Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An online cross-sectional study of the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 lockdown on general population of Haryana, India

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has not only posed serious medical challenges but also significant psychological, social, and economic challenges acutely as well as in the long-term. There is evidence that this pandemic has caused intense psychological distress among people which is further likely to get compounded by administrative decision of nationwide lockdown. Aim: To determine the psychosocial impact of lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic on the general population of Haryana, India. Method: It was an online crosssectional study conducted on the general population of Haryana from 15th April to 5th May 2020 using a snowball sampling technique. A pre-tested, self-designed questionnaire comprising three sections, viz. sociodemographic characteristics, general life during lockdown, and psychological impact, was prepared using google forms and the link was sent to the participants through social media. Results: A total of 640 participants responded to the survey within the stipulated time. The most common depressive symptoms were insomnia (56%) followed by hopelessness (45%) and irritability (36%). Hypochondriacal preoccupation and obsessional ruminations were present in 87% and 23% of the respondents respectively. Twenty seven per cent of the people experienced autonomic symptoms of anxiety. Fear of death due to COVID (68.4%) and excessive COVID-related information being circulated through news and social media (26.2%) generated maximum stress. They coped with this stress by engaging themselves with television (TV)/social media (57%) and physical exercises (48.4%). Social life followed by professional life was the most affected facet of life. Lockdown had adversely affected the family bond in one per cent of the participants. Conclusion: The study concludes that lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse psychosocial impact on the general population of Haryana resulting in a magnitude of psychological issues.
Phytochemical analysis of methanolic leaf extract of Thespesia populnea

Thespesia populnea is a herbal medicinal plant known for its therapeutic value in inflammatory disorders. The present study was carried out to know the qualitative phytochemical analysis of methanolic leaf extract of Thespesia populnea. The leaves of Thespesia populnea were collected from in and around Tirupati (Chittor district), Andhra Pradesh. The plant was identified and authenticated by a taxonomist in the Department of Botany, College of science and arts, sri Venkateshwara University, Tirupati. T.populnea methanolic leaf extract was prepared by using cold maceration method and subjected to analysis of carbohydrates, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, steroids and proteins. In the present study, methanolic extract of Thespesia populnea leaves revealed the existence of various phytochemical constituents like carbohydrates, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, saponins, steroids and proteins.
DEV106633 2349..2359

The ability to follow and modify cell behaviour with accurate spatiotemporal resolution is a prerequisite to study morphogenesis in developing organisms. Electroporation, the delivery of exogenous molecules into targeted cell populations through electric permeation of the plasma membrane, has been used with this aim in different model systems. However, current localised electroporation strategies suffer from insufficient reproducibility and mediocre survival when applied to small and delicate organisms such as early post-implantation mouse embryos. We introduce here a microdevice to achieve localised electroporation with high efficiency and reduced cell damage. In silico simulationsusingasimpleelectricalmodel ofmouseembryos indicated that a dielectric guide-based design would improve on existing alternatives. Such a device was microfabricated and its capacities tested by targeting the distal visceral endoderm (DVE), a migrating cell population essential for anterior-posterior axis establishment. Transfection was efficiently and reproducibly restricted to fewer than four visceral endoderm cells without compromising cell behaviour and embryo survival. Combining targetedmosaic expression of fluorescent markers with live imaging in transgenic embryos revealed that, like leading DVE cells, non-leading ones send long basal projections and intercalate during their migration. Finally, we show that the use of our microsystem can be extended to a variety of embryological contexts, from preimplantation stages to organ explants. Hence, we have experimentally validated an approach delivering a tailor-made tool for the study of morphogenesis in the mouse embryo. Furthermore, we have delineated a comprehensive strategy for the development of ad hoc electroporation devices.
Lipid, total sugar and glycogen composition in the parasitoid, Bracon hebetor Say, 1836 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) during starvation

