Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The differential approach to spinors and their symmetries

SummaryA formulation of spinor analysis in space-time is given in terms of smooth sections of a real Clifford bundle. Its relation to the two-component complex calculus for spinor components is elucidated. Treating spinors in terms of inhomogeneous differential forms carryingPIN3,1 andSPIN3,1 representations enables the discrete covariances of the Maxwell-Dirac system to be induced naturally from smooth isometries of the space-time metric. Attention is drawn to the distinction between the Dirac and Kähler equations in curved space when expressed in this geometric formulation.RiassuntoSi presenta una formulazione dell'analisi spinoriale nello spazio-tempo in termini di sezioni piane di un fascio reale di Clifford. Si spiega la sua relazione con il calcolo complesso a due componenti per le componenti spinoriali. Trattare gli spinori in termini di forme differenziali non omogenee con rappresentazionePIN3,1 eSPIN3,1 permette di dedurre le covarianze discrete del sistema di Maxwell-Dirac dalle isometrie piane della metrica dello spazio-tempo. Si presta attenzione alla distinzione tra le equazioni di Dirac e Kähler nello spazio curvo quando sono espresse in questa formulazione geometrica. РезюмеПредлагается формулировка спинорного анализа в пространствевремени на основе гладких сечений вещественного семейства Клиффорда. Объясняется сваязь этой формулировки с двух-компонентными комплексными вычислениями для спинорных компонент. Рассмотрение спиноров на основе неоднородных дифференциальных форм, несущих представленияPIN3,1 иSPIN3,1, допускает, чтобы дискретные ковариантности для системы Максвелла-Дирака создавались естественным образом из гладких изометрий пространственно-временной метрики. Особое внимание уделяется различию между уравнениями Дирака и Кэхлера в искривленном пространстве, когда они выражаются в этой геометрической формулировке.
Relação entre solo e haste sulcadora de semeadora em Latossolo escarificado em diferentes épocas

The objective of this study was to evaluate the chiseling effect duration in an Oxisol, based on the study of soil and planter shank relation. The treatments were: no-till for 13 years; four years since chiseling (2001); two years since chiseling (2002); and six months since chiseling (2005), where all treatments were submitted or not to traffic with agricultural machinery. Data about vertical force and moment associated to: shank, soil mobilized area, specific operational resistance, macroporosity, microporosity, total porosity and soil density, were collected, and draught on shank was calculated. Increasing of time since chiseling required increasing of the forces, and six months since chiseling showed the smallest demand. Four years since chiseling had similar behavior to the no-till treatment, resulting in the smallest soil mobilized area and the greatest operational resistance. Physical property differences occurred only in layer 0-0.10 m, and recent chiseling showed the greatest soil macroporosity, and the smallest soil microporosity and bulk density. After four years, chiseling effect was not found on soil-planter shank relations.
Variações anuais na produção de frutos e sementes de Castanheira-do-Brasil (Bertholletia excelsa Bonpl., Lecythidaceae) em florestas nativas de Roraima

The objective of the present study was to evaluate annual production variations between populations and individuals in native Brazilian nut groves of Roraima. Data were obtained from five permanent plots of 300 m x 300 m installed in the municipalities of Caracarai and Sao Joao da Baliza. Every tree presenting the diameter at breast height (DBH) greater than or equal to 10 cm were measured and identified using aluminum number labels attached to the stem by nails. During the falling of fruits (March-July) all the trees were visited on two occasions: in the middle and at the end of this period. The fruits of each tree were counted, and seeds were weighed using a digital balance scale accurate to 50 g. The fruit and seed production varied among populations and individuals, and the majority did not produce fruits every year. In a high production year, the yield is up to fifty-two times greater than in the low production years. The total production was concentrated on a small number of trees with one year of peak production (mast-year).
Controle pelo glyphosate e caracterização geral da superfície foliar de Commelina benghalensis, Ipomoea hederifolia, Richardia brasiliensis e Galinsoga parviflora

