Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Habitat Preferences of Invasive Macrophyte Egeria densa in Different Channel Slopes Using Hydrogen Peroxide as an Indicator

Egeria densa is an often-found invasive species in Japan, which has spread widely in the past two decades in rivers where no macrophytes had previously been found. As a result, these ecosystems have now become dominated by E. densa. The habitat preference for E. densa colony formation was investigated using the tissue concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2: a reactive oxygen species) under varying conditions in rivers and laboratory conditions. The empirical equations that can describe the macrophyte tissue H2O2 formation under various velocity and light conditions were produced. The H2O2 concentrations of dark-adapted plants are proportional to the flow velocity, and the surplus H2O2 concentration in the light-exposed condition corresponded to the photosystems produced H2O2. When the H2O2 concentration exceeds 16 μmol/gFW, plant tissue starts to deteriorate, and biomass declines, indicating the critical values required for long-term survival of the plant. The empirically obtained relationships between flow velocity or light intensity and the analysis of H2O2 concentration for different slopes and depths of channels found that the H2O2 value exceeds the critical H2O2 concentration in channels with above 1/100 at around 0.6 m depth. This agrees with the observed results where colonies were not found in channels with slopes exceeding 1/100, and biomass concentration was the largest at depths of 0.6 to 0.8 m. H2O2 concentration is quite applicable to understanding the macrophyte condition in various kinds of macrophyte management.
Believing in BERT: Using expressive communication to enhance trust and counteract operational error in physical Human-robot interaction

Strategies are necessary to mitigate the impact of unexpected behavior in collaborative robotics, and research to develop solutions is lacking. Our aim here was to explore the benefits of an affective interaction, as opposed to a more efficient, less error prone but non-communicative one. The experiment took the form of an omelet-making task, with a wide range of participants interacting directly with BERT2, a humanoid robot assistant. Having significant implications for design, results suggest that efficiency is not the most important aspect of performance for users; a personable, expressive robot was found to be preferable over a more efficient one, despite a considerable trade off in time taken to perform the task. Our findings also suggest that a robot exhibiting human-like characteristics may make users reluctant to `hurt its feelings'; they may even lie in order to avoid this.
FOREIGN RESERVES ACCUMULATION AND MACROECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT: THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE (2004-2014)

This study examines the impact of Nigeria’s foreign reserves accumulation on macroeconomic environment. Seven macroeconomic variables were selected to represent macroeconomic environment (GDP, inflation, exchange rate and unemployment, investment, external debt and total trade). Data were sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Statistical Bulletin between 2004 and 2014. The ordinary least square (OLS) econometric model was employed in the analysis of the data. The study conducted the unit root test using both the Augmented DickerFuller and Philip Perron with and without trend and the result showed that all variables were stationary at first difference except inflation. The cointegration result obtained from the analysis showed the existence of a long run relationship between foreign reserves and the explanatory variables. The paper concludes that foreign reserve is a necessary tool in the macroeconomic stability of the country. It recommended that government should adopt proper and well articulated strategies of managing the nation’s reserve in order to achieve the desired objectives.
The hornworts: important advancements in early land plant evolution

Abstract In the last few years, a number of high-profile studies focused on land plant evolution have highlighted novel aspects of hornwort biology and the crucial position of this group among early land plants. For example, the widely accepted comprehensive molecular analysis by which robustly recovered hornworts as sister to tracheophytes has recently been challenged. Using a phylotranscriptomic approach, analyzed up to 852 nuclear genes from 92 taxa, and resolved hornworts as sister to land plants, sister to tracheophytes, or part of a bryophyte clade. Similarly, reanalyzed data published by and others and recovered the monophyly of bryophytes. These most recent studies have rekindled the debate about bryophyte interrelationships, while other comprehensive studies on hornworts have advanced the molecular and evolutionary frontiers in unexpected ways. In this review, we discuss emerging lines of inquiry that place hornworts in the centre stage and concentrate on pervasive and long-standing evolutionary issues. The five aspects of the review are: 1) the contentious position of hornworts in the global phylogeny of land plants, 2) revolutionary findings on horizontal gene transfer, 3) evolution of the peculiar hornwort plastid, 4) symbiotic relationships with fungal and cyanobacterial endophytes, and 5) new insights on hornwort stomata and clefts in the gametophyte thallus.
HEMICRICONEMOIDES VARIABILIS SP. N. AND TWO KNOWN SPECIES OF HEMICRICONEMOIDES FROM INDIA

