Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phytosociology of Parthenium hysterophorus and its possible management through some potential Bio-agents

Citation: Knox Jai, Bhalerao SA and Paul MS (2014) Phytosociology of Parthenium hysterophorus and its possible management through some potential Bio-agents, International journal of Life Sciences, 2 (1): 49-52. Parthenium hysterophorus a noxious weed of today has its effect on human and animal health. This weed is known to cause asthama, bronchitis, dermatitis and hay fever in human and livestock. In a sample survey conducted in Bangalore, India it was recorded that 70% of the population suffers from allergic rhinitis due to pollen and 47% suffered from nasobranchial allergies. At present there is no effecteive treatment of dermatitis, other than exclusion of the weed but azathioprine therapy shows promising potential. Studies were undertaken to assess the phytosociology of Parthenium hysterophorus with other weeds growing in its vicinity and its control by some potent bio-agents. Studies were also undertaken to assess the chlorophyll content and percentage nitrogen of Parthenium hysterophorus. Maximum significant inhibition in chlorophyll content and percentage nitrogen was observed in shoot leacheates of Cassia occidentalis and Calotropis procera ,respectively.
Logistic Regression: A Paradigm for Dichotomous Response Data

-------------------------------------------------ABSTRACT--------------------------------------------------------Poverty is seen as a disease that has infected many homes in different countries of the world which need urgent and immediate treatment for Millennium Development Goals to be achieved or actualised. This article presents the theoretical basis for binary response data set, as well as the empirical results of the analysisof demographic data obtained from various households in Gbagyi Community of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria.The study examines the prevalence rate and possible causes of poverty in Dobi, Gwako and Bako communities in Gwagwalada Area Council with the application of Logistic Regression Model. The empirical analysis reveal that socioeconomic status and level of education of household head are inversely related. It also shows a strong association between poverty and level of income of household head. While age, size, assets of household head and other demographic variables considered show various levels of insignificance in the estimated model. Ageing increases the likelihood of poverty while literacy, family size, sex decreases the chance . Based on the empirical results, the researcher recommends the establishment of more public schools so as to increase their level of education, provision of basic social amenities as well as encourage family planning among rural dwellers so as to serve as booster of socio economic status and prevent poverty trap in time.
Multivariate Modelling of a Monotone Disease Process in the Presence of Misclassification

Motivated by a longitudinal oral health study, the Signal-Tandmobiel R , we propose a multivariate binary inhomogeneous Markov model in which correlated true response variables are subject to an unconstrained misclassification process and follow a monotone behavior. Conditionally specified logistic regression models are used to relate the multivariate baseline distribution and the elements of the transition matrices of the unobserved process to the available covariates. The misclassification model considers the existence of different classifiers for each subject across time.
On transformation of interactive proofs that preserve the prover's complexity

Goldwasser and Sipser [GS89] proved that every interactive proof system can be transformed into a public-coin one (a.k.a., an Arthur–Merlin game). Their transformation has the drawback that the computational complexity of the prover’s strategy is not preserved. We show that this is inherent, by proving that the same must be true of any transformation which only uses the original prover and verifier strategies as “black boxes. ” Our negative result holds even if the original proof system is restricted to be honest-verifier perfect zero knowledge and the transformation can also use the simulator as a black box. We also examine a similar deficiency in a transformation of Furer et al. [FGM+89] from interactive proofs to ones with perfect completeness. We argue that the increase in prover complexity incurred by their transformation is necessary, given that their construction is a black-box transformation which works regardless of the verifier’s computational complexity.
Wolbachia Infection Differs among Divergent Mitochondrial Haplotypes of Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae)

ABSTRACT Four mitochondrial (cytrochrome oxidase I) haplotypes of the potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae), have been identified in North America: western, central, northwestern, and southwestern. A recent study found that females of the northwestern haplotype mated by males of the western or central haplotypes failed to produce viable eggs. Our goal was to determine whether these patterns in reproductive incompatibility are associated with differences among haplotypes in the presence of cytoplasmic incompatibility-inducing bacteria, Wolbachia or Cardinium. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed that psyllids of the western and central haplotypes were both simultaneously infected with two strains of Wolbachia, but Wolbachia was not detected in psyllids of the northwestern haplotype. PCR using archived DNA from field-collected psyllids confirmed patterns in Wolbachia infection among the western, central, and northwestern haplotypes, and also indicated that Wolbachia was not detectable in psyllids of the southwestern haplotype, which were not available for the mating studies. Cardinium was not detected in psyllids regardless of haplotype. These results provide evidence that differences in Wolbachia infection may be the cause of cytoplasmic incompatibilities among sympatric yet biologically distinct populations of B. cockerelli that have highly divergent mitochondrial haplotypes. This knowledge will improve the interpretation of studies to assess interactions and biological differences among B. cockerelli haplotypes.
Effects of Tourist Disturbance on Wood Stork Nesting Success and Breeding Behavior in the Brazilian Pantanal

