Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Land Use/Land Cover Changes and the Relationship with Land Surface Temperature Using Landsat and MODIS Imageries in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Mountainous regions are more sensitive to climatic condition changes and are susceptible to recent increases in temperature. Due to urbanization and land use/land cover (LULC) issues, Cameron Highlands has been impacted by rising land surface temperature (LST) variation. Thus, this study was carried out to explore the impact of the LULC change on LST in the Cameron Highlands from 2009 to 2019 using remote sensing images acquired from Landsat 7 ETM+, Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI/TIRS), and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) 11A Thermal sensors. A split-window algorithm was applied to Landsat 8 images (2013–2019) to derive the LST. Air temperature data of the study area were also obtained to cross-validate data sources. Based on the validation results, the accuracy of LULC and LST outputs were more than 94.6% and 80.0%, respectively. The results show that the current trend of urban growth continues at a rate of 0.16% per year, and the area experienced an LST increase of 2 °C between 2009 and 2019. This study is crucial for land planners and environmentalists to understand the impacts of LULC change on LST and to propose appropriate policy measures to control development in Cameron Highlands.
Effect of saffron oral capsule on anxiety and quality of sleep of diabetic patients in a tertiary healthcare facility in southeastern Iran: A quasi-experimental study

Purpose : To determine the effect of oral capsule of saffron (a herbal medicine) on anxiety and quality of sleep of diabetic patients of a tertiary healthcare facility in Zabol, Iran in 2016. Methods : This was a quasi-experimental study on 50 diabetics of Zabol who met the inclusion criteria. Participants were randomly split into two groups (control and test). Anxiety and quality of sleep were evaluated by Spielberger Anxiety Inventory and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Participants in the intervention group received a daily (between 12 noon and 2 pm) intake of 300 mg saffron capsule after lunch while those in the control group received a placebo daily for a similar duration. After a week, anxiety and sleep quality were assessed. Results: A significant difference in anxiety and quality of sleep prior to and after saffron oral capsule intake (p = 0.001) was observed. In the control group, anxiety and quality of sleep did not show any significant difference before and after intervention (p = 0.001). Conclusion: The results show that saffron capsule intake is effective in reducing anxiety and improving the quality of sleep among diabetic patients. Further studies are required to enhance saffron capsule formulation. Keywords: Anxiety, Blood glucose, Sleep, Diabetes mellitus
Data Acquisition Model for Online Learning Activity in Distance English Teaching based on xAPI

: In order to overcome the problems of low accuracy and low recall rate of online learning activity data acquisition, an online learning activity data acquisition model of distance English teaching platform based on xAPI is proposed. According to the visual attribute data of elements, this model divides and judges the online learning activity web page and preliminarily determines the location of noise data. According to the context content rules, the segmentation results of online learning activity web pages are processed in detail, the subblocks are evaluated comprehensively, and the noise data are locked and filtered. The data acquisition model is built by using the modules of user login verification, user mouse track replication, and English online learning activity data acquisition report display. Experimental results show that the model has high recall and precision.
Inulin in poultry production

Since 2006, when the European Union imposed a total ban on the use of antibiotic growth promoters, scientific interest has focused on natural feed additives that might be positive to both production performance and animal health. Inulin is a prebiotic, which occurs naturally in many plants as a storage material. The specific structure of inulin underlies the fact that it is not digested by the host digestive enzymes. Unchanged, the prebiotic reaches the large intestine, where it undergoes fermentation and becomes a substrate for some strains of healthy bacteria. Current literature contains information on the effects of inulin on broiler performance and laying performance of hens. It may be concluded from data available that inulin is beneficial in the production of poultry meat and eggs. Inulin may improve feed intake and conversion, stimulate weight gains, strengthen the skeletal system, improve carcass yields and the production and quality of eggs. However, reports on the subject are scarce, and the results they present vary substantially. The mode of action of inulin appears to be complex, multidirectional and is not yet fully understood. The ambiguous character of inulin may result from the fact that its effectiveness in poultry nutrition depends on a number of factors. Despite these unresolved issues, the positive properties of inulin may be of benefit to the poultry industry.
Performance of five potato varieties with regards to growth and production of mini-tubers under an aeroponic system in central highlands of Kenya

