Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of genotype, environment and fungicide treatment on development of Fusarium head blight and accumulation of DON in winter wheat grain

Reactions to artificial infection with Fusarium culmorum and (metconazoleor tebuconazole-based) fungicides were studied in nine winter wheat cultivars that were evaluated in field experiments at the location Prague-Ruzyně for four years (2001–2004) for deoxynivalenol (DON) content in grain, pathogen DNA content (Ct) by real-time quantitative PCR, percentage of Fusarium damaged grains (FDG), symptom scores and reductions in grain yield components. All examined traits were highly affected by conditions of experimental years and interactions with cultivars and treatments. Moderately resistant cultivars Arina and Petrus were included in the first homogeneous group in all traits, including the pathogen DNA content. To predict cultivar resistance to Fusarium head blight and accumulation of DON, the examination of the percentage of FDG in different environments appeared to be useful from practical aspects. The pathogen DNA content was significantly related to the content of DON under different conditions, however, the correlation coefficients ranged between 0.42 and 0.92. Different levels of DON could be detected at similar pathogen contents. The higher colonization of grain by the fungus was mostly connected with a strongly reduced amount of DON per pathogen unit (DON/Ct ratio). The fungicide treatment had a significant effect on a reduction in all traits except DON/Ct, but the effects on different traits were not often proportional and they were highly variable in the particular years (range 10–69%) and cultivars (range < 0–60%). While the application of fungicide caused a reduction in DON content in all cultivars, an increase in pathogen content after the application of fungicides was not exceptional. The low fungicide effect on a reduction in pathogen content was connected with higher temperatures (temperature extremes) in a 30-day period of disease development. The efficacy of fungicide treatment for DON was low at high pathogen content and late heading. The use of the collected data to improve control measures is discussed.
Personalized modeling of the human gut microbiome reveals distinct bile acid deconjugation and biotransformation potential in healthy and IBD individuals

The human gut microbiome performs important functions human health and disease. Intestinal microbes are capable of deconjugation and biotransformation of human primary bile acids to secondary bile acids. Alterations of the bile acid pool as a result of microbial dysbiosis have been linked to multifactorial diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Constraint-based modeling is a powerful approach for the mechanistic, systems-level analysis of metabolic interactions in microbial communities. Recently, we constructed a resource of 773 curated genome-scale reconstructions of human gut microbes, AGORA. Here, we performed a comparative genomic analysis of bile acid deconjugation and biotransformation pathways in 693 human gut microbial genomes to expand these AGORA reconstructions accordingly (available at http://vmh.life). To elucidate the metabolic potential of individual microbiomes, publicly available metagenomic data from a cohort of healthy Western individuals, as well as two cohorts of IBD patients and healthy controls, were mapped onto the reference set of AGORA genomes. We constructed for each individual a large-scale personalized microbial community model that take strain-level abundances into account. Using flux balance analysis, we found that distinct potential to deconjugate and tranform primary bile acids between the gut microbiomes of healthy individuals. Moreover, the microbiomes of pediatric IBD patients were significantly depleted in their bile acid production potential compared with controls. The contributions of each strain to overall bile acid production potential across individuals were found to be distinct between IBD patients and controls. IBD microbiomes were depleted in contributions of Bacteroidetes strains but enriched in contributions of Proteobacteria. Finally, bottlenecks limiting secondary bile acid production potential were identified in each microbiome model. For ursodeoxycholate, the abundance of strains producing the precursor rather than of strains directly producing this secondary bile acid was synthesis-limiting in certain microbiomes. In summary, we integrated for the first-time metagenomics data with large-scale personalized metabolic modeling of microbial communities. We provided mechanistic insight into the link between dysbiosis and metabolic potential in IBD microbiomes. This large-scale modeling approach provides a novel way of analyzing metagenomics data to accelerate our understanding of the metabolic interactions between human host and gut microbiomes in health and diseases states.
Do wild ungulates experience higher stress with humans than with large carnivores?

&NA; Predation is a major selective pressure for prey; however, the stress response to predation risk and the relative importance of natural versus anthropogenic stress factors in wild populations of animals have rarely been studied. We investigated the level of fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs) in 6 populations of red deer and roe deer exposed to potentially different levels of stress, resulting from both natural (predator presence, forest cover, undergrowth, ungulate density, and temperature) and anthropogenic (hunting harvest, percentage of build‐up areas, and road density) factors. We found the highest and most variable FGM concentrations in both ungulates in areas without large carnivores, and the lowest and least variable FGM levels in areas with wolf and lynx. Anthropogenic factors (hunting harvest, roads, and built‐up area) positively correlated with the gradient of FGM levels in both species. Both the mean and the variance of the FGM concentrations measured within populations of both red deer and roe deer were affected positively by variation in hunting harvest and negatively by the minimum temperature. The variance in the roe deer FGM was also positively influenced by the percentage of built‐up areas. The results indicate that stress in wild ungulate populations is lower and less variable in areas utilized by large carnivores than in carnivore‐free areas where human‐related factors predominate. This may be explained by evolutionary adaptations of prey animals constantly exposed to the risk of natural predation and their inability of adapting to the risk from humans probably due to its high intensity and erratic occurrence.
The Association of Sleep Quality with Dietary Intake and Rate of General and Central Obesity among Young Female Students in Qazvin City, Iran

