Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
18 kDa PROTEIN ACCUMULATION IN SUGARCANE LEAVES UNDER DROUGHT STRESS CONDITIONS

ABSTRACT The alteration of protein synthesis or degradation is one of the fundamental metabolic processes that affects drought tolerance. To investigate the protein profiles of sugarcane exposed to drought stress, two unrelated lines of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) Khon Kaen 1 and K86- 161were subjected to progressive water stress for 20 days. Under progressive drought stress condition, the Khon Kaen 1 line is sensitive to water stress. The modification of leaves were observed 2 weeks after the onset of water deficit. The Khon Kaen 1 leaves gradually turned yellow and wilted whereas the K86-161 leaves from the tolerant line remained green. The relative water content (RWC) in Khon Kaen 1 was decreased to 60% on day 20th whereas the RWC of K86-161 was slightly decreased and remained constant at 86% upon exposure to the water stress. In addition, when the protein changed in leaves were studied by two-dimensional electrophoresis, the accumulation of a 18 kDa protein was detected in drought-tolerant, K86-161 line. Antiserum raised against this protein, purified from SDS-PAGE, was used as a probe to detect the protein in sugarcane leaves by Western blotting technique. The titer of antigen-antibody interaction, was estimated to be 1:100. Furthermore, this polyclonal antibody was used to detect the accumulation of the 18 kDa protein in K86-161 and Khon Kaen 1 sugarcane leaves by Western blotting technique. The results show that the 18 kDa protein band from K86-161 expressed higher intensity than that of Khon Kaen 1 in equivalent to total protein amount. These results indicate that 18 kDa protein expressions had a high potential for development as a marker in any screening technique for drought-tolerant sugarcane cultivars.
A peer-led non-diet behaviour change intervention: FitU

Objective: Despite the popularity of weight loss interventions, research indicates these methods are ineffective for promoting long-term health. College age is a developmentally important age for developing lifelong health habits. FitU is a peer-led non-diet nutrition and physical activity (PA) mentoring intervention developed to promote lifelong health habits for college students. The purpose of this study was to examine the nutrition and PA outcomes of FitU participants. Design: Pre-experimental single group repeated-measures field study design with qualitative programme evaluation feedback at post-test. Setting: FitU participants met with both a nutrition and PA peer mentor four times each for a total of eight sessions. Method: Participants (N = 125) completed pre- and post-surveys about their nutrition and PA attitudes and behaviours. Results: FitU participants increased their eating competence from pre-to-post assessment and decreased their perceived barriers to healthy eating. Participants also increased their readiness to exercise and reported being more physically active. Conclusion: Findings demonstrate the effectiveness of a peer-led, non-diet mentoring intervention in promoting health-supporting habits among college students.
Monitoring the Joule heating profile of GaN/SiC high electron mobility transistors via cross-sectional thermal imaging

The development of high-quality gallium nitride (GaN) high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) has provided opportunities for the next generation of high-performance radio frequency and power electronics. Operating devices with smaller length scales at higher voltages result in excessively high channel temperatures, which reduce performance and can have detrimental effects on the device's reliability. The thermal characterization of GaN HEMTs has traditionally been captured from either the top or bottom side of the device. Under this configuration, it has been possible to map the lateral temperature distribution across the device with optical methods such as infrared and Raman thermometry. Due to the presence of the gate metal, however, and often also the addition of a metal air bridge and/or field plate, the temperature of the GaN channel under the gate is typically inferred by numerical simulations. Furthermore, measuring the vertical temperature gradient across multiple epitaxial layers has shown to be challenging. This study proposes a new cross-sectional imaging technique to map the vertical temperature distribution in GaN HEMTs. Combining advanced cross-sectioning processing with the recently developed near bandgap transient thermoreflectance imaging technique, the full transient thermal distribution across a GaN HEMT is achieved. The cross-sectional thermal imaging of the GaN channel is used to study the effects of biasing on the Joule heating profile. Overall, the direct measurement of the GaN channel, capturing both the vertical and lateral gradient, will provide deeper insight into the device's degradation physics and supply further experimental data to validate previously developed electrothermal models.
Pannotia under prosecution

