Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Colour of milk and milk products in CIE L*a*b* space

Since the colour of objects is a feature originating in human mind, the perception and interpretation of colour remains subjective. An illuminated object reflects light energy, either partially or completely. A reflected electromagnetic wave reaching an observer is captured by the eye, and, after passing the signal to the brain, an impression of colour is generated. An analogous phenomenon is observed during sunbathing. People cannot see solar radiation, but can feel it warming them up – thus an impression of warmth is created in their minds (also subjectively). Since our bodies differ, we experience impressions in different ways. The reception of colours depends on the eye structure, educational background, natural environment and mental aptitude (27, 42). A mood or illness can also affect colours created in the brain. Due to disturbances in the eye or brain structure, a certain percentage of society is unable to generate the whole range of colours. Thus, as an instrument of colour evaluation, man is not free from drawbacks. An objective colour description is indispensable, particularly wherever slight differences in colour are significant, as in textile, paint and foodstuff industries or in dentistry (22). Nowadays, spectrophotometers are most frequently used for a quick evaluation of product colours. They convert energy reflected from an object into numbers defining the colour. The space for the expression of product colour is nowadays usually the CIE LAB colour space. In this space, the colour is expressed by means of three coordinates (constituents): L*, a*, b*. For better visualisation of the results, constituent L* can be presented as an independent vertical line with the following values: 0 – black, medium values – greys, and 100 – white. Values a* and b* can be presented as a point in the ab coordinate system, that is, on a colourful plane where colours fluently pass from red (+a*) through yellow (+b*) to green (–a*) and blue (–b*), just like the colours of the white light spectrum after passing through a prism. By connecting a point with coordinates a*b* with the centre of the coordinate system, a segment line is obtained, whose length is defined as chrome (c). The higher the value of c, the more intense (stronger and clearer) the colour of the object, and vice versa: the lower the c (closer to the centre of the system), the paler grey the colour is. The angle created by the axis +a* and the line segment c is called the hue (i.e. colour), and denoted by the letter h. The parameters obtained while measuring colour depend on spectrophotometer settings: the source of light (31), the angle of light incidence and observation (measurement geometry), the observation angle of the observer (2° or 10°), the diameter of the measurement area, and, for thin layers of samples, the parameters depend on the surface colour (3, 45). The Colour of milk and milk products in CIE L*a*b* space
Bioefficacy and residues of imidacloprid in chillies used against chilli thrips

Imidacloprid an insecticide belonging to chloronicotinyl group was applied as seed treatment, root dip and foliar spray for the management of thrips on chillies. Seed treatment of imidacloprid 70 WS at 10, 20 and 30g kg protected the seedlings in the nursery upto 45 days. The root dip of the seedlings before transplanting had no effect on the thrips population. Foliar treatment of imidacloprid 200 SL at 250, 375 and 500 ml ha reduced the thrips population significantly and also recorded higher yield of chilli fruits. There was no phytotoxicity in the chilli plants due to the treatment of imidacloprid either as seed treatment, root dip or foliar application. Residue analysis in the chilli fruits collected in the first harvest (7 weeks after last foliar application) revealed that the residue was at below detectable limit.
Genetics of awnness in the F2 population of basmati crosses of rice