This work aimed to characterize the foliar surface of the weeds Commelina benghalensis, Ipomoea hederifolia, Richardia brasiliensis and Galinsoga parviflora and the percentage of control by the herbicide glyphosate. The epicuticular waxes were extracted by chloroform and quantified (µg cm-2). Central parts of the leaves of these weeds were submitted to electron microscopy to characterize the foliar surface. To evaluate the susceptibility of these weeds to glyphosate an experiment was arranged in a randomized complete design, 7 treatments (0, 360, 540, 720, 900, 1440 and 2160 g a.e. ha-1 of glyphosate) and four replications under greenhouse conditions at the University of Sao Paulo - ESALQ/USP - Piracicaba-SP, Brazil. Herbicide efficacy was assessed at 14, 21 and 28 days after treatment. In G. parviflora the foliar surface presents multicellular trichomes, and anomocytic stomata. In I. Hederifolia, the foliar surface is rough, with multicellular and glandular trichomes and paracytic stomata. In C. benghalensis, the foliar surface presents two types of trichomes and a lower number of tetracytic stomata. The presence of disperse wax was observed on the adaxial surface. R. brasiliensis presents great number of unicellular trichomes and paracytic stomata. The weeds C. benghalensis and R. brasiliensis were more tolerant to glyphosate than the other species studied. Based on the data obtained, it can be concluded that the weeds showed differences in the foliar characteristics, with C. benghalensis and R. brasiliensis being tolerant to the highest dose of glyphosate.
Spawning habitat and daily egg production of sardine (Sardina pilchardus) in the eastern Mediterranean

Spawning habitats of two eastern Mediterranean sardine, Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792), stocks (coastal waters of central Aegean and Ionian Seas) are characterized from daily egg production method (DEPM) surveys conducted during the peak of the spawning period. The latter occurs earlier in the Aegean Sea (December) than in the less-productive Ionian Sea (February). Single-parameter quotient analysis showed that the preferred bottom depth for spawning was 40–90 m in both areas but sardine selected sites of increased zooplankton in the Aegean Sea during December and increased fluorescence in the Ionian Sea during February. Estimates of daily egg production (P) and spawning stock biomass (B) were about four times lower for the Ionian Sea (P = 7.81 eggs m−2, B = 3652 tonnes) than the Aegean Sea (P = 27.52 eggs m−2, B = 16 174 tonnes). We suggest that zooplankton biomass might not be sufficient to support sardine reproduction in the highly oligotrophic Ionian Sea where the very small sardine stock may rely on the late-winter phytoplankton bloom. Actively selecting sites with increased zooplankton or phytoplankton and feeding plasticity (the well-known switching from selective particle feeding to non-selective filter feeding in sardines) are interpreted as adaptations to grow and reproduce optimally at varying prey conditions. Despite differences in temperature and productivity regimes, reproductive performance of sardine in the Ionian Sea was very similar to that in the Aegean Sea during the peak of the spawning period. In comparing adult parameters from DEPM applications to Sardina and Sardinops stocks around the world, a highly significant linear relation emerged between mean batch fecundity (F) and mean weight of mature female (W, g) (F = 0.364W, r2 = 0.98). The latter implies that, during the peak of the spawning period, mean relative batch fecundity (eggs g−1) of sardine is fairly constant in contrasting ecosystems around the world.
Whey protein aggregation under shear conditions – effects of lactose and heating temperature on aggregate size and structure

y Whey protein concentrates with different lactose contents were heat- and shear-treated in a scraped surface heat exchanger at various temperatures. The properties of the resulting protein aggregates are closely correlated with the denaturation kinetics of β-lactoglobulin and the different mechanisms - unfolding and aggregation - which determine the overall reaction rate. At temperatures below 85 °C, unfolding is slowed down especially if there is a high content of lactose. A loose, porous aggregate structure is formed and the particle size and the serum binding capacity increase. The smallest aggregates are produced when heating takes place between 85 and 95 °C. In the temperature range above 100 °C aggregation is the rate-limiting step and the aggregate structure is very dense and compact. The particle size increases and is no longer dependent on the concentration of lactose.
Photosynthesis in the water-stressed C4 grass Setaria sphacelata is mainly limited by stomata with both rapidly and slowly imposed water deficits

