Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the Lactobacillus isolated from different curd samples

Lactic acid bacteria are commonly found in the fermented dairy products. Lactobacillus is a genus of lactic acid bacteria and described as heterogeneous group of regular, non-spore forming, gram-positive, rod shaped, non-motile bacteria and absence of catalase enzyme. The aim of this study was to isolate Lactobacillus from different curd samples. A total of 14 curd samples were collected from the local areas of Gurgaon (Haryana) and Lakshmangarh (Rajasthan). From these, 28 isolates were obtained by growing on de Man, Rogosa and Sharpe (MRS) agar medium and characterised by their phenotypic characteristics. The Lactobacillus isolates also possess homofermentative and heterofermentative characteristics. Key words : Lactobacillus , curd, microorganism
Effects of site of origin, time of seed maturation, and seed age on germination behavior of Portulaca oleracea from the Old and New Worlds

The effects of site of origin, time of seed maturation, and seed age on germination behavior, in terms of final percentage of germination and time for 50% of final germination were investigated in the widespread weed Portulaca oleracea L. Seeds were collected in August from one population at each of three geographical regions of the Old and New Worlds representing temperate (Southern Ontario, Canada), Mediterranean (Tanta, Egypt), and subtropical (Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.)) climates. The freshly harvested seeds were incubated in both light and dark at 15, 25, and 40°C. Seeds of the U.A. E. site showed little dormancy and germinated faster under a wider range of incubation conditions than did seeds from the Canadian site. To assess the effect of time of seed maturation on germination behavior, seeds were collected during the different seasons (November, February, May, and August) of the U.A. E. population. The percentage of germination was significantly higher for seeds collected in May and Novem.
Mating experience weakens starvation tolerance in the seed bug Togo hemipterus (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae)

Organisms are exposed to various stresses caused by environmental fluctuations. One of the most common stresses is the shortage of food. Individuals of many species must survive periods of starvation. There appears to be a trade‐off between reproduction and survival. When residual reproductive value declines for an individual, life‐history theory predicts an increase in current reproductive investment. Current reproductive investment differs between virgin and mated individuals. It is likely that mating experience influences starvation tolerance. However, few studies have investigated sex differences in the effect of mating experience on starvation tolerance or clarified the causes of reductions in starvation tolerance in both sexes. In the present study, these questions are investigated using the seed bug Togo hemipterus (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae). The results of the present study demonstrate that mating is costly for both sexes. Mated males show very short survival times and a daily reduction in weight, and daily energy expenditures are significantly greater in mated males than in virgin males. It is possible that starvation increases the mating effort of males, such as behavioural activities and the amount of time spent searching for females. A trade‐off between survival duration and lifetime fecundity is found in virgin females. However, there is no trade‐off in mated females, which have very short survival times. Whether male seminal substances contribute to the short survival times of mated females is considered. This is the first report demonstrating the influence of sex and mating experience on starvation tolerance. Sex‐specific causes for reductions in starvation tolerance are discussed.
Specific PCR-primers as a reliable tool for the detection of white truffles in mycorrhizal roots

During their symbiotic phase, white truffles are barely distinguishable morphologically, and molecular probes are needed for their identification. Here we report the design of species-specific primers for two white truffles (Tuber magnatum and T. borchii) on the basis of their ITS sequence. Their efficiency has been successfully tested on fruit bodies of the same species, many related and unrelated fungal species, as well as mycorrhizal roots in direct, nested and multiplex PCR experiments. They have allowed us to identify T. magnatum mycorrhizas for the first time.
Should a Normal Imputation Model be Modified to Impute Skewed Variables?