Hemicriconemoides variabilis sp. n. is characterized by 142-154 body annules, two lip annules, labial plate modified into semicircular projections, stylet 85-95 µm long and conical tail. Measurements of various populations and SEM illustrations are provided for Hemicriconemoides cocophilus and H. mangiferae.
Comparative study of agronomic traits of different rice varieties grown under saline and normal conditions.

Salinity is a major abiotic stress limiting rice production worldwide. Identification of genotypes with better sa lt tolerance can promise sustained crop yields in salt affected areas. In the present research, 24 rice varieties were evaluated by conducting field trials under natural saline condition (salinity block) and normal field condition in 2010 and 2011. Pokkali, Basmati 198 and Sathra 278 were categorized as salt tolerant varieties; whereas IR36, Shaheen Basmati, Basmati 2000, Basmati 370, Basmati 6129, IR-6, KSK-133, TN-1, IRP-2 were categorized as salt susceptible varieties based on grain yield data of 2010 and 2011 field trials. Significant positive correlations of morphological traits {number of total tillers/plant, number of effective tillers/plant, panicle length, panicle weight, number of spikelets/panicle, numbe r of grains/panicle, panicle fertility (%)} with grain yield were found under saline conditions in both years field trials . It was observed in both year field trials, u nder normal field conditions, days to 50% flowering and days to maturity had highly significant negative correlation with grain yiel d/plant, whereas under saline conditions these traits had non significant negative correlation. During stress conditions, rice cultivars with early flowering time under normal conditions had comparative advantage under saline conditions. These cultivars ha d better balance between vegetative and reproductive phase, resulting in better grain yield/ plant under stress conditions. Thus days to 50% flowering is an important selection criterion for salt tolerance in rice.
A Balanced Approach for Cannabidiol Use in Chronic Pain

Cannabidiol (CBD), the major non-psychoactive constituent of Cannabis sativa L. , has gained traction as a potential treatment for intractable chronic pain in many conditions. Clinical evidence suggests that CBD provides therapeutic benefit in certain forms of epilepsy and imparts analgesia in certain conditions, and improves quality of life. CBD continues to be Schedule I or V on the list of controlled substances of the Drug Enforcement Agency of the United States. However, preparations labeled CBD are available publicly in stores and on the streets. However, use of CBD does not always resolve pain. CBD purchased freely entails the risk of adulteration by potentially hazardous chemicals. As well, CBD use by pregnant women is rising and poses a major health-hazard for future generations. In this mini-review, we present balanced and unbiased pre-clinical and clinical findings for the beneficial effects of CBD treatment on chronic pain and its deleterious effects on prenatal development.
Hubungan antara Pembentukan Scar Vaksin BCG dan Kejadian Infeksi Tuberkulosis