The present investigation was conducted to study the gene action of awn character in rice. Hybridization was done between four female parents’ viz., ASD 16, ADT 37, MDU 6 and TKM 13 with one male parent viz., Improved Pusa Basmati 1. All the female parents are awnless, but the male parent is awned. F1 of all the crosses except ADT 37 × Improved Pusa Basmati 1 exhibited awns. This result indicated that awn character was controlled by dominant gene in those three crosses. In the F1 of the ADT 37 × Improved Pusa Basmati 1, awn expression was suppressed which indicated that suppressor or inhibitor gene may be present in ADT 37. All the F1s were selfed and F2 generation was obtained. F2 population of all the four crosses viz., ASD 16 × Improved Pusa Basmati 1, ADT 37 × Improved Pusa Basmati 1, MDU 6 × Improved Pusa Basmati 1 and TKM 13 × Improved Pusa Basmati 1 were studied to know the inheritance pattern of awnness. Based on chi-square test it was found that inheritance pattern of awnness fit in the ratio of 9: 7 (awned: awnless) in the F2 generation of three crosses viz., ASD 16 × Improved Pusa Basmati 1, MDU 6 × Improved Pusa Basmati 1 and TKM 13 × Improved Pusa Basmati 1 and the awn character appeared to be governed by complementary gene action. In the cross, ADT 37 × Improved Pusa Basmati 1 showed a ratio of 7: 9 (awned: awnless). The reason for the differences in gene action may be attributed to the presence of two different sets of genes in female parents of the crosses.
Unraveling the dynamics of a ground‐dwelling beetle population exposed to quarry exploitation and restoration practices

Quarry exploitation and restoration practices are expected to have overarching and contrasting impacts on animal communities. Although many studies describe these impacts, they generally overlook the effects on population dynamics and individual movements. We assessed the impacts of quarry exploitation and restoration activity on population dynamics, individual movement, and habitat use of a sand‐dwelling specialist beetle (Scarites cyclops). The study was performed on three plots: one adjacent to the margin of quarry exploitation, another subjected to restoration practices, and a control plot with no disturbance. A capture‐mark‐recapture approach was undertaken to estimate population parameters, movement, and habitat use. In the exploitation plot S. cyclops exhibited lower probability of recapture and lower apparent survival, as well as many movements fleeing away from quarry limits. Habitat suitability modeling showed that the exploitation plot provided better habitat conditions for the species than the restoration plot. It exhibited higher bare ground cover with scattered clumps of vegetation and higher proportions of fine sand (<0.4 mm). In the restoration plot, S. cyclops population showed a lower abundance, with a higher rate of recaptures, and a more limited dispersal ability of the individuals. There is an apparent early stage of colonization by S. cyclops in the restoration plot, but movements may already be hampered by unsuitable habitat restoration (higher herbaceous cover and different soil texture). We suggest preserving suitable habitat patches in the vicinity of the impacted areas and providing dispersal routes. Beyond vegetation, soil texture must be considered to allow local animal communities to establish in restored areas.
Fatty acid composition of Acipenseridae – sturgeon fish

Fish meat is considered to have a beneficial nutritional composition and a favorable effect on human health. Fish meat is a significant source of highly unsaturated fatty acids with beneficial effects on health of consumers. Therefore, knowledge of the fat, protein and especially quality of lipids in fish is very important. The objective of this summary is to synthesize data on the fatty acid composition of different sturgeon species, the meats of which could become more common in Serbia. Sturgeon, due to their favorable sensory properties, are of increasing interest to consumers. These fish are also interesting to fish farms because they are relatively easy to breed, grow fast, and are relatively resistant to diseases. Quality parameters of sturgeon meat are not well studied and there are few data to date.
Evolutionary characteristics and expression patterns of miR156 gene family in Korla fragrant pear (Pyrus sinkiangensis Yu)

