Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A comparative analysis of Long PCR and Standard PCR technique in detecting the Wolbachia Endosymbiont

Allele specific polymerase chain reaction (Standard PCR) is being widely used to amplify Wolbachia DNA from arthropods. Preliminary tests with Wolbachia allele-specific polymerase chain reaction suggested that the assays were prone to false negative results in insects. Standard PCR frequently produced false negative results, perhaps due to low titer Wolbachia DNA mixed with host genomic DNA. On the other hand, another PCR protocol, Long PCR which uses proof reading enzyme consistently amplified Wolbachia DNA and revealed that 49% of 35 arthropod species tested positive for Wolbachia which is considerably higher than the rate of 31% obtained in Standard PCR. An attempt has been made in this study to compare both Standard and Long PCR and to evaluate Long PCR as a technique for amplifying Wolbachia DNA from a diverse array of arthropods.
Localization of sucrose synthase activity in developing maize kernels by in situ enzyme histochemistry.

Sucrose synthase is usually localized by immunocytochemistry, but this method does not show the actual activity of the localized enzyme. A histochemical assay is presented here showing the activity of sucrose synthase by tetrazolium salt precipitation on sections of developing maize kernels. The advantages of the assay are a high sensitivity for low amounts of active sucrose synthase and the independence of specific antibodies. In this study the activity of endosperm sucrose synthase is shown to move gradually from the apical part of the endosperm to the basal endosperm during kernel development. This shift in sucrose synthase activity correlates well with the localization of starch synthesis during kernel development. The assay also shows the early loss of activity in the aleurone layer bordering the embryo, and a loss of activity in the apical aleurone during the final stage of kernel development while the enzyme was still found by immunocytochemistry. This is in contrast to a high sucrose synthase activity in the epithelium of the scutellum, where hardly any labelling was found with antibodies against maize sucrose synthase. Low sucrose synthase activities were found in the pericarp and pedicel parenchyma. Possible functions of the high and low activity patterns in the developing maize kernels and differences between the enzyme assay and immunocytochemistry are discussed.
Pre-fledging energy requirements of the nocturnally fed semi-precocial chicks of the Spotted Thick-knee (Burhinus capensis)

Abstract Studies of pre-fledging growth and energetics in precocial (self-feeding) shorebird species have shown that chicks expend large amounts of energy on thermoregulation and activity. We investigated the pre-fledging growth and energetics of Spotted Thick-knee (Burhinus capensis) chicks, which are semi-precocial (fed by their parents), near Cape Town, South Africa, to determine whether semi-precocial development would reduce the energy expenditure of chicks and enable them to grow faster. In addition, because Spotted Thick-knees are nocturnally feeding shorebirds, we hypothesised that their more limited foraging time (compared with diurnal feeders) would negatively influence growth and energy expenditure of chicks during their spring-summer breeding season. The growth-rate coefficient, resting metabolic rate, peak daily metabolisable energy and total metabolisable energy of Spotted Thick-knee chicks were similar to the values predicted for birds of their size. Therefore, the potential negative impact of nocturnal feeding on growth of chicks may be being countered by reduced chick energy expenditure on thermoregulation and activity owing to parental feeding, and adults potentially extending their foraging time into the day as their chicks become larger. The relative energy requirements of growing Thick-knee chicks were greater than those of precocial shorebird chicks in the same climate of the Western Cape, but lower than those of shorebirds breeding in temperate or arctic zones. The semi-precocial mode of development of Spotted Thick-knees did not result in reduced energy expenditure or faster growth than anticipated for shorebirds in general, but their relative growth was greater than that of precocial species at the same latitude. Therefore, semi-precocial development benefits the growth of Spotted Thick-knees.
Source-Sink Relationship and Protea Postharvest Leaf Blackening

