Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Plant Growth Regulators on Growth and Yield of Egyptian Hybrid Rice One Under Saline Soil Conditions

Two field experiments were conducted under saline soil during 2013 and 2014 seasons at Research Farm of El Sirw Agricultural Research Station, Damietta province, Egypt. Improving salinity tolerance and grain yield of hybrid rice were the main objectives of the current study. The experimental soil was clayey with salinity levels of 7.70 and 7.30 dS/m in 2013 and 2014 seasons, respectively. Egyptian hybrid rice one (EHR1) variety was used in this study. The studied treatments were including; water (spray control treatment), GA3 with concentration (5, 10, 15 ppm), Auxin with concentration (5, 10, 15 ppm), Cytokinin with concentration (5, 10, 15 ppm). Those substances were sprayed at mid tillering, panicle initiation and booing stage. At heading the growth parameters of EHR1 was measured at heading stage as well as plant chemical contents were estimated. Grain yield and its components were estimated at harvest. The factorial design was used in the experiment with three replications. The obtained results showed that foliar spray treatments were found to be increased effective in enhancing growth plants of EHR1 and increased nutrient leaf content such as N and K. therefore, the salinity withstanding of EHR1 was raised resulted in proper growth and reasonable grain yield under salt stress. Applying Cytokinin or Auxin at 10 ppm as foliar application was most effective treatment in improving rice productivity under salt affective soils.
Propagating rift west of the Fiji Archipelago (North Fiji Basin, SW Pacific)

A Sea Beam survey of an area located west of the Fiji Islands in the North Fiji Basin, between 17°10′S and 18°S and 175°40′E and 176°40′E, shows a complex structure characterized by two deep grabens bounding a central plateau. In previous papers, we interpreted this area as an intraoceanic strike-slip deformation zone, rejecting the possibility of oceanic spreading in the area. By comparison with the structures observed in the Galapagos 95.5° W area, we now reinterpret the area as a southward propagating spreading system. The analysis of structural and magnetic data and earthquake focal mechanisms confirms this new interpretation. The full spreading rate for the North Fiji Basin ridge, deduced from magnetic lineations, varies from 50 to 80 mm/yr. For the West Fiji spreading ridge, the magnetic anomaly analysis gives a spreading rate of about 50 mm/yr for the northern segment and slightly slower (40 mm/yr) for the southeastern segment. Using a 50 mm/yr spreading rate, the angles between the pseudofaults allow us to calculate the propagation velocity. For an angle of 75° north of 17°35′S, the propagation velocity is 33 mm/yr. The tip of the propagator is characterized by a 20° angle between the pseudofaults, which implies a recent increase of propagation velocity to 141 mm/yr. The initiation of this propagation could be related to the emplacement of the North Fiji fracture zone 1 to 1.5 m.y. ago, resulting in the formation of the 16°50′S triple junction. The main kinematic implication of the existence of a propagating rift west of the Fiji Islands is that in the North Fiji Basin the present-day accretion is distributed on two parallel active spreading ridges, one in the central part of the basin, the other one in its southeastern quadrant. Such a phenomenon, unusual on mid-oceanic ridges, except for microplates such as Galapagos, Easter and Juan Fernandez, may be more common in marginal basins because of their peculiar geodynamic setting.
Male meiotic spindle features that efficiently segregate paired and lagging chromosomes

Chromosome segregation during male meiosis is tailored to rapidly generate multitudes of sperm. Little, however, is known about the mechanisms that efficiently segregate chromosomes to produce sperm. Using live imaging in Caenorhabditis elegans, we find that spermatocytes exhibit simultaneous pole-to-chromosome shortening (anaphase A) and pole-to-pole elongation (anaphase B). Electron tomography unexpectedly revealed that spermatocyte anaphase A does not stem from kinetochore microtubule shortening. Instead, movement is driven by changes in distance between chromosomes, microtubules, and centrosomes upon tension release at anaphase onset. We also find that the lagging X chromosome, a distinctive feature of anaphase I in C. elegans males, is due to lack of chromosome pairing. The unpaired chromosome remains tethered to centrosomes by continuously lengthening kinetochore microtubules which are under tension, suggesting a ‘tug of war’ that can reliably resolve chromosome lagging. Overall, we define features that partition both paired and lagging chromosomes for optimal sperm production.
Species variability in the response to elevated temperature of select corals in north-western Philippines

