Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Some Aspects of Temperature Relations in Small Owls

THE owls, Strigiformes, and goatsuckers, Ca.primulgiformes, are the only widespread groups of terrestrial birds in which most species are crepuscular or nocturnal. Members of these groups exhibit morphological modifications related to their modes of life, such as enlarged, specialized eyes and the asymmetrical ears of some owls. It is of interest to speculate on possible physiological modifications in metabolic rates and temperature regulation that can be correlated with nocturnal periods of activity. Birds active at night, when temperature is at its lowest, would possibly require less special augmentation of metabolic rate, as by shivering, than diurnal species. In addition they might have low rates of metabolism that would decrease energy requirements. Nocturnal species might be expected to be less tolerant of high ambient temperatures than diurnal ones that are active during the warmer parts of the daily cycle, and also, to be less capable of withstanding extreme elevations, of body temperature. Two species of the family Caprimulgidae, the Poor-will (Phalaenoptilus nuttallii) and the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), have been carefully studied and both do, indeed show unusually low rates of metabolism (Bartholomew et al., 1962; Lasiewski and Dawson, 1964). Both species also have highly effective systems of evaporative cooling that permit them to withstand high ambient temperatures with little elevation in body temperatures (Lasiewski and Bartholomew, 1966; Lasiewski and Dawson, 1964). As similar studies dealing with the physiology of small owls are lacking, I carried out investigations on several members of this group in conjunction with my study of the Elf Owl, Micrathene whitneyi (Ligon, 1968).
Responsed to Genetic Improvement and Heritability of Egg Production and Egg Quality Traits in Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

A study was conducted to determine the egg production, egg quality traits, response to genetic improvement of the egg traits and heritability of the traits in the Japanese quail. The birds used were about 470 chicks purchased at day 14 to serve as foundation stock. They were sexed at day 21 and the females were caged in 28 cages each contain 15 quails constructed in dimension of 60cm x 45cm x 45cm (length x breath x weight). Three birds from each caged were randomly picked at day 35, 42, 49 and 56 in each generation base (G s ), first (G 1 ) and second (G 2 ) and the data obtained were subjected to analyses of variance and realized heritability were obtained as appropriate from the following traits: live body changes in female sexual maturity, body weight gain, egg production, egg quality traits, reproductive traits, realized h 2 for the egg traits and egg production in the Japanese quail. The result shows that selection base on high body weight led to the traits to differed significantly (P by generations, age and sex of quails and significantly affects egg production for base, first and second generations. There were more egg production in first generation than base and second generations. The advances in age for a set of generation led to increase in weekly egg production, selection for body weight for the first generation base on average weekly egg production which was lower than the base and second generation and also as the bird’s advances in age there was improvement in egg traits at day 35, 42, 49 and 56. The percentage death in shell, percentage death in egg and percentage infertility responded positively to selection base on high body weight. The realized h 2 of egg number and age at sexual maturity in female quail was very low 0.05 in egg number and 0.23 in age at sexual maturity. There was also low realized h 2 values observed in egg width, yolk width, albumen length, shell weight and shell thickness and egg production (0.01 - 0.07). Apart from the age at sexual maturity which h 2 is moderate and implies that response to selection for high body weight may be rapid while the low realized heritability obtained for egg number and egg quality traits implies that response to selection for the traits could be slow.
An investigation into the role of iron homeostasis during the pathogenic and mutualistic interactions of Photorhabdus

