Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantitative detection of Fusarium pathogens and their mycotoxins in South African maize

The distribution and co-occurrence of four Fusarium species and their mycotoxins were investigated in maize samples from two susceptible cultivars collected at 14 localities in South Africa during 2008 and 2009. Real-time PCR was used to quantify the respective Fusarium species in maize grain, and mycotoxins were quantified by multi-toxin analysis using HPLC-MS. In 2008, F. graminearum was the predominant species associated with maize ear rot in the eastern Free State, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, while F. verticillioides was predominant in the Northwest, the western Free State and the Northern Cape provinces. In 2009, maize ear rot infection was higher and F. graminearum became the predominant species found in the Northwest province. Fusarium subglutinans was associated with maize ear rot in both years at most of the localities, while F. proliferatum was not detected from any of the localities. Type B trichothecenes, especially deoxynivalenol, and zearalenone were well correlated with the amount of F. graminearum, fumonisins with F. verticillioides, and moniliformin and beauvericin with F. subglutinans. This information is of great importance to aid understanding of the distribution and epidemiology of Fusarium species in South Africa, and for predicting mycotoxin contamination risks and implementing preventative disease management strategies.
Sources of phosphorus in two subcatchments of the Manawatu River, and discussion of mitigation measures to reduce the phosphorus load

Abstract Dissolved phosphorus (P) from various sources contributes to periphyton growth in rivers. The Manawatu catchment is in the southern North Island, and since it flows through pastoral farmland with soft rock geology, it carries nitrogen, P and sediment that lead to growth of periphyton. We estimated long-term average sediment P in rivers in the catchment above Palmerston North (PNth) (3910 km2) with the NZeem® model, and also measured the total P on the bed of the river. The annual loss of P in eroded sediment made up 95% of the P flux, (1500 t P yr−1 at PNth); 96% of the erosion occurred under pastures and 4% under forest. Dissolved P was measured at Hopelands and at PNth, and its origins—point sources, forests, the bed of the river and farmland—were assessed. The annual average dissolved P was estimated to be 75 t P at PNth, with 34 t P coming from sheep and beef farms, and this could be reduced with targeted planting of trees; 19 t P came from dairy farms, and could be reduced with changes to management of effluent, limiting soil Olsen P to the optimum agronomic range, and excluding cows from streams, banks and channels. Dissolved P from point sources (15 t P) could be decreased with changes to management of effluent. During low flows, sediment on the bed of the river released approximately 1.3 t dissolved P. These particulate-bound P losses could be reduced by targeted planting of trees on highly erodible land. The Upper Manawatu Water Management Zones (a priority catchment for mitigation) above Hopelands Bridge were also modelled. Council programmes to reduce soil erosion and total P, and to reduce dissolved P during low flow have the potential to reduce P loads in the river. Monitoring of P in the river should be carried out to define a more precise base line, and to monitor improvements to water quality as the programmes progress.
Assessing genetic diversity of perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne L.) from four continents by intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers

In this study, inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used to compare genetic diversity between commercial cultivars and natural germplasm which were obtained from Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America. There was a relatively high genetic variation in the whole collection judged by the polymorphism rate (97.16%), Nei's gene diversity (0.28), and Shannon's information index (0.44). Results indicate lower genetic diversity in commercial cultivars than natural germplasm. The European group showed the highest genetic diversity. The genetic distance (GD) between cultivars ‘Exacta’ and ‘ABT-99- 4.560’ was the closest (0.19), while largest GD occurred between ‘PI 632472’ and ‘PI 547390’ (0.85). Based on Jaccard’s similarity coefficient, 12 groups were distinguished with a cut-off point at 0.44. Using the concept of core collection, we suggested ‘Headstast 2’, ‘PI 598909’, ‘Catalina II’, ‘PI 538976’, ‘PI 598440’, ‘PI 610925’, ‘PI 598877’, ‘PI 516605’, and ‘PI 619554’ be included in a core collection of germplasm to accommodate maximum genetic diversity. Key words : Genetic distance, genetic erosion, unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA), cluster analysis, germplasm.
Body condition score, some nutritional parameters in plasma, and subsequent reproductive performance of Montbéliarde cows in Algeria

