Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Approaches for Improving Crop Competitiveness Through the Manipulation of Fertilization Strategies

Weeds are often more competitive with crops at higher soil nutrient levels. This can result in increased de- pendency on herbicides and tiliage to maintain adequate weed control. A number of studies have shown weeds accu- mulate higher concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, po- tassium, calcium, and magnesium than crops, thus depleting soil nutrient levels more quickly and reducing crop yield. Understanding basic mechanisms and timing of nutrient uptake in weeds and crops can lead to fertilization strategies which will enhance the competitive ability of crops while reducing interference from weeds. Such strategies can in- clude deep band application of fertilizers to the crop row, as opposed to broadcast applications. Banding techniques also reduce the potential for nitrate contamination of surface or groundwater. The addition of nitrification inhibitors or in- creasing the proportion of nitrogen as ammonium or urea in fertilizer mixtures can restrict growth of ammonium- or urea-sensitive weeds. The timing of fertilizer applications can take advantage of maximal rates of nutrient uptake into crop roots at specific developmental stages. In addition, nutrient use efficiency can be enhanced by choosing appropriate crop cultivars, maintaining effective weed control practices, or altering row spacing or seeding rate to increase accumulation of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in crops. Additional index words. Banding, competition, ecophysiology, fertilizers, nitrogen, nutrient uptake.
BIOTECHNOLOGICALLY RELEVANT ENZYMES AND PROTEINS Growth and laccase production by Pleurotus ostreatus in submerged and solid-state fermentation

Pleurotus ostreatus showed atypical laccase production in submerged vs. solid-state fermentation. Cultures grown in submerged fermentation produced laccase at 13,000 U l, with a biomass production of 5.6 g l and four laccase isoforms. However, cultures grown in solidstate fermentation had a much lower laccase activity of 2,430 U l, biomass production of 4.5 g l, and three laccase isoforms. These results show that P. ostreatus performs much better in submerged fermentation than in solid-state fermentation. This is the first report that shows such atypical behavior in the production of extracellular laccases by fungi.
Biotechnologically Relevant Enzymes and Proteins

A novel self-cleavable tag Zbasic–ΔI-CM and its application in the soluble expression of recombinant human interleukin-15 in Escherichia coli Abstract Soluble expression of recombinant therapeutic proteins in Escherichia coli (E. coli) has been a challenging task in biopharmaceutical development. In this study, a novel self-cleavable tag Zbasic–intein has been constructed for the soluble expression and purification of a recombinant cytokine, human interleukin-15 (IL-15). We screened several solubiliz-ing tags fused with the self-cleavable Mycobacterium tuberculosis recA mini-intein ΔI-CM and demonstrated that Zbasic tag can significantly improve the solubility of the product with correspondent to the intein activity. The fusion protein BZbasic–ΔI-CM–IL-15^ was expressed with high solubil-ity and easily enriched by the cost-effective cation-exchange chromatography. The self-cleavage of the fusion tag Zbasic– ΔI-CM was then induced by a pH shift, with an activation energy of 7.48 kcal/mol. The mature IL-15 with natural N-terminus was released and further purified by hydrophobic interaction and anion-exchange chromatography. High-resolution reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry analysis confirmed that the product was of high purity and correct mass. With a CTLL-2 cell proliferation-based assay, the EC 50 was evaluated to be of about 0.126 ng/mL, similar to the product in clinical trials. By avoiding the time-consuming denaturing-refolding steps in previously reported processes, the current method is efficient and cost-effective. The novel tag Zbasic–ΔI-CM can be potentially applied to large-scale manufacturing of recombinant human cytokines as well as other mammalian-sourced proteins in E. coli.
Characterization and modeling of the purkinje system for biophysical simulations

The usability of computer models of the heart depends mostly on their capacity to accurately represent heart anatomy, microstructure and function. However, integrating such a variety of biological data is often not possible. This is the case of the cardiac conduction system (CCS), which is responsible for the fast and coordinated distribution of the electrical impulses. The CCS cannot be observed in-vivo but it is mandatory in several cardiac modeling applications involving arrhythmias. The aims of this thesis are to show the importance of explicitly modeling the CCS structure and function for an accurate description of the electrical activation of the ventricles and to present a novel technique to build automatically a CCS structure that meets physiological observations. Pursuing that goal has required a multidisciplinary effort to build models for cardiac electrophysiology, and imaging techniques to acquire and analyze data of the CCS at different scales.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression: trends and developments

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was developed as a psychological intervention for individuals at risk of depressive relapse. Possible mechanisms of change for this intervention are in line with its theoretical underpinnings, and include increases in mindfulness and/or decreases in negative repetitive thoughts. This review provides an overview of current trends in MBCT research, including efficacy and questions regarding the specific effects of MBCT in light of recent comparisons with structurally equivalent control conditions, mechanisms of change, and moderators of treatment outcome. In addition, future directions are discussed, such as challenges with training an adequate number of therapists and disseminating this therapy.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for recurrent depression: Do we need to exclude currently depressed patients?