Abstract Pannotia is a hypothetical supercontinent that may have existed briefly during the Proterozoic–Cambrian transition. Various lines of evidence used to argue for its existence include global orogenesis in Ediacaran–Cambrian time, the development of Cambrian passive margins and some (but not all) tectonic reconstructions. Indirect measures used to infer Pannotia's veracity include patterns of biological diversity, palaeoclimate, sea level, magmatism and other palaeoenvironmental proxies. It is shown herein that neither the direct records nor the indirect proxies provide compelling support for Pannotia. If that ephemeral contiguous landmass existed at all, its effects on the broader Earth system are inextricably tied to the more fundamental processes of Gondwanaland assembly. This perspective emphasizes the remarkable consolidation of Gondwanaland as a semi-supercontinent within the early stages of the Pangaea cycle. Gondwanaland's size combined with its c. 300 myr longevity might have greater significance for mantle dynamics than the larger, but shorter-lived, Pangaea landmass.
Why so many colors? : exploring the role of color polymorphism in the enigmatic neotropical polythore selys damselflies.

The study of color polymorphisms (CP) has provided profound insights into the maintenance of genetic variation in natural populations. We here offer the first evidence for an elaborate wing polymorphism in the Neotropical damselfly genus Polythore, which consists of 21 described species, distributed along the eastern slopes of the Andes in South America. These damselflies display highly complex wing colors and patterning, incorporating black, white, yellow, and orange in multiple wing bands. Wing colors, along with some components of the male genitalia, have been the primary characters used in species description; few other morphological traits vary within the group, and so there are few useful diagnostic characters. Previous research has indicated the possibility of a cryptic species existing in P. procera in Colombia, despite there being no significant differences in wing color and pattern between the populations of the two putative species. Here we analyze the complexity and diversity of wing color patterns of individuals from five described Polythore species in the Central Amazon Basin of Peru using a novel suite of morphological analyses to quantify wing color and pattern: geometric morphometrics, chromaticity analysis, and Gabor wavelet transformation. We then test whether these color patterns are good predictors of species by recovering the phylogenetic relationships among the 5 species using the barcode gene (COI). Our results suggest that, while highly distinct and discrete wing patterns exist in Polythore, these “wingforms” do not represent monophyletic clades in the recovered topology. The wingforms identified as P. victoria and P. ornata are both involved in a polymorphism with P. neopicta; also, cryptic speciation may have taking place among individuals with the P. victoria wingform. Only P. aurora and P. spateri represent monophyletic species with a single wingform in our
The karyotype of Sceloporus macdougallii (Squamata: Phrynosomatidae)

We report the karyotype of Sceloporus macdougallii, a lizard endemic to the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, member of the torquatus group. The results confirm a constant chromosomal number for members of the torquatus group within Sceloporus, which is 2n = 32 for females and 2n = 31 for males. This karyotype may be fixed in the “crevice-user” groups of Sceloporus but there are three remaining species in the torquatus group that need to be karyotyped for confirmation.
Black educators in (white) settings: Making racial identity visible in Early Childhood Education and Care in England, UK

The participation of Black educators in the UK’s education system has been a source of much debate in recent years. Research indicates having a teaching force that better represents society is critical because of the character, ubiquity, pervasiveness, duration and importance of teaching as a social activity. However, to date, many of the existing studies have taken place in primary, secondary and higher education contexts. The primary purpose of this paper is to draw upon concepts of identity to make Black educator identity visible in the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) context. Secondly, this paper aims to contribute to recent developments around mobilising Black studies as an academic discipline by seeking to explore how Black ECEC educators construct their identity through their professional practice. This paper draws on Critical Race Theory and narrative analysis methods to illustrate the experiences of Black ECEC educators. While this paper does not generalise to the experience of all Black educators, it does highlight a much under-researched area and advocates the need for counter-narratives to challenge normative unracialised experiences.
Short Form 36-Item Health Survey (SF-36) in Patients with Physical Disabilities: Validity and Reliability

