Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Chemical Zona Pellucida Thinning with Pronase on the Development of Bovine Embryos

assisted pronase, of the pregnancy a result, in the examination using morulae produced by in vitro fertilization, it was confirmed that pronase treatment did not have a negative influence on blastocyst development, and that it also significantly the hatching rate of embryos in examinations of both fresh and frozen-thawed embryos. Furthermore, in the embryo transfer examination using embryos recovered from superovulated Japanese Black donors, it suggested that pronase possibly the pregnancy rate following the transfer of poor-quality embryos. In conclusion, AH processing using pronase is a simple method not special or tech-nology for on-farm application, and it is an effective method of improving the pregnancy of poor-quality fresh embryos.
Identification and behavior of TODGA and T(EH)DGA radiolysis products

Solutions of the diglycolamide extractants TODGA and T(EH)DGA in n‐dodecane were subjected to γ‐ irradiation in the presence and absence of an acidic aqueous phase. These solutions were then analyzed using UHPLC‐ESI‐MS to determine the rates of radiolytic decay of the two extractants, as well as to identify radiolysis products. The concentrations of the diglycolamide derivatives were shown to decrease in an exponential fashion with increasing dose, and the measured decay rate constants were not influenced by the presence or absence of an acidic aqueous phase, or by chemical variations in the alkyl side‐chains. The DGA degradation was attributed to reactions of the dodecane radical cation, whose kinetics were measured for TODGA using picosecond electron pulse radiolysis to be k1 = (9.72 ± 1.10) x 10 M s. A number of radiolysis products were identified, consistent with those previously identified for these two compounds using GC‐MS. The identity of these radiolysis products suggests that the bonds most vulnerable to radiolytic attack are those in the diglycolamide center of these molecules, and not on the side‐chains. The major products of these reactions retain the ability to form multidentate coordination complexes with metal cations, so radiolysis reactions may not immediately play a large role in influencing distribution ratios or separation factors. The highly predictable degradation rates should enable direct correlation of chemical changes in the extractant systems with changes in the separation performance.
The stable isotope composition of organic and inorganic fossils in lake sediment records : 1 current understanding , challenges , and future directions

1 current understanding, challenges, and future directions. 2 3 van Hardenbroek M , Chakraborty A, Davies KL , Harding P , Heiri O , Henderson ACG 4 , Holmes JA , Lasher GE , Leng MJ h,i , Panizzo VN , Roberts L , Schilder J , Trueman CN , 5 Wooller MJ m,n 6 7 a School of Geography Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 8 NE1 7RU, UK 9 b Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow, 226007, India 10 c School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Plymouth, 11 PL4 8AA, UK 12 d Environmental Change Research Centre, Department of Geography, 13 University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK 14 e Institute of Plant Sciences and Oescher Centre for Climate Change Research, University 15 of Bern, CH-3013 Bern, Switzerland 16 f Geoecology, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, 17 Klingelbergstrasse 27, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland 18 g Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 19 60208, USA 20 h NERC Isotope Geosciences Facility, British Geological Survey, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK 21 i Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, School of Biosciences, Sutton Bonington 22 Campus, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, LE12 5RD, UK 23 j Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, School of Geography, University of Nottingham, 24 University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK 25 k Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, 26 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland 27 l Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton Waterfront Campus, Southampton 28 SO14 3ZH 29 m College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks AK 30 99775 USA 31 n Alaska Stable Isotope Facility, Water and Environmental Research Center, University of 32 Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA 33 34 * corresponding author: maarten.vanhardenbroek@ncl.ac. uk 35 36 Abstract 37
Credit Use and Farm-Level Technical Efficiency in Nigeria: Gender Perspectives