For many patients, major depression is a recurrent disorder and a potential chronic disease causing significant levels of distress. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an 8-week training combining meditation exercises and cognitive therapy aimed at preventing relapse in patients with remitted depression. It provides an alternative for maintenance anti-depressant medication which is often prescribed for many years. Expert opinions about MBCT suggested that patients with a current depression should be excluded from participating in MBCT. However, Van Aalderen and colleagues showed that currently depressed participants do benefit of MBCT to the same extent as patients in remission. The reductions of depressive symptoms and rumination in currently depressed patients were comparable to those of patients without a current depression. In addition, mindfulness skills like acting with awareness or acceptance did increase in both groups in a similar way. The results were maintained over a 1-year follow-up period after the training. Experiences of MBCT in both trainers and participants were explored as well as the difference in perception between therapists with and without a Christian background. The results of this PhD thesis suggest a wider applicability of MBCT than previously assumed.
Identification of TFR2 as a novel ferroptosis‑related gene that serves an important role in prognosis and progression of triple‑negative breast cancer

Effective targeted therapeutic strategies for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the most malignant subtype of breast cancer, are currently lacking. Ferroptosis has been reported to be associated with the onset and advancement of various cancer types, including TNBC. However, there are limited studies on the correlation between TNBC and ferroptosis-related genes. In addition, the potential biomarkers of ferroptosis in TNBC need further investigation. The present study aimed to assess the prognostic role of a novel ferroptosis-related gene signature in the context of TNBC. The signature was established utilizing The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset. This three-gene model [transferrin receptor 2 (TFR2), regulator of G protein signaling 4 and zinc finger protein 36] was developed utilizing least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analysis and demonstrated satisfactory predictive performance in TNBC. The area under the curve values of the receiver operating characteristic curves in this model concerning the 1-, 2- and 3-year survival prediction were 0.721, 0.840 and 0.856, respectively. The predictive performance of the model was verified using the TNBC dataset GSE25307. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) demonstrated the enrichment of genes in the low-risk group in a number of important metabolic pathways. Single-sample GSEA demonstrated a variation in the expression levels of immune checkpoint molecules between the high- and low-risk groups. The inhibitory impact of TFR2 knockdown on the proliferative capacity of TNBC cells was verified through in vitro experiments. The data also demonstrated that TFR2 knockdown facilitated the ferroptosis of TNBC cells. Additional assessments indicated that the effects of TFR2 knockdown were partially reversed upon treatment with the ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1. In conclusion, in the present study, a novel and accurate ferroptosis-related predictive signature was established for TNBC with potential future clinical applications. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to report that TFR2 regulated ferroptosis in TNBC cells in vitro.
PROMISING SUGARCANE CLONES FOR TROPICAL CONDITIONS OF ECUADOR: FIRST GROUP OF SELECTIONS

SUGARCANE production in Ecuador presently depends on intsoduced cultivars, with 82% of the area being occupied by the old Australian cultivas Ragnar. Ecuadorian cane production has experienced a reduction in tonnage and sugar content in the last 20 years. This led to the establishment of the Sugarcane Research Centre of Ecuador (CPNCAE). Its main objective is to develop new local cultivars. In 1998, a selection program was initiated, using true seed fsom COPERSUCAR-Brazil. This produced the first group of selections, the 98 series. Eight promising clones have been selected from this series. Evaluations in plant crop showed four clones with better sugar production compared to Ragnar (ECSP98-425, ECSP98-169, ECSP98-168, ECSP98-499). Clone ECSP98-169 is stable and responds to the poor environments among the six locations, with 9.7 tonnes of sugartha compared to Ragnar with only 7.8 tonnes of sugar/ha. These results show that the selection program can produce promising clones that could be released in the next few years.
Community based risk assessment of exposure to waterborne contaminants on the Crow Reservation, Montana

