Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of individual and combined applications of inorganic and organic fertilizers on Manihot esculenta Crantz

Organic fertilizers are naturally occurring fertilizers (compost and manure). A well-nurtured, healthy soil enables eco-friendly and healthy agriculture to be sustainable across centuries. Organic fertilizers and high quality biofertilizers play momentous role in the assurance of the safety, healthiness, and extension of life span of human generations by regaining the neutrality of our soil. An inorganic fertilizer, also known as chemical fertilizer or synthetic fertilizer made in the laboratory contains all the vital nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which are also present in the organic fertilizer. Unlike organic fertilizer, inorganic fertilizers do not have to be broken down before being absorbed by plants as the nutrients present in them are easily absorbed. The present study was carried out to evaluate the potential utilization of the inorganic [nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK)], organic (Cyanopith biofertilizers), and combined Fertilizers (NPK and Organic manure) in terms of the morphological parameters such as shoot length and width, number and length of leaves, width of leaves, number of branches; and also to analyze the biochemical parameters such as protein, carbohydrate, starch, sugar, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, amino acids, moisture, ash, fiber, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and fat. These all morphological and nutrient analysis is higher in organic fertilizers (Cyanopith biofertilizers) when compared with inorganic and combined fertilizers (NPK and organic manure). Therefore, organic fertilizers are improving the level of the nutrients in Manihot esculenta (crantz).
Social Distancing and Stigma: Association Between Compliance With Behavioral Recommendations, Risk Perception, and Stigmatizing Attitudes During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Introduction: Following behavioral recommendations is key to successful containment of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is important to identify causes and patterns of non-compliance in the population to further optimize risk and health communication. Methods: A total of 157 participants [80% female; mean age = 27.82 years (SD = 11.01)] were surveyed regarding their intention to comply with behavioral recommendations issued by the German government. Latent class analysis examined patterns of compliance, and subsequent multinomial logistic regression models tested sociodemographic (age, gender, country of origin, level of education, region, and number of persons per household) and psychosocial (knowledge about preventive behaviors, risk perception, stigmatizing attitudes) predictors. Results: Three latent classes were identified: high compliance (25%) with all recommendations; public compliance (51%), with high compliance regarding public but not personal behaviors; and low compliance (24%) with most recommendations. Compared to high compliance, low compliance was associated with male gender [relative risk ratio (RRR) = 0.08 (0.01; 0.85)], younger age [RRR = 0.72 (0.57; 0.93)], and lower public stigma [RRR = 0.21 (0.05; 0.88)]. Low compliers were also younger than public compliers [RRR = 0.76 (0.59; 0.98)]. Discussion: With 25% of the sample reporting full compliance, and 51% differing in terms of public and personal compliance, these findings challenge the sustainability of strict regulatory measures. Moreover, young males were most likely to express low compliance, stressing the need for selective health promotion efforts. Finally, the positive association between public stigma and compliance points to potential othering effects of stigma during a pandemic, but further longitudinal research is required to examine its impact on health and social processes throughout the pandemic.
Deciphering mechanisms of VlsE-mediated immune avoidance by Borrelia burgdorferi

by Artem S. Rogovskyy, Ph.D. Washington State University December 2014 Chair: Troy Bankhead The current work has focused on antigenic variation of the VlsE surface lipoprotein, a key mechanism for immune evasion and persistent infection by the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. The fact that only VlsE exhibits ongoing variation of its surface epitopes despite substantial numbers of other proteins expressed on the B. burgdorferi surface suggests that spirochetes may utilize a VlsE-mediated system for immune avoidance of B. burgdorferi surface antigens. The studies described in this dissertation have attempted to decipher whether such a system exists during murine infection by the Lyme pathogen, and the mechanism(s) behind this process. The data suggest that VlsE prevents recognition of B. burgdorferi surface antigens from host antibodies. The work also explored VlsE involvement during reinfection and superinfection, and the potential immune barriers to secondary infection by B. burgdorferi. As a result, innate immunity of the reservoir mouse host has been proposed to be a driving force for B. burgdorferi heterogeneity during the enzootic cycle. The significance of this research is also reflected by the fact that findings, obtained from studies utilizing in vitro-grown or host-adapted B. burgdorferi clones and laboratory strains of mice, were retested in the enzootic cycle model.
The nesting biology of the Brown Honeyeater Lichmera indistincta in the Darwin Region of northern Australia with notes on tidal flooding of nests