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships among body condition score (BCS) and plasma metabolite concentrations, and subsequent reproductive performance of Montbéliarde cows in Algeria. The study was conducted in two commercial dairy farms in Tizi-Ouzou area. Blood samples were collected from 50 Montbéliarde dairy cows at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks postpartum to measure serum non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), βhydroxybutyrate (BHBA), glucose, total cholesterol, urea nitrogen, total protein, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), γ-glutamyltransferase (γGT), calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, and progesterone. Body condition score (BCS) was assessed at calving and at each time when blood samples were taken. Resumption of postpartum cyclicity was evaluated by progesterone concentrations (≥1 ng/mL) at 4, 6, and 8 weeks postpartum. Increased BHBA, NEFA and glucose concentrations were associated with a lower probability of ovarian activity resumption (ROA) and pregnancy at first insemination (P/1-AI). However, concentrations of plasma cholesterol, AST, ALT, TG and total protein were positively associated with ROA. In addition, increased BHBA and sodium were associated with increased of time to conception. Moreover, decreased Mg concentrations were associated with increasing of time from calving to first insemination. No significant effect was seen between BCS at calving and BCS loss on P/1-AI. So balanced nutrition and reproduction management can ameliorate reproductive performance.
Trajectories of sickness absence and disability pension before and after opioid initiation for noncancer pain: a 10-year population-based study

Abstract Chronic noncancer pain is a leading cause of sickness absence (SA) and disability pension (DP). The objectives of this study were to identify trajectories of SA/DP before and after strong and weak opioid initiation for noncancer pain and the factors associated with these trajectories. A longitudinal population-based study of 201,641 people (24-59 years) without cancer who initiated opioid analgesics in 2009 in Sweden was conducted. Trajectories of net annual SA/DP days in the 5 years before/after opioid initiation were estimated with group-based trajectory modelling. Multinomial logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for factors associated with trajectory groups. Among the 6.9% of people initiating strong opioids, 12.5% had persistent high SA/DP (estimated 320 days/year) before and after opioid initiation and 72.9% had persistent low/minimum SA/DP (estimated 30 days/year). Approximately 8.6% of people had increasing SA/DP, and 6.1% had decreasing SA/DP after opioid initiation, although this seemed to reflect continuation of preinitiation patterns. Trajectories were similar at lower SA/DP days/year among those initiating weak opioids. Persistent high SA/DP among strong opioid initiators were associated with ≥5 comorbidities (OR = 8.72, 95% CI 5.61-13.56), ⩽9 years of education (OR = 5.83, 95% CI 4.84-7.03), and previous use of antidepressants (OR = 4.57, 95% CI 3.89-5.37) and antipsychotics (OR = 4.49, 95% CI 2.93-6.88). Three-quarters of people initiating opioids for noncancer pain had persistent low/minimum levels of SA/DP 5 years before and after initiation. Increasing and decreasing SA/DP after opioid initiation seemed to reflect a continuation of preinitiation patterns. Our findings highlight the complex range of sociodemographic and medication-related factors associated with persistent SA/DP.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid Reassociation between Strains of Lactobacillus animalis, Lactobacillus odontolyticus, and Strains Resembling Lactobacillus acidophilus Isolated from Animals

Lactobacillus animalis comprises homofermentative strains from animals which are recognized by their polypeptide patterns. Physiologically these strains resemble Lactobacillus murinus and Lactobacillus ruminis, but are distinguished from the former by guanine-plus-cytosine content and from the latter by peptidoglycan type. Deoxyribonucleic acid-deoxyribonucleic acid homology confirmed that L. animalis is a homogeneous taxon distinct from L. acidophilus.
Adaptive PI controller based Multi Converter Unified Power-Quality Conditioning System(MC-UPQC)