Aim : The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the SF-36 health survey (SF-36) in a sample of subjects with physical disabilities. Material and Methods: 305 patients recruited using the convenient sampling method from September 2019 to March 2020 in Kermanshah, Iran. Another similar 300 patients were selected to assess the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results: The Cronbach’s α ranged from 0.70 to 0.93, and intra-class correlation coefficients from 0.71 to 0.88; and with the no ceiling and floor effect for two main subscales. Convergent validity was supported by moderate to good correlation between SF-36 subscales and Moorong self-efficacy subscales ( r = 0.25- 0.53). The SF-36 divergently validated with HADS total score and subscales ( r = -0.24- -0.65) , concurrently validated with its subscales ( r =0.49- 0.88), and physically discriminated between persons with different level of disability ( t -test: p <0.001). Factorial analysis identified seven factors, confirmed with second-order in another 300 samples (chi-square (χ2/df) = 2.61( p < .001); RMSEA = 0.07 (90% CI = 0.07– 0.08); AGFI=0.75; GFI = 0.78; CFI= 0.85; and NFI = 0.78). Conclusions : the SF-36 is a reliable and valid tool in physical disables. However, SF-36 shows insufficient eight-factor validity. Future studies should focus on evaluating other psychometric properties, such as sensitivity to change in subjects with physical disabilities .
Telomere Protection and Maintenance in Arabidopsis thaliana

Telomere Protection and Maintenance in Arabidopsis thaliana. (May 2010) Xiangyu Song, B.S., Nankai University, China Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Dorothy E. Shippen Telomeres are the physical ends of linear chromosomes in eukaryotes. Telomeres not only protect chromosome ends from being recognized as double-strand breaks but also maintain the chromosome terminal sequences. These processes involve a number of telomere-related proteins. A major challenge in the field is to elucidate the full constitution of telomere-associated proteins and to understand how different protein complexes are regulated at chromosome termini. Here, I report the identification and characterization of STN1 (Suppressor of cdc thirteen, 1), CTC1 (Conserved Telomere maintenance Component 1) and TEN1 (Telomeric pathways in association with Stn1, 1) in Arabidopsis. CTC1/STN1/TEN1 (CST) forms a trimeric complex that specifically associates with telomeres. Loss of any component of the CST induces catastrophic telomere loss, disrupted telomere end architecture, and massive chromosome end-to-end fusions. Thus, CST plays an essential role in chromosome end protection. I also show that CST function at telomeres is independent of a previously characterized capping complex KU70/KU80, and that ATR is responsible for a checkpoint response in plants lacking CTC1/STN1. Additionally, I present data showing that Arabidopsis POT1a (Protection Of Telomere 1, a) has evolved as a telomerase recruitment factor. Unlike POT1 in other
Irradiation of the kidneys causes pathologic remodeling in the nontargeted heart: A role for the immune system