In the Darwin region of Northern Australia, the Brown Honeyeater nests in mangals (mangrove communities). woodlands and urban areas. Based on observations of 75 nests whose laying date could be estimated, the breeding season extends from April to September, a pattern that is consistent across years and habitats. Nests are usually built in shrubs and low twiggy growth of small trees, with a median nest height of 1.1 metre above the ground. The modal clutch size was 2, with a mean of 1.84, a small clutch size for such a small species (10 g), even by Australian standards. Both the incubation and nestling periods were approximately 13 to 13.5 days, slightly shorter than the 14 days previously reported. Females alone build, incubate and brood, but both sexes feed the young. Nest success was estimated to be 42 per cent, with most egg or nestling failures being the result of predation of the entire nest contents, or of flooding. Ten mangal nests were flooded by sea water during spring high tides. The period between full lunar cycle spring tide sequences (29-30 days) is slightly less then the time it takes a Brown Honeyeater to build a nest, lay and incubate the eggs, and fledge the young. As a consequence, all nests built in mangals below about 7.4 metres Chart Datum would have been flooded. In mangals, Brown Honeyeaters may therefore only nest successfully in landward zones that are on higher ground and are thus subject to less deep inundation. At least three mangrove endemic bird species are also obligate shrub-nesters, so preservation of landward mangrove zones may be critical for the conservation of mangrove bird communities.
The Employment Effects of Lump-Sum and Contingent Job Insurance Policies: Evidence from Brazil

Abstract Lump-sum job displacement policies (e.g., severance pay) are often presented as a better alternative to contingent policies (e.g., unemployment insurance) in the context of developing countries, under the rationale that the former are less harmful to formal employment as they do not incentivize substitution from formal to informal jobs. First, this paper provides original evidence on the employment effects of lump-sum income in the context of a developing country with high labor informality. A regression discontinuity (RD) design, using Brazilian data, shows that a transfer equivalent to fifteen days of earnings (a) increases the duration out of a formal job by 1.9 weeks, (b) reduces monthly earnings in the next job by 1.6%, and (c) reduces total earnings in the formal labor market by 3.6% over a three-year period. Second, the paper studies the impact of a one-month extension in unemployment insurance (UI) on a comparable sample of displaced workers. UI is shown to have a stronger impact on the duration out of a formal job compared with a lump-sum transfer. In addition, a novel exercise matching administrative and survey data shows that 57% of the decrease in formal employment caused by UI is compensated by an increase in the incidence of informal employment. However, workers receiving the UI extension partially recover the initial employment loss over time in such a way that the adverse impact on employment over a three-year period is similar compared with the lump-sum transfer. Moreover, UI is found to be less harmful to reemployment wages, possibly because it improves workers' bargaining power as it offers insurance against the duration of joblessness. Overall, the UI extension is less detrimental to total earnings in the formal labor market over a three-year period. Hence, although these findings indicate that contingent job insurance policies have a stronger impact on the initial duration out of a formal job and indeed incentivize informal employment, they do not support the notion that lump-sum policies are less harmful to formal employment and earnings in the medium term.
Multisensory integration in the mouse cortical connectome using a network diffusion model