The inflorescence of Protea neriifolia B. Br. was two-thirds of the total cut floral stem fresh weight and significantly influenced blackening of the attached 20 to 30 leaves. Floral stems harvested at five developmental stages were characterized for inflorescence diameter, fresh and dry weights, respiration, and nectar production. Inflorescence diameter and fresh and dry weights increased from stage 1 (very tight bud) to stage 5 (bracts reflexed). Respiration rate was high in stages 1 and 3. Nectar production began at stage 4 (open, cylindrical flower) and increased from 2.7 to 9.8 ml per flower with 15% to 23.5% total soluble solids as the flower opened. Postharvest inflorescence diameter, respiration rate, and nectar production increased and leaf blackening decreased when floral stems were placed in 5% (w/v) sucrose solution. Application of 14 C-sucrose to a leaf subtending the inflorescence lead to >50% of the radioactivity being found in the nectar within 24 hours. These data indicate that leaf blackening in protea is the result of depletion of carbohydrate by the inflorescence, and that this depletion is primarily due to the sugar demand for nectar production. The inflorescence of Protea neriifolia (13 cm long, 6-8 cm in diameter) has an involucral receptacle (5-6 cm in diameter) with 300-400 individual florets surrounded by three to five layers of involucral bracts (Rourke, 1980). Commercially, the floral stem is harvested when the inner bracts are beginning to unfold. The postharvest life of the inflorescence can be as long as 3-4 weeks. However, postharvest leaf blackening significantly reduces the vase life to ≈1 week (Bieleski et al., 1992; McConchie et al., 1991), ing source-sink relationships and which part of the inflorescence has the strongest sink demand. Our hypothesis was that carbohy- drate demand, from flower development, flower opening, and nectar production, causes leaf blackening. Therefore, in this study, in florescence growth and nectar production are studied to deter- mine the relationship between inflorescence development and leaf blackening. Movement of carbohydrates from leaf to the inflores- cence was determined by applying 14 C-sucrose to the leaf to study the source-sink relation and relative sink strength.
Non‐Specific Induction of Pisatin and Local Resistance in Pea Leaves by Elicitors from Mycosphaerella pinodes, M. melonis and M. ligulicola and the Effect of Suppressor from M. pinodes

The accumulation of pisatin was induced non-specifically by elicitors prepared from the high molecular weight fraction (molecular weight: more than 10,000 daltons) of the spore germination fluid of three species of Mycosphaerella-plant pathogens in pea leaves with epidermis removed, regardless of the pathogenicity of the fungi to pea. Before the elicitation of pisatin synthesis, local resistance to infection by Mycosphaerella pinodes was induced by elicitors again non-specifically inpea leaves in which wax had been removed from the leaf surface. The substance responsible for local resistance could be extracted with ethylacetate from the elicitor-containing drop diffusate which was placed on pea leaves. The substance prevented the penetration of M. pinodes through heat-killed pea epidermis, but did not affect spore germination. The suppressor prepared from the low molecular weight fraction (molecular weight: less than 10,000 daltons) of the spore germination fluid of M.pinodes counteracted the ability of elicitors to induce both phases of resistance mechanisms.
Sensitivity of three grassland communities to simulated extreme temperature and rainfall events

Three grassland communities in New Zealand with differing climates and proportions of C3 and C4 species were subjected to one‐off extreme heating (eight hours at 52.5°C) and rainfall (the equivalent of 100 mm) events. A novel experimental technique using portable computer‐controlled chambers simulated the extreme heating events. The productive, moist C3/C4 community was the most sensitive to the extreme events in terms of short‐term community composition compared with a dry C3/C4 community or an exclusively C3 community. An extreme heating event caused the greatest change to plant community species abundance by favouring the expansion of C4 species relative to C3 species, shifting C4 species abundance from 43% up to 84% at the productive, moist site. This was observed both in the presence and absence of added water. In the absence of C4 species, heating reduced community productivity by over 60%. The short‐term shifts in the abundance of C3 and C4 species in response to the single extreme climatic events did not have persistent effects on community structure or on soil nitrogen one year later. There was no consistent relationship between diversity and stability of biomass production of these plant communities, and species functional identity was the most effective explanation for the observed shifts in biomass production. The presence of C4 species resulted in an increased stability of productivity after extreme climatic events, but resulted in greater overall shifts in community composition. The presence of C4 species may buffer grassland community productivity against an increased frequency of extreme heating events associated with future global climate change.
Single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping and its application on mapping and marker-assisted plant breeding