This study examined the effect of gender gap in credit use on farm level technical efficiency (TE) among small scale farming households in Nigeria. The study engaged the Generalised Household Survey (GHS) panel data collected by Nigerian Bureau of Statistics in 2015. Data analysis involved the estimation of TE using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) while Tobit regression was carried out to determine the gender gap effect of credit use on farm-level TE of farmers. Results indicated that average TE was generally low and the gender differential of 0.12 was biased against female-headed farming households. The results of Tobit regression showed that gender did not exert significant impact on TE but the impact of gender gap in credit use on TE was highly significant and the sign of the coefficient (0.113) suggested an increasing impact for male headed households. Other channels of transmission of the impact of credit use on TE included the significant impact of the interaction of loan size with critical inputs such as land, improved seed, hired labour and fertilizer. The practice of mixed cropping also had significant impact on TE of farmers. These results suggested that policy interventions should focus on relaxing factors that constraint female headed household access to high volume loan and this can be achieved with the acceptance of other gender friendly alternatives to land as collateral.
A compendium on remineralizing agents in dentistry

Dental caries is a multifactorial disease and has been a major public health problem worldwide. It is an infectious microbiologic disease that causes destruction of calcified tissues of tooth. Nowadays, emphasis is being laid down on non-invasive management approach for non-cavitated lesions using remineralizing agents. The aim of this review is to update regarding the various remineralizing agents used in dentistry and their mode of action.
Growth and lipid levels of Tetraselmis tetrahele and Nannochloropsis sp. cultured under commercial fertilizers

Microalgae are aquatic photosynthetic organisms that contain high amounts of lipid and are potential sources of biofuels as well as feed additives for aquaculture. This study analyzed the growth and algal lipid content of two microalgae species (Tetraselmis tetrahele and Nannochloropsis sp.) using commercial fertilizers and nutrient enrichment. The samples were cultured for 5 days in 1 L dextrose bottles fertilized using Tongkang Marine Research Laboratory (TMRL) enrichment media, inorganic fertilizers such as 14-14-14, and a combination of 14-14-14 and 21-0-0. The relative growth rate of two algae were measured by computing the k value while the lipid components were extracted using the Bligh and Dyer Method, and the lipid content of each sample was determined using the gravimetric method. The use of 14-14-14 fertilizer produced the highest growth rates (k=1.810) and lipid composition (14.789%) for T. tetrahele. By contrast, Nannochloropsis sp. , grew well under TMRL enrichment media (k=9.708), and the use of 14-14-14 fertilizer resulted to high lipid content (5.000%).
University of Birmingham A low-angle detachment fault revealed

17 A new 3-D seismic reflection volume over the Galicia margin continent-ocean transition zone 18 provides an unprecedented view of the prominent S-reflector detachment fault that underlies the 19 outer part of the margin. This volume images the fault's structure from breakaway to termination. 20 The filtered time-structure map of the S-reflector shows coherent corrugations parallel to the 21 expected paleo-extension directions with an average azimuth of 107°. These corrugations 22
Aplysina Nardo (Porifera, Verongida, Aplysinidae) from the Brazilian coast with description of eight new species

A revision of Brazilian Aplysina was conducted based on morphological study of species alive as well as preserved in the collections of Museu Nacional. In total, 190 specimens were studied in the lab. Identification was achieved by analysis of the external morphology, in combination with skeletal architecture and its components. Our analyses revealed marked within individual variation for most species in characters associated to the spongin fibres, suggesting a low diagnostic strength for this set of characters in Aplysina. External morphology, on the other hand, permitted clearcut diagnoses for most species. Fifteen species were identified and are fully described below. Eight of these are new to science. A neotype for A. fulva is proposed here. The amended list of Aplysina species for the Brazilian coast is: A. alcicornis sp.n. , A. caissara, A. cauliformis, A. cristagallus sp.n, A. fistularis, A. fulva, A. insularis, A. lacunosa, A. lactuca sp.n. , A. lingua sp.n. , A. muricyana sp.n. , A. orthoreticulata sp.n. , A. pergamentacea, A. pseudolacunosa sp.n. and A. solangeae sp.n. A tentative identification key for these species is provided.
Beneficial Oxidation Resistance of FeCrAl Alloys for Accident Tolerant Fuel Cladding