Cardiac disease is a frequent and significant adverse event associated with radiotherapy for cancer. Identifying the underlying mechanism responsible for radiation injury to the heart will allow interventions to be developed. In the present study, we tested if local kidney irradiation results in remodeling of the shielded, nontargeted heart. One kidney, two kidneys, or the total body of male WAG and Dahl SS rats were irradiated with 10 Gy of X‐rays. Local kidney irradiation resulted in systemic hypertension, increased BUN, infiltration of T lymphocytes, natural killer cells, and macrophages into the renal cortex and medulla, and renal fibrosis. Local irradiation of kidneys in WAG rats resulted in remodeling in the nontargeted heart after 120 days, manifested by perivascular fibrosis and increased interventricular septal thickness, but was not seen in Dahl SS rats due to a high baseline level of fibrosis in the sham‐irradiated animals. Genetic depletion of T cells mitigated the nephropathy after local kidney irradiation, indicating a role for the immune system in mediating this outcome. Local kidney irradiation resulted in a cascade of pro‐inflammatory cytokines and low‐molecular weight metabolites into the circulation associated with transmission of signals resulting in pathologic remodeling in the nontargeted heart. A new model is proposed whereby radiation‐induced cardiac remodeling in susceptible animals is indirect, with lower hemi body organs such as the kidney exporting factors into the circulation that cause remodeling outside of the irradiated field in the shielded, nontargeted heart. This nontargeted effect appears to be mediated, in part, by the immune system.
Intolerance of uncertainty and mental health in Brazil during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract The first Brazilian diagnosed with COVID-19 was identified on February 25th, resulting in a series of governmental actions to prepare the population for the effects of the pandemic. Nevertheless, geographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the country, and the strategies adopted may have contributed to generating a widespread feeling of uncertainty in the population; uncertainty about the disease, how to prevent it, its severity, and its impact on political and economic issues. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and common mental health disorders. Participants were contacted via social media messages and encouraged to fill out an online questionnaire with socioeconomic questions, a short measure of intolerance of uncertainty (IUS-12), and a measure of mental health indicator (DASS-21). With a sample of 924 participants from Sergipe, Brazil, three binomial logistic regressions were performed, one for each DASS-21 outcome, categorized by a median. The women in the sample showed a higher probability of having stress, anxiety and depression scores above the median. Over the entire sample, both subscales of IUS-12 were significantly and positively related to all three DASS-21 subscales. These findings are discussed in the context of mental health during a pandemic, and future directions for research are also presented.
Novel foraging by wintering Siberian Cranes Leucogeranus leucogeranus at China’s Poyang Lake indicates broader changes in the ecosystem and raises new challenges for a critically endangered species

Summary Following an abnormal flood in 2010 at China’s Poyang Lake, we observed wintering Siberian Cranes Leucogeranus leucogeranus switch from foraging in the shallow-water wetlands they typically use to grassland habitats. These previously undocumented habitat selection patterns raised questions whether differences in crane behaviour such as foraging success existed between the two habitats and how those differences might affect this critically endangered species. Over two winters, we used the density of customary food items (tubers of Vallisneria spp.) obtained from long-term monitoring efforts, Siberian Cranes flock behaviours, individual foraging success and estimated total flock foraging effort across both habitats. Novel foraging patterns by Siberian Cranes were associated with low densities of Vallisneria tubers across multiple sub-lakes within Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve (PLNR). Foraging success was higher in grasslands than in wetlands in winter 2010–2011, but higher in wetlands following a recovery of Vallisneria in 2011–2012. Subsequent to upland foraging during the winter of 2010–2011, we observed lower juvenile to adult ratio of Siberian Cranes at a fall migratory stopover location in north-eastern China despite indications of average environmental conditions in the nesting areas from 2010 to 2012. While grasslands adjacent to shallow-water habitats may be important refugia for wintering Siberian Cranes when Vallisneria is absent or inaccessible, and should be included in protected areas, multi-year dependence on grasslands for foraging could negatively impact population levels. Eliminating crab farming in protected areas and extending protection to shallow water areas sheltered from flooding by dykes could also help secure high quality foraging habitat under a variety of hydrological regimes. Novel foraging patterns by wintering Siberian Cranes represent a new challenge to the conservation efforts for this species that focus on shallow-water wetlands, and may be indicative of broader changes within Poyang’s ecosystem.
Pressure to prove: Muslim converts’ activism and radicalism mediated by religious struggle and punishing Allah reappraisal