Having a structural network representation of connectivity in the brain is instrumental in analyzing communication dynamics and information processing in the brain. In this work, we make steps towards understanding multi-sensory information flow and integration using a network diffusion approach. In particular, we model the flow of evoked activity, initiated by stimuli at primary sensory regions, using the Asynchronous Linear Threshold (ALT) diffusion model. The ALT model captures how evoked activity that originates at a given region of the cortex “ripples through” other brain regions (referred to as an activation cascade). By comparing the model results to functional datasets based on Voltage Sensitive Dye (VSD) imaging, we find that in most cases the ALT model predicts the temporal ordering of an activation cascade correctly. Our results on the Mouse Connectivity Atlas from the Allen Institute for Brain Science show that a small number of brain regions are involved in many primary sensory streams – the claustrum and the parietal temporal cortex being at the top of the list. This suggests that the cortex relies on an hourglass architecture to first integrate and compress multi-sensory information from multiple sensory regions, before utilizing that lower-dimensionality representation in higher-level association regions and more complex cognitive tasks.
Do Monetary Incentives Undermine Performance on Intrinsically Enjoyable Tasks? A Field Test

Abstract Economists have long been intrigued by an influential literature in psychology positing that monetary pay lowers performance on enjoyable tasks by crowding out agents' intrinsic interest in them. But typical experiments in this literature do not report a full set of performance metrics, which might reveal conflicting evidence on crowding out. Further, they may suffer from confounds. To evaluate these issues, we review over 100 prior tests and run a field experiment building on the canonical two-session test for crowding out wherein agents receive pay for an interesting activity in session 1 that is withdrawn unexpectedly in session 2. We test whether pay harms performance using a comprehensive set of performance measures, and if so, whether unmet pay expectations might also contribute to this decline. Our results on output, productivity and quits are most consistent with a standard economics model than with a crowding-out one. Additional, though more speculative, evidence suggests that unmet pay expectations may harm output quality.
Does Evaluation Change Teacher Effort and Performance? Quasi-experimental Evidence from a Policy of Retesting Students

Abstract We document measurable, lasting gains in student achievement caused by a change in teachers' evaluation incentives. A short-lived rule created a discontinuity in teachers' incentives when allocating effort across their assigned students: students who failed an initial end-of-year test were retested a few weeks later, and then only the higher of the two scores was used when calculating the teacher's evaluation score. One year later, long after the discontinuity in incentives had ended, retested students scored 0. 03σ higher than nonretested students. Otherwise identical students were treated differently by teachers because of evaluation incentives, despite arguably equal returns to teacher effort.
Efficacy of Insecticides, Biopesticide and Plant Products Against Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci on Mothbean, Vigna aconitifolia

Dimethoate 30 EC (0.03%) and methyl demeton 25 EC (0.025%) proved to be most effective against whitefly, Bemsia tabaci (Genu.), closely followed by monocrotophos 36 SL (0.036%) on moth bean. The treatment of Karanj seed extract (5%) and Metarrhizium anisopliae (2 x 105 spores l-1) proved to be least effective; whereas, acephate 75 WP (0.037%), imidacloprid 17.8 SL (0.002%), nimbecidine 0.03 EC (5 ml l-1) and Neem seed kernel extract (NSKE) 5 per cent were found in the middle order of effectiveness. The maximum avoidable loss of 39.1 per cent was observed in the control (untreated). The maximum incremental benefit cost ratio was obtained in the monocrotophos 36 SL, i. e. , 5.4 followed by dimethoate 30 EC (5.0) and acephate 75 WP (4.8).
Does Core-Periphery Gradient Determine Breeding Performance in a Breeding Colony of White Storks Ciconia ciconia?

Abstract. The timing of breeding and nest location in colonial birds may have fitness consequences. In particular, it has been demonstrated that peripheral breeders perform less well than core breeders. To determine whether environmental factors such as date of breeding and nest position influence reproductive success, we studied the breeding ecology of a large colony of White Stork Ciconia ciconia at Dréan, northeast Algeria, during 2011 and 2012. Mean egg-laying dates varied significantly between years and differed between core and peripheral nests with more precocious laying occurring in the center. Egg-laying in larger nests started earlier than in smaller ones in the core area but neither nest size nor nest position along the core-periphery gradient had any influence on studied breeding parameters i.e. clutch size, hatching success and chick productivity. There was no yearly difference in clutch size which averaged 4.7 ± 0.7 eggs (N = 156 clutches). Mean chick productivity was higher in 2012 (2.85 ± 1.21 chicks) than in 2011 (2.29 ± 2.28 chicks) and was marginally associated with egg-laying date. In contrast, nesting success declined with delayed onset of breeding. Results suggest that a low predation rate, abundant resources and a possible trade-off between fitness components may confound adaptive breeding-habitat selection in White Stork.
A Situational Analysis of Financial Deepening in Low, Middle and High Income Economies

