Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transcriptional analysis of salt shock in Brassica oleracea.

Keeping the global population fed in times of climate change and population growth is considered to be one of the greatest challenges of the 21st Century. Plant stress is defined as any external factor that negatively impacts on growth, productivity, reproductive capacity or survival. The use of salinized water in agriculture is likely to become a more regular occurrence, as diminishing freshwater supplies are available for crop irrigation. High salt drastically affects growth and it is therefore necessary that crops be bred to be able to withstand such adversity. Recent advancements in technology allow us to measure gene expression on a genome wide scale, techniques resulting in the development of theoretical models of regulation and the identification of key regulatory genes have been used in Arabidopsis. There is need to transfer this knowledge from model plant to crop, ensuring the application of such technologies to the issue of food security. A large microarray experiment was performed during this project in which the expression of over 60,000 genes were measured in Brassica oleracea GD33DH over a period of 36 hours following salt shock. The use of bioinformatics tools allowed the identification of 7,141 significantly differentially expressed genes in the early response to salt shock in GD33DH. Additional information on the time of differential expression revealed potential genes and mechanisms indicating that metabolism was highly affected by salt shock. Germplasm from crop wild relatives in breeding programmes is a crucial source of genetic material to replace variation lost through years of selective breeding allowing the development of crops with higher stress tolerance. By screening a collection of wild C-genome Brassica species for salt shock tolerance, tolerant germplasm was identified and sequenced alongside susceptible germplasm. Comparative analyses revealed the genes and mechanisms used by wild Brassica species protect themselves from the adverse effects of salt shock. Whole genome duplication events occurring in the recent evolutionary history of C-genome Brassica was examined whereupon it was found that stress specific duplicate genes are on average expressed more highly than single copy suggesting that WGD has implications on the response to stress. These results provide a wealth of potential gene targets for future study and germplasm that can be used in the development of stress tolerant B. oleracea varieties.
Efficiency of ascorbic acid against oxidative stress-induced dimethoate toxicity in fish, Capoeta capoeta [Guldenstaedt, 1773]

The fish caught in Kars Creek were randomized in four equal groups and acclimatized in separate tanks. The fish were kept in tanks for 10 days as follows: Group I (control) was kept in normal -1 -1 water, Group II, III and IV were kept in separate tanks containing 2 mgl dimethoate and 2 mgl dimethoate -1 plus 100 mgl ascorbic acid and ascorbic acid. The level of total sialic acid, total antioxidant status and total oxidant status in fish serum were analyzed.
Stochastic subspace identification based data‐driven approach for monitoring electromechanical dynamics from phasor measurement units

This study proposes to extend the numerical algorithm for subspace state space system identification (N4SID) for power grid electromechanical dynamics monitoring using the multi-channel noisy synchrophasor measurements. The oscillation modes, mode shapes, participation factors and coherent groups are estimated in a comprehensive manner. It consists of five key steps: (i) estimation of power system state subspace model via N4SID; (ii) electromechanical modes discrimination from the trivial modes by developing the generalised inverse and mode assurance criterion; (iii) calculations of the mode shapes using the estimated states and output subspace matrices; (iv) estimation of participation factors estimated by the calculated mode shapes and (v) the generator coherency identification by developing the direction cosine denoted coherency inductor. Test results on the IEEE 16-machine 68-bus test system and the practical China Southern power Grid using field synchrophasor measurements are performed. Comparison results with other existing methods show that the proposed method achieves better accuracy and efficiency for power system electromechanical dynamics monitoring in the presence of measurement noise.
#SocialWorkEducation: A Computational Analysis of Social Work Programs on Twitter

ABSTRACT Computational social science methods provide a better understanding of how social work education programs use Twitter. Data mining and sentiment analysis of 2,509 tweets were conducted using the Information, Community, and Action conceptual framework. Programs primarily tweet content related to the theme of Information and the tone of the tweets are mainly positive. Statistics such as the number of followers, number of tweets, types of hashtags (#) used, and when tweets are shared during the day are also provided to illustrate how programs use Twitter. A composite score was also developed to highlight the top 10 social work programs on Twitter. Implications for social work education are given along with suggestions for programs in developing a social media strategy.
Effects of Clostridium butyricum and Lactobacillus plantarum on growth performance, immune function and volatile fatty acid level of caecal digesta in broilers

ABSTRACT The study was conducted to investigate the effects of Clostridium butyricum and Lactobacillus plantarum on growth performance, immune function and volatile fatty acid (VFA) level of caecal digesta in broilers. One hundred and forty broilers were assigned to five groups (CON: basal diet; CB: basal diet+ C. butyricum; MLP: basal diet+ L. plantarum; MIX: basal diet+ C. butyricum + L. plantarum; ANT: basal diet + Aureomycin). The results showed that, birds in CB group had greater serum IgM level than that in control group at day 21 (P < .05). Birds in MIX group had greater serum IgM and IgA levels than those in MLP group at day 42 (P > .05). The current results indicated that dietary supplementation of C. butyricum increased serum immunoglobulin level and VFA level of caecal digesta in broilers, but a combination of supplementations with C. butyricum and L. plantarum had no significant effect on growth performance.
Genetoxic stress induced by intensive aquaculture activities in Taal Lake (Philippines) on circulating fish erythrocytes using comet assay and micronucleus test.

