Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Isoprene-producing bacteria in the rhizosphere

It has recently been proposed, but not proven, that bacteria associated with plant roots may produce the volatile hydrocarbon, isoprene, as a protective mechanism. Isoprene might act to repel organisms that feed on these bacteria or the host roots. The work presented here is an initial test of this idea, aiming to determine if isoprene-producing bacteria are common in the rhizosphere (the region in which living plant roots and micro-organisms interact). Bacteria associated with beet (Beta vulgaris) roots were isolated by culturing the soil adhering to the peel. All isolates were screened for isoprene emission and other phenotypic characteristics. Isoprene emission was detected by an isothermal (64 C) gas chromatography system. All 96 isolates produced some isoprene and a small percentage (28%) of isolates were very-high or high isoprene emitters. These results show that isoprene-producing bacteria are common in the beet rhizosphere. Identity tests of the 13 very-high isoprene emitters revealed much diversity. The phenotypic characteristics tested included Gram positive/negative cell surface, thermotolerance, fluorescent pigment, catalase production and spore formation. These results suggest that the very-high isoprene emitters in the beet rhizosphere are Gram-negative and not Gram-positive genera as well as all being catalase positive. Initial attempts to use the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to identify unknown isolates are described. Use of the PCR and further quantification of isoprene-producing bacteria will identify and improve understanding of the role of isoprene in the rhizosphere. This work was done under the auspices of the Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science program of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, with funding from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. SOARS is a registered trademark of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. SOARS 2001, Yasmin Rodriguez 1
Physiological Effects on the Expression of Aquaporin 1-Like HC-1 in Cope's Gray Tree Frog, Hyla Chrysoscelis

Pandey, Ram Naresh, M.S. Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, 2009. Physiological Effects on the Expression of Aquaporin 1-like HC-1 in Cope’s Gray Frog, Hyla chrysoscelis Aquaporin 1 is a cell membrane integral protein, which functions for water transport through the hydrophobic cell membrane to the cytoplasm. HC-1 is an aquaporin 1-like protein expressed in Hyla chrysoscelis and amphibian that survives at sub-freezing temperatures in its natural habitat. The goal of the current study was to investigate the expression of HC-1 during changing physiological conditions. The expression level of HC-1 was determined in skin, muscle, liver, kidney, and intestines of warm, cold, frozen, and dehydrated frogs using Western blot and immunohistofluorescence. Although HC-1 was widely distributed, the expression level varied among tissues and physiological conditions. In addition, HC-1 was present in both glycosylated and deglycosylated forms, the pattern of glycosylation also varied with tissues and physiological conditions. Thus, I conclude that HC-1 is widely expressed in tissues of Hyla chrysoscelis, and that it is regulated in these tissues according to physiological demands.
RAD51 and mitotic function of mus81 are essential for recovery from low-dose of camptothecin in the absence of the WRN exonuclease

Stabilisation of the stalled replication fork is crucial to prevent excessive fork reversal or degradation, which can undermine genome integrity. The WRN protein is a human RecQ helicase that participates in the processing and recovery of perturbed replication forks. WRN is unique among the other human RecQ family members to possess exonuclease activity. However, the biological role of the WRN exonuclease is poorly defined, and little is known about an involvement in the response to perturbed replication. Recently, the WRN exonuclease has been linked to protection of stalled forks from MRE11-dependent degradation in response to clinically-relevant nanomolar doses of the Topoisomerase I inhibitor camptothecin. Alternative processing of perturbed forks has been associated to chemoresistance of BRCA-deficient cancer cells, thus, we used WRN exonuclease-deficiency as a model to investigate the fate of perturbed replication forks undergoing degradation, but in a BRCA wild-type condition. We find that, upon nanomolar doses of camptothecin, loss of WRN exonuclease stimulates fork inactivation and accumulation of parental gaps, which engages RAD51. Such alternative mechanism affects reinforcement of CHK1 phosphorylation and causes persistence of RAD51 during recovery from treatment. Notably, in WRN exonuclease-deficient cells, persistence of RAD51 correlates with elevated mitotic phosphorylation of MUS81 at Serine 87, which is essential to avoid accumulation of mitotic abnormalities. Altogether, these findings indicate that aberrant fork degradation, in the presence of a wild-type RAD51 axis, stimulates RAD51-mediated post-replicative repair and engagement of the MUS81 complex to limit genome instability and cell death. AUTHOR SUMMARY Correct progression of the molecular machine copying the chromosomes is threatened by multiple causes that induce its delay or arrest. Once the replication machinery is arrested, the cell needs to stabilise it to prevent DNA damage. Many proteins contribute to this task and the Werner’s syndrome protein, WRN, is one of them. Defining what happens to replication machineries when they are blocked is highly relevant. Indeed, destabilised replication machineries may form upon treatment with anticancer drugs and influence the efficacy of some of them in specific genetic backgrounds. We used cells that lack one of the two enzymatic functions of WRN, the exonuclease activity, to investigate the fate of destabilised replication machineries. Our data show that they are handled by a repair pathway normally involved in fixing DNA breaks but, in this case, recruited to deal with regions of the genome that are left unreplicated after their destabilisation. This alternative mechanism involves a protein, RAD51, which tries to copy DNA from the sister chromosome. In so doing, however, RAD51 produces a lot of DNA interlinking that requires upregulation of a complex, called MUS81/EME1, which resolves this interlinking prior cell division and prevents accumulation of mitotic defects and cell death.
Functional diversity measures: an overview of their redundancy and their ability to discriminate community assembly rules

