Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolomics : a tool for studying plant biology

In recent years new technologies have allowed gene expression, protein and metabolite profiles in different tissues and developmental stages to be monitored. This is an emerging field in plant science and is applied to diverse plant systems in order to elucidate the regulation of growth and development. The goal in plant metabolomics is to analyze, identify and quantify all low molecular weight molecules of plant organisms. The plant metabolites are extracted and analyzed using various sensitive analytical techniques, usually mass spectrometry (MS) in combination with chromatography. In order to compare the metabolome of different plants in a high through-put manner, a number of biological, analytical and data processing steps have to be performed. In the work underlying this thesis we developed a fast and robust method for routine analysis of plant metabolite patterns using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). The method was performed according to Design of Experiment (DOE) to investigate factors affecting the extraction and derivatization of the metabolites from leaves of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The outcome of metabolic analysis by GC/MS is a complex mixture of approximately 400 overlapping peaks. Resolving (deconvoluting) overlapping peaks is time-consuming, difficult to automate and additional processing is needed in order to compare samples. To avoid deconvolution being a major bottleneck in high through-put analyses we developed a new semi-automated strategy using hierarchical methods for processing GC/MS data that can be applied to all samples simultaneously. The two methods include base-line correction of the non-processed MS-data files, alignment, time-window determinations, Alternating Regression and multivariate analysis in order to detect metabolites that differ in relative concentrations between samples. The developed methodology was applied to study the effects of the plant hormone GA on the metabolome, with specific emphasis on auxin levels in Arabidopsis thaliana mutants defective in GA biosynthesis and signalling. A large series of plant samples was analysed and the resulting data were processed in less than one week with minimal labour; similar to the time required for the GC/MS analyses of the samples.
Organization Development and Performance: The Impact of ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and OHSAS 18001 Interventions on Product Quality in Manufacturing Organizations of Pakistan

Product quality is a major business dilemma in Pakistan. Organizations are dependent on Organization Development (OD) interventions to help them enhance their product quality to sustain in the global market. OD is a systematic organizational change process. The models of OD are helpful in designing state-of-the-art production systems to achieve the quality defined by customers. The current mixed methods explanatory sequential research study has tested a mediated model and investigated the impact of three structural OD interventions (ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 & OHSAS 18001) on the product quality. Quantitative data from 146 manufacturing units, collected through a questionnaire, and qualitative data from five management systems experts are merged. Quantitative and qualitative findings show the positive and significant impact of ISO 9001:2015 on the product quality. The quantitative findings show the positive impacts of ISO 14001:2015 and OHSAS 18001 on the product quality. However, the qualitative findings reject any positive contribution of ISO 14001:2015 and OHSAS 18001 in product quality. The findings further revealed that the Integrated Management System (IMS), top management commitment and an effective monitoring system are essential strategies to make the systems more effective and efficient. The paper also discusses the compliant role of high performance corporate culture during the OD change process. The results have implications for corporate managers and management representatives
Flynn's parasites of laboratory animals.

Preface to the Second Edition. List of Contributors. Acknowledgements. Dedication. Chapter 1- Collection, Preservation, and Diagnostic Methods. Chapter 2- Biology of the Protozoa. Chapter 3- Biology of Trematodes and Leeches. Chapter 4- Biology of Cestodes. Chapter 5- Biology of Nematodes and Acanthocephalans. Chapter 6- Biology of Arthropods. Chapter 7- Parasites of Fish. Chapter 8- Parasites of Amphibians. Chapter 9- Parasites of Reptiles. Chapter 10- Parasites of Birds. Chapter 11- Parasites of Rats and Mice. Chapter 12- Parasites of Hamsters. Chapter 13- Parasites of Gerbils. Chapter 14- Parasites of Guinea Pigs. Chapter 15- Parasites of Rabbits. Chapter 16- Parasites of Ferrets. Chapter 17- Parasites of Dogs. Chapter 18- Parasites of Cats. Chapter 19- Parasites of Swine. Chapter 20- Parasites of Sheep and Goats. Chapter 21- Parasites of Non-human Primates. Appendix- Formulary. Glossary
Epstein-Zin Preferences in Life-Cycle Applications: Uncertain Lifetime and Consumption Smoothing

