Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fertilizer application method affects nitrogen uptake in weeds and wheat

Abstract Managing fertilizer in cropping systems may be an important component of integrated weed management programs. A field study was conducted to determine the effect of various application methods of the 15N-enriched nitrogen (N) fertilizer on N uptake in green foxtail, wild mustard, and spring wheat and on crop–weed competition. N application methods consisted of ammonium nitrate in solution applied broadcast on the soil surface, applied in pools on the soil surface at 20-cm intervals between every second wheat row, and point injected 10 cm deep at intervals similar to those of the surface pools. An unfertilized control treatment was also included. N uptake by green foxtail throughout the growing season was often greater from surface broadcast than from surface pools or point-injected N and was sometimes greater from surface pools than from point-injected N. In contrast, N uptake by wild mustard was rarely affected by the fertilizer placement method. In the presence of weeds, the ranking of N uptake by wheat usually was point injected > surface pools > surface broadcast. Weed biomass was often greater with surface broadcast than with either surface pools or point-injected N. In the absence of weeds, wheat yields were similar across the three N application methods. However, in the presence of green foxtail, wheat yields were greater with point-injected N than with surface broadcast N in two of the 3 yr and with surface pools of N in one of the 3 yr. In the presence of wild mustard, wheat yields were greater with surface pools and point-injected N compared with the unfertilized control in two of the 3 yr, whereas yields with broadcast N were never greater than the unfertilized control. Study findings suggest that point-injected N results in suppressed weed growth, not by reduced N uptake by weeds but instead by greater N uptake by wheat that increases its competitiveness with weeds. Information gained in this study will be utilized to develop a more integrated program for weed management in spring wheat. Nomenclature: Green foxtail, Setaria viridis (L.) Beauv. SETVI; wild mustard, Brassica kaber (DC.) L. C. Wheeler SINAR; spring wheat, Triticum aestivum L. ‘Katepwa’.
SALINITY AND POPULATION PARAMETERS OF BALD EAGLES (HALIAEETUS LEUCOCEPHALUS) IN THE LOWER CHESAPEAKE BAY

Abstract We evaluated the relationship between salinity and Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) population parameters using 26 years of survey data for the lower Chesapeake Bay. Tidal tributaries within the study area were stratified according to the Chesapeake Bay Program's segmentation scheme, and segments with the same salinity classification were considered spatial replicates. Salinity categories included tidal fresh, oligohaline, mesohaline, and polyhaline. Four parameters— colonization rate, nesting density, projected carrying capacity, and productivity— were derived from nesting data within each shoreline segment and compared across the salinity gradient. The study-wide Bald Eagle population is exhibiting exponential growth, with an average doubling time of 7.9 years. All population parameters showed significant directional variation with salinity. Average population doubling time for tidal fresh reaches was <6 years, compared with >16 years for polyhaline areas. Current Bald Eagle nesting density is negatively related to salinity and varies by a factor of 4 across the gradient. Comparison of current densities with projected carrying capacity suggests that these differences will be stable or increasing as the geographic areas approach equilibrium densities. We suggest that fisheries within lower saline reaches, including spring spawning runs of anadromous Clupeidae (shad and herring), are the most likely explanation for salinity effects. Observed distribution patterns suggest that lands along low-salinity waters are the core of the Bald Eagle nesting population within the lower Chesapeake Bay and should be the focus of long-term programs designed to benefit nesting eagles. Salinidad y Parámetros Poblacionales de Haliaeetus leucocephalus en la Bahia de Chesapeake
Recognizing the mobilization of neutrophils with banded nuclei early after trauma

Dear Editors, After major trauma neutrophil function is negatively affected (eg, diminished responsiveness to stimuli, chemotaxis, phagocytosis1), contributing to increased susceptibility of infection. The initial presence of banded, segmented, and hypersegmented neutrophils (based on CD16/CD62L expression/associated with nuclear segmentation) is linked to late infectious complications2 and the development of multi-organ failure3 during admission in major trauma patients. Therefore, it is of great importance to recognize neutrophil subsets to obtain all information on neutrophil function after trauma. Automated hematological analyzers made neutrophilic differentiation an easily accessible tool to automatically analyze the number of progenitors and banded cells based on predefined algorithms.4 White blood cell counts and, particularly, neutrophil left shifts (increased counts of immature or banded neutrophils) have proven their diagnostic value in bacterial infection.5 The value for diagnosis of (sterile) inflammatory diseases is far less obvious. In the case of trauma, the presence of banded neutrophils in the first day has been described.6 Despite the consensus regarding the occurrence of banded neutrophils during infection, the situation after traumatic injury is much less clear. Differentiation data obtained with classical microscopy showed fast numbers (10%-98%) of banded neutrophils recirculating immediately after major trauma.6 However, applying automated leukocyte differentiation by a routine hematological analyzer in earlier studies on trauma patients revealed minimal band counts (0%-5%). 3 We aimed to investigate the accuracy of a fully automated hematological analyzer to identify the neutrophil left shift following major trauma and compare results to manual differentiation and immunophenotyping by flow cytometry. Eight samples from six adult polytrauma patients (<48 hours after trauma, injury severity score >16, all males, median age
Performance Analysis of Cooperative and Non-Cooperative Relaying over VLC Channels

