Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Evaluation of Plant Growth and Development under Various Daily Quantum Integrals

Plants of chrysanthemum (Dendranthema × grandiflorum (Ramat.) Kitamura), radish (Raphanus sativus L.), corn (Zea mays L.), and cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) were grown under 8-, 12-, 18- or 24-hour daylengths and at three photosynthetic photon fluxes (PPF) within each daylength to evaluate growth and development responses to daily quantum integral (PPF x duration). For the same daily quantum integral, dry matter accumulation and leaf area development were less under 24-hour than under 18-hour daylengths with chrysanthemum and radish. With corn and cucumber, these values were similar under 12-, 18-, and 24-hour daylengths. In all of the species, leaf area and dry matter development were lowest under the 8-hour daylength. Continuous (24-hour) daylength produced some growth abnormalities in radish and chrysanthemum. Specific leaf weight in all species and flower node count in cucumber were linearly related to daily quantum integral up to the highest values examined (73.5 mol·day -l ·m -2 ). All species showed expected photoperiod responses with respect to flowering, but the rate of floral development and number of flower buds formed were highest under the highest PPF (and highest daily quantum integral) treatments. The results indicate that field phenotypes can be obtained in controlled environment (CE) conditions, providing the field daylength and daily quantum integral conditions are reproduced. Developments in lighting technology have resulted in a shift away from the use of fluorescent tubes in CE lighting systems to the use of high intensity discharge lamps. Combinations of high intensity discharge and incandescent lamps can give good light distributions with fewer lamps, acceptable spectral quality, and, if needed, PPFs equivalent to peak natural daylight values (Bugbee and Salisbury, 1988; Warrington et al., 1978a, 1978b). The ability to achieve high PPFs raises important questions with respect to the choice and management of lighting systems for CE experiments. Previously, Warrington et al. (1978b) showed that PPF operating levels of 650 to 750 µmol·s -1
Effect of a Fibrolytic Enzymatic Extract from Cellulomonas flavigena on In Vitro Degradation and In Vivo Digestibility and Productive Performance of Lambs

An enzymatic extract from Cellulomonas flavigena was evaluated at 0, 2.5, 7.5, 12.5 mL/kg DM of total mixed ration (TMR) on the in vitro degradation of DM, NDF and ADF and in vivo at 0, 5.0 and 7.5 mL of extract per kg DM of TMR to determine the digestibility and productive performance of lambs fed a TMR made up of 60% forage. Twenty four Pelibuey-Kathadin lambs were used in the trial. The in vitro degradation of ADF showed a linear (P<0.05) response from 6 to 72 h. There was no effect on DM intake, daily gain or feed conversion. The enzymatic dose tended to linearly decrease the apparent digestibility of DM (P=0.06), NDF (P=0.10) and ADF (P=0.06). The N-NH3 concentration showed a linear decrease (P=0.002) and total VFA concentration was linearly (P<0.001) increased. The incorporation of extract of Cellulomonas flavigena in the diet increased in vitro degradation of cellulose in terms of ADF but did not increase the digestion or productive performance of lambs.
Media Circles in the EFL Classroom: Furthering Student Engagement.

This six-week action research study explored the use of a media-based adaptation of a popular student-centered, extensive reading-based activity known as Literature Circles (LCs). Twenty Chinese students decided upon groups and assigned themselves specific roles before viewing episodes of a selected television series for homework. The prepared roles then served as the basis for a subsequent discussion the following week. Students were observed by their teacher and given self-evaluation surveys bi-weekly, and their notes in preparation for the class discussions were collected in the final week to analyze word count and gauge participation rates. Findings were largely positive, with students remarking upon improved learning autonomy, oral communication skills, and increased cultural awareness. Moreover, observations and class artifacts indicated high participation rates and engagement with the activity on the whole. These results point to several pedagogical implications that should be useful for ESL practitioners teaching oral English to students at secondary or post-secondary institutions by fostering an independent spirit of learning and piquing the interest of students with interesting and meaningful content.
Checklist of butterfly fauna (Lepidoptera: Rhopalocera) of Sindh, Pakistan

The present study was carried out from Sindh, Pakistan during 2012-2013. A total of 1,964 specimens of butterflies were collected from the different localities of Sindh, Pakistan. The identification was done through available literature. Among collected specimens, 67 species belonging to 41 genera of 16 subfamilies falling in 6 families were identified. Our result showed that Lycaenidae was the richest family; comprising 19 species followed by Pieridae comprising 18 species, Nymphalidae 11 species, Hesperiidae 11 species, Danaidae comprising 5 species and Papilionidae comprising 03 species were reported. The present study was first time attempt to make the checklist of butterfly fauna of Sindh, Pakistan.
Defective Ovules in Avocado Cultivars1