Abstract Large colonies of nesting ciconiiform birds have recently become an important tourist attraction in the Brazilian Pantanal. Visits to these colonies are uncontrolled and there is growing concern about disturbance to the breeding birds. In 1998, an experiment was conducted using different treatments within a single, large, heavily visited colony to assess the effects of different kinds of tourist viewing on the breeding behavior and nesting success of the Wood Stork (Mycteria americana). Pedestrian viewing, when more than 75 m from the nearest active nest, produced no detectable change in breeding success or behavior. However, boats passing within 20 m of nests were associated with significant changes in the time budgets of incubating adult storks. Most breeding failure occurred prior to hatching and was significantly higher in the boat-treatments in comparison with controls. It is suggested that the elevated level of nest failure observed in the boat-treatment group is evidence of biologically significant disturbance. These conclusions are supported by observations taken in 2000 when boats were excluded from the colony. Behavioral responses at the time of disturbance are typically used as indicators of effects when determining safe approach distances for birds. However, in this study, behavior during disturbances was unrelated to the eventual effect of disturbance. These findings have been incorporated into suggestions for the measurement of disturbance and management of tourist visits to bird colonies.
THE “ENGINEERS HAVE FEELINGS” PROJECT: INTEGRATING MENTAL WELLNESS AND LIFELONG LEARNING SKILLS IN FIRST-YEAR UNDERGRADUATE ENGINEERING COURSES

To address an identified need for programming that helps Engineering students to develop skills in coping, resilience, and lifelong learning, we designed, implemented, and reflected on the effectiveness of a curricular intervention on Engineering students’ mental wellbeing, academic engagement and achievement, and perceptions of support. This intervention has implications for the development of a model of the curricular components necessary to benefit undergraduate students’ academic engagement, success, and perceptions of student support. It may also be used to inform curriculum development across many university programs.
Student Social Identity Development and the University Image: A Case of Selected Universities in Kenya

The concept of organizational image has been emphasized in the field of marketing and business perspective. However, there has been little research in the area of organizational image in universities. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of students‟ social identity development on the university image. The participants were drawn from four universities; two public universities and two private universities in Kenya. The target population for the study included all the fourth year students in the selected universities. Data were collected by use of interviews. The findings indicated that students‟ identification with the university could be linked to student satisfaction with the university. Students who were satisfied with their degree programmes and university were found to engage in various behaviors that benefited them and the university, such as engaging in co-curricular activities as well as positively interacting with the institution. In addition, the quality of relationships between students and their lecturers is largely determined by the class size. Student-to-student relationship on the other hand is determined by the students‟ level of interaction with the university environment. The administration and governance of the universities shape the students‟ social identity. The conforming or non-conforming to the rules by the students dictates how they view their university. The study concludes that a students‟ social identity development plays a significant role in shaping the university image. The study further recommends that institutions of higher education should come up with impressive and high status activities and facilities to enhance development of students‟ social identity and in turn enhance the university image.
Europeana Newspapers

It is generally assumed that the digital revolution will spell the end for print journalism. Newspaper sales are in terminal decline as an increasing number of readers turn to websites, smartphones, and social media for their news and entertainment. However, while the internet may eventually kill off modern-day newspapers, it has managed to breathe new life into their ancestors. Over the last decade, millions of pages from thousands of historical newspapers and periodicals have been digitised and made available via a rapidly expanding series of online archives. A few years ago, it was possible to list most of these databases in a single paragraph, but we have now reached a point where even the most dedicated press historians struggle to keep track of the riches that are now at our fingertips. In these times of plenty, researchers would be forgiven for greeting the launch of yet another newspaper archive with a bit less enthusiasm than in the past. However, Europeana Newspapers [2] is more than just another archive – it is an ambitious project that aims to tackle some of the biggest challenges involved in newspaper digitisation and has the potential to become a valuable new resource for the study of European history.
On the Identity of Pyrenotrichum ‘atrocyaneum’, P. ‘mirum’, and P. ‘podosphaera’, Campylidia of Lichenized Ascomycota (Lecanorales: Ectolechiaceae)