The present study determined the genotoxic potentia l i duced by intensive fish cage aquaculture in Taa l L ke (Philippines) on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus ) erythrocytes using the comet assay and micronucle us t st. Water and sediment samples were collected from three sampling sites namely: Gonzales, Bañaga, and Balaki long, which are non-aquaculture, moderate aquacultu re, and heavy aquaculture sites, respectively. The highest incidence of tail moments , micronuclei, and nuclear abnormalities was detect d in Balakilong site. The nuclear abnormalities of erythrocytes included blebbed, not ched and lobed nuclei. Both assays (comet assay and micronucleus test) showed concordance by establishing similar gradient of sev erity based from cumulative results: Balakilong > B añaga > Gonzales. Using post-hoc analyses, the two aquaculture sites showed no signi fica t differences in both mean tail moment and fre quency of nuclear abnormalities. On the other hand, significant differences were observ ed when both aquaculture sites were compared to the non-aquaculture site. Although no specific cause-effect relationships were establishe d, the genotoxicity data indicate association betwe n the level of unionized ammonia and copper, which have settled into the sediments from unconsumed feeds. Tilapia, which feeds heavily in b ottom sediments, is in direct contact with the contaminants and can take in considerable lev ls of ammonia. The detection of copper even in o -aquaculture site indicates that that contamination has spread widely in the lake. R esults of the study have demonstrated that both ass ays are effective as field biomarkers for investigating the harmful effects of fish cage aquaculture on lake quality.
Individual differences in expecting coherence relations: Exploring the variability in sensitivity to contextual signals in discourse

ABSTRACT The current study investigated how a contextual list signal influences comprehenders’ inference generation of upcoming discourse relations and whether individual differences in working memory capacity and linguistic experience influence the generation of these inferences. Participants were asked to complete two-sentence stories, the first sentence of which contained an expression of quantity (a few, multiple). Several individual-difference measures were calculated to explore whether individual characteristics can explain the sensitivity to the contextual list signal. The results revealed that participants were sensitive to a contextual list signal (i.e., they provided list continuations), and this sensitivity was modulated by the participants’ linguistic experience, as measured by an author recognition test. The results showed no evidence that working memory affected participants’ responses. These results extend prior research by showing that contextual signals influence participants’ coherence-relation-inference generation. Further, the results of the current study emphasize the importance of individual reader characteristics when it comes to coherence-relation inferences.
Shallow Basin Structure and Attenuation Are Key to Predicting Long Shaking Duration in Los Angeles Basin

Ground motions in the Los Angeles Basin during large earthquakes are modulated by earthquake ruptures, path effects into the basin, basin effects, and local site response. We analyzed the direct effect of shallow basin structures on shaking duration at a period of 2–10 s in the Los Angeles region through modeling small magnitude, shallow, and deep earthquake pairs. The source depth modulates the basin response, particularly the shaking duration, and these features are a function of path effect and not site condition. Three‐dimensional simulations using the CVM‐S4.26. M01 velocity model show good fitting to the initial portion of the waveforms at periods of 5 s and longer but fail to predict the long shaking duration during shallow events, especially at periods less than 5 s. Simulations using CVM‐H do not match the timing of the initial arrivals as well as CVM‐S4.26. M01, and the strong late arrivals in the CVM‐H simulation travel with an apparent velocity slower than observed. A higher‐quality factor than traditionally assumed may produce synthetics with longer durations but is unable to accurately match the amplitude and phase. Beamforming analysis using dense array data further reveals the long duration surface waves have the same back azimuth as the direct arrivals and are generated at the basin edges, while the later coda waves are scattered from off‐azimuth directions, potentially due to strong, sharp boundaries offshore. Improving the description of these shallow basin structures and attenuation model will enhance our capability to predict long‐period ground motions in basins.
Leistung und agronomisches Potenzial von Composite CrossWinterweizen-Populationen und anderen Phänotypen in einemMischanbausystem

Unpredictable climatic conditions and increasing pressure on non-renewable resources mean that alternative agricultural systems able to cope with increasing biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as external input costs, are needed. Sustainable agricultural systems should be self-regulating, characterized by a high degree of interand intra-specific diversity (Moreau 2010). Evolutionary breeding through the introduction of Composite Cross Populations (CCPs) increases intra-specific diversity, enabling CCPs to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Increasing interspecific diversity, through mixed cropping, also plays an important role in sustainable systems and suitable crops are needed that are able to cope with the increasing interspecific competition found in these mixed systems. A number of winter wheat CCPs, lines and commercial varieties were tested with white clover as an undersowing in order to test competitive ability and performance.
Correlation between fire blight resistance and morphological characteristics of pear (Pyrus communis L.)