1 Summary The effect of starvation on lipid, total sugar and glycogen contents of braconid species, Bracon hebetor Say, 1836 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was examined under laboratory conditions. Adults of B. hebetor were starved for up to ten days. Lipid concentration in female and male parasitoids declined consistently throughout the starvation period when compared with the other nutrient reserves. In females a mild decline in total sugar levels followed emergence and continued through the fifth days of life. On subsequent days females had more or less a stable level of total sugar with slight oscillations. In males, total sugar concentration decreased at the beginning of starvation and remained constant over starvation period. The glycogen reserves of female and male parasitoids that had been starved for ten days reached a peak in 24 h and then declined slightly during experimental period.
From land productivity trends to land degradation assessment in Mozambique: Effects of climate, human activities and stakeholder definitions

Remote sensing observations such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) trends can provide important insights into past and present land condition. However, they do not directly provide comprehensive information about our representation of land degradation and the processes at work. This study aimed to analyze vegetation productivity underlying factors in order to assess land degradation and to highlight the impact of definitions on its quantitative assessment, using Mozambique as case‐study. Land productivity change were first analyzed using NDVI time‐series (2000–2016), and a two‐step framework was then used to understand the main factors of these productivity changes. The impact of land degradation's definition was assessed based on four types of stakeholder, with different priorities in terms of ecosystem services. The results show that 25% of the country display a significant land productivity decrease, while only 3% display a land productivity increase. A large part of these land productivity changes (>61% of the decrease, and >98% of the increase) is directly assigned to human activities, such as native forest growth or tree plantations (for the increase), or forest degradation, deforestation and loss of grassland productivity (for the decrease). We showed that the fraction of degraded land varies according to stakeholders' definitions, ranging from 12% to 20% of the Country, much less than the 39% estimated by Tier 1 United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. This study provides a sound methodological framework for assessing land degradation status that could help stakeholders to design national and locally relevant land degradation mitigation policies or programmes.
Investigating the influence of climate change on crop and livestock: A case study of Bidar and Raichur districts of Karnataka

The study assessed the influence of climate change on crop and livestock as expressed by farmers and adaptation measured followed by them under changing condition. Simple random sampling technique was employed to select 120 respondents comprising equal number of respondents from Bidar and Raichur districts. The primary data required for the study were collected by structured interview schedule administered on 120 farmers randomly selected from the Bidar and Raichur districts of Karnataka. Descriptive analyses of data were carried out using frequency counts, percentages, means and tables. In Bidar district 85.00 per cent of the farmers expressed that income from crop production is adversely affected due to climate change and 81.67 per cent of the Raichur farmers agreed with the same. 80.00 and 70.00 per cent of Bidar and Raichur farmers respectively expressed that there is decrease in crop yield due to climate change. In Bidar district 81.67 per cent (63.33% in Raichur district) opined there is increase in outbreak of livestock diseases in changing climate and 61.67 per cent (53.33% in Raichur district) felt that there is reduction in milk yield of dairy animals. Adaptation measures initiated by the farmers to mitigate the influence of climate change were change in sowing dates, drought escaping mechanism, shifted from long duration to short duration varieties and crop diversification. Some of the farmers have increased the quantity of fertilizer application while some have increased the number of irrigations given. The study reveals that most of the farmers are aware of climate change and its influence on crop and livestock and took up the adaptation measures.
Haemopoietic function and flowcytometry of pronephric kidney in Clarias batrachus L. under the impact of organophosphate-SUMIDON 40.

The impact of different doses of SUMIDON-40, an organophaphate pesticide on the haemopoiesis of Clarias batrachus L. (Clariidae) was tested. The small lymphoid haemoblast decreased and consequently the young erythrocytes increased significantly in both sublethal and LC50 dose treated fish. The percentage of mature reticulocyte increased significantly in LC50 dose treated group. The erythropoietic efficiency was increased significantly in fish exposed to sublethal dose and decreased in fish exposed to LC50 dose. Among leucocytes, the percentage of neutrophil increased significantly in both treatment groups and the percentage of macrophage increased only in LC50 dose treated group. The overall leukopoietic efficiency, however, was increased significantly in both treatment groups. Flowcytometric analysis of cell cycle in pronephric kidney cells confirmed that the cell death was increased and DNA synthesis was significantly decreased with increasing dose of pesticides. It is concluded that habitat deterioration caused by agrochemical impedes haemopoiesis in this species resulting to reduction of endurance levels to pollution.
A STUDY ON COMPARATIVE PERFORMANCE OF 3 - WAY STRAIN CROSSES

