Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dendrochronological Potential in a Semi-Deciduous Rainforest: The Case of Pericopsis elata in Central Africa

The long-lived pioneer species Pericopsis elata is one of the rare tropical timbers on the list of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species, supporting the need for accurate and reliable growth data. In one planted and one natural forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, respectively four and 37 Pericopsis stem disks were collected. The tree-ring series of planted trees were used to confirm annual tree-ring formation. For the natural forest, a tree-ring chronology with 24 stem disks ranged from 1852 up to 2008. This chronology was compared with time-series of local precipitation, resulting in a significant correlation with the second half of the rainy season (September-November). This seasonal precipitation was related with sea surface temperatures of the West Indian Ocean. Higher precipitation during El Nino years corresponded with higher tree-ring indices but differences were not significant. In addition, pointer years were rare and did not have a consistent link with extreme climatic conditions. The existence of annual tree rings encourages further tree-ring analyses of P. elata and other flagship timber species in order to further document climate-growth responses and to provide the long-term framework that is needed for sustainable management planning.
Effects of climatic factors, fluctuating water availability and partial defoliation on the diurnal radial growth pattern of carrot (Daucus carota) taproots

Carrot taproots are prone to radial longitudinal tissue fractures (splitting). The longitudinal alignment of the fractures is consistent with the tangential stress induced by radial growth in the annular cambium. In this study linear variable differential transformers were used to monitor the diurnal radial growth pattern of mature carrot taproots. The diurnal growth pattern was characterised by rapid expansion during the night (dark) period and small shrinkage during the light period. The magnitude of the daily shrinkage was positively correlated with both vapour pressure deficit and global radiation. A positive correlation between the rate of taproot expansion during the night period and global radiation level the preceding day was also recorded. Water stress reduced the taproot night time expansion rate, but the taproot of water stressed plants expanded rapidly when watered to field capacity. Partial defoliation of plants at midday resulted in immediate expansion of the taproot, however, the daily growth rates of the partially defoliated plants was less than untreated control plants over the following 3 days. It was concluded that the short-term changes in taproot diameter could be used to infer changes in tangential stresses and therefore taproot splitting propensity.
Serpentes do Estado de Rondônia, Brasil

The present study aimed to update the snake species list of the state of Rondonia based on a literature review, and to provide information on species distribution in the state. A total of 118 snake species from eight families have been recorded in Rondonia: Leptotyphlopidae (4 species), Typhlopidae (1), Aniliidae (1), Boidae (6), Colubridae (21), Dipsadidae (67), Elapidae (9) and Viperidae (9). Of these, 109 species were recorded in areas of amazon forest and 27 in cerrado areas. The observed richness in cerrado areas is probably underestimated because of the low number of studies, and the small coverage (ca. 5%) of this vegetation in the state. Nine species (Epicrates crassus, Chironius flavolineatus, Drymoluber brazili, Apostolepis striata, Oxyrhopus rhombifer, Pseudoboa nigra, Xenodon merremii, Bothrops mattogrossensis and Crotalus durissus) were recorded exclusively in cerrado areas, being related with this environment in Amazon. Six species (Masticophis mentovarius, Apostolepis striata, Erythrolamprus mimus, Micrurus mipartitus, Micrurus sp. and Bothrocophias microphthalmus) have been recorded in Brazil only in Rondonia. There are gaps of knowledge on snake fauna in some regions of the state, and further studies are essential. This is an emergencial measure, because of the increaseing habitat destruction along the Cerrado and southern portions of Amazonia.
RESPONSES OF GROWTH, MORPHOLOGY, AND ANATOMY TO SALINITY AND CALCIUM SUPPLY IN CULTIVATED AND WILD BARLEY