Photorhabdus spp. is a genus of bacteria found colonising the gut of a specialised stage o f the nematode, Heterorhabditis, called the infective juvenile (IJ). The IJ is a free-living stage of the nematode that seeks out and infects insect larvae. Once inside the insect the IJs release Photorhabdus into the hemolymph where the bacteria rapidly proliferate, killing the insect within 48-72h. The nematodes grow and reproduce in the insect cadaver by feeding on the Photorhabdus biomass. Photorhabdus participates in both pathogenic and mutualistic interactions within its natural lifecycle and this study set out to identify the role o f iron within the lifecycle. The importance o f iron acquisition has been demonstrated for many important pathogens, however its role in beneficial interactions has not been so well studied. This study has shown that exbD mediated iron uptake is responsible for full virulence and symbiosis in P. temperata K122 and is required for virulence in P. luminescens TT01. However the TT01 exbD mutant was able to support nematode growth and development suggesting that the requirement for iron uptake was different in different bacteria-nematode complexes. Genes predicted to be involved in iron acquisition were identified in the sequenced genome of TT01 and these genes were deleted. However none of these mutants had any defect on either pathogenicity or mutualism. Nonetheless the addition of low levels of the iron chelator 2,2’-dipyridyl to the growing Photorhabdus bacteria resulted in a complete absence of nematode growth and development suggesting that iron levels are critical for nematode development. Proteomic analysis of Photorhabdus grown under these conditions has revealed the presence of iron regulated proteins which are potentially involved in the interaction with the nematode.
Perceptual Differences Between Wavefield Synthesis and Stereophony.

This thesis describes investigations into differences between wavefield synthesis (WFS), stereophony and natural sound sources with regard to spatial perception. One aim of the investigations was a comparison and a better understanding of the potential of wavefield synthesis and stereophony to reproduce spatial sound fields. A second aim was to find a rationale for observed perceptual differences by examining the general perception mechanisms. The two sound reproduction techniques were discussed and compared with regard to attributes of localisation, sound colour and distance perception at a fixed listening position. A natural source was considered to be the reference for all investigations. Both for localisation and sound colour, significant differences between the systems were found. Spatial aliasing had a substantial impact on the perceptual performance of WFS, and its reduction or prevention led to significant improvements. Although stereophonic phantom sources were shown not to be localised as certainly as virtual sources in WFS, the sound colour differences between adjacent phantom sources were found to be smaller. It was shown that the wave front curvature does not provide cues for distance perception in WFS for a static listener. A combination of WFS and stereophony, which is the OPSI method, was proposed to improve the performance of WFS with regard to sound colour reproduction. The results showed that by this technique, which incorporates stereophony into WFS, the sound colour perception can be optimised while the localisation properties do not change. The investigation aimed at interpreting the observed perceptual differences through a discussion of the applied perception mechanism. It is hypothesised that different mechanisms apply in the perception of stereophonic and WFS sources. The estimation of the subjective colouration grades by numerical predictors supported this idea, because systems incorporating stereophony were graded better than predicted. A full decolouration, however, as proposed by the association model of Theile could not be proven.
Screening Sorghum for Resistance to Striga Hermonthica (Del.) Benth

The root hemiparasitic weed Striga hermonthica is a serious constraint to grain production of economically important cereals in sub-Saharan Africa. Six cultivars of sorghum Abu sabien, were tested for resistance and tolerance to this root hemi-parasite by applying one of two levels of Striga infestation (2 and 4 mg/pot). Results indicated that Striga emergence infesting on roots of all cultivars, indicating that none exhibited a true resistance mechanism. However, cultivar, V6 sustained the lowest Striga emergence and no significant decrease in host biomass. Cultivar V3 exhibited the highest in height and biomass on infection indicating the operation of a tolerance mechanism. Under high infestation, one promising variety namely V6 constantly recorded low number of parasite plants and lowest Striga growth. Sorghum V3 sustained the highest plant growth although it has high Striga infestation. Mature plant resistance was also expressed by delay of parasite emergence and inhibition of its development, low reduction in sorghum growth and production (dry matter) in comparison with susceptible cultivars. Adoption of an integrated approach encompassing high yielding Striga resistant and/or tolerant cultivars may provide a cheap and easy to apply method for Striga control under low-input farming systems.
Using Personality Traits to Select Customer-Oriented Logistics Personnel