This paper provides an in-depth investigation of Epstein-Zin preferences under an uncertain lifetime. These models have been gaining popularity as normative preference models in life-cycle applications. Though extensively used, it is unclear if the preference models are well-understood by the users. To this end, this paper studies the decision-making under Epstein-Zin preferences. Specifically, analytical solutions for a simple consumption and savings problem are derived, isolating the impact of relative risk aversion (RRA), elasticity of intertemporal substitution (EIS), time discounting, and risks stemming from mortality, investment, and inflation. We investigate three Epstein-Zin preference models that differ in their treatment of mortality risk, and find that some lead to normatively implausible solutions. Importantly, we find that the EIS is not always monotone in its effect on consumption volatility over time, meaning that its interpretation can be ambiguous when considering an uncertain future lifetime. This has been misinterpreted in the literature to date. We also show that one particular Epstein-Zin specification is not necessarily a generalization of expected discounted utility maximization in the case of constant relative risk aversion, as many works wrongly claim.
A case study: Exploring the use of 3rd person singular –s in English in written register

Ogretmenlerin Ingilizceyi ikinci/yabanci dil olarak ogrenen ogrencilere sundugu temel dilbilgisi kurallarindan biri olan ucuncu tekil sahis –s edinimi i kinci / yabanci dil ogrenenler icin giris niteliginde bir kavram olarak kabul edilir. Bu nedenle, hem anadili Ingilizce olan bireylerde hem de Ingilizceyi yabanci/ikinci dil olarak ogrenen ogrenciler tarafindan ediniminin neden oldukca zorlayici bir dilbilgisi kurali oldugunu anlayabilmek icin bu konu farkli bakis acilari ve kuramsal cercevelerde incelenmistir. Bu calisma, Karadeniz bolgesinde yer alan bir devlet universitesi bunyesindeki yabanci diller yuksekokulu Ingilizce hazirlik siniflarinda gerceklestirilmistir. Calisma, Ingilizceyi yabanci dil olarak ogrenen anadili Turkce olan ogrencilerin genis zamanda ucuncu tekil sahis –s kullanimini incelemeyi hedeflemektedir. Calisma verileri 39 ogrencinin yazma sinavlarindan 2017-2018 yilinda elde edilmistir. Ogrenci sinavlari arastirmacilar tarafindan cevriyaziya donusturulmus ve ogrencilerin ucuncu tekil sahis kullanimlari incelenmistir. Ogrenci sinavlarinda 40 dogru, 43 atlama ve 13 yanlis kullanim ornekleri tespit edilmistir. Alanyazinla tutarli bir sonuc olarak, calisma kapsaminda elde edilen veriler Ingilizceyi ogrenen ogrencilerin ucuncu tekil sahis -s kuralini ogrenmede ve kullanmada zorlandiklarini ortaya koymustur. Calismanin bulgulari hem Ingilizce yabanci dil sinif uygulamalari hem de Ingiliz dili ogreticileri ve arastirmacilari icin egitimsel cikarimlar sunmaktadir.
Modifying effect of nutritional factors on benzo(a)pyrene-induced respiratory tract cancer in hamsters

Groups of 40 Syrian golden hamsters of both sexes were fed diets containing either 5% fat (control), 20% saturated fat (beef tallow) or 201 unsaturated fat (sunflower seed oil) from weaning and during the whole experimental period (up to 656 days). Respiratory tract tumours were induced by intratracheal instillation of benzo(a)pyrene attached to ferric oxide and suspended in saline. Mortality was slightly, but not statistically significantly higher in the high fat groups than in the low fat control group. Microscopic examination of the respiratory tract revealed an increased number of tumour bearing animals, an increased multiplicity of respiratory tract tumours and an increased total number of respiratory tract tumours in animals fed high fat diets. The tumour enhancing effect of fat was most pronounced in the high unsaturated fat group. Especially epidermoid papillomas, epidermoid carcinomas and combined epidermoid and adenocarcinomas contributed to the observed differences in tumour response amongst groups. It was concluded that dietary fat enhances benzo(a)pyrene induced respiratory tract carcinogenesis in hamsters.
Understanding the Role of Anaerobic Respiration in Burkholderia Thailandensis and B. pseudomallei Survival and Virulence

Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis, a disease endemic in Northern Australia and Southeast Asia. Melioidosis can present with acute, chronic and latent infections and can relapse several months or years after initial presentation. Currently not much is known about the ways in which B. pseudomallei can persist within the host, although it has been speculated that the ability to survive within an anaerobic environment will play some role. B. pseudomallei is able to survive anaerobically for extended periods of time but little is known about the molecular basis of anaerobic respiration in this pathogenic species. Bioinformatic analysis was used to determine the respiratory flexibility of both B. pseudomallei and B. thailandensis, identifying multiple genes required for aerobic and anaerobic respiration, and molybdopterin biosynthesis. Using B. thailandensis as a model organism a transposon mutant library was created in order to identify genes required for anaerobic respiration. From this library one transposon mutant was identified to have disrupted moeA, a gene required for the molybdopterin biosynthetic pathway. This B. thailandensis transposon mutant (CA01) was unable to respire anaerobically on nitrate, exhibiting a significant reduction in nitrate reductase activity, altered motility and biofilm formation, but did not affect virulence in Galleria mellonella. It was hypothesised that the reduction in nitrate reductase activity was contributing to the phenotypes exhibited by the B. thailandensis moeA transposon mutant. To determine whether this was true an in-frame narG deletion mutant was created in B. pseudomallei. Deletion of B. pseudomallei narG (ΔnarG) resulted in a significant reduction in nitrate reductase activity, anaerobic growth, motility and altered persister cell formation, and but did not affect virulence in G. mellonella or intracellular survival within J774A.1 murine macrophages. This study has highlighted the importance of anaerobic respiration in the survival of B. thailandensis and B. pseudomallei.
The Chicxulub Impact Produced a Powerful Global Tsunami

The Chicxulub crater is the site of an asteroid impact linked with the Cretaceous‐Paleogene (K‐Pg) mass extinction at ∼66 Ma. This asteroid struck in shallow water and caused a large tsunami. Here we present the first global simulation of the Chicxulub impact tsunami from initial contact of the projectile to global propagation. We use a hydrocode to model the displacement of water, sediment, and crust over the first 10 min, and a shallow‐water ocean model from that point onwards. The impact tsunami was up to 30,000 times more energetic than the 26 December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, one of the largest tsunamis in the modern record. Flow velocities exceeded 20 cm/s along shorelines worldwide, as well as in open‐ocean regions in the North Atlantic, equatorial South Atlantic, southern Pacific and the Central American Seaway, and therefore likely scoured the seafloor and disturbed sediments over 10,000 km from the impact origin. The distribution of erosion and hiatuses in the uppermost Cretaceous marine sediments are consistent with model results.
Growth and morphogenesis of citrus tissue cultures infected with citrus tristeza virus and citrus infectious variegation virus

Production of roots and regeneration of shoots and buds was reduced as a result of virus infection. The number of explants showing morphogenesis and the amount of rooting and/or regeneration of shoots and buds were affected as compared with the uninfected explants cultured as controls. The effects on morphogenic patterns depended on the virus, the virus strain, and the host. Explants infected with CIVV produced significantly less primary callus than did the controls, whereas CTV did not affect callus induction. The amount and morphology of secondary callus after periodic subculturing was similar in infected and uninfected tissues
Biology of Meretrix casta (Chemnitz) and Paphia malabarica (Chemnitz) from Mulky estuary, Dakshina Kannada

