Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preharvest 1-Methylcyclopropene Treatment Reduces Soft Scald in 'Honeycrisp' Apples during Storage

The main objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of preharvest 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment on the development of soft scald in 'Honeycrisp' apples. In addition, the effects of preharvest 1-MCP on fruit quality at harvest and after storage were examined. For two consecutive years of study, 'Honey- crisp' trees were sprayed preharvest with 1-MCP and fruit were harvested twice during each year. Preharvest 1-MCP treatments had little consistent effect on fruit maturity at the time of harvest. In both years of study, preharvest 1-MCP reduced the incidence of soft scald in 'Honeycrisp' apples after air storage at 0 or 3 8C for 5 or 6 months. Soggy breakdown developed only in the second year of study and high incidences were reduced by preharvest 1-MCP treatments. Preharvest 1-MCP often reduced flesh firmness loss in 'Honeycrisp' during storage, especially during the second year of study, and with 1-MCP application closer to harvest. Malic acid content was often higher in apples with the preharvest 1-MCP spray closer to harvest. Overall, the most important benefit of preharvest 1-MCP treatments on 'Honeycrisp' apples was the reduction in soft scald development. Due to the high potential for substantial fruit losses from this disorder, the use of preharvest 1-MCP sprays on 'Honeycrisp' apples could be very advantageous.
Characterization of Zulu sheep production system: Implications for conservation and improvement

Understanding the production environment under which Zulu sheep are raised is essential in strategizing the breed’s conservation and improvement programme. Ninety-six farmers across 11 rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, were interviewed using structured questionnaires to describe traditional Zulu sheep production system, evaluate its sustainability and identify some constraints limiting production. Sheep were the least owned livestock species amongst interviewed farmers after cattle and goats. Farmers began sheep production with sample stock of fewer than four animals, either bought from other farmers or inherited through patrilineality. Sheep flock sizes were 39.8±7.5 (±SD) on average, with each flock constituting of 3.12±0.31 rams, 21.81±5.61 ewes, 4.98±0.87 yearlings and 9.92±2.05 lambs. About 43.7% of the flocks interacted with 2 or fewer neighbouring flocks during grazing time. Rate of flock size decrease was estimated at 7.4% in the past 5 years. Drought and diseases were identified as leading causes of sheep loss. Methods to controlling external and gastro-intestinal parasites were only practised when sheep showed a need. Zulu sheep were used mainly as a source of meat, income and manure and were preferred over their exotic counterparts because they were regarded tolerant to diseases and drought and for their tasty meat. The information obtained in this study is crucial in planning suitable conservation, improvement and extension programs for the breed. Key words: Production environment, animal genetic resources, socio-economic, production systems.
Knowledge and acceptance towards metabolic surgery as part of diabetes management among patients with type-2 diabetes with body mass index ? 30 Kg/m2 in ministry of health primary health care centers, Jeddah, 2017

Introduction: Metabolic surgery is a treatment option for the Type-2 Diabetes (T2D) patients with high BMI. Are T2D patients aware or willing to undergo metabolic surgery needs to be answered. Objectives: The objectives of the study were assessment of the level of knowledge of effectiveness of metabolic surgery in T2D treatment, remission and its acceptance as part of diabetes management; AND finding the determinants of the knowledge and acceptance of this procedure among T2D patients with BMI ? 30 kg/m2 in Primary heath care centers (PHCCs) of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study, with a total of 455 interviews, was conducted using standard Likert-type questionnaire, among T2D patients with BMI ? 30 kg/m2, who attended five randomly selected PHCC’s in Jeddah. Binary logistic regression analysis was done to identify the determinants of knowledge and acceptance of metabolic surgery. Results: The majority were Saudi citizens (83.7%) and females (55.6%). The mean age was 47.6 ± 9.6 years (23-65 years) and the mean BMI was 34.3 ± 3.3 kg/m2 (30-45.8 kg/m2. About 41.1% had no clear opinion for the question on effectiveness of metabolic surgery. Among the remaining (268), 63.1% felt it is effective in T2D treatment and 60.6% in T2D Remission. Out of 348 patients, 49.1% were willing for metabolic surgery and 40.3% not willing. The adjusted determinants of willing to undergo metabolic surgery were age, (54 years plus vs 36 years or less: OR=0.230; 95% CI=0.069-0.769); education (bachelor degree vs illiterates: OR=0.025; 95%CI=0.001-0.890); 5000-15000 SR/month vs less than 5000 SR/month: OR=6.910; 95% CI=2.890-16.519); marital status (widower vs singles: OR=0.027;95%CI= 0.003-0.219); and A1c level (A1c level 10 or more vs A1c level ? 5 - Conclusion: The good knowledge of metabolic surgery among participants did not enhance to willingness to accept it as T2D management. Age, marital status, education level, income and A1c level determine the willingness for metabolic surgery among T2D patients with BMI >30 or more. Keywords: Type2 Diabetes, Metabolic surgery, Perception, Effectiveness, Willingness.
Elimination of micro-organisms in water treatment