Fire blight is an important disease of pome fruits, especially pears and quinces. Substitution of susceptible with tolerant cultivars is an economically and technically effective control method. Identifying tree traits associated with disease tolerance, may be helpful to screening and breeding programs, as well as genetic studies of resistance. Disease tolerance was evaluated in the national pear collection of SPII in two main categories of 8 and 20 indigenous commercial cultivars. The disease severity was evaluated using the USDA index in two successive epidemic years. 83 vegetative and reproductive traits were considered based on International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) descriptor in all pears. Cultivars ‘Dar Gazi’ and ‘Tashkandi’ demonstrated the highest resistance level among tested cultivars. Among evaluated traits, 15 out of 83 were correlated with disease resistance. Among tree traits that were correlated to the disease resistance, 7 traits were from flowers, the main entrance of pathogen into the host. Low branching, fruit ripening variation, shape of leaf apex and number of buds in the clusters demonstrated the strongest correlation with disease tolerance; followed by other traits such as sepal color of immature fruits, fruit juiciness, size of flower and leaf, and pedicle length. The significant correlated traits could be useful as morphological or physiological markers in breeding programs.
Market miracles: Resilience of Karachi stock exchange index against terrorism in Pakistan

Abstract Terrorism plays a pivotal role in influencing the stock indexes of many countries. This research article claims to be first in accessing the asymmetrical effect of multiple categories of terroristic activities on stock indexes in the presence of macroeconomic volatility. This research utilized a Non-linear autoregressive distributive lag model (NARDL) to find out the asymmetrical relationship between terroristic disruptions and stock indexes. Data on terroristic attacks have been incorporated from 2002 to 2015, and more than 4600 observations taken into account. Positive shocks to attacks on mosques, killed in mosque attacks, killed in drone attacks, and army personal fatalities are negatively affecting the stock prices in the short run. Results indicated that such disruption causes a temporary negative effect on stock indexes only in the short run but in the long-run stock exchange remains resilient against such disruptions.
Changes in muscle glycogen in sheep with low levels of basal glycogen fed two levels of metabolisable energy.

Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition in Australia, Volume 13 (2001) Low muscle glycogen before slaughter results in meat with a high ultimate pH (pHu) (Warriss 2000). Meat with a pHu above 5.7 tends to be dark, has reduced shelf life, lower yield, stronger flavour, and is less attractive to consumers, and is less tender in the range 5.7 to 6.2. Pethick and Rowe (1996) demonstrated a positive linear relationship between metabolizable energy (ME) intake over 60 d of sheep and their basal muscle glycogen. The aim of this study was to measure the change in muscle glycogen from a low basal level in sheep fed two different levels of ME. Muscle glycogen was measured in M. semimembranosus on four occasions over a 28 day period in full wool, 12–month old Merino wethers fed two levels of a pelleted ration. For the low ME treatment, the pellets were fed at a maintenance level whilst for the high ME treatment they were fed ad libitum. To avoid acidosis, the ration was restricted in both groups for the first 5 days of the experimental period. Prior to the experiment sheep were offered wheaten hay (7.7 MJ ME/kg DM) at the rate of 1.3 kg DM/sheep/ day but hay residues were not measured. Sheep were fed in small paddocks in groups of 7, replicated 3 times for each treatment. The pelleted diet contained 10.6 MJ ME/kg, 23.8% acid detergent fibre, and 14.5% crude Changes in muscle glycogen in sheep with low levels of basal glycogen fed two levels of metabolisable energy
Problems and Prospects of Organic Production in Family Farming in Ukraine

The article reveals the problems of organic farming in Ukraine. The study showed that small producers, such as family farms, have the ability to produce organic products in accordance with the appropriate requirements. A SWOT analysis of the process of organic farming by a private peasant household was conducted as well as the main opportunities and threats, strengths and weaknesses of its functioning and development were identified. The strategy of development of the Ukrainian organic agriculture of family farms has been chosen. It will give the chance to pursue it further by means of strategic directions, such as: tax incentives for producers of organic products, implementation of the state program for sustainable development of rural areas, “green” tourism and rural cooperation, elimination of political levers of influence on the implementation of state agricultural policy, as well as implementation of the state program to support the development of advisory services in the field of organic production.
Determination of porin channel activity and evolution of targeting signals in plant peroxisomes