ABSTRACT The objective of the study was to understand the evolution characteristics of miR156 gene family and its expression patterns in calyx abscission zone (AZ) tissues of Korla fragrant pear (Pyrus sinkiangensis Yu). miR156 family of Korla fragrant pear (psi-miR156) was obtained through small RNA sequencing. We analysed the mature sequences and precursor sequence, constructed phylogenetic tree, predicted the secondary structure of precursors sequence, analysed their targets, as well as expression patterns. The results showed that miR156 family of Korla fragrant pear comprises 11 precursor sequences and 6 mature sequences. These precursor sequences can form a typical and stable stem-loop structure. Their minimum folding free energy ranges from −77.20 to −7.99 kal•mol−1. Multiple sequence alignment showed that miR156 family was highly conserved. Phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that the genetic relationship of psi-miR156 family was closer to those from apple and Arabidopsis thaliana. Psi-miR156 family was predicted to target SPL (Squamosa promoter-binding protein-like), cysteine protease, trihelix transcription factor. qRT-PCR showed that different members of psi-miR156 family had similar expression tendency in calyx AZ tissue. The expression level of miR156 was significantly increased on the fifth day of the late bloom stage, suggesting that the miR156 family may play a role in calyx persistence of Korla fragrant pear. Abbreviations: AZ: abscission zone; SPL: Squamosa promoter-binding protein-like; PP333: Paclobutrazol; C_1: The collected flowers on the first day of the late bloom stage with GA3 treatment; C_5: The collected flowers on the fifth day of the late bloom stage with GA3 treatment; C_9: The collected flowers on the ninth day of the late bloom stage with GA3 treatment; T_1: The collected flowers on the first day of the late bloom stage with PP333 treatment; T_5: The collected flowers on the fifth day of the late bloom stage with PP333 treatment; T_9: The collected flowers on the ninth day of the late bloom stage with PP333 treatment.
Prevalence of the absence of Palmaris longus muscle in the students of Kathmandu University

Background: Palmaris longus muscle is one of the superficial muscles of flexor compartment of forearm. Its main function is to anchor the skin and fascia of the hand. It is a weak flexor of the hand at wrist and tenses the palmar aponeurosis. It is one of the most variable muscles and is phylogenetically classified as a retrogressive muscle. The agenesis of Palmaris longus ranges from 0% to 63% with an overall 16% unilateral and 9% bilateral. It is very useful in orthopedics, cosmetic, plastic and reconstructive surgery. Objective: To determine the occurrence of unilateral and bilateral agenesis of Palmaris longus muscle in right and left forearms in the students of Kathmandu University. Materials and methods: The study was carried out on 1020 randomly selected normal students (570 male and 450 female) with an age ranging from 18 to 25 years. The volar aspect of the wrist was inspected to find out the presence or absence of Palmaris longus tendon in its usual anatomical position by performing different tests. Result: The present study showed overall agenesis of Palmaris longus in 27.65% cases. Overall agenesis in male and female was 28.42% and 26.67% respectively. Unilateral and bilateral agenesis were 77.16% and 22.84% respectively in male whereas 67.50% and 32.50% respectively in female. Left sided and right sided agenesis were 55.20% and 44.80% respectively in male whereas 53.09% and 46.91% respectively in female. Conclusion: Palmaris longus is absent unilaterally in 20.20% and bilaterally in 7.45% of its population with an overall absence of 27.65%.
Variant Surface Glycoprotein, Transferrin Receptor, and ERAD in Trypanosoma brucei

Variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) is central to antigenic variation in African trypanosomes. VSG is highly abundant and stable. Although much prior work documents that VSG is efficiently synthesized and exported to the cell surface, it was recently claimed that 2–3x more is synthesized than required, the excess being eliminated by ER Associated Degradation (ERAD) (Field et. al, PLoS One 5: e8468, 2010). We reinvestigate turnover of multiple VSGs by steady state and biosynthetic protocols and find no evidence for rapid degradation, consistent with a model whereby VSG synthesis is precisely regulated to match requirements for a functional surface coat on each daughter cell. However, using a mutated version of the ESAG7 subunit of the transferrin receptor (E7:Ty) we confirm the presence of functional ERAD in trypanosomes. E7:Ty fails to assemble into functional receptors and accumulates in the ER, consistent with retention of misfolded protein, and its turnover can be rescued by the proteasomal inhibitor MG132. These data, along with the presence of ERAD orthologues in the T. brucei genome, confirm ERAD in trypanosomes. We discuss scenarios in which ERAD could be critical to bloodstream parasites, and how these may have contributed to the evolution of antigenic variation in trypanosomes.
Mechanistic insights into NAD synthase NMNAT chaperoning phosphorylated Tau from pathological aggregation