Clean water supply and sanitation are regarded as major milestones in medical advances since the 19th century. Production and control of microbiologically safe drinking water has been an important challenge for the drinking water industry ever since. Based on recent progress in scientific literature the group of emerging waterborne pathogens has been changed and extended compared to well known pathogenic diseases in the early days (Cholera, Typhus). Epidemiological studies and outbreak reports have identified persistent protozoa Cryptosporidium and Giardia, but also bacteria such as Campylobacter and pathogenic E. coli and enteroviruses as waterborne pathogens. Quantitative Knowledge on dose-response for these pathogens enabled the introduction of a health based target in microbiological water quality control to minimize the risk of infection. In this thesis studies are presented aimed at quantifying the elimination of pathogenic micro-organisms in water treatment processes. Direct monitoring of these pathogens is not feasible. Monitoring of faecal indicator bacteria E. coli and spores of sulphite-reducing clostridia as process indicators susceptible and resistant to disinfectants in water treatment have been explored as an alternative method. The detection limit of the standard enumeration method for these bacteria was decreased for that reason. Additional methods were required for the water treatment processes slow sand filtration, surface water infiltration and UV disinfection and also for validation of the use of both bacteria as process indicators for elimination of pathogens. Elimination of multiple pre-cultured micro-organisms by disinfection and filtration processes is assessed in challenge tests and from literature studies at different scales. These data are compared with the elimination of indigenous organisms. On the basis of the results of these studies a generic methodology is proposed to assess the elimination capacity of the water treatment of a drinking water facility as input for the mandatory Quantitative Microbial Risk Analysis to evaluate the health based target for safe drinking water introduced in the revised legislation.
A pilot study: Development of a local model to hospital disaster risk assessment

Background: vulnerable events could damage structural, non structural and functional components of hospitals that might lead to community crisis, accordingly. Risk assessment is the first step to develop of a hospital disaster plan. In this study, a primary phase of developing a local tool for Iran’s hospital disaster risk assessment entitled “Hospital Safety Index (HSI)” was conducted by World Health Organization originally. Materials and Methods: First, the original index was translated into Farsi in five forms and 145 items. Then a group of four experts from the fields of medicine and engineering assessed the items oneby-one for their relevance and applicability. Revised edition tested three times at Shariati hospital in Tehran. An expert panel also evaluated the feature and content validity of the index. They also weighted the items as well. Results: Test-retest of the index by two independent research groups found 93% of agreement. Furthermore, 244 points were revised or added to the original edition. The most important changes included: Combining instruction parts with related items for increasing educational properties, completing the list of hazards, developing a plan to analysis, and to present a quantitative and graphic of the model and finally to prepare an educational package as well . Conclusion: Persian version of HSI, in response to needs of Iranian’s health system, represents a rapid no-expensive tool for screening disaster risks at hospitals; based on an international template that was tested in several countries. Based on this study, the Farsi index would be evaluated in more hospitals around the country. The assessment results will provide Iranian’s health system with evidence-based information for more effective allocated resources and interventions evaluating .
Verb agreement in Proto-Tibeto-Burman

My purpose in this paper is to outline a preliminary reconstruction scheme for the agreement morphology of the Proto-Tibeto-Burman (PTB) verb. I will deal with two separable issues: the provenence of the widespread suffixal agreement paradigm, and that of a less widely attested set of prefixes. The suffixal paradigm has, since the work of Bauman (1974, 1975, 1979, see also DeLancey 1980, 1981b) been recognized by some, but by no means all, Tibeto- Burmanists as being reconstructible for PTB. The prefixes, on the other hand, are as far as I know currently universally viewed as of secondary origin (although Bauman (1975) attributes a PTB provenence to one of the morphemes involved, he does not consider it to have been part of an original agreement system). I will show, however, that there is good evidence on which to base an argument that these also are of PTB provenence, and in fact very likely older than the suffixes.
New combinations in the genus Cladia

