Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pharmacognostic and phytochemical constituents of leaves of Jatropha multifida Linn. and Jatropha podagrica Hook

Pharmacognostic and phytochemical constituents of two species of the genus Jatropha which are widely used in traditional medicine were assessed and compared. The cells of adaxial and abaxial epidermises of both the plants were usually polygonal with straight anticlinal walls. Leaves were hypostomatic and predominantly paracytic. Cuticular papillae, idioblastic cells, stomatal constants, veinislet number, vein termination number and palisade ratio were enumerated. The leaves of J. multifida were characterized by amphibrachyparacytic and tetracytic stomata and contained flavones apigenin, acacetin and luteolin, phenolic acids such as vanillic, syringic, pOH Benzoic acid, melilotic, cis and Trans ferulic, pcoumaric and phloretic acids, tannins, proanthocyanidins and glycoflavones. J. podagrica was different in having actinocytic and contiguous stomata, flavone 3’4’di OMe luteolin in addition to the flavones and phenolic acids present in the former plant except pOH Benzoic acid and phloretic acid. Powder analysis showed fragments of epidermal cells with papillae, calcium oxalate crystals, latex cells and fragments of vessel elements.
THE EFFECT OF ORGANIZATION’S STRUCTURE AND TASK CHARACTERISTICS ON TEAM EFFECTIVENESS IN TUBERCULOSIS PREVENTION PROGRAM

Background: A team is a vital element for an organization. An organization should put efforts to improve team performance even though they might face some obstacles. Organization’s structure and task characteristics resulted in different team effectiveness of primary healthcare centres in preventing tuberculosis (TB) cases in Surabaya. Aims: This study aimed to identify the effect of organization’s structure and task characteristics on team effectiveness of primary healthcare centers in TB prevention program in Surabaya. Methods: The reasearch was a quantitative study using a cross-sectional approach. Questionnaires were disseminated to 43 respondents as the samples selected with a proportional stratified random sampling technique based on the success rate. The respondents consisted of doctors, nurses, and health analysts who were directly involved in the Tuberculosis prevention program. This study used a linear multivariable regression test to confirm the most significant model for the independent variable. Results: The span of control and centralization had a significant effect on task characteristics (sig 0.00; sig 0.017). The dimensions of task characteristics that had a significant effect on team effectiveness were task variety, task identity, and task significance. Conclusion: There was a significant effect of span of control and centralization on task characteristics. The primary healthcare centers should provide access to technology to upgrade the span of control and centralization and their understanding of task characteristics. Keywords : health services, organization’s structure, task characteristics, team effectiveness, tuberculosis.
The regional model‐based Mesoscale Ensemble Prediction System, MEPS, at the Japan Meteorological Agency

The regional model‐based Mesoscale Ensemble Prediction System (MEPS) has been operational since June 2019 at the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The primary objective of the newly operational MEPS is to provide uncertainty information for JMA's operational regional model, Mesoscale Model (MSM), which provides information to support disaster prevention and aviation safety. This article describes MEPS in detail and discusses issues to be addressed in the future. For effective evaluation of uncertainties in MSM, the forecast model in MEPS is configured in the same way as that in MSM, except for the initial and lateral boundary conditions. Initial perturbations for all 20 ensemble runs are generated by a linear combination of singular vectors (SVs) with three different spatial and temporal resolutions, with the aim of capturing multi‐scale uncertainties in the initial conditions simultaneously. The SVs from a global model are also used as lateral boundary perturbations to ensure consistency between the initial and boundary conditions of each ensemble member. The verification results showed that MEPS achieved the expected performance of an ensemble prediction system: the ensemble mean outperformed the control forecast with a good spread–skill relationship; moreover, the skill scores of probabilistic precipitation forecasts were evaluated as valid for rainfall of up to 30 mm·(3 hr)−1. In an additional experiment conducted without using the two smaller‐scale initial perturbations, the skill was substantially reduced compared with that of the original MEPS, especially for larger precipitation thresholds. Therefore, the smaller‐scale perturbations were essential to capture uncertainties associated with local heavy rainfall events.
Biology of Oligonychus cubensis Livschitz (Acari: Tetranychidae) in avocado (Persea americana Miller).

