Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in Leaf Anatomical Traits Enhanced Photosynthetic Activity of Soybean Grown in Hydroponics with Plant Growth-Promoting Microorganisms

The use of hydroponic systems for cultivation in controlled climatic conditions and the selection of suitable genotypes for the specific environment help improving crop growth and yield. We hypothesized that plant performance in hydroponics could be further maximized by exploiting the action of plant growth-promoting organisms (PGPMs). However, the effects of PGPMs on plant physiology have been scarcely investigated in hydroponics. Within a series of experiments aimed to identify the best protocol for hydroponic cultivation of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ], we evaluated the effects of a PGPMs mix, containing bacteria, yeasts, mycorrhiza and trichoderma beneficial species on leaf anatomy, photosynthetic activity and plant growth of soybean cv. ‘Pr91m10’ in closed nutrient film technique (NFT). Plants were grown in a growth chamber under semi-aseptic conditions and inoculated at seed, seedling and plant stages, and compared to non-inoculated (control) plants. Light and epi-fluorescence microscopy analyses showed that leaves of inoculated plants had higher density of smaller stomata (297 vs. 247 n/mm2), thicker palisade parenchyma (95.0 vs. 85.8 μm), and larger intercellular spaces in the mesophyll (57.5% vs. 52.2%), compared to non-inoculated plants. The modifications in leaf functional anatomical traits affected gas exchanges; in fact starting from the reproductive phase, the rate of leaf net photosynthesis (NP) was higher in inoculated compared to control plants (8.69 vs. 6.13 μmol CO2 m-2 s-1 at the beginning of flowering). These data are consistent with the better maximal PSII photochemical efficiency observed in inoculated plants (0.807 vs. 0.784 in control); conversely no difference in leaf chlorophyll content was found. The PGPM-induced changes in leaf structure and photosynthesis lead to an improvement of plant growth (+29.9% in plant leaf area) and seed yield (+36.9%) compared to control. Our results confirm that PGPMs may confer benefits in photosynthetic traits of soybean plants even in hydroponics (i.e., NFT), with positive effects on growth and seed production, prefiguring potential application of beneficial microorganisms in plant cultivation in hydroponics.
Measuring destination attractivity: A migration example

The power of places to draw migrants is a topic of fundamental interest in geographical and related social studies and also in policy circles. This paper describes and demonstrates the utility of a measure of migration attractivity which is considered superior to those most widely used previously. Following a review of the importance now attached to measuring place attractiveness the paper documents the deficiencies of the most commonly used methods involving numbers and rates of in-migration and net migration. It goes on to argue for a measure of the relative intrinsic attractivity (RIA) of places which takes account of the spatial context of each place in terms of its accessibility from all the other places that are ‘at risk’ of supplying residents to it. It applies this approach to migration that took place in 1990-91 between all the local authority districts of mainland Britain as recorded by the 1991 Census. The resultant ranking of these 451 places on the basis of their migration attractivity for all persons is compared with the patterns indicated by more traditional measures. The paper then explores the characteristics of places to see what features are most closely associated with high and low levels of migration attractivity. Finally RIA scores are calculated separately for two age groups thought to have different views about what makes for an attractive place to live namely young adults and people at the peak of the family-building stage of their lives. (authors)
Coding theorems via linear codes: Joint decoding rate regions

In several problems in network information theory, it is important to jointly decode the codewords transmitted by several encoders. For ensembles of i.i. d. random codes, such joint decoding can be analyzed directly with standard methods. In this paper, we develop a general framework to analyze joint decoding for ensembles of random linear codes and ensembles of nested linear codes. The technical difficulty stems from the fact that codewords are not generally independent. As an initial test case, we first present a joint decoding region for the standard multiple access problem using nested linear codes. Based on this result, we further establish a joint decoding rate region for compute-forward over the DM-MAC.
The Role of the Arabidopsis E2FB Transcription Factor in Regulating Auxin-Dependent Cell Divisionw⃞

The molecular mechanisms by which the phytohormone auxin coordinates cell division with cell growth and differentiation are largely unknown. Here, we show that in Arabidopsis thaliana E2FB, accumulation and stability are positively regulated by auxin. Coexpression of E2FB, but not of E2FA, with its dimerization partner A, stimulated cell proliferation in the absence of auxin in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) Bright Yellow-2 cells. E2FB regulated the entry into both S- and M-phases, the latter corresponding to the activation of a plant-specific mitotic regulator, CDKB1;1. Increased E2FB levels led to shortened cell cycle duration, elevated cell numbers, and extremely small cell sizes. In the absence of auxin, cells elongated with concomitant increase in their ploidy level, but both were strongly inhibited by E2FB. We conclude that E2FB is one of the key targets for auxin to determine whether cells proliferate or whether they exit the cell cycle, enlarge, and endoreduplicate their DNA.
New multimode planar structure