Background: Insufficient sleep duration and unhealthy diet are associated with weight gain. However, little is known about the association of sleep quality with dietary intake and obesity. The aim of the present study was to compare dietary intake and anthropometric indices between good and poor sleepers. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 260 femles youth aged 18-30 years were recruited among the students of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. The evaluated variables consisted of sleep quality, dietary intake, and anthropometric indices. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 21.0. Results: Participants in the poor quality sleep group had higher intakes of calorie (P < 0.001) and carbohydrate (P < 0.001), and lower protein intake (P < 0.01) in comparison with good sleepers. Regarding food groups, poor sleepers had higher intake of bread-grains (P = 0.02) group, but lower intake of meat-alternatives (P < 0.001), vegetables (P < 0.001), and fruits (P < 0.001) in comparison with the good sleepers. Participants in the poor quality sleep group had higher weight (P < 0.001), body mass index (P < 0.001), waist circumference (P < 0.001), and fat mass (P < 0.001) in comparison with good sleepers. Conclusion: Our findings emphasize the relationship of poor quality sleep with unhealthy dietary intake and obesity in young female women.
3 β -Hydroxy-5,16-Pregnadien-20-One Exhibits both Hypolipidemic and Hypoglycemic Activities

The increasing incidence of disorders due to metabolic syndrome, which include hyperlipidemias, diabetes and hypertension, has taken serious dimension world over, including in India, and has become a matter of deep concern. Drugs which can inhibit more than one disorder of this syndrome would add much therapeutic value to its management. 3 β -Hydroxy-5,16- pregnadien-20-one (80-574, 2), selected based on the structural lead of the presence of a β -enone pharmacophore in/around ring D of Guggulsterone (1), the main active constituent of the phytopharmaceutical Gugulip developed at CDRI, Lucknow from the Ayurvedic herbal drug Gum Guggul , has been found to exhibit both hypolipidemic and hypoglycemic activities in the conventional experimental animal models used for studying these activities. In mode of hypolipidemic action studies in high fat diet-fed rats, compound 80-574 was found to enhance lipolysis of serum lipoproteins, enhance the uptake of LDL by hepatocyte membranes, indicating increased catabolism of LDL, and caused increased faecal excretion of bile acids indicating enhanced mobilization of cholesterol from fatty deposits. Compound 80-574 also exhibited antioxidant activity in in vitro and in vivo experimental models, and protected LDL against oxidation, indicating protection against atherogenesis. Compound 80-574 also exhibited moderate inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis in liver slices. Treatment with 80-574 also improves glucose tolerance in diabetic rats. With these multiple sites of hypolipidemic action accompanied with its hypoglycemic activity, compound 80-574 appears a promising candidate for the treatment of dyslipidemias and diabetes and thus for management of metabolic syndrome. A synoptic view of the various functional activities exhibited by compound 80-574 is presented in this article.
Chemical analysis and in vitro cytotoxicity studies of limonene and selected ozonolysis products: 4-oxopentanal (4-OPA), 4-acetyl-1-methylcyclohexene (4-AMCH) and 3-isopropenyl-6-oxoheptanal (IPOH) in human lung cells

The potentially toxic impact of the three major limonene oxidation products 4-oxopentanal, 4-acetyl-1-methylcyclohexene, 3-isopropenyl-6-oxoheptanal on human pulmonary cell lines was evaluated. Analytical methodologies using HPLC-UV, GC-MS/FID were developed to analyze the selected compounds in the gas phase and in the cell culture medium. Cytotoxic effects such as cell death, oxidative stress and inflammation were observed when human lung cells were exposed to the selected chemicals.
The Impact of Access to Finance and Environmental Factors on Entrepreneurial Intention: The Mediator Role of Entrepreneurial Behavioural Control