Tau hyper-phosphorylation and deposition into neurofibrillary tangles have been found in brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other tauopathies. Molecular chaperones are involved in regulating the pathological aggregation of phosphorylated Tau (pTau) and modulating disease progression. Here, we report that nicotinamide mononucleotide adenylyltransferase (NMNAT), a well-known NAD synthase, serves as a chaperone of pTau to prevent its amyloid aggregation in vitro as well as mitigate its pathology in a fly tauopathy model. By combining NMR spectroscopy, crystallography, single-molecule and computational approaches, we revealed that NMNAT adopts its enzymatic pocket to specifically bind the phosphorylated sites of pTau, which can be competitively disrupted by the enzymatic substrates of NMNAT. Moreover, we found that NMNAT serves as a co-chaperone of Hsp90 for the specific recognition of pTau over Tau. Our work uncovers a dedicated chaperone of pTau and suggests NMNAT as a key node between NAD metabolism and Tau homeostasis in aging and neurodegeneration.
Genotypic Variation in Below-to Aboveground Systemic Induction of Glucosinolates Mediates Plant Fitness Consequences under Herbivore Attack

Plants defend themselves against herbivore attack by constitutively producing toxic secondary metabolites, as well as by inducing them during herbivore feeding. Induction of secondary metabolites can cross plant tissue boundaries, such as from root to shoot. However, whether the potential for plants to systemically induce secondary metabolites from roots to shoots shows genetic variability, and thus, potentially, is under selection conferring fitness benefits to the plants is an open question. To address this question, we induced 26 maternal plant families of the wild species Cardamine hirsuta belowground (BG) using the wound-mimicking phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA). We measured resistance against a generalist (Spodoptera littoralis) and a specialist (Pieris brassicae) herbivore species, as well as the production of glucosinolates (GSLs) in plants. We showed that BG induction increased AG resistance against the generalist but not against the specialist, and found substantial plant family-level variation for resistance and GSL induction. We further found that the systemic induction of several GSLs tempered the negative effects of herbivory on total seed set production. Using a widespread natural system, we thus confirm that BG to AG induction has a strong genetic component, and it can be under positive selection by increasing plant fitness. We suggest that natural variation in systemic induction is in part dictated by allocation trade-offs between constitutive and inducible GSL production, as well as natural variation in AG and BG herbivore attack in nature.
Extent, distribution and origin of non-native forest tree species in Europe

ABSTRACT The management of non-native tree species in European forests has a long history, but the information on the current number and geographic distribution of these species in European forests is incomplete and scattered across various datasets. This study aims to perform an inventory of the most frequent non-native tree species growing in European forests and analyse their current extent, geographic distribution and geographic origin. Our results show that at least 150 non-native tree species are currently growing in European forests and provenance trials. The genera represented by largest number of species are Eucalyptus, Pinus, Acacia and Abies. Species growing at the largest areas are Robinia pseudoacacia (2.44 million ha), Eucalyptus globulus (1.46 million ha), Picea sitchensis (1.16 million ha) and Pseudotsuga menziesii (0.83 million ha). In total, non-native tree species in Europe are found in an area of approximately 8.54 million ha, or 4.0% of the European forest area, and the five most abundant species account for up to 77% of this area. The largest number of these 150 species were introduced from North America (71), followed by Asia (45) and Australia (20). North American species occupy by far the largest area.
Reasons for not drinking among veterans seeking treatment for alcohol dependence in a partial day hospital

