Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gene silencing and its reactivation in transgenic rice.

Genome surveillance systems of higher organisms protect not only against intragenomic parasites such as retroposons and transposons but also against invasive DNAintroduced via genome transformation, resulting in (trans)gene silencing at both the transcriptional and posttranscriptionallevels. Transcriptional gene silencing of both bialaphos resistance and 8tt Cryi/lAcrystal toxin genes was encountered in experiments targeted to provide resistance to the rice water weevil. Extensive methylation of the transgenes, especially of the promoter elements, was evident. Germination of seedlings from silenced lines in the presence of 5-azacytidine (which prevents cytosine methylation) led to the reactivation of bialaphos resistance in progeny of silenced plants. The CaMV 355 promoter has been implicated in many instances of silencing and the possibility that some promoters are especially prone to silencing is supported by the finding that RCg2, a rice root-specific promoter, is silenced in more than 80% of transformants. Genes flanking RCg2/uidA are rarely silenced, showing that silencing can be highly targeted. Multicopy insertions are very susceptible to silencing and epistatic interactions between multicopy and single-copy inserts are documented. Several strategies to alleviate silencing have been considered, such as sequence diversification and flanking transgene inserts with matrix attachment regions. -
Perceived discrimination as a major factor behind return migration? The return of Turkish qualified migrants from the USA and Germany

ABSTRACT This paper explains discrimination perceptions of Turkish qualified migrants who returned from Germany and the United States, and the impact of perceived discrimination on their return. It depends on in-depth interviews with 80 qualified Turkish returnees. Our findings indicate that: (i) returnees from Germany think they experienced ethnic discrimination; (ii) discrimination is a major reason behind their return; (iii) returnees from the US did not mention discrimination; (iv) discrimination is not a reason for return for them. We discuss these findings and explain the differences between German and American contexts in terms of ethnic boundaries. We use Alba’s (2005) distinction between bright and blurry ethnic boundaries to explain the difference between the two countries. However, going beyond his argument, we also connect this distinction to cultural capital. We argue that in a context where there are bright ethnic boundaries, high cultural capital does not free the individual from experiences of discrimination, whereas it can make a difference in a context where there are blurry ethnic boundaries. Qualified migrants choose to return from contexts where there are bright ethnic boundaries to escape from experiences of discrimination, as they can afford return due to their high levels of cultural and economic capital.
Student Approaches to Studying: identifying the Malaysian constructs and comparing them with those in other contexts

The study undertook to identify the constructs in Approaches to Studying in a Malaysian higher education context by using factor analysis. These constructs were compared with those in other contexts. The study was undertaken in a Malaysian public university and the subjects of the study were distance learners and on‐campus learners from three disciplines: social sciences, sciences and business administration. A questionnaire comprising items taken mainly from the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory (RASI) was used. The results indicated the presence of the two main orientations to studying (a meaning orientation and a reproducing orientation) in the Malaysian distance and on‐campus learners. These findings were consistent with those in other studies. The study also suggested the association of positive and negative connotations with both memorization and syllabus‐boundedness in the Malaysian context.
Environmental characteristics of edible oyster beds in and around Tuticorin

The investigations on various hydro-biological parameters which influence the condition factor, spawning and the resource characteristics of the edible oyster Crassostrea madrasensls around Tuticorin have been conducted in three habitats of oyster beds, namely coastal (Tuticorin Bay), mangrove (Korampallam Creek) and estuarine (Punnakayal) areas. Observations on the stages of maturity, spawning and condition of oysters in the three habitats have been made and a correlation of the above biological aspects of the oysters with the environmental factors have been attempted. A direct correlation has been observed between the biological aspects of oysters and the productivity parameters of the habitat. The water temperature also showed a direct relationship with the condition factor of the oysters. The mean value of the condition factor of the oysters were found to be at the optimum level during April when productivity parameters were observed to be at higher level. The chemical factors especially the nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates showed an indirect relationship with maturity and condition of the oysters. Among the different habitats, the mangrove area registered higher productivity rates which has a well defined relation with the condition of oysters.
PSYCHOSOMATIC ASPECTS OF THE COMBINED PATHOLOGY OF PERIODONTAL TISSUE AND ORAL MUCOSA