Age long ago, financial deepening in economies have undergone revolutionary changes as a result of income level (high, medium or low) of economies. The purpose of this research study was to examine financial development strategies adopted by these economiesinvestigating an empirical retrospective relationship between financial deepening as a dependent variable and selected explanatory variables sought from the real sector (real GDP growth rates), financial variables such as; financial liberalization index and net financial account flows in the liberalized economies of Sierra Leone, Nigeria and South Korea as low, medium and high income countries respectively since 2000 to 2008 inclusive. We took Financial deepening, to refer to an increase in the volume of credit being intermediated in financial market measured by indicators such as; Money Supply (M2), factors that induce credit to the private sector or stock market capitalization relative to GDP, net capital flows and real growth rates. The Ordinary Least Squares and Multiple Regression model econometrics estimation technique were used employing Time Series data analysis to examine the causality to ascertain their impact whether stationary or not for the countries under review and a stochastic error term ‘μ’. The empirical results suggest that financial sector development and economic growth are positively co-integrated and has an indication to stabilize long-run equilibrium relationship that exist within “bank-based” financial deepening determinants. The results generally support the view that, financial deepening is a necessary causal factor of economic growth, although the strength of the evidence varies across countries and proxies used in the study are observed as resultants parameters bench mark for policy implication.
Genetic variability of ecophysiological response to water stress in Pinus radiata (D. Don)

2 DECLARATION 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS 5 LIST OF TABLES 8 LIST OF FIGURES 11 CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION 13 LITERATURE REVIEW 14 Growth 14 Respiration 15 Gas exchange and water use efficiency (WUE) 16 Carbon isotope composition (δC) 20 Chlorophyll fluorescence 21 Osmotic adjustment 24 CHAPTER 2 – ECOPHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE IN SEEDLINGS 27 INTRODUCTION 27 MATERIALS AND METHODS 28 Genetic dataset 28 Growing stock 29 Experimental blocks 30 Experimental treatments 30 Measurements 31 Plant water status 31 Growth 32 Respiration 32 Gas exchange 33 Carbon isotope composition 33 Chlorophyll fluorescence 34 Osmotic Adjustment 34 Statistical Analysis 35 Experimental design 35 Mixed model analysis 35 ANOVA for δC in apical stem tissue 37 Genetic correlation analyses 37 RESULTS 38 Growth 40
Dynamic response determination of viscoelastic annular plates using FSDT – perturbation approach

In this paper, the transient response of a viscoelastic annular plate which has time-dependent properties is determined mathematically under dynamic transverse load. The axisymmetric conditions are considered in the problem. The viscoelastic properties obey the standard linear solid model in shear and the bulk behavior in elastic. The equations of motion are extracted using Hamilton’s principle by small deformation assumption for the elastic condition and they are extended to the viscoelastic form by defining viscoelastic operators based on the separating the bulk and shear behaviors. The displacement field is defined with the first order shear deformation theory by considering the transverse normal strain effect. These equations which contain four coupled partial differential equations with variable coefficients are solved using the perturbation technique. The results are compared with those obtained from the classical plate theory and the finite element method. The presented formulation is useful for parametric study because it does not need to generate mesh and selecting time step for each model; also the running time is short with respect to the finite elements method. For sensitivity analysis, the effects of geometrical and mechanical parameters on the response are investigated by parametric study.
Multi-system inﬂammatory syndrome in children & adolescents (MIS-C): A systematic review of clinical features and presentation

