Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Humic acid and folic acid application improve marketable traits of cut tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa)

Tuberose is an important cut flower in Iran and throughout the world. Since nutrition is of crucial significance for the growth, development, and quality of ornamental plants, the present study aimed to explore the effect of different levels of humic and folic acids on yield and quantitative and qualitative traits of tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) based on a randomized complete block design with three replications in the Faculty of Agriculture, Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Gorgan, Iran in 2016. Humic and folic acids were applied at the rates of 0, 50, 100 or 150 mg L-1. The foliar application was performed in three phases, i.e. 30, 50 and 70 days after planting. The recorded traits included spike length, stem length and diameter, shoot fresh weight, floret number, leaf number and area, flower emergence time, bulblet number, root development depth, N, P and K content, vase life, and total chlorophyll. Analysis of variance showed that the application of humic acid significantly influenced all measured traits, except leaf number and flower emergence time. As the humic acid rate was increased to 150 mg L-1, leaf total chlorophyll content was increased by 52 percent showing a significant difference with control. The foliar application of humic and folic acids increased N, P and K contents of leaves, and the strongest effect was observed at the rate of 150 mg L-1. The results lead us to the conclusion that the application of 150 mg L-1 humic acid and folic acid had the strongest impact on increasing the quantitative and qualitative traits of tuberose.
The Impact of Information Structure on the Emergence of Differential Object Marking: An Experimental Study

Abstract Many languages exhibit differential object marking (DOM), where only certain types of grammatical objects are marked with morphological cases. Traditionally, it has been claimed that DOM arises as a way to prevent ambiguity by marking objects that might otherwise be mistaken for subjects (e.g., animate objects). While some recent experimental work supports this account, research on language typology suggests at least one alternative hypothesis. In particular, DOM may instead arise as a way of marking objects that are atypical from the point of view of information structure. According to this account, rather than being marked to avoid ambiguity, objects are marked when they are given (already familiar in the discourse) rather than new. Here, we experimentally investigate this hypothesis using two artificial language learning experiments. We find that information structure impacts participants’ object marking, but in an indirect way: atypical information structure leads to a change in word order, which then triggers increased object marking. Interestingly, this staged process of change is compatible with documented cases of DOM emergence. We argue that this process is driven by two cognitive tendencies. First, a tendency to place discourse given information before new information, and second, a tendency to mark noncanonical word order. Taken together, our findings provide corroborating evidence for the role of information structure in the emergence of DOM systems.
Synthesis of petal-like δ-MnO2 and its catalytic ozonation performance

Petal-like δ-MnO2 microspheres were successfully synthesized by a very simple hydrothermal method with potassium permanganate (KMnO4) as the only raw material. By adjusting the initial concentration of KMnO4 solution and the time of the hydrothermal reaction, the morphology and crystallinity of δ-MnO2 can be controlled. The synthesized δ-MnO2 microspheres were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, TG/DSC, BET, ICP-AES and XPS. The catalytic ozonation performance of δ-MnO2 prepared by a hydrothermal reaction at 160 °C for 24 h using 0.1 mol L−1 KMnO4 solution was tested. Its catalytic activity is excellent. The degradation efficiencies of bisphenol A and ibuprofen using 0.1 g L−1 δ-MnO2 as the catalyst were 68.2% and 68.5% in 20 min reaction time. The results were much better than those of individual ozone treatment and with commercial MnO2 as the catalyst. The formation of hydroxyl radicals was not the main reason for the rapid degradation of organic compounds in the catalytic reaction with δ-MnO2 as the catalyst. The strong interaction among the catalyst surface, ozone and organic molecules was the important reason for catalysis based on the related experimental results.
Arsenic Contamination in Agricultural Soil Reduces Metabolic Activity of Total and Free-Living Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria as Revealed by Real-Time qPCR