In the structure of modern diseases, there are 50-75% of psychosomatic diseases. To understand the role of the emotional factor in the onset and progression of somatic disorders, as well as the opposite process – the emergence of psychological and emotional disorders as a response to an acute or chronic disease of internal organs – acquires a particular importance and relevance at the present stage of the causality of the disease. Individual features of the response of the human body to social, biological factors have common mechanisms of combined damage to the mucous membrane of the oral cavity and periodontal tissue. The severity of the damage to these organs and tissues is also determined by the psychological characteristics of individuals. These points are important not only for understanding the causality of the combined pathology of the periodontal and oral mucosa, but also for choosing the optimal tactics for treating such dental patients. The aim of the work was to analyze the role of psychosomatic correlations in the occurrence and development of the combined pathology of the periodontal and oral mucosa, determining the tactics of their treatment. 32 patients were involved in the examination with pathological changes of periodontal and oral mucosa. The essential role of the emotional component in the genesis of diseases was confirmed. Taking into account the psychosomatic nature of the pathology in the experimental group of patients, recommendations were given on diet therapy, psychotherapy, autogenic training. General medical treatment for internists and dentists was maximally individualized, taking into account the psychological characteristics of the response to the disease, differentiated according to the nature of the existing diseases, severity, pathology. After 6 months of follow-up, a stable, reliable positive clinical result was obtained in all patients in the experimental group and in 64% in the control group. Accounting for the state of psychosomatic relationships in the mechanisms of origin, development, treatment of diseases is extremely important. This approach in the supervision of dental patients who have combined changes in periodontal tissues, the oral mucosa allows achieving positive results of treatment, both in relation to the condition of the oral cavity, and for the body as a whole.
Estudo comparativo dos óleos voláteis de algumas espécies de Piperaceae

O presente trabalho teve por objetivo a analise comparativa dos oleos volateis de especies da familia Piperaceae. As especies estudadas foram as seguintes: Piper aduncum, P. amalago, P. arboreum, P. cernuum, P. hispidum, P. regnelii, P. submarginalum, P. vicosanum e Pothomorphe umbellata. A analise dos oleos volateis foi efetuada pela combinacao de tecnicas de Cromatografia de Fase Gasosa (CG) e de Cromatografia de Fase Gasosa acoplada a Espectrometria de Massa (CG/EM). A porcentagem de identificacao dos constituintes nas analises dos oleos volateis de Piper aduncum, P. amalago, P. vicosanum, P. submarginalum e Pothomorphe umbellata, atingiu valores superiores a 80%. Houve predominância de compostos de natureza sesquiterpenica nas composicoes quimicas das especies analisadas, com excecao de P. hispidum, P. submarginalum e P. vicosanum onde a predominância na composicao foi de monoterpenos. Pelos dados apresentados observou-se que, dentre os compostos majoritarios, os mais frequentes, nas 9 especies estudadas, foram b-pineno (9/9) e espatulenol (9/9), seguidos por E-cariofileno (8/9), oxido de cariofileno (8/9), germacreno D (7/9), a-pineno (7/9) e limoneno (6/9). Pela primeira vez se relata a composicao dos oleos volateis de P. submarginalum e P vicosanum.
Upper respiratory tract sampling in COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION To review the present literature on upper respiratory tract sampling in COVID-19 and provide recommendations to improve healthcare practices and directions in future studies. METHODS Twelve relevant manuscripts were sourced from a total of 7288 search results obtained using PubMed, Medline and Google Scholar. The search keywords used were COVID-19, nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, swabs, SARS and CoV2. Original manuscripts were obtained and analysed by all authors. The review included manuscripts which have not undergone rigorous peer-review process in view of the magnitude of the topic discussed. RESULTS The viral load of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the upper respiratory tract was significantly higher during the first week and peaked at 4-6 days after onset of symptoms, during which it can be potentially sampled. Nasopharyngeal swab has demonstrated higher viral load than oropharyngeal swab, where the difference in paired samples is best seen at 0-9 days after the onset of illness. Sensitivity of nasopharyngeal swab was higher than oropharyngeal swabs in COVID-19 patients. Patient self-collected throat washing has been shown to contain higher viral load than nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swab, with significantly higher sensitivity when compared with paired nasopharyngeal swab. RECOMMENDATIONS Routine nasopharyngeal swab of suspected COVID-19 infection should take anatomy of the nasal cavity into consideration to increase patient comfort and diagnostic yield. Routine oropharyngeal swab should be replaced by throat washing which has demonstrated better diagnostic accuracy, and it is safe towards others.
A survey relation between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a model in which team commitment in self-directed teams moderates the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Design/methodology/approach – Survey questionnaires measuring team commitment, OCB, and job satisfaction were administered to 242 full-time employees who were involved in self-directed teams at three geographically diverse manufacturing facilities. After carefully testing the psychometric properties of the scales, hierarchical multiple regression was used to test hypotheses. Findings – The relationship between job satisfaction and OCB was shown to be significant, as was the relationship between team commitment and OCB. Most importantly, the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior was moderated by team commitment, such that the relationship was stronger when team commitment was high. Research limitations/implications – Due to heightened salience of self-directed team functioning in our sample, generalization of results may be limited. Practical implications – The findings indicate that the usefulness of self-directed work teams may be limited in situations where employees lack team commitment. Besides implementing self-directed teams and assigning performance goals, researchers and practitioners need to identify efforts that work toward increasing commitment of team members, thereby increasing organizational citizenship behavior in the organization. Originality/value – It is believed that this research makes a significant contribution to understanding the relationship between job satisfaction and organizational citizenship behavior, a relationship that has long been known but not well defined. Moreover, the paper develops what appears to be a valid and reliable measure of team commitment, based on goodness of fit using cross-validation, confirmatory factor analysis, and reliability tests.
Redistribution with Performance Pay