ABSTRACT Muslim converts are overrepresented in Islamist terrorism compared to non-convert Muslims – Why? To explore possible explanations, we probed aspects of radicalism and Islamic religiousness within relevant populations. Specifically, we surveyed 356 American Muslim adults, of which 177 were self-identified converts, with the Activism and Radicalism Intention Scale (ARIS: Moskalenko & McCauley [2009]. Measuring political mobilization: The distinction between activism and radicalism. Terrorism and Political Violence, 21(2), 239–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/09546550902765508) and the Psychological Measure of Islamic Religiousness (PMIR: Abu Raiya et al. [2008]. A psychological measure of Islamic religiousness: Development and evidence for reliability and validity. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 18(4), 291–315. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508610802229270). We used the ARIS because terrorism is rare, but radicalism and activism are more common. Activism and radicalism engagement may correlate with terrorism engagement, though they are neither necessary nor sufficient antecedents. We found that converts, compared to non-converts, demonstrated higher intent to engage in activism and radicalism on the ARIS, and that they experienced greater Religious Struggle and lower Fear of Punishing Allah Reappraisal (PAR) on the PMIR. We also found that both of these PMIR factors partially mediated the relationships between conversion and activism/radicalism. We propose that this is because converts feel a pressure to prove their faith, especially when they believe Allah punishes unfaithfulness. We discuss these findings in light of current psychology and political mobilization literature and then offer suggestions for future research on the relationships between conversion, radicalism, and religious experiences.
Plant Leaf Classification using Convolutional Neural Network

Convolutional Neural Network (CNNet) has proven the indispensable system in order to perform the recognition and classification tasks in different computer vision applications. The purpose of this study is to exploit the marvelous learning ability of CNNet in the image classification field. In order to circumvent the overfitting issues and to enhance the generalization potential of the proposed FLCNNet, augmentation has been performed on the Flavia dataset that impose translation and rotation techniques to perform the augmentation with the transformed leaves having the same labels as the original ones. Both the classification models executed using; one without augmentation and one with the augmentation data are compared to check the effectiveness of the augmentation hence the aim of the proposed work. Moreover, Edge detection technique has been applied to extract the shape of the leaf images, in order to classify them accordingly. Thereafter, the FLCNNet is trained and tested for the dataset, with and without augmentation. The results are gathered in terms of accuracy and training time for both datasets. The Augmented dataset (dataset 2) has been found effective and more feasible for classification without misguiding the network to learn (avoid overfitting) as compared to the dataset without augmentation (dataset 1). This paper proposed the Five Layer Convolution Neural Network (FLCNNet) method to classify plant leaves based on their shape. This approach can classify 8 types of leaves using automatic feature extraction, by utilizing their shape characteristics. To avoid the overfitting condition and make the performance better. We aimed to perform the classification of the augmented leaf dataset. We proposed a five Layer CNNet (FLCNNet) to classify the leaf image data into different classes or labels based on the shape characteristics of the leaves.
Nano-HPLC-HRMS Analysis to Evaluate Leptin Level in Milk Samples: A Pilot Study

Leptin is a 16 kDa lipophilic protein hormone secreted by adipocytes and its most significant function is to inform the brain with negative feedback that regulates food intake. Recently the protein found in human breast milk was related to breast feeding and onset of obesity, and the evidence of a low probability to develop pediatric obesity in children fed with breast milk was also confirmed. Since leptin could have a critical role, its quantitation both in human breast, bovine milk and in infant formula products is interesting. For this reason, we developed an analytical method based on immunoaffinity purification followed by an analysis with nano-High Pressure Liquid Chromatography coupled with High Resolution Mass Spectrometry analyzer (nano-HPLC-HRMS) to identify and quantify leptin in milk samples and performed a pilot study using samples of human breast milk, bovine milk and infant formulas. With an obtained lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of 100 ng mL−1 we quantified leptin in human breast milk finding an average of 6.70 ng mL−1. Our results show that leptin was under LLOQ both in bovine milk and in infant formula products. In conclusion, the developed analytical method here described was suitable to quantify leptin in milk samples with a good sensitivity and selectivity, and without the use of radioactive reagents.