ABSTRACT Laboratory microcosms were used to assess the impact of arsenic (As) contamination on agricultural soil bacterial activity focusing free-living nitrogen fixers for three months. Periodically collected microcosm samples were analyzed by RT–qPCR following extraction of total RNA and cDNA preparation for assessing the metabolically active bacterial population. RT–qPCR data showed the gradual increase of 16S rRNA and nifH gene expression, and relative activity of diazotrophs in the enriched soil bacterial consortia under short time As exposure up to 20 ppm and 10 ppm, respectively. A similar trend of these variables was also noticed but up to 1 ppm As when incubating the bulk soil for the same duration. Reduced bacterial activity was noticed at higher concentration of As although in short time exposure. Extending the As exposure time, the bacterial activities in both enriched consortia and bulk soil were decreased. Although, the relative activity of diazotrophs in enriched consortia was increased in presence of 10 ppm As, the same was decreased in bulk soil when exposed to >1 ppm As for long time indicating susceptibility of nitrogen fixer to As contamination in soil. PCA of the data obtained also indicated a negative correlation between As concentrations and diazotrophic activity.
Early detection of diseases in plant tissue using spectroscopy – applications and limitations

ABSTRACT Plant diseases can greatly affect the total production of food and agricultural materials, which may lead to high amount of losses in terms of quality, quantity and also in economic sense. To reduce the losses due to plant diseases, early diseases detection either based on a visual inspection or laboratory tests are widely employed. However, these techniques are labor-intensive and time consuming. In a view to overcome the shortcoming of these conventional approaches, several researchers have developed non-invasive techniques. Recently, spectroscopy technique has become one of the most available non-invasive methods utilized in detecting plant diseases. However, most of the studies on the application of this novel technology are still in the experimental stages, and are carried out in isolation with no comprehensive information on the most suitable approach. This problem could affect the advancement and commercialization of spectroscopy technology in early plant disease detection. Here, we review the applications and limitations of spectroscopy techniques (visible/infrared, electrical impedance and fluorescence spectroscopy) in early detection of plant disease. Particular emphasis was given to different spectral level, challenges and future outlook.
Time Course of Renal Ischemia/Reperfusion and Distance Organ; Lung Dysfunction in Male and Female Rats

Background Renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) may influence distance organ such as lung. The severity of IRI induced - lung injury can be affected by gender. The aim of this study was to determine the role of gender in IRI induced- lung injury in different of renal reperfusion time. Methods 80 male and female Wistar rats were assigned into 8 groups; 4 groups in each gender including sham, renal ischemia (ISC) for 45 min by clamping renal vessels followed by 3 hr, 24 hr or 48 hr reperfusion.blood samples were obtained for measuring the serum level of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), nitrite, and malondialdehyde (MDA). The kidneys and lung tissues were removed and used for MDA and nitrite measurements and the histological changes evaluation.the percentage of lung water content was calculated. Results In both genders, the rise in Cr and BUN reached the peak at 24 h reperfusion. In 3 h reperfusion female rats, lead to significant increase in serum level of nitrite compared with males. In male rats subjected to 3 h reperfusion, the renal MDA level increased but not seen in females. The enhanced lung tissues damages were depended to reperfusion time in both genders. The water content of lung was reduced in 3 h of reperfusion groups. Conclusions IRI caused kidney and lung dysfunction depends on reperfusion time. Considering gender difference, female gender may be more sensitive to alteration of nitrite level compared with males. It seems that the effect of IRI is more rapid in males than females.
Age Differences in Personality Traits and Social Desirability: A Multi-Rater Multi-Sample Study