Abstract We revised the original material of the invalidly published names Pyrenotrichum ‘atrocyaneum’, P. ‘mirum’, and P. ‘podosphaera’ R. Sant. Pyrenotrichum ‘atrocyaneum’ represents the campylidia of the recently described Kantvilasia hians, while P. ‘mirum’ corresponds to the campylidia of ‘Lopadium’ tayabasense, a species that externally resembles Calopadia, but differs in the ellipsoid, non-septate conidia and the richly branched and anastomosing paraphyses. The new genus Calopadiopsis is established to accomodate this taxon. Pyrenotrichum ‘podosphaera’ represents a genuine Sporopodium, externally resembling the pantropical, well known S. phyllocharis and S. xantholeucum, but featuring unique, 1-septate conidia. This taxon is here formally introduced as a new species, S. podosphaera. Diagnostic features of all lecanoralean taxa producing campylidia are summarized.
The ability of climate envelope models to predict the effect of climate change on species distributions

Climate envelope models (CEMs) have been used to predict the distribution of species under current, past, and future climatic conditions by inferring a species' environmental requirements from localities where it is currently known to occur. CEMs can be evaluated for their ability to predict current species distributions but it is unclear whether models that are successful in predicting current distributions are equally successful in predicting distributions under different climates (i.e. different regions or time periods). We evaluated the ability of CEMs to predict species distributions under different climates by comparing their predictions with those obtained with a mechanistic model (MM). In an MM the distribution of a species is modeled based on knowledge of a species' physiology. The potential distributions of 100 plant species were modeled with an MM for current conditions, a past climate reconstruction (21 000 years before present) and a future climate projection (double preindustrial CO2 conditions). Point localities extracted from the currently suitable area according to the MM were used to predict current, future, and past distributions with four CEMs covering a broad range of statistical approaches: Bioclim (percentile distributions), Domain (distance metric), GAM (general additive modeling), and Maxent (maximum entropy). Domain performed very poorly, strongly underestimating range sizes for past or future conditions. Maxent and GAM performed as well under current climates as under past and future climates. Bioclim slightly underestimated range sizes but the predicted ranges overlapped more with the ranges predicted with the MM than those predicted with GAM did. Ranges predicted with Maxent overlapped most with those produced with the MMs, but compared with the ranges predicted with GAM they were more variable and sometimes much too large. Our results suggest that some CEMs can indeed be used to predict species distributions under climate change, but individual modeling approaches should be validated for this purpose, and model choice could be made dependent on the purpose of a particular study.
How Do Parents Perceive the Returns to Parenting Styles and Neighborhoods?

This paper studies parental beliefs about the returns to two factors affecting the development and long-term outcomes of children: (i) parenting styles defined by the extent of warmth and control parents employ in raising children, and (ii) neighborhood quality. Based on a representative sample of 2,119 parents in the United States, I show that parents perceive large returns to the warmth dimension of parenting as well as neighborhood quality, and document that parenting is perceived to compensate for the lack of a good environment. Mothers expect larger returns than fathers, but there is no socioeconomic gradient in perceived returns despite a high degree of heterogeneity. Furthermore, I introduce a measurement error correction by leveraging beliefs measured in two different domains, and show that parents’ perceived returns relate to their actual parenting styles. My results suggest that parental beliefs are an important determinant of parental decision-making, but cannot explain socioeconomic differences in parenting.
Divergent and Reticulate Evolution in Closely Related Species of Sphagnum Section Subsecunda

Abstract The Sphagnum subsecundum complex includes a group of closely related, morphologically intergrading species in section Subsecunda. Nucleotide sequences from six genes (four nuclear and two chloroplast) were obtained from 74 populations representing all the putative species in this complex (S. denticulatum, S. inundatum, S. lescurii, S. subsecundum) to determine if the morphologically-defined taxa represent genetically distinct units. Sampling included populations from North America, Europe, and Asia. Parsimony analyses resolved two major groups of populations, one containing only North American plants (plus one from northern Russia) and the other containing all but two of the European samples, a few from North America, and one from Japan. Two of the four morphospecies occurred in both groups. Shimodaira-Hasegawa (SH) tests indicate that monophyly of S. inundatum, S. subsecundum, and S. lescurii can be rejected, whereas monophyly of S. denticulatum cannot be rejected with our data. Intragenic recombination was detected in both groups of populations, but was substantially higher in the “American” group. Because recombination calls into question the applicability of character-based phylogenetic methods, including parsimony, molecular similarity among populations was estimated using neighbor-joining. Neighbor-joining also resolved geographically correlated groups and corroborated the conclusion that morphologically defined species do not form genetically coherent groups. Groups of populations more closely reflect geographic than morphological patterns.
Studies on Hemagglutination by Rubella Virus.∗