A comparison of the effects of a rapid and a slowly imposed water deficit on photosynthesis was performed in Setaria sphacelata var. splendida (Stapf) Clayton, a C 4 NADP-ME grass. Gas exchange was measured in rapidly and slowly dehydrated adult leaves either under atmospheric CO 2 partial pressure with an infrared gas analyser or under saturating CO 2 partial pressure with a leaf disc oxygen electrode. These measurements were used to calculate stomatal and non-stomatal limitations to photosynthesis. These were further investigated using modulated chlorophyll a fluorescence measurements and photosynthetic pigment quantification. The decrease of net photosynthesis, leaf conductance and water use efficiency was more pronounced under rapid stress than in slow stress. However, photosynthesis is always mainly limited by stomata in both types of stress, albeit the contribution of non-stomatal limitations increases at severe water deficits in slow stress experiments. The substomatal CO 2 partial pressure significantly increased in both types of stress, suggesting an increased resistance due to an internal barrier to CO 2 diffusion. Physical alterations in the structure of the intercellular spaces due to leaf shrinkage may account for these results. The maximal photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) was remarkably resistant to stress, as the F v / F m ratio decreased only at severe water deficit. On the contrary, the effective photochemical efficiency of PSII (ΔF/F m ) measured under high actinic light decreased linearly in both types of stress, although in a more pronounced way under rapid stress. A similar variation in photochemical quenching suggests that the decrease of ΔF/F m is mainly due to the closure of PSII reaction centres. The non-photochemical quenching did not change significantly except under severe dehydration indicating that the energization state of thylakoids remained stable under stress. The decrease observed in photosynthetic pigments may be an adaptation to stress rather than a limiting factor to photosynthesis. Results suggests that, although intrinsic mesophyll metabolic inhibitions occur, stomatal limitation to CO 2 diffusion is the main reason for the decrease in photosynthesis.
Use of Filamentous Fungi for Wastewater Treatment and Production of High Value Fungal Byproducts: A Review

Conventional biological wastewater treatment generates large amounts of low value bacterial biomass. The treatment and disposal of this excess bacterial biomass, also known as waste activated sludge, accounts for about 40–60% of the wastewater treatment plant operation cost. A different form of biomass with a higher value could significantly change the economics of wastewater treatment. Fungi could offer this benefit over bacteria in wastewater treatment processes. The biomass produced during fungal wastewater treatment has, potentially, a much higher value than that from the bacterial activated sludge process. The fungi can be used to derive valuable biochemicals and can also be used as a protein source. Various high-value biochemicals are produced by commercial cultivation of fungi under aseptic conditions using expensive substrates. Food-processing wastewater is an attractive alternative as a source of low-cost organic matter and nutrients to produce fungi with concomitant wastewater purification. This review summarizes various findings in fungal wastewater treatment, particularly focusing on byproduct recovery during wastewater treatment. This review also provides an overview on performance of fungal treatment systems under various operational conditions. Important factors such as pH, temperature, hydraulic and solids retention time, nonaxenic and axenic operation, and others that affect the fungal treatment system are discussed. Moreover, certain important practical issues such as bacterial contamination under nonaseptic operation are also covered. The goal of the review paper is to evaluate the feasibility of cultivating fungi during wastewater treatment for deriving valuable biochemicals.
Selective Herbicides for Bald Cypress Restoration and Cultivation