There is limited information on the performance of Kenyan potato varieties under aeroponic systems. Experiments were therefore carried out at the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), Tigoni, under an aeroponic system in 2012 and 2013 to evaluate the growth and mini-tubers production of five varieties commonly grown in Kenya and differ in vegetative and reproductive characteristics. The experiment was set up in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) replicated three times. Plant growth expressed by plant height differed among the varieties and these differences became more pronounced with plant age. The effect of variety on number of mini-tubers per plant and total weight of mini-tubers per plant was significant. The number of mini-tubers per plant ranged from 62.2 to 19.2 in season 1 and 56.8 and 17.1 in season 2. Correlations between the number of mini-tubers per plant and the total weight of mini-tubers per plant with days to tuberization, days to senescing, days to maturity, plant height measured at 80 days after transplanting and plant vigor, were positive and significant. The correlation between the number of mini-tubers per plant and total weight of mini-tubers per plant was also positive and significant. It is concluded that mini-tubers production under aeroponic system was variety dependent with Tigoni, Asante and Kenya Mpya being the most productive varieties irrespective of the season. Evaluation of a variety’s suitability/adaptability to the system is therefore necessary to determine the most adapted varieties before embarking on large scale production as this will ultimately affect production costs, with higher yielding varieties more likely to result in lower mini-tubers production costs. Key words: Aeroponics, mini-tuber production, vegetative growth.
Changes in nutritive value and herbage yield during extended growth intervals in grass–legume mixtures: effects of species, maturity at harvest, and relationships between productivity and components of feed quality

There is a lack of information on the effects of companion species in grass–legume mixtures on herbage yield and quality changes during prolonged growth. Such information is relevant for harvest planning and estimation of consequences for feeding value of conserved feed when harvesting is delayed. Perennial ryegrass was sown with each of four legumes: red clover, white clover, lucerne and birdsfoot trefoil, and white clover was sown with hybrid ryegrass, meadow fescue and timothy. Effects of species composition on herbage yield, contents of N, neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and lignin, ash and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) were studied in entire herbage and in component species during 2 years in a small-plot cutting trial in Denmark. In May and August, the dynamic development of components of feed value and their interrelationships were investigated by sampling at optimum harvest date (i.e., normal practice) ± 1 week (t = −1 to t = +1). Herbage digestibility and contents of N and ash decreased while those of fibre compounds increased during the 2 weeks from t = −1 to t = 1 in all species. In May, contents of ADF and lignin increased at a faster rate in legumes than in grasses; in August, NDF and ADF increased most quickly in legumes. Generally, N contents and IVOMD declined at similar rates in grasses and legumes, but, within each group, differences in yield and quality development occurred among species. The relationship between weekly growth rate and change in quality parameters differed among species and functional groups, i.e., grasses and legumes. Results are discussed in the context of quantifying the impact of delaying the harvest date of grass–legume mixtures and relationships between productivity and components of feed quality.
An epiblast stem cell-derived multipotent progenitor population for axial extension

ABSTRACT The caudal lateral epiblast of mammalian embryos harbours bipotent progenitors that contribute to the spinal cord and the paraxial mesoderm in concert with the body axis elongation. These progenitors, called neural mesodermal progenitors (NMPs), are identified as cells that co-express Sox2 and T/brachyury, a criterion used to derive NMP-like cells from embryonic stem cells in vitro. However, unlike embryonic NMPs, these progenitors do not self-renew. Here, we find that the protocols that yield NMP-like cells in vitro initially produce a multipotent population that, in addition to NMPs, generates progenitors for the lateral plate and intermediate mesoderm. We show that epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) are an effective source of these multipotent progenitors, which are further differentiated by a balance between BMP and Nodal signalling. Importantly, we show that NMP-like cells derived from EpiSCs exhibit limited self-renewal in vitro and a gene expression signature like their embryonic counterparts. Summary: A protocol that efficiently produces neuromesodermal progenitors from a multipotent population with progenitors for a variety of mesodermal derivatives.
Nitrogen preference across generations under changing ammonium nitrate ratios

