Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Progeny of Selfed Plants from Tomato Breeding Line ‘NC1 Grape’ Overexpressing Mannitol Dehydrogenase (MTD) Have Increased Resistance to the Early Blight Fungus, Alternaria solani

Patel, T. K. , Krasnyanski, S. F. , Allen, G. C. , Louws, F. J., Panthee, D. R. , and Williamson, J. D. 2015. Progeny of selfed plants from tomato breeding line ‘NC1 Grape’ overexpressing mannitol dehydrogenase (MTD) have increased resistance to the early blight fungus, Alternaria solani. Plant Health Progress doi:10.1094/PHP-RS-15-0022. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) made by plants in response to pathogen infection not only initiate local and systemic defenses, they are also antimicrobial. A number of fungi are hypothesized to secrete the antioxidant mannitol to protect against this antimicrobial ROS during infection. This hypothesis is supported by reports that overexpression of the mannitol catabolic enzyme mannitol dehydrogenase (MTD) in plants increases resistance to mannitol-secreting pathogens like Botrytis cinerea and Alternaria alternata. To extend this hypothesis and test the general utility of this approach, we overexpressed celery MTD in a tomato breeding line (NC1 Grape) currently used in our program. Although we reported earlier that MTD overexpression provides resistance to Botrytis gray mold in a greenhouse tomato, this is the first report of overexpression in an elite breeding variety providing heritable, whole-plant resistance to A. solani (tomato early blight). In this study, progeny from a high-MTD-expressing line had infection rates <65% those of nontransformed plants, and transformants outgrew infection by 7 days post-inoculation. Finally, our results suggest that screening for higher innate MTD expression in plants, rather than screening solely for the presence of the Mtd gene, might be a more effective way to identify parental lines for use in conventional breeding of early blight resistance.
Financial distress and the role of management in micro and small-sized firms

In this paper, we focus on managerial characteristics of micro and small-sized firms. Using linked employer-employee data on the Portuguese economy for the 2010-2018 period, we estimate the impact of management teams' human capital on the probability of firms becoming financially distressed and on their subsequent recovery. Our estimates show that the relevance of management teams' formal education on the probability of firms becoming financially distressed depends on firms' size and the type of education. We show that management teams' formal education and tenure reduces the probability of micro and small-sized firms becoming financially distressed and increases the probability of their subsequent recovery. The estimates also suggest that those impacts are stronger for micro and small-sized firms. Additionally, our results show that functional experience previously acquired in other firms, namely in foreign-owned and in exporting firms and in the area of finance, may reduce the probability of micro firms becoming financially distressed. On the other hand, previous functional experience in other firms seems to have a strong and highly significant impact on increasing the odds of recovery of financially distressed firms. We conclude that policies that induce an improvement in the managerial human capital of micro and small-sized firms have significant scope to improve their financial condition, reducing the likelihood of firms entering a state of financial distress.
Dental Practice during COVID-19 in Nepal: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

ABSTRACT Introduction: Currently, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become pandemic and spread globally. In Nepal, the number of COVID-19 is increasing day-by-day. This research was done to find out the impact of COVID-19 on dentists, patients, and dental practice in Nepal. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study conducted using an online survey from May 10 to17, 2020. A questionnaire was designed and uploaded in Freeonlinesurveys.com. Following ethical approval, the questionnaire was distributed among 500 dentists, and 406 dentists participated in the study. The survey link was dispersed to the Nepali dentists through social media and e-mail, and the results of the responses were received online. The questionnaire consisted of a total of 34 closed-ended questions containing three parts; demographic details, knowledge of dentists on COVID-19, and the impact of COVID-19 on dentists, patients, and dental treatments. Results: It showed that majority of the participants were females 243 (60%) of the age group 25-29 years with the clinic as the workplace. Patients receive dental treatments only from 40 (10%) of the dentist. A high number of dentists: 284 (70%) were severely affected by the financial burden and were not receiving a salary during this lockdown. About 349(86%) of the dentist think they should do regular dental treatments, but only 101 (25%) think the dentist should do only dental emergency treatments for COVID-19 infected cases. Conclusions: Dentists, patients, and dental practice are severely affected by the COVID-19. The majority of the dentists have faced financial burdens. The dental treatments should be done with high standards of care and infection control following proper recommendations.
Elution of Energetic Compounds from Propellant and Composition B Residues