Abstract Thermal stress events threaten coral populations by disrupting symbiosis between the coral animal and microalgal symbionts in its tissues. These symbionts are key players in the response of the coral holobiont to elevated temperature. However, little is known about the microalgal symbiont type in select corals in the north-western Philippines and how they contribute to the differential responses of coral species. Based on sequencing of major ITS2 bands from DGGE, the dominant algal symbiont in Acropora digitifera, A. millepora, A. tenuis and Favites colemani was identified to be closely related to ITS2 type C3u, Montipora digitata contained ITS2 type C15, and Seriatopora caliendrum hosted ITS2 types similar to C3-Gulf and D1. Thin branching corals, such as A. tenuis and S. caliendrum, exhibited the greatest reduction in photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) and symbiont density at elevated temperature, followed by M. digitata and A. millepora, to a lesser extent. A. digitifera and F. colemani were least affected by the temperature treatment. Reduction in Fv/Fm and symbiont density was more apparent in A. tenuis and A. millepora than in M. digitata and F. colemani, although these species all host ITS2 type C3u symbionts. These results suggest that the impact of elevated temperature is influenced by factors apart from symbiont type. This highlights the importance of further studies on the diversity of corals and their microalgal symbionts in the region to gain insights into their potential resilience to recurring thermal stress events.
THE IMPACT OF FINANCING CONSTRAINTS ON MARKUPS: THEORY AND EVIDENCE FROM ITALIAN FIRM LEVEL DATA

In this paper we look at both the theoretical and empirical behavior of price-cost margins when capital market imperfections affect firms’ markup policies. We present a model of a firm operating in an industry with differentiated products and facing imperfect markets for financing operations. The model results in an Euler equation for the optimal price path which is estimated using data for several hundreds Italian firms over the period 1981-1993. The empirical results suggest that: (i) capital market imperfections are present in the sense that firms in our sample pay a premium on external finance which significantly depends on the debt to sales ratio; (ii) according to our estimates constrained firms find it optimal to cut price compared to unconstrained firms; (iii) as firms are more likely to be financially constrained in recessions, our results imply that financial market imperfections tend to make markups procyclical.
Clinical Evaluation of IP-10 and MIG for the Diagnosis of Active Tuberculosis Disease

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical potential of IP-10 and MIG as biomarkers of tuberculosis (TB) infection adding a comparison with IGRAs (QFT and T-SPOT.TB). Materials and Methods: The subjects consisted of 52 patients with active TB disease and 86 patients with non-TB disease. We measured two IGRAs using peripheral blood (PB), and IP-10 and MIG using the supernatant from whole blood stimulated with MTB (Mycobacterium tuberculosis)-specific antigens. Results: In the patient group with active TB disease, while the positive response rates of QFT and T-SPOT.TB were 81% and 87%, that of IP-10 using the supernatant was 88% and that of MIG was 85%. In the patient group with non-TB disease, the positive response rate of QFT was 13%, and that of T-SPOT.TB was 14%, IP-10 using the supernatant was 14%, and that of MIG was 14%. The IP-10 and MIG levels of the patients with active TB disease using the supernatant were significantly higher than those of the patients with non-TB disease. The combination of four diagnostic methods using the supernatant increased the positive response rate to 94%. Conclusion: IP-10 and MIG using a supernatant stimulated with MTB-specific antigens showed similar results to IGRAs. Therefore, these tests can be used as alternatives for the diagnosis of active TB disease.
UJI AKTIVITAS HEPATOPROTEKTOR EKSTRAK KUBIS UNGU (Brassica oleracea var. Capitata L.) TERHADAP HEWAN UJI KELINCI (Oryctolagus cuniculus) YANG DIINDUKSI KARBON TETRAKLORIDA (CCl 4 )

Hepatotoksisitas terjadi karena adanya paparan radikal bebas terhadap sel-sel hati sehingga mengalami nekrosis. Guna mencegah efek dari radikal bebas tersebut, diperlukan antioksidan yang banyak terdapat pada buah dan sayuran. Kubis ungu merupakan sayuran yang kaya akan antioksidan seperti antosianin, vitamin C, dan beta karoten. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh pemberian ekstrak kubis ungu sebagai hepatoprotektor dengan melihat parameter SGOT dan SGPT pada kelinci setelah diinduksi karbon tetraklorida (CCl4). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pemberian ekstrak kubis ungu dengan dosis 2%, 4%, dan 6% b/v dapat mempertahankan kadar SGOT dan SGPT normal sehingga ekstrak kubis ungu berpotensi sebagai hepatoprotektor.
Could honey bees signal the spread of antimicrobial resistance in the environment?