Normal, abnormal, and degenerate ovules of avocado (Persea americana Mill.) are described and illustrated. The frequency of occurrence of these ovule types differed among 4 cultivars (‘Fuerte’, ‘Ettinger’, ‘Hass’, ‘Tova’) with a total frequency ranging from 15 to 40%. A higher frequency of apparently degenerative ovules increased the proportion considered defective to 80–98%. No relationship could be discerned between the percentage of normal ovules and the yields of 8 trees differing widely in fruitfulness.
Nanoparticle Dynamics in Polymer Solutions and Gels: A Simulation Approach

Polymer nanocomposites, systems of polymers containing nanoparticles (NPs), are fascinating systems that have many applications in material science, biology and medicine, but also pose challenges to theoretical physics. One of the fundamental problems in the physics of nanocomposites is to understand how the structure and dynamics of the system depends on key parameters, such as NP size and volume fraction and the typical size of the polymeric mesh. In this thesis we use molecular dynamics simulations to study the structural and dynamic properties of NPs embedded in liquid and solid polymer-nanocomposites. We observe that when weakly attractive, well dispersed NPs are added to a dense polymer solution, both the polymers and the NPs experience a dynamical slowing down. We find that, in qualitative agreement with experiments, this dynamical slowing down is captured by a confinement parameter in the form h/λ, where h is the average distance between the surfaces of neighboring NPs (interparticle distance). We are able to show that for the NPs, λ can be interpreted as the hydrodynamic radius of the NP, whereas for the polymers it behaves as a cooperativity length scale. Simulating disordered, polydisperse polymer networks containing purely repulsive NPs, we find that small NPs can freely diffuse through the entanglement mesh, while large NPs are transiently trapped and can only move through a sequence of “jumps” (hopping motion). We find that the parameter controlling NP localization is the ratio between the NP diameter and the localization length of the crosslinks. Finally, we propose a new method to characterize the geometrical mesh size in polymer liquids, a quantity that is important to describe the diffusion of NP in a disordered medium.
Monitoring of the Pasvik-Inari-Pechenga brown bear population in 2007 and 2011 using hair-trapping

The trans-border brown bear population of Pasvik-Inari-Pechenga (Norway-Finland-Russia) has been monitored using genetic analyses of feces collection since 2005. In addition in 2007, hair traps were systematically placed out in the area to collect hairs for genetic analysis, to more precisely determine the minimum numbers of bears. In 2011, we repeated this hair trap study, using the exact same methodology as in 2007, to make a direct comparison of the results from the two years. Brown bear DNA was detected in 68 of 88 hair samples (77%) obtained from hair traps in 2011 and for 56 of these samples, a complete DNA profile could be determined. We identified 20 different bears in 2011, 12 females and 8 males. Only one bear was found in more than one country (Norway and Russia). We detected 11 bears in Norway, 7 bears in Finland and 3 bears in Russia in 2011. Four of these 20 bears were previously unknown, all four from Finland. A comparison of the results from 2007 and 2011 showed that we detected fewer bears in hair traps in 2011 (20 bears) than in 2007 (24 bears), but this modest difference may be coincidental. However, we observed a large drop in the yield of hair samples in the traps in 2011 compared to 2007 (88 versus 196 samples). This observation may be suggestive of some reduced activity of bears within the study area in 2011. In addition, only five (21%) of the bears caught in hair traps in 2007 were recaptured in 2011, which indicates a substantial turnover of individuals and may indicate that more frequent hair trapping monitoring would be beneficial to reliably track changes in the population. Additional samples (mainly scats) collected opportunistically in the field within the Russian and Finnish parts of the study area in 2011 detected four male bears in the Finnish part that had not been detected by hair traps. No additional samples from Norway were included to this study and any comparisons between the hair-trapping and opportunistic sampling at this point remains difficult. However, the results indicate that both methods combined are currently the most feasible methods to monitor brown bear numbers in an area.
THE IN-VITRO EFFECT OF CORCHORUS OLITORIUS (LINN.) ON THE ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITIES OF FIVE ANTIBIOTICS.