Age differences in personality traits can inform us on the magnitude and qualities of personality development and describing them accurately is therefore of utmost importance. Little research yet has examined age differences by combining more than one source of information, despite many psychologists knowing that any one assessment method is prone to artefacts. We compared age differences in a range of personality traits such as Five-Factor Model (FFM) facets and nuances in self-reports and ratings by knowledgeable informants. Relying on samples from three countries (total N = 5,624) allowed us to cross-validate and meta-analyze the findings. We hypothesized that age differences would be larger in self-reports, because socially desirable responding increases with age. Indeed, we found that age-differences were systematically smaller in informant-reported facets and nuances compared to their self-reported counterparts and that this trend was stronger for traits independently rated as socially desirable. These findings replicated across multiple samples. We also hypothesized that variance of self-reported traits would decrease with age for evaluative traits, but this hypothesis received inconsistent support. We conclude that age differences may be inflated in self-reports partly because of socially desirable responding. However, since we cannot definitively rule out that age differences are underestimated in informant-ratings, they may be best approximated by average trends of self- and informant-reports. We therefore provide meta-analytic age trends for multi-rater composite scores of the FFM traits, their facets, and items. This is among the most rigorous studies yet into cross-sectional age differences in personality traits.
The Influence of COVID-19 on Well-Being

The COVID-19 outbreak has affected people’s lives across the globe. To investigate how the pandemic impacts well-being, we compiled a large and comprehensive data-set of 2231 working adults covering 454 counties across 48 states in the U.S. from social media using machine learning tools. We found that pandemic severity influenced working adults’ negative affect rather than positive affect. However, the relationship between pandemic severity and the negative affect was moderated by personality (i.e., openness and conscientiousness) and family connectedness. Specifically, pandemic severity did not influence the well-being of those who were open to new experiences, who were conscientious, and those who were connected to family. We did not find the moderation effect of age, some other personality traits (i.e., extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism), faith, friend connectedness, or having kids on the relationship between pandemic severity and working adults’ negative affect.
Building a low cost wind turbine in highways for rural house electricity demand

The main aim of this work is to design, fabricate, and test a wind turbine for power generation applications in rural areas. Vertical Axis Wind Turbines were selected to harness the energy from wind through the drag forces induced due to vehicular movements. Various parameters were analyzed for the design of a low‐cost wind turbine. A Savonius blade was selected for the design, which could be accommodated on the median of the highways. By using recycled materials, a low‐cost wind turbine was fabricated at a cost of $117.5 approximately. The wind turbine was placed on the houses and on the highway medians to test the power output at various operating conditions. Average electricity consumption at selected rural houses were calculated. The calculated average electricity demand during power cuts in the selected rural houses was around 0.2–0.6 kWh/day. Average generated electricity from the turbine at highways was observed to be around 0.67 kWh/day. The Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of the generated electricity from the proposed SWT on highways is around $0.04/kWh. The LCOE of the proposed design is relatively cheaper when compared with the conventional horizontal axis wind turbines. The energy demand during power cuts was met completely when the SWT was placed on the highways. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38: 278–285, 2019
Anti-inflammatory homoeopathic drug dilutions restrain lipopolysaccharide-induced release of pro-inflammatory cytokines: In vitro and in vivo evidence

Context: The lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytokine release and oxidative stress are validated experimental parameters used to test anti-inflammatory activity. We investigated the effects of homoeopathic mother tinctures, 6 CH, 30 CH and 200 CH dilutions of Arnica montana, Thuja occidentalis and Bryonia alba against LPS (1 μg/ml)-induced cytokine release from RAW-264.7 cells and human whole-blood culture. Materials and Methods: For in vivo evaluations, mice were orally treated with 0.1 ml drug dilutions twice a day for 5 days followed by an intraperitoneal injection of 0.5 mg/kg LPS. After 24 h, the mice were sacrificed and serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide were determined. The extent of oxidative stress was determined in the liver homogenates as contents of reduced glutathione, malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase and catalase. Results: The tested drug dilutions significantly reduced in vitro LPS-induced release of tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-6 from the RAW-264.7 cells and human whole blood culture. Similar suppression of cytokines was evident in mice serum samples. These drugs also protected mice from the LPS-induced oxidative stress in liver tissue. Conclusions: Our findings substantiate the protective effects of Arnica, Thuja and Bryonia homoeopathic dilutions against LPS-induced cytokine elevations and oxidative stress. This study authenticates the claims of anti-inflammatory efficacy of these homoeopathic drugs.
Bacterial cellulose production by Acetobacter xylinum CGMCC 1.2378 using coconut shell acid hydrolysate as carbon source

