almost certainly to be due to human herpesvirus-8 (HHV-8), also often disappears with antiretroviral therapy. It is of more than passing interest that up to 35% of homosexual men with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome demonstrate antibodies to HHV-8,3 whereas they are present in less than 4% of US blood donors.3 We have recently had an opportunity to study HHV-8 antibody levels in five non-HIV+ patients with ALS. Two of the five patients were women, one was black, and all five had associated medical disorders including monoclonal gammopathy, lymphoma of the lung, scleroderma, osteoarthritis, and hyperlipidemia. Their ages ranged from 70 to 81 years. Three ultimately died from aspiration pneumonia. Antibody titers as measured by indirect immunofluorescence using the BCP-1 cell line4 were positive in all patients and ranged from 1:20 to 1:60. HHV-8 in blood by PCR was identified in only one patient. The presence of HHV-8 antibody in all of our patients in this small study would suggest that this may also be the case in patients with …
Prechirped duobinary modulation

The proposed modulation scheme enables us to combine the advantages of the duobinary modulation, i.e., reduced transmission bandwidth compared to traditional intensity modulation, together with the advantages of prechirped modulation. Below, a theoretical investigation is presented where four different methods of modulating a double electrode Mach-Zehnder modulator is compared. It will be shown that the proposed prechirped duobinary modulation scheme will have the best performance in terms of power penalty.
Evaluation of the Efficacy of Affective Education Online Training in Promoting Academic and Professional Learning and Social Capital

This study aimed to compare the efficacy of face-to-face and online education seminars in the professional training of psychology majors and in promoting the development of social capital. Forty-four university students, balanced by gender, age, and academic achievement were divided in two groups, online and face to face, taught by the same teacher. Individual learning scales were administered and students were tested on group processes tasks to measure professional skills acquisition. A follow-up interview 9 months after the end of the seminar was undertaken to assess whether social bonds, formed during the seminars, had lasted over time. An analysis of variance and Mann-Whitney test were used to analyze the data. Results show that students of both groups increased their academic knowledge and social capital, but Computer Supported Collaborative Learning students acquired more group observation skills.
Production of Single Cell Protein ( SCP ) with Aspergillus terreus Using Solid State Fermentation

The deficiency of protein in human food and animal feed is well recognized due to the rapid growth of population. It is therefore, important to increase protein production by utilizing all the available ways and means. In the light of this, an attempt has been made in the present study by selecting a fungus, Aspergillus terreus. Its protein content was studied in various culture conditions and its nutritive value was assessed. Because of versatile nature of the fungus, lack of demand for any specific growth factors, rapidity of growth to turn out biomass in considerably large quantities and non pathogenicity of A. terreus strains, it is considered as useful species to examine it as a candidate species for SCP. The results have shown that the A.terreus possesses a high protein value and can be used as a better choice for SCP production using cheap energy sources like Eichornia and Banana peel.
New analytical expressions for the design of linear power amplifier using GaN HEMTs

This paper provides new analytic expressions for prediction of the large signal gain of GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs). Using the concept of load line resistance, optimum matching impedances and power gain are demonstrated for commercial GaN HEMT from a 14 lumped elements model. The source impedance is more accurately determined by this model.
Relationship between reticular pseudodrusen and choroidal thickness in intermediate age‐related macular degeneration

Reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) is strongly associated with late age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) but their aetiology remains unknown. RPD have been associated with reduced choroidal thickness (ChT) but most studies are limited by small sample size and varying severity of AMD.
A quantitative study of the influence of inhaled compounds on their concentrations in exhaled breath

Throughout the development of breath analysis research, there has been interest in how the concentrations of trace compounds in exhaled breath are related to their concentrations in the ambient inhaled air. In considering this, Phillips introduced the concept of ‘alveolar gradient’ and judged that the measured exhaled concentrations of volatile organic compounds should be diminished by an amount equal to their concentrations in the inhaled ambient air. The objective of the work described in this paper was to investigate this relationship quantitatively. Thus, experiments have been carried out in which inhaled air was polluted by seven compounds of interest in breath research, as given below, and exhaled breath has been analysed by SIFT-MS as the concentrations of these compounds in the inhaled air were reduced. The interesting result obtained is that all the exogenous compounds are partially retained in the exhaled breath and there are close linear relationships between the exhaled and inhaled air concentrations for all seven compounds. Thus, retention coefficients, a, have been derived for the following compounds: pentane, 0.76 ± 0.09; isoprene, 0.66 ± 0.04; acetone, 0.17 ± 0.03; ammonia, 0.70 ± 0.13, methanol, 0.29 ± 0.02; formaldehyde, 0.06 ± 0.03; deuterated water (HDO), 0.09 ± 0.02. From these data, correction to breath analyses for inhaled concentration can be described by coefficients specific to each compound, which can be close to 1 for hydrocarbons, as applied by Phillips, or around 0.1, meaning that inhaled concentrations of such compounds can essentially be neglected. A further deduction from the experimental data is that under conditions of the inhalation of clean air, the measured exhaled breath concentrations of those compounds should be increased by a factor of 1/(1 − a) to correspond to gaseous equilibrium with the compounds dissolved in the mixed venous blood entering the alveoli. Thus, for isoprene, this is a factor of 3, which we have confirmed experimentally by re-breathing experiments.
The length of the linker between the epidermal growth factor‐like domains in factor VIIa is critical for a productive interaction with tissue factor