This study evaluated the antimicrobial effect of the ethanol extracts of Corchorus olitorius leaf at 150, 100, 50, 25 mg/mL on eight organisms by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. At 100 mg/mL and below, all the bacteria were resistant to the extract except Shigella dysenteria which was susceptible at the concentration of 100 mg/mL. At the concentration of 150 mg/ml all the bacteria were susceptible except Bacillus subtilis.
The development of bursting networks following chemical long term potentiation

Collective rhythmic dynamics from neurons are vital for cognitive functions but how neurons self-organize to produce such activity is not well understood. Attractor-based computational models are a theoretical framework for memory storage in networks of neurons. Additionally, activity-dependent modification of synaptic transmission is thought to be the physiological basis of learning and memory referred to as long term potentiation (LTP). The goal of this study is to demonstrate that using a pharmacological treatment, which has been shown to increase synaptic strength, on in vitro networks of hippocampal neurons, follows the dynamical postulates theorized by attractor models. I use a grid of extracellular electrodes to study changes in network activity during this perturbation (induction phase of LTP) and then monitor the evolving network activity following the removal of the treatment (maintenance phase of LTP). Following a chemically-induced LTP (cLTP) there was an initial increase in activity. Phase plots indicated a conserved activity pattern suggesting that the network was initially operating in a stable dynamical state. This attractor state was not preserved during later time points, with an induction of superbursting and an incidence of theta frequency activity. Finally, activity 5 days post-treatment suggested a homeostatic mechanism to prevent runaway excitation. Next I hypothesized that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), zinc-dependent endopeptidases that are released from neurons in an activity dependent manner, drive these changes in the attractor state. These changes may be associated with increased synaptic glutamate receptor incorporation, and an increased amplitude and/or frequency of α-amino-3-
The Green Brigade: The Educational Effects of a Community-based Horticultural Program on the Horticultural Knowledge and Environmental Attitude of Juvenile Offenders

● January–March 2002 12(1) Fruit in the russet treatments had about 10% of their surface affected by russet at harvest, compared with practically no russet visible on fruit classed as nonrusseted. Russeted fruit were also markedly more misshapen than nonrusseted fruit (Table 1). None of the treatments affected seed number per fruit or total seed fresh weight per fruit at harvest (Table 1). There was a trend for russeted fruit to have smaller seeds (in terms of fresh weight per seed) but this was not significant (P = 0.057). There were significant positive relationships between fruit weight and number of seeds per fruit (r2 = 0.16, P < 0.001), total seed fresh weight per fruit (r2 = 0.22, P < 0.001) and the fresh weight per seed (r2 = 0.15, P < 0.001), however these relationships in all cases were weak. In conclusion, russeted fruit were more misshapen than nonrusseted fruit, but neither russet nor carbaryl affected seed number nor seed weight per fruit. Chemically thinning with carbaryl did not preferentially thin russeted fruit and is therefore not a tool of use to growers to help eliminate fruit damaged by russet.
Effect of Light Color on Some of Performance Indices of Hybrid Cup 500-Broilers

This study was conducted at private poultry station to determine the effect of light color on the most important performance indices of broilers. A total of 559 broiler chicks of Hybrid Cup 500, one-day-old were distributed randomly into three groups at a rate of 188 birds in the first group (the control, G1) and 188 birds in the second group (G2) and 183 birds in the third group (G3), each group included six replicates, at a rate of 30-32 birds per replicate. The chicks per group were raised, fattened, housed and managed under the same procedures in independent different sections of closed pen until the age of 49 days. Three different light color lights (white, control, WLG), green (GLG) and Yellow (YLG) were applied from day one to the end of fattening period (49 days). Results showed that the application of green or yellow lights on broilers did not significantly affect the mortality rate, average live weight and average feed consumption compared with white light. However, application of green light on the broilers has led to a significant reduction (4.4%, p<0.05) in the feed conversion rate for the whole period of fattening compared with white light.
The origin of the avian flight stroke: a kinematic and kinetic perspective

Abstract Flying birds flap their wings to generate aerodynamic forces large enough to overcome weight and drag. During this behavior, the forelimbs are displaced and deformed in a complex, coordinated sequence of movements collectively known as the “flight stroke. ” Despite an influx of relevant fossil material and new functional insights from extant birds, the historical origin of the avian flight stroke remains poorly resolved. Potential behavioral precursors have been identified primarily on the basis of kinematic resemblance—similarity of movement irrespective of underlying mechanisms. We discuss fundamental issues of motion analysis that are frequently overlooked by paleontologists, and conclude that a purely kinematic approach is insufficient. Consideration of kinetics, the forces responsible for motion, offers a more complete picture of flight stroke evolution. We introduce six kinetic components that interact to determine a limb's trajectory. Phylogenetic mapping reveals that forelimb loading patterns have undergone at least two major transitions on the line from basal archosaur to modern bird. Using this kinematic and kinetic perspective, we offer four specific criteria to help constrain and evaluate competing scenarios for the origin of the avian flight stroke.
INFLUENCE OF SEASON AND FREQUENCY OF FIRE ON HENSLOW'S SPARROWS (AMMODRAMUS HENSLOWII) WINTERING ON GULF COAST PITCHER PLANT BOGS

