Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inheritance of microsatellite loci in the polyploid lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens)

Inheritance in the expression of amplicons for four microsatellite primer pairs was determined using 10 fam - ilies created from gametes of wild lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens). Loci Afu34 and Afu68 expressed a maximum of two even-intensity bands per individual and had progeny genotype ratios that fit disomic inheritance ( P > 0.05). Some variation exhibited at Afu34 and Afu68 was attributable to a null allele. Genotype expression at both loci also in - dicated that one female parent had transmitted unreduced gametes. Primer Afu39 amplified products that exhibited four gene doses, where genotype counts fit expected ratios for disomic inheritance (P > 0.05) indicating amplification of products from two disomic loci that share alleles. Meiotic drive was evident at the Afu39 loci based on a test for ran- dom segregation (P 0,05). Une certaine variation observee chez les locus Afu34 et Afu68 etait at- tribuable a un allele nul. L'expression genotypique pour ces deux locus indiquait qu'un parent femelle avait transmis des gametes non reduits. Les amorces Afu39 ont amplifie des produits correspondant a quatre doses geniques et dont le decompte genotypique suggerait une heredite disomique (P > 0,05). Les auteurs concluent qu'il s'agit d'amplicons pro- venant de deux locus disomiques qui ont des alleles en commun. Une transmission meiotique preferentielle a ete ob- servee pour le locus Afu39, lequel ne montrait pas une segregation aleatoire (P < 0,05). Seul le locus Afu19 a montre une heredite de type tetrasomique et cela base sur un seul descendant potentiellement issu d'un gamete doublement re- duit. Aucune evidence d'une heredite octoploide, proposee anterieurement, n'a ete observee.
Do We Need a Computed Tomography Examination in All Patients with Acute Pancreatitis within 72 h after Admission to Hospital for the Detection of Pancreatic Necrosis

Background: The aim of this prospective study was to define the role of an initial contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) obtained within 72 h after admission to hospital for determining the prognosis of acute pancreatitis and to investigate whether CT scans can be replaced by conventional prognostic parameters. Methods: The study involves 231 patients admitted to the Luneburg clinic with a first attack of acute pancreatitis from 1988 to 1995. In all of them, a contrast-enhanced CT was performed within 72 h of admission and scored according to Balthazar. The results were compared with the Ranson and Imrie laboratory prognostic scores and with parameters of the severity of the disease: the initial organ failure according to the Atlanta classification; days spent on intensive care unit or altogether in hospital; indication for artificial ventilation, dialysis and surgical intervention (necrosectomy); development of pancreatic pseudocysts; and mortality. Results: Although there was a good statistical cor.
Semen quality and male reproductive health: the controversy about human sperm concentration decline Note

Concern about the effect of environmental changes on male reproductive health has grown in recent years to become a major preoccupation in some developed countries. A possible decline in human sperm concentration was suggested in the early seventies following studies in the US. In 1992 a meta‐analysis of 61 articles published by Carlsen et al. concluded that the mean sperm count of healthy men had declined by 1% per year over the previous 50 years. From 1995 and onwards, some retrospective, longitudinal analyses of the sperm count of fertile or infertile men contradicted this while others did not. The demonstration of a geographical variation in sperm concentration, between and within countries or regions, appears to be less controversial. The amplitude of the difference observed cannot only be explained by methodological or confounding factors, and must to some extent be attributed to ethnic, genetic or environmental factors. As many of the published studies suffer from imprecision regarding the description of population characteristics and confounding factors, and were not designed with controlled and standardised methodology, the debate remains open. Prospective studies in well‐defined cohorts of men in various populations are required to evaluate the potential effect of external factors on male reproductive health. These studies should not be limited to the analysis of sperm concentration, as this may not be the best biomarker of testis function and human fertility.
STUDY OF MAIZE GENOTYPES RICH IN ANTHOCYANINS FOR HUMAN AND ANIMAL NUTRITION

19 Introduction 20 Materials and Methods 22 Results 25 Discussion 28 Acknowledgments 31 Figures and Tables 32 References 39 Study of maize genotypes rich in anthocyanins for human and animal nutrition 42 Introduction 43 Materials and Methods 43 Results 44 Discussion 45 Acknowledgments 46 Figures and Tables 47
Biochemical investigation during different stages of in vitro propagation of Stevia rebaudiana.

