Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Green Manure Application and Prolonging Mid-Season Drainage on Greenhouse Gas Emission from Paddy Fields in Ehime, Southwestern Japan

Green manure application helps maintain soil fertility, reduce chemical fertilizer use, and carbon sequestration in the soil. Nevertheless, the application of organic matter in paddy fields induces CH4 and N2O emissions. Prolonging mid-season drainage reduces CH4 emissions in paddy fields. Therefore, the combined effects of green manure application and mid-season drainage prolongation on net greenhouse gas emission (NGHGE) were investigated. Four experimental treatments were set up over a 2-year period: conventional mid-season drainage with (CMG) and without (CM) green manure and prolonged (4 or 7 days) mid-season drainage with (PMG) and without (PM) green manure. Astragalus sinicus L. seeds were sown in autumn and incorporated before rice cultivation. No significant difference in annual CH4 and N2O emissions, heterotrophic respiration, and NGHGE between treatments were observed, indicating that green manure application and mid-season drainage prolongation did not influence NGHGE. CH4 flux decreased drastically in PM and PMG during mid-season drainage under the hot and dry weather conditions. However, increasing applied carbon increases NGHGE because of increased CH4 and Rh. Consequently, combination practice of mid-season drainage prolongation and green manure utilization can be acceptable without changing NGHGE while maintaining grain yield in rice paddy fields under organically managed rice paddy fields.
Genome‐wide Identification and in silico Analysis of PHT1 Family Genes and Proteins in Setaria viridis: The Best Model to Study Nutrient Transport in Millets

Millets are nutrient‐rich cereals widely grown and consumed by people in less developed countries. Setaria species are closely related to millets and have advance release of whole‐genome sequences. Setaria species provide insights for studying the nutrient transporters of other millets. PHosphate Transporter1 genes and proteins of green foxtail have been identified.
Effect of Nova Aminochelated-zinc on Growth and Yield of Rice (Oryza Sativa L.)

A field experiment was conducted during the kharif, 2018 to study the effect of Nova Aminochelated-Zinc on growth, yield and yield components of rice. The experiment was laid out in Randomized Block Design with six treatments T1: Control, T2: Recommended Dose of Fertilizers (RDF) without Zinc, T3: T2+5 ml l-1 Nova Ami-Zinc @TI and PI, T4:T2+2.5 gm l-1 ZnSO4 @TI and PI, T5: 5 ml l-1 Nova Ami-Zinc @TI and PI, T6: 2.5 gm l-1 ZnSO4 @TI and PI. Experiment revealed that application of RDF+5ml l-1 Nova Ami-Zinc @ TI and PI (T3) resulted in maximum Number of tillers m-2, Total number of Grains Panicle-1, Number of Filled Grains Panicle-1, Test weight and Grain Yield but application of RDF+2.5 gm l-1 ZnSO4 @TI and PI showed maximum height followed by application of RDF +5 ml l-1 Nova Ami-Zinc @ TI and PI.
Evolution of the Caribbean subfamily Mussinae (Anthozoa: Scleractinia: Faviidae): transitions between solitary and colonial forms

