Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in plants from coastal habitats

The aim of the present study was to examine the occurrence of mycorrhizal symbiosis in roots of coastal plants of temperate region and to search for structures related to possible functional status of the symbiosis. A total of 29 plant species belonging to 18 families and 27 genera were examined. The presented data clearly show that in spite of sometimes low intensity of mycorrhization, roots of all coastal plants studied possess functional structures of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis. It can be suggested that fluctuating and low intensity of mycorrhizal symbiosis is caused by unfavourable environmental conditions within the vegetation season. For salt marsh plants, increased soil salinity is one of the environmental factors leading to decreased intensity of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis.
Pigmented macrophage aggregates: A toxic response in fish exposed to bleached-kraft mill effluent?

An epidemiological study was conducted to evaluate whether the density of pigmented macrophage aggregates (PMAs) and the prevalences of preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions increased in fish captured downstream from a bleached-kraft pulp mill, causing induction of cytochrome P4501A enzymes (CYP1A). White suckers (Catostomus commersoni) sampled 10 and 95 km downstream from a bleached-kraft pulp mill in the St. Maurice River, Quebec, Canada, exhibited higher densities of PMAs relative to age in liver, spleen, and kidney than fish sampled 10 km upstream. White suckers were also sampled at three sites in the Gatineau River, Quebec, Canada, a reference river with a similar upstream/downstream ecological gradient but no pulp mill. In the Gatineau, density of PMAs was lower in the liver of fish sampled at the most downstream site, and there was no difference among sites in spleen and kidney. Higher growth rates have been documented at downstream sites of both rivers and thus cannot explain the increased density of PMAs observed at downstream sites of the St. Maurice River only. Density of PMAs did not differ between sexes or between fish with or without grossly visible parasites or granulomatous histological lesions. Although we cannot exclude the involvement of unknown infectious agents, density of PMAs appears to be a useful marker of bleached-kraft mill effluent (BKME) toxicity. Several known toxic effects of BKME could contribute to this response, including increased rates of lipid peroxidation associated with induced CYP1A and toxic hemolysis. Further field and laboratory studies are needed to evaluate whether the association between BKME exposure, induction of CYP1A, and increased density of PMA is consistent. Preneoplastic lesions were not observed in fish captured downstream of the pulp mill in the St. Maurice River, and only one case of biliary carcinoma was observed, at the most contaminated site.
Business Modeling of the Application Architecture of the Bulgarian Folklore Artery

In an attempt to answer the need of wider accessibility and popularization of the treasury of Bulgarian folklore, a team from the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences has planned to develop the Bulgarian folklore artery within the national project ―Knowledge Technologies for Creation of Digital Presentation and Significant Repositories of Folklore Heritage‖. This paper presents the process of business modeling of the application architecture of the Bulgarian folklore artery, which aids requirements analysis, application design and its software implementation. The folklore domain process model is made in the context of the target social applications — e-learning, virtual expositions of folklore artifacts, research, news, cultural/ethno-tourism, etc. The basic processes are analyzed and modeled and some inferences are made for the use cases and requirements specification of the Bulgarian folklore artery application. As a conclusion the application architecture of the Bulgarian folklore artery is presented.
Arginine Biosynthesis in Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus causes a wide variety of infections including osteomyelitis, endocarditis, and necrotizing pneumonia. It has been known for decades that S. aureus is auxotrophic for many amino acids including arginine. However, we discovered that after extended incubation, S. aureus can be trained to grow in a defined media lacking arginine. We demonstrate here that this delayed growth is due to the selection of mutations in ahrC, a transcriptional regulator of arginine biosynthesis. A mutation in ahrC mediates the growth of S. aureus in CDM-R by facilitating the biosynthesis of arginine via proline. Mutations in putA and argGH halt the growth of the JE2 ahrC mutant while a mutation in argDCJB did not. In addition, Liquid Chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis showed that C5-labelled arginine was detected in the JE2 ahrC mutant when grown in the presence of C5-labelled proline and not ofC5-labelled glutamate further confirming that proline is the precursor of arginine. Furthermore, our transcriptional analysis results demonstrate that AhrC in S. aureus functions to primarily repress argGH and arcB1 allowing for arginine biosynthesis via proline. Although the mechanism of arginine biosynthesis regulation was shown to be conserved among species, our data demonstrate that AhrC in S. aureus functions to regulate arginine biosynthesis differently, with the biosynthesis being mediated through the urea cycle using proline as a precursor instead of the highly conserved and well-characterized glutamate pathway which was shown to be inactive in-vitro
Analysis of Accuracy Level of Altman Z-Score Model and Springate Model in Measuring the Potential of Financial Distress in Plantations Industries