This paper presents a Multiconverter Unified Power Quality Conditioning (MC-UPQC) system in which the voltage and current compensation in multi-bus/feeder systems can be done simultaneously. The configuration consists of one shunt voltage source converter (VSC) and two/more series VSCs. And all connectors are coupled end-to-end on the dc side, sharing a common dc link capacitor. Thus the power transmission occurs from one feeder to adjacent feeders compensating sag, swell and any interruption. In order to compensate for imperfections at supply voltage and load current on the main feeder, the system can be applied to adjacent feeders. This also allows the full compensation of imperfections at supply voltage present on the remaining feeders. The simulation is done using Matlab/Simulink environment that illustrates the performance of MC-UPQC and the control algorithm. The simulation results of two bus/ two feeder system exhibits the efficiency of the proposed configuration.
Marine colonization and biodiversity at Ascension Island and remote islands

Little is known about colonization of remote island coasts by marine invertebrates, other than corals. The structure of hard substrata assemblages was investigated across Ascension Island's littoral zone in comparison with other sites. Arrays of acrylic panels were deployed at two sites for 2 years at Ascension Island to measure subtidal recruitment. Colonization of panels at Ascension I. was low, though space occupation, abundance and richness varied considerably. After ~1 and 2 years Ascension panels were <17 and <37% covered by fauna and each had <22 recruits and 54 recruits (per 100 cm2) respectively, amongst the lowest density of recruits reported. Recruitment rates of corals (25 m2 year−1) at Ascension I. were also similar to the lowest levels reported elsewhere (e.g. at Bermuda or Midway islands). Less dispersive animal types, e.g. cheilostome bryozoans, were poorly represented. Panels immersed in Tanzania and Scotland were >30% covered, with >76 recruits per 100 cm2 and with bryozoans well represented after 1 year. Across-littoral surveys of established macrofauna at five remote islands (Ascension I., Easter I., Azores, South Georgia and Signy I., Antarctica) revealed similar trends of a rich sublittoral and lower littoral reducing drastically up-shore; molluscs dominating abundance and species numbers, whilst polychaetes, crustaceans and echinoderms were well represented. Established sessile animals occurred patchily at a mean density of 8.26 m−2 but recruits had mortality levels >99%. Polar or remote temperate/tropical sites are typically less colonized than at non-remote, low latitudes but the lowest levels reported are at remote polar sites. Reduced colonization at Ascension island reflects remoteness.
Major causes of mastitis and associated risk factors in smallholder dairy cows in Shashemene, southern Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2010 to May 2011 to estimate the prevalence of mastitis, isolate and characterize major bacterial pathogens and to assess the association of some putative risk factors with occurrence of mastitis in cows in smallholder dairy farms in Shashemene, southern Ethiopia. A total of 245 lactating cows (111 Holstein, 98 Holstein-local Zebu crosses and 36 indigenous Zebus) were examined clinically and California Mastitis Test (CMT) was used to detect clinical and subclinical mastitis. The overall prevalence of mastitis at cow and quarter level was 37.1% (91/245) and 30.0% (288/960), respectively. Seventy (28.6%) cows were with subclinical mastitis while only 20 (8.6%) had clinical mastitis. The prevalence of mastitis significantly (P<0.05) differed with breed, parity, stage of lactation and previous record of mastitis. A total of 217 bacterial isolates were recovered from 288 mastitic milk samples and Gram-positive cocci were the most common pathogens. The pathogens isolated were Staphylococcus aureus (28.1%), other Staphylococcus species (22.1%), Streptococcus agalactiae (10.1%) other Streptococcus species (14.3%), coliforms (22.1% that is Escherichia coli, 10.6%; Klebsiella species 7.8% and Enterobacter species 3.7%), Micrococcus species (1.4%), Pseudomonas species (1.4%) and Bacillus species (0.5%). Therefore, culling of older cows with repeated mastitis records and dry cow therapy will be practiced to reduce the risk of mastitis. Culling of old and chronically affected cows, screening for mastitis, awareness creation among smallholder farmers about the importance of sub-clinical mastitis and milking and barn hygiene should be considered in reducing the effect of mastitis.
SM22&agr; Modulates Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotype During Atherogenesis

The function of cytoskeletal proteins in the modulation of vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotype during vascular disease is poorly understood. In this report, we used a combination of gene targeting and Cre/lox-mediated cell fate mapping in mice to investigate the role of SM22&agr;, an SMC-specific cytoskeletal protein of unknown function, in the development of atherosclerosis. In hypercholesterolemic ApoE-deficient mice, genetic ablation of SM22&agr; resulted in increased atherosclerotic lesion area and a higher proportion of proliferating SMC-derived plaque cells. These results identify a role for SM22&agr; in the regulation of SMC phenotype during atherogenesis.
National and European Foreign Policies: Towards Europeanization