Aims: Nitrogen (N) in natural environments is typically supplied by a mixture of ammonia (NH4) and nitrate (NO3). However, factors that underlie either NH4 or NO3 preference, and how such preference will change across generations remain unclear. We conducted a series of experiments to answer whether: (i) NH4:NO3 ratio is the driving factor for plant N preference, and (ii) this preference is consistent across generations. Methods: We conducted both: (i) field observations (as a proxy for parent or P generation) and (ii) greenhouse experiments (the first generation or F1 and the second generation or F2) using corn and soybean grown under different NH4:NO3 ratios. Important findings: Both corn and soybean had the physiological plasticity to prefer either NH4 or NO3 depending on NH4:NO3 ratios, and this plasticity was consistent across generations. Corn, however, showed a stronger preference towards NO3 while soybean showed a stronger preference towards NH4. While both plants would try to make use of the most available form of N in their growing medium, plant species, physiological characteristics (e.g., maturity) and plant nutrient status also determined the extent of N uptake. From the evolutionary and productivity perspective, this plasticity is beneficial, allowing plants to effectively acquire available N particularly in a changing climate.
The effects of inbreeding and stress on plant performance

The aim of this thesis was to enhance our understanding of the combined effects of inbreeding and environmental stress on plant performance. Inbreeding, the mating among close relatives, reduces the fitness offspring in most organisms. However, the magnitude of the resulting fitness reduction (inbreeding depression, ID) often differs among environments. It is often assumed that ID is higher under more stressful conditions. However, some studies found that ID was reduced under stress, and it has been proposed that ID does not change with stress intensity but is higher in environments that increase phenotypic variation (phenotypic variation hypothesis). I conducted a series of experiments and compared the effects of various types of stress and inbreeding on plants to answer the following questions: (1) Does inbreeding depression (ID) differ among environmental conditions? (2) Does ID generally increase or decrease with the intensity of stress? (3) Does ID increase in environments which increase phenotypic variation? Chapter II and III investigate the interacting effects of inbreeding and stress on performance and plasticity of the perennial herb Silene vulgaris. Seedlings derived from self- and cross-pollinations were clonally propagated, and replicates of each of the genotypes were grown under eight stress treatments in a greenhouse. These included a control, drought, copper addition, simulated herbivory and two levels of nutrient deficiency and of shade. Inbreeding depression differed among stress treatments and decreased with stress intensity (Chapter II). This decrease of ID with stress was particularly strong for stress types to which the species may have become adapted in its population of origin (drought, nutrient deficiency), whereas ID did not change with increasing shade. To test if the results from the experiment can be transferred to the situation in natural populations, I planted selfed and cross-pollinated S. vulgaris into a common garden and into a more stressful field site. In contrast to the greenhouse experiment, ID was higher in the field site than in the common garden. However, the phenotypic variation hypothesis explained both the higher ID in the field compared to the common garden, and the decrease of ID with stress intensity in the greenhouse. Inbreeding also affected the response of various traits of S. vulgaris other than biomass to stress (Chapter III). Offspring from self-pollination were less plastic in some important functional traits, like stem length, leaf area, specific leaf area and chlorophyll content. Plants changed their allocation patterns in response to specific stresses like shading and nutrient deficiency as predicted by optimal partitioning theory, but these allocation responses were not affected by inbreeding. A second study system was the hemiparasite Rhinanthus alectorolophus (Chapter IV). Selfed and open-pollinated offspring from two populations were grown with single individuals of 13 host species known to differ in their quality for the parasite, thus forming a…
Ranunculus