Growth, morphology, and anatomy were examined in cultivated barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Harrington), and wild barley (Hordeum jubatum L.) collected from a wild population located in Saskatoon, Sask. Plants were grown in nutrient solution plus mixed sulphate salts with low or high calcium supply and in nutrient solution alone (control), using a hydroponic system in a growth chamber. Salt stress had greater deleterious effects on growth, morphology, and anatomy of 'Harrington' than wild barley. Additional Ca supply markedly improved these parameters in 'Harrington' but not in wild barley, suggesting a greater responsiveness to Ca in the cultivated species. The wild barley population had greater leaf and tiller numbers per plant but smaller leaf area and dry mass than 'Harrington' in control solution. After 20 days of salt treatment, 'Harrington' showed a greater reduction in tiller and leaf number, shoot height and root length, and tissue dry mass than wild barley. Calcium-deficiency symptoms were found .
The Exchange of Forest Products (Irvingia nuts) between the Aka Hunter-gatherers and the Cultivators in Northeastern Congo.

The Aka hunter-gatherers in northeastern Congo exchange various forest products with neighboring cultivators. While meat comprises an important exchange item in other forest areas of central Africa, it is rarely exchanged in the northeastern Congo region because of the spread of guns among the cultivators. Irvingia nuts comprise one of the most important exchange items, instead. Irvingia nuts are exchanged either in the form of nuts or the processed cake. The goods exchanged for the nuts are mainly agricultural products, whereas that for processed cake are manufactured goods such as pots and clothes. The nuts circulate within the village, and processed cake is traded to the area outside the village sphere as an important element of local and regional economies. The implications of these differences for the economic life of both the Aka and the cultivator are discussed.
Phosphorylation of Serine 337 of NF-κB p50 Is Critical for DNA Binding*

It has been demonstrated that phosphorylation of the p50 subunit of NF-κB is required for efficient DNA binding, yet the specific phospho-residues of p50 have not been determined. In this study, we substituted all of the serine and conserved threonine residues in the p50 Rel homology domain and identified three serine residues, Ser65, Ser337, and Ser342, as critical for DNA binding without affecting dimerization. Although substitution with negatively charged aspartic acid at each of these positions failed to restore DNA binding, substitution with threonine, a potential phospho-acceptor, retained DNA binding for residues 65 and 337. In particular, Ser337, in a consensus site for protein kinase A (PKA) and other kinases, was shown to be phosphorylated both in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, phosphorylation of Ser337 by PKA in vitro dramatically increased DNA binding of p50. This study shows for the first time that the DNA binding ability of NF-κB p50 subunit is regulated through phosphorylation of residue Ser337, which has implications for both positive and negative control of NF-κB transcription.
A morphological classification of plants, with special reference to the New Zealand alpine flora

Abstract. A plant is a complex of integrated systems (leaves, leaf groups, stems, roots, inflorescences), coexisting side by side or superimposed on each other to produce the life form (orphysiognomy) of the individual. The classic Raunkiaer classification based fundamentally on one character (apex position) is insufficient for the purpose of a functional classification. Five keys are given to determine the categories of: 1)the plant silhouette or general shape resulting from a combination of other systems, with 11 categories proposed; 2)the leaf group, with 14 categories; 3)the stem, with 27 categories; 4)the root, with 5 categories; and 5)the inflorescence, with 3 categories. Each plant can be named according to the category or model of each of the five different systems that they most resemble, or by using only the name(s) of systems which are more conspicuous than others. Characters are selected primarily for their influence on form and secondarily on size. This scheme allows for detailed studies of a flora in terms of morphological characteristics (alone or in systems), expressed as frequency of occurrence of each character in the flora. Characters can be analysed separately (e.g. entire margined leaves), as a combination of characters (e.g. leaf groups) or as a combination of systems (e.g. rosettes without stems). Thus correlations between environmental variables and plants canbe made with more precision than in previous classification schemes. The classification also serves as the framework for including additional morphological data and incorporating new models. The New Zealand alpine flora is used as a test case and to exemplify the classification.
Components of resistance to fusarium head blight (FHB) in wheat detected in a seed-germination assay with Microdochium majus and the relationship to FHB disease development and mycotoxin accumulation from Fusarium graminearum infection