A block of absorbing material covered by a metal plate and placed on a microstrip line forms a structure which makes possible multimode propagation. The structure significantly increases attenuation compared to absorbing material alone. Possible application as a microstrip sliding load or an attenuator are supposed. Experimental results and 3D electromagnetic simulations up to 18 GHz are presented
Not Just Situaciones de la Vida: Professionalization and Indigenous Language Revitalization in the Andes

Within discourses of language endangerment, life stages such as child language acquisition, adolescent language shift, and the death of community elders figure prominently, but what of the role of other, intermediate life stages during adulthood and professional life in the course of language obsolescence or revitalization? Drawing from long-term ethnographic research in the Andes, this article examines narratives and classroom interaction of Indigenous Andeans in an intercultural bilingual education master's program, to argue that professional formation enters into a dynamic with these individuals' personal language policies, marking their adult lives with stronger identification with Indigenous language and culture. This work suggests that these instances of language planning from the bottom-up in a global/local space of professional development are one way these Indigenous educators push back against Indigenous language endangerment.
Representation Language-Neutral Modeling of Ontologies

In this paper we present a new approach for language-neutral modeling of large-scale ontologies. The gist of our approach lies in the way we treat the majority of axioms. Instead of capturing axiom semantics in some specific representation language, we categorize axioms into different types and specify them as complex objects that refer to concepts and relations. A separate layer that is language-specific, in fact it may even vary for different inference engines working on the same language, describes how these objects are translated into a target representation. In addition to its far reaching independence with regard to specific representation languages, this approach benefits engineering since the semantics of important types of axioms may be much more elucidated in our ontology engineering tool, OntoEdit, than in comparable tools. Furthermore, our approach is principled in a way that allows for comparably easy adaptation of our tool to requirements for modeling axioms in specific domains. The apparition of these faces in the crowd; Petals on a wet black bough. Ezra Pound, 1913.
Competitive analysis of existing image quality assessment methods

Image quality assessment (IQA) has become indispensable part of image processing applications since times. Image quality assessment deals with the evaluation of image quality using different measures. The Goal of image quality assessment is to provide a metric that can estimate the perceived quality of an image instinctively. The assessment of IQA metric gives optimum result when human visual system is taken in to consideration. In this paper, we described the current standards of image quality measures. We also do competitive analysis of these metrics. It is important to analyze the performance of these metrics in a comparative setting and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of these methods. Comparison of available image quality metrics is critically important in deciding as to which metric is better for a particular application.
Reliability of cerebral blood volume maps as a substitute for diffusion‐weighted imaging in acute ischemic stroke

To assess the reliability of cerebral blood volume (CBV) maps as a substitute for diffusion‐weighted MRI (DWI) in acute ischemic stroke. In acute stroke, DWI is often used to identify irreversibly injured “core” tissue. Some propose using perfusion imaging, specifically CBV maps, in place of DWI. We examined whether CBV maps can reliably subsitute for DWI, and assessed the effect of scan duration on calculated CBV.
Communication Strategies Across Cultural Borders: Dispelling Stereotypes, Performing Competence, and Redefining Black Womanhood

For Black women born in the decades following the civil rights movement and second-wave women's movement, opportunities to move into educational and professional worlds have become reality. Such “opportunities,” however, often require that these young women live and move in environments where their racial and gendered identities remained marginalized. This study explores their communicative strategies as they cross cultural borders to predominantly White environments and furthers understanding of how and why they enact specific strategies in those environments. Focus group interviews are used to gather descriptions of communicative strategies in a phenomenological approach that encourages meaningful reflections on lived experiences. Analysis of responses reveals specific strategies are used to dispel historical stereotypes of Black women and perform competence in environments where they are the minority. Findings suggest future research with Black women across demographic groups and in additional communication contexts can further understanding of specific communicative strategies.
Harmony and Ecological Civilization: Beyond the Capitalist Alienation of Nature