A study was conducted by using 238 White Leghorn pullets of six different groups of 3-Way crosses to evaluate their production performance for certain economic traits. Significant differences were observed among the genetic groups for the characters studied viz., average age at first egg, body weight at different ages, egg-production and egg weight at 28 and 40 weeks of age. The body weight at 16 and 20 weeks of age was significantly low in K x FD cross recording 973 (g) and 1201 (g) respectively followed by K x OF cross. Age at sexual maturity was significantly more by 9–10 days in these two crosses. The egg production was found to be significantly higher at 40 and 72 weeks of age in H x OF and H x FD crosses recording 115–293 eggs and 115–281 eggs, respectively. Significantly high egg weight of 51 (g) and 54 (g) was obtained in K x OF cross at 28 and 40 weeks of age followed by other crosses. H x OF and H x FO crosses, which recorded high egg production have registered low egg weight at 28 and 40 weeks of age 48, 51; 47, 50, respectively.
Potential refugia in Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau revealed by the phylogeographical study of Swertia tetraptera (Gentianaceae)

we studied the phylogeography of Swertia tetraptera Maxim, which is an annual herbaceous plant endemic to the Qinghai-tibetan Plateau (QtP), by sequencing one intergenic chloroplast spacer, trnl-trnF (773 bp). the sampling design included 35 populations and 399 individuals, and spanned the entire distribution of the species. Forty-four haplotypes were characterized, and one of them was widely distributed in all of the populations. the level of differentiation among the populations studied was relatively low (Gst = 0.128). estimates of Nst-Gst for populations of S. tetraptera indicated that no phylogeographical structure exists, which was supported by the distribution of haplotypes. the neutrality test, mismatch distribution and a ‘star-like’ genealogy all suggested that this species experienced population expansion. according to the number of rare haplotype and geological evidence, this study suggested that two potential refugia existed during the last glaciation: the first refugium was identified in a restricted semi-continuous area around the eastern margin of the plateau; the second refugium was located in the central of QtP. In fact, the findings of our study are somewhat similar as the third phylogeographical structure occurring in the QtP, that is, alpine plants have refugia not only in the edge area but also in the Plateau platform. However, the location of plateau edge and plateau platform refugia is very different among them due to the difference of species-specific characteristic such as distributional range and life history traits. KeY worDs: cpDNa trnl-trnF, Swertia tetraptera, glacial refugia, Qinghai-tibetan Plateau
Assimilation of Microplastics and Bacteria Associated with the Organs of Wild Mullet Harvested from an Estuary in Rivers State, Nigeria

This research investigates the assimilation ofmicropastics (MPs) and bacteria associated with internal organs of wild Mullet (Liza grandisquamis)harvested from Ohiakwo estuary. The bacterial quality wasevaluated using standard microbiological and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analyses. The adult mullet samples used have supposedly acclimatized to the biogeochemical, stress and plastisphere ecology of theaquatic ecosystems. Bacterial group counts (BGCs) among the organs (gill, intestine and tissue) was high (10 7 -10 8 CFU/g) but varied slightly with the highest been total coliform counts, 2.33x10 8 CFU/g.The bacteria associated were identified from culture-dependent molecular techniquewith accession numbers asStaphylococcus epidermidis (AE015931), Pseudomonas xiamenensis (MH734834), Bacillus licheniformis (AF478085), Klebsiella pneumoniae (MH021669), Bacillus lentus (AB021189), Escherichia coli (KX609714) and Vibrio alginolyticus (MH734825) respectively. FTIR spectroscopy and other contemporaryanalyses revealed the percentage occurrence of the synthetic polymers/MPs in the following order; sediment (S) > surface water (SW) >gill (G) >intestine (I) >tissue (T) during the dry season. Whereas in the rainy season the order was; S >G>SW>I >T. Further analyses of the MP particles in the gill identified the components as 92.00% polypropylene (PP), 3.11% polyester, 1.90% polyvinyl chloride (PVC), 1.21% polyurethane (PU), 1.14% cellulose, 0.37% polyamide, 0.15% polystyrene (PS) and 0.01% low density polyethylene (LDPE) respectively. However, the presence of MPs in the aquatic environment and in mullet internal organs poses a serious threat to food security and public health. Further research, however, should focus on methodologies or technologies that will monitor and eliminate MPs and their toxicity along the food supply chain.
Evaluation of flubendiamide 3.5% + hexaconazole 5% WG for the management of lepidopteron pests and powdery mildew disease in blackgram