Abstract : Surface soils from two firing points, an artillery impact range, and soils fortified with propellants were evaluated in column elution experiments assessing the release of energetic compounds from melt-cast crystalline explosives and nitrocellulose-based polymeric propellant formulations. Soils obtained from active military ranges were collected at locations identified as potential source zones for energetic residues. The laboratory columns contained 30 g of a silty-sand loam beneath 5.0 g of soil laden with energetic compounds. For 10 or 12 consecutive days, 10 mL of water was eluted through each of the columns. HMX, RDX, and TNT were quickly leached from a soil laden with Composition B residues that had been obtained where an artillery projectile had partially detonated. In contrast, neither 2,4-DNT nor NG were readily released from surface soils laden with propellant residues deposited from the firing of 105-mm howitzers and Light Anti-Armor Weapons (LAW), respectively. A soil prepared by grinding pieces of 105-mm howitzer and LAW rocket propellants with a sand matrix released much greater concentrations of 2,4-DNT and NG than residue-laden soils from firing points. Both the composition of energetic formulations (crystalline vs. polymeric) and physical state of propellant residues deposited at firing points play important roles in the fate and transport of energetic compounds.
TRANSFORMATIVE FACTORS FOR ENHANCING ADMINISTRATIVE SKILLS IN NIGERIAN PUBLIC SECTOR

One of the most important human activities is administration. Ever since people began forming groups to accomplish aims they could not achieve as individuals. No organization whether public or profit oriented that will operate successfully without some elements of administration. Administration has been essential to ensure the coordination of individual efforts and material resources. Despite the significance of administration in an organization, many organizations experience low output due to the absence of qualified administrators who are acquainted with administrative skills such as inter-personnel skills, numeracy, strong communication skills, self-initiative, problem solving and analytical skills, etc. This, usually results to low efficiency in an organization. The main objective of the study is to find out and evaluate the factors that enhances administrative skills in an organization. The methodology was drawn from secondary data which includes publications such as annual reports, books, journals, conference papers, gazettes and internet. The research found out among other things that organizational efficiency and productivity is influenced by administrative skills. It was recommended that organizations should improve administrative skills of their staff through training, proper monitoring and workshops among others.
Impact of Correlated Fading on Multi-Connectivity

Multi-connectivity (MC) is regarded as one of the key features that meet the requirements of ultra-reliable low-latency communications for 5th generation networks, as it provides multiple diversity branches. Recently, we evaluated the decoding reliability of various MC setups and different combining algorithms by analyzing the resulting outage probabilities. In this work, we are interested in how much the performance is affected by correlated fading. Specifically, we analyze the outage probability of MC systems with joint decoding reception operating over correlated quasi-static Rayleigh and Nakagami- ${m}$ fading channels. Our main contributions are as follows: (i) deriving the exact outage probability in integral form and the asymptotic outage probability at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in closed form; (ii) deriving the correlation loss, which quantifies the extra SNR required under correlated fading as compared with the independent scenario; and (iii) evaluating frame-error rates of quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check codes by Monte-Carlo simulations. Our results show that the correlation loss is marginal for a low to moderate level of correlation, whereas the diversity gain is not affected by correlation whatsoever. Furthermore, we find that the correlation loss is independent of the degrees of freedom encapsulated by the Nakagami- ${m}$ fading parameter.
Hyperuricemia is the Independent Risk Factor of All-Cause Mortality in Aged Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between hyperuricemia and all-cause mortality in aged chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Methods: A retrospective case-controlled study was carried out on 536 Chinese patients (age; 64-74 years) with CKD. The link between hyperuricemia and all-cause mortality in these patients was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards model. In this study, baseline data included: demographic data (age and gender), eGFR (CKD-Epi equation), urate-lowering drug application, nutritional index (BMI, albumin, total cholesterol, triglyceride, fasting blood glucose, low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein, pre-albumin), kidney function indices (potassium, carbon dioxide combining power, calcium, phosphorus, urea nitrogen) and proteinuria. Results: Out of the 536 patients (age range; 64–74 years; median age; 69 years), 274 (51.1%) had hyperuricemia and 82 deaths (15.3%) were recorded. After the data was corrected for confounding factors, the results showed hyperuricemia(HUA ≥360 μmol/L in females and ≥420 μmol/L in males)as the independent risk factor of all-cause mortality in aged patients with CKD (β=1.81, P=.0032). This was corroborated by a positive correlation between the levels of uric acid in the serum and all-cause mortality (β=1.002, P=.0036), whereby, the lowest group(serum uric acid:90.8-310.14μmol/L)was protected from all-cause mortality (β=0.445, P=0.004) unlike the next highest group(serum uric acid:310.15-401.54μmol/L). Conclusion: Herein, we found that hyperuricemia could be a distinctive risk factor of all-cause mortality in aged CKD patients. Also, uric acid levels in the serum were positively related to all-cause mortality. The 4th serum uric acid quartile was protective for all-cause mortality, compared with the 2nd serum uric acid quartile.
Student Success Coaching in Virginia Community Colleges