In vitro propagation of Stevia rebaudiana Bert, an important non-caloric sweetening herb was carried out to explore its potential for micropropagation (both from apical and nodal meristem) and callogenesis (using leaf, node and internode as explant). MS basal medium with 1.0 mg l -1 of BAP was found to be the best medium for shoot formation, with 90% shoot formation response within 12 days of meristem inoculation, both from shoot apical and nodal meristem. Maximum shoot multiplication response (90%) was also obtained in MS medium having 1.0 mg l -1 of BAP, with average of 8.6 shoots per culture vial having an average shoot length of 6.0 cm. The best In vitro rooting response (96%) was recorded on MS medium containing 1.0 mg l -1 NAA within 7.3 days of inoculation. When well developed In vitro plants were shifted for hardening on a mixture of sand + soil + peat (1:1:1) 90% success was recorded. For callogenesis leaf explant proved to be the best followed by nodal and internodal explant. The highest response of callus induction from leaf explant was obtained on MS medium supplemented with 3.0 mg l -1 2,4-D while nodal and internodal explants showed best results for callogenesis in MS medium supplemented with 3.0 mg l -1 NAA and 1.0 mg l -1 BAP. The highest total soluble protein contents and the peroxidases activity were estimated in the six week old callus cultures derived from leaf explant. Abbreviations: MS= Murashige and Skoog’s medium; BAP= 6-Benzylamino-purine; 2,4-D= 2,4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid; IAA= Indole acetic acid NAA= α- Naphthaleneacetic acid
The meaning of depression from the life-world perspective of elderly women.

Depression is a serious public health problem that particularly affects women and elderly people. The aim of this phenomenological study was to gain a deeper understanding of depression in elderly women by investigating and describing the meaning of depression from a life-world perspective. Qualitative interviews were conducted with five elderly women suffering from depression; they were transcribed and analysed using the phenomenological method. The essence of depression emerged as 'reexperiencing a severe personal insult' and the perception of 'increased sensitivity and vulnerability. ' These two components constituted the breeding ground for an additional five characteristics. Depression was perceived as a severe multidimensional suffering that affected physical, mental, social, and spiritual aspects, where previous experiences merged with the current situation. Thus, the whole life space of these women was affected. In its most severe form, depression and, thereby, life was perceived as unbearable. The meaning that emerged from the women's descriptions can be understood against the background of the aging individual's retrospection and summation of life.
Role of Hepatopancreas Trehalose-6-Phosphate Synthase in Carbohydrate Levels of the Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus in Feeding and Emersion