Bacterial cellulose (BC) was synthesized by Acetobacter xylinum using a carbon source of coconut shell hydrolysate, which was treated with an ultra-low concentration of sulfuric acid. The coconut shell was found to contain 57.13% holocellulose and 27.42% lignin. The effect of sulfuric acid concentration, reaction temperature, and reaction time on hydrolysis of coconut shell were evaluated by response surface methodology. The reducing sugar concentration was 8.39 g/L under the predicted optimum treatment at 200 °C for 32 min with a solution of 0.07% sulfuric acid. The holocellulose conversion rate was 56.1% at this condition. In a detoxification process using calcium hydroxide and activated carbon, furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural in the hydrolysate were almost completely removed, whereas formic acid and acetic acid levels decreased by 30%. After cultivation for 7 days at the reducing sugar status of 5 g/L, the BC production in medium with the detoxified hydrolysate could reach 1.66 g/L. After fermentation for 21 days, BC yield in medium using composited carbon source (20 g/L) of glucose and hydrolysate was 5.30 g/L. Structural analysis showed that BC obtained from medium of control and detoxified hydrolysate exhibited similar properties. This work provided a potential method for BC production.
University teachers’ perspectives on the use of mother tongue in ELT

The use of mother tongue (L1) in teaching English has always been a debatable issue as there are multiple opinions of the teachers regarding it. They are not sure to either use mother tongue in English language teaching or avoid it for effective teaching. The primary purpose of this phenomenological study of qualitative research was to find out the university teachers' perception on the use of mother tongue along with their effectiveness of L1 use at undergraduate level of Far Western University in Nepal. The participants of this study were four English language teachers teaching in the same university having more than ten years of teaching experience. The researcher used semi-structured interview and classroom observation for collecting data. The findings demonstrated that most of the teachers supported the judicious use of mother tongue in English language teaching classes based on their own experiences. The study also showed that overuse of L1 in second language (L2) classes might have some harm. It concludes that judicious use of L1 is a better way to deal with the students having poor proficiency in English language and enhance students' participation. The study recommends that teachers can make use of the students’ mother tongue purposefully whenever they think it is necessary to do in their classes.
Synthesis, spectral characterisation and antimicrobial properties of Cu(II) and Fe(II) Complexes with Xanthone / Rabuyah Ni, Mohammad Isa Mohamadin and Vivien Jong Yi Mian

The new complexes [CuL₂(H₂O)₂] and [FeL₂(CH₃O)₂] in which L = β-mangostin were synthesised and characterised. The structure of the ligand, β-mangostin was confirmed using NMR and the purity of ligand was determined using HPLC. Both Cu(II) and Fe(II) complexes were prepared by reaction between the ligand and the acetate of the metals in one-step reaction. The synthesised compounds have been characterized using UV-Visible, FTIR and CHNS analyser. Ligand and metal complexes were tested against bacteria to assess on their antimicrobial properties using Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentrations (MBCs) method. The elemental analysis and spectra data suggested octahedral geometry for both Cu(II) and Fe(II) complexes. The IR spectroscopy revealed that the chelation of Cu²⁺ and Fe²⁺ ion occurred with hydroxyl and carbonyl group at C₉ and C₁ respectively of β-mangostin. Both Cu(II) and Fe(II) complexes showed stronger inhibition against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella pneumonia at concentration 900 mg/mL and Escherichia coli at 450 mg/mL compared to the ligand itself.
Assessing the Tourists Satisfaction towards Yacht Tourism Services in the Red Sea Coast, Egypt