The line-of-sight (LoS) channel is one of the requirements for efficient data transmission in visible-light communications (VLC), but this cannot always be guaranteed in indoor applications for a variety of reasons, such as moving objects and the layout of rooms. The relay-assisted VLC system is one of the techniques that can be used to address this issue and ensures seamless connectivity. This paper investigates the performance of half-duplex (HD) conventional DF relay system and cooperative systems (i.e., selective DF (SDF) and incremental DF (IDF)) over VLC channels in terms of outage probability and energy consumption. Analytical expressions for both outage probability and the minimum energy-per-bit performance of the aforementioned relaying systems are derived. Furthermore, Monte Carlo simulations are provided throughout the paper to validate the derived expressions. The results show that exploiting SDF and IDF relaying schemes can achieve approximately 25% and 15% outage probability enhancement compared to single-hop and DF protocols, respectively. The results also demonstrate that the performance of the single-hop VLC system deteriorates when the end-to-end distances become larger. For example, when the vertical distance is 3.5m, the single-hop approach consumes 20%, 40% and 45% more energy in comparison to the DF, SDF, and IDF approaches, respectively.
IPSC-Derived Neuronal Cultures Carrying the Alzheimer’s Disease Associated TREM2 R47H Variant Enables the Construction of an Aβ-Induced Gene Regulatory Network

Genes associated with immune response and inflammation have been identified as genetic risk factors for late-onset Alzheimer´s disease (LOAD). The rare R47H variant within triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) has been shown to increase the risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) 2–3-fold. Here, we report the generation and characterization of a model of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) using lymphoblast-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from patients carrying the TREM2 R47H mutation, as well as from control individuals without dementia. All iPSCs efficiently differentiated into mature neuronal cultures, however AD neuronal cultures showed a distinct gene expression profile. Furthermore, manipulation of the iPSC-derived neuronal cultures with an Aβ-S8C dimer highlighted metabolic pathways, phagosome and immune response as the most perturbed pathways in AD neuronal cultures. Through the construction of an Aβ-induced gene regulatory network, we were able to identify an Aβ signature linked to protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which emphasized ER-stress, as a potential causal role in LOAD. Overall, this study has shown that our AD-iPSC based model can be used for in-depth studies to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the etiology of LOAD and provides new opportunities for screening of potential therapeutic targets.
Is Narcissism Associated with Heavy Work Investment? The Moderating Role of Workload in the Relationship between Narcissism, Workaholism, and Work Engagement

This study aimed to investigate the association between narcissism and two forms of heavy work investment, namely, workaholism and work engagement. More specifically, it was hypothesized that narcissism is positively associated with both workaholism and work engagement, with workload moderating these relationships, which are expected to be stronger when the workload is high. Overall, 217 workers completed a self-report questionnaire, and the hypothesized relationships were tested using moderated multiple regression. Results partially supported our predictions. Narcissism was positively associated with workaholism and its dimensions of working excessively and working compulsively only in individuals facing a high workload. Furthermore, narcissism was positively associated with work engagement and its dimensions of vigor and dedication (but no absorption) in employees with average levels of workload. Finally, the workload exacerbated the relationship between narcissism and work engagement and its dimensions so that these associations were stronger when the workload was high. Overall, our study suggested that in a work environment characterized by moderate levels of demand, individuals with strong narcissistic components might inherently feel energetic and dedicated (i.e., engaged) at work. Differently, in a demanding work environment, workers with high narcissism might experience higher work engagement, but they could also be at risk of workaholism.
The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) based m6A methylation-related genes predict prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma

ABSTRACT The current study aims to investigate the significance of N 6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation-related genes in the clinical prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using bioinformatics analyses based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Transcriptome data and corresponding clinical data on m6A methylation-related genes (including 15 genes) were obtained from TCGA database. Differential expression of 15 genes was identified. Survival curves of subgroups based on m6A methylation-related gene expression levels were plotted. We selected potential predictive genes and analyzed their prognostic values using bioinformatics methods. Eleven genes (METTL3, YTHDF1, YTHDF2, YTHDF3, YTHDC1, YTHDC2, FTO, KIAA1429, HNRNPC, HNRNPA2B1, and RBM15) were found to be overexpressed in HCC. Of these, five genes had worse survival (P < 0.05). There was a significant difference in the survival rate between subgroups with different expression levels of m6A. We selected five potential predictors (METTL3, KIAA1429, ZC3H13, YTHDF1, and YTHDF2) that met the independent predictive value. ZC3H13 was upregulated in patients with high cancer risk, whereas METTL3, KIAA1429, YTHDF1, and YTHDF2 were downregulated. In summary, we found that the expression levels of m6A methylation-related genes were different in patients with HCC and correlated with survival and prognosis. This implies that m6A methylation-related genes may be promising prognostic indicators or therapeutic targets for HCC. Graphical abstract
Hypermobile Ehlers‐Danlos syndromes: Complex phenotypes, challenging diagnoses, and poorly understood causes

The Ehlers‐Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a group of heritable, connective tissue disorders characterized by joint hypermobility, skin hyperextensibility, and tissue fragility. There is phenotypic and genetic variation among the 13 subtypes. The initial genetic findings on EDS were related to alterations in fibrillar collagen, but the elucidation of the molecular basis of many of the subtypes revealed several genes not involved in collagen biosynthesis or structure. However, the genetic basis of the hypermobile type of EDS (hEDS) is still unknown. hEDS is the most common type of EDS and involves generalized joint hypermobility, musculoskeletal manifestations, and mild skin involvement along with the presence of several comorbid conditions. Variability in the spectrum and severity of symptoms and progression of patient phenotype likely depend on age, gender, lifestyle, and expression domains of the EDS genes during development and postnatal life. In this review, we summarize the current molecular, genetic, epidemiologic, and pathogenetic findings related to EDS with a focus on the hypermobile type.
PA5471 modulation of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa mexXY multidrug efflux pump operon repressor MexZ: Identification of important interaction residues and domains

Chemotherapeutic treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen, is substantially challenged by several membrane-spanning, multidrug-efflux pumps of the three-component RND family. Of these pumps, MexXYOprM contributes to the intrinsic resistance of this organism by exporting clinically relevant antibiotics, most notably the ribosome-targeting aminoglycosides. Overproduction of MexXY-OprM is the most common mechanism providing panaminoglycoside resistance to P. aeruginosa cystic fibrosis clinical isolates. The mexXY genes are located in an operon, the expression of which is induced by ribosome-targeting antimicrobials. The mexXY operon is negatively regulated by MexZ, a repressor protein encoded by the divergently-transcribed gene mexZ. A second gene, PA5471, is also induced by ribosome-targeting antibiotics and is required for antibiotic induction of mexXY expression. One possibility is that PA5471 interacts with MexZ to alleviate repression of mexXY, thereby providing a mechanism for PA5471-dependent drug inducibility of mexXY. PA5471 interaction with MexZ was confirmed using a bacterial two-hybrid assay. To identify residues/regions of PA5471 important for interaction with MexZ, random chemical mutagenesis of the mexZ and PA5471 genes was carried out and the effects of these mutations on interaction of their protein products was assessed using the bacterial two-hybrid assay. Mutations of PA5471 that compromised interaction with MexZ included P68S, G76C, R216C, R221W, R221Q, G231D, and G252S, which occur within or in close proximity to a predicted surface-exposed α-helix of a PA5471 structural model that may contribute to the MexZ-interaction domain. Representative mutations
The dietary impact of the Norman Conquest: A multiproxy archaeological investigation of Oxford, UK

Archaeology has yet to capitalise on the opportunities offered by bioarchaeological approaches to examine the impact of the 11th-century AD Norman Conquest of England. This study utilises an integrated multiproxy analytical approach to identify and explain changes and continuities in diet and foodways between the 10th and 13th centuries in the city of Oxford, UK. The integration of organic residue analysis of ceramics, carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis of human and animal bones, incremental analysis of δ13C and δ15N from human tooth dentine and palaeopathological analysis of human skeletal remains has revealed a broad pattern of increasing intensification and marketisation across various areas of economic practice, with a much lesser and more short-term impact of the Conquest on everyday lifestyles than is suggested by documentary sources. Nonetheless, isotope data indicate short-term periods of instability, particularly food insecurity, did impact individuals. Evidence of preferences for certain foodstuffs and cooking techniques documented among the elite classes were also observed among lower-status townspeople, suggesting that Anglo-Norman fashions could be adopted across the social spectrum. This study demonstrates the potential for future archaeological research to generate more nuanced understanding of the cultural impact of the Norman Conquest of England, while showcasing a method which can be used to elucidate the undocumented, everyday implications of other large-scale political events on non-elites.
Isolation and in vitro screening of Bacillus thuringiensis and clonostachys rosea as biological control agents against sheep nematodes