Abstrak Tuberkulosis adalah penyakit menular yang disebabkan oleh kuman Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Orang dewasa yang menderita tuberkulosis sangat mudah menularkan kuman TB kepada orang disekitarnya terutama pada anak-anak. Salah satu cara pencegahan penyakit tuberkulosis adalah pemberian imunisasi BCG pada saat bayi baru lahir. Scar vaksin BCG dapat terbentuk setelah penyuntikan, kadang Scar tidak terbentuk setelah penyuntikan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah menentukan hubungan antara pembentukan Scar vaksin BCG dan kejadian infeksi tuberkulosis. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain cross sectional dengan jumlah subjek sebanyak 80 orang. Pengambilan data berupa melakukan pengamatan terhadap Scar pada lengan atas serta wawancara kepada responden dengan menggunakan pedoman wawancara. Kemudian data ditabulasi dalam bentuk persentase dan dianalisis dengan uji chi-square . Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa responden yang terbanyak adalah perempuan dan usia yang terbanyak 35-44 tahun. Terdapat hubungan yang bermakna antara pembentukan Scar vaksin BCG dengan kejadian infeksi tuberkulosis (p < 0,05). Disimpulkan bahwa terdapat pengaruh antara pembentukan Scar vaksin BCG terhadap kejadian infeksi tuberkulosis. Kata kunci: tuberkulosis, vaksin BCG, Scar. Abstract Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis with the number of sufferers tend to increase every years. Adults who suffer tuberculosis is very easy to spread it to around, especially to children. One of the way to prevent tuberculosis is immunization of BCG vaccine which given since infant. The Scar of BCG vaccine can formed after injection or not. The objective of this study was to determine the relation of BCG vaccine Scar formation on the incidence of tuberculosis infection.This research used a cross sectional design with 80 total subjects. The data was collected by observations of the scar on the upper arm while interviewed respondents using interview guide. The data is tabulated and analyzed by chi-square test. The results showed that most respondents were women and most age was 35-44 years. There is a significant relation between BCG scar formation on the incidence of tuberculosis infection (p <0.05). It can be concluded that there are significant between BCG Scar formation on the incidence of tuberculosis infection. Keywords: t uberculosis, BCG vaccine, Scar.
EEG Signal Reconstruction Using a Generative Adversarial Network With Wasserstein Distance and Temporal-Spatial-Frequency Loss

Applications based on electroencephalography (EEG) signals suffer from the mutual contradiction of high classification performance vs. low cost. The nature of this contradiction makes EEG signal reconstruction with high sampling rates and sensitivity challenging. Conventional reconstruction algorithms lead to loss of the representative details of brain activity and suffer from remaining artifacts because such algorithms only aim to minimize the temporal mean-squared-error (MSE) under generic penalties. Instead of using temporal MSE according to conventional mathematical models, this paper introduces a novel reconstruction algorithm based on generative adversarial networks with the Wasserstein distance (WGAN) and a temporal-spatial-frequency (TSF-MSE) loss function. The carefully designed TSF-MSE-based loss function reconstructs signals by computing the MSE from time-series features, common spatial pattern features, and power spectral density features. Promising reconstruction and classification results are obtained from three motor-related EEG signal datasets with different sampling rates and sensitivities. Our proposed method significantly improves classification performances of EEG signals reconstructions with the same sensitivity and the average classification accuracy improvements of EEG signals reconstruction with different sensitivities. By introducing the WGAN reconstruction model with TSF-MSE loss function, the proposed method is beneficial for the requirements of high classification performance and low cost and is convenient for the design of high-performance brain computer interface systems.
SiaA: A Heme Protein

The protein SiaA (Streptococcal iron acquisition) is involved in heme uptake in the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes. It is difficult to obtain this protein in its fully holo form (completely loaded with heme). To increase the concentration of heme in the growing cell, we added δ-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and ferrous sulfate (FeSO4), precursors of heme, to the growth media. Neither increasing the concentration of heme in vivo, nor growth at lower temperature for longer times, increased the production of holoprotein. The classical method of measuring the concentration of heme in a newly discovered heme protein is cumbersome. We have developed an improved method, which gives a solution that is more stable and has a cleaner spectrum. With further development, this new technique may replace the classical assay. Background information on S. pyogenes, SiaA, ABC transporters, heme biosynthesis, and the pyridine hemochrome assay are described. INDEX WORDS: SiaA, Heme, S. pyogenes, ABC Transporters, δ-aminolevulinic acid, ALA, Pyridine Hemochrome, Butylamine, E. coli SiaA: A HEME PROTEIN
Evaluation of Vanaraja male line (PD1) for different production and egg quality traits