Meretrix casta and Paphia malabarica are the major species contributing to the clam fisheries of the Mulky estuary. Studies on age and growth indicated that M. casta attains 46.6 mm and P. malabarica 48.1 mm in one year The von Bertalanffy growth equation is fitted for both the species. most of these clams do not survive the second year. Length-weight relationship of both species and other dimensional relationships of M. casta are worked out. The major spawning season of M. casta and P. malabarica are Septtmbar-lVlarch and October-February rtspectlvely. In M. casta females are significantly dominant beyond 30 mm length. This species attains first maturity at a length of 17mmiHigh condition index in both the species coincided with peak spawning period. An analysis of rings on the shells of M. casta indicated that they are not useful in age determination. Various aspects of the biology of the above two species are discussed in relation to the ecological conditions of the Mulky estuary.
Genetic insights into fatty acid components of traditional Indian rice (Oryza sativa L.) landraces from Chhattisgarh

Knowledge about the contents and type of fatty acids (FAs) in rice bran is beneficial, particularly from a nutritional and health standpoint. An experiment was conducted to assess the genetic variability and diversity for FA components in 215 rice landraces during kharif 2015 and kharif 2016 by following the RCB design with two replications. Palmitic (C16:0), oleic (C18:1) and linoleic (C18:2) were the major fatty acids ranging from 12.59% to 20.25%, 37.60% to 49.17% and 31.55% to 44.67%, respectively. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences in all the FA components except for linolenic acid. Results showed that environmental factors play a significant impact on the expression of FA contents. Fatty acid components showed intermediate to low genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation, intermediate to high heritability and low to moderate genetic advance as percent of the mean. Oleic acid content was negatively correlated with palmitic acid, stearic acid, and linoleic acid contents. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis discriminated the 215 rice landraces into five main groups with a major contribution of oleic acid, linoleic acid, and palmitic acid contents. Landraces Kadamphool, Ratanchudi and Bathrash possessed the highest amount of oleic acid/linoleic acid ratio. Information generated through this study will be functionally useful in developing rice varieties having high-quality bran oil.
A Simple Membrane Filter Method to Concentrate and Enumerate Male‐Specific RNA Coliphages

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a simple membrane filter method for concentrating and enumerating F-specific coliphages in raw and finished drinking water with a view to using these phages as a viral indicator. The method developed was field-tested by determining the concentrations of F-specific coliphages in several source waters and comparing them with concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria. Additional studies are needed to determine whether these coliphages are reliable indicators of enteric viruses in water
Functional MRI Studies into the Neuroanatomical Basis of the Eye Movements

textabstractHumans make eye movements to ensure proper processing of visual information. The study of eye movement control provides a window to the brain and can tell us how the brain processes information from the environment. Abnormal eye movement behavior can provide information about the functional deficits in certain parts of the brain. Moreover, eye movements are relatively easy to measure and the environment in which they are made is easy to manipulate. This thesis presents five studies on the neuronal basis of human eye movement control investigated by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This chapter provides a brief overview of the visual system, of eye movement behavior, and the techniques used in the experimental studies presented in this thesis.
Distribution of butterfly species (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) in the protected area “Mirusha waterfalls” in Kosovo

The survey was organized in 13 sites with different types of habitats, mostly dominated by grassland, natural forest and shrubs. During our study 83 species of butterflies were recorded. The highest diversity (Shannon-Wiener diversity index H) was registered at the site Dush i Sverkes which hosted 68 out of 83 recorded species. The highest number of species was Euro-Siberian (ES) followed by EuroOriental (EO), Euro-Meridional (EM) and Holarctic species (Hol). Our results confirm a rich diversity of butterfly fauna influenced by the climate characteristics, geology and plant composition of the studied area. Out of 83 recorded species in our survey, 7 have Near Threatened status in Europe: Carcharodus floccifera (Zeller, 1847); Parnassius mnemosyne (Linnaeus, 1758); Cupido decolorata (Staudinger, 1886); Hipparchia fagi (Scopoli, 1763); Hipparchia statilinus (Hufnagel, 1758); Melitea aurelia (Nickeri, 1850) and Chazara briseis (Linnaeus, 1764).
Nature des dommages causés par les piqûres alimentaires des punaises (Heteroptera) sur les boutons floraux et les capsules du cotonnier au Togo