Summary 1. Indices quantifying the functional aspect of biodiversity are essential in understanding relationships between biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and environmental constraints. Many indices of functional diversity have been published but we lack consensus about what indices quantify, how redundant they are and which ones are recommended. 2. This study aims to build a typology of functional diversity indices from artificial data sets encompassing various community structures (different assembly rules, various species richness levels) and to identify a set of independent indices able to discriminate community assembly rules. 3. Our results confirm that indices can be divided into three main categories, each of these corresponding to one aspect of functional diversity: functional richness, functional evenness and functional divergence. Most published indices are highly correlated and quantify functional richness while quadratic entropy (Q) represents a mix between functional richness and functional divergence. Conversely, two indices (FEve and FDiv respectively quantifying functional evenness and functional divergence) are rather independent to all the others. The power analysis revealed that some indices efficiently detect assembly rules while others performed poorly. 4. To accurately assess functional diversity and establish its relationships with ecosystem functioning and environmental constraints, we recommend investigating each functional component separately with the appropriate index. Guidelines are provided to help choosing appropriate indices given the issue being investigated. 5. This study demonstrates that functional diversity indices have the potential to reveal the processes that structure biological communities. Combined with complementary methods (phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity), the multifaceted framework of functional diversity will help improve our understanding of how biodiversity interacts with ecosystem processes and environmental constraints.
Characterization of graphene nanosheets obtained by a modified Hummer's method

O Grafite natural e uma fonte barata e abundante para obter nanofolhas de grafeno. O metodo mais eficiente para a producao em grande escala e o metodo quimico, que se baseia na oxidacao de grafite natural. Este artigo relata a sintese e caracterizacao de grafeno obtido pelo metodo Hummers com algumas modificacoes. Os resultados indicam um elevado grau de oxidacao do grafite, provando que o processo foi eficiente. As analises de microscopia eletronica de varredura de emissao de campo (FEG), microscopia electronica de transmissao (TEM), espectroscopia Raman, analise termogravimetrica (TGA) e difracao de raios-X revela-ram que o grafeno produzido apresentou caracteristicas similares ao grafeno comercial. Palavras-chave: Grafeno, nanofolhas de grafeno, metodo de Hummers modificado.
Explaining Support for Radical Right-wing Parties

In this study panel data on the three latest Swedish elections is used to empirically analyze the effect of unemployment rate and income on vote shares for the radical right-wing party, Sweden Democrats (SD). While high income levels are associated with low support for SD at national level elections, high unemployment rate is associated with high support for SD at municipality level elections. Differences in political responsibilities between the national government and the local ruling municipality, can potentially explain the different patterns observed at national and municipality level elections. The results also show high proportion of arriving refugees in the municipality is associated with high support for SD at national level elections.
IMPACT EVALUATION OF THE SCHOOL OPERATIONAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (BOS) USING THE MATCHING METHOD

Investment in human capital, especially in children’s education, is considered to be among the most effective ways for countries to improve their national welfare and reduce poverty in the long term. The Government of Indonesia has promoted human capital investment, especially in children, by designing school subsidy programs. Since 2005, the school operational assistance program (BOS) has been the biggest school subsidy program in Indonesia during the last two decades. This paper evaluates the impact of BOS on children’s test scores at the early stage. This study uses Propensity Score Matching (PSM) to estimate the average treatment effect, in the absence of selection, on unobserved characteristics. The results confirm that BOS can increase student performance. The finding suggests that the Government of Indonesia needs to develop a subsidy program to provide a basic level of education for all students, especially for the poor, as the recent school subsidy program is only sufficient for school fees or even only enough for tuition fees if the students live in urban areas. The remainder of the education expenditures must be covered by the household. Keywords: School Subsidy, BOS, PSM, Test Scores JEL: H52, I22, I25
Recycling of Residual Oil Fly Ash: Synthesis and Characterization of Activated Carbon by Physical Activation Methods for Heavy Metals Adsorption