Understanding evolutionary transitions in scleractinian corals is fundamental to predicting responses of coral reefs to climate change. We examine transitions between solitary and colonial corals in the fossil record, focusing on the Caribbean solitary reef coral Scolymia and members of the subfamily Mussinae. Fossil specimens are selected from a large well-documented collection of Neogene Caribbean corals, and a total of 23 species are distinguished using 15 morphological features. Ten of the 23 species are extant Caribbean species, seven are previously described extinct Neogene species, and six other extinct species are formally described as new. The 7 + 6 extinct species are added to a morphological data set consisting of 30 extant molecularly characterized species plus seven additional extinct (five Eocene, two Neogene) species. In addition to the Caribbean subfamily Mussinae, the extant species include the Indo-Pacific families Merulinidae and Lobophylliidae, and the Caribbean subfamily Faviinae. Phylogenetic analysis was performed on the data using maximum parsimony, and the results reveal four clades, which correspond with previously reported molecular clades. Solitary corals group most closely with Caribbean Mussinae and Indo-Pacific Lobophylliidae, whereas colonial corals are present in all four clades. Within Caribbean Mussinae, members of the colonial genera Mycetophyllia and Isophyllia form distinct subclades, as do the extinct solitary genera Antillia and Antillophyllia. The relationships within Scolymia are less well defined but its members appear more closely related to extinct solitary genera dating back to the Eocene. These results indicate that evolutionary transitions between solitary and colonial corals have been rare within the Mussinae. Except Antillophyllia, most Mussinae genera are restricted to the Caribbean. During the late Miocene, Mycetophyllia diversified and three other modern Mussinae genera (Mussa, Scolymia, Isophyllia) originated in association with increased Caribbean productivity. Mussinae that were more likely to survive Plio–Pleistocene extinction may have taken refuge in deep forereef habitats.
The dopamine receptor D5 gene shows signs of independent erosion in toothed and baleen whales

To compare gene loci considering a phylogenetic framework is a promising approach to uncover the genetic basis of human diseases. Imbalance of dopaminergic systems is suspected to underlie some emerging neurological disorders. The physiological functions of dopamine are transduced via G-protein-coupled receptors, including DRD5 which displays a relatively higher affinity towards dopamine. Importantly, DRD5 knockout mice are hypertense, a condition emerging from an increase in sympathetic tone. We investigated the evolution of DRD5, a high affinity receptor for dopamine, in mammals. Surprisingly, among 124 investigated mammalian genomes, we found that Cetacea lineages (Mysticeti and Odontoceti) have independently lost this gene, as well as the burrowing Chrysochloris asiatica (Cape golden mole). We suggest that DRD5 inactivation parallels hypoxia-induced adaptations, such as peripheral vasoconstriction required for deep-diving in Cetacea, in accordance with the convergent evolution of vasoconstrictor genes in hypoxia-exposed animals. Our findings indicate that Cetacea are natural knockouts for DRD5 and might offer valuable insights into the mechanisms of some forms of vasoconstriction responses and hypertension in humans.
Genome wide meta-analysis identifies genomic relationships, novel loci, and pleiotropic mechanisms across eight psychiatric disorders

Genetic influences on psychiatric disorders transcend diagnostic boundaries, suggesting substantial pleiotropy of contributing loci. However, the nature and mechanisms of these pleiotropic effects remain unclear. We performed a meta-analysis of 232,964 cases and 494,162 controls from genome-wide studies of anorexia nervosa, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and Tourette syndrome. Genetic correlation analyses revealed a meaningful structure within the eight disorders identifying three groups of inter-related disorders. We detected 109 loci associated with at least two psychiatric disorders, including 23 loci with pleiotropic effects on four or more disorders and 11 loci with antagonistic effects on multiple disorders. The pleiotropic loci are located within genes that show heightened expression in the brain throughout the lifespan, beginning in the second trimester prenatally, and play prominent roles in a suite of neurodevelopmental processes. These findings have important implications for psychiatric nosology, drug development, and risk prediction.
Teaching as Dialogue: An Emerging Model of Culturally Responsive Online Pedagogy.

Despite the preponderance of online learning in K-12 public schools, still little is known about what constitutes good online teaching. The purpose of this interpretivist investigation was to learn about some of the ways in which culturally responsive teaching occurs online. This study focused on the practices of four full-time online high school teachers. Using the methods of grounded theory research, the author analyzed data generated through observations of online courses, interviews with teachers, and teacher-written narratives in order to learn how four instructors practiced culturally responsive online pedagogy in one state-supported online program. Results indicated that the teachers engaged in frequent and ongoing dialogue with their students. The teachers used multiple strategies to get to know their students, to build class community, to adapt instruction to students’ learning needs and preferences, and to make learning relevant. Teachers also discussed contextual factors that impacted their practice. How-ever, some characteristics of culturally responsive pedagogy, including infusing students’ cultures into the curriculum and helping students to challenge power and hegemony were not identified.
Pulvinar-cortical interactions for spatial perception and goal-directed actions in non-human primates