Researchers often impute continuous variables under an assumption of normality–yet many incomplete variables are skewed. We find that imputing skewed continuous variables under a normal model can lead to bias. The bias is usually mild for popular estimands such as means, standard deviations, and linear regression coefficients, but the bias can be severe for more shape-dependent estimands such as percentiles or the coefficient of skewness. We test several methods for adapting a normal imputation model to accommodate skewness, including methods that transform, truncate, or censor (round) normally imputed values as well as methods that impute values from a quadratic or truncated regression. None of these modifications reliably reduces the biases of the normal model, and some modifications can make the biases much worse. We conclude that, if one has to impute a skewed variable under a normal model, it is usually safest to do so without modifications–unless you are more interested in estimating percentiles and shape than in estimating means, variances, and regressions. In the conclusion, we briefly discuss promising developments in the area of continuous imputation models that do not assume normality.
Simulation-Based Learning in Higher Education: A Meta-Analysis

Simulation-based learning offers a wide range of opportunities to practice complex skills in higher education and to implement different types of scaffolding to facilitate effective learning. This meta-analysis includes 145 empirical studies and investigates the effectiveness of different scaffolding types and technology in simulation-based learning environments to facilitate complex skills. The simulations had a large positive overall effect: g = 0.85, SE = 0.08; CIs [0.69, 1.02]. Technology use and scaffolding had positive effects on learning. Learners with high prior knowledge benefited more from reflection phases; learners with low prior knowledge learned better when supported by examples. Findings were robust across different higher education domains (e.g., medical and teacher education, management). We conclude that (1) simulations are among the most effective means to facilitate learning of complex skills across domains and (2) different scaffolding types can facilitate simulation-based learning during different phases of the development of knowledge and skills.
Testing mechanistic explanations of observed correlations between environmental factors and marine fisheries

Based on observed correlations, marine fisheries are often hypothesized to depend on environmental factors. Since correlations are unreliable as a predictive tool, it is desirable to seek mechanistic explanations for observed correlations. This paper considers methods available for testing such mechanistic explanations. As a specific example, we consider the optimal stability window, proposed as a mechanistic explanation of observed correlations between the survival of North Pacific salmon stocks and the state of the atmosphere over the North Pacific in winter, as applied to the coastal waters and fisheries of southern British Columbia, Canada.
Interspecific differences in intraspecific abundance-range size relationships of British breeding birds

A general positive interspecific relationship between local abundance and geographic range size in animals has prompted speculation that a similar relationship might exist intraspecifically, such that a species is widespread at times when it is locally abundant, and more restricted in distribution when it is locally rare. Current evidence suggests that intraspecific relationships often are positive, but that there is considerable variation in the pattern exhibited by species. Here, we use data on British birds to test the hypotheses that species showing a high mean or wide spread of local densities or range sizes will be more likely to show strong intraspecific relationships between abundance and geographic range size. These data show only inconsistent support for an effect of the range of densities or of occupancies on intraspecific abundance-range size relationships. However, the strength of an intraspecific relationship does seem to be related to the mean occupancy of species, and whether or not a species exhibits temporal trends in density, with the strongest relationships found in species with simultaneous trends in both density and occupancy. We suggest that these results are explained by time lags in the loss or gain of species at occupied sites in response to reductions or increases in density.
Anomaly Detection of Hallux Valgus using Plantar Pressure Data

Machine learning is a superior tool that is unbiased and moderately comparable to the medical expert in making medical diagnostics if trained with correct supervision. In this paper we developed a supervised learning algorithm employing plantar pressure data to detect the anomaly called hallux valgus (HV) on a number of subject. Support vector machine (SVM) and its variants such as kernel SVM and ensemble SVM were evaluated on a plantar pressure open dataset. Results show that SVMs in general have the average classification rate of above 90 percent.
Characterization of the trypsin-like activity of Bacteroides forsythus