When I consider the concept of harmony in the context of humans, their societies, and the environment I have a particular understanding of the concept. It refers to all people living together peacefully without exploitation of one person by another, each able to reach his or her full human potential, in a society in which everyone has their basic material and nonmaterial needs satisfied, feels secure, safe, happy, and fulfilled as human beings. In addition, the concept also implies harmony between people, the environment, and the other species we share the planet with. … [But] there is an overriding issue when considering harmony as I have briefly described it. Harmony in the world—among its people and between humans and the rest of the ecosystems—is not possible in the context of capitalism. Capitalism…has shown that it fosters interpersonal relations and metabolic interactions with the earth that are detrimental to achieving a harmonious existence. This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website , where most recent articles are published in full. Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.
A Review of “Child space: an anthropological exploration of young people'ls use of space”

Child Space has arisen out of Malone’s on-going research interests based around the UNESCO Growing Up in Cities Project (Malone is its Asia-Pacific Director), and the UNICEF Creating Child Friendly Cities initiatives, in which she has had involvement at many levels. Although the editing is at times scratchy and the production anything but polished, Child Space brings together an intriguing collection of studies about young people’s use and experience of space set in eight different countries. The contributors come from diverse backgrounds and cultures but are however united by their primarily anthropological approach to the study of young people’s relationships to space. Their research settings range from the remote grazing lands of Rajasthan to the basketball courts of inner North East Portland, from the rainforests of Sri Lanka to the urban intensity of Rio de Janeiro and from a squatters’ camp in South Africa to a suburban New Town in South East England. Malone’s own chapter compares her studies in Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands. The final chapter takes the study of young people and space beyond physical space into the realms of cyberspace. As the book’s title suggests the contributions stem from the anthropological tradition of studies of humans, their cultures and environments, yet, paradoxically, one of the book’s main aims is to take understandings of the relationship between young people and space beyond traditional anthropological conceptions. At times the anthropological legacy is apparent more in a methodological sense than in the construction of the contributors’ analytical frameworks. The methodologies utilised were a mixture of discussion groups, individual interviews, subjective accounts, visual methods, such as drawing, photography and videotaping, and participant-observation. However, as Gold and Gujar point out, in the case of participantobservation there are limits to the effectiveness of this methodology, as it is a fallacy to propose that adults could ever truly be participant-observers amongst children. As far as the book’s analytical frameworks are concerned, there are indeed some distinctly sociological “moments” in Child Space. This is most especially apparent in the utilisation of post-modern sociological theory. A number of the contributors draw upon post-modern theories of space, spatiality and place preoccupations so resonant of the urban sociological literature of the early 1990s. The following quote demonstrates the infusion of this literature into Malone’s book where she comments on “. the very active way in which children are taking up space; negotiating the politics and differences in space use, being resourceful and competent in its use while all the time conscious of the ways they are often ignored or worse still, marginalised in controlling how space is organised” (p. 15).
French youth policy in an age of austerity: plus ça change?

When François Hollande became the new president of the French Republic on 6 May 2012, as a moderate socialist, he pledged to make young people his priority and put an end to the neoliberal austerity measures introduced by his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy from the centre-right UMP party. This article explores youth policy in France from 2005 to 2013, in order to ascertain similarities and differences regarding attitudes towards youth and welfare during the two presidencies within an ongoing context of austerity. The article first outlines the background of youth policy in contemporary France. It then examines and compares the major themes and measures in recent youth policy. It concludes that behind the changing political discourse, there is a large degree of continuity in French youth policy due to the sustained focus on youth unemployment in an era of economic difficulties and a corporatist welfare system, which does not provide young people with universal benefits.
School Performance, School Effectiveness and the 1997 White Paper

ABSTRACT The rhetoric of the 1997 White Paper, Excellence in Education, appears to mark a ‘rediscovery’ of the role played by contextual factors in influencing the quality and performance of schools. Despite this, the policy initiatives outlined in the White Paper remain wedded to the idea that school improvement can take place largely independently of contextual constraints. This paper argues that this survival of a perspective more in keeping with New Right thinking reflects the continuing dominance of the School Effectiveness Research (SER) paradigm. Providing a methodological critique of SER, we argue that the focus on the use of prior attainment data in the measurement of the ‘value added’ by schools has deflected attention from studies of how patterns of school performance reflect underlying patterns of social advantage/disadvantage. Reviewing a growing body of work which demonstrates how schooling serves to reinforce existing patterns of social advantage, we conclude that genuine and widespread sch.
AFLP analyses of California and Mediterranean populations of Seiridium cardinale provide insights on its origin, biology and spread pathways