The pulvinar nucleus, the largest thalamic nucleus in primates, has been shown to be involved in goal-directed visuomotor behavior related to the contralateral side of visual space. However, there is conflicting evidence on the pulvinar’s involvement in either the facilitation of visuomotor responses towards contralateral visual stimuli or the filtering of contralateral visual distractors. Using unilateral electrical microstimulation of the dorsal pulvinar in one male rhesus macaque performing a visuomotor response selection task including choices between visual targets and distractors we found that pulvinar stimulation led to changes in response selection in a time-dependent manner: stimulation starting before the onset of the visual stimuli was associated with a decreased number of saccade choices towards contralateral visual stimuli whereas stimulation starting after stimulus onset led to an increased number of contralateral saccade choices. Both effects, however, may be explained by the pulvinar’s involvement in facilitating visuomotor responses towards contralateral stimuli. Moreover, by including eye fixation as an additional response option, we could show that the pulvinar plays a general role in resolving competition between multiple response options. The combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging and microstimulation of the dorsal pulvinar further revealed that the pulvinar plays a functional role in the brain network dedicated to visual attention and visuomotor processing with its effective connectivity strongly overlapping with the connectivity pattern found for the lateral intraparietal area (LIP), a node of the same brain network but located in posterior parietal cortex. However, the magnitude of both pulvinar and LIP stimulation effects on neuronal activity in activated brain regions depended on the current cognitive task and the spatial tuning of the activated areas suggesting that stimulation-induced activity might be modulated depending on the extent of task responsiveness in both the stimulated region and other activated areas. This may result in changes in space representations in the activated brain network which might be neuronal correlates of stimulation-induced changes in visuomotor behavior.
Powdery mildew caused by Golovinomyces spadiceus on wild sunflower in Sinaloa, Mexico

Abstract Wild sunflower is a common weed that grows among agricultural crops in many parts of the world, where it is both highly invasive and competitive and can serve as a reservoir for plant pathogens. Recently, signs of powdery mildew (PM) were observed on wild sunflower plants in Sinaloa, Mexico. The aim of this study was to identify the causal agent based on morphology and molecular techniques, and to determine pathogenicity on sunflower plants. Phylogenetic analysis of the ITS region grouped the sequences within lineage III of the genus Golovinomyces, which comprises pathogenic species of the plant tribe Heliantheae of Asteraceae. However, within this lineage, the three species belonging to this group: G. circumfusus, G. ambrosiae and G. spadiceus, cannot be differentiated based on the ITS region due to their close phylogenetic relationship. Morphometric analyses, particularly conidium size and germ tube morphology, confirmed the identity of the fungus infecting wild sunflowers as G. spadiceus. Inoculation tests under greenhouse conditions confirmed the pathogenicity of G. spadiceus in wild sunflower and in the commercial sunflower hybrid SYN3950HO. Signs of powdery mildew displayed on sunflower were similar to those observed under field conditions and in two independent inoculation tests. Our results confirm that wild sunflower is a potential source of G. spadiceus inoculum for commercial sunflower during the autumn–winter growing season.
Dietary garlic essential oil on development parameters of severum post-larvae