(positive or negative) and any other force-epinasty, hyponasty, positive or negative heliotropism,-it is clear that, geotropism being destroyed by the rotation, the balance cannot be maintained. " The experiments, varied in many ways, and with arrangements to eliminate epinastic and hyponastic tendencies, plainly bring out the conclusion "that the power which leaves have of placing themselves at right-angles to the incident light is due to a specialized sensitiveness to light, which is able to regulate or govern the action of other external forces, such as gravitation, or of internal forces, such as epinasty. "-A. G. in Am. Jour. Sci.
Medline diastema of orthodontic patients - Prevalence and Etiology in Erbil Population - A cross-sectional study

To investigate the prevalence and etiological factors that contribute in midline diastema in Erbil population among different age groups and genders. A sample of (ex: 1021orthodontic patients (537 males and 484 females) were randomly selected from Erbil population attending to orthodontic department of khanzad polyclinic teaching center (General directorate of hawler / Ministry of health/ Kurdistan regionIraq) during 2018-2019 period. Aged (13-35 years) with mean age ± SD was 19.6 ± 4.8 years, with a median of 19 years. The examination included patient history taking, intraoral examination, photograph, intraoral periapical radiography of incisors area and panoramic radiographic. Diastema consider positive when the space between central incisors is 0.5mm and more, width was measured clinically used digital Vernier calipers at one millimeter above the incisors edge. In this study the prevalence of midline diastema was 23.2%. location was in the maxilla (97%), inmandible (1.3%) and in bothwas (1.7%). The prevalence ofmidline diastema differs signi icantly between the age groups (p < 0.001). The highest prevalence (55.8%) was among patients aged ≥ 30 years, and it was also high (37.7%) among those aged < 15 years. The prevalence among females (26.4%) was signi icantly higher than the prevalence (20.3%) among males (P= 0.020). The main causes of midline diastema in females was thumb sucking and missing lateral incisors (14.1% and 12.5% respectively) and in males was high labial frenum and super numerally teeth (39.4% and 30.3% respectively). Theprevalenceof diastema inErbil City (Kurdistan regionalIraq) area was 23.2%, the location mostly in maxilla (97%). The prevalence of diastema in females more than males.
Utilization of microsatellite markers to assess hybridity and genetic identity of canary seed (Phalaris canariensis L.) genotypes

Abstract: Challenges in the emasculation of female parent panicles and limited morphological variation among canary seed (Phalaris canariensis L.) genotypes has resulted in a need for molecular markers to assess hybridity and seed purity. Codominant simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers can be used to assess hybridity and purity instead of a grow-out test. A set of 15 SSR markers was used to assess hybridity of 10 F1-derived F2 families developed from a cross between two glabrous lines: a yellow-seeded C05091 (female parent) and a brown-seeded C00038 (male parent). The two most informative SSR markers, CSM8 and CSM39, could confirm that 9 of 10 families were hybrids due to the presence of a marker allele from the male parent. Three SSR markers, CSM58, CSM85, and CSM102, allowed us to assess the genetic identity of four experimental canary seed lines: C08019, C08046, C09052, and C10022. The three markers also identified the physical admixture in 1 of 16 batches of seeds.
Biodegradation of Hexavalent Chromium by Acclimatized Pseudomonas Putida: Optimization and Kinetic Study

Hexavalent Chromium (Cr (VI)) is considered as priority pollutants to human health and aquatic life. The USEPA has set the maximum permissible limit of 0.05 mg/L of Cr (VI) in domestic uses of water. In the present work, the acclimatized culture of Pseudomonas putida (MTCC 1072) was used for the degradation Cr (VI) in wastewater. The process variables such as pH, temperature, and process time were optimized and found to be 7.0±0.2, 35±2 °C, and 8.0 days, respectively in the batch reactor. The optimized process condition was used to scale-up the batch process at lobortory scale. The maximum elimination of 86.4% was obtained at the optimum condition. The kinetics of biodegradation were studied using Monod and Andrew-Haldane model.
Mycophagous soil bacteria

