Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Postharvest application with propolis for controlling white rot disease of green bean pods

White rot is the most severe disease attacking green bean pods during pre and postharvest stages. Ethanol extracted propolis (EEP) at four concentrations i.e . 0, 5, 10 and 15% was tested to study its effect on growth inhibition zone of the causative fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum . Results indicated that all tested concentrations of EEP significantly increased the inhibition zone of S. sclerotiorum growth. The highest increase was obtained with at 15% where complete reduction in sclerotia germination occurred. At EEP 10%, the sclerotia germination was reduced by 91.6%. When the same concentrations were tested to study their effect on white rot disease of green bean pods during storage, all EEP significantly reduced the percentage of white rot incidence and severity. The highest reduction was obtained with EEP at 15%; reducing the disease incidence and severity by 90 and 91.8% respectively, followed by EEP at 10% which reduced the incidence and severity by 78 and 82% respectively. EEP at 5% showed moderate effect. EEP is suggested as good biosystem within integrated management of pathogens and safe alternative for controlling postharvest diseases of green bean pods.
Cloning of genes expressed in the salivary glands during feeding of the tick Amblyomma variegatum

Ticks are hematophagous arthropod ectoparasites that feed on their vertebrate hosts for prolonged periods from days to several weeks. To successfully complete their blood meal they developed strategies to secure attachment on their host's skin, to ease blood flow and to evade their host's inflammatory and acquired immune responses. Ticks are also vectors of a number of major human and animal diseases and salivary gland secretions have been implicated in transmission and establishment of such infections. Amblyomma variegatum is a hard tick, found in tropical areas. Infestation with A variegatum is associated with exacerbation (not transmission) of dermatophilosis, a skin disease of cattle caused by the actinomycete Dermatophilus congolensis. This observation suggests that A variegatum ticks secrete molecules that can modulate the host immune response in such a way as to both prevent potentially harmful responses against themselves and change the pattern of infection and disease caused by unrelated pathogens. The purpose of this study is to identify and characterise saliva and salivary gland molecules that could contribute to the development of novel anti-tick vaccines or have potential therapeutical value for medical application such as non-steroid anti¬ inflammatory drugs. To identify such molecules, three methodological approaches have been used. A proteomics approach was carried out to identify proteins contained in saliva and salivary glands of partially fed A variegatum ticks. A combination of protein separation on oneand two-dimensional SDS-PAGE and peptide mass fingerprint analysis of selected proteins through MALDI-ToF/MS (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/IonisationTime of Flight/ Mass Spectrometry) technology was undertaken. Resulting monoisotopic masses of 16 selected spots (9) and bands (7) were compared with proteins of Swissprot database, and with the 6 frame-translated of deposited EST of Amblyomma variegatum, Amblyomma americanum, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus (TIGR)
A new Ordovician (Katian) calymenid, Gravicalymene bakeri sp. nov., from the Gordon Group, Tasmania, Australia

Abstract A previously unreported calymenid trilobite, Gravicalymene bakeri sp. nov., is described herein from Late Ordovician (latest Eastonian, Katian) shales of the Gordon Group, Tasmania. This is the first record of Gravicalymene from the Ordovician of East Gondwana (Australasia), a genus which is otherwise relatively well-known from Avalonia, Baltica and Laurentia (i.e., Europe and North America). The current taxonomic status of the genus Gravicalymene and other morphologically similar genera (e.g., Apocalymene, Calymene, Flexicalymene, and Sthenarocalymene) is also discussed. P.M. Smith [Patrick.Smith@austmus.gov. au] Palaeontology Department, Australian Museum Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, 2010, Australia and, Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, 2109, Australia; M.C. Ebach [m.ebach@unsw.edu. au] Palaeontology, Geobiology and Earth Archives Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, Australia.
The elimination of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells in vitro

Stem cells have been a focus of growing scientific interest both as a tool for studying early development and as a potential source of transplantable cells for regenerative medicine. Since their derivation in 1998, human embryonic stem (ES) cells have received much of this attention principally because of their ability to proliferate seemingly indefinitely in vitro and to differentiate along multiple lineages, essentially giving rise to every cell in the body (Reubinoff et ai, 2000; Thomson et al., 1998). However, before human ES-derived transplantation becomes a reality for patients, problems associated with prolonged and functional engraftment, histocompatability, homogeneous cell populations, and the risk of tumours arising from the accidental transplantation of undifferentiated human ES cells, must first be addressed. Despite the risk of malignancy associated with undifferentiated human ES cells, their indefinite growth in culture has provided an opportunity to manipulate their fate. This thesis has investigated the possibility of using the exogenous cell surface markers; the Galal-3Galpl-4GlcNAc-R (a-gal) epitope and the murine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule H2-Kk, under the transcription control of the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) promoter to selectively identify undifferentiated human ES cells for selective elimination. Provided within is evidence to show the successful genetic manipulation of
The indicator side of tree microhabitats: A multi-taxon approach based on bats, birds and saproxylic beetles