Objective: The objective of the article is to test the direct and indirect impact of environmental and individual determinants on entrepreneurial intention with perceived entrepreneurial behavioural control as a mediating variable. Research Design & Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative research was conducted using structural equation modelling analysis with a sample consisting of 635 students in 11 universities in Vietnam. Findings: The results reveal that perceived environmental factors are significantly related to students’ perceived entrepreneurial behavioural control so that entrepreneurial behavioural control becomes a mediator through which those environmental factors influence entrepreneurial intention. Access to finance is insufficient to influence entrepreneurial intention unless combined with entrepreneurial behavioural control. Implications & Recommendations: The research findings have implications for policymakers in fostering graduates’ entrepreneurship in emerging countries. Contribution & Value Added: The survey provides evidence supporting the theoretical arguments that exogenous factors affect perceived entrepreneurial behavioural control and impact entrepreneurial intention through the individual’s perceptions of behavioural control. Article type: research article
The AP-1 complex is essential for fungal growth via its role in secretory vesicle polar sorting, endosomal recycling and cytoskeleton organization

The AP-1 complex is essential for membrane protein traffic via its role in the pinching-off and sorting of secretory vesicles from the trans-Golgi and/or endosomes. While its essentiality is undisputed in metazoa, its role in model simpler eukaryotes seems less clear. Here we dissect the role of AP-1 in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans and show that it is absolutely essential for growth due to its role in clathrin-dependent maintenance of polar traffic of specific membrane cargoes towards the apex of growing hyphae. We provide evidence that AP-1 is involved in both anterograde sorting of RabERab11-labeled secretory vesicles and RabA/BRab5- dependent endosome recycling. Additionally, AP-1 is shown to be critical for microtubule and septin organization, further rationalizing its essentiality in cells that face the challenge of cytoskeleton-dependent polarized cargo traffic. This work also opens a novel issue on how non-polar cargoes, such as transporters, are sorted to the eukaryotic plasma membrane.
Spatio-temporal variation in vegetation net primary productivity and its relationship with climatic factors in the Shule River basin from 2001 to 2010

ABSTRACT The study area incorporated the Shule River basin, located in northwest Gansu Province, an important water source and ecological division within the Hexi Corridor. We calculated NPP using MODIS images, meteorological data, vegetation type maps, and the improved CASA NPP model. We analyzed NPP spatio-temporal characteristics in the study area for 2001–2010 using linear trend analysis, coefficient of variation, and the Hurst index. The following general outcomes were found: NPP in the study area showed considerable regional differences. NPP gradually decreased from southeast to northwest, with significant linear longitudinal patterns. Inter-annual variability showed overall growth over the study period. Significant NPP increase occurred for 25.15% of the total study area, whereas 11.93% showed significant decrease. The Hurst index indicated that the majority of NPP changes followed the same trend, with 78.3% of the study area expected to continuously increase, and 21.7% expected to decrease in the future. There was a weak relationship between NPP and annual precipitation, but no significant relationship between NPP and annual average temperature, indicating that precipitation was the key annual influence. Temperature was the dominant climatic factor affecting NPP on a monthly scale, and precipitation and temperature annual correlations were lower than those for the monthly scale.
k-mer grammar uncovers maize regulatory architecture

Only a small percentage of the genome sequence is involved in regulation of gene expression, but to biochemically identify this portion is expensive and laborious. In species like maize, with diverse intergenic regions and lots of repetitive elements, this is an especially challenging problem. While regulatory regions are rare, they do have characteristic chromatin contexts and sequence organization (the grammar) with which they can be identified. We developed a computational framework to exploit this sequence arrangement. The models learn to classify regulatory regions based on sequence features - k-mers. To do this, we borrowed two approaches from the field of natural language processing: (1) “bag-of-words” which is commonly used for differentially weighting key words in tasks like sentiment analyses, and (2) a vector-space model using word2vec (vector-k-mers), that captures semantic and linguistic relationships between words. We built “bag-of-k-mers” and “vector-k-mers” models that distinguish between regulatory and non-regulatory regions with an accuracy above 90%. Our “bag-of-k-mers” achieved higher overall accuracy, while the “vector-k-mers” models were more useful in highlighting key groups of sequences within the regulatory regions. These models now provide powerful tools to annotate regulatory regions in other maize lines beyond the reference, at low cost and with high accuracy.
Chocolate Package Designs: Influence on Baby Boomers

Packaging, which is often debated as the fifth ‘P’, is an important component of marketing. This study was conducted to examine the effects of two important packaging cues namely: ‘Visual Cues’ and ‘Informational Cues’ and how senior citizens subjectively evaluated the chocolates based on packages. The results proposed a model where two packaging cues (Visual and Informational) showed direct positive influence on consumers purchase decisions . However there were no significant differences in the opinion of the senior citizens across these cues. The results of the study emphasise the importance of chocolate package designs on consumers purchase behaviour.
Synthesis, Characterization and Pyrolysis Kinetics of Chitosan-N-Phenylacetamide in an Ionic Liquid 1-Butyl-3-Methylimidazolium Chloride