The development and reproduction of Oligonychus cubensis Livschitz were studied under laboratory conditions at 22.83±1.31 °C and 69.44±8.55 % HR on excised avocado (Persea americana Miller cv. ‘Criollo’) leaves. Females of laboratory-reared O. cubensis were placed in an experimental unit, allowed to lay eggs for 24 hours and then removed. The eggs were observed daily. The larvae that emerged were singly transferred to individual leaf discs with a fine camel’shair brush (no. 00) until the appearance of adults, which were observed until their death. The phase changes and their duration were recorded. The average duration of the life cycle was 10.91±0.64 days. The egg stage was the longest with 4 days, while that of protonymphs was the shortest with 1.62 days. The preoviposition period averaged 1 day, while the oviposition period can last 29 days, with an average of 16 days and a female longevity of 33 days. Sex ratio was 6.28:1 (female:male). The eggs reached 100 % of viability, and no mortality of immature stages was observed. The biological parameters of O. cubensis observed indicated it had a high reproductive potential, similar to that of other species within this genus which are avocado pests.
Impact of Zinc and Boron on Growth, Yield and Quality of Kinnow (Citrus deliciosa x Citrus nobilis) in Sub-tropical Conditions of Punjab

Kinnow is the most preferred cultivar in Punjab due to its wider adaptability, yield and higher economic returns. However, excessive fruit drop is becoming a major cause for achieving low fruit yield. This could be attributed mainly to the lack of appropriate nutrient management for Kinnow orchards. The soil and leaf chemical analysis showed severe deficiency of Zn and B in Kinnow. Therefore the present study was carried out in the farmer’s field at Abohar, Punjab with an objective to examine the influence of micronutrients on the growth and quality of Kinnow and in order to frame the appropriate dose. The experiment was laid out in randomized block design with ten treatments and three replications. Results show that in basal dose, treatment of Zn and B (250 gm/plant) gives fruit weight (198.78 g), number of fruits (269.66), weight of fruit/plant (58.00 kg) and vitamin C (20.83%), fruit drop(33.21%) and in foliar dose, treatment of Zn (3gm) and B (2gm) gives plant height (25.40cm), number of fruits (298),weight of fruit/plant (60.00 kg) and vitamin C(17.50%), while combination treatment of basal + foliar of Zinc (250+3gm) and boron(250+2gm) significantly improved the plant height (29.46cm), fruit length (4.95cm), width (5.61cm) and vitamin C (24.16%) with lowest fruit drop of 28.48% was obtained.
Small pelagic fish responses to fine-scale oceanographic conditions: implications for the endangered African penguin

Small pelagic fish play a significant role in regulating the foraging activities and population trends of marine top predators in upwelling ecosystems, yet there is little information on oceanographic drivers of fish assemblages at temporal and spatial scales relevant to their predators. The survival of the Endangered African penguin Spheniscus demersus is closely linked to the availability of pelagic fish prey. This study assesses the influence of oceanographic variables on the spatio-temporal dynamics of pelagic fish in Algoa Bay, South Africa, where half of the world population of African penguins breed on 2 islands, St Croix and Bird. Using small-scale acoustic surveys and an array of underwater oceanographic data recorders spread across the bay during 3 yr, we reveal the complex and variable nature of this system, with fish responding differently to physical processes around each island. Chlorophyll a concentrations were good predictors of relative fish abundance around Bird Island but had little influence around St Croix Island, possibly due to the masking effect of purse-seine fishing around this site. The horizontal distribution of fish schools around Bird Island was more aggregated under upwelling conditions (cooler sea surface temperatures) and the vertical distribution of fish around both islands was strongly influenced by stratification and mean temperatures. Mechanistic drivers of upwelling included northeasterly winds and offshore Natal pulses, both of which are predicted to have an increasingly more significant effect on the suitability of habitat for pelagic fish and associated predators under the influences of climate change and industrial fishing.
Phenolic profile and Enzyme Inhibitory activities of Almond (Terminalia catappa) leaf and Stem bark