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of garlic essential oil (GEO) on the growth performance and morphometric variables of severum (Heros severus) post-larvae. A growth trial was performed using 150 severum post-larvae (1.6 ± 0.03 mg and 5.58 ± 0.1 mm), distributed in fifteen 1-L aquaria, with constant aeration. The fish were essayed in a completely randomized design with five treatments, using diets containing graded levels of GEO (0.00, 0.05, 0.50, 1.00 and 1.50 g kg-1) and three replicates. The diets were offered four times a day, until apparent satiation, for 30 days. At the end of the experiment, the fish were counted, weighed and measured, to evaluate growth performance and morphometric variables. Increased diet levels of GEO resulted in a linear reduction in growth performance parameters, except for the survival rate, weight and length uniformity of the batch, and morphometric variables which did not present significant differences. Elevated concentrations of dietary GEO may be detrimental to larvae and post-larvae of fish, which could be more sensitive to the potential damage that high concentrations of this essential oil may cause. Therefore, the inclusion of GEO in levels above 0.05 g kg-1 in diets for severum post-larvae is not recommended.
Recent trends in Tricolored Blackbird colony size: analysis of the 2008 through 2017 Triennial Statewide Surveys

Tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) is a colonial breeder, largely restricted to grasslands, wetlands, and agricultural habitats of California. Tricolored blackbird abundance declined considerably during the 20th century. Recent trends have been less clear, however, hindering efforts to evaluate the conservation needs of the species. We assessed trends in tricolored blackbird colony size using the 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2017 Triennial Tricolored Blackbird Statewide Survey, a community-science effort involving hundreds of volunteer observers. After accounting for variation in observer characteristics and survey effort, we found a clear, statistically significant decline in colony size of approximately –5% per year, which translated to a decrease in colony size of approximately –40% between 2008 and 2017. To the extent that colony size is proportional to total abundance, this decline translates to a species half-life of roughly 15 years. We conclude that tricolored blackbird is in considerable need of protection and recovery efforts.
An investigation of the pharmacokinetics of flunixin meglumine in swine using noncompartmental analysis and nonlinear mixed-effects modeling: An emphasis on pre-wean piglets

With the transdermal (TD) application of flunixin meglumine (FM) now approved for pain control in cattle, Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act (AMDUCA) algorithms suggest that the product should be considered when treating pain in other food animal species. The use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory products may reduce the pain associated with castration and tail-docking during piglet processing. Confirming that FM reaches useful serum levels would allow development of dose regimens for pre-wean piglets. The first objective of this dissertation was to establish the pharmacokinetics (PK) of intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), oral (PO), and TD administration of FM in pre-wean piglets, and evaluate the ability of TD FM to reach therapeutic levels that mitigate pain in other species and adult pigs. In order to measure the PK in pre-wean piglets, FM was administered to 39 piglets, 5-10 days of age, weighing less than 10 pounds. The study was divided into two phases: Phase I evaluated the PK of PO, TD and IM administration and phase II evaluated the bioavailability of TD FM using a crossover study design of IV and TD administration. The dose for IV and IM was 2.2 mg/kg while the PO and TD dose was 3.3 mg/kg. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein at 27 consecutive time points from 0-9 days post-administration. Plasma FM concentrations were determined using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography and analyzed with noncompartmental analysis and nonlinear mixed-effect modeling techniques. The median (± standard deviation, sd) C0 for IV was 11653.3 μg/L (±5491.69) and CMAX for the IM, PO, and TD routes of administration were 6543 μg/L (±1463.3), 4883 μg/L (±1715.91), and 31.5 μg/L (±23.79), respectively. The median AUC∞ (± sd) were estimated at 1,339,300 (±1,017,190) min*μg/L, 1652770 (±644053) min*μg/L, 1971720 (±657684) min*μg/L, and 125218 (±77262.5) min*μg/L for IV, IM, PO, and TD, respectively. The time points of peak FM
Characterization of Off-Road Diesel Emissions of Criteria Pollutants