Abstract Studies were conducted in 2007 and 2008 to evaluate herbicides having both PRE and POST activity for selective weed control in bald cypress plantings. Five herbicides were applied at two or three rates at two different timings. The first timing was to dormant seedlings without foliage and prior to weed emergence (i.e., PRE). The second timing was to foliated seedlings with established weed seedlings present (i.e., POST). Herbicide treatments included aminopyralid at 70 and 120 g ae ha−1, hexazinone at 420 and 560 g ai ha−1, imazapyr at 140 and 210 g ae ha−1, sulfometuron methyl at 110, 160, and 210 g ai ha−1, and flumioxazin at 290 and 430 g ai ha−1. Herbicide rate had little effect on vegetation control. PRE-applied sulfometuron methyl was most effective, providing nearly complete control of graminoids and broadleaves at 60 d after treatment (DAT). POST-applied treatments were generally less effective, though in the 2008 study imazapyr and sulfometuron methyl resulted in approximately 60% bare ground at 60 DAT. Growth of bald cypress seedlings was enhanced by both PRE- and POST-applied sulfometuron methyl, flumioxazin, or hexazinone and by PRE imazapyr. The best bald cypress growth response followed POST-applied sulfometuron methyl at 210 g ha−1, which resulted in 63 cm3 mean volume index, more than fivefold greater than the nontreated check. Aminopyralid caused severe and lasting seedling injury. POST-applied imazapyr resulted in fasciculation and no growth benefit, despite providing the most efficacious weed control among POST treatments. Survival and growth of bald cypress can be greatly enhanced with a single selective herbicide treatment using sulfometuron methyl, flumioxazin, or hexazinone applied before or following foliation in the spring. Nomenclature: Aminopyralid; flumioxazin; hexazinone; imazapyr; sulfometuron methyl; bald cypress, Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich var. distichum.
Contextual modulation of visuomotor associations in bumble‐bees (Bombus terrestris)

We performed the following experiment to investigate whether contextual cues can prevent interference during the acquisition of potentially competing visuomotor associations. In the bumble‐bee (Bombus terrestris). Bees discriminated between horizontally and vertically orientated gratings of black and white stripes in order to reach a feeder and between different diagonally orientated gratings to gain access to their nest. Once bees were well trained on these two tasks, the discrimination task at the nest was changed so that bees had to distinguish between horizontal and vertical gratings at both sites. Whereas they still approached the horizontal grating to reach food, they now had to approach a vertical grating in order to return to their nest. The new task was learnt rapidly. Errors at the feeder did not increase during or after the acquisition of this potentially competing behaviour at the nest entrance. For a brief period during acquisition, bees showed some hesitation at the feeder and hovered for slightly longer before choosing between horizontals and verticals. After acquisition was complete, bees showed a slight increase in their preference for verticals over a more ambiguous stimulus of an array of dots. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that different contextual signals are associated with approaching the nest or approaching the feeder, and that these contextual signals facilitate learnt associations between orientation detectors and motor commands.
Effect of Probiotic Supplements on Egg Quality and Laying Hen`s Performance

The effect of probiotic supplements (0, 400, 1000 and 2000 gr Bioplus 2B ton feed providing 0, -1 1.28×10 , 3.2×10 and 4.6×10 cfu gr feed concentration) on egg quality and laying hen's performance was 6 6 6 -1 investigated on eighty white leghorn Hy-Line, W-36 strain. Evaluated traits were egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, shell thickness, shell hardness, Haugh unit, egg cholesterol, plasma cholesterol, plasma triglyceride and histological changes of duodenum. Although, using the different levels of probiotic caused highly significant increase (P<0.01) in goblet cell numbers, significant increase (P<0.05) in destroying apical cells of villus and significant decrease (P<0.05) in plasma cholesterol, plasma triglyceride and egg cholesterol (mg gr of yolk), but it had no significant effects on other traits. -1
Farm Operators' Preferences for Soil Conservation Service Information: Results from Three Tennessee Watersheds

Recent water quality legislation requires that the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) reach a more diverse range of farm operators, especially small farm operators. With few, if any, additional resources, the effectiveness of the SCS's efforts to communicate soil conservation information to new audiences is critical. Thus, a better understanding about farm operators' predispositions toward SCS information may help SCS personnel reach these new audiences more efficiently. This study examines the extent to which farm and farm operator characteristics can be used to predict farm operators' attitudes about the usefulness of soil conservation information supplied by the SCS. The results of this study indicate that farm operators contacted by SCS and extension personnel, who also participate in government commodity programs have an increased likelihood of considering SCS information useful. Although regional influences negatively affect the likelihood that farm operators will consider the SCS soil conservation information useful, farm size, gross sales, years of education, and other farm and farm operator characteristics were not found to be significant factors.
Bioaccumulation of metals in the East Calcutta wetland ecosystem