ABSTRACT Almond (Terminalia catappa) is a species used in Nigerian folkloric medicine because of its antihypertensive property. In this study, the acetylcholinesterase, arginase, phosphodiesterase-5 and angiotensin-1-converting enzyme inhibition and antioxidant properties of the phenolic-rich extracts from almond leaf and stem bark were determined. The chemical composition was evaluated using high-performance liquid chromatography. The total phenol and flavonoid contents were estimated and the antihypertensive potential was estimated by the determination of acetylcholinesterase, arginase, phosphodiesterase-5 and angiotensin-1-converting enzyme inhibition in vitro. Three assays were used for the evaluation of antioxidant properties of the extracts. Eleven and eight phenolic compounds were detected in leaf and stem bark respectively. The phenolic-rich extracts showed remarkable enzyme inhibition activity in concentration dependent manner, with high antioxidant activities. Almond leaf and stem bark can serve as potential natural source for the development of a novel antihypertensive agent.
Phage “delay” towards enhancing bacterial escape from biofilms: a more comprehensive way of viewing resistance to bacteriophages

In exploring bacterial resistance to bacteriophages, emphasis typically is placed on those mechanisms which completely prevent phage replication. Such resistance can be detected as extensive reductions in phage ability to form plaques, that is, reduced efficiency of plating. Mechanisms include restriction-modification systems, CRISPR/Cas systems, and abortive infection systems. Alternatively, phages may be reduced in their “vigor” when infecting certain bacterial hosts, that is, with phages displaying smaller burst sizes or extended latent periods rather than being outright inactivated. It is well known, as well, that most phages poorly infect bacteria that are less metabolically active. Extracellular polymers such as biofilm matrix material also may at least slow phage penetration to bacterial surfaces. Here I suggest that such “less-robust” mechanisms of resistance to bacteriophages could serve bacteria by slowing phage propagation within bacterial biofilms, that is, delaying phage impact on multiple bacteria rather than necessarily outright preventing such impact. Related bacteria, ones that are relatively near to infected bacteria, e.g., roughly 10+ µm away, consequently may be able to escape from biofilms with greater likelihood via standard dissemination-initiating mechanisms including erosion from biofilm surfaces or seeding dispersal/central hollowing. That is, given localized areas of phage infection, so long as phage spread can be reduced in rate from initial points of contact with susceptible bacteria, then bacterial survival may be enhanced due to bacteria metaphorically “running away” to more phage-free locations. Delay mechanisms—to the extent that they are less specific in terms of what phages are targeted—collectively could represent broader bacterial strategies of phage resistance versus outright phage killing, the latter especially as require specific, evolved molecular recognition of phage presence. The potential for phage delay should be taken into account when developing protocols of phage-mediated biocontrol of biofilm bacteria, e.g., as during phage therapy of chronic bacterial infections.
Evolution of chemotaxis in stochastic environments

Most of our understanding of bacterial chemotaxis comes from studies of Escherichia coli. However, recent evidence suggests significant departures from the E. coli paradigm in other bacterial species. In the first part of this work, we argue that the observed departures may stem from different species inhabiting distinct environments and thus adapting differently to specific environmental pressures. We therefore study the performance of various chemotactic strate¬gies under a range of stochastic time- and space-varying attractant distributions in silico. We describe a novel type of response in which the bacterium tumbles more when attractant concen¬tration is increasing, in contrast to the “adaptive” response of E. coli, and demonstrate how this response explains the behavior of aerobically-grown Rhodobacter sphaeroides. In this “specu¬lator” response, bacteria compare the current attractant concentration to the long-term average. By tumbling persistently when the current concentration is higher than the average, bacteria maintain their position in regions of high attractant concentration. If the current concentration is lower than the average, or is declining, bacteria swim away in search of more favorable con¬ditions. When the attractant distribution is spatially complex but slowly-changing, this response is as effective as that of E. coli. In the latter part of this work, we show that optimal response sensitivity is high for both adaptive and speculator responses. We argue that response sensi¬tivity would increase over long evolutionary timescales and show that increases in response sensitivity could drive the evolution of adaptive and speculator responses.
APE: A More Practical Approach To 6-Dof Pose Estimation