National and international forest biodiversity assessments largely rely on indirect indicators, based on elements of forest structure that are used as surrogates for species diversity. These proxies are reputedly easier and cheaper to assess than biodiversity. Tree microhabitats—tree‐borne singularities such as cavities, conks of fungi or bark characteristics—have gained attention as potential forest biodiversity indicators. However, as with most biodiversity indicators, there is a lack of scientific evidence documenting their quantitative link with the biodiversity they are supposed to assess. We explored the link between microhabitat indices and the richness and abundance of three taxonomic groups: bats, birds and saproxylic beetles. Using a nation‐wide multi‐taxon sampling design in France, we compared 213 plots located inside and outside strict forest reserves. We hypothesized that the positive effect setting aside forest reserves has on biodiversity conservation is indirectly due to an increase in the proportion of large structural elements (e.g., living trees, standing and lying deadwood). These, in turn, are likely to favour the quantity and diversity of microhabitats. We analysed the relationship between the abundance and species richness of different groups and guilds (e.g., red‐listed species, forest specialists, cavity dwellers) and microhabitat density and diversity. We then used confirmatory structural equation models to assess the direct and indirect effects of management abandonment, large structural elements and microhabitats on the biodiversity of the target species. For several groups of birds and bats, the indirect effect of management abandonment and large structural elements on biodiversity was mediated by microhabitats. However, the magnitude of the link between microhabitat indices and biodiversity was moderate. In particular, saproxylic beetles’ biodiversity was poorly explained by microhabitats, large structural elements or management abandonment. Synthesis and applications. Tree microhabitats may serve as indicators for bats and birds, but they are not a universal biodiversity indicator. Rather, compared to large structural elements, they most likely have a complementary role to biodiversity. In terms of forest management and conservation, preserving diversity of microhabitats at the local scale benefits several groups of both bats and birds.
Integrating device to device network with internet of health things: Towards minimum power allocation

Among the crucial invention of the 5G is the device to device (D2D) system, whereby cellular gadgets correspond via immediate transfer or by multihop transfer excluding the ground-terminal. It is probable that D2D users are concurrent with human body network. Due to this, we suggested an internet of health things (IoHT) system which enables collaboration work among D2D users and human body indicators. We may regard the power as the most unique source in the wireless body area network (WBAN). The least needed transferring capacity may accomplish a particular degree of function, and minimum capacity for transfer holds a crucial responsibility in decreasing power usage. In this study, we discovered the needed transfer energy of four transferring modes: the straight transferring system, the double-hop transferring system, as well as double increasing coordinated transferring system with Rayleigh medium vanishing in its layout. Besides that, we suggested an energy-competent system named as efficient-power transmission mode selection-based (EPTMS) system. The suggested system chooses suitable transferring system whereby it offers the least needed transferring energy that assures a particular transfer duration. The statistical as well as simulation results shows that the two-master node cooperative protocols (TMNCP), EPTMS may enhance system conduction within the main criteria.
The Messinian imprint on the evolution of freshwater fishes of the genus Luciobarbus Heckel, 1843 (Teleostei, Cyprinidae) in the western Mediterranean

The current configuration of the Mediterranean Basin is the result of a complex geological history that promoted a drastic change of biological diversity, richness and distribution of freshwater organisms. Currently cyprinids of the genus Luciobarbus are the only representative of primary freshwater fishes widely distributed in the Mediterranean Basin, showing its highest diversity in the Western Mediterranean. Within this context, our objective was to explore the biogeographical patterns of the genus Luciobarbus in the context of the drastic geological changes during the Messinian.
Size and shape assortative mating in Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica)

Assortative mating is hypothesized to be a product of sexual selection, mating constraints, or temporal autocorrelation. I test these hypotheses in the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica Newman, 1841), a sexually size dimorphic invasive insect pest in North America, by measuring the size and shape of bodies and wings of pair members in a wild population. Because male P. japonica prefer to mate with larger females and larger males outcompete rivals for mating opportunities, sexual selection is expected to produce size-related assortative mating. The current study did not support this hypothesis. The mating constraints hypothesis was also not supported because beetle pairs did not have similar body shapes. I, however, did find support for the temporal autocorrelation hypothesis as the wing size and shape of pair members were significantly correlated. This mating pattern likely arises due to individuals with larger and more slender wings arriving earlier at aggregation sites and pairing according to their arrival sequence. Although I found less support for the sexual selection hypothesis, I argue that mate choice might play an important, but secondary, role to temporal autocorrelation in explaining assortative mating in Japanese beetles.
Assessment of Micro-Doppler based road targets recognition based on co-operative multi-sensor automotive radar applications