Recently, phylogenetic analyses of molecular data provided evidence that the previously recognized genera Heterodea and Ramalinora (Filson 1978; Lumbsch et al. 1995) are nested within Cladia (Lumbsch et al. 2010c; Parnmen et al. 2010). Based on morphological and anatomical characteristics, we also hypothesized that the thalli of both genera are homologous to the different parts of thallus of the genus Cladia (Lumbsch et al. 2010c; Parnmen et al. 2010). While the thallus of the crustose genus Ramalinora is similar in anatomy to the primary thallus of Cladia, the foliose genus Heterodea showed remarkable similarities in thallus anatomy to the secondary thallus of some Cladia spp. Consequently, these three genera cannot be kept separate and should be regarded as congeneric. However, the generic name Heterodea predates Cladia, and since the former genus only contains two species in comparison with 14 currently accepted species in Cladia, the generic name Cladia was proposed for conservation against Heterodea to avoid an unnecessary number of nomenclatural changes (Lumbsch et al. 2010a, b). No formal combination of the two Heterodea spp. and Ramalinora glaucolivida into Cladia has yet been proposed pending the outcome of the proposal. In the meantime conservation of Cladia was approved by the Committee for Fungi (Norvell 2011) and the General Committee agreed (Barrie 2011). Hence, the formal combinations of the three species into Cladia are now made here:
tufA phylogeny and species boundaries in the green algal order Prasiolales (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta)

Abstract: The order Prasiolales is one of the most characteristic lineages of the green algal class Trebouxiophyceae. Although its phylogeny has been studied in detail in recent years, several important features of its systematics and taxonomy are still in need of clarification. We investigated the phylogeny of the tufA gene in the Prasiolales, a marker that has been recently proposed for DNA barcoding in green algae but for which the amount of sequence data available is still limited for the Trebouxiophyceae. The results produced a phylogeny that was in good agreement with previous studies based on other markers, and the concatenation of tufA, rbcL and psaB resulted in a substantial improvement in phylogenetic resolution. Prasiola meridionalis and Prasiola stipitata, the two most common marine species of Prasiola in the northern hemisphere, had identical tufA sequences; we interpreted this genetic similarity to be the result of a trans-Arctic radiation related to the climatic history of the northern Atlantic and northern Pacific Oceans in recent evolutionary times. Sequences of the lichenized species Prasiola borealis indicate that the free-living form of this alga has a cosmopolitan distribution in cold temperate zones. In combination with other studies, our results suggested that the species of Prasiola commonly involved in associations with fungi were probably P. furfuracea and P. delicata rather than P. crispa, as was formerly believed. Based on the level of phylogenetic resolution of tufA in the Prasiolales, this gene may be a valuable phylogenetic marker at lower taxonomic levels in the Trebouxiophyceae and Ulvophyceae.
Targeting IL-6: A review of data

Compounds that target interleukin (IL)−6 pathways include antibodies against the IL-6 receptor or ligand, and inhibitors of IL-6 signal transduction. The anti-IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) monoclonal antibody tocilizumab has been licensed for several years; data from multiple studies demonstrate its efficacy and tolerability in rheumatoid arthritis as monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate. In addition, another anti-IL-6R monoclonal antibody, sarilumab, has recently been approved in both the US and EU. Anti-IL-6 monoclonal antibodies include olokizumab and clazakizumab, which both have data from phase II studies, as well as sirukumab which has completed phase III trials but may not be brought to the market. Comparative data for olokizumab versus tocilizumab intervention in rheumatoid arthritis suggest no difference in efficacy between blocking the receptor or the ligand. Head-to-head studies are needed to determine whether inhibition of the Janus kinase pathway is similar in its overall efficacy to direct inhibition of IL-6 or its receptor. The IL-6 inhibitors appear to be more effective when combined with methotrexate. However, they have shown superiority to tumour necrosis factor inhibitors when used as monotherapy, and may have an advantage in patients who cannot use methotrexate or any other conventional synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug. Regarding disease activity assessment, CDAI is a more appropriate measure than DAS28 when looking at the effect of IL-6 inhibition, as these agents interfere with the acute phase response, which is heavily weighted in the formula of DAS28.
A century of bottom‐up‐ and top‐down driven changes on a lake planktonic food web: A paleoecological and paleoisotopic study of Lake Annecy, France

We reconstructed the changes in the planktonic food web of an oligotrophic subalpine lake over the past century, combining paleoecological methods and historical monitoring data. Analyses of organic matter δ15N from sediment cores show that nutrient enrichment started in the 1910s and intensified from the 1930s. Subsequent changes in sediment organic carbon content and accumulation rates, carotenoid pigment concentrations, organic matter δ13C, and cladoceran subfossil remains show that excess nutrient inputs triggered bottom‐up‐driven increases in lake primary production, as well as in Daphnia abundance. Daphnia size, however, started to decrease in the late 1930s, indicating an increasing size‐selective predation from zooplanktivorous whitefish populations (Coregonus lavaretus) that had been fostered by stocking and increased food availability. Whitefish predation is likely to have indirectly facilitated the establishment of Bosmina longirostris. With decreasing nutrient concentrations, Daphnia abundance decreased, but their size declined, presumably due to an ongoing size‐selective predation. At this same time, Bosmina abundance doubled as a likely result of released interspecific competition from smaller Daphnia. δ15N analyses on subfossil cladoceran remains revealed that these changes in cladoceran community structure were accompanied by major changes in the food web. In spite of successful measures to reduce nutrient inputs from the late 1960s and reduced primary production, anoxia still occurs every summer at the lake bottom. These patterns are the consequence of a still relatively high export of phytoplankton‐derived organic matter to the sediment as a result of strong top‐down effects on the planktonic food chain.
Avoparcin and monensin effects on digestive function in cows fed a high forage diet