Bacteroides forsythus, a bacterial species frequently associated with disease periodontal sites, is known to possess trypsin-like activity. The present study was undertaken to determine the major characteristics of this activity. The trypsin-like activity was mainly found on the surface of the bacteria and could be solubilized with a zwitterionic detergent (Zwittergent 3-14). Using N-α-benzoyl-DL-arginine-p-nitroanilide as substrate, the optimum pH was between 7·5 and 8·5 and the optimum temperature was 35°C. The evidence suggests that the enzyme is a serine protease since it was strongly inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP), N-α-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone hydrochloride, leupeptin and antipain. The B. forsythus trypsin-like enzyme cleaved numerous chromogenic synthetic peptides containing either an arginine or lysine bond, but could not hydrolyse native proteins including casein, gelatin and BSA. Incubation of a cell envelope extract of B. forsythus the presence of [3H]DFP, which is known to bind irreversibly to serine proteases, labelled two bands at 70 and 81 kDa following SDS-PAGE (under reducing conditions) and fluorography. It is suggested that the B. forsythus trypsin-like enzyme may be mainly involved in the degradation of small peptides resulting from hydrolysis of larger proteins by other oral bacteria.
Color image segmentation using k-means clustering algorithm

: Color image segmentation has been the hotspot for the researchers in the image processing field. Color image segmentation using the neural networks, k-means clustering algorithm has yielded fruitful results. An advantage resulting from the choice of color space representation could be taken to enhance the performance of segmentation processes. The amount of information contained in the segmented objects is adopted as a measure to determine the segmentation rule. The experimental results show that the segmented image results are deemed effective.
OPTIMAL FEEDER RECONFIGURATION AND SITING OF DG IN DISTRIBUTION NETWORK USING ADVANCED OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES

This paper gives an answer to resolve the reconfiguration issues in a radial appropriated network.The consideration of distribution generation (DG) is to diminish the force misfortunes and to improve the voltage profile in an outspread distributed network. Hybridizing Harmony Search with Biogeography Based Optimization(HSBBO) and Grey Wolf Optimizer is utilized to remake and afterward recognize an ideal situation to put the DG units in the dispersed framework and results are compared.Sensitive investigation has been used to get the ideal areas for setting DG units. Various plans of DG work and reconfiguration of framework are utilized to examine the execution of the given strategy. The limitations in current and voltage in the branch is figured to gauge the goal work. Through IEEE 33 bus radial distribution network, the methodology is tried so as to demonstrate the execution and capacity of the planned strategy.
Allelopathic potentials of Cupressus arizonica leaves extracts on seed germination and seedling growth of Lolium perenne and Poa pratensis

Allelopathic materials inside a tree can produce major changes in the survival, growth, reproduction and behavior of other organisms if they escape into the environment. These effects can be positive or negative. For these reasons, a factorial experiment in randomized complete block design (RCBD) was conducted with four replications in 2011 at the University of Maragheh, Iran, to evaluate the allelopathic effects of Cupressus arizonica on seed germination and seedling growth of Lolium perenne and Poa pratensis . Aqueous leave extracts of C. arizonica at 25, 50 and 100 gL -1 concentrations were prepared and distilled water was used as a control. The results showed that the C. arizonica extracts had an inhibitory effect on the seed germination, and the seedling growth of both studied grasses and with increasing in extract concentration the inhibition rate was increased. The effect of C. arizonica extracts on Poa pratensis was more severe than the Lolium perenne. Our results indicate that the seedling growth, especially radicle elongation, was relatively the more sensitive indicator to evaluate the effects of extracts than the seed germination.
Functional analysis of SIRPα in the growth cone