The nucleotide diversity across a genome is the source of most phenotypic variation. Such DNA polymorphism is the basis for the development of molecular markers, an indispensable tool in genetic mapping studies. In general, the high resolution fine mapping of genes is often limited by lack of sufficient number of polymorphic molecular markers. This problem is compounded with traits controlled by multi-genes because in several such studies, QTL cannot be resolved to a workable resolution that could be feasible for predicting the candidate gene(s) associated with traits of interests. The availability of abundant, high-throughput sequence-based markers is the key for detailed genomewide trait analysis. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) are the most common sequence variation and a significant amount of effort has been invested in re-sequencing alleles to discover SNPs. In fully sequenced small-genome model organisms, SNP discovery is relatively straight forward, although highthroughput SNP discovery in natural populations remains both expensive and time-consuming. Here five central biochemical reaction principles that underlie SNP-genotyping methods specifically for large panel sizes and an intermediate number of SNPs are reviewed.
Photosynthetic features of non-Kranz type C4 versus Kranz type C4 and C3 species in subfamily Suaedoideae (Chenopodiaceae).

The objective of this study was to characterise photosynthesis in terrestrial non-Kranz (NK) C4 species, Bienertia sinuspersici Akhani and Suaeda aralocaspica (Bunge) Freitag & Schütze (formerly Borszczowia aralocaspica), compared with closely related Kranz type C4 Suaeda eltonica Iljin and Suaeda taxifolia Standley, and C3 species Suaeda heterophylla Bunge and Suaeda maritima Dumort in subfamily Suaedoideae (Chenopodiaceae). Traditional Kranz type C4 photosynthesis has several advantages over C3 photosynthesis under certain environmental conditions by suppressing photorespiration. The different photosynthetic types were evaluated under varying levels of CO2 and light at 25°C. Both NK and Kranz type species had C4 type CO2 compensation points (corrected for dark-type respiration) and half maximum saturation of photosynthesis at similar levels of atmospheric CO2 (average of 145 µbar for the C4 species v. 330 µbar CO2 for C3 species) characteristic of C4 photosynthesis. CO2 saturated rates of photosynthesis per unit chlorophyll was higher in the C3 (at ~2.5 current ambient CO2 levels) than the C4 species, which is likely related to their higher Rubisco content. The amount of Rubisco as a percentage of total protein was similar in NK and Kranz type species (mean 10.2%), but much lower than in the C3 species (35%). Light saturated rates of CO2 fixation per unit leaf area at 25°C and 340 µbar CO2 were higher in the Kranz species and the NK C4 S. aralocaspica than in the C3 species. In response to light at 340 µbar CO2, there was a difference in rates of photosynthesis per unit Rubisco with NK > Kranz > C3 species. There were no significant differences between the three photosynthetic types in maximum quantum yields, convexity of light response curves, and light compensation points at 25°C. The water use efficiency (CO2 fixed per water transpired) at 340 µbar CO2, 25°C and 1000 µmol quanta m-2 s-1 was on average 3-fold higher in the C4 (NK and Kranz) compared with the C3 species. The results show that the NK species have several C4 traits like the Kranz type species in subfamily Suaedoideae.
A Strong Ground Motion Catalogue of Selected Records for Shallow Crustal, Near Field Earthquakes in Iran

Understanding strong ground motions in the near-fault areas is important for seismic risk assessment in densely populated areas. In the past, lack of information on strong ground motion for large and moderate earthquakes led to the use of mainly far field large and moderate earthquake records in equations for calculation of the strong ground motion parameters. In this article, we collected and generated a seismic catalogue with a data set of corrected and processed 217 triaxial near source strong ground motion and accelerometric data recorded from 1976 to 2018 obtained from 30 shallow crustal earthquakes with a focal depth below 30 km from different regions including 24 in Iran, 5 in California and one in Italy (because of the lack of Iranian near-field accelerograms) in different stations. These data were recorded (129 Iranian records, 88 from California and Italy) with a source-to-site distance less than 80 km and earthquakes between Mw = 5 and 7.5. Receiver function method was used for site classification for these records. The percentage of processed data in this study was 18%, 43%, 33% and 6% for the different site classes of 1, 2, 3, and 4. In the final catalog, records in which their PGA≥ 100 cm /s2, were reported. This near source ground motion database also contains information about ground motion, source parameters and is fundamental for dynamic research in earthquake engineering for the estimation of strong ground motion parameters (PGA, PGV, PGD and frequency content of response spectra) of moderate-to-large earthquakes.
Massarina walkeri n.sp., the teleomorph of Acrocalymma medicaginis from Medicago sativa contrasted with Leptosphaeria pratensis, L. weimeri n.sp., and L. viridella