Although training can improve customer orientation in logistics personnel, recruiting employees who possess enduring personality traits that stimulate customer-oriented behaviors will greatly help logistics organizations to carry out the marketing concept. This research examined the relationship between personality traits and customer orientation using the five-factor model of personality and the SOCO scale for customer orientation. Data for this study were collected as part of a larger multi-organizational job classification study sponsored by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals. Responses were gathered from 354 respondents in 43 logistics organizations.
Generation of low phytic acid Arabidopsis seeds expressing an E. coli phytase during embryo development

Abstract An Escherichia coli phytase gene was introduced into Arabidopsisplants using an embryo-specific promoter and a signal peptide for vacuolar targeting. Three independent transgenic lines were analysed. Phytase activity in dry seeds was observed in transgenic lines, whereas no activity was detected in control, untransformed seeds. Transgenic seeds expressing the phytase gene had lower levels of phytic acid than the controls. Concomitant with the decrease in phytic acid was an increase in free phosphate. These results indicated that embryo-expressed phytase can reduce the levels of phytic acid stored during development.
Adjustment of Commercial Bank's Interest Rates and the Effectiveness of Monetary Policy in South Africa

The study uses the asymmetric error correction model as in Scholnick (1996) and two wholesale bank interest rates (prime interbank lending and the negotiable certificate of deposit rates), to examine how market interest rates adjust to changes in the SARB official rate under different policy regimes in South Africa. The study covered the period between 1973 and 2004, which was divided into six sub-periods to reflect the different monetary policy regimes in South Africa. The results indicate a varying degree of adjustment under the different regimes, but clearly show that there was greater speed of adjustment under regimes that stress more market-oriented policies as opposed to control measures. The response of market Interest rates to monetary policy was quick and with high magnitude which suggest a fairly efficient money market. The evidence on the asymmetric adjustment was weak. On the whole, the results of this study suggest that a market-oriented policy would be more effective in transmitting the effects of the Bank’s monetary policy stance to the rest of the economy.
GULP1 regulates the NRF2-KEAP1 signaling axis in urothelial carcinoma

GULP1 silencing increases NRF2-mediated antioxidant signaling that promotes urothelial carcinoma growth. Suppressing an NRF2 inhibitor in cancer Because of high metabolic activity, cancer cells often experience greater oxidative load compared to normal cells. Many types of cancer increase antioxidant signaling mediated by the transcription factor NRF2 to survive oxidative stress. Hayashi et al. found that deficiency of the phagocytic adaptor protein GULP1 increased the nuclear localization and, therefore, activity of NRF2 in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB). Cisplatin-resistant cell lines and aggressive UCB patient samples had decreased GULP1 abundance. GULP1 expression was inversely correlated with promoter hypermethylation, which could be detected in the urine of some patients with UCB. These results highlight a possible biomarker and therapeutic target for UCB, which imposes a high lifetime financial burden on patients. Disruption of the KEAP1-NRF2 pathway results in the transactivation of NRF2 target genes, consequently inducing cell proliferation and other phenotypic changes in cancer cells. Here, we demonstrated that GULP1 was a KEAP1-binding protein that maintained actin cytoskeleton architecture and helped KEAP1 to sequester NRF2 in the cytoplasm. In urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB), silencing of GULP1 facilitated the nuclear accumulation of NRF2, led to constitutive activation of NRF2 signaling, and conferred resistance to the platinum drug cisplatin. Knockdown of GULP1 in UCB cells promoted tumor cell proliferation in vitro and enhanced tumor growth in vivo. In primary UCB, GULP1 silencing was more prevalent in muscle-invasive UCB compared to nonmuscle-invasive UCB. GULP1 knockdown cells showed resistance to cisplatin treatment. In parallel with decreased GULP1 expression, we observed increased expression of NRF2, HMOX1, and other candidate antioxidant genes in cisplatin-resistant cells. Furthermore, low or no expression of GULP1 was observed in most cisplatin nonresponder cases. Silencing of GULP1 was associated with GULP1 promoter hypermethylation in cell lines and primary tumors, and a high frequency of GULP1 promoter methylation was observed in multiple sets of primary clinical UCB samples. Together, our findings demonstrate that GULP1 is a KEAP1-binding protein that regulates KEAP1-NRF2 signaling in UCB and that promoter hypermethylation of GULP1 is a potential mechanism of GULP1 silencing.
Different Families of Retrotransposons and DNA Transposons Are Actively Transcribed and May Have Transposed Recently in Physcomitrium (Physcomitrella) patens