The goal of this collaborative research project undertaken by the Crow Reservation community, Little Big Horn College and Montana State University Bozeman has been to improve the health of Crow community members by assessing, communicating and mitigating the risks from local waterborne contaminants. The Reservation's surface waters have always been greatly respected by the Crow people, valued as a source of life and health and relied upon for drinking water. About fifty years ago, rural families switched to home well water instead of hauling water from the rivers. Many families went from having an unlimited supply of free, good quality river water, to unpalatable well water dependent upon an expensive-to-maintain plumbing system. Tribal members questioned the health of the rivers and well water due to visible water quality deterioration and potential connections to illnesses and initiated this research project. We share what we have learned as tribal members and researchers about conducting community-based risk assessment and using our data to improve Tribal and river health. Initial research on river water quality revealed significant microbial contamination. Collaborations with several microbiologists revealed substantial E. coli and Cryptosporidium river contamination as well as Helicobacter pylori in home water supplies. We found that about 55% of home wells are unsafe to drink due to either mineral and/or microbial contamination. Depending on the river valley, 11% to 58% of home wells exceed the cumulative risk level of concern for mineral contaminants. Exposure to contaminated well water exacerbates the community's existing health disparities due to the confluence of the area's geology, extensive agriculture, lack of public environmental health education, jurisdictional complexities of reservations, already vulnerable health status and families' limited financial resources for mitigating poor quality well water. Limited resources as well as the links among ecosystems, cultural practices and public health will increase the already existing impacts of climate change on reservation communities. Flood frequency, late summer water shortage and fire severity are increasing while water quality is declining. Risk communication and risk mitigation, not just risk assessment, have been and continue to be central to our project and pursued through numerous venues and collaborations.
An improved approximation algorithm for the partial Latin square extension problem

Previous work on the partial Latin square extension (PLSE) problem resulted in a 2-approximation algorithm based on the LP relaxation of a three-dimensional assignment IP formulation. We present an e=(e − 1)-approximation algorithm that is based on the LP relaxation of a packing IP formulation of the PLSE problem. c © 2003 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Benthic communities at two remote Pacific coral reefs: effects of reef habitat, depth, and wave energy gradients on spatial patterns

Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll in the central Pacific are among the most remote coral reefs on the planet. Here we describe spatial patterns in their benthic communities across reef habitats and depths, and consider these in the context of oceanographic gradients. Benthic communities at both locations were dominated by calcifying organisms (54–86% cover), namely hard corals (20–74%) and crustose coralline algae (CCA) (10–36%). While turf algae were relatively common at both locations (8–22%), larger fleshy macroalgae were virtually absent at Kingman (<1%) and rare at Palmyra (0.7–9.3%). Hard coral cover was higher, but with low diversity, in more sheltered habitats such as Palmyra’s backreef and Kingman’s patch reefs. Almost exclusive dominance by slow-growing Porites on Kingman’s patch reefs provides indirect evidence of competitive exclusion, probably late in a successional sequence. In contrast, the more exposed forereef habitats at both Kingman and Palmyra had higher coral diversity and were characterized by fast-growing corals (e.g., Acropora and Pocillopora), indicative of more dynamic environments. In general at both locations, soft coral cover increased with depth, likely reflecting increasingly efficient heterotrophic abilities. CCA and fleshy macroalgae cover decreased with depth, likely due to reduced light. Cover of other calcified macroalgae, predominantly Halimeda, increased with depth. This likely reflects the ability of many calcifying macroalgae to efficiently harvest light at deeper depths, in combination with an increased nutrient supply from upwelling promoting growth. At Palmyra, patterns of hard coral cover with depth were inconsistent, but cover peaked at mid-depths at Kingman. On Kingman’s forereef, benthic community composition was strongly related to wave energy, with hard coral cover decreasing and becoming more spatially clustered with increased wave energy, likely as a result of physical damage leading to patches of coral in localized shelter. In contrast, the cover of turf algae at Kingman was positively related to wave energy, reflecting their ability to rapidly colonize newly available space. No significant patterns with wave energy were observed on Palmyra’s forereef, suggesting that a more detailed model is required to study biophysical coupling there. Kingman, Palmyra, and other remote oceanic reefs provide interesting case studies to explore biophysical influences on benthic ecology and dynamics.
Water quality, nutrient dynamics and sediment profile in shrimp farms of the Sundarbans mangrove forest, Bangladesh