Radar systems have become one of the principal sensory components in automotive vehicles, due to their ability to detect and discriminate between different objects in various scenarios. In this paper the micro-Doppler signature is used to identify road targets as cyclist, person, group of people, dog walking, and dog trotting. In order to boost the performance of Automatic Target Recognition in automotive environment, each node could share its micro-Doppler based features in a cooperative manner, using novel Vehicle To Vehicle communication frameworks based on joint radar and communication systems. The classification performance is evaluated considering two scenarios, a single-sensor scenarios where the micro-Doppler signature is observed by a single user, and a multi-sensor scenarios where each user shares its feature vector.
Bridewealth Marriage in the 21st Century: A Case Study from Rural Mozambique.

Objective This study examines trends over several decades in bridewealth marriage and analyzes the association of bridewealth with women's experiences in marriage in a rural sub-Saharan setting. Background Bridewealth - payments from the groom's to the bride's family as part of the marriage process - has long been a central element of kinship and marriage systems in patrilineal sub-Saharan Africa. This payment, which symbolizes the transfer of sexual and reproductive rights from the wife's to the husband's family, is grounded in a collectivist-oriented family system that closely ties women's status and value to their reproductive capacity. Method The study draws on population-based longitudinal survey data collected in 2006, 2009, and 2011 from 1,552 women in rural Mozambique. We use multivariable regression to investigate whether year of marriage predicts being in a bridewealth marriage and whether bridewealth status predicts marital dissolution, women's decision-making autonomy, women's work outside of subsistence agriculture, or modern contraceptive use. Results The proportion of marriages involving bridewealth payment has declined over time. While no difference by bridewealth status exists in women's autonomy levels or modern contraceptive use, women in bridewealth marriages are less likely to divorce over a five-year period and less likely to work outside of subsistence agriculture, net of other factors. Conclusion These findings reflect the complexity of a modernizing marriage system. With the decline of bridewealth marriage, its meaning has evolved, becoming increasingly indicative of individual wealth and status rather than family control.
Methodology for Predictive Assessment of Failures in Power Station Electric Bays Using the Load Current Frequency Spectrum

This paper presents a novel analysis methodology to detect degradation in electrical contacts, with the main goal of implanting a predictive maintenance procedure for sectionalizing switches, circuit breakers, and current transformers in bays of electric transmission and distribution substations. The main feature of the proposed methodology is that it will produce a predictive failure indication for the system under operation, based on the spectral analysis of the load current that is flowing through the bay’s components, using a defined relationship similar to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) used in data communication. A highlight of using the proposed methodology is that it is not necessary to make new investments in measurement devices, as the already-existing oscillography measurement infrastructure is enough. By implementing the diagnostic system proposed here, electrical utilities will have a modern tool for monitoring their electrical installations, supporting the implementation of new predictive maintenance functions typical of the current electrical smart grid scenario. Here, we present the preliminary results obtained by the application of the proposed technique using real data acquired from a 230 kV electrical substation, which indicate the effectiveness of the proposed diagnostic procedure.
Protein Subnuclear Localization Based on Radius-SMOTE and Kernel Linear Discriminant Analysis Combined with Random Forest

Protein subnuclear localization plays an important role in proteomics, and can help researchers to understand the biologic functions of nucleus. To date, most protein datasets used by studies are unbalanced, which reduces the prediction accuracy of protein subnuclear localization—especially for the minority classes. In this work, a novel method is therefore proposed to predict the protein subnuclear localization of unbalanced datasets. First, the position-specific score matrix is used to extract the feature vectors of two benchmark datasets and then the useful features are selected by kernel linear discriminant analysis. Second, the Radius-SMOTE is used to expand the samples of minority classes to deal with the problem of imbalance in datasets. Finally, the optimal feature vectors of the expanded datasets are classified by random forest. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed method, four index evolutions are calculated by Jackknife test. The results indicate that the proposed method can achieve better effect compared with other conventional methods, and it can also improve the accuracy for both majority and minority classes effectively.
Wideband Frequency Selective Surface Based Transmitarray Antenna at
 X-Band