Recent advances in deep learning have shown high success in obtaining the 6-DoF pose of rigid objects. However, most works rely on a pre-existing dataset and do not tackle the data gathering part. The time-consuming and tedious tasks required to build datasets are, to a large extent, what is keeping these techniques from being more widely used in practical applications. We present a whole pipeline from data gathering to pose recognition and an example application of robot grasping. For our data gathering method we require as minimum user intervention as possible and, even without using depth information or 3D models, by using a novel RGB-only Neural Network design we are able to obtain results very close to the state of the art. We call this method Affordable Pose Estimation (APE).
Antibiotic resistance of Staphylococcus intermedius strains isolated from 53 natural cases of canine pyoderma

Στη μeλέτη αυτή χρησιμοποιήθηκαν συνολικά 53 σκύλοι μe eπιπολης (η=17) ή eν χω βάθeι (η=36) βακχηριδιακή δeρματίτιδα, η διάγνωση της οποίας στηρίχθηκe στη μορφολογία των μακροσκοπικών αλλοιώσeων και eπιβeβαιώθηκe μe την κυτταρολογική eξέταση. Σe κανένα από τα ζώα αυτά δeν eίχαν χορηγηθeί αντιβιοτικά στη διάρκeια του τeλeυταίου πριν από τη δeιγματοληψία μήνα. Από το πυώδeς eξίδρωμα των δeρματικών αλλοιώσeων, αρχικά γινόταν καλλιέργeια σe αιματουχο άγαρ για την απομόνωση του σταφυλόκοκκου και στη συνέχeια η eξέταση των βιοχημικών ιδιοτήτων για την ταυτοποίηση του eίδους, και ο έλeγχος της eυαισθησίας των στeλeχών απέναντι σe 12 διαφορeτικά αντιβιοτικά. Και από τους 53 σκύλους απομονώθηκe ο S. intermedius, η ανθeκτικότητα του οποίου ήταν 0% για την αμοξυκιλλίνη/κλαβουλανικό οξυ, 11,3% για την οξακιλλίνη, 7,5% για την κeφαλeξίνη, 5,7% για την eνροφλοξασίνη, 32,1% για την eρυθρομυκίνη, 11,3% για την τυλοζίνη, 20,8% για τη λινκομυκίνη, 18,9% για την κλινδαμυκίνη, 32,1% για τη δοξυκυκλίνη, 5,7% για την αμικασίνη, 7,5% για τη χλωραμφeνικόλη και 92,5% για το συνδυασμό τριμeθοπρίμης/σουλφαμeθοξαζόλης. Μeταξύ της ανθeκτικότητας του S. Intermedius στα παραπάνω αντιβιοτικά και της ηλικίας, της φυλής, του φύλου και των συνθηκών διαβίωσης των σκύλων, του βάθους της λοίμωξης (eπιπολής ή eν τω βάθeι), της ύπαρξης ή όχι υποκeίμeνων αιτίων και της τυχόν συστηματικής αντιβιοθeραπeίας στη διάρκeια του τeλeυταίου χρόνου, δe διαπιστώθηκe κανένας συσχeτισμός.
Prevalence and risk factors for respiratory symptoms among children at child care centers in Malaysia

Many studies have been conducted to assess the effects of indoor air quality (IAQ) on human health. However, there is still a lack of studies available about the adverse health effects on children’s respiratory health at Child Care Centers (CCC). The aim of this paper was to investigate the risk factors for respiratory symptoms and identify the root cause of IAQ problems at CCCs in Malaysia. The Modified American Thoracic Society and the Division of Lung Diseases (ATS-DLD-82) questionnaire was used to gather information from parents regarding their children’s respiratory symptoms. The IAQ parameters measured were for air temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, respirable particles (PM2.5), viable bacteria and fungi count while the information on CCC characteristics and potential surrounding air pollutants were collected via a combination of area monitoring, inspection and interviews. Factors found to be significantly associated with persistent cough and/or cold were age, type of ventilation, location of CCC, floor area per child (<3.5 m2) and temperature. Children attending CCCs supplied by ACMV had the highest risk for prevalence of persistent productive cough [5.56 (CI: 2.20; 14.00)]. This study provided the baseline data on IAQ and possible factors that influenced indoor air contaminants, which could aid policy makers in formulating guidelines on IAQ for CCC in Malaysia.
Türkiye’nin bazı bölgelerinde Rhynchosporium commune (Zaffarona, McDonald & Linde)’nin patotiplerinin belirlenmesi