Investigation was carried out to observe the sediment-water characteristics and nutrient budget of traditional shrimp farms during JanuaryDecember 2000. Most of the water quality parameters between inlet and outlet of shrimp farms were similar, but transparency, turbidity, total suspended solid (TSS), phytoplankton and zooplankton concentration and primary productivity were significantly (p < 0.05) different within inlet and outlet. Pollution indicator parameter, chemical oxygen demand (COD) was more or less similar between these two points indicating less or no chance of coastal eutrophication from shrimp farm effluent. Nutrient balance due to water exchange showed that about 44.15 kg of nitrogen (N)/ha/culture cycle and 27.25 kg of phosphorus (P)/ha/culture cycle were being deposited into the bottom sediment. Most of the sediment parameters between mangrove and shrimp farms were similar, except calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K) and sulphur (S). Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), Organic matter (OM) contents were low in the sediment sample indicating the sediment status poor and needs improvement through proper fertilization.
Ice deformed in compression and simple shear: control of temperature and initial fabric

Abstract Layered and polycrystalline ice was experimentally deformed in general shear involving axial compression (strain magnitude 0.5-17%) and simple shear (strain magnitude γ = 0.1-1.4). As the temperature is increased from -20°C to -2°C, there is at least a twofold enhancement in octahedral shear strain rate, which coincides with the onset of extensive dynamic recrystallization and a change in grain-size distribution at -15°C. Between -150C and -10°C the c-axis preferred orientation rapidly evolves with the initiation of two-maxima fabrics in shear zones. From -10°C to -2°C there is progressive evolution of a final c-axis pattern that is asymmetric with respect to the direction of shortening, with a strong maximum at ~5° to the pole of the shear zone, a sense of asymmetry in the direction of the shear, and a secondary maximum inclined at ~45° to the plane of shearing. An initial c-axis preferred orientation plays a critical role in the initial mechanical evolution. In contrast to established ideas, a strong alignment of basal planes parallel to the plane of easy glide inhibited deformation and there was an increased component of strain hardening until recrystallization processes become dominant.
Allergic rhinitis and its impact on asthma.

Authors Jan L. Brozek, MD, PhD – Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics and Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada Jean Bousquet, MD, PhD – Service des Maladies Respiratoires, Hopital Arnaud de Villeneuve, Montpellier, France, INSERM, CESP U1018, Respiratory and Environmental Epidemiology Team, France, and WHO Collaborating Center for Rhinitis and Asthma Carlos E. Baena-Cagnani, MD – Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Argentina Sergio Bonini, MD – Institute of Neurobiology and Molecular Medicine – CNR, Rome, Italy and Department of Medicine, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy G. Walter Canonica, MD – Allergy & Respiratory Diseases, DIMI, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy Thomas B. Casale, MD – Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, USA Roy Gerth van Wijk, MD, PhD – Section of Allergology, Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Ken Ohta, MD, PhD – Division of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Department of Medicine, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan Torsten Zuberbier, MD – Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charite Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany Holger J. Schunemann, MD, PhD, MSc – Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics and Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
Corporate Governance and Firm Performance in Emerging Markets: Evidence from India

This study attempts to explore the link between corporate governance system developed by firms like promoter ownership, institutional relationship (as percentage ownership in the firm), foreign institutional investors (FII) ownership, board size (log assets), family control which is a significant indicator for board independence. Further we have also taken CEO duality, number of board meetings and busyness of directors and linked it with firm performance. Market based firm performance measures and accounting based performance show different impact. Findings indicate that impact of corporate governance variables on market based performance measures (Tobin’s Q) is greater than the impact on accounting based performance measures (ROA and ROE). Ownership structure i.e. family capitalism impacts market based performance measures more whereas board structure impacts accounting based performance measure more. Among board variables, board size is found to impact performance positively and CEO duality is found to impact performance negatively. Board independence i.e. “monitoring board” is found to impact accounting based performance positively, whereas number of board meetings is found to impact market based performance measure positively. Directors’ internal busyness is not found to impact any of the performance measures. Directors’ external busyness is impacting accounting based measures negatively when the busyness is measured in terms of position of directors in other companies.
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Copy right Idea Grou p Inc. Copy right Idea Grou p Inc. INTRODUCTION Inspired by the recent work of Schultze and Orlikowski (2001), this research extends the scope of the virtual organization in terms of virtual space, a metaphor used in time (beyond the constraint of time we live) and space (beyond the constraint of actual location we are belonging to) dimensions (Allcorn, 1997). It is true that a virtual organization inherits the attributes of virtual space  a new concept of time and space. In other words, a virtual organization does not exist in our time and space, but rather exists only in virtual space (perceptual world), which is the metaphor of our consciousness, not reality. A virtual organization, in this meaning, is the metaphor of our designed and structured consciousnesses, existing in virtual space to perform the intended actions of interests. However, the most important thing in virtual organization is to identify the role of human actors who get involved in both physical and perceptual world.