The scholarship on foreign policy Europeanization now marks its first decade, having started in 2001 with Ben Tonra’s seminal discussion of the effects of the European Union on Dutch, Danish and Irish foreign policies (Tonra 2001). Its main focus is the impact of European regional integration, and in particular the impact of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), on national foreign policies (Bulmer 2007: 57; Wong 2007). Most of the literature on Europeanization in foreign policy has concentrated on explaining the top-down adaptation of national structures and processes in response to the demands of the EU, or what some call ‘EU-isation’ (Tsardanidis and Stavridris 2005; Miskimmon and Paterson 2003). It was presaged, however, in previous works on the interplay between the national and European, notably through the concepts of ‘a distinctive (West) European position in international affairs’ (Hill 1983: 200), or ‘the European rescue of national foreign policy’ (Allen 1996). Other concepts that have been applied to study national foreign policies within the context of Europe – such as ‘Brusselsization’ and ‘Europeification’ (Allen 1998; Mueller-Brandeck-Bocquet 2002; Andersen and Eliasen 1995) describe and study the top-down impact of the EU/CFSP as a strictly Pillar II (ie. intergovernmental) phenomenon in national foreign policy making. While they rightly focus on CFSP decisions as compromises between national foreign policies of Member States rather than binding decisions from a supranational authority, they are less concerned with the interactive, bottom-up phenomenon of national inputs in CFSP, or the informal socialization of norms – both core research questions in relation to foreign policy Europeanization. The precise meaning (or multiple meanings) of ‘Europeanization’, has often been unclear (Ladrech 1994; Olsen 2002: Harmsen and Wilson 2000). But the vast majority of users of this term have employed the concept to refer to the institutional effects of the norms, rules, practices and
Evidence-based guideline update: NSAIDs and other complementary treatments for episodic migraine prevention in adults: [RETIRED]

OBJECTIVE To provide updated evidence-based recommendations for the preventive treatment of migraine headache. The clinical question addressed was: Are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or other complementary treatments effective for migraine prevention? METHODS The authors analyzed published studies from June 1999 to May 2009 using a structured review process to classify the evidence relative to the efficacy of various medications for migraine prevention. RESULTS The author panel reviewed 284 abstracts, which ultimately yielded 49 Class I or Class II articles on migraine prevention; of these 49, 15 were classified as involving nontraditional therapies, NSAIDs, and other complementary therapies that are reviewed herein. RECOMMENDATIONS Petasites (butterbur) is effective for migraine prevention and should be offered to patients with migraine to reduce the frequency and severity of migraine attacks (Level A). Fenoprofen, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, naproxen sodium, MIG-99 (feverfew), magnesium, riboflavin, and subcutaneous histamine are probably effective for migraine prevention (Level B). Treatments considered possibly effective are cyproheptadine, Co-Q10, estrogen, mefenamic acid, and flurbiprofen (Level C). Data are conflicting or inadequate to support or refute use of aspirin, indomethacin, omega-3, or hyperbaric oxygen for migraine prevention. Montelukast is established as probably ineffective for migraine prevention (Level B).
Effective Treatment of Bovine Mastitis with Intramammary Infusion of Angelica dahurica and Rheum officinale Extracts

Mastitis in dairy cattle is a highly prevalent infectious disease, causing considerable economic loss worldwide. In this study, we used Angelica dahurica and Rheum officinale extracts (designated as Yi-Xiong-Tang, YXT) for mastitis treatment. California mastitis test (CMT) was performed and 67 mastitis udder quarters were identified among 179 lactating dairy cows. These 67 mastitis udder quarters were subjected to treatments by intramammary infusion of YXT twice a day for three consecutive days. The mastitis indicators including clots, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and total viable count of bacteria (TVC) in milk were examined before and after the YXT treatment to evaluate its effectiveness. Levels of mastitis indicators from mastitis udder quarters were elevated. After YXT treatment, normal levels of these indicators were restored: TVC, 2.10 × 104 – 9.20 × 106 CFU/mL; clots, 6.56 ± 0.43 mg/mL; LDH, 181.0 ± 18.55 U/L; TNF-α, 0.02 ± 0.02 ng/mL; IL-6, 41.4 ± 11.46 pg/mL; and IL-8, 1.85 ± 0.60 pg/mL. Compared with the antibiotic therapy, YXT treatment has a shorter treatment course and might have lower probability for the causative agents to develop drug resistance because YXT is in fact a cocktail containing multiple active ingredients.
Nonlethal Tissue Sampling Techniques and Microsatellite Markers Used for First Report of Genetic Diversity in Two Populations of the Endangered Somatochlora hineana (Odonata: Corduliidae)