A recent interest in Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF) cladding for light water reactors (LWR) has restored the attention to the iron-chromium-aluminum (FeCrAl) ferritic alloy system, which have been used in the non-nuclear industry for over eight decades. The drive to use FeCrAl alloys as ATF cladding is that they are many orders of magnitude more resistant to attack in air and super-heated steam (e.g. >1200°C) than zirconium alloys. Recent research has shown that FeCrAl is also resistant to general corrosion in normal operation conditions (~300°C) hydrogenated water since it develops a continuous protective chromium rich oxide film on its surface. Under accident conditions, in superheated steam, the FeCrAl becomes protected by an external alumina layer. If the alumina protected tube is then flooded with fresh water during a quenching operation (e.g. after the accident) the alumina dissolves and the surface oxide returns to chromia. FeCrAl can be labeled as an intelligent alloy since it develops the oxide it needs for its protection depending on the environment. Irradiation studies of FeCrAl show that they may be more resistant to damage than other traditional Fe-Cr ferritic alloys.
FINAL YEAR PROJECT To obtain the title of : Chemical and Petrochemical Engineer

3 RÉSUMÉ . 4 FIGURES LIST . 7 TABLES LIST . 9 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS . 10 INTRODUCTION . 11 CHAPTER Ι – LITERATURE REVIEW . 13 I.1 Origin of plastics . 13 I.2 What are plastics and how they are made? 14 I.3 Advantages and disadvantages of using plastic products . 16 I.4 Biodegradable alternatives to plastic . 19 I.5 Microplastics definition and categories . 21 I.6 Sources of microplastics . 21 I.7 Distribution of microplastics in the aquatic environment . 23 I.8 Threat of microplastics to the aquatic environment . 24 I.9 Are microplastics affecting our health? 26 I.10 Microplastics treatment technologies . 28 I.11 The Mediterranean: one example of the impact of marine microplastics . 29 CHAPTER II MATERIALS AND METHODS . 30 II.1 Zone of study and sampling sites . 30 II.2 Samples collection . 32 II.2. 1 Sea water sampling procedure . 32
Immobilization of whole cells of Yarrowia lipolytica for citric acid production

Yarrowia lipolytica is one of the most extensively studied ‘‘non-conventional’’ yeast species, highlighted by their participation in bioremediation processes and production of lipases, γ-decalactone and citric acid. The use of immobilized cells presents several advantages over free cells in bioprocesses. In this work, Y. lipolytica entrapment in calcium alginate was applied for citric acid production from glycerol. The influence of sodium alginate and calcium chloride concentrations on the immobilization efficiency was investigated, being selected 4 % of sodium alginate and 0.5 M of calcium chloride, the best conditions. Afterwards, citric acid production was assessed at several spheres diameter and cells concentration, but no significant differences of final citric acid concentration were observed.
Food and feeding habits of the small-spotted catshark, Scyliorhinus canicula (Chondrichthyes: Scyliorhinidae) from the northern coast of Tunisia (central Mediterraneean)

La nourriture et le comportement alimentaire de la petite roussette, Scyliorhinus canicula (Linnaeus, 1758) de la cote septentrionale de la Tunisie (Mediterranee centrale) a ete etudiee en relation avec le sexe, la taille et les saisons. Sur les 1125 contenus stomacaux examines, entre mars 2009 et fevrier 2010, 150 seulement etaient vides, soit un indice de vacuite (VI) de 13,33% qui variait significativement avec le sexe. Huit groupes zoologiques ont ete identifies dans la nourriture de cette espece predatrice: osteichthyens, crustaces, cephalopodes, polychetes, sipunculiens, chondrichthyens et echinodermes. Les osteichthyens ont ete les plus ingeres avec un indice de relative importance (%IRI) atteignant 212,44, avec Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792) comme proie principale (%IRI = 21,82). Cependant, le grand decapode Parapenaeus longirostris (Lucas, 1847) etait l'espece proie la plus consommee avec un %IRI de 126,87. Des changements saisonniers limites ont ete observes dans le spectre alimentaire. Le niveau trophique (Troph) de 3,93 calcule est eleve et met en evidence que l'espece est un carnivore super-predateur; en outre, aucune variations significatives du Troph n'a ete enregistree en fonction de la taille et des saisons.
Reply to comments by Riley and Dunlop on He et al. (2015)