This study aims to Evaluate Tourists' Satisfaction with regards to tourist services provided to them at tourist ports of the red sea. It also assesses the relationship between Yacht Service Quality and Tourist Satisfaction at The Red Sea Coast and highlights the problems faced by yachters at the tested area. This study used a questionnaire as a quantitative method which targeted the tourists who came to Egypt to practice yacht tourism in The Red Sea Coast. Statistical Package Social Science (SPSS, V.22) is used for data input and analysis in the descriptive statistics.The results showed that there is a significant relationship between the yacht services quality, tourist satisfaction at The Red Sea Coast. The results showed also that the tourists were satisfied with: On board facilities, Pollution control Services, Marina Safety and Security facilities. They were less satisfied with: Entry & Exit Procedures, Resort facilities and Yacht Clubs services. This study presented some recommendations for both Egyptian marinas and the ministry of tourism to increase the satisfaction degree of tourists towards yacht tourism services.
Conspiratorial Thinking During COVID-19: The Roles of Paranoia, Delusion-Proneness, and Intolerance of Uncertainty

The COVID-19 global pandemic has left many feeling a sense of profound uncertainty about their world, safety, and livelihood. Sources espousing misinformation and conspiracy theories frequently offer information that can help make sense of this uncertainty. Individuals high in intolerance of uncertainty (IU) may be particularly impacted by the impoverished epistemic environment and may thus be more drawn to conspiratorial thinking (CT). In the present work, we show across 2 studies (N = 519) that COVID-19-specific CT is associated with higher levels of IU as well as delusion-proneness, and paranoia. Furthermore, delusion-proneness and paranoia explained the relationship between IU and CT and emerged as independent partial correlates of CT even when controlling for other facets of schizotypy. In contrast, anxiety did not explain the relationship between IU and CT. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of individual differences in IU, delusion-proneness and paranoia in the development of CT in the context of the acute uncertainty of a global crisis, in which conspiracy theories are more prevalent and salient. Informational intervention designs may benefit from leveraging the body of work demonstrating the efficacy of targeting IU to incite meaningful changes in thinking.
A population-based cohort study on the association of dietary patterns with sleep duration: A Joint modeling by mental health status

Background: We investigated the association of dietary patterns and sleep duration by controlling mental health status (MHS) using a joint modeling approach.Methods and materials: The population based cohort study was conducted within the framework of the Isfahan Cohort Study (ICS), including 1383 participants, aged ≥ 35 years were followed from 2007 to 2013. A validated food frequency questionnaire was applied to obtain dietary patterns. Anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, fasting serum lipids and blood sugars were evaluated in both phases of the study. A random effect joint negative binomial and ordinal model were used to estimate diets effect on sleep duration and MHS.Results: Three dietary patterns were identified: Healthy, Iranian and Western dietary patterns. After adjustment for potential confounders, the higher scores of Western diet were associated with sleep hours (OR=1.08 and 95% CI: 1.02‒1.12), the higher scores of the Western diet during the 5 year follow-up was associated with greater sleep duration. Sleep duration and MHS were adversely associated (-0.097 and 95% CI: -0.09‒-0.05)Conclusion: Joint modeling by MHS, sleep duration was positively affected only by western diet. Iranian and healthy diet weren’t associated by sleep hours.
ANTIBACTERIAL ACTION OF PROPOLIS ON SELECTED BACTERIAL REFERENCE STRAINS

Propolis alcoholic tincture is most commonly used propolis product on the market for the treatment of minor infections in the oral cavity; angina, some skin diseases etc. As propolis is still an unofficial drug in pharmacies, we tested its antimicrobial activity using a disk-diffusion test on six reference bacterial species-Salmonella Enterica WDCM 00030, Salmonella typhimurium WDCM 00031, Listeria monocytogenes WDCM 00020, Staphylococcus aureus WDCM 00032, Escherichia coli WDCM 00013 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa WDCM 00024. The aim of this paper was to examine the antibacterial action of alcoholic solution of propolis on reference bacterial cultures and to determine the type of action. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that the bacterial strains of Salmonella Enteritidis WDCM 00030, Salmonella Typhimurium WDCM 00031, Listeria monocytogenes WDCM 00020, Staphylococcus aureus WDCM 00032 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa WDCM 00024 are highly sensitive to the action of propolis alcoholic tincture.