Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phenology and Dwarfing Gene Interaction Effects on the Adaptation of Selected Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Advanced Lines across Diverse Water-Limited Environments of Western Australia

Photoperiod, vernalization, and plant height controlling genes are major developmental genes in wheat that govern environmental adaptation and hence, knowledge on the interaction effects among different alleles of these genes is crucial in breeding cultivars for target environments. The interaction effects among these genes were studied in nineteen Australian advanced lines from diverse germplasm pools and four commercial checks. Diagnostic markers for the Vrn-A1 locus revealed the presence of the spring allele Vrn-A1a in 10 lines and Vrn-A1c in one line. The dominant alleles of Vrn-B1a and Vrn-D1a were identified in 19 and 8 lines, respectively. The most common photoperiod-insensitive allele of Ppd-D1a was identified in 19 lines and three and four copy photoperiod-insensitive alleles (Ppd-B1a and Ppd-B1c) were present in five and one lines, respectively. All the lines were photoperiod-sensitive for the Ppd-A1 locus. All lines were semi-dwarf, having either of the two dwarfing alleles; 14 lines had the Rht-B1b (Rht-1) and the remaining had the Rht-D1b (Rht-2) dwarfing allele. The presence of the photoperiod-insensitive allele Ppd-D1a along with one or two spring alleles at the Vrn1 loci resulted in an earlier heading and better yield. Dwarfing genes were found to modify the heading time—the Rht-D1b allele advanced heading by three days and also showed superior effects on yield-contributing traits, indicating its beneficial role in yield under rain-fed conditions along with an appropriate combination of photoperiod and vernalization alleles. This study also identified the adaptability value of these allelic combinations for higher grain yield and protein content across the different the water-limited environments.
Biology teachers’ views towards using living organisms in biology education

ABSTRACT Using living organisms in biology education is a common practice that provides students with direct contact with living beings in the classroom. Several benefits and barriers of using organisms in classrooms have been proposed in the literature. Hence, biology teachers should carefully consider the pros and cons of using living organisms, and decide whether the use of living organisms for the learning goal at hand is appropriate. This mainly quantitative study focused on biology teachers’ views towards the following questions: (1) to what extent do biology teachers use specific kinds of organisms in their classrooms? (2) to what extent do biology teachers encounter administrative issues, which are potentially complicating the use of living organisms at their schools? (3) to what extent do biology teachers view specific benefits and barriers of using living organisms in their classrooms? A sample of 86 in-service biology teachers answered a questionnaire that was developed specifically for this study. The study provides some relevant findings for biology education. For example, plants seem to be used relatively often in classrooms, the teachers rated the benefits of working with living organisms significantly higher than the barriers, and supportive conditions at schools might enhance the use of organisms in classrooms.
Soil drought and circulation types in a longitudinal transect over central Europe

Among the variables that can be employed to characterize agricultural drought, soil drought is of particular importance. This contribution uses gridded soil‐drought values calculated from the SoilClim model for the 1961–2019 period to analyse soil drought episodes (based on the 10th percentile) in four lowlands, relatively homogeneous regions in central Europe that provide a longitudinal transect over central Europe. These areas are predominantly located at altitudes of below 400 m asl and include central Bohemia, southern Moravia and an adjacent part of Slovakia, southern Slovakia and eastern Slovakia. The results indicate that, after 1990, such episodes occurred largely in the summer half‐year (April–September), accompanied by an increasing linear trend in the 1961–2019 period, while the situation was reversed in the winter half‐year (October–March). Selected drought episodes are further divided into three phases (Phase I – origin, Phase II – course, Phase III – end) and investigated separately in terms of precipitation and objective classification of circulation types based on flow strength, direction and vorticity. Decreases in the frequency of precipitation‐rich cyclonic and the directional types associated with higher daily precipitation totals, together with increases in precipitation‐poor anticyclonic types, were responsible for soil‐drought Phases I and II, with the opposite pertaining to Phase III. Differences in the effects of circulation types on precipitation and soil‐drought occurrence were considerable, particularly for central Bohemia compared with the other three regions. The results obtained are also discussed with respect to data uncertainty and their broader spatiotemporal context.
Impact of New Family Forms on Parenting and Child Development

The structure of families has changed significantly over the last 40 years due to changes in legislation, technology, and societal attitudes. This article examines parenting and child development in new family forms, i.e., family forms that did not exist or were not visible until the latter part of the twentieth century. First, we give an overview of the historical and current context of new family forms. Then, we discuss parenting and child development in six new family types: families with lesbian mothers, families with gay fathers, intentional single-mother families, donor conception families, surrogacy families, and families with trans parents. Next, we discuss how research on the impact of new family forms on parenting and child development can inform our understanding of the relative influence of family processes and family structure on child development and parenting. We conclude with directions for future research.
Integrated density of states: From the finite range to the periodic Airy–Schrödinger operator