This study was initiated to examine the extent of toxic metal contamination of the east Calcutta wetland ecosystem. Biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total dissolved solids, conductivity, total suspended solids, total hardness, and pH were recorded from six different locations on the sewage carrying canals including an industrial effluent-fed fish pond in the eastern Calcutta (lat. 22°33´-22°40´ N;long. 88°25´-88°35´E). Concentrations of metals such as Pb, Cu, Cr, Zn, Fe, Mg, and Mn in wastewater, and water of adjacent sewage-fed fish tank were also determined. Concentrations of these metals in soil/sludge and accumulation of these metals in plant and fish tissues were also studied. The concentrations of heavy metals in wastewater, namely Pb, Zn, Cu, Mn, and Fe, were reduced by 25 to 45% and total Cr was reduced by 95%, on the course of the 40 km long journey of the composite wastewater from the sources to river mouth via the wastewater carrying canal and the stabilization pond. Reductions of 65% Zn and 99% Cr in soil/sediment were recorded between sources and final discharge sites.
Spatial and temporal expression of the β1D integrin during mouse development

The β1D protein is a recently characterized isoform of the integrin β1 subunit that is present in cardiac and skeletal muscles. In this study, we have examined the expression of β1D in different types of skeletal muscle and in cardiac muscle and studied its distribution during mouse development, using new monoclonal antibodies specific for β1D. Immunoprecipitation studies revealed that, while β1A is strongly expressed in proliferating C2C12 myoblasts, β1D is only expressed after their differentiation to myotubes. In these myotubes, β1D is associated with different α subunits, namely α3A, α5, α7A, or α7B. Initially, during embryogenesis, the β1A subunit is the only β1 variant expressed in skeletal and cardiac muscle. The β1D subunit is first detected in skeletal muscle at E17.5, whereas in cardiac muscle its expression begins around the time of birth. Later the expression of β1A in skeletal and cardiac muscle becomes restricted to capillary cells, whereas β1D eventually becomes the only variant expressed in adult cardiac and skeletal muscle cells. The switch from the β1A to the β1D subunit in cardiac muscle cells coincides with the expression of α7. In adults there is a distinct concentration of β1D at the myotendinous junctions of muscle fibers and at costameres in both cardiac and skeletal muscle. In addition, β1D is present at intercalated discs in cardiac muscle and at neuromuscular junctions in skeletal muscle cells. The amount of β1D in different types of skeletal muscle (fast, slow, and mixed‐type) was similar, but cardiac muscle expressed almost five times as much of this protein. We suggest that β1D plays a role in the maintenance of the cytoarchitecture of mature muscle and in the functional integrity of the muscle cells. Dev. Dyn. 1997;210:472–486. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Acromegaly according to the Danish National Registry of Patients: how valid are ICD diagnoses and how do patterns of registration affect the accuracy of registry data?

Background The incidence of acromegaly is uncertain, since population-based studies are few. In the absence of a specific acromegaly registry, the Danish National Registry of Patients (DNRP) becomes a potential source of data for studying the epidemiology of acromegaly, by linking all hospital discharge diagnoses to the personal identification numbers of individual Danish inhabitants. The validity of the DNRP with respect to acromegaly, however, remains to be tested. The aim of this study was to validate the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for acromegaly (ICD-8: 25300, 25301. ICD-10: E22.0) as used in the DNRP, and to assess the influence of various registration patterns on the accuracy of registry data. Methods We identified patients registered with ICD codes for the diagnosis of acromegaly or other pituitary disorders during the period 1991–2009. Data on the institutional origin of each registration and the number of relevant DNRP registrations were recorded, and systematic patient chart reviews were performed to confirm the diagnosis. Results In total, 110 cases of acromegaly were confirmed, compared with 275 registered cases, yielding a positive predictive value (PPV) of 40%. When restricting the search to the regional highly specialized department of endocrinology, the PPV increased to 53% with no loss of cases with confirmed acromegaly. With a requirement of at least one, two, or three DNRP registrations, the PPV increased, but with a concurrent loss of confirmed cases. Conclusion The DNRP seems to be a useful source for identifying new cases of acromegaly, especially when restricting the search to a relevant regional highly specialized department. The PPV of DNRP data used for this purpose can be increased by including only cases with several registrations. A similar approach may be successfully applied to other rare diseases in which continuity of care is provided by highly specialized departments.