The `signal regulatory protein' SIRPα is an Ig superfamily, transmembrane glycoprotein with a pair of cytoplasmic domains that can bind the phosphatase SHP-2 when phosphorylated on tyrosine. SIRPα is prominent in growth cones of rat cortical neurons and located, together with the tetraspanin CD81, in the growth cone periphery. SIRPα is dynamically associated with Triton-X-100-sensitive, but Brij-98-resistant, lipid microdomains, which also contain CD81. Challenge of growth cones with the integrin-binding extracellular-matrix (ECM) protein, laminin, or with the growth factors, IGF-1 or BDNF, increases SIRPα phosphorylation and SHP-2 binding rapidly and transiently, via Src family kinase activation; phosphorylated SIRPα dissociates from the lipid microdomains. A cytoplasmic tail fragment of SIRPα (cSIRPα), when expressed in primary cortical neurons, also is phosphorylated and binds SHP-2. Expression of wild-type cSIRPα, but not of a phosphorylation-deficient mutant, substantially decreases IGF-1-stimulated axonal growth on laminin. On poly-D-lysine and in control conditions, axonal growth is slower than on laminin, but there is no further reduction in growth rate induced by the expression of cSIRPα. Thus, the effect of cSIRPα on axon growth is dependent upon integrin activation by laminin. These results suggest that SIRPα functions in the modulation of axonal growth by ECM molecules, such as laminin.
The status of the Espagnolinae (Rehn 1948) and other subfamilies of the Episactidae (Descamps 1973) (Eumastacoidea, Caelifera, Orthoptera), with description of two new genera, Paralethus and Neibamastax

Abstract The phallic anatomy of all the modern Hispaniolan eumastacids and of representative species of all genera of the Central American Episactinae has been examined. Two new genera, Neibamastax from the Dominican Republic and Paralethus from El Salvador, are erected to accomodate species which were found to have very divergent phallic morphology. Additionally, we have examined isolated species of the Teicophryinae and Miraculinae. A cladistic analysis of the Central American and Hispaniolan genera was performed, which divides these into two well-supported monophyletic clades, corresponding to the two areas of distribution. These we equate with the Episactinae Burr 1903 and the Espagnolinae Rehn 1948, and offer diagnoses of these two subfamilies. We present new data from the Teicophryinae which supports their inclusion in the Episactidae as well.
Women's Leisure as Reproduction and Resistance

This article examines the experiences of 31 participants in three women's folk dance groups in Taiwan through the reproduction/resistance perspectives, which regard leisure as a means either to enhance or to challenge traditional gender ideologies and inequities. The findings suggest that the difference between reproducing or resisting societally imposed constraints lies in the negotiation strategy that is used, rather than in constraining factors, and that the coping strategy of negotiation is critical for women's resistance. Implications for social work are discussed.
Aid Allocation for Camp‐Based and Urban Refugees with Uncertain Demand and Replenishments

There are nearly 26 million refugees worldwide seeking safety from persecution, violence, conflict, and human rights violations. Camp-based refugees are those that seek shelter in refugee camps, whereas urban refugees inhabit nearby, surrounding populations. The systems that supply aid to refugee camps may suffer from ineffective distribution due to challenges in administration, demand uncertainty and volatility in funding. Aid allocation should be carried out in a manner that properly balances the need of ensuring sufficient aid for camp-based refugees, with the ability to share excess inventory, when available, with urban refugees that at times seek nearby camp-based aid. We develop an inventory management policy to govern a camp’s sharing of aid with urban refugee populations in the midst of uncertainties related to camp-based and urban demands, and replenishment cycles due to funding issues. We use the policy to construct costs associated with: i) referring urban populations elsewhere, ii) depriving camp-based refugee populations, and iii) holding excess inventory in the refugee camp system. We then seek to allocate aid in a manner that minimizes the expected overall cost to the system. We propose two approaches to solve the resulting optimization problem, and conduct computational experiments on a real-world case study as well as on synthetic data. We conclude by presenting related discussions that reveal key managerial insights into humanitarian aid allocation under uncertainty.
Identification of a genetic lineage within Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis as the causal agent of vertical oozing canker of Persian (English) walnut in France