Leaf peroxisomes are fragile, low-abundance plant cell organelles that are difficult to isolate from one of the few plant species whose nuclear genome has been sequenced. Leaf peroxisomes were enriched at high purity from spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and ;100 protein spots identified from 2-dimensional gels by a combination of liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and de novo sequencing. In addition to the predominant enzymes involved in photorespiration and detoxification, several minor enzymes were detected, underscoring the high sensitivity of the protein identification. The tryptic peptides of three unknown proteins shared high sequence similarity with Arabidopsis proteins that carry putative peroxisomal targeting signals type 1 or 2 (PTS1/2). The apparent Arabidopsis orthologues are a short-chain alcohol dehydrogenase (SDRa/IBR1, At4g05530, SRL>) and two enoyl-CoA hydratases/isomerases (ECHIa, At4g16210, SKL>; NS/ECHId, At1g60550, RLx5HL). The peroxisomal localization of the three proteins was confirmed in vivo by tagging with enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP), and the targeting signals were identified. The single Arabidopsis isoform of naphthoate synthase (NS) is orthologous to MenB from cyanobacteria, which catalyses an essential reaction in phylloquinone biosynthesis, a pathway previously assumed to be entirely compartmentalized in plastids in higher plants. In an extension of a previous study, the present in vivo targeting data furthermore demonstrate that the enzyme upstream of NS, chloroplastic acyl-CoA activating enzyme isoform 14 (AAE14, SSL>), is dually targeted to both plastids and peroxisomes. This proteomic study, extended by in vivo subcellular localization analyses, indicates a novel function for plant peroxisomes in phylloquinone biosynthesis.
Silvopastoral systems in dry Chaco, Argentina: Impact on soil chemical parameters and bacterial communities

The Dry Chaco region is a vast plain that extends throughout north‐western Argentina. This region concentrates about 13% of the total Argentine cattle national stock. Beef cattle systems in the north‐west of Argentina are highly varied including extensive pastoral systems, silvopastoral systems and intensive grazing systems. Little is known about the impact of these systems on microbial biodiversity and soil quality in this region. This study describes the relationship between soil parameters (FDA, MBC, SOC, CFU, pH, TN and MR) and bacterial communities in silvopastoral systems (SPS) of the Argentine Dry Chaco region. The bacterial composition, evaluated through Illumina MiSeq sequencing of ribosomal 16S amplicons, differed between SPS and pastoral systems, being also influenced by Leucaena and Prosopis tree species. Higher diversity of bacterial populations was detected in SPS with Prosopis. The phylum Firmicutes and Bacilli class were the most abundant in all the treatments. As indicated by Mantel tests, changes in soil bacteria community were related to soil parameters (e.g. SOC and pH). SPSs are viable alternatives for improving soil quality, supported by a significant increase in microbial biomass and activity in comparison with pastoral systems. Furthermore, the different livestock systems strongly affected microbiomes. Overall, the results of the present study suggest that soil bacterial populations are involved in nutrient cycling processes in SPSs of the Argentine Dry Chaco. Further, the composition of soil bacterial communities was related to the analysed soil parameters and tree species.
Performance comparison of new waveforms applied to DVB-T2 transmissions

In this paper, Universal Filtered Multicarrier (UFMC) and Filter Bank Multicarrier (FBMC), the promising filter based waveforms are proposed in Digital Video Broadcasting Terrestrial, second generation (DVB-T2) as an alternative to Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM). While no filtering operation is carried out in OFDM, the filtering in UFMC is done on groups of subcarriers and in FBMC on each subcarrier. Due to their filtering characteristics, different types of tools such as Power Spectral Density (PSD), spectral efficiency and Bit Error Rate (BER) are used to compare them. These waveforms are simulated in urban environment using a Power Delay Profile (PDP) of the Typical Urban 6 (TU6) channel. The Zero Forcing (ZF) equalization technique is used for OFDM and UFMC simulations while, in the case of FBMC, an equalizer based on frequency sampling is employed: the Complex Finite Impulse Response (CFIR) with 3 taps. In term of spectral efficiency, UFMC and FBMC are respectively 128% and 133% spectrally more efficient than OFDM. Simulation results show that the PSD of FBMC presents better Out Of Band (OOB) than that of UFMC which in turn presents better OOB than that for OFDM. Furthermore, for 32K mode, FBMC and UFMC present respectively a performance gain of 1 dB and 1.2 dB at a BER of 1$0^{-3}$ when compared to OFDM. This paper gives rules about the compromise to establish between spectral efficiency, performance gain and complexity of both UFMC and FBMC waveforms. The choice of FBMC as an alternative to OFDM in DVB-T2 system induces a high spectral efficiency and a better performance gain with a cost of increased complexity whereas the choice of UFMC induces a medium spectral efficiency and a noticeable performance gain with a complexity comparable to that for OFDM. This paper proves that UFMC waveform is the good compromise.