En culture cotonniere au Togo, Les Heteropteres constituent un facteur entomologique important par rapport a leur densite et les dommages qu’ils causent. Si leur role parasitaire peut sembler secondaire par rapport celui des Lepidopteres, il est cependant loin d’etre negligeable. La protection contre les Lepidopteres ayant atteint une efficacite valable, il apparait desormais que l’on doive compter avec les Heteropteres pour l’amelioration de la lutte insecticide. Ainsi, dans le but d’ameliorer les rendements, il est necessaire de connaitre la nature des dommages causes par les Punaises. Pour y arriver, des boutons floraux et des capsules du cotonnier ont ete infestes par 4 especes de Mirides ( Creontiades pallidus, Megacoelum apicale, Taylorilygus arboreus et Helopeltis schoutedeni ). Toutes les especes de Mirides, a l’exception de H. schoutedeni ont pique les boutons floraux pour se nourrir du contenu des etamines. Ces piqures ont provoque des necroses sur les petales et les etamines qui ont ete totalement ou partiellement detruites. Ces dommages ont developpe sur les boutons floraux le phenomene d’abscission. Par contre, sur les jeunes capsules infestees, les resultats ont montre que les degâts causes par H. schoutedeni ont ete externes et se sont presentes sous forme de necroses en cuvettes ou chancres. Les piqures des autres especes de Mirides sur les jeunes capsules, se sont traduites par un ecoulement resineux exterieur et une formation d’excroissances sur la face interne des carpelles. Mots cles : Cotonnier, boutons floraux et capsules, Mirides, piqures, dommages.
EFFECT OF GENOTYPE ON PRODUCTION TRAITS IN BROILER CHICKENS

The study was carried out on two broiler chicken genotypes Ross 308 and Cobb 500 in the nucleus poultry farm of the Institute of Agriculture – Stara Zagora between April and June 2012. For this purpose, 300 eggs of each genotype were set for incubation to compare the meat traits of two of the most popular broiler chicken hybrids: Cobb 500 and Ross 308 reared at the nucleus poultry farm of the Institute of Agriculture – Stara Zagora. The fertility rate, embryonic death rate, weight loss between incubation days 0 and 18, and the hatchability of set and fertilized eggs were determined. The number of chickens included in the study was 100 from each genotype (50 male and 50 female). Experimental birds were reared on wooden shavings bedded floor, with constant access to compound feed according to the age until 49 days of age. The live body weight was determined individually by weighing birds at 1, 14, 28, 42 and 49 days of age. By the end of the experiment, a slaughter analysis of three female and three male broilers with a live weight close to the group average was performed. For integral assessment of broiler combinations, the European Poultry efficiency factor (EPEF) was calculated. The results of the present experiments showed a number of differences in meat and slaughter traits between studied broiler chicken hybrids. The weight of hatchlings differed significantly according to the genotype (p<0.05). One-day-old Cobb 500 broilers were heavier than Ross 308 broilers. At the end of the experiment, Соbb 500 broilers attained a higher live weight, and were heavier than Ross 308 birds by 6.29 %. The feed intake per kg weight gain over the entire experimental period was 2.178 kg and 2.181 kg for Ross 308 and Cobb 500, respectively. Higher values of the European Poultry Efficiency Factor (EPEF) were established in Соbb 500 broilers, which were more economically efficient than Ross 308 by 14.87 points (6.18 %). The performed slaughter analysis showed higher values of slaughter traits in Cobb 500, which had higher growth potential: roasting weight 1810.67 g and grilling weight 1710.50 g; whereas the respective values in Ross 308 chickens were 1547.67 g for grilling and 1645 g for roasting. In male Cobb 500 broiler chickens, the roasting percentage was 74.02 %, which was 1.41 % more than that of Ross 308 males. The same trend was observed in female birds as well, i.e.