This study intends to synthesis novel compound phenolic chitosan-based via reaction of chitosan with 2-Chloro-N-phenylacetamide in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquid in the presence of pyridine at 80 °C for 4 h. The alterations in the chemical structure and morphology of the chitosan-N-phenylacetamide biopolymer were verified using IR spectroscopy, XRD, and SEM analyses. Chitosan and Chitosan-N-phenyacetamide were subjected to thermo-gravimetric analysis under an inert atmosphere in the temperature range of room temperature 600 °C at a heating rate of 20 °C.min. The kinetic parameters were determined by the Coats-Redfern method. The corresponding kinetic parameters of the main degradation stages were also determined. The energy required for the degradation of pure chitosan was lower than that of chitosan-N-phenylacetamide in the first region of thermal degradation where the main pyrolysis reaction took place, and the largest weight loss occurred. Energy values in this region are running from 40.25 to 151.07 kJ/mol and 58.45 to 210.99 kJ/mol, respectively. The most probable reaction functions have thus been determined for these two stages by Coats-Redfern and Criado method, leading to greatly improved calculation performance over the entire conversion range. The pyrolysis reaction models of both pure chitosan and chitosan-N-phenylacetamide are described by the reaction, second-order F2.
Making the Otolith Magnesium Chemical Calendar-Clock Tick: Plausible Mechanism and Empirical Evidence

ABSTRACT The incorporation of a number of readily measured trace elements into otoliths is considered to be under some sort of physiological control, but rarely are explicit mechanisms proposed. Studies of the incorporation of the trace element magnesium reveal that in some taxa there exists strong seasonal patterning, taking on the characteristics of a “chemical calendar-clock. ” However, Mg/Ca and the isotopic ratio 26/24Mg are less “clock-like” in taxa that are not as metabolically active. Herein, it is hypothesized that Mg uptake and incorporation are related to metabolic activity. Further, a two-step process of Mg incorporation is proposed: (1) limited entry into the otolith-bearing chamber through ion channels and (2) association with water-soluble proteins within the chamber. Supporting data from a range of taxa and life histories are provided; the authors’ aim is to stimulate discussion and encourage physiologists to test these and alternative mechanistic hypotheses.
The Migration

Gestaltete etwas mit der / dem Gestaltenden zu tun hat, ist eine grundlegende Annahme der Kunsttherapie. Sie umfasst verschiedenste psycho-logische Konstrukte, darunter Traumata, Ressourcen und kulturelle Speziﬁka. Quantitativ konnte diese Hypothese jedoch bislang kaum überprüft werden, da es an empirischen Instrumenten mangelt. An dieser Stelle leistet das Ratinginstrument für zweidimensionale bildnerische Arbeiten (RizbA) einen entscheidenden Beitrag.
EFFECT OF ROTATION ON THE HORIZONTAL BEHAVIOR OF RUBBER ISOLATORS

Seismic isolation is an earthquake-resistant design approach where a horizontally flexible layer is introduced in a structure to decouple the superstructure from the motion of the substructure. In buildings, traditional practice places the isolation layer at the foundation level and calls for the construction of rigid diaphragms above and below the isolation layer. During an earthquake, these rigid diaphragms cause the isolators to displace horizontally and vertically but experience no rotation. More recently, however, structural designers have been exploring creative ways to reduce or eliminate these costly rigid diaphragms. In these innovative designs, aside from vertical and relative lateral displacements, the isolators also experience rotations. Past experimental and analytical studies have investigated the horizontal behavior of rubber isolators under the assumption of zero top and bottom rotation. These studies have characterized the effect of vertical load on the lateral stiffness of a rubber bearings and the lateral stability limit (defined as the displacement at which the tangent stiffness becomes zero). This paper investigates the effect of rotation on the horizontal behavior of rubber isolators using 3D Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Three boundary conditions are considered: (1) rotation at the bottom and top of a bearing, (2) rotation only at the bottom, and (3) rotation only at the top of a bearing. The study concludes that rotation can have a significant effect on the stability of rubber isolators.
Urban and Rural EFL Learners’ Strategies to Alleviate Anxiety

Foreign language anxiety as an affective factor likely to debilitate and facilitate language acquisition is prevalent amongst EFL learners. Previous studies compared the relationship between learners’ language anxiety from distinct residential areas, but the comparing anxietycoping strategies is limited. Thus, this study aims to portray coping strategies experienced by EFL learners in urban and rural areas. Data was collected through an interview and questionnaire. The results showed that distinct anxiety-coping strategies such as preparation, relaxation, positive thinking and so on were employed by learners. However, the resignation strategy was rarely used. Consequently, it is suggested that English teachers allow students a silent period before they start to be confident enough to speak in English as forcing them to speak could cause anxiety leading to students’ disappointment about their own performance.