Components of partial disease resistance (PDR) to fusarium head blight (FHB), detected in a seed-germination assay, were compared with whole-plant FHB resistance of 30 USA soft red winter wheat entries in the 2002 Uniform Southern FHB Nursery. Highly significant (P < 0·001) differences between cultivars in the in vitro seed-germination assay inoculated with Microdochium majus were correlated to FHB disease incidence (r = −0·41; P < 0·05), severity (r = −0·47; P < 0·01), FHB index (r = −0·46; P < 0·01), damaged kernels (r = −0·52; P < 0·01), grain deoxynivalenol (DON) concentration (r = −0·40; P < 0·05) and incidence/severity/kernel-damage index (ISK) (r = −0·45; P < 0·01) caused by Fusarium graminearum. Multiple linear regression analysis explained a greater percentage of variation in FHB resistance using the seed-germination assay and the previously reported detached-leaf assay PDR components as explanatory factors. Shorter incubation periods, longer latent periods, shorter lesion lengths in the detached-leaf assay and higher germination rates in the seed-germination assay were related to greater FHB resistance across all disease variables, collectively explaining 62% of variation for incidence, 49% for severity, 56% for F. graminearum-damaged kernels (FDK), 39% for DON and 59% for ISK index. Incubation period was most strongly related to disease incidence and the early stages of infection, while resistance detected in the seed germination assay and latent period were more strongly related to FHB disease severity. Resistance detected using the seed-germination assay was notable as it related to greater decline in the level of FDK and a smaller reduction in DON than would have been expected from the reduction in FHB disease assessed by visual symptoms.
A Framework for Postrelease Environmental Monitoring of Second-generation Crops with Novel Traits

As first-generation genetically modified/transgenic crops with novel agronomic traits have been grown commercially in a number of countries since the mid-1990s, second-generation crops with novel traits (CNTs) are now being tested in confined field trials around the world. Postrelease monitoring (PRM) of abiotic stress-tolerant and other second-generation CNTs will strengthen prerelease environmental risk assessments, for which protocols are being developed. We outline a comprehensive framework and protocol for case-specific PRM of such CNTs in Canada, using drought-tolerant canola (Brassica napus L.) as a model CNT. The primary potential environmental risk associated with cultivation of drought-tolerant canola is increased invasiveness of volunteers or feral plants (self-perpetuating populations) and weedy relative-crop hybrids or backcrossed progeny in ruderal (noncropped disturbed) and natural areas adjacent to CNT cultivation, resulting in loss of abundance or biodiversity of native plant species. Accurately predicting CNT invasiveness a priori is problematic, especially for traits that may enhance plant fitness and invasiveness. Thus, PRM can effectively address the greater uncertainties in the environmental risk assessment of these second-generation vs. first-generation CNTs and thereby enhance environmental protection and security of the food supply.
Apprentissage par transfert et données mixtes pour évaluer l'importance de crues à partir d'articles d'information

Résumé. Dans cet article applicatif, nous décrivons l’utilisation de propriétés textuelles et visuelles par des réseaux de neurones profonds pour évaluer l’importance des crues dans les articles d’information. En particulier, nous estimons la pertinence du transfert de modèles pré-entrainés sur des corpora conceptuellement proches. Nous évaluons également l’apport de modèles à branche double, qui combinent les représentations denses d’un texte et d’une image associée. Nous comparons la performance de ces variantes méthodologiques au moyen des données distribuées dans le cadre de l’atelier MediaEval MultiMedia Satellite (MMSat) 2019. Les résultats présentés ici ont fait l’objet d’une communication à l’atelier : le présent article propose une version significativement étendue des notes techniques accompagnant les prédictions réalisées sur l’ensemble de test de l’atelier MMSat.
Genetic structure of a population of Rhizoctonia solani AG 2-2 IIIB from Agrostis stolonifera revealed by inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers

Abstract Rhizoctonia solani anastomosis group (AG) 2-2 IIIB is an important pathogen of creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) worldwide. Limited information is currently available concerning levels of genetic diversity and population structure within this pathogen on creeping bentgrass. Twenty-three isolates were obtained from 17 symptomatic patches of a creeping bentgrass field at the Guelph Turfgrass Institute, Ontario. Anastomosis grouping was identified on the basis of morphological and cultural characteristics, and by PCR amplification using specific primers. The population structure was analyzed using five inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers, which generated 34 polymorphic loci out of 50 band positions. Distance analysis with the unweighted pair group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA) resulted in a dendrogram which clustered the 23 isolates into four main groups, with genetic distances (1 – Dice coefficient of genetic similarity) ranging from 0 to 12%. This level of variation among isolates of R. solani AG 2-2 IIIB present in a small field of creeping bentgrass and even within single patches implied some level of recombination, but the distribution of ISSR haplotypes and gametic disequilibrium analyses revealed that asexual propagule movement was the dominant force in the population structure in this small area.
Brown pigmentation of Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli associated with homogentisic acid

The diffusible brown pigment produced by some strains of Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli was found to be due to the secretion and subsequent oxidation of homogentisic acid (2, 5-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid) rather than tyrosinase activity as previously reported. Homogentisic acid is an intermediate in tyrosine catabolism for a number of bacteria. Brown-pigmented strains appeared to be disrupted in tyrosine catabolism and could not use tyrosine as a nutrient. Nonpigmented strains, however, could utilize tyrosine as a nutrient, and although they secreted homogentisic acid, the levels were approximately 1/100th that of brown-pigmented strains. Production of brown pigment was stimulated by tyrosine and repressed by glucose. Growth in glucose resulted in a drop in the pH of the media, and the greatest pigment formation was associated with a shift to alkaline conditions in the culture media. By buffering the media near pH 7.0, brown pigment formation was repressed, even though unoxidized homogentisic acid ac.
Comparison of various methods of the control of flux density waveform

In the paper are discussed various methods of control of waveform of the flux density in magnetic circuit. Three methods have been designed and tested: analogue one, digital one using the adaptive filter and second digital using the prerceptron neural network. The digital methods have been designed as the SubVI of the LabVIEW programming platform. The most efficient appeared the application of the neural network. c © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. PACS: 06.60. Mr.; 07.05. Fb. ; 07.05. Mh. ; 07.55. Db. ; 75.50. Bd. ; 75.60. Ej.
Following the Leader with Minimum Sensing and Course Actuation

In the present work we have considered a leader (evader) and a follower (pursuer) problem. The leader moves on a predefined path. The follower has two ultrasonic sensors, each sensing the presence or absence of the leader within its range. Based on the sensor output, the follower applies a quantized control in order to track the leader. The follower, with minimal sensing data and quantized control, is able to follow the leader when certain conditions on its linear speed and angular speed are satisfied. The conditions on the speeds have been verified by a number of experiments conducted using LEGO Mindstorm robots.
Molecular Cloning of a Complementary DNA of Phenobarbital-Inducible Cytochrome P-450 Messenger RNA from the Rat