We compute an explicit formula for the integrated density of states of the periodic Airy-Schrodinger operator on the real line. The potential of this Schrodinger operator is periodic, continuous and piecewise affine. For this purpose, we study precisely the spectrum of the Schrodinger operator whose potential is the restriction of the periodic Airy-Schrodinger potential to a finite number of periods. We prove that all the eigenvalues of the operator corresponding to the restricted potential are in the spectral bands of the periodic Airy-Schrodinger operator and none of them are in its spectral gaps. We count exactly the number of these eigenvalues in each of these spectral bands. Note that our results depend on a semiclassical parameter and are valid for values of it larger than explicit constants.
Investigation of Pre-Service Teachers’ Tolerance Tendencies and Democratic Tendencies

The current study aims to investigate whether pre-service teachers’ tolerance tendencies and democratic tendencies vary significantly depending on gender and mother and father’s education level and the relationship between their tolerance tendencies and democratic tendencies. A total of 417 second-year students from the departments of Turkish teaching, social studies teaching, elementary school teacher training, pre-school teacher training, science teaching, elementary school math teaching, arts, music, psychological counselling and guidance, English teaching and German teaching participated in the current study. In the analysis of the collected data, frequencies, percentages, Mann Whitney U test, Kruskall Wallis test and correlation analysis were used. As a result of the analyses, the pre-service teachers’ tolerance tendencies were found to be very high. The female pre-service teachers’ tolerance tendencies were found to be higher than those of the male pre-service teachers. The pre-service teachers’ tolerance tendencies were found to be not varying significantly depending on mother and father’s education level. The pre-service teachers’ democratic tendencies were found to be higher than the medium level. The female pre-service teachers’ democratic tendencies were found to be higher than those of the male pre-service teachers. The pre-service teachers’ democratic tendencies were found to be not varying significantly depending on mother and father’s education level. A positive, medium and significant correlation was found between the pre-service teachers’ tolerance tendencies and democratic tendencies.
The theory of island biogeography applies to ectomycorrhizal fungi in subalpine tree “islands” at a fine scale

The theory of island biogeography, which predicts that species richness is a function of island size and distance from the mainland, is well tested with macro-fauna and flora. Yet, in many ways, microbes are more appropriate for testing this and other ecological theories due to their small size and short generation times that translate to an ease of replication. We used a natural experimental system of isolated “host islands” to test the generality of the theory of island biogeography. Specifically, we tested whether ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) richness increased with tree size and decreased with distance from forest in a subalpine basin in Yosemite National Park for two congeneric pine species, Pinus albicaulis and Pinus contorta. We determined EMF richness with next-generation sequencing, measured the size and age of each tree island (n = 40), and calculated geographic distances from each tree to the nearest forest edge. We found that EMF richness increased with island size (as measured by tree volume) and tree age for both pine species and decreased with distance from forest edge for P. albicaulis. Thus, we show the applicability of the theory to microbial symbionts in harsh, dry, and likely non-equilibrium systems. In addition, we found that despite the fact that our tree islands had a mean age of 65 yr, a pioneer community of EMF dominated. We interpret this as evidence that water stress interacts with succession to create a sustained period of early-stage fungi even in mature trees.
#Catchmeinashithole: Black Travel Influencers and the Contestation of Racialized Place Myths

Abstract The travel industry and mainstream media often produce neocolonial narratives about global cultures that center the nations and people affiliated with them as exotic and even dangerous others. Today’s Black social media influencers and consumers are actively asserting Black travel perspectives in the digital realm, creating arresting imagery that flout neocolonialist discourse and challenges racial assumptions about certain spaces and people. This article examines how two popular Black travel influencers, Jessica Nabongo and Oneika Raymond, use the social networking site Instagram to challenge erroneous place myths (Shields) about Black travel sites. These influencers expose how racial politics inform the travel industry’s continued marginalization of Black spaces and people. The article ultimately argues that these Black travel activists use their Instagram content, chiefly photographs, to combat what I call the ‘white travel imaginary’, facilitate the survival of Black representation in the travel-sphere, and expose how racist erasure is contested in online spaces.
Somatostatin-GABA neurons regulate vago-vagal circuitry