The honey bee has long been known to be a bioindicator of environmental pollution and the use of antimicrobials in the beekeeping industry is strictly regulated. For these reasons, this paper was aimed to evaluate for the first time the role of Apis mellifera as a possible indicator of environmental antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The study isolated and analysed the resistance patterns of Enterobacteriaceae from a pool of honey bee guts located in five different environmental sites (ES), where different antimicrobial selective pressures were hypothesized. In all, 48 isolates were considered for identification and underwent analyses of AMR to ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, cefazolin, ceftazidime, tetracycline, imipenem, enrofloxacin, amikacin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. In all, 12 isolates out of 48 (25%) showed resistance to at least one antimicrobial drug. There were no significant differences between the resistance rates observed in the ESs, even if the highest percentage of resistance was found in ES4. Resistances to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid resulted significantly higher than those detected towards the other antimicrobials. Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid is not commonly used in beekeeping but it is extensively used in animals and in humans, suggesting an environmental origin of this resistance and supporting the hypothesis that honey bees could be used as indicators of AMR spread in the environment.
A contribution to the condition number of the total least squares problem

This paper concerns cheaply computable formulas and bounds for the condition number of the TLS problem. For a TLS problem with data A, b, two formulas are derived that are simpler and more compact than the known results in the literature. One is derived by exploiting the properties of Kronecker products of matrices. The other is obtained by making use of the singular value decomposition (SVD) of [A b], which allows us to compute the condition number cheaply and accurately. We present lower and upper bounds for the condition number that involve the singular values of [A b] and the last entries of the right singular vectors of [A b]. We prove that they are always sharp and can estimate the condition number accurately by no more than four times. Furthermore, we establish a few other lower and upper bounds that involve only a few singular values of A and [A b]. We discuss how tight the bounds are. These bounds are particularly useful for large scale TLS problems since for them any formulas and bounds for the condition number involving all the singular values of A and/or [A b] are too costly to be computed. Numerical experiments illustrate that our bounds are sharper than a known approximate condition number in the literature.
Effect of recombinant bovine somatotropin on pregnancy rates of Nellore cows resynchronized with the use of new DIB and third use, and inseminated at fixed-time

The objective of the experiment was to evaluate the effects of recombinant bovine somatropin (rbST), and the reuse of the progesterone (P4) releasing devices in resynchronization, on the pregnancy rates of Nellore cows submitted to fixed-time artificial insemination. A group of 123 multiparae Nellore cows, was submitted to a resynchronization protocol: on day 0 a Bovine Intravaginal Device (DIB ® ) with 1,0g of P4 was implanted, associated with intramuscular administration of 2,0mg of estradiol benzoate (IM); on day 8 DIB was removed; and 1,0mg of estradiol cypionate, 0,15mg of prostaglandin F 2α and 300 UI of equine chorionic gonadotropin were administered; on day 10, fixed-time artificial insemination was conducted (FTAI). The cows were randomized into G1 (n=12) – without rbST / with used Bovine Intravaginal Device, G2 (n=50) – without rbST / with new DIB, G3 (n=11) - with rbST / with used DIB and G4 (n=50) – with rbST/ with new DIB. rbST was introduced on the eighth day of the protocol. Sixty days after TAI, pregnancy diagnoses were conducted, via rectal palpation. Blood samples were taken on day 0, 8 and 10 of the protocol, in order to assess P4 plasma concentrations. Pregnancy rates were statistically evaluated through Generalized Linear Models Theory and their significance was tested with Analysis of Deviance. Pregnancy rates were 58%, 40%, 81% and 48% for G1, G2, G3 and G4, respectively, with significant statistical difference for G3. Plasma concentrations of P4 were not statistically different among groups, or collections. In view of the results obtained, we concluded that the administration of rbST in association with P4 DIB, used for the third time, improves pregnancy rates. Estrus resynchronization and re-insemination positively impacted pregnancy rates.
Development of a microfluidic liquid handling system for waste water sample analysis