A field experiment was conducted during Kharif, 2016 to evaluate the efficacy of Flubendiamide 3.5% + Hexaconazole 5% WG for the management of lepidopteron pests and powdery mildew disease in blackgram at Agricultural Research station, Bidar, Karnataka. Among the two doses of evaluated, Flubendiamide 3.5% + Hexaconazole5% WG @ 1250 g/ha was proved to be ideal for the management of Spodoptera litura, Helicoverpa armigera and powdery mildew disease in blackgram with increase in the yield.
Assessment of effect of foliar spray of micronutrients on quantitative and qualitative attributes of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) cv. Pusa KTS-1

Broccoli, being a Cole crop, is a heavy feeder of plant nutrients. So, effective and appropriate concentration of micronutrients i.e., ammonium molybdate and boric acid, in maximization of broccoli yield (Brassica oleracea var. italica) cv. Pusa KTS-1 was studied under Varanasi field condition. In this investigation, effect of five micronutrients namely, ammonium molybdate {(NH4)2MoO4)}, boric acid (H3BO3), copper sulphate (CuSo4), ferrous sulphate (FeSo4) and zinc sulphate (ZnSo4) on broccoli growth and yield were assessed. The result clearly indicated that the treatment (T15) zinc sulphate @ 0.60% exhibited highest plant height (63.29 cm), leaf length (43.63 cm), leaf width (22.60 cm), fresh plant weight (1908.83 g) and phenol content (8.86%). However, foliar application of (T5) boric acid @ 0.40% resulted in increased fresh curd weight (411.87 g), non-reducing sugar (1.80 %) and it also induced earliness (61.44 days). Thus, these micronutrients are one of the most important aspects for attaining higher yield and quality of broccoli.
Site representativity of AERONET and GAW remotely sensed aerosol optical thickness and absorbing aerosol optical thickness observations

Abstract. Remote sensing observations from the AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork) and GAW (Global Atmosphere Watch) networks are intermittent in time and have a limited field of view. A global high-resolution simulation (Goddard Earth Observing System Model (GEOS-5) Nature Run) is used to conduct an OSSE (observing system simulation experiment) for AERONET and GAW observations of AOT (aerosol optical thickness) and AAOT (absorbing aerosol optical thickness) and estimate the spatiotemporal representativity of individual sites for larger areas (from 0.5 to 4∘ in size). GEOS-5 NR and the OSSE are evaluated and have shown to have sufficient skill, although daily AAOT variability is significantly underestimated, while the frequency of AAOT observations is overestimated (both resulting in an underestimation of temporal representativity errors in AAOT). Yearly representation errors are provided for a host of scenarios: varying grid-box size, temporal collocation protocols and site altitudes are explored. Monthly representation errors show correlations from month to month, with a pronounced annual cycle that suggests temporal averaging may not be very successful in reducing multi-year representation errors. The collocation protocol for AEROCOM (AEROsol Comparisons between Observations and Models) model evaluation (using daily data) is shown to be suboptimal and the use of hourly data is advocated instead. A previous subjective ranking of site spatial representativity (Kinne et al., 2013) is analysed and a new objective ranking proposed. Several sites are shown to have yearly representation errors in excess of 40 %. Lastly, a recent suggestion (Wang et al., 2018) that AERONET observations of AAOT suffer a positive representation bias of 30 % globally is analysed and evidence is provided that this bias is likely an overestimate (the current paper finds 4 %) due to methodological choices.
Effect of Various Oil Coatings on the Quality and Shelf Life of Mandarin cv. Daisy