Vanaraja male line (PD1) was evaluated for different production traits up to 60 weeks of age and egg quality traits were recorded at different ages. Body weight at 20 and 40 weeks of age were 2037 and 2903 g, respectively. Least square estimate for age at sexual maturity was 180.30 days. Egg production up to 40 and 60 weeks of age were 42.34 and 92.06 eggs, respectively. There was increase of 2.07 mm shank length between 16 to 20 weeks of age. Heritability estimates for age at sexual maturity, body weight at 20 and 40 weeks of age, egg production upto 40 weeks and egg weight at 32 weeks of age were low in magnitude. However, heritability estimates for Shank length at 20 and first egg weight showed moderate to high heritability. Genetic correlation between shank length and egg production up to 40 weeks of age was positive, however, body weight at 40 weeks of age with egg production showed negative correlation and moderate in magnitude. Egg quality parameters showed significant difference between different age of measurements and as the age increases the egg quality parameters decreases. Results indicated that most of the production traits in PD1 line have less additive genetic variation which should be considered in the selection programme.
Effects of pricing strategies on dynamic repertoires of activity-travel behaviour

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Day-to-Day Test-Retest Reliability of EEG Profiles in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typical Development

Biomarker development is currently a high priority in neurodevelopmental disorder research. For many types of biomarkers (particularly biomarkers of diagnosis), reliability over short periods is critically important. In the field of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), resting electroencephalography (EEG) power spectral densities (PSD) are well-studied for their potential as biomarkers. Classically, such data have been decomposed into pre-specified frequency bands (e.g., delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma). Recent technical advances, such as the Fitting Oscillations and One-Over-F (FOOOF) algorithm, allow for targeted characterization of the features that naturally emerge within an EEG PSD, permitting a more detailed characterization of the frequency band-agnostic shape of each individual’s EEG PSD. Here, using two resting EEGs collected a median of 6 days apart from 22 children with ASD and 25 typically developing (TD) controls during the Feasibility Visit of the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials, we estimate test-retest reliability based on the characterization of the PSD shape in two ways: (1) Using the FOOOF algorithm we estimate six parameters (offset, slope, number of peaks, and amplitude, center frequency and bandwidth of the largest alpha peak) that characterize the shape of the EEG PSD; and (2) using nonparametric functional data analyses, we decompose the shape of the EEG PSD into a reduced set of basis functions that characterize individual power spectrum shapes. We show that individuals exhibit idiosyncratic PSD signatures that are stable over recording sessions using both characterizations. Our data show that EEG activity from a brief 2-min recording provides an efficient window into characterizing brain activity at the single-subject level with desirable psychometric characteristics that persist across different analytical decomposition methods. This is a necessary step towards analytical validation of biomarkers based on the EEG PSD and provides insights into parameters of the PSD that offer short-term reliability (and thus promise as potential biomarkers of trait or diagnosis) vs. those that are more variable over the short term (and thus may index state or other rapidly dynamic measures of brain function). Future research should address the longer-term stability of the PSD, for purposes such as monitoring development or response to treatment.
Neural Correlates of Working Memory Deficits in Different Adult Outcomes of ADHD: An Event-Related Potential Study

Background We investigated working memory (WM) processing in a longitudinal sample of young adults with persistent and remittent childhood-onset ADHD to investigate the neural correlates of working memory with adult outcomes of ADHD. Methods Forty-seven young Chinese adults who had been diagnosed with ADHD during childhood underwent follow-up assessments for an average of 9 years. The ADHD sample consisted of 25 ADHD persisters (mean age =18.38 ± 0.5 years) and 22 remitters (mean age = 18.78 ± 1.10 years), who were compared with 25 sex ratio- and IQ-matched healthy adults (mean age = 19.60 ± 1.22 years) in a verbal n-back task. Results No differences in behavioral measures were observed across the three groups. Compared with the healthy controls, the ADHD persisters and remitters had larger N1 amplitudes and smaller P2 amplitudes, while no significant differences between the persistence and remission groups were observed. The P3 amplitudes of the remission and control groups were higher than that of the persistence group, but there was no significant difference between the remitters and healthy controls. Conclusion The P3 amplitudes reflecting postdecisional processing and/or WM updating were sensitive to ADHD remission, as they might improve concurrently with ADHD symptoms. These results indicate that the N1, P2, and P3 components of WM processing might be potential biomarkers for different ADHD outcomes.
Crystallographic studies on diheme cytochrome c enzymes