This study aimed to analyze the level of bankruptcy using Altman Z-Score model of modifications and models Springate, the Plantations Company period 2014-2017. The data used in this research is secondary data, financial data Plantations Company taken from the site www.idx. co.id. Based on the results of this study show that the model of the Altman Z-Score modification Plantations Industries was having financial difficulties which would be potentially bankrupt, it can be seen from the Z-Score of less than 1.1 in the period 2014-2017 and no different from using a model that generates value Springate S-Score <0.862 means that the financial performance Plantations company are experiencing financial difficulties during the 2014-2017 period and potentially going bankrupt.
A preliminary assessment of bacteria in “ranched” ball pythons (Python regius), Togo, West Africa

Captive reptiles are routinely identified as reservoirs of pathogenic bacteria and reports of reptile-associated infections relating to some species are well documented (e.g., salmonellosis). Currently, relatively little is known about the epidemiology and bacteria of ball pythons. We carried out a survey of ball python farms in Togo, West Africa to assess the presence of any potentially pathogenic bacterial taxa that have been identified in recent scientific literature relating to this species. The presence of bacteria belonging to the genera Acinetobacter, Bacteroides, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Lysobacter, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, and Tsukamurella in oral and cloacal samples taken from five individual ball pythons is of potential concern for horizontal transmission given that pathogenic species belonging to these genera have been previously documented. The presence of bacteria belonging to the genera Clostridium, Escherichia, Moraxella, and Stenotrophomonas in the oral and rectal samples taken from five mice used to feed ball pythons suggests that they represent a potential reservoir of infection for wild caught ball pythons and their progeny. Furthermore, possible sources of environmental contamination include other captive amphibians, birds, reptiles and mammals, as well as free ranging birds and small mammals. Additional surveillance of ball pythons in the wild and in captivity at python farms in West Africa will shed light on whether or not this type of commercial activity is increasing pathogen exposure and lowering barriers to transmission. Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, it is recommended that python farms should immediately establish biosecurity and disease surveillance practices to minimize potential horizontal and vertical bacterial transfer.
A study of the factors affecting the individual contributions to income inequality: analytical framework and empirical evidences

The paper aims at proposing the study of the indivi dual contribution to the income inequality. The hor iz ntal analysis of inequality usually concerns with the measurements o f appropriate indexes in given social groups and ad dress the relationship between the characteristics of the groups and the i nequality observed (Stewart, 2002). This perspectiv recognizes the role of the grouping criteria (for instance gender, race, c ulture, age etc.) in determining the variation of t he inequality measures across the groups boundaries and requires sufficien t th oretical reasons to identify the groups classi ficat on criteria. On the other hand, it is also recognized the utility of in equality analysis just concerned with the variatio n across the parts of a given income distribution, i.e. according to selected dis tribution percentiles (Hölscher, 2006; Milanovic, E rsado, 2005). According to this perspective, the paper elaborates on the id ea of the individual contribution to the inequality level of a given income distribution and proposes its definition as an indi vidual position. Firstly, the concept of individual contribution is proposed and discussed. Secondly it is taken into account th e relationship between the individual contribution t inequality and the individual position with respect to three other dis tinctive individual characteristics: deprivation ( Ruciman, 1966), relative poverty and growth if individual income. An empiric al investigation is proposed, based on the Househol d Income Survey of the Banca di Italia’ Household Income which is inte nd d to provide examples intended to support the pr opositions introduced.
An exploration into Nyaope users and interventions to curb drug abuse in Gauteng, South Africa

South Africa is confronted with a high prevalence of substance abuse, comparatively speaking. It has been established that drug use affects not only individual users but also their families, friends, coworkersand communities at large. Additionally, children whose parents take drugs are themselves at greater risk of drug use and other risky behaviors. Other ramifications of illicit drug use include unemployment, poverty, an increase in contact crimes such as assault and property crimes, for instance, theft, and other social issues.In some regions, illicit drug use contributes to the rapid spread of infectious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis. The picture painted above implies that there is a need to intensify efforts to deal with the habit of using illicit drugs through awareness, prevention, treatment, as well as aftercare support. In addition, there is a need to enhance coordination and alignment of strategies between different role players involved in addressing the scourge of drug abuse in the Gauteng province. The aim of this paper is to explore drug use in the Gauteng province and to ascertain whether interventions implemented in the City of Tshwane to curb substance abuse have indeed reduced usage of drugs and crimes related thereto. The Method of the study was qualitative in nature, where themes were identified i.e. the drugs of choice, methods of ingesting drugs, the motive for drug use, drug accessibility and funding, interventions intended to curb drug abuse and effects of drug use on the users, family members and community members.
Working Paper UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE CONFERENCE OF EUROPEAN STATISTICIANS