) however only 41% demonstrated pulmonary changes on chest imaging. Severity of illness was high with 68% cases requiring intensive care admission; 63% requiring inotropic support; 244/783 (28%) cases needing some form of respiratory support (138 mechanically ventilated), and 31 required extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation. Treatment strategies included intravenous immunoglobulin (63%) and intravenous steroids (44%). 29 cases received Inﬂiximab, 47 received IL1 (interleukin) receptor antagonist, and 47 received IL6-receptor antagonist. 12/783 (1.5%) children died. In summary, a higher incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms were noted in MIS-C. In contrast to acute Covid-19 infection in children, MIS-C appears to be a condition of higher severity with 68% of cases having required critical care support. (cid:1) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A Ratoon Cropping System for Fall Bell Pepper Production

Studies were conducted to examine the effects of pruning treatments applied to spring-transplanted bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L.) on marketable fruit yield in late summer and fall. Control plants were set in the field in early May 1997 (Oklahoma) and Apr. 1998 (Oklahoma and Texas) and harvested weekly into October (Oklahoma) or periodically into December (Texas). In 1997, all four treatments (involving height and method of pruning) reduced total marketable fruit weight, but differences among treatments were nonsignificant. In Oklahoma in 1998, plants were mowed on 27 July at an average height of =24 cm. Mowed plants produced less total marketable fruit weight but more U.S. Fancy fruit than did control plants, while weight of U.S. No. 1 fruit was not affected. In Texas in 1998, plants mowed on 4 Sept, at a height of 20 cm produced more than twice the weight of U.S. No. 1 fruit and fewer cull fruit than did control plants. Nonpruned transplants set in the field in Summer 1998 (both Oklahoma and Texas) produced low marketable yields. Maintaining spring-transplanted bell peppers is a viable technique for fall pepper production, and the highest total marketable yields may be obtained if these plants are not mowed. However, mowing offers an opportunity for increased fall production of premium fruit, and mowed plants would be easier to manage than nonpruned plants.
The highly dynamic heterochromatin protein Swi6 mediates degradation of heterochromatic transcripts

The aim of my thesis was to investigate the mechanism of heterochromatin repression mediated by heterochromatin protein Swi6 in S. pombe. Research over the years challenged the view of heterochromatin as a static and transcriptionally inert structure. Especially in fission yeast it has become clear that heterochromatin silencing requires not only the action of chromatin modifying factors, but also transcriptional activity and RNA degradation processes. Moreover, heterochromatin protein Swi6 was shown to be highly dynamic, unlike what was expected for a protein that is perceived as a major structural component of heterochromatin. Yet, the prevailing model of heterochromatin establishment and spreading is thought to occur by iterative HP1 binding to methylated H3K9 and recruitment of histone methylation activity. Driven by recent findings in our lab that described a new role for Swi6 in repression and provided a possible explanation for its dynamic behavior, I set out to investigate the mechanism in vivo by studying Swi6 dynamics. Therefore, a major focus of my PhD was to establish a suitable, robust microscopy-based method that allowed me to follow rapid dynamics and produce reliable data. The work I have done challenged the role of Swi6 in heterochromatin maintenance and spreading, but coincides with a clear involvement in sustaining tight repression. While H3K9me levels remained high in the absence of Swi6 and even spread into neighboring regions, heterochromatic transcript levels increased. These observations revealed unanticipated functions for Swi6 and made us reconsider the mechanism of Swi6-mediated silencing. As previously proposed, Swi6 could function as a co-transcriptional checkpoint that mediates RNA degradation (Keller et al., 2012). In this model RNA binds to Swi6 and gets primed for destruction as it is handed over to the RNA decay machinery, involving Cid14 and the exosome or the RNAi machinery. The target specificity depends on the epigenetic make-up of the locus, meaning the recognition of H3K9me by the CD of Swi6, while RNA binding occurs in a sequence independent manner (Keller et al., 2012). Therefore, additional processes that confer specificity, like siRNAs, are needed to ensure correct targeting of H3K9me marks to trigger Swi6-mediated turnover of unwanted RNA transcripts and not of any other random region in the genome.