In this paper, a wideband multilayer transmitarray antenna is designed for Ku frequency band. The unit cell is designed at 12GHz using frequency selective surface structure. Double square ring with center patch based multilayer unit cell is simulated. The effect of substrate thickness variation on transmission coefficient magnitude and phase range is discussed. The horn antenna designed at X-band will be used as feed source for transmitarray antenna. Transmitarray simulation results show wide impedance bandwidth from 10 to 13GHz. Wide gain bandwidth of 1.975GHz with peak gain of 18.96dB is achieved. The proposed transmitarray design will find applications in high gain, directional, low profile antennas for X-band communication systems.
Speciation with gene flow via cycles of isolation and migration: insights from multiple mangrove taxa

Allopatric speciation requiring an unbroken period of geographical isolation has been the standard model of neo-Darwinism. While doubts have been repeatedly raised, strict allopatry without any gene flow remains a plausible mechanism in most cases. To rigorously reject strict allopatry, genomic sequences superimposed on the geological records of a well-delineated geographical barrier will be necessary. The Strait of Malacca, narrowly connecting the Pacific and Indian Ocean coasts, serves at different times either as a geographical barrier or a conduit of gene flow for coastal/marine species. We surveyed 1,700 plants from 29 populations of five common mangrove species by large scale DNA sequencing and added several whole-genome assemblies. Speciation between the two oceans is driven by cycles of isolation and gene flow due to the fluctuations in sea level leading to the opening/closing of the Strait to ocean currents. Because the time required for speciation in mangroves is longer than the isolation phases, speciation in these mangroves has proceeded through many cycles of mixing-isolation-mixing, or MIM cycles. The MIM mechanism, by relaxing the condition of no gene flow, can promote speciation in many more geographical features than strict allopatry can. Finally, the MIM mechanism of speciation is also efficient, potentially yielding mn (m>1) species after n cycles. Significance statement Mechanisms of species formation have always been a conundrum. Speciation between populations that are fully geographically isolated, or allopatric speciation, has been the standard solution in the last 50 years. Complete geographical isolation with no possibility of gene flow, however, is often untenable and is inefficient in generating the enormous biodiversity. By studying mangroves on the Indo-Malayan coasts, a global hotspot of coastal biodiversity, we were able to combine genomic data with geographical records on the Indo-Pacific barrier that separates Pacific and Indian Ocean coasts. We discovered a novel mechanism of speciation, that we call mixing-isolation-mixing (MIM) cycles. By permitting intermittent gene flow during speciation, MIM can potentially generate species at an exponential rate, thus combining speciation and biodiversity in a unified framework.
General laws of the propagation of few-cycle optical pulses with orbital angular momentum in free space

We conduct a theoretical study of the propagation of few-cycle ultrafast vortices (UFVs) carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) in free space. Our analysis reveals much more complex temporal dynamics than that of few-cycle fundamental Gaussian-like beams, particularly when approaching the single-cycle regime and the magnitude of the topological charge $l$ is high. The recently described lower bound $\sqrt{|l|}$ to the number of oscillations of UFVs with propagation-invariant temporal shape (isodiffracting UFVs) is found to hold on average also for UFVs of general type, with variations along the propagation direction above and below that bound, even vanishing locally. These variations are determined by the so-called Porras factor, or ${g}_{0}$ factor, characterizing the dependence of the Rayleigh distance of the spectral constituents with frequency. With a given available bandwidth, UFVs must widen temporally with increasing magnitude of the topological charge and must widen or may shrink temporally during propagation as a result of the axially varying ${g}_{0}$-dependent lower bound. Under very restrictive conditions in their generation, an UFV can be shrunk below the lower bound $\sqrt{|l|}$ at a focus into a kind of locally compressed state of OAM, but it broadens well above $\sqrt{|l|}$ and is distorted in a tiny fraction of the depth of focus because of the dispersions introduced by Gouy's phase and wave-front mismatch. These propagation phenomena have implications and should be taken into account in experiments and applications of UFVs, such as the generation of high harmonics and attosecond pulses with high OAM, or in OAM-based ultrafast communications systems, as well as in other areas of physics such as acoustics or electron waves.
Oxidative stability of marine oils as affected by added wheat germ oil

ABSTRACT Marine oils, such as seal blubber and menhaden oils, offer a wide range of health benefits and play a critical role in many functions in the human body. These oils are highly vulnerable to oxidation due to their high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids. In this study, the stabilizing effect of blending of seal blubber and menhaden oils with antioxidant rich-wheat germ oil was investigated. Conjugated dienes and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were used as indicators of oxidative stability. Fatty acid composition of the original oils and blends was determined using gas chromatography, while tocopherol content was assessed using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results showed that blending with wheat germ oil increased the tocopherol content of seal blubber and menhaden oils. The oxidative stability of blended seal blubber and menhaden oils was improved, and higher oxidative stability was positively correlated with higher percentage of added wheat germ oil.