To assess the effect of various oil coatings on quality and shelf life of mandarin cv. Daisy a research trial was conducted at Department of Horticulture, Khalsa College, Amritsar during the year 2019-2020. Laboratory experiment was carried out under Complete Randomised Design (CRD) with eight treatments T1 (Rice bran oil), T2 (Olive oil), T3 (Coconut oil), T4 (Mustard oil), T5 (Cinnamon oil), T6 (Palm oil), T7 (Sesame oil) and T8 (Control) replicated thrice. After coating with various oils, the fruits were stored under ambient conditions (14.4°C; 80% RH). The fruits were then analyzed periodically for various quality attributes. Results of the study revealed that the coconut oil coated fruits had an immense effect on the reduction of physiological loss of weight (0.74%) and preserved firmness (7.33 lb force), TSS (12.45%), total sugars (7.83%) and ascorbic acid (10.83 mg/100ml juice) and non detection of microbes and their growth up to 21 days of storage. Hence, coconut oil coated fruits proved quite effective in prolonging the shelflife and maintaining the quality of Daisy mandarin fruits for 21 days compared to only 7 days in untreated fruits.
Molecular characterization of the UV-response in Caenorhabditis elegans

The Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) proteins form distinct complexes that maintain genome stability during chromosome segregation, homologous recombination (HR), and DNA replication. Using a forward genetic screen, we identified two alleles of smc-5 that exacerbate UV-sensitivity in C. elegans. Germ cells of smc-5 defective animals show reduced proliferation, sensitivity to perturbed replication and accumulation of RAD-51 foci that indicate the activation of HR. Mutations in the translesion synthesis polymerase polh-1 act synergistically with smc-5 mutations in provoking genome instability after UV-induced DNA damage. In contrast, the DNA damage accumulation and UV-sensitivity in smc-5 mutant strains are suppressed by mutations in the C. elegans BRCA1/BARD1 homologues, brc-1 and brd-1. We propose that SMC-5/6 promotes replication fork stability and facilitates recombination-dependent repair when the BRC-1/BRD-1 complex initiates HR at stalled replication forks. Our data suggest that BRC-1/BRD-1 can both, promote and antagonize genome stability depending on whether HR is initiated during DSB repair or during replication stalling. In addition, we characterized the pool of small regulatory RNAs that respond to UV irradiation in young C. elegans. Deep sequencing identified miRNAs that were regulated differentially after treatment with UV light and revealed novel miRNAs. We validated upregulation of mir-2214*, mir-235, mir-71 and mir-238 as well as suppression of mir-1830, let-7, mir-2211, mir-48 and lin-4. However, analysis of mutants and GFP-reporter strains indicated that lin-4 and let-7 are dispensable for resistance to UV and that promoter activity is not changed after irradiation. Combining literature research and bioinformatical approaches we found that UV-regulated miRNAs are associated with growth and development. Also, we provide evidence that miRNAs alter MAPK kinase signaling, control nucleotide excision repair and the proteasome in response to UV irradiation.
DYNAMIC TERM STRUCTURE MODELING UNDER MACROECONOMIC-DRIVEN REGIME SHIFTS

This thesis proposes a regime-switching extension of the dynamic Nelson-Siegel and Björk-Christensen term structure models. A first-order Markov process with time-varying transition probabilities governs the switches. The transition probabilities, in turn, are driven by three leading economic indicators. The models are estimated through an application of the Kim filter using U.S. zero-coupon yields. As such, two distinct regimes are identified which are interpreted as a regime of normal economic activity and a regime of aberrant activity. The regime-switching models are benchmarked against the random walk and compete with various existing, single-regime models in both an in-sample and out-of-sample study. It follows that the single-regime models and their regime-switching counterparts fit the data equally well. In addition, the regime-switching models provide superior forecasts in some instances, particularly at the short end of the yield curve. Furthermore, inclusion of macroeconomic data is beneficial to interest rate forecasting at forecasting horizons of six months and beyond.