The teleomorph of Acrocalymma medicaginis Alcorn & Irwin was formed in pure culture. It is described as a new species, Massarina walkeri. It is contrasted with three somewhat similar species that parasitize legumes: Leptosphaeria pratensis Saccardo & Briard in Briard, Leptosphaeria weimeri n.sp. (anamorph Stagonospora meliloti (Lasch) Petrak), and L. viridella (Peck) Saccardo.
Real-time Fruit Detection Using Deep Neural Networks

Proximal imaging using tractor-mounted cameras is a simple and cost-effective method to acquire large quantities of data in orchards and vineyards. It can be used for the monitoring of vegetation and for the management of field operations such as the guidance of smart spraying systems for instance. One of the most prolific research subjects in arboriculture is fruit detection during the growing season. Estimations of fruit-load can be used for early yield assessments and for the monitoring of harvest and thinning. In addition, the visual aspects of fruits enable to appraise their growth and ripening status. This paper proposes a new approach for real-time fruit detection, combining a fast geometrical pre-processing whose output feeds a deep neural network (DNN) classifier. The first step is a radial Hough-like operator, which aims at identifying quickly the regions of interest, restricting the use of the DNNs to the most probably genuine candidates. The proposed method is generic enough to be applied on most near-spherical fruits. It was tested in two contexts: grapes and apples, with different varieties and phenological stages. In both cases the proposed method provided promising results. Correlation coefficients with manual counting and real harvest loads are up to 0.96 for grapes and up to 0.85 for apples.
Parallelizing Large-Scale Graph Algorithms Using the Apache Spark-Distributed Memory System

The rapidly emerging area of Social Network Analysis is typically based on graph models. They include directed/undirected graphs, as well as a multitude of random graph representations that reflect the inherent randomness of social networks. A large number of parameters and metrics are derived from these graphs. Overall, this gives rise to two fundamental research/development directions: (1) advancements in models and algorithms, and (2) implementing the algorithms for huge real-life systems. The model and algorithm development part deals with finding the right graph models for various applications, along with algorithms to treat the associated tasks, as well as computing the appropriate parameters and metrics. In this chapter we would like to focus on the second area: on implementing the algorithms for very large graphs. The approach is based on the Spark framework and the GraphX API which runs on top of the Hadoop distributed file system. Parallelizing Large-Scale Graph Algorithms Using the Apache Spark-Distributed Memory System
Experimental Determination of Elastic and Rupture Properties of Printed Ninjaflex

In this paper, the effect of the 3D printing procedure on the elasticity during fused deposition modeling (FDM) is investigated. The considered material with brand name Ninjaflex® is a thermoplastic polyurethane. Uniaxial tension tests are performed to identify the material properties, specifically the Young’s modulus, the maximum stretch, the tensile strength and the material’s fracture toughness. The influence of geometric characteristics on the material properties is studied.
A microtitre plate assay for measuring glycosidase activity

Glycosidases perform a wide range of functions in physiology and pathology, and are potential targets for the treatment of diseases such as influenza, cancer, AIDS and diabetes. This paper reports a convenient discontinuous colourimetric assay for the measurement of glycosidase activity. The assay utilises 4-nitrophenyl- substrates and quantities of product are determined by measuring absorbance at 405 nm. This assay is performed in a 96 well microtitre plate and has been used to characterise the properties of seven different glycosidases from bacteria, yeast and higher eukaryotes and their kinetic parameters determined. Assays in the presence of known inhibitors showed that inhibition modes can be determined, and IC50 and Ki values calculated. This assay appears to be of widely applicable and of general utility for the measurement of glycosidase activity and the evaluation of inhibitors.
Dynamic Spatial Resource Sharing in Relay Enhanced Cells