Formation of the factor VIIa (FVIIa)‐tissue factor (TF) complex triggers the blood coagulation cascade. Using a structure‐based rationale, we investigated how the length of the linker region between the two epidermal growth factor (EGF)‐like domains in FVIIa influences TF binding and the allosteric activity enhancement, as well as the interplay between the γ‐carboxyglutamic acid (Gla)‐containing and protease domains. Removal of two residues from the native linker was compatible with normal cofactor binding and accompanying stimulation of the enzymatic activity, as was extension by two (Gly‐Ser) residues. In sharp contrast, truncation by three or four residues abolished the TF‐mediated stabilization of the active conformation of FVIIa and abrogated TF‐induced activity enhancement. In addition, FVIIa variants with short linkers associated 80‐fold slower with soluble TF (sTF) as compared with wild‐type FVIIa, resulting in a corresponding increase in the equilibrium dissociation constant. Molecular modeling suggested that the shortest FVIIa variants would have to be forced into a tense and energetically unfavorable conformation in order to be able to interact productively with TF, explaining our experimental observations. We also found a correlation between linker length and the residual intrinsic enzymatic activity of Ca2+‐free FVIIa; stepwise truncation resulting in gradually higher activity with des(83–86)‐FVIIa reaching the level of Gla‐domainless FVIIa. The linker appears to determine the average distance between the negatively charged Gla domain and a structural element in the protease domain, presumably of opposite charge, and proximity has a negative impact on apo‐FVIIa activity.
Providing care and sharing expertise: Reflections of nurse-specialists in palliative home care

Abstract Objective: This study explored the experiences, perspectives, and reflections of five nurse-specialists in palliative home care, whose dual role includes caring for patients in their daily practice as well as sharing their knowledge, skills, expertise, and experiences with other home care nurses in the community. Methods: A qualitative research design, incorporating face-to-face semistructured interviews, was used. Interviews were based on open-ended questions such as: “What is your experience in providing palliative home care to patients and their families? How do you feel about sharing your expertise and experiences with home care nurses? ” Data were content analyzed using the constant comparative method. Results: Three major themes and a number of subthemes emerged: (1) acknowledging one's own limitations and humanness: (a) calling for backup, (b) learning as we go along, (c) coping with emotional demands, and (d) interacting with family members; (2) building a collaborative partnership: (a) working collaboratively, (b) sharing information, (c) guiding home care nurses, and (d) being nonjudgmental; and (3) teamwork and implementing palliative home care teams. Significance of results: Nurse-specialists play a key role in palliative home care as both carers and as resources of expert knowledge for other home care nurses caring for palliative patients. As the population ages, the health care system will be faced with increasing requests for high-quality palliative home care. The results of this study demonstrate that, from the perspective of the nurse-specialists of NOVA-Montréal (a nonprofit social and health service organization), nurse-specialists can work collaboratively with home care nurses to improve patients' quality of care and their quality of life. Moreover, patients and their families would benefit from the more widespread establishment of palliative care teams within community health organizations.
Sustained health home visiting can improve families’ social support and community connectedness

Background: Home visiting (HV) is a strategy used internationally to address the multiple needs of infants and families at risk of suboptimal health and developmental outcomes. Objectives: Describe nursing interventions and program achievements of a pilot HV program for families living in a highly disadvantaged outer suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Methods: A family partnership model was adopted. Follow-up is reported for 65 of the 75 clients remaining in the program for at least 6 months. Results: Nurses most commonly provided clients with emotional support, information about health and well-being and information on infant development. Clients experienced noteworthy improvements consistent with key objectives – greater access to support services, and increased self-efficacy and social networks. Conclusions: Consistent with the growing body of international literature on the achievements of HV, HV programs can empower vulnerable families to better cope with daily life demands and their family.
CD and NMR Studies of Prion Protein (PrP) Helix 1