In this study, the recycling possibility of residual oil fly ash (ROFA) towards preparing activated carbon and its application in environmental remediation through adsorbing Cu (II) and Pb (II) ions from aqueous solutions were investigated. Activated carbons were prepared using two different physical activation methods such as under steam flow at 950 0C, and combined steam and CO2 flow at 850 0C for 2 hours. Characterization of activated carbons was done by BET surface area method, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction technique (XRD). Combined gasification increased the surface area of ROFA particles quite higher (110.89 to 423.09 m2/g) than only steam activation (275.07 m2/g). Development of microporosity was also achieved during the treatments and it increased from 0.043 cc/g (raw ash) to 0.325 in steam activated samples, and 0.078 in combined gas activated samples. FTIR analysis showed the presence of aromatic, ester, and hydroxyl functional groups on the ROFA surface after the treatment while XRD examination confirmed its carbonaceous and amorphous nature. pH 5 was found optimum for the adsorption studies at which the removal efficiencies were >71% for Cu (II) and >80% for Pb (II). The Langmuir isotherm model was found statistically significant for both Cu (II) (R2 > 0.95) and Pb (II) (R2 > 0.99). ROFA has been successfully recycled in this work and the activated carbons might be considered for industrial applications.
Low Cost Constant – Head Drip Irrigation Emitter for Climate Change Adaptation in Nigeria: Engineering Design and Calibration

A low cost constant – head emitter for drip irrigation was developed using cheap and readily available materials as a substitute for the imported drip emitters which deter the adoption of drip irrigation in sub – Saharan Africa (SSA). The emitter was calibrated at both laboratory scale and on the field. The drip system comprises of abarrel, sub-main line, lateral lines, tubes and emitters, it can irrigate140 crop stands and can be extended to 560 stands. The emitters produced a mean discharge and emission uniformity (Eu) of 1.60l/hr. and 74 % respectively; while the calibrated manufacturer’s coefficient of variation and distribution uniformity of discharge were 0.098 and 86.3% respectively. The system operates under low pressure (87.9 mbar) and can deliver the daily crop water requirement of a crop like maize in 20 minutes; the overall system performance based on field calibration is generally satisfactory and show potential for improvement when compared with global standards for drip systems. The system’s low cost of N15, 870 ($79) gives it an edge over existing locally developed drip systems, the low technology and the use of locally available materials coupled with the water savings will enable famers to adapt to the impact of climate change in sub-Saharan Africa through the production of high value crops in the dry season. http://dx.doi. org/10.4314/njt.v34i4. 32
An overview of irritans-mariner transposons in two Mayetiola species (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

Mariner-like elements (MLEs) are widespread Class II transposable elements in insects that are subdivided into several subfamilies. In the current study, we carried out in silico analysis and in vitro experiments to identify MLEs belonging to the irritans subfamily in two cecidomyiid flies, Mayetiola destructor and M. hordei. In silico investigation of M. destructor genome allowed the identification of 25 irritans-like elements, which were mostly defective due to several mutations. These defective forms might be the remnants of active elements that ancestrally invaded the host genome. Structural analyses, including signature motifs and transposase-encoding ORFs, revealed structural heterogeneity and the presence of two full length copies. Five consensuses, reflecting the probable evolutionary groups of these elements, were constructed, based on a similarity matrix. The first consensus (Maymarcons1) belonged to Himar1-like elements reported in other insects, while the remaining four (Maymarcons2 to 5) seemed to be more specific to Cecidomyiidae. Moreover, the presence of elements belonging to the Maymarcons4 group was ascertained by PCR amplification, in both Mayetiola species, and was further identified in the Transcriptome Shotgun Assembly (TSA) of the orange fly, Sitodiplosis mosellana (Cecidomyiidae), suggesting the existence of irritans elements within the Cecidomyiidae, which were derived from an ancestral species by vertical transmission during speciation. On the other hand, consensuses that are specific to M. destructor could be derived from a more recent invasion. This study suggests that both M. destructor and M. hordei genomes have been invaded by irritans elements many times with at least two different evolutionary histories.
Changes in diet and nutrition with increased herd size in Texas white-tailed deer.