STUDENT SUCCESS COACHING IN VIRGINIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES Angela Lawhorne Old Dominion University, 2020 Director: Dr. David Ayers Community college students face many barriers when they start college, especially if they are from first-generation families, are low-income, or identify as a minority. Retention and completion for these at-risk students are relatively low compared to those with higher socioeconomic backgrounds (Bettinger & Baker, 2014). To improve these statistics and promote academic persistence, some Virginia Community College System (VCCS) colleges have implemented student success coaching under the Chancellor’s College Success Coach Initiative (VCCS, 2011). This entails not only assisting students with academic coaching, but also with career, financial, and personal matters that may affect their academic success. The researcher sought to analyze issues with retention and completion in higher education and the impact of targeted coaching on student success.
An Evolution of Values: An Examination of the Rise of Accountability and Equity Oriented Reform in Career and Technical Education

Competing societal and political values have historically facilitated shifts in the policies surrounding the goals of and the practices within Career and Technical Education (CTE). These values, however, are malleable and are developed in response to demands wrought by economic need. This review sheds light on how a confluence of societal and political factors facilitated changes in the values, goals, and practices of vocational education. In so doing, the present manuscript seeks to underscore how modern attitudes about schooling and society may shape the current landscape of the field. The rise of equity and accountability oriented reform in the field of CTE is especially considered in this study. As the field continues to evolve, CTE is likely to experience more changes informed by societal values. Thus, this article uses a historical analysis to elucidate how political and social shifts in values will have important implications for modern CTE policy and practice.
Development of indeterminate tomato hybrids suitable for growing in mid-hills of Himachal Pradesh during summer and rainy seasons

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is a member of family Solanaceae. In this study, heterosis for fruit yield, fruit transportability, nutritional quality and disease tolerance traits was studied in 15 hybrids developed from 6 diverse pure lines of indeterminate tomato crossed by following half-diallel mating scheme. The clear cut motive of this study was to develop indeterminate tomato hybrids suitable for growing in mid-hills of Himachal Pradesh to meet the demands of distant markets of North India during their off-season. Heterobeltiosis and standard heterosis for fruit yield traits, pericarp thickness, nutritional quality and disease tolerance traits were recorded significantly positive in three cross combinations viz. Solan Lalima x EC-1055, Solan Lalima x EC-1057 and Solan Lalima x EC-1058. Solan Lalima, EC-1055 and EC-1057 were found to be good general combiners. Predominance of dominant gene action was observed for traits included in this study. On the basis of this study, above mentioned three cross combinations can be recommended for evaluation at multi-locations and further commercialized in regions with off-season production potential.
ACUTE APPENDICITIS: A COMPARISON OF ROLE OF RIPASA AND MODIFIED ALVARADO SCORE IN ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS

Background: Acute appendicitis is the most common surgical emergency traditionally diagnosed clinically with laboratory and imaging methods with a negative appendicectomy rate of 15-20%. These facts lead to the development of multiple scoring systems of them two commonly used RIPASA and Modified Alvarado score are being compared in the present study. Methods: In a hospital based longitudinal study, clinically suspected cases of acute appendicitis that underwent appendicectomy were included as cases. Pre-operative assessment Modified Alvarado score and RIPASA score were study factors. And Histopathology of the appendix was the outcome factor. Apart from descriptive statistic, diagnostic accuracy was calculated for both scores with validation of cut off score were carried out by plotting of ROC curve. Results: Total 129 patients with a mean age of 31±9.71, male to female ratio of 1.8:1 were enrolled. Negative appendicectomy rate was 6.2% and accuracy of the RIPASA score was 80.5% and Modified Alvarado score was 50.39%. The validated cut off for both scores was >7.5. Conclusions: RIPASA scoring system has higher sensitivity and specificity compared to Modified Alvarado score. It also has higher diagnostic accuracy and a better scoring system for accurate diagnosis of acute Appendicitis in the local population.
Investigating Class I Integron and Antimicrobial Resistance Profile of Klebsiella pneumonia isolates in Babol, North of Iran

the class I integrons. We also investigated the suitability of the two pairs of primers for the detection of the intl gene. Results : Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed 90% resistance to ceftizoxime, cefotaxime, and cefepime, 88.6% to cefazolin, gentamicin, ticarcillin, and ceftriaxone, 83.3% to imipenem, 60% to ciprofloxacin, 56.6% to ofloxacin, and 36.6% to amikacin. The PCRs with two pairs of primers, one designed previously and the other in this study, detected int1 in 36.6% and 60% of samples, respectively. Conclusion: The int1 gene was of high prevalence (60%) in K. pneumoniae isolates. This factor could play a significant role in the spread of MDR strains. Also, failure to adhere to essential points in the design of the primer can lead to the production of primers with low specificity and efficiency, which reduces the proper identification of antibiotic resistance genes.
Childhood Abuse and Positive and Negative Relationship Quality in Women: The Role of Depression