Abstract Soil microorganisms evolved several strategies to compete for limited nutrients in soil. Bacteria of the genus Collimonas developed a way to exploit fungi as a source of organic nutrients. This strategy has been termed “mycophagy”. In this thesis, research is presented with a focus on two aspects of bacterial mycophagy: 1) Investigation of strategies and traits that are important for Collimonas bacteria to enable a mycophagous lifestyle, 2) Investigation of occurrence of mycophagy among other soil bacteria. Focusing on Collimonas bacteria, we find that several traits related to the mycophagous interaction with the fungal hosts, such as production of fungal inhibitors, are phylogenetically conserved. This implies that differentiation in lifestyles of Collimonas strains, is corresponding with phylogenetic distance. Furthermore, we show that collimonads are very motile in a soil-like matrix, especially when being confronted with low nutrient concentrations. This high motility can be used in order to effectively move towards oxalic acid (a metabolite exuded by a range of fungi for different purposes) in a concentration depended manner. Our results suggest that directed motility is an important trait, characterizing the mycophagous lifestyle of collimonads. In order to screen for other mycophagous bacteria besides collimonads, two baiting approaches (long- and short-term) were developed. With both approaches, we find fungal hyphae to be commonly colonized by specific communities of rhizosphere mycophagous bacteria. Furthermore, mycophagous colonizers show clear feeding preferences for fungal hosts. Interestingly, a surprisingly high amount of mycophagous bacteria belong to genera well known to harbor plant pathogenic strains. Considering the importance of mycophagous bacteria in the rhizosphere, we finally propose the “Sapro-Rhizosphere” concept. This concept states that a substantial amount of plant derived carbon that is channeled through rhizosphere fungi (primary consumers) might be finally consumed by mycophagous bacteria (secondary consumers). Taken together, by using molecular biological as well as microbiological methods, this thesis further extends our knowledge on the ecology of mycophagous Collimonas bacteria and highlights the importance of mycophagous bacteria in the rhizosphere.
Genomic and phenotypic analyses of polychaete sibling species Platynereis dumerilii and Platynereis massiliensis in relation to ocean acidification

The increase of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and the subsequent uptake of CO2 by the sea, is leading to a decrease in the pH of the oceans, a process known as Ocean Acidification. One of the main challenges of the current research on climate change is to determine how marine species respond to low pH/elevated pCO2 conditions. This thesis has investigated the effects of natural OA on the polychaete species Platynereis dumerilii and its sibling P. massiliensis (Annelida, Nereididae) as driver of genetic differentiation and phenotype/genotype selection. Platynereis spp. populations were sampled in five geographical areas situated along a thermo-latitudinal gradient along the Italian coasts, characterized by different pH conditions (acid vs normal). A multidisciplinary approach, focused on different aspects of the target species biology, was chosen and the following analyses were performed: (a) morphological and morphometric analyses of different populations/genotypes; (b) laboratory rearing of different populations to study the reproductive biology and gamete morphology; (c) population genetics by the amplification of a mitochondrial DNA marker (COI); (d) population genomics by a next-generation sequencing approach (RAD-seq); (e) background analyses and a long term laboratory experiment on selected genotypes/populations to study physiological responses to different pH conditions. This work has confirmed that Platynereis dumerilii and P. massiliensis represent two complexes of sibling species characterized by contrasting life history traits, reproductive biology and gamete morphology. The overall Platynereis massiliensis predominance in the CO2 vent systems is not a direct consequence of elevated pCO2, but it seems to derive from a winning reproductive strategy (brooding habit) in low pH conditions. Unlike Platynereis dumerilii, P. massiliensis is potentially able to thrive in the CO2 vents thanks to the higher stability of its antioxidant defence systems over temporal scale and its greater responsiveness to extreme hypercapnia conditions.