Prior research on motivation to quit drinking or to enter treatment for alcohol problems has shown that people may report reasons that are internally driven, externally driven, or some combination of the two types. In addition, the decision to quit drinking or enter treatment often follows cognitive and affective decision-making processes in which the pros and cons of continued drinking versus change are weighed. Cognitive theory and research suggest that accessibility of information depends at least in part on how recently or frequently the information was accessed, and that people process self-relevant information more deeply than non-self-relevant information. On the basis of this prior research, we hypothesized that people who reported high levels of internal motivation to quit drinking or to enter treatment would score higher on a measure of accessibility of information (the Decisional Balance Fluency Test or DBFT) and on a measure of depth of processing (the Memory for Alcohol Consequences Task or MACT) than those who reported lower levels of internal motivation. Forty-five alcohol dependent male veterans completed the DBFT, the MACT, and several self-report questionnaires, including the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the Reasons for Quitting Questionnaire (RQQ), the Treatment Motivation Questionnaire (TMQ), and the Alcohol and Drug Consequences Questionnaire (ADCQ). DBFT and MACT scores were regressed on self-reported internal and external motivation on the RQQ and the TMQ. Results indicated that internal motivation scores on the RQQ predicted MACT scores but not DBFT scores, and that the TMQ did not predict DBFT or MACT scores. A secondary hypothesis examined the relationship between motivation to quit drinking and motivation to enter treatment; findings indicated that these types of motivation were not highly correlated and are not appropriate proxies for one another. Finally, post hoc tests were performed to assess the psychometrics of two fairly new measures used in the study. The psychometric properties of the DBFT were problematic in this study; however, the psychometric properties of the MACT were reasonably good. Further research is recommended to develop greater understanding of the relationships among the constructs and theory explored in this study. %%%%
Repetita iuvant: repetition facilitates online planning of sequential movements

Beyond being essential for long-term motor-skill development, movement repetition has immediate benefits on performance, increasing the speed and accuracy of a second execution. While such repetition effects have been reported for single reaching movements, whether they apply to movement sequences, or whether they affect planning or execution processes, has yet to be determined. We addressed these questions in two behavioral experiments using a discrete sequence production (DSP) task in which human volunteers had to perform short sequences of finger movements. In Experiment 1, participants were presented with random sequences and we manipulated whether participants had to execute the sequence (Go), or not (No-Go), and whether the sequence was repeated on the next trial. We establish that repeating a sequence of movements led to immediate improvements in speed without associated accuracy costs. The biggest benefit was observed in the middle part of a sequence, suggesting that the repetition effect likely results from facilitated online planning. This claim was further supported by Experiment 2, in which we kept a set of sequences fixed allowing participants to develop sequence-specific learning: once learning reduced the need for online planning, the benefit of repetition disappeared. Finally, we found that repetition-related improvements only occurred for the trials that had been preceded by sequence production, suggesting that action selection and sequence pre-planning may not be sufficient to reap the benefits of repetition. Together, our results highlight the importance of motor practice for enhancing our ability to link individual sequence elements into skilled sequential behavior. Significance Statement Even for overlearned motor skills such as reaching, repeating the same movement improves subsequent performance. How exactly brain processes associated with motor planning and execution might benefit from repetition, however, remains unclear. Here we report the novel finding of repetition effects for sequential movements. Our results indicate that this benefit of repetition is tied to faster and more accurate online planning of upcoming sequence elements. We also highlight how recent movement experience appears to be required to observe the repetition effect, suggesting that actual practice might be more beneficial to the human sensorimotor system than mental rehearsal for producing short-term performance improvements.
Persistence of the Escherichia coli 64G-Probiotic Strain in the Intestine of Calves

Fundamental research in modern biological and medical sciences and advances in the knowledge of multidimensional aspects of the relations between macroorganisms and microorganisms allowed the development and implementation of probiotics, a new class of drugs which is based on live microbial cultures and has complex properties beneficial to the microorganism, in public health and veterinary practices. In this article, the results of the experiment for studying the strain E. coli 64G persistence in 27 newborn calves with postmortem bacteriological investigation of the animals' intestine on the first, second, and third days are described. It was found that the strain has a high persistence rate in the intestine of calves due to the ability of bacteria to attach to the intestinal wall and reproduce in the inner intestine layer or chime.