ABSTRACT Techniques for obtaining DNA noninvasively or nonlethally are highly desirable in molecular genetic studies of protected species, and several advances have been made in these types of sampling and extraction techniques. Insects present a unique set of difficulties in this regard that are not present when working with most vertebrates. This study evaluated the effectiveness of several nonlethal sampling techniques for larval and adults of the federally listed endangered dragonfly Somatochlora hineana (Williamson) (Odonata: Corduliidae). Fecal pellets and shed exuviae from captive S. hineana larvae did not provide high enough quality DNA for microsatellite analyses. Invasive, but nonlethal, wing clips from adults and tarsi from larvae provided high-quality DNA that amplified 10 microsatellite markers for this species. Ten loci were polymorphic in 94 specimens with four to 14 alleles per locus. Two populations in WI had average observed heterozygosity of 0.47, which is within the range reported for other odonates. Our sampling techniques and these new microsatellite markers provide an essential tool for determining the genetic structure of S. hineana populations throughout its range.
Cloning of Casuarina equisetifolia chloroplast ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and its application in phylogenetic studies

Chloroplast genes are considered to be highly conserved compared to the nuclear counterparts. This feature has been used extensively in the phylogenic studies of different plant species. In this study, a 3kb sequence consists of 23S rRNA (ribosomal RNA), 4.5SrRNA, ITS 2 (Intergenic Transcribed Spacer 2) and ITS 3 from the chloroplast genome of C. equisetifolia has been amplified using specific primers. The genomic origin of the PCR Amplicon was confirmed by southern hybridization. Â Multiple alignment with a number of chloroplast sequences showed very high homology with some of the species grouped alongwith Casuarinaceae in the phylogenetic system of classification. Â In the analysis,Â C. equisetifolia found to be grouped among the tree species which are closely placed in the classificatory system.
CALL Normalization: A Survey on Inhibitive Factors

The growing body of literature on Computer Assisted Language Learning ( CALL ) in the past decades has advocated the use of CALL in educational circles in order to get to a normalized state. However, the uptake of CALL is stipulated by various known and unknown factors. This study examined various factors that may have influenced the uptake of CALL resulting in disuse and discouragement. Fifty Iranian in-service teachers filled out a questionnaire on the sources of CALL use discouragement. The results indicated a comparative analysis of these sources. Lack of facilities and perceived usefulness were regarded as the most and the least discouraging factors in the uptake of CALL respectively. Pertinent discussion and some suggestions for consideration were also put forth.
STUDY OF SPEAKER RECOGNITION OF HUMAN AUDI-TORY

Feature extraction plays an important role in speaker recognition. According to linear predic-tion theory of speech production, the extracted features can be classified to vocal source excitation features and vocal tract response features. It is wondered that which of them contribute more to different speaker recognition of human auditory perception. Head change magic, based on mixed excitation linear prediction (MELP) analysis and synthesis process, is proposed. It mixes the vocal source excitation parameters and vocal tract response parameters of different speeches to synthe-size mixed speeches. A corpus of 6 manually aligned speeches of different speakers and 30 mixed speeches produced by head change magic is constructed. A human auditory experiment with 57 subjects is carried out. Subjects need to vote out the speaker of mixed speeches. According to the results, the ratio of pitch variance and linear prediction filter distance (PL) value and a threshold is given. When PL is bigger than threshold, the vocal source excitation features dominate human auditory perception of speaker recognition; otherwise, the vocal tract response features dominate.