2. The ratio-model ( De Waal et al., 2011, ch. 7.4) is an intuitively plausible model for business statistics. It states that many important variables like turnover, costs, revenues etc., scale with a measure of `size' of the units. Formally, the ratio-model can be viewed as a special kind of regression model with a single predictor variable (the measure of `size', for instance number of employees) no intercept and variance proportional to the mean. The model underlies a common estimation method (ratio-estimation) as well as an imputation method (ratio-imputation).
Making the Right Supply Chain Decisions

The literature on globalisation reveals wide agreement concerning the relevance of international sourcing strategies as key competitive factors for companies seeking globalisation, considering such strategies to be a purchasing management approach focusing on supplies from vendors in the world market, rather than relying exclusively on domestic offerings (Petersen, Frayer, & Scannel, 2000; Stevens, 1995; Trent & Monczka, 1998). Thus, the notion of “international sourcing” mentioned by these authors describes the level of supply globalisation in companies’ purchasing strategy, as related to supplier source (Giunipero & Pearcy, 2000; Levy, 1995; Trent & Monczka, 2003b).
Density‐Dependent Population Regulation in a Salamander

We studied population responses to variation in larval density in a salamander (Ambystoma laterale) that breeds in splash pools on exposed rocky shorelines at Isle Royale, Michigan. Population densities and size distribution were sampled in the field with little error because the water is clear and the pools are kept free of sediment and vegetation by waves from winter storms on Lake Superior. We experimentally manipulated salamander densities in 12 natural pools (three replicates each of four densities) and simultaneously monitored salamander populations in 27 control pools on two islands. The experiment demonstrated that increasing density significantly reduced survival and growth, and increased the skew in the size distributions of individuals. Each of these responses was also observed in the undisturbed natural populations. Density effect were probably due to interference because (1) natural variation in the densities of prey taxa did not influence salamander performance in the experiment, (2) salaman.
Towards a Complementary Metric of Haptic Immersion in VR using Event-Related Brain Potentials

Designing immersion is the key challenge in virtual reality; this challenge has driven advancements in displays, rendering and recently, haptics. To increase our sense of physical immersion, for instance, vibrotactile gloves render the sense of touching, while electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) renders forces. Unfortunately, the established metric to assess the effectiveness of haptic devices relies on the user’s subjective interpretation of unspecific, yet standardized, questions. Here, we explore a new approach to detect a conflict in visuo-haptic integration (e.g., inadequate haptic feedback based on poorly configured collision detection) using electroencephalography (EEG). We propose analyzing event-related potentials (ERPs) during interaction with virtual objects. In our study, participants touched virtual objects in three conditions and received either no haptic feedback, vibration, or vibration and EMS feedback. To provoke a brain response in unrealistic VR interaction, we also presented the feedback prematurely in 25% of the trials. We found that the early negativity component of the ERP (so called prediction error) was more pronounced in the mismatch trials, indicating we successfully detected haptic conflicts using our technique. The results can be understood as a first step towards ERPs as a potential metric of haptic immersion in VR.
Reproductive Effort in Plants. 1. Carbon Allocation to Reproduction

Reproductive effort, or the proportion of an organism's resources allocated to reproduction, is a crucial aspect of an organism's life history; the optimal allocation of resources to reproduction in different environments has been the subject of much theorizing. Adequate tests of these theories have been hampered by the difficulties involved in assessing reproductive effort. In this paper, we address the problem of determining which structures and activities should be considered part of reproduction, using Agropyron repens as the experimental material. We approached the problem by first determining the structures and activities necessary for vegetative growth and then determining reproductive structures and activities by subtraction. Using carbon as the currency of allocation, we defined vegetative growth as those structures directly involved in the capture of carbon (i.e., leaves) plus all necessary support structures and activities. The necessary support structures and activities were determined by comparison with vegetative plants grown under similar conditions. Reproduction in A. repens involves not only the production of flowering and fruiting structures, but also the production of a substantial amount of stem material, the loss of carbon through respiration, and carbon gain through photosynthesis. Reproductive photosynthesis includes both direct photosynthesis by the reproductive structures and reproductive enhancement of leaf photosynthesis. Simple measures of reproductive effort based on biomass allocation to flowering and fruiting structures do not adequately reflect carbon allocation to reproduction since there is both genotypic and environmentally induced variation among plants in the amount of reproductive stem material and in the ability to compensate for the cost of reproduction through reproductive photosynthesis.
Plant Density Modifies Within-Canopy Cotton Fiber Quality