The conversion of prion helix 1 from an α-helical into an extended conformation is generally assumed to be an essential step in the conversion of the cellular isoform PrPC of the prion protein to the pathogenic isoform PrPSc. Peptides encompassing helix 1 and flanking sequences were analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance and circular dichroism. Our results indicate a remarkably high instrinsic helix propensity of the helix 1 region. In particular, these peptides retain significant helicity under a wide range of conditions, such as high salt, pH variation, and presence of organic co-solvents. As evidenced by a data base search, the pattern of charged residues present in helix 1 generally favors helical structures over alternative conformations. Because of its high stability against environmental changes, helix 1 is unlikely to be involved in the initial steps of the pathogenic conformational change. Our results implicate that interconversion of helix 1 is rather representing a barrier than a nucleus for the PrPC→ PrPSc conversion.
How XPath Query Minimization Impacts Query Processing Performance

SUMMARY Considerable e ﬀ ort has been devoted to minimizing XPath queries under the assumption that the minimal query is faster than the original query. However, little attention has been paid to the validity of the assumption. In this paper, we provide a detailed analysis on the e ﬀ ectiveness of XPath query minimization and present an extensive experimental evaluation on the e ﬀ ectiveness using six publicly available XQuery engines. To the best of our knowledge, this is the ﬁrst work done towards this objective. Experiments on real and synthetic data sets show that although the assumption is valid for some cases, the performance of the minimal query is often lower than or almost equal to that of the original query.
Exogenous L-lactate clearance in adult horses.

OBJECTIVE To determine endogenous production of L-lactate and the clearance of exogenous sodium L-lactate (ExLC) in healthy adult horses. DESIGN A sodium L-lactate solution (1 mmol/kg body weight qs to 500 mL final volume in 0.9% NaCl) was adminstered IV over 15 minutes. Blood samples for L-lactate concentration [LAC] measurement were collected immediately prior to infusion, at 5, 10, and 15 minutes during infusion and at 1 minute intervals for 15 minutes, at 30, 45, 60, 120, and 180 minutes postinfusion. Disposition modeling and pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using proprietary software. SETTING University Teaching Hospital. ANIMALS Six clinically healthy adult horses. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Median (range) baseline [LAC] was 0.43 (0.20-0.72) mmol/L for samples obtained every 3 hours over the 24 hours prior to ExLC and demonstrated variability primarily associated with horse. Median [LAC] immediately prior to ExLC was 0.43 (0.35-0.52) mmol/L. A 2-compartment model was used to specify the pharmacokinetic parameters. Median (range) ExLC was 1.05 (0.073-1.75) L·h(-1) ·kg(-1) and t(1/2) β was 29.54 (20.8-38.6) min. Median lactate production based on basal [LAC] immediately prior to ExLC was was 0.49 (0.31-0.93) mmol·h(-1) ·kg(-1) . CONCLUSIONS ExLC in healthy adult horses is greater than that of hyperlactemic human patients but similar to normolactemic-sick human patients examined using the same model, supporting development of species, and disease specific ExLC parameters.
Seropositive Individuals Willingness to Communicate, Self-efficacy, and Assertiveness Prior to HIV Infection

The purpose of this study was to examine possible communication similarities between human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)positive and HIV negative individuals. Forty HIV positive heterosexuals, who were infected through heterosexual sex, completed an on-line questionnaire to assess their safer sexual communication, willingness to communicate, condom self-efficacy, and assertiveness prior to HIV infection. Results indicate that prior to infection, HIV positive heterosexuals reported having similar safer sexual communication behaviors to those not infected with the virus. Participants in this study reported high levels of willingness to engage in safer sex communication, but low levels of actual communication. Further, results reveal that participants who engaged more often in safer sex communication were more likely to use condoms. Additionally, participants reported high levels of condom self-efficacy and moderate levels of assertiveness; both variables positively correlated with condom use. Finally, participants reported that they believed they did not need to discuss using condoms because they were not at risk. Previous safer sexual communication research reveals HIV negative individuals reported engaging in the same behaviors and holding the same beliefs reported by sereopositive individuals. Hence, discussion of the importance of safer sexual communication and the utility of personalization to increase the communication of HIV negative individuals is explored.
Term Trees in Application to an Effective and Efficient ATPG for AND-EXOR and AND-OR Circuits

A compact data representation, in which the typically required operations are performed rapidly, and effective and efficient algorithms that work on these representations are the essential elements of a successful CAD tool. The objective of this paper is to present a new data representation—term trees (TTs)—and to discuss its application for an effective and efficient structural automatic test-pattern generation (ATPG). Term trees are decision diagrams similar to BDDs that are particularly suitable for structure representation of AND–OR and AND–EXOR circuits. In the paper, a flexible algorithm for minimum term-tree construction is discussed and an effective and efficient algorithm for ATPG for AND–EXOR and AND–OR circuits is proposed.