ABSTRACT Physiological and environmental conditions affect carbohydrate, specifically glucose levels in the crustacean hemolymph. Trehalose, naturally occurring nonreducing disaccharide (a1–1a of two glucose), shows a protective role in the organisms experiencing stressful conditions such as cold, salinity, and anhydrobiosis. As the predominant sugar in the blue crab hemolymph Callinectes sapidus, the trehalose synthesis gene (trehalose-6-phosphate synthase, TPS) is expressed in most internal tissues, including the hepatopancreas. The present study shows the function of TPS in carbohydrate metabolism in decapod crustaceans. The blue crabs show ontogeny variations in carbohydrate metabolism, especially hemolymph glucose and trehalose. Trehalose increases with the animals becoming large, whereas glucose is higher in adult animals than juveniles. Food intake elevates glucose and trehalose both in the hemolymph and hepatopancreas. The significance of hepatopancreas TPS is defined using a double-strand RNA of TPS injection study of the animals after feeding and emersion. The dsRNA-TPS injection results in 60%–70% of reduced TPS transcripts and its enzyme activity in the hepatopancreas. In the animals that received dsRNA-TPS, feeding has significantly reduced levels of changes in glucose and trehalose in the hemolymph and hepatopancreas, compared with the control animals (saline and double-stranded green fluorescent protein injection groups). In response to emersion, the animals injected with dsRNA-TPS show the glucose increases in the hemolymph the same as in controls but with trehalose and lactate significantly lower than the controls. The hepatopancreas of dsRNA-TPS–injected animals contains significantly reduced trehalose and glycogen, compared with control animals. Carbohydrate metabolism in crustaceans appears to be rather complicated with trehalose and glycogen; both can serve the glucose source for hyperglycemia and need further investigations.
Dying, Decaying, and Dissolving into Irrelevance: First Direct in-the-Field Estimate of Crassostrea virginica Shell Loss—a Case History from Mississippi Sound

ABSTRACT A mass mortality event that occurred in the Mississippi Sound in September 2016 provided an opportunity for the first natural field study of the rate of taphonomic loss of oyster shell. At the Pass Christian Reef, limited recruitment in the years following the mortality event resulted in little shell addition over a 2.67-y period, thereby permitting a direct comparison between shell present as living oysters in August 2016 and dead shell collected in April/May 2019. By April 2019, most oyster shell valves were riddled with holes, some of which perforated the valves. Deterioration of the shell surface was ubiquitous, and edge erosion was commonplace. Left valves were preferentially preserved: the left valves comprised 67% of the intact valves and 85% of the minor fragments after 2.67 y. Thus, at the time of collection, minimally 50% of the right valves originally present on the reef had disappeared. The increased differential between left and right valves of the minor fragments suggests a continuing differential in preservation, leading to cultch being overwhelmingly represented by left valves. Based on estimates derived from changes in shell weight at length and estimates of right-valve loss, by April 2019, between 30% and 51% of the carbonate originally added to the reef in 2016 was lost, yielding an estimated oyster shell half-life of between 2.6 and 5.1 y in the Mississippi Sound. The half-lives estimated from this first infield experiment fall precisely within the range of previous less direct estimates from laboratory experiments or survey time series. Oyster shell degrades rapidly: case histories now include a wide latitudinal range and a wide temperature range, which suggests that these rapid shell degradation rates are the norm over most of the range of the eastern oyster. Understanding the impermanence of oyster shell is crucial to the sustainable management of oyster reefs, as the addition of shell to the reef framework must balance rapid shell degradation rates to prevent stock collapse and ultimately the loss of reef structure.
Crop raiding by wild mammals in Ethiopia: impacts on the livelihoods of smallholders in an agriculture–forest mosaic landscape

Abstract We assessed the impacts of crop raiding by wild mammals on the livelihoods of smallholding farmers in south-western Ethiopia. Data were generated through participatory field mapping, interviews and focus groups. The results indicated that wild mammals, mainly olive baboons Papio anubis and bush pigs Potamochoerus larvatus, were raiding most crops cultivated in villages close to forests. In addition to the loss of crops, farmers incurred indirect costs in having to guard and cultivate plots far from their residences, sometimes at the expense of their children's schooling. Raiding also undermined farmers’ willingness to invest in modern agricultural technologies. Various coping strategies, including guarding crops and adapting existing local institutions, were insufficient to reduce raiding and its indirect impacts on household economies to tolerable levels, and were undermined by existing policies and government institutions. It is essential to recognize wild mammal pests as a critical ecosystem disservice to farmers, and to identify ways to mitigate their direct and indirect costs, to facilitate local agricultural development and livelihood security, and integrate wildlife conservation and local development more fully in agriculture–forest mosaic landscapes.
ETHYLENE GLYCOL: HAZARD CHARACTERIZATION AND EXPOSURE–RESPONSE ANALYSIS