Modifying fruit distribution through varying plant density may affect cotton fiber quality. This study was conducted to determine how fiber quality of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is manipulated through plant density and fruiting position. Two cotton cultivars were over seeded and hand thinned to 3.6, 9.0, 12.6, and 21.5 plants m -2 at the University of Georgia in 2001 and 2002. Immediately before machine harvest, plants from 6 m of one center row were removed from each plot and hand harvested by fruiting position. After hand harvest, seed cotton from each fruiting position was ginned separately for fiber quality analysis. Much of the data collected in this investigation suggest two recurring patterns with respect to fiber quality and fruiting position. First, the superior fruiting positions in terms of overall fiber quality (i.e., longer, more uniform and mature fibers) occur at first sympodial positions generally in the midcanopy region (i.e., main stem nodes 10-17), also known as inner fruiting positions. The second recurring pattern in this investigation suggests lower plant densities resulted in more desirable fiber properties at these inner fruiting positions. These data suggest reducing the percentage of the total yield produced at inner fruiting positions through reduced plant densities increased the source-to-sink ratio during boll filling in this region of the canopy, resulting in improved fiber properties. If this is true, modifications in crop management may increase the source-to-sink ratio during boll filling of the remaining fruiting positions (i.e., outer fruiting positions), possibly resulting in greater improvements in fiber quality.
Genetic Relationships among Some Species of Dalbergia Using PCR Based DNA Markers

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to study the genetic relationships among 10 species belonging to 2 sections of the genus Dalbergia. Of the 20 primers initially screened for polymorphism, only 10 amplified genomic DNA across all the 10 species. A total of 224 RAPD bands were observed with an average of 22.4 bands per primer, of which 99% were polymorphic. Pair wise genetic distances were calculated between species according to Jaccard, then used to construct UPGMA dendrogram. Cluster analysis based on the genetic similarities placed 10 species of Dalbergia in 2 clusters, with D. latifolia, D. sissoides, D. horrida and D. melanoxylon in Cluster A, and D. lanceolaria, D. paniculata, D. volubilis, D. rubiginosa, D. malabarica and D. sissoo in cluster B. These 2 clusters corresponds to sections: Sissoa and Dalbergia respectively. The results show that D. paniculata is very closely related to D. lanceolaria and suggested that D. paniculata can be considered as a subspecies of D. lanceolaria. The results of the present investigation distinguished the D. sissoides from D. latifolia, which was considered as a variety of D. latifolia. RAPD data supports the independent species status of the 2 species. The relationship between other species of Dalbergia in each cluster is discussed. This is the first report on genetic relationships among some species of Dalbergia using PCR based DNA markers.
Resource Use and Technical Efficiency of Small Scale Poultry Farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria: A Stochastic Frontier Analysis

The study examined the factors that affect poultry production among small scale poultry farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria. Thirty six respondents were sampled from a list of poultry farmers derived from Enugu State Agricultural Development Programme Office. The Cob Douglas stochastic production function was used to determine factors that affect poultry output as well as the factors that affect the technical efficiency of poultry production. Farm size (p = 0.05), capital input (p = 0.01), labour input (p = 0.05), quantity of feed used (p = 0.05) as well as drugs and veterinary services (p = 0.05) were the major factors that determined poultry output while age of farmer (p = 0.05), production systems (p = 0.1), farming experience (p = 0.1) and educational status (p = 0.1) determined the technical efficiency of poultry production. The mean technical efficiency of poultry production by small scale poultry farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria is 62%, implying that there are yet about 38% of chances for improvement on the technical efficiency of production. Given the existing technology of the poultry farmers, proper management that bears in mind the use of improved breeds and increased education of the poultry farmers on current techniques of production are policy measures that could help improve on the technical efficiency of poultry production in the study area.
Running Head: Federal Policy and the Teacher Labor Market Federal Policy and the Teacher Labor Market: Exploring the Effects of NCLB on Teacher Turnover

This study applies labor market matching theories and public performance accountability concepts to examine the effects of NCLB school accountability on school staffing and teacher turnover behaviors. Drawing on four waves of data on nationally representative samples of schools and teachers from the Schools and Staffing Surveys and Teacher Follow-Up Surveys from 1993-95 to 2007-09, we found that NCLB increased the average rate of teachers transferring involuntarily to other schools due to school-initiated separations. But this policy had no significant impact on the likelihood that teachers would either transfer voluntarily between schools or leave the teaching profession altogether. Moreover, NCLB did not affect the average probability of disadvantaged schools separating from their teachers. Finally, NCLB school accountability reduced schools’ likelihood of separating from teachers who spent more time on school-related work, or on extensive participation in in-service training, or who agreed with the school leadership. NCLB also reduced the voluntary turnover of teachers who were satisfied with accountability influences on instruction and who were the same race as the majority of the students in their school. The findings suggest strategic behaviors of individuals and organizations when they engage with policy and management change.