Abstract Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) is a grassland bird that has suffered drastic population declines for over 30 years. Declining populations can be largely attributed to loss of breeding habitat, but loss of wintering habitat associated with longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) communities, especially pitcher plant (Sarracenia spp.) bogs, along the Gulf Coast also may be a contributing factor. Fire is critical for restoration and conservation of remaining longleaf pine communities, but the influence of fire on wintering Henslow's Sparrows has not been evaluated. We examined the influence of season and frequency (time since burning) of fire on use of pitcher plant bogs by Henslow's Sparrows wintering in the Conecuh National Forest, Alabama, and Blackwater River State Forest, Florida, during winters of 1999–2000 and 2000–2001. Density of Henslow's Sparrows was greatest on bogs the first winter after burning. Although significant effects for season of burning were not found, bogs burned during winter typically hosted Henslow's Sparrows for only one winter, whereas bogs burned during the growing season hosted sparrows for at least three winters. Growing-season fires may be more beneficial than dormant-season fires and will prevent forced abandonment of bogs burned during winter. Frequency of seed stalks of grasses and density of forbs were the most influential vegetation parameters affecting occurrence of Henslow's Sparrows at pitcher plant bogs. Henslow's Sparrows were found on bogs as small as 0.06 ha, but were found on bogs >0.25 ha more frequently than on smaller bogs. We conclude that burning pitcher plant bogs on an annual or biennial basis during the growing season will maximize the benefits to both wintering Henslow's Sparrows and the host of other organisms associated with those unique communities.
MANAGEMENT OF ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI BY GROWING PETUNIA HYBRIDA (L.) MILL. AS AN ORNAMENTAL PLANT IN SAUDI ARABIA - A CASE STUDY

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) regarded as ubiquitous soil fungi which help in improving plant growth under harsh conditions. Petunia hybrida is one of the most favorite ornamental plants growing all over the Riyadh city of Saudi Arabia. In the present study, we would like to highlight the Petunia as a mycotrophic plant for the management of mycorrhizal fungi under field conditions. Roots along with rhizosphere soils of P. hybrida were collected from various sites in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to study AM colonization and biodiversity of AMF. The data obtained in this study indicated that P. hybrida is a very highly mycotrophic plants, and all the samples produced very high colonization with mycelium, vesicles, coiled hyphae and arbuscules. The significant variation was found with the occurrence of mycelium and vesicles among the locations but in case of arbuscules more or less same range of occurrence was found. Only different species of Glomus were observed in all the locations. Glomus showed diversity in all the locations as indicated by the Shanon Diversity Index. As the P. hybrida is a highly mycotrophic plant, so this plant may be grown under harsh condition of Saudi Arabia to manage the plant growth under different stresses viz., water stress, saline soils and heavy metal toxicity conditions.
Horticultural mineral oil influences Plum pox virus transmission by Myzus persicae

The residual activity of horticultural mineral oil (HMO) on the ability of green peach aphids, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), (GPA) to transmit Plum pox virus (PPV) to peach was measured by infection rates of detached leaves from plants sprayed with either HMO or water as a control that were inoculated using transfer of 25 viruliferous aphids per leaf at 0, 2, 4, 7, 9, 11 and 14 days after treatment (DAT). Persistent effects of HMO residue on the probing and feeding behaviours of GPA were also monitored with the electrical penetration graph (EPG) system. For glasshouse‐grown peach seedlings, the residual activity of HMO reduced PPV infection rates by more than 58% for up to 4 DAT following an initial reduction of approximately 81%. EPG recordings of GPA feeding behaviour showed that HMO significantly delayed first feeding probes and first intracellular punctures by more than 50 min without changing the ensuing stylet penetration behaviour. Applying HMO reduced virus infection rates for up to a week depending on the environmental conditions. EPG monitoring of aphid probing showed that HMO reduced the mean duration and mean number of potential drop (PD) phase feeding occurrences, compared with the water control. A reduction in the PD that has been shown to be related to the transmission of non‐persistently transmitted viruses may partly explain the reduction in PPV infection rates.
EFFECT OF NON-GENETIC FACTORS ON THE REPRODUCTIVE TRAITS IN CROSSBRED PIGS

Data on reproductive performance of 255 crossbred pigs over a period of 1989 to 2000 constituted the material for the present study. The over all least squares means for AFS, AFF, GP, SP and FI were 277.12 + 3.86; 387.23 + 3.90, 111.82 + 0.61, 98.01 + 2.14 and 206.32 + 1.53 days, respectively. Period and season of birth influenced all the reproductive traits except gestation period in this study. The heritability estimates for reproductive traits in the present investigation were found to be low.