TAMPERE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Master’s Degree Programme in Science and Engineering HILLA-MARIA KEIJÄLÄ: Development of a microfluidic liquid handling system for waste water sample analysis Master of Science Thesis, 62 pages, 3 Appendix pages June 2013 Major: Advanced Engineering Physics Examiners: Pasi Kallio, Ilpo Vattulainen
Heterogeneous combustion of condensed particles in transition regime

HETEROGENEOUS COMBUSTION OF CONDENSED PARTICLES IN TRANSITION REGIME by Deniz Yildiz A steady-state model of heterogeneous combustion for a spherical particle is developed accounting for the transition regime of heat and mass transfer. The model assumes formation of condensed products and reaction rate controlled by the transport of oxidizer to the particle surface. The model is based on the Fuchs’ limiting sphere approach. Calculations are performed for combustion of zirconium particles of different sizes. Temperature and oxygen concentration profiles are calculated and compared to those predicted by the continuous medium transfer model. It is shown that for particles in the range from 100 nm up to 30 μm heat and mass transfer occur in transition regime. The predictions are also compared with the available experimental data. For coarse particles, both predicted combustion temperatures and burn rates match respective experimental data when the reaction is assumed to produce zirconiumoxygen solution with an enthalpy of formation reduced compared to that of the stoichiometric ZrO2. A weak effect of particle sizes on their burn times is predicted for small particles, in qualitative agreement with recent experiments. An implementation of time variability accounted for 30% change of particle diameter during particle burning for different particle diameter and the discrepancy is maintained. However, the model underestimates the burn times and overestimates the combustion temperatures for small particles. This discrepancy is likely associated with the finite reaction kinetics at the particle surface that must be accounted for in the future work. In the heat transfer modeling, additional errors are predicted to be caused by an incorrectly assumed value of the thermal accommodation coefficient of gas molecules on the particle surface. The technique of finding the accommodation coefficient for small metal particles heated to high temperatures is developed and tested for the Zr – Ar system. The optical emission intensity decay times for micron-sized Zr particles heated and cooled in Ar are measured. The emission decay times are interpreted as cooling times. The cooling times are calculated using the two-layer Fuchs’ model. The calculated and measured results are matched by adjusting the value of the thermal accommodation coefficient. Thermal accommodation coefficient is shown to be much smaller than unity; with an estimate of 0.005. It is likely to be changing as a function of the particle size for the 1 – 10 μm particles. HETEROGENEOUS COMBUSTION OF CONDENSED PARTICLES IN TRANSITION REGIME
Nonthermal emission properties of the northwestern rim of supernova remnant RX J0852-4622

The supernova remnant (SNR) RX J0852-4622 (Vela Jr., G266.6-1.2) is one of the most important SNRs for investigating the acceleration of multi-TeV particles and the origin of Galactic cosmic rays because of its strong synchrotron X-ray and TeV gamma-ray emission, which show a shell-like morphology similar to each other. Using the XMM-Newton archival data consisting of multiple pointing observations of the northwestern rim of the remnant, we investigate the spatial properties of the nonthermal X-ray emission as a function of distance from an outer shock wave. All X-ray spectra are well reproduced by an absorbed power-law model above 2 keV. It is found that the spectra show gradual softening from a photon index 2.56 in the rim region to 2.96 in the interior region. We show that this radial profile can be interpreted as a gradual decrease of the cutoff energy of the electron spectrum due to synchrotron cooling. By using a simple spectral evolution model that includes continuous synchrotron losses, the spectral softening can be reproduced with the magnetic field strength in the post-shock flow to less than several tens of uG. If this is a typical magnetic field in the SNR shell, gamma-ray emission would be accounted for by inverse Compton scattering of high-energy electrons that also produce the synchrotron X-ray emission. Future hard X-ray imaging observations with Nustar and ASTRO-H and TeV gamma-ray observations with the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will allow to us to explore other possible explanations of the systematic softening of the X-ray spectra.
Culture in society, society in culture: Understanding threads of cultural-social dialectic