Similarly to other plant genomes of similar size, more than half of the genome of P. patens is covered by Transposable Elements (TEs). However, the composition and distribution of P. patens TEs is quite peculiar, with Long Terminal Repeat (LTR)-retrotransposons, which form patches of TE-rich regions interleaved with gene-rich regions, accounting for the vast majority of the TE space. We have already shown that RLG1, the most abundant TE in P. patens, is expressed in non-stressed protonema tissue. Here we present a non-targeted analysis of the TE expression based on RNA-Seq data and confirmed by qRT-PCR analyses that shows that, at least four LTR-RTs (RLG1, RLG2, RLC4 and tRLC5) and one DNA transposon (PpTc2) are expressed in P. patens. These TEs are expressed during development or under stresses that P. patens frequently faces, such as dehydratation/rehydratation stresses, suggesting that TEs have ample possibilities to transpose during P. patens life cycle. Indeed, an analysis of the TE polymorphisms among four different P. patens accessions shows that different TE families have recently transposed in this species and have generated genetic variability that may have phenotypic consequences, as a fraction of the TE polymorphisms are within or close to genes. Among the transcribed and mobile TEs, tRLC5 is particularly interesting as it concentrates in a single position per chromosome that could coincide with the centromere, and its expression is specifically induced in young sporophyte, where meiosis takes place.
Role of Quercetin and L-Arginine in Alleviating Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle Hepatotoxicity in Rats

The rapid growth of the nanotechnology industry has led to the wide-scale production and application of engineered nanoparticles (NPs). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the toxicity of oral exposure to zinc oxide nano-particles (ZnO-NPs) on liver tissue of Wistar albino rats, and the hepatoprotective effect of quercetin (Qur) and/or L-Arginine (L-Arg) against such ZnO-NPs –induced toxicity. ZnO-NPs were administered orally in two doses (either 600mg or 1g/Kg body weight/day for 5 consecutive days) to rats. In order to detect the protective effects of the studied antioxidants against ZnO-NPs induced hepatotoxicity, biomarkers of metabolic disorder, tissue damage and inflammation, as well as oxidative deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage were investigated. Co-administration of Qur (200mg/ Kg body weight) and/or L-Arg (200mg/Kg body weight) daily for three weeks to ZnO-NPs intoxicated rats, with either of the two doses, significantly down-modulated the dramatic alteration in the investigated biochemical parameters. Where, the significant increase in serum alanine amino transferase (ALT) (marker of liver tissue damage), glucose (marker of metabolic disorder) levels, and the level of the pro-inflammatory biomarkers including tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-), interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), as well as immunoglobin g (IgG) were significantly decreased in treated group as compared to intoxicated rats. Furthermore, the studied antioxidants either alone or in combination effectively ameliorated the hepatic oxidative damage in DNA induced by of ZnO-NPs as confirmed by comet assay. These results support the use of Qur and L-Arg as protective agents against metal oxide nanoparticles hepatotoxicity, with their combination achieving a powerful hepatoprotective action.
Highly Sensitive and Robust Capillary Electrophoresis-Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry: Interfaces, Preconcentration Techniques and Applications