He et al. (2015) described piscivory patterns in themain basin of Lake Huron for 1984–2010, during which there was also a pattern of stepwise declines in the abundance of dominant prey fish species. The approach of He et al. (2015) was to couple age-structured stock assessment and fish bioenergetics models to estimate prey fish consumption and to compare these patterns with prey fish biomass from a bottom trawl survey. Riley andDunlop (2016) were highly critical of themethods and conclusions reached byHe et al. (2015). They claimed that we incorrectly interpreted the bottom trawl survey data and did not account for uncertainty. We respond to these and other criticisms below, which we find do not undermine our findings.
GENETIC DIVERSITY OF RAPESEED (BRASSICA NAPUS L.) USING SSR AND ISJ MOLECULAR MARKERS

To investigate the genetic diversity of 21 rapeseeds (Brassica napus L.), 20 semi-random ISJ and SSR primers were used. Primers produced a total number of 158 (81.5%) polymorphic bands (51 SSR and 107 ISJ bands). Average numbers of polymorphic bands for ISJ, SSR and combined of them were 10.7, 5.1 and 7.9, respectively. PIC values ranged from 0.0150 for specific primer O110D08 to 0.3420 for semi-random primer ET15-33. No significant differences were found between IT and ET primers with regard to polymorphic bands. According to UPGMA cluster analysis and Dice similarity matrix, rapeseed cultivars were divided in 3, 6 and 4 groups for ISJ, SSR primers and combine of them, respectively. Genetic variations don’t agreed with geographic pattern and Iranian and foreign cultivars were not grouped in separate clusters, indicating presumably the proximity and kinship of Iranian and foreign genotypes. SLM096 and Licord with same origin produced separate groups and had high genetic distance with other genotypes; therefore, they can be used in the future breeding programs.
Effects of Real-Time and Site-Specific Nitrogen Managements on Rice Yield and Nitrogen Use Efficiency

Using hybrid rice Shanyou63, the agronomic and economic characters of different nitrogen (N) managements were evaluated. The results showed that the grain yield of the control (N omission plots) ranged from 6.8 to 7.4 t ha^(-1), indicating the high indigenous N supply of the soil. Compared with farmer's fertilizer practice (FFP, 240 kg N ha^(-1)), the modified FFP (70% N of FFP), real-time N management (RTNM, applying N based on values of chlorophyll meter) and site-specific N management (SSNM, applying nitrogen based on the timing, amount of N and values of chlorophyll meter) increased the grain yield by 9.2-10.3%, 3.3-7.0% and 8.9-9.3%, and agronomic N efficiency (the increase in grain yield per unit N applied) by 110.5-135.6%, 204.3-297.0% and 200.9-276.4%, respectively. The results suggested that RTNM and SSNM have great potential for improving N use efficiency without sacrificing the grain yield. In addition, RTNM and SSNM also decreased chalky grain percentage and chalkiness to improve grain appearance quality.
Impact of Climate Change in West Africa on Cereal Production Per Capita in 2050

Food security is a crucial issue in the Sahel and could be endangered by climate change and demographic pressure during the 21st century. Higher temperatures and changes in rainfall induced by global warming are threatening rainfed agriculture in this region while the population is expected to increase approximately three-fold until 2050. Our study quantifies the impact of climate change on food security by combining climate modelling (16 models from CMIP5), crop yield (simulated by agronomic model, SARRA-O) and demographic evolution (provided by UN projection) under two future climatic scenarios. We simulate yield for the main crops in five countries in West Africa and estimate the population pressure on crop production to assess the number of available cereal production per capita. We found that, although uncertain, the African monsoon evolution leads to an increase of rainfall in Eastern Sahel and a decrease in Western Sahel under the RCP8.5 (Representative Concentration Pathway) scenario from IPCC, leading to the higher temperature increase by the end of the 21st century. With regard to the abundance of food for the inhabitants, all the scenarios in each country show that in 2050, local agricultural production will be below 50 kg per capita. This situation can have impact on crop import and regional migration.
Effect of composted coir pith, nitrogen and irrigation on chewing tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum)