A high-density deer herd within a 3Yl-ha predator exclosure on the Welder Wildlife Refuge was sampled to investigate diet and nutritional levels. Annual diet of the exclosure herd averaged 76% forbs, 21% grasses, and 3% browse. Deer from the surrounding area consumed 87% forbs, 10% grasses, and 3% browse. Fawns from both herds consumed less grass during the first 9 months of life. The exclosure herd also exhibited lower ruminal levels of crude protein, higher levels of calcium, and higher calcium to phosphorus ratios than the surrounding herd. It was hypothesized that with increased herd size, deer within the predator exclosure overutilized the most desirable forb species and were forced to consume more grasses. The resulting decrease in nutritional level was responsible for changes in health, condition, and population parameters.
Chitin Elicitor-Responsive Photon Emission is potentiated by Plant Activators through Priming of Salicylic Acid Signaling via OsWRKY45 in Rice

Priming of plant cells for faster and enhanced defense responses against pathogen attacks is a common feature of chemically or biologically induced resistance. The authors previously developed a priming detection system that detects priming as potentiation of chitin elicitor-responsive photon emission (C-ERPE) in rice cells pretreated with various types of chemical inducers of disease resistance, called plant activators. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying C-ERPE potentiation, the authors performed gene knockdown of OsWRKY45, a major regulator of salicylic acid (SA)-dependent defense responses in rice, and estimated the effects of SA isomers on C-ERPE potentiation. Plant activators induced a 200-300% increase in C-ERPE in the wild type, whereas OsWRKY45 knockdown attenuated the increase in C-ERPE to less than 60%. Native SA induced more than a 150% increase in C-ERPE, but structural isomers of SA were less effective (10-24% increase). These SA signaling-disruption experiments indicate that the potentiation of C-ERPE requires intrinsic components of hormonal signaling for defense, at least for priming by inducers of systemic acquired resistance.
A Phenomenological Investigation of Women’s Experience of Recovering from Childhood Trauma and Subsequent Substance Abuse

Abstract Proceeding from a phenomenological perspective, the present study investigated the experiences of seven homeless women who had lived through childhood trauma and subsequent substance abuse, with specific focus on the recovery process experienced by each. Applying the analytical protocol of Giorgi (1985) to the written accounts obtained from the participants, 15 constituent themes of the recovery process were identified. In order to illuminate the participants’ experiences with minimal influence of any possible researcher bias, the researcher refrained from labelling, judging or diagnosing the women’s life circumstances. Consequently, no treatment paradigm was applied to help explain, predict or judge the behaviour of the participants during the course of this research.
Effects of Ellagic acid and Hesperetin on Levels of Some Elements in Livers of Aluminum-Induced Rats

1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Art University of Adiyaman, Adiyaman; Departments of 2Chemistry and 3 Biology, Faculty of Science and Art University of Ahi Evran, Kirsehir; 4 University of Gazi, Ataturk Vocational High School, Department of Chemical Technology, Anakara; 5Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science University of Firat, Elazig; 6Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Art University of Usak, Usak, Turkey
Inexpensive Procedure for Measurement of Ethanol: Application to Bioethanol Production Process

We have developed a spectrophotometric method for measurement of ethanol concentration in any unknown sample using a solvent tri-n-butyl phosphate [TBP, non-alcoholic solvent, density = 0.975 to 0.976, solubility in water = 0.028% (w/v)]. Solvent TBP separates ethanol from the non-hydrolyzed substrates that could interrupt the desired result by reacting with dichromate reagent. Oxidation of ethanol with dichromate reagent imparts blue green-colour to the solvent, which is easily detected by Spectrophotomer at 595 nm. Our established method showed similar results performed by relatively expensive Gas Chromatography (GC) method. In our present study we put forth a cheap alternate method for determining ethanol concentration in any aqueous solution.
Multiple Trend Breaks and the Unit-Root Hypothesis

Abstract Ever since Nelson and Plosser (1982) found evidence in favor of the unit-root hypothesis for 13 long-term annual macro series, observed unit-root behavior has been equated with persistence in the economy. Perron (1989) questioned this interpretation, arguing instead that the “observed” behavior may indicate failure to account for structural change. Zivot and Andrews (1992) restored confidence in the unit-root hypothesis by incorporating an endogenous break point into the specification. By allowing for the possibility of two endogenous break points, we find more evidence against the unit-root hypothesis than Zivot and Andrews, but less than Perron.
A Hybrid Nonlinear Active Noise Control Method Using Chebyshev Nonlinear Filter

Investigations into active noise control (ANC) technique have been conducted with the aim of effective control of the low-frequency noise. In practice, however, the performance of currently available ANC systems degrades due to the effects of nonlinearity in the primary and secondary paths, primary noise and louder speaker. This paper proposes a hybrid control structure of nonlinear ANC system to control the non-stationary noise produced by the rotating machinery on the nonlinear primary path. A fast version of ensemble empirical mode decomposition is used to decompose the non-stationary primary noise into intrinsic mode functions, which are expanded using the second-order Chebyshev nonlinear filter and then individually controlled. The convergence of the nonlinear ANC system is also discussed. Simulation results demonstrate that proposed method outperforms the FSLMS and VFXLMS algorithms with respect to noise reduction and convergence rate.