Three non-lactating cows with ruminal, duodenal, and ileal cannulas were used in a 3 x 3 Latin square design to evaluate the effect of oral avoparcin and monensin on fibre, starch, and nitrogen (N) digestion. Cows were fed three high forage diets ; the control diet had no additive, and the others contained 33 mg kg -1 DM of either avoparcin or monensin. Neither additive affected apparent total tract digestibilities of organic matter, fibre, starch or N. Avoparcin and monensin reduced the ruminal breakdown of fibre, starch and dietary N. Efficiency of bacterial N synthesis was unchanged, and passage of bacterial N to the small intestine was not modified. Compared with the control, additives caused a greater proportion of feed starch, N, and total amino acid to be digested in the small intestine than in the rumen. Diets containing avoparcin or monensin increased availability of total essential amino acid in the small intestine compared with that of control diets. Post-ruminal digestion of fibre was greater for diets supplemented with antibiotics, because the cows compensated digestion in the lower forestomach.
Effects of defoliation on photosynthesis, dry matter production and yield in Soybean

Two pot experiments were conducted to assess the effect of various degree of defoliation on photosynthesis, dry matter production and yield in soybean. Defoliation significantly increased rate of photosynthesis and transpiration and leaf conductance of the soybean genotypes however, it decreased dry matter production and yield. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/bjb.v43i3. 21592 Bangladesh J. Bot. 43 (3): 261-265, 2014 (December)
Particle filtering methods for acoustic source localisation and tracking

The task of acoustic source tracking plays an important role in many practical speech acquisition systems. This research presents an extensive study of sequential Monte Carlo methods applied to the source localisation problem, based on the signals received at an array of microphones. A general framework for acoustic source localisation using particle filtering is proposed, and four different algorithms that fit within this framework are subsequently developed. To assess the performance of these new methods, statistical simulations are carried out using both synthetic and real-life samples of audio data. The simulation results demonstrate the superiority of an approach based on sequential estimation. The resulting particle filters are shown to drastically outperform traditional acoustic source localisation methods. Further developments attempt to improve the basic particle filtering technique. Three different methods using the concept of sequential importance sampling are proposed, and their respective performance is also tested experimentally. The practical results demonstrate the strengths of the new approach. Using importance sampling, the valuable property of reinitialisation is integrated at a low algorithm level. Despite yielding a slightly lower tracking accuracy, these methods are able to automatically recover from complete track losses, detect new targets entering the acoustic scene, and switch between alternating talkers. It is found that particle filters based on the importance sampling principle are better suited for practical applications than the filters developed previously. This work also presents a theoretical performance analysis of acoustic source tracking methods. Theoretical limits on the estimation error are derived based on the posterior Cramér-Rao bound. To this purpose, two mathematical observation models are developed that describe how source localisation measurements are obtained in practice. These models are derived from statistical room acoustics principles. The influence of the correlation existing between sound intensity values measured in a diffuse sound field is investigated in detail. A comparison of two generic particle filters with respect to the derived lower error bound is presented. Whereas the performance of the tested algorithms is clearly influenced by the level of sound intensity correlation, simulation results show that the posterior CramérRao bound is not affected by it. These results hence point out that this type of estimation error bound may not be fully appropriate for a practical consideration of the acoustic source localisation problem.
Assessing the Evidence Base for Restoration in South Africa

If restoration is to become effective, able to compete for limited funds and truly adaptive, it must become evidence‐based. Three of the conditions essential for the establishment and advancement of evidence‐based restoration are (1) collection of baseline information; (2) setting clearly defined goals; and (3) relevant and adequate monitoring. Using a literature review, complemented with an online survey, we reviewed 10 restoration programs in South Africa to assess whether current restoration practice meets these conditions. The review showed good collection of baseline information and the setting of restoration goals that span ecological and socioeconomic considerations. However, to a large extent goals were poorly defined, there was more monitoring of inputs than outcomes, and monitoring of ecological indicators was inconsistent. These shortcomings can undermine restoration impacts, as well as the future sustainability of these expensive programs. We conclude with recommendations on how to mainstream the requirements of evidence‐based restoration into current and proposed restoration programs.