Ethylene glycol has been assessed as a Priority Substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Based on short- and long-term oral studies in experimental animals, the kidney is the critical target organ for effects of ethylene glycol, with non-neoplastic renal lesions observed consistently in a range of species. Ethylene glycol also induces developmental effects (including teratogenicity) in rats and mice by all routes of exposure, although at doses greater than those associated with renal effects. As a result of limitations of histopathological reporting of non-neoplastic effects in the most recent chronic bioassay, a tolerable intake of 0.05 mg ethylene glycol/kg body weight per day has been derived based upon the benchmark dose associated with a 5% increase in the incidence of renal tubular lesions in male rats exposed in the diet, in a subchronic study.
Internal Anatomy and Biochemical Content of the Cortez Geoduck Panopea globosa during Larval Development

ABSTRACT Histological, histochemical, and biochemical changes were assessed in the Cortez geoduck Panopea globosa, during larval development to identify the main energy storage sites and biochemical patterns. Histological sections were stained with polychromic dye, whereas histochemical sections were stained for triglycerides and phospholipids (Sudan black) and for carbohydrates (Alcian blue). Spectrophotometric quantitation of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates was carried out in 5–35 mg dry weight (DW) samples. Larvae of Panopea globosa showed the typical linear shell growth rate (21 µm d–1) and allometric, power-type relationships between shell length and DW (exponent b = 2.73) or ash-free DW (b = 2.78). Early straight-hinged larvae exhibited a rudimentary digestive system. The crystalline style, intestine, and digestive gland were conspicuous when larvae reached the early umbonate stage, whereas the gills, foot, byssal gland, and adductor muscles were first observed in late umboned larvae. Triglycerides and carbohydrates were mainly stored as droplets in the digestive gland, and their size increased with increasing larval age. Acid mucopolysaccharides were also secreted by the byssal gland. Carbohydrate content was substantially higher than triglycerides in pediveliger larvae. These finding suggests that P. globosa larvae mainly rely on a carbohydrate-based metabolism, both as a biochemical component of the larval–postlarval byssus and as an endogenous energy source during metamorphosis.
The making and transforming of a transnational in dialog: Confronting dichotomous thinking in knowledge production, identity formation, and pedagogy

This article, through autoethnographic narrative and reflection, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions, explores how the transnational academic mobility experiences of a Muslim scholar of Islam based in Brunei may influence his identity, research, and teaching. It pinpoints how transnational academic mobilities could (re)produce, sustain and endorse East/West, local/global, and religious/secular dichotomies and binary thinking. Likewise, it shows that transnational academic mobilities often generate ambiguous and divided spaces concerning knowledge production, pedagogy, and identity formation. The article also maintains that contextualizing and engaging (with) the specificity and particularity of place and academic discipline are pivotal in studying transnational academic mobilities. Methodologically, it highlights the role of autoethnographic reflection in bringing out complex experiences and accounts that academics undergo but rarely acknowledge and conceptualize in scholarly work. Such accounts and experiences serve as reminders of the importance of humility, trust, ethics, and reflexivity in academia. Transnational academic mobilities, after all, must not be privileged.
Rapid Screening of Nitrogen Use Efficiency in Perennial Ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) Using Automated Image-Based Phenotyping

Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) is a dominant species in temperate Australian pastures. Currently, nitrogenous fertilizers are used to support herbage production for pasture and fodder. Increasing the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of pasture grasses could decrease the amount of fertilizer application and reduce nitrogen (N) leaching into the environment. NUE, defined as units of dry matter production per unit of supplied nitrogen, is a complex trait in which genomic selection may provide a promising strategy in breeding. Our objective was to develop a rapid, high-throughput screening method to enable genomic selection for y -60NUE in perennial ryegrass. NUE of 76 genotypes of perennial ryegrass from a breeding population were screened in a greenhouse using an automated image-based phenomics platform under low (0.5 mM) and moderate (5 mM) N levels over 3 consecutive harvests. Significant (p < 0.05) genotype, treatment, and genotype by treatment interactions for dry matter yield and NUE were observed. NUE under low and moderate N treatments was significantly correlated. Of the seven plant architecture features directly extracted from image analysis and four secondarily derived measures, mean projected plant area (MPPA) from the two side view images had the highest correlation with dry matter yield (r = 0.94). Automated digital image-based phenotyping enables temporal plant growth responses to N to be measured efficiently and non-destructively. The method developed in this study would be suitable for screening large populations of perennial ryegrass growth in response to N for genomic selection purposes.
Prenatal Exposures Are Associated With Worse Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Infants With Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome

Aim: To define a developmental trajectory in infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) and determine whether the impacted developmental domain varies with the type of antenatal exposure. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of infants treated pharmacologically for NOWS and assessed using a standardized schedule for follow-up visits. We compared outcomes of the study population to published norms using one-sample t-tests. Multivariable models examined associations with exposures in addition to opioids. Results: In our cohort of 285 infants with 9–12-months testing, 164 (55.7%) were seen at 3–4 months, and 125 (44%), at 15–18 months. The majority (58%) had intrauterine drug exposures in addition to opioids. Neurodevelopmental scores of infants with NOWS at 3–4 and 9–12 months were not different from published norms. Cognitive and language scores at 15–18 months were worse than published norms. Male sex, older maternal age, and additional barbiturate or alcohol exposure were associated with worse outcomes. Conclusion: Infants with pharmacologically treated NOWS had development similar to unexposed infants during the 1st year but worse cognitive and language scores during the 2nd year. These data support the need for a prospective follow-up of large cohorts of infants with NOWS, with systematic assessments and an evaluation of contributing factors.
Different Patterns of Relationships Between Principal Leadership and 15-Year-Old Students’ Science Learning: How School Resources, Teacher Quality, and School Socioeconomic Status Make a Difference

The present study critically evaluates whether school leadership influences student learning homogenously regardless of school contexts. It examined relationships between four principal leadership variables (envisioning, instructional management, promoting professional development, empowerment) and two types of student outcomes (enjoyment in learning science, science achievement) in different school contexts [in terms of the availability of science resources, quality of science teachers, and school socioeconomic status (SES)]. The sample comprised 248,620 students and 9,370 principals in 35 developed countries who participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015. Latent profile analysis (LPA) showed that schools operated in three types of school contexts with different levels of science resources, proportion of quality science teachers, and school SES. There were also differences in the pattern of leadership practices across the three types of school contexts. Three-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) showed that among the four leadership variables, only instructional management was positively associated with students’ enjoyment of science in schools with less science resources and quality science teachers. Therefore, instructional management had compensatory effects for students in less-endowed schools. In contrast, principal leadership related to envisioning, teacher professional development, and empowerment was not positively related to students’ science learning in all three school contexts.
Transnational identity: The struggles of being and becoming a Japanese female professor in a neo-kokusaika phase of Japan

As the 2020 Tokyo Olympics approached (though now tentatively postponed to 2021), Japan stepped up on its nationwide kokusaika (“internationalization”) campaign to prepare for the big moment. This frenzied internationalization movement is not a new trend for Japan, particularly in the education sector where since the 1980s, the government has advanced a number of megaprojects in the name of kokusaika. Having completed my PhD in the United States on the internationalization of Japanese higher education, and having returned to Japan to begin working as a faculty member at a national university, I look into the development of my transnational identity through incidents, moments, and practices against the rhetoric and realities of kokusaika. This article argues that my analysis of the kokusaika phenomenon has shifted along with the changing tenor of my transnational experience from being a PhD student in the United States to becoming a Japanese female professor back in Japan. My transnational experience, as demonstrated in the article, helps put my own theorization of kokusaika in perspective, while also posing questions regarding “shifting transnationality” in knowledge production.