Biological control agents are possibly the best alternative to agrochemicals for the control of livestock nematodes. Strains of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and Clonostachys rosea were isolated from grazing pastures collected from pens of livestock. A total of 25 isolates of B. thuringiensis and 10 of C. rosea were successfully isolated. In vitro studies were conducted to determine the efficacy of B. thuringiensis (Bt) and C. rosea isolates as biological control agents against sheep nematodes. All of Bt and C. rosea reduced nematode counts considerably. Isolates of Bt and C. rosea reduced nematodes counts by 28.5 to 62% and 44 to 69.9%, respectively, in the faeces bioassay. In the water bioassay nematode count reductions of 62 to 85% and 62.7 to 89.3% by Bt and C. rosea, respectively, were observed. Majority of the best nematode-killing isolates were from a goat grazing pasture. Both biocontrol agents showed capability to reduce nematode counts in this study. Key words: Anthelmintics drugs, Bacillus thuringiensis, biological control agents, Clonostachys rosea, livestock.
Effect of Electrode Waterproof Coating on Quality of Underwater Wet Welded Joints

In this paper, the effects of different hydrophobic coatings on the surface of covered electrodes on the quality of wet welded carbon steel joints were discussed. Commonly available hydrophobic substances used in industrial applications were selected for the research. The aim of using waterproof coatings was to check the possibility to decreasing the susceptibility of high-strength low-alloy S460N steel to cold cracking. During experiments diffusible hydrogen content in deposited metal determination by mercury method, metallographic macro- and microscopic testing and hardness measurements were performed. Investigations showed that waterproof coatings laid on covered electrodes can improve the quality of wet welded joints, by decreasing the Vickers HV10 hardness in heat-affected zone and decreasing the diffusible hydrogen content in deposited metal, which minimalize possibility of cold cracking.
EFFECT OF PALM POLLEN EXTRACT ON SEXUAL HORMONE LEVELS AND FOLLICLE NUMBERS IN ADULT FEMALE BALB/C MICE

Aims: Using chemical drugs to treat disease often is associated with side effects. Recently, using herbal medicines, which have fewer side effects, has flourished to treat many diseases, including infertility. This study was done aimed to investigate the effect of palm pollen aqueous extract on sexual hormones and follicle cells numbers in adult female BALB/c mice. Materials & Methods: This experimental study was done in animal house of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in 2012. 40 adult female BALB/c mice were divided into 5 control, sham and experimental groups receiving 100, 200 and 400mg/kg of the body weight of the extract groups each with 8 members. Levels of testosterone, estrogen and progesterone were measured by radioimmunoassay and ovarian follicles numbers were counted after separation of the ovaries and sectioning and staining using Hematoxylin & Eosin by light microscopy. The results of hormonal assays were analyzed based on One-way ANOVA and Duncan's multiple range tests using SPSS 18 software. Findings: A significant increase was observed at the level of testosterone, estrogen and progesterone compared to the control group only in the experimental group 3 (receiving 400mg/kg palm pollen extract) (p<0.01). Also, only in the experimental group 3 a significant increase was observed in the number of secondary follicles (p<0.05) and the number of antral follicles (p<0.01) compared to the control. Conclusion: 400mg/kg palm pollen aqueous extract increases the amount of sexual hormones and secondary and antral follicle numbers in adult female mice.
Breaking the taboo: eight Swedish clinical psychologists’ experiences of compassion fatigue

ABSTRACT Purpose The aim of the study was to investigate the participating psychologists’ experiences with compassion fatigue, and to identify individual, interpersonal, and organizational factors and strategies perceived as contributing or protecting in relation to compassion fatigue. Methods Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with eight psychologists (three men and five women) with more than five years of experience in clinical practice. The interviews were analyzed with thematic analysis, generating five themes. Results These were organizational and task specific factors which the participants felt contributed to their compassion fatigue (“mission impossible” and “emotional strain”), experiences of compassion fatigue (“consequences”), interpersonal factors that were perceived as contributing or protecting (“interpersonal factors”), and individual factors that were perceived as protecting (“shielding and strengthening factors”). Conclusions It was found that all of the participants had experienced negative impact of compassion fatigue on their personal lives. A large quantity of patients, and complex patient cases, as well as high expectations on the psychologists were experienced as contributing factors. Collegial support, an empathetic boss, a high degree of agency at work, and fulfiling activities outside of work were experienced as protecting against compassion fatigue.