A new bacterial disease of Persian (English) walnut (Juglans regia) has been observed in France. This disease, called vertical oozing canker (VOC), is characterized by vertical cankers on trunks and branches of affected walnut trees with oozing exudates. To determine the aetiology of the disease, a study was carried out in 79 walnut orchards and nurseries located in southeastern and southwestern France. Bacterial analysis from diseased samples yielded 36 strains identified as Xanthomonas arboricola and 32 strains identified as Brenneria nigrifluens on the basis of biochemical tests. The causal agent of VOC was identified as X. arboricola by pathogenicity tests on walnut. Fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism (F-AFLP) was carried out on 36 strains of X. arboricola collected in this study, 24 strains of X. arboricola pv. juglandis isolated from walnut blight symptoms and one strain of X. arboricola pv. corylina included as an outgroup. Based on cluster analysis of F-AFLP data, most X. arboricola strains responsible for main VOC outbreaks showed a high degree of similarity, forming a cluster clearly separate from strains of X. arboricola pv. juglandis isolated from walnut blight symptoms. It is suggested that VOC is caused by a distinct genetic lineage within the pathovar juglandis of X. arboricola that is also able to cause classical bacterial blight symptoms on walnut leaves and fruits.
Successful survey for a poorly-known weta, Hemiandrus sp. 1 (Orthoptera: Anostostomatidae), based on a GIS-generated environmental envelope.

In addition to the nine described species of ground weta (Hemiandrus Ander 1938) in New Zealand, there appears to be a further 28 unnamed taxa. One of these, Hemiandrus sp. 1 (tag-named Hemiandrus ‘Waimakariri’), was only known from one specimen found in the Poulter Valley, Arthurs Pass National Park, in the late 1960's. Insuffi cient information is available to assign a threat ranking to this taxon, and it is currently categorised as Data Defi cient. To direct survey effort and in an attempt to provide additional information on distribution, environmental envelopes were constructed using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) that predicted other sites where Hemiandrus sp. 1 may be present. These envelopes were based on the values of the environmental layers used to create the Land Environment of New Zealand (LENZ). Survey sites were selected from within these environmental envelopes and a combination of night searching and pitfall trapping was undertaken to validate Hemiandrus sp. 1 presence. During this survey four specimens were found near Lake Lyndon, bringing the total number of known specimens to five, and expanding the previously known distribution. This technique has applicability for other species with poorly known distributions.
Further Errors in the Acetylene Reduction Assay: Effects of Plant Disturbance

Minchin, F. R. , Sheehy, J. E. and Witty, J. F. 1986. Further errors in the acetylene reduction assay: effects of plant disturbance. —J. exp. Bot. 37: 1581-1591. A flow-through gas system was used to study the effects of disturbance on nitrogenase (acetylene reduction) activity of nodulated root systems of soyabean (Glycine max) and white clover (Trifolium repens). Detopping plus removal of the rooting medium (by shaking) produced a substantial decrease in maximum nitrogenase activity. This response is due to a reduction in oxygen flux to the bacteroids caused by an increase in the oxygen diffusion resistance of the nodule. The decrease in maximum nitrogenase activity was much smaller for roots subjected to detopping only. Thus, the effect of root shaking is more important than that of shoot removal. The effect of detopping plus root shaking on nitrogenase activity occurred whether the plants were equilibrated and assayed at 25 °C or 15 °C. However, the effect of disturbance on the oxygen diffusion resistance of the nodules, and thus on nitrogenase activity, was greater at the higher temperature. At the lower temperature the oxygen diffusion resistance of the nodules had already been increased in response to the reduced requirement for oxygen. These nodules were less susceptible to the effects of disturbance. Thus, comparisons of the effects of equilibration temperature on nitrogenase activity produced different results depending on whether intact or disturbed systems were used. With intact systems activity was lower at the lower temperature but with detopped/shaken roots the lowest activity occurred at the higher temperature. It is concluded that the use of detopped/shaken roots can produce substantial errors in the acetylene reduction assay, which makes the assay invalid even when used for comparative purposes. However, comparisons with rates of 15N2 fixation and H2 production show that accurate measurements of nitrogenase activity can be obtained from maximum rates of acetylene reduction by intact plants in a flow-through gas system. The continued use of assay procedures in which cumulated