Summary Seiridium cardinale is regarded as the most important agent responsible for the disease of cupressaceous hosts referred to as Cypress canker. The fungus was first described in California and is currently reported in all continents. A recent study based on seven SSR loci has suggested that California populations may represent the source of the epidemic in the Mediterranean. In this study, 185 AFLP markers were used on an expanded sample size of 125 isolates to determine whether the Mediterranean population may indeed be derived from the California one and to compare the reproductive modes of populations in the two regions of the world. Additionally, amova, NJ, STRUCTURE, principal component analysis and β-tubulin sequence analyses were employed to infer the presence of genetic structure within and between populations. The distribution of pairwise AFLP similarity coefficients suggests Mediterranean populations are reproducing only clonally, while California populations are reproducing both clonally and sexually. amova indicates Mediterranean and California populations are currently genetically isolated, but NJ and STRUCTURE analyses both suggest ancestral Mediterranean genotypes belong to the California population. No alleles were private to either population, and the presence of identical or quasi-identical genotypes at large distances supports the notion that movement of infected cypress plants is responsible for the global spread of the disease. Surprisingly, STRUCTURE identified a second cluster of Mediterranean genotypes distinct from the basal mixed California–Mediterranean cluster. This second cluster either may have originated from the first one under the selection pressure imposed on the pathogen in the new Mediterranean environments or may be the result of a further introduction from California or elsewhere. Cumulatively, the evidence presented here suggests that S. cardinale may be native or long naturalized in California and that two genetically distinct groups are present in the Mediterranean, with obvious implications for further studies on this disease.
Prenatal Programming and Epigenetics in the Genesis of the Cardiorenal Syndrome

The presence of a group of interacting maladaptive factors, including hypertension, insulin resistance, metabolic dyslipidemia, obesity, and microalbuminuria and/or reduced renal function, collectively constitutes the cardiorenal metabolic syndrome (CRS). Nutritional and other environmental cues during fetal development can permanently affect the composition, homeostatic systems, and functions of multiple organs and systems; this process has been referred to as ‘programming’. Since the original formulation of the notion that low birth weight is a proxy for ‘prenatal programming’ of adult hypertension and cardiovascular disease, evidence has also emerged for programming of kidney disease, insulin resistance, obesity, metabolic dyslipidemia, and other chronic diseases. The programming concept was initially predicated on the notion that in utero growth restriction due to famine was responsible for increased hypertension, and cardiovascular and renal diseases. On the other hand, we are now more commonly exposed to increasing rates of maternal obesity. The current review will discuss the overarching role of maternal overnutrition, as well as fetal undernutrition, in epigenetic programming in relation to the pathogenesis of the CRS in children and adults.
Large Amounts of Optically Obscured Star Formation in the Host Galaxies of Some Type 2 Quasars

We present Hubble Space Telescope images and spectral energy distributions from optical to infrared wavelengths for a sample of six 0.3 < z < 0.8 type 2 quasars selected in the mid-infrared using data from the Spitzer Space Telescope. All the host galaxies show some signs of disturbance. Most seem to possess dusty, star-forming disks. The disk inclination, estimated from the axial ratio of the hosts, correlates with the depth of the silicate feature in the mid-infrared spectra, implying that at least some of the reddening toward the AGN arises in the host galaxy. The star formation rates in these objects, as inferred from the strengths of the PAH features and far-infrared continuum, range from 3 to 90 M☉ yr-1, but are mostly much larger than those inferred from the [O II] λ3727 emission-line luminosity, due to obscuration. Taken together with studies of type 2 quasar hosts from samples selected in the optical and X-ray, this is consistent with previous suggestions that two types of extinction processes operate within the type 2 quasar population, namely, a component due to the dusty torus in the immediate environment of the AGN, and a more extended component due to a dusty, star-forming disk.
Predicting acoustic orientation in complex real-world environments

SUMMARY Animals have to accomplish several tasks in their lifetime, such as finding food and mates and avoiding predators. Animals that locate these using sound need to detect, recognize and localize appropriate acoustic objects in their environment, typically in noisy, non-ideal conditions. Quantitative models attempting to explain or predict animal behaviour should be able to accurately simulate behaviour in such complex, real-world conditions. Female crickets locate potential mates in choruses of simultaneously calling males. In the present study, we have tested field cricket acoustic orientation behaviour in complex acoustic conditions in the field and also successfully predicted female orientation and paths under these conditions using a simulation model based on auditory physiology. Such simulation models can provide powerful tools to predict and dissect patterns of behaviour in complex, natural environments.