Cytochrome P-450 in hepatic microsomes, functions as the terminal oxidase of NADPH-dependent electron transport pathway by oxidizing a wide variety of structurally unrelated compounds ranging from endogenous substrates such as steroids and fatty acids to exogenous substrates including drugs, insecticides, hydrocarbons and chemical carcinogens. This unusually broad substrate specificity has been attributed to the occurrence of multiple forms of this cytochrome (Sato and Omura, 1978; Guengerich, 1979). It has been known, in addition, that administration of a certain drug to animals induces the synthesis of a specific type of cytochrome P-450 in the liver (Sato and Omura, 1978; Guengerich, 1979). In order to investigate in detail the molecular multiplicity of cytochrome P-450 and its induction mechanism by drug administration, we have attempted to clone the complementary DNA (cDNA) sequence of cytochrome P-450 mRNA. We describe here a successful isolation and identification of the cDNA clone of rat cytochrome P-450 mRNA of phenobarbital-inducible type. Materials and methods. Treatment of rats with phenobarbital and preparation of microsomes from rat livers were described previously (Negishi et al., 1976). Membrane-bound RNA was extracted from the microsomel fraction as described by Palmiter (1974). Fractionation of RNA on a poly (U) -Sepharose column and subsequently by centrifugation in a sucrose density gradient (Suzuki et al., 1972) was performed as described previously. Synthesis of double-stranded cDNA on 18S poly (A) + RNA (Maniatis et al., 1976), transformation of Escherichia coil x 1776 by pBR322-cDNA hybrid (Enea et al., 1975) and detection of the specific recombinant plasmid DNA in situ colony hybridization (Grunstein and Hogness, 1975) were conducted essentially according to the published procedures. Plasmid DNA was
AN ANALYSIS ON INFLUENCE FACTORS OF LOCAL RESIDENTS’ LIFE SATISFACTION IN INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Objective: This study intended to grasp the influence factors on local residents’ life satisfaction in Korea in information systems. Method: This study set 263 person, who completed their responses to the life satisfaction survey questionnaire by participating in a local festival held in October, 2015 at a city, Chungnam Province, as its research subjects. The survey questionnaire was developed by this research group by referring to preceding researches, together with the interview with the subjects conducted by trained students of a nursing college and this research group. This study conducted Chi-square analysis and multi-regression analysis to verify the hypothesis that the higher the objective, social factors, i.e. education level and household income, the more cases where one lives with his/her spouse, and the better one’s subjective health condition, the higher the life satisfaction will be . Result : In multi-regression analysis with life satisfaction as a dependent variable, the educational level, household income, and subjective health condition were found to be the variables having something to do with life satisfaction in a state where related factors were controlled. In addition, it was found that the higher the educational level and household income, the higher the life satisfaction, and that the better the subjective health condition, the higher the life satisfaction. The analysis result in information systems showed that the family income and subjective health condition were found to be the highest with R =0.041, respectively among the variables, followed by the educational level with R =0.021, and marital status with R =0.006. Conclusion: Resultantly, the hypothesis set by this study was verified as true. It was found that the demographic factors such as an educational level and economic level, etc., and subjective health condition have an influence on life satisfaction in an area of our country.
An Advanced Algorithm for Finding Tandem Repeats in DNA Sequencing based on Text Mining

In this paper a new searching technique based on pattern matching is proposed. In bioinformatics, finding Tandem Repeats (TR) in DNA sequences is an critical issue. There exist many pattern matching algorithms and KMP (Knuth Morris Pratt) is one of the pattern matching algorithm that undergo deficiencies of runtime complexity and cost when size of the data set increases. The main aim of the paper is to generate an effective algorithm for detecting and identifying Tandem Repeats over a DNA sequence more efficiently. By introducing the concept of 2Dimensional matrix to minimize the purview scope and optimizing the problem, Tandem Repeat finding algorithm makes the detecting or identifying process more efficient and effective that improves the quality of results. The theoretical analysis and experimental results concludes that tandem repeat finding algorithm get equivalent results in less runtime. This algorithm is better to KMP for determining results, and it also reduces or weaken the runtime cost which is beneficial when DNA data becomes greater
Free Material Optimization: Towards the Stress Constraints

Free material design deals with the question of finding the li ghtest structure subject to one or more given loads when both the distribution of mater i l and the material itself can be freely varied. We additionally consider const raints on local stresses in the optimal structure. We discuss the choice of formulation of the problem and the stress constraints. The chosen formulation leads to a mathe tical program with matrix inequality constraints, so-called nonlinear semidefi nite program. We present an algorithm that can solve these problems. The algorithm is ba sed on a generalized augmented Lagrangian method. A number of numerical examples de monstrates the effect of stress constraints in free material optimization.