Half of the jobs in the United States feature pay for performance. We derive incidence and optimum formulas for the rate of tax progressivity and the top income tax rate when such labor contracts arise from moral hazard frictions within firms. Our first main result is that the sensitivity of the worker’s compensation to performance is roughly invariant to tax progressivity. Second, the optimal tax schedule is strictly less progressive than in standard models that treat pretax earnings risk as exogenous. Quantitatively, the welfare cost of not accounting for performance pay when choosing tax progressivity is 0.3% of consumption.
Age grade distribution of high quadriceps angle in a selected Nigerian population

Introduction. Abnormally high quadriceps angle (Q-angle) has been reported as one of the main purported causes of patella-femoral problems. The knowledge and measurement of Q-angle is thus highly important in clinical evaluation of knee function. This study was designed to investigate the age distribution of high Q-angle and the effect of age with Q-angle in a selected Nigerian population. Material and Method. The participants were four hundred, apparently healthy volunteers (200 males, 200 females) aged between 9-50 years, who were classified into pre-puberty, adolescent, young adult and adult age groups. Their Q-angles were assessed from their dominant limbs in supine lying position. Q-angles were then classified as high and normal using the average values for male and female as reported in the literature. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean, range, standard deviation and inferential statistics of one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and chi square. Results. 23.25% and 44.5% of the entire participants and female sub-population had incidence of high Q-angle respectively. 15%, 18%, 26%, and 34% of the pre-puberty, adolescent, young adult and adult sub-populations presented with high Q-angles respectively. ANOVA did not show any significant difference in Q-angle among the four groups while a significant association (p < 0.05) between age group and class of Q-angle was obtained with Chi square. Conclusion. Selected female Nigerians presented with higher incidence of high Q-angle which appears to increase from younger to older ages.
GTP Protection Against 4-NQO-induced Lipid Peroxidation and Bone Marrow Genotoxicity in Wistar Rats

4-NQO is a water soluble oral carcinogen which produces papilloma and invasive squamous cell carcinoma, resulting in clinical and histologic changes which is similar to those observed in neoplasms of humans (Fisker, 1990). 4-NQO is known to induce multi-step carcinogenesis. 4-NQO is also known to induce H-ras mutation in chromosome 7 leading to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in experimental murine model, which is quite similar to that of tumours that develop in tobacco chewers (Hendler et al., 1996; Srinivasan et al., 2004; Srinivasan et al., 2006; Srinivasan et al., 2007). In experimental animals, the oral mucosa is relatively resistant to the carcinogenic effects of test compounds (Ito, 1981). However, application of 4-nitroquinolineN-oxide (NQO) directly to the rat tongue (painting) or in the drinking water (Tanaka et al., 1993) induces squamous cell carcinoma. The potent activity of NQO provides a useful model for oral carcinogenesis (Eveson, 1981). Subcutaneous administration of NQO yielded lung adenoma, uterine leiomyosarcoma, soft tissue sarcoma and fibro sarcoma, etc., administration of NQO by stomach tube, yielded adenocarcinoma, papilloma and
Epidemic Surveillance of Covid-19: Considering Uncertainty and Under-Ascertainment

Epidemic surveillance is a fundamental part of public health practice. Addressing under-ascertainment of cases is relevant in most surveillance systems, especially in pandemics of new diseases with a large spectrum of clinical presentations as it may influence timings of policy implementation and public risk perception. From this perspective, this article presents and discusses early evidence on under-ascertainment of COVID-19 and its motifs, options for surveillance, and reflections around their importance to tailor public health measures. In the case of COVID-19, systematically addressing and estimating under-ascertainment of cases is essential to tailor timely public health measures, and communicating these findings is of the utmost importance for policy making and public perception.
Dietary Diversity and Associated Factors among HIV Positive Adult Patients Attending Public Health Facilities in Motta Town, East Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia, 2017