A field experiment was conducted from 2001-02 to 2003-04 at Vedasandur to study the effect of coconut (Co- cos nucifera L.) coir pith compost at three levels (1 0.0, 12.5 and 15.0 t/ha) in comparison with municipal compost at 25 t/ha, three levels of irrigation (0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 ETc) and three levels of nitrogen (50, 75 and 100 kg N/ha) on the yield and quality of chewing tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.). The yields of first-grade leaf and total cured-leaf of chewing tobacco with municipal compost at 25 t/ha were comparable with that of composted coir pith at 10 t/ha. Irrigation at 1.0 ETc significantly increased the yields of first-grade leaf and total cured leaf by 19 and 17% re- spectively compared with that at 0.5 ETc. Nitrogen at 100 kg/ha significantly increased the yield of first-grade leaf and total cured leaf by 15 and 19% respectively than at 75 kg N/ha. Water-use efficiency was higher with 0.5 ETc and 100 kg N/ha. Net returns increased by 4% with composted coir pith at 10 t/ha than with municipal compost at 25 t/ha, 12% with 1.0 ETc than with 0.5 Etc, and 6% with 100 kg N/ha over 50 kg Nlha. Soil available P, lamina P and K uptake were higher with municipal compost at 25 t/ha than composted coir pith at 10 t/ha. Soil-organic C and nutrient uptake of lamina improved with 1.0 ETc and 100 kg N/ha than with 0.5 ETc and 50 kg N/ha, respec- tively. Nicotine increased with 0.5 ETc and decreased with 1.0 ETc. Composted coir pith at 10 t/ha, irrigation at 1.0 ETc and nitrogen 100 kg/ha were found optimum for increased yields of first-grade leaf and total cured leaf, net re- turns and benefit : cost ratio.
Bat Diversity in the Simandou Mountain Range of Guinea, with the Description of a New White-Winged Vespertilionid

Tropical West Africa has a high diversity of bats, which are relatively poorly studied. In this baseline biodiversity assessment of bats in the Simandou Mountain Range of southeastern Guinea (Guinea Forestiére), 312 individual bats belonging to 26 species were captured, four of which represent new species records for the country. Combined with the results of a previous survey, 35 bat species have been recorded at Simandou to date, including a new species (Neoromicia sp. nov.), which we describe here, and an additional species potentially new to science. A neotype for Neoromicia tenuipinnis is designated. We present an annotated checklist of the bats at Simandou and neighbouring sites, including some pertinent field notes on their habitat requirements and conservation status. Furthermore, we discuss the estimated maximum species richness and show that Simandou supports one of the most diverse bat communities in tropical Africa. Finally, we outline conservation concerns with respect to bats in the face of the iron ore extraction activities at Simandou.
The convergence in growth of foliage-chewing insect species on individual mountain birch trees

In two subsequent years and under standardized experimental conditions, we bioassayed the leaf quality of the same 20 subarctic mountain birches Betula pubescens ssp. tortuosa with 14 sawfly and one lepidopteran species to study the effects of annual and seasonal leaf quality variation on herbivore growth, and potential species interactions. The larval periods of the 15 species covered the whole growth season of birch. Insect growth rates were higher in 1987 than in 1988, except for two late-season species. In spite of the large annual variation in foliage quality, the relative ranking of individual trees for growth of the herbivore species remained constant between the 2 years. Differences in insect growth between the years seemed to be explained by plant vigour. Birch leaf quality decreases rapidly within a season. The early species had two to three times higher relative growth rates (RGR) than species feeding in mid- and late season. Growth rates of the early season species also varied more than those of late season, both among insect species and among individual trees. We compared tree-specific herbivore growth between pairs of species to investigate similarity of the trees for herbivores. All significant correlations within a year between the RGR of the herbivore species were positive, but significant correlations were found between early and mid-season species only, i.e. at the time when foliage quality was temporally best and most variable among trees. When split into years, these positive correlations were more common (44% of cases) in 1988, when foliage quality was poor, than in 1987 (1%). Growth of several insect species differed significantly among the 20 trees in 1987 and in the early season of 1988. This happened when larvae were consuming high-quality foliage, and indicated that the herbivore species were able to adjust their growth performance to take advantage of high-quality diets. But they did this in species-specific ways, as indicated by the fewer significant correlations in growth between herbivore species on high-quality than on low-quality diets. Accordingly, growth of different herbivore species converged under conditions of poor leaf quality, and herbivore species showed some specialization when leaf quality was high.