Bacteria express various electron transport chains depending on their environment and their physiological state. Membrane electron transport systems carry electrons from a number of different electron donors such as NADH, organic molecules or hydrogen to a variety of soluble electron acceptors, e.g. oxygen, nitrate or sulfate. As members of the Geobacteraceae are the predominant microorganisms in a variety of subsurface environments in which dissimilatory metal reduction is an important process, the electron transfer chain to insoluble Fe(III) oxides is of special interest. The purpose of the present work was to elucidate the function of the periplasmic diheme cytochromes c CcpA and MacA from the δ-proteobacterium Geobacter sulfurreducens and to biochemically and structurally characterize both proteins.Bacterial diheme cytochrome c peroxidases are a widespread family of periplasmic enzymes that receive electrons from the central metabolism and catalyze the reduction of hydrogen peroxide by means of the heme cofactor. Both proteins from Geobacter sulfurreducens were analyzed with regard to peroxidase activity which could be detected. However, the physiological electron donor is still unknown. A direct participation of MacA and CcpA in electron transport to insoluble iron in Geobacter sulfurreducens is proposed (Butler et al., 2004), but it could not be proven unambiguously and seems, in the light of the results of the present work, rather unlikely.As the structure of the homologous cytochrome c peroxidase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been solved (Fulop et al., 1995), it was possible to determine the crystal structures of CcpA and MacA by molecular replacement. CcpA and MacA are dimeric enzymes with one heme group located in each domain of the monomer. In the hydrophobic interface in between the two domains, one calcium ion could be identified that serves probably the stabilization of the residues participating in electron transfer between the two heme groups. Both structures are very similar to known cytochrome c peroxidases. Comparison of CcpA and MacA to known cytochrome c peroxidases reveals that the divergence is due to substitutions of charged residues on the surface, resulting in a significantly more basic protein.The rubber oxygenase RoxA from Xanthomonas sp. strain 35Y is a 74.1 kDa diheme cytochrome c enzyme that has the ability to degrade rubber latex in vitro. The structure of RoxA had been determined by multiwavelength anomalous dispersion at the K-edge of iron and was refined to a resolution of 1.8 A. No significant similarity to the overall structure of any known protein was found. However, the structural region comprising both heme groups shows structural homologies to bacterial diheme cytochrome c peroxidases. The two heme groups of RoxA are roughly perpendicular to each other and they are separated by an iron-iron distance of 21.5 A. Residues proposed to be essential for electron transfer in between the heme groups in cytochrome c peroxidases are also present in RoxA.
Fungicidal management of Alternaria alternata (Fr.) Keissler causing blight of gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii H. Bolus ex J.D. Hook)

Alternaria, the fungal pathogen has wide host range generally attacks the aerial parts of plants causing leaf spots and blights. Gerbera is a genus of ornamental flower plants. Gerbera plants are infected by many diseases. Different disease management practices are adopted in gerbera cultivation. The fungicidal management of Alternaria blight is one of the important strategies for the disease management in gerbera in polyhouse condition. In this study, preventive and curative fungicidal sprays were adopted for the management of blight disease in polyhouse. This study revealed that preventive fungicidal sprays were significant over curative fungicidal sprays for the management of Alternaria alternata blight of gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii H. Bolus ex J.D. Hook) in polyhouse. The preventive sprays made of Bordeaux mixture (0.6 %), tricyclazole (0.1%) and iprodione + carbendazim (0.1%) fungicides were found effective with 95.85 %, 96.59 % and 95.88 % disease control respectively, under polyhouse condition.