Introduction. Dietary diversity is defined as the amount of different food groups or foods that are consumed over a specific reference time. The human immune deficiency virus problem remains one of the main public health challenges, especially in low and middle income countries. Nutrition has been linked to both the transmission of human immune deficiency virus and poor outcomes related to human immune deficiency virus. Objective. To assess dietary diversity and associated factors among human immune deficiency virus positive adult patients in Motta administrative town, Northwest Ethiopia, 2017. Methods. A facility based cross-sectional study design was conducted on 410 study participants selected using a stratified sampling technique with proportional allocation. The data were collected using semi-structured and pretested questionnaire. Data were entered into Epi-Data version 3.1 and analysis was performed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the number and percentage of the study variables. The bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done to identify the independent factors associated with dietary diversity among adult human immune virus (HIV) positive patients. Result. A total of 410 study participants were included in the analysis. Of the total, 121 (29.5%) of adult HIV positive respondents consumed diversified diet with the mean dietary diversity score of 3.2 (SD±1.88). The predominant food item consumed during the study periods was starchy staples (96.1%) and legumes (81.7%). Having means of communication cell phone (mobile phone) [(AOR= 2.13 (1.16, 3.60)], media exposure status in the household [(AOR =1.95 (1.22, 3.11)] and nutrition counselling [(AOR =2.17 (1.09, 4.67)] were significant factors associated with dietary diversified feeding at 95% CI. Conclusion. The study revealed that low dietary diversity score was significant nutritional problem among HIV positive adults in Motta town health facilities. Having mobile cell phone, media exposure status and nutritional counseling were significantly associated with dietary diversity score. Therefore efforts should be strengthened to improve the counseling service at each health institution and encourage the patients to use media for the source of information.
A review of current understanding on carp edema virus (CEV): A threatful entity in disguise

Aquaculture has been an integral part of food consumption and aesthetics since advent of agricultural industry with increasing demand to meet the needs of expanding population. Fish trading among the nations have widened the pathogenic window towards their susceptible hosts. Immediate attention is required with respect to budding and persisting pathogens in waters across the world. Extensive and efficient surveillance can help in preventing loss of fish in huge quantity. One of the emerging infectious viral pathogens that have caused a huge loss to aquaculture particularly to carp industry is carp edema virus belonging to Poxviridae family. It is known to affect only freshwater koi and common carp with symptoms resembling those of other viruses. Experiments and observations drawn have made a positive approach towards understanding the infection mechanism of the pathogen, host range, clinical signs, preventions and its treatment.
Role of Bioactive Compounds in Human Health

Bioactive compounds are defined as components of food that have an impact on physiological or cellular activities in the humans or animals that consume such compounds. They include flavonoids, anthocyanins, tannins, betalains, carotenoids, plant sterols, and glucosinolates. They are mainly found in fruits and vegetables; have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic effects; and can be protective against various diseases and metabolic disorders. Such beneficial effects make them good candidates for development of new functional food with potential protective and preservative properties. Various fruits and vegetables provide a range of nutrients and different bioactive compounds including phytochemicals (phenolics, flavonoids, and carotenoids). Most importantly, flavonoids have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory health benefits, positive effects on cardiovascular health, and anti-cancer properties. Anthocyanins have positive cardiovascular health effects, though it is needy of further evaluation. Carotenoids exert protective effects against several kinds of cancers, in addition to benefits to vision and skin. Glucosinolates have protective roles against cancers and dementia. However, there is a great variation in the literature on the role of different bioactive compounds in human health, which calls for further research and better understanding in order to maximize potential health benefits.
Individual trust: does quality of institutions matter?

This paper contributes to the literature on the determinants of social capital by investigating how the quality of the local institutional environment influences individual’s generalized trust and individual’s trust in authorities. Using data from the Italian National Statistic Office survey “Aspetti della vita quotidiana”, after building a measure for local services quality, we study its effect on individual’s social capital using linear regressions techniques. Our results suggest that good public institutions affect positively individual social capital. To deal with possible endogeneity issues, the robustness of our results is tested using two different approaches: two-step GMM estimation and the procedure proposed by Altonji et al. (2005). Finally the paper extends the analysis to further social capital measures (family ties and network social capital) and we test the existence of age related differences in the influence of public service quality on individual trust measures.