— Relaying, or multihop communications, and multiple transmit antennas represents two key technologies for the achievement of the spectral efﬁciency targeted by the European IST-4-027756 Project WINNER II. In this paper, a method for dynamic resource partitioning in relay enhanced cells (REC) is proposed. This exploits spatial sharing of time-frequency resources by different radio access points, base station or relay nodes, for their connections to the user terminals. The spatial resource sharing is based on a simple dynamic beamforming approach. A quite signiﬁcant performance gain is shown with respect to a conventional solution featuring ﬁxed intra-REC sectorization.
Checklist of oribatid mites from "Cape Martyan" Nature Reserve (Ukraine), with redescription of Paralopheremaeus hispanicus (Ruiz, Kahwash and Subías, 1990) and description of Ctenobelba martyanensis sp. nov. (Acari: Oribatida)

An annotated checklist of oribatid mite taxa (85 species, 72 genera, 41 families) in "Cape Martyan" Nature Reserve (Ukraine) is provided. Paralopheremaeus hispanicus (Ruiz, Kahwash & Subias, 1990) is redescribed in details. Ctenobelba martyanensis sp. nov. is described and illustrated. The new species can be distinguished from all representatives of the genus by having very widely dilated notogastral setae.
DETERMINATION OF GROWTH CURVES IN YOUNG ANGORA GOATS

The aim of this study is to analyze the growth curves of young Angora goats by using live weight data during period between birth and 12 th months. To reach this aim Logistic and Gompertz models which are non-linear growth models were used. To estimate growth, the determination coefficients of Logistic and Gompertz growth models were found as R 2 =0.957 and R 2 =0.956, respectively. According to these coefficients it might be suggested that it could be suitable to use both growth models in order to define the changes in the live weights as to time in young Angora goats.
Miejsce procesu cywilnego w systematyce prawa rzymskiego

Z problematyką rzymskiej procedury cywilnej wiąże się pojawienie licznych i interesujących kwestii oraz pytań problematycznej natury. Przykładowo, pewne wątpliwości może wzbudzić publiczny czy też prywatny charakter tego postępowania. Artykuł przedstawia pewne wybrane kontrowersyjne problemy związane z miejscem procesu cywilnego w systematyce prawa rzymskiego. System prawa procesowego w antycznym Rzymie przechodził dynamiczną ewolucję aż do czasów Justyniana. Najistotniejsze, z punktu widzenia dydaktycznego wydaje się przedstawienie, godnego uznania i misternie skonstruowanego, podobnie jak całe rzymskie prawo prywatne, rzymskiego procesu formułkowego. Rzymianie nie dokonali całościowej kodyfikacji procesu cywilnego, nie był on także dla nich zasadniczo odrębnym działem prawa. Tematyka rzymskiej procedury cywilnej, ze względu na swój doniosły wpływ na rozwój i kształt rzymskiego prawa prywatnego, zawarta jest zazwyczaj w jednym z rozdziałów podręczników prawa rzymskiego. Właściwy sposób przedstawienia tego działu powinien pomóc studentom w zrozumieniu historycznego podłoża współczesnych kierunków rozwoju procedury cywilnej i prawidłowej ocenie humanistycznych wartości rzymskiego procesu cywilnego.
Effect of potassium supplementation on monoterpene production of Houttuynia cordata

Houttuynia cordata Thunb. is an aromatic herb rich in monoterpenes. However, little information is available about the effect of potassium (K) on the monoterpene production. In this study, plants were cultured with different K levels and the monoterpenes in H. cordata were determined. Results showed that total monoterpene content only had a minor share (9.85%) of essential oil in the control treatment (0 mM), while it showed a remarkable increase in the treatments supplemented with potassium and 10.26 mM K resulted in the maximum total monoterpenes (43.25%). The total monoterpenes was strongly associated with the stimulation of monoterpene hydrocarbons. According to correlation analysis, the increase of monoterpenes was mainly attributed to potassium supplementation. This implies that potassium is very important for the monoterpene production of H. cordata .