Parasympathetic regulation of the gastric antrum is mediated through the vagovagal circuitry in which glutamatergic afferents relay peripheral information to the CNS and cholinergic efferents transmit the compensatory response back to the periphery. Within the CNS, the DVC, which encompasses the NTS and DMV, is responsible for the modulation and integration of both peripheral and central signals in order to regulate the gastric antrum. GABAergic regulation within these nuclei is critical for the control of the vago-vagal circuit regulating the gastric antrum, however the source of GABA that is responsible for this regulation remains unknown. The most likely source of GABAergic regulation is somatostatin (SST) containing interneurons, due to their regulatory contributions throughout the CNS, the presence of the SST peptide and receptors in the DVC, and the effects of the SST peptide on gastric function. For these reasons, SSTGABA neuron regulation in the DVC was the focus of this dissertation. In order to investigate the contribution of SST-GABA neurons in the regulation of the DVC, Cre-Lox technology was used which allowed for selective ‘reporter’ expression in SST-GABA neurons. These ‘reporters’ made it possible to visually identify (TdTomato), selectively excite (ChR2), or selectively inhibit (ArchT) SST-GABA neurons. Utilizing these transgenics, along with neuronal tracers, I was able to establish that SST-GABA neurons in the DVC are: (1) anatomically connected to vagal efferents that innervate the gastric antrum; (2) functionally connected to DMV output neurons that
The Multifaceted Roles of Copper in Cancer: A Trace Metal Element with Dysregulated Metabolism, but Also a Target or a Bullet for Therapy

Simple Summary Copper is an essential element for human life. However, its redox activity can be detrimental for the cell that developed highly coordinated pathways to chelate and traffic copper through the cell or the organism. Owing to its important role in functions essential for cell growth and metabolism, copper concentrations are frequently dysregulated in tumors. In this review, we describe normal and cancer-altered copper homeostasis mechanisms. Moreover, on the basis of this knowledge, we expose not only copper-related diagnostic and prognostic markers for oncology but also therapeutic strategies to act on copper homeostasis to fight against cancer. Abstract In the human body, copper (Cu) is a major and essential player in a large number of cellular mechanisms and signaling pathways. The involvement of Cu in oxidation–reduction reactions requires close regulation of copper metabolism in order to avoid toxic effects. In many types of cancer, variations in copper protein levels have been demonstrated. These variations result in increased concentrations of intratumoral Cu and alterations in the systemic distribution of copper. Such alterations in Cu homeostasis may promote tumor growth or invasiveness or may even confer resistance to treatments. Once characterized, the dysregulated Cu metabolism is pinpointing several promising biomarkers for clinical use with prognostic or predictive capabilities. The altered Cu metabolism in cancer cells and the different responses of tumor cells to Cu are strongly supporting the development of treatments to disrupt, deplete, or increase Cu levels in tumors. The metallic nature of Cu as a chemical element is key for the development of anticancer agents via the synthesis of nanoparticles or copper-based complexes with antineoplastic properties for therapy. Finally, some of these new therapeutic strategies such as chelators or ionophores have shown promising results in a preclinical setting, and others are already in the clinic.
Characterization and origin of large Campanian depressions within the Chalk Group of the Danish Central Graben – implications for hydrocarbon exploration and development

Abstract This study re-examines large and deep U-shaped reflections (2–4 km wide and 100–200 m deep) within the Upper Cretaceous–Danian Chalk Group in the inverted Roar Basin of the Danish North Sea, previously interpreted as a moat associated with a contour-parallel current system and/or erosive channels formed by gravity-driven turbidites. Improved 3D seismic data quality and seismic interpretation techniques helped to identify overlooked reflection terminations, which suggest that rather than a linear depression, the U-shaped reflections outline several bowl-shaped depressions. In addition, vertical high-amplitude columns and vertical discontinuity zones within and below the depressions were recognized and interpreted to indicate the presence of small fluid pipes, suggesting that the formation of the depressions is more complex. Carbon isotope analysis of high acoustic impedance beds within the underlying Lower Cretaceous chalk showed negative δ13C values down to −20‰, and are interpreted to indicate sediments influenced by methane-derived authigenic carbonates. Permo-Triassic half-grabens seem to have been a major source of gas-bearing fluids, as evidenced by hydrocarbon leakage phenomena within Triassic–Lower Cretaceous strata. In areas where Zechstein salt is present, the leakage root lies at salt welds, causing the formation of focused seismic reflection wipe-out and dim zones. In areas where salt was absent, the leakage root comprises a much more diffuse zone across the fault boundaries of the Permo-Triassic half-graben, and gas chimneys are characterized seismically as broad vertical dim zones up to 10 km wide. Campanian inversion tectonics caused fault reactivation and several hundreds of metres of uplift in the Roar Basin, which created an instability for the trapped gas-bearing fluids. Gentle fluid venting through observed pipes caused sediment suspension and entrainment, which could be carried away by bottom-current activity, causing localized zones of non-deposition and the formation of individual depressions. This model thus does not disregard the role of bottom-current activity in the formation of the depressions, yet it includes a fluid-venting element that fits better with the architecture and overall evidence for fluid-venting features in pre-chalk strata, as well as in the Chalk Group. Importantly, it shows that prior to the thermogenic maturation of the main source rock (i.e. the Bo Member of the Farsund Formation in the Late Miocene), fluid venting had already occurred on the Late Cretaceous seafloor from deeper source rocks that are at present overmature.
Trump against Germany: Examining How News about Donald Trump’s Anti-German Utterances Affect Anti-Americanism in Germany—A Moderated Mediation Model