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is one of the important cereal crops grown in the vast area of the world and Turkey. This crop is the second most important cereal in Turkey grown in 2.611. 940 hectares of land, and 7.000. 000 tonnes of yield was produced (TUIK 2018). Barley scald caused by Rhynchosporium commune Zaffarano, McDonald, and Linde (formerly Rhynchosporium secalis (Oudem.) J.J. Davis) (Zaffarano et al. 2011) is one of the important barley diseases in Turkey (Karakaya et al. 2014). Yield losses of 10%-70% due to this pathogen have been reported (Aktas 1984, Sheikh Jabbari 2008, Shipton et al. 1974, Zhang et al. 1992). Barley scald is controlled using chemical, agronomical, and genetic resistance measures. Introducing new sources of resistance to scald is accomplished by screening barley genotypes as well as determining the degree of pathogenic variation in R. commune populations. This method may omit the control of this fungus by chemical measures and help to implement environmentally friendly ways of disease control. Knowing pathogenic variability and obtaining barley genotypes resistant to scald can lead to the prevention of disease losses. In this study, surveys were conducted during 2012, 2013, and 2014 in different regions of Turkey, and pathotypes of R. commune in some barley growing areas of Turkey were determined.
Optical properties of chromophoric dissolved organic matter during a phytoplankton bloom. Implication for DOC estimates from CDOM absorption

Coastal waters of the English Channel and the North Sea are affected by a massive spring phytoplankton bloom event of the prymnesiophyte Phaeocystis globosa every year. The impact of this bloom on DOM dynamics in coastal waters of the western English Channel was investigated through a 45 d long mesocosm experiment and field survey (2012–2014). Our results highlight that, over short time scales, marine production of DOM mostly affects CDOM absorption properties in the UV domain. Specifically, it has been evidenced that the acdom spectral slope between 320 nm and 412 nm (S320‐412) can be used as a relevant indicator of the DOM marine origin. The presence of a strong linear relationship between S320‐412 and the DOC specific absorption coefficient in phytoplankton bloom conditions reveals that this optical parameter provides complementary information to those obtained from the spectral slope between 275 nm and 295 nm, S275‐295 which has been recently described as a relevant tracer of the terrestrial DOM and a good descriptor of the specific absorption coefficient of dissolved organic carbon variability in the confining river‐influenced ocean margins. This study has further demonstrated that the joint use of S275‐295 and S320‐412 significantly improves the estimation DOC‐specific absorption coefficient in the presence of varying contribution of marine and terrestrial DOM. While such bands are still not available on ocean color sensors, this methodology represents a valuable tool for estimating DOC concentration from CDOM absorption measurements from in situ data obtained from classical discrete measurements or from autonomous platforms equipped with adapted spectrophotometer.
Effect of Dietary Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharides (GLP) on Cellular Immune Responses and Disease Resistance of Yellow Catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco)

This study investigated the effects of dietary Ganoderma lucidum Polysaccharides (GLP) on cellular immune responses and disease resistance in yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco). For 8 weeks, 540 yellow catfish were fed different levels of GLP. The treatments were: 0-control group, 300-T1, 600-T2, 900-T3, 1200-T4, 1500-T5 mg/kg, respectively. After the 8 week feeding trial, the respiratory burst activity of head kidney macrophages, proliferation of peripheral blood leukocytes, and phagocytic activity were assayed. Both the control and treated groups of fish were then challenged with an intraperitoneal injection of Aeromonas hydrophila, and cumulative mortality was recorded for 6 days post-infection. Results showed that there was a significant increase in oxygen respiratory burst activity of head kidney macrophages (p<0.01), along with significant increases in proliferation of peripheral blood leukocytes (p<0.01) in the fish fed dietary GLP. In addition, the 1200-T4and 1500-T5 mg/kg groups also displayed significant increases in nitrogen respiratory burst activity (p<0.01). These data indicated that GLP may reduce mortality following A. hydrophila infection. The lowest mortality was observed in the T5-treated groups. In conclusion, dietary GLP may effectively enhance cellular immune responses and disease resistance in yellow catfish against Aeromonas hydrophila. The IJA appears exclusively as a peer-reviewed on-line open-access journal at http://www.siamb. org.il. To read papers free of charge, please register online at registration