Abstract The interpersonal nature of childhood abuse has led researchers to examine how abuse in childhood is associated with the quality of adult women's romantic relationships. Depression is one pathway by which childhood abuse may be associated with relationship quality. The current study considers whether childhood abuse is linked to positive and negative relationship quality through depressive symptoms. Data were obtained from women participating in the Longitudinal Study of Childhood Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN; N = 544) and were analysed using structural equation modelling. Results indicate a significant indirect effect from childhood abuse to both positive and negative quality through women's depressive symptoms. The indirect effect from abuse to negative relationship quality through depression was significantly larger than positive relationship quality. These results suggest that childhood abuse and subsequent depressive symptoms has a twofold effect on women's romantic relationships.
Epidemiology of gastrointestinal nematodes in small ruminants in aeolian plains of Haryana

The present article discusses the epidemiology of gastrointestinal parasitic infections in sheep and goats in aeolian plains of Haryana. Primarily the eggs of strongyle, Strongyloides sp. and Trichuris spp. were observed during faecal examination. The coproculture further elaborate the infection of Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus, Oesophagostomum and Strongyloides sp. The study revealed higher prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in goats than sheep. The difference in infection was significantly higher (p
High Commitment Work System and Turnover Intentions: Role of Workload as a Mediator

Turnover of employees is a big challenge for nearly every organization. Whereas, HR related policies and practices have huge impact on turnover intentions (TI) of employees in many contexts as such policies impact the attachment of the employees with the organization by enhancing their organizational commitment levels and thus leading to a considerable attention towards high commitment work-system (HCWS). The main aim of this study is to explore the relationship between HCWS and TI of employees, with the role of workload as a mediator between HCWS and TI of employees. This study is a descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional and quantitative where survey approach was used by focusing on employees, selected through convenience sampling approach, in banking sector (both public and private sector banks in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Correlation, OLS regression analysis, Cronbach’s alpha, and KMO and Bartlett’s tests were used for data analysis purposes. Results show the significant positive relationship between the HCWS and TI of employees, while the role of workload as a mediator variable between the HCWS and TI of employees was also confirmed. This study is important one as it extends the understanding through contributing to the literature related to employees’ TI and HCWS in the context of banking sector of Pakistan. Future study should focus on other study setting with longitudinal approach.
Evaluation of Demographic Features of Eyelid Lesions

Objectives: This study was an evaluation of demographic and histopathologic features of eyelid lesions. Methods: The medical records of 261 patients (296 eyelid lesions) who attended a single clinic between 1997 and 2011 were examined retrospectively. The incidence of benign and malignant lesions, the pathological classification, and age and sex data were investigated. Results: A total of 204 benign lesions (68.9%) and 92 malignant neoplasms (31.1%) were found. Among these, the most frequently seen types of benign neoplasms were xanthelasma (28.4%), papilloma (14.7%), chalazion (8.8%), nevus (6.4%), moll cyst (5.9%), and capillary hemangioma (4.9%). The most frequently seen malignant neoplasms were basal cell carcinoma (72.8%), squamous cell carcinoma (13%), and sebaceous gland carcinoma (5.4%). The study group was made up of 149 (57%) female patients and 112 (43%) male patients. The majority of benign lesions were seen in women, whereas malignant neoplasms were observed more often in male patients. The mean age of patients with benign lesions and malignant neoplasms was 38.1±21.7 and 62.7±15.3 years, respectively. Benign lesions involved the upper eyelid more frequently than the lower, while malignant lesions were seen more frequently in the lower eyelid, with the exception of sebaceous gland carcinoma. Conclusion: The majority of eyelid lesions were benign and malignant neoplasms were seen more frequently in the older population. Basal cell carcinoma was the most common malignant eyelid tumor. The most common site of malignant tumor origin was the lower eyelid, with the exception of sebaceous gland carcinoma.
Vuln4Real: A Methodology for Counting Actually Vulnerable Dependencies

Vulnerable dependencies are a known problem in today’s free open-source software ecosystems because FOSS libraries are highly interconnected, and developers do not always update their dependencies. Our paper proposes Vuln4Real, the methodology for counting actually vulnerable dependencies, that addresses the over-inflation problem of academic and industrial approaches for reporting vulnerable dependencies in FOSS software, and therefore, caters to the needs of industrial practice for correct allocation of development and audit resources. To understand the industrial impact of a more precise methodology, we considered the 500 most popular FOSS Java libraries used by SAP in its own software. Our analysis included 25767 distinct library instances in Maven. We found that the proposed methodology has visible impacts on both ecosystem view and the individual library developer view of the situation of software dependencies: Vuln4Real significantly reduces the number of false alerts for deployed code (dependencies wrongly flagged as vulnerable), provides meaningful insights on the exposure to third-parties (and hence vulnerabilities) of a library, and automatically predicts when dependency maintenance starts lagging, so it may not receive updates for arising issues.