This paper aims at exploring the provinces of social and cultural dialectical threads. In doing so, it offers an account of (1) why it is quite often confusingly believed that there is a methodological and epistemological “difference” between social and cultural ones[i], and (2) how this belief cloaks some inherent weaknesses and obstacles to change. It is, therefore, within this rationale that this paper locates both its hypothesis and central thesis. Its hypothesis is that there is an inherent confusing belief that there is a methodological and epistemological difference between the social and cultural; and thus each is misleadingly viewed on its own. The central thesis of the current paper, in turn, is that there are a set of dialectical threads of the social and cultural that should be explored enough to account for change. Hence, the hypothesis and thesis of this study are engineered in this way to offer an account of how the cultural and social become nervous systems of change. Key words: Culture, society, social structure, cultural system, human agency. [i] - In Morocco, for example, there is Ministry of Culture; Ministry of Solidarity, the Woman, the Family and Social Development, Solidarity and the Family; Agency of Social Development; and National Initiative for Human Development. Meanwhile, there is Ministry of Culture.
On substitution tilings and Delone sets without finite local complexity

We consider substitution tilings and Delone sets without the assumption of finite local complexity (FLC). We first give a sufficient condition for tiling dynamical systems to be uniquely ergodic and a formula for the measure of cylinder sets. We then obtain several results on their ergodic-theoretic properties, notably absence of strong mixing and conditions for existence of eigenvalues, which have number-theoretic consequences. In particular, if the set of eigenvalues of the expansion matrix is totally non-Pisot, then the tiling dynamical system is weakly mixing. Further, we define the notion of rigidity for substitution tilings and demonstrate that the result of [Lee-Solomyak (2012)] on the equivalence of four properties: relatively dense discrete spectrum, being not weakly mixing, the Pisot family, and the Meyer set property, extends to the non-FLC case, if we assume rigidity instead.
The morphology of the Milky Way – I. Reconstructing CO maps from simulations in fixed potentials

We thank an anonymous referee, whose comments and suggestions improved the paper. We also thank Tom Dame for providing access to the CO longitude–velocity data. The calculations for this paper were performed on the DiRAC Complexity machine, jointly funded by STFC and the Large Facilities Capital Fund of BIS, and the University of Exeter Supercomputer, a DiRAC Facility jointly funded by STFC, the Large Facilities Capital Fund of BIS and the University of Exeter. ARP is supported by an STFC-funded post-graduate studentship. CLD acknowledges funding from the European Research Council for the FP7 ERC starting grant project LOCALSTAR. DJP is supported by a Future Fellowship funded by the Australian Research Council (FT130100034). Figures showing SPH particle density were rendered using SPLASH (Price 2007). Datasets used in this paper are available at: http://hdl.handle. net/10871/15057.
Cloning, Expression, and Functional Analyses of MHC Class II A in Ayu, Plecoglossus altivelis

The MHC (major histocompatibility complex) class II family plays a major role in vertebrate immune systems and is normally found only on antigen-presenting cells. In this study, we identified the gene encoding the α (PaMHCIIα) chain of MHC class II molecules in ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis). Phylogenetic analysis showed that PaMHCIIα was tightly grouped with MHC class IIα in rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) and salmon. PaMHCIIα transcripts were detected in all tested tissues, with high levels in the spleen, head kidney, and gill; expression increased significantly upon Vibrio anguillarum infection. PaMHCIIα mRNA expression was also up-regulated in monocytes/macrophages (MO/MФ) after in vitro stimulation with V. anguillarum. We prepared antibodies for detecting N-glycosylation of PaMHCIIα or neutralizing PaMHCIIα on ayu MO/MФ. Western blot analysis showed that native PaMHCIIα was indeed N-glycosylated. Moreover, PaMHCIIα neutralization not only significantly inhibited ayu MO/MФ phagocytosis, but also reduced the ability of V. anguillarum to induce MO/MФ-cytokine expression. Overall, these findings reveal that the important role of PaMHCIIα against bacterial challenge, and it likely contributes to pathogen responsiveness in ayu MO/MФ.