Abstract : The goal of this project is to identify and fill knowledge gaps concerning emission testing methods, emission factors and rates, and activities that create emissions for non-road military diesel engines. This requires the development of new measurement methods that quantify a larger number of chemical compounds and particle sizes, at concentration levels much less than the certification requirements, and for fuels and operating cycles that are not well represented by engine certification tests. Specific project objectives are: 1. Develop, test, and apply new methods for quantifying non-road emissions that more efficiently and realistically represent actual operations than engine dynamometer certification tests. 2. Develop source-, activity-, and fuel-specific emission rate estimates for representative Department of Defense (DoD) mobile and stationary diesel equipment, most of which is not used on public roadways. Emitted pollutants include carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOX), volatile organic compounds (VOC), particulate matter (PM, including PM2.5 [particles < 2.5 um aerodynamic diameter], and ultrafine particles [UP, particles less than 0.1 um aerodynamic diameter]), sulfur dioxide, (SO2), and ammonia (NH3). Chemical source profiles for PM2.5 are also quantified. 3. Determine how non-road emissions can be integrated with emissions modeling databases and software that estimate total diesel emissions.
Outcomes following I-131 treatment with cumulative dose exceeding or equal to 600 mCi in differentiated thyroid carcinoma patients

To evaluate treatment outcomes following radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment with a cumulative dose of ≥≥600 mCi in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) patients, a retrospective review of medical records was done in 176 DTC patients with a cumulative dose of ≥600 mCi from January 1993 to December 2013. All patients were followed up for at least 2 years after receiving 600 mCi of I-131 treatment. Remission criteria were no clinical and imaging evidence of disease and low serum thyroglobulin levels during thyroid-stimulating hormone suppression of <0.2 ng/ml or of <1 ng/ml after stimulation in the absence of interfering antibodies. A total of 176 patients were included in the study: 137 – papillary thyroid cancer, 29 – follicular thyroid cancer, 9 – mixed papillary and follicular thyroid cancer, and 1 – Hurthle cell carcinoma. Most of the patients (118, 67%) had locoregional metastasis, whereas 48 patients (27%) had distant metastases at presentation. The median cumulative dose was 900 mCi (range: 600–2200 mCi). The mean follow-up period was 82.84 ± 42.41 months. Only 16 patients (9.1%) met remission criteria at the end of treatment. The rest of patients (160, 90.9%) were not remitted: stable disease in 94 (53.4%), at least 1 metastasis without I-131 uptake in 34 (19.3%), progressive disease in 21 (11.9%), and death during the whole follow-up period in 11 (6.3%). Two patients (1.1%) developed second primary malignancy. Eighteen cases were suspected of bone marrow suppression (14 cases [7.9%] had anemia and 5 cases [2.8%] had neutropenia). Seven patients (3.9%) developed permanent salivary gland dysfunction. Although the complications after receiving RAI treatment with a cumulative dose of ≥≥600 mCi were low and not severe, the patients with remission were in <10%. Our study suggests that the decision to administer further treatments should be made on an individual basis because beneficial effects may be controversial.
Asymmetry drives modularity of the skull in the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)

Odontocetes (toothed whales) have amongst the most radically altered skull of any mammal, but no study has tested how these modifications have altered its phenotypic integration. Here, we perform the first rigorous assessment of modularity in Delphinus delphis, using a combination of cluster analysis, covariance ratio tests and maximumlikelihood methods, on 27 landmarked skulls. Cluster analysis identified ten semi-autonomous regions (modules), five consisting of bilaterally paired landmarks, while the remaining landmarks were distributed among modules representing the face, zygomatic, nasals, pterygoids and vault. The novel ten-module hypothesis, as well as a simplified version consisting of only the five major modules, was then compared with existing hypotheses formulated for terrestrial mammals based on developmental origin and/or function. We found our novel hypotheses to perform best, except when cranial asymmetry was removed. With the loss of asymmetry, a six-module hypothesis developed for terrestrial mammals was found to best fit the data. Anatomical changes in the skull related to the evolution of echolocation, as well as loss of mastication, best explain the novel modules identified in this study. Our study also provides strong evidence that the evolution of cranial asymmetry is a substantial driver of changes in modularity within whales.