Abstract Capillary electrophoresis (CE) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) through electrospray ionization (ESI) is a promising alternative technique to liquid chromatography-ESI-MS (LC-ESI-MS) due to its high separation efficiency and high detection sensitivity. A sensitive and robust interface is essential in CE-ESI-MS. Continued development of CE-ESI-MS interfaces in the last decade, including junction-at-the-tip interfaces and sheathless interfaces, has improved the sensitivity and robustness of CE-ESI-MS significantly. The limited loading capacity of CE, one of major reasons that limits the utility of CE as a routine separation method, has also been addressed effectively by the use of in-capillary sample preconcentration techniques, such as transient CITP/CZE and dynamic pH junction. CE-ESI-MS could yield higher sensitivity as compared with the conventional LC-ESI-MS, and, therefore, is capable of identifying more proteins and peptides when the sample amount is very limited, such as single cell analysis. To improve the protein sequence coverage, CE-ESI-MS can also be used as a complementary technique to LC-ESI-MS, or combined with reversed phase LC to form a two dimensional separation technique. CE-ESI-MS is also effective in quantifying targeted peptides/proteins in complex bio-matrix.
Sensory and Consumer Studies in Plant Breeding: A Guidance for Edamame Development in the U.S.

Plant breeding is an important discipline to develop food products and improve overall quality, chemical composition, and nutritional value of crops, vegetables, fruits, and nuts, which can be important allies in health promotion. Apples, blueberries, wine grapes, tomatoes, and peanuts are a few examples of food products that were improved in past decades through plant breeding programs in the United States. Recently, edamame (vegetable soybean) has gained special attention from breeders, non-breeder researchers, growers, and consumers, and new edamame varieties are currently being developed for domestic production. As a popular nutritious crop in Asian countries, edamame is increasing in sales and consumption in the United States. Therefore, edamame has great potential to be a profitable alternative crop to replace tobacco farming, whose production and market value have been declining. Until the present date, most published reviews on edamame have focused on its agronomic characteristics. However, understanding consumer expectations, needs, and acceptability for new and improved crops like edamame is vital to guide and sustain their production. It is important that researchers working on plant breeding programs understand and consider the aspects that are relevant for both growers and consumers (e.g., crop productivity, pest and disease resistance, nutritional properties, and sensory attributes). Thus, this review paper aims to integrate available information on sensory quality of edamame and to support its development and production in the United States. This review presents an overview of how sensory evaluation and consumer studies have been used to support plant breeding programs in the development of alternative crops, such as edamame.
Growth Enhancers to Mitigate Salinity Stress in Vicia faba

ABSTRACT Soil salinity decreases growth, photosynthetic activity, and productivity and results in nutrient imbalance in plants. This study evaluated the efficacy of the foliar applied growth enhancer, Moringa oleifera Lam. , leaf extract (MLE; 20 times diluted) and evaluated the efficacy of sulfate of potash as a source of potassium (SOP), 3%, in reducing salinity effects in faba bean (Vicia faba L.) plants. Salinity in the nutrient solution at 0.0 (control) and 135 mM from NaCl (S), equivalent to 13 dS·m−1, were used. Plants grown at 13 dS·m−1 had decreased chlorophyll (a+b), carotenoids, total protein contents, weight of 100 seed, enzyme activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate-carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBPCase), photosynthetic activity (14CO2 fixation), and levels of N, P, and K in shoots and roots. Foliar application of MLE+S and SOP+S increased these compared to salt-stressed plants. Salt-stressed faba bean plants had increased proline content, Na+ and Cl− levels, and transpiration rate compared to control and plants treated with MLE+S and SOP+S. Foliar application of MLE+S and SOP+S decreased Na+ and Cl− levels and proline content below controls. Foliar applied MLE+S and SOP+S increased contents of N, P, and K in shoots and roots compared to salt-stressed and control plants. Foliar applied MLE and sulfate of potash ameliorated adverse effects of salinity by enhancing carboxylating enzyme activity of RuBPCase; total protein level; N, P, and K; photosynthetic activity (14CO2 assimilation); total yield; and plant secondary metabolites. Exogenously applied MLE provided more benefit against salinity stress than sulfate of potash. This first attempt to evaluate the potential of MLE and SOP as growth enhancers under salt-stressed Vicia faba indicated that exogenously applied MLE provided more benefit against salinity stress than sulfate of potash. More research is needed to investigate the cause of the responses. Further investigation is needed to quantify cytokinin content in MLE and SOP to determine the cause of enhanced responses.