Summary The hemagglutinin (HA) of rubella virus can be released from serum inhibitor by binding divalent cations with EDTA. The HA is associated with the viral particle. HA can also be obtained by Tween-ether treatment of infected tissue culture fluids, in which case it is released from the intact whole virus. The attachment between red cells and HA is dependent on divalent cations, and removal of the latter from the environment of agglutinated red cells results in elution of HA.
Recent advances in HPLC pigment analysis of phytoplankton

Analysis of phytoplankton pigments is central to studies of marine ecology and climate research. This paper summarizes milestones in the development of methods of pigment analysis, and shows the use of HPLC technology in their verification. New advances in HPLC methods are discussed, with key developments being the use of polymeric C18 and monomeric C8 columns and pyridine as solvent modifier. These have allowed the resolution of divinyl chlorophylls a and b, and the discovery of new chlorophyll c pigments (both polar and non-polar) and new 4-keto fucoxanthin derivatives. The taxonomic value of pigments and pigment suites is examined. Methods of interpreting the percentage of algal types from field measurements of pigment ratios through the use of computer algorithms are discussed. Finally, prospects for future development are suggested.
What’s the Best Exposure? Examining Media Representations of Female Athletes and the Impact on Collegiate Athletes’ Self-Objectification

Many studies offer clear evidence that exposure to glamorized and sexualized media images results in distorted body image perceptions in girls and young women. Researchers have examined the link between sports media exposure and the negative effect on body perceptions of young girls and women, though a gap exists in the examination of the relationship between media images and positive impact. Grounded in the theories of self-objectification and social comparison, this study tested the relationships between self-objectification and body esteem and sports media exposure. Using a between-participants experimental design, this study examined how three different images of elite female athletes—performance, glamorized, and overly sexualized—impacted collegiate-level female athlete’s tendency to self-objectify and their levels of body esteem. Results suggest that less self-objectification occurs and greater body satisfaction is achieved when images of performance athletes are viewed, suggesting a need for more of these images in mainstream media.
Why leaves curl with water content varied: Mechanics can illustrate biology

The phenomenon of plant leaves curling in the dehydration or water absorption process is normally observed in our daily life. In this study, we show that a simple mechanics model can be used to uncover the mechanism of this deformation. In consideration of the nonuniformly distributed tissues, a leaf is abstracted as a composite beam including two layers. We then derive the expression of the neutral axis curvature due to the mismatch strain, which shows that it is just the different capabilities to conduct water for the two layers that result to this curling deformation. Our experiment on the deformation of a composite sheet in water sucking verifies this theoretical model. These investigations may cast new light on how to design humidity-mediated sensors or actuators and are beneficial to illustrate the curved morphologies of some plant structures in nature.
An Asian commercial strain of Agrocybe chaxingu and a European wild strain of Agrocybe cylindracea exhibiting morphological difference and high genetic divergence are interfertile.

Three molecular markers were compared between a cultivated strain of Agrocybe chaxingu from South-Eastern Asia (SM960903) and a French wild strain of Agrocybe cylindracea (SM47): (i) the nuclear ribosomal unit, (ii) the mitochondrial SSU-rDNA and (iii) the mitochondrial cob gene. All markers reveal extensive variations: the ribosomal units possess up to 67 polymorphic sites (89 % of nt identity), the variable domains of the mitochondrial SSU-rDNA differ by large indel sequences and the cob gene molecular organization is characterized by non-orthologous group I introns. In fruiting tests, sporophores of the two strains were macroscopically distinguishable, especially by a thicker and stronger annulus in A. chaxingu. In inter-stock mating tests, hyphal clamp connections were detected in mycelia of the junction lines for all the confrontations. The dikaryotic status of the presumed hybrids was confirmed by the presence of both A. chaxingu and A. cylindracea nuclear ribosomal units. Dikaryotization was also observed in distal regions from the junction lines, indicating that nuclei migration occurred in these matings. Four selected hybrids containing each of the four A. cylindracea mating type genotypes were put in fruiting conditions. These hybrid sporophores were molecularly verified and shown to be fertile based on the presence of mature basidiospores. Despite extensive variations at the molecular and phenotypic levels, the complete inter-fertility observed between the Asian A. chaxingu and the European A. cylindracea strains strongly argues for con-specificity of both taxa. A. chaxingu would be a variety of the A. cylindracea species which was firstly described.