Donald Trump frequently attacks foreign countries such as Germany (e.g., via Twitter). Drawing from social identity theory and intergroup threat theory, I theorized that exposure to news about Trump’s anti-German utterances indirectly increases anti-Americanism in Germany. First, I theorized that Trump’s utterances result in negative attitudes toward Trump and, in turn, increase anti-Americanism (spillover effect). Second, I theorized that Trump’s anti-German utterances indirectly affect anti-Americanism via increased European Union (EU) popularity. Furthermore, I assumed that effects would be stronger for individuals low in political interest. A quota-based online experiment (N = 428) revealed that Trump’s anti-German utterances increased EU’s popularity. This effect was moderated by political interest. EU’s popularity was increased for moderately interested individuals and individuals low in political interest. No effects were detected for highly interested individuals. EU popularity, in turn, increased anti-Americanism. Therefore, Trump’s anti-German utterances indirectly increased anti-Americanism burdening relations between Germany and the United States. Implications for journalistic news coverage are discussed.
Dietary influences on exercise metabolism, health and endurance performance

The capacity to oxidise lipid whilst physically active has been associated with markers of metabolic health and exercise performance. In a group of 305 active men and women, this thesis observed a substantial 6 fold inter-individual variability in the capacity to oxidise lipid during exercise, and explains 46% of the variability. This was largely attributed to aerobic capacity, biological sex, self-reported physical activity level and body composition, with new information provided to show that the dietary intake of carbohydrate and fat is also a significant contributor (~3%) to the explained inter-individual variability. Prior research in men, demonstrates that high fat, low carbohydrate diets enhance lipid oxidation during exercise. This thesis demonstrates that, like men, women respond to short-term (5 day) high fat, low carbohydrate diets by considerably (33%) increasing lipid oxidation during exercise. Further, by using a short term hypercaloric ‘fat supplementation’ without carbohydrate restriction diet, which did not alter lipid oxidation during exercise, this thesis suggests that carbohydrate restriction, not increased fat intake, drives the increased lipid oxidation observed during high fat, low carbohydrate diets. Finally, short-term dietary fat manipulation appears to have minimal impact upon markers of metabolic health or endurance exercise performance in the well-trained women studied.
Is Social Media Use Socially Enhancing or Compensating?

Who benefits more from the use of social media—those who are already socialable and have a wide network of friends or those who do not and so seek to make up for their deficiency by going online? The social enhancement hypothesis says that extroverts benefit more through being able to enlarge their network of friends online more than introverts. The social compensation hypothesis, on the other hand, argues that social media use benefits introverts more; shy users who avoid face-to-face communication can communicate freely online. MANOVA analysis of the survey of 1,392 college students in a western state of India who are Facebook users found evidence predominantly for the social enhancement hypothesis.
Extreme event impacts on CO2 fluxes across a range of high latitude, shrub-dominated ecosystems

The Arctic is experiencing an increased frequency of extreme events which can cause landscape-scale vegetation damage. Extreme event-driven damage is an important driver of the decline in vegetation productivity (termed ‘Arctic browning’) which has become an increasingly important component of pan-Arctic vegetation change in recent years. A limited number of studies have demonstrated that event-driven damage can have major impacts on ecosystem CO2 balance, reducing ecosystem carbon sink strength. However, although there are many different extreme events that cause Arctic browning and different ecosystem types that are affected, there is no understanding of how impacts on CO2 fluxes might vary between these, or of whether commonalities in response exist that would simplify incorporation of extreme event-driven Arctic browning into models. To address this, the impacts of different extreme events (frost-drought, extreme winter warming, ground icing and a herbivore insect outbreak) on growing season CO2 fluxes of Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE), Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (Reco) were assessed at five sites from the boreal to High Arctic (64°N-79°N) in mainland Norway and Svalbard. Event-driven browning had consistent, major impacts across contrasting sites and event drivers, causing site-level reductions of up to 81% of NEE, 51% of GPP and 37% of Reco. Furthermore, at sites where plot-level NDVI (greenness) data were obtained, strong linear relationships between NDVI and NEE were identified, indicating clear potential for impacts of browning on CO2 balance to be consistently, predictably related to loss of greenness across contrasting types of events and heathland ecosystems. This represents the first attempt to compare the consequences of browning driven by different extreme events on ecosystem CO2 balance, and provides an important step towards a better understanding of how ecosystem CO2 balance will respond to continuing climate change at high latitudes.