Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ecological Importance of Cyanogenesis and Extrafloral Nectar in Invasive English Laurel, Prunus laurocerasus

Abstract English laurel (Rosaceae: Prunus laurocerasus L.) is an evergreen shrub to small tree that is native to Asia but widely used in landscaping in temperate zones. In the Pacific Northwest this plant has become an important invasive species. However, surprisingly little is known about its ecology—in particular, its chemical defenses and interaction with herbivores and organisms of higher trophic levels. In the present field study, we quantitatively measured cyanogenesis (a constitutive direct chemical defense) and secretion of extrafloral nectar (EFN; an inducible indirect defense), and analyzed the effects of these defenses on insect herbivores (black vine weevil [Otiorhynchus sulcatus]) and predators (sugar ants [Tapinoma sessile]). To induce EFN production, English laurel leaves were mechanically damaged at different intensities and in a way to mimic feeding damage by the black vine weevil, which represents the only observed insect herbivore feeding on this plant at our study site near Portland, OR. While cyanogenesis was expressed at homogenously high levels (> 80 µmol CN- g-1 leaf fresh weight) among all experimental plants and was not affected by leaf damage, we found a significant positive correlation between damage, EFN production, and presence of ants. The number of vine weevils observed on experimental plants was significantly negatively correlated with EFN secretion and ant attraction. Our findings suggest that English laurel—beyond expression of cyanogenesis—efficiently utilizes indirect defense through ants in its invasive range. This protective mutualism may significantly contribute to the success of English laurel as an invasive species in native ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest.
Microfungi on miscellaneous substrates : an identification handbook

Introduction. Fungi growing on or with bryophytes. Bryophytes (mosses and liverworts) - Host index. Fungi on fungi. Fungi - Host index. Fungi on myxomycetes. Fungi on burnt ground and charcoal. Fungi on soil, Fungi on dung. Fungi on bones, feathers, papers, cloth etc. Recommended reading. Glossary. Plates. Index.
An enhanced adaptive global‐best harmony search algorithm for continuous optimization problems

This paper presents an enhanced adaptive global‐best harmony search (EAGHS) to solve global continuous optimization problems. The global‐best HS (GHS) is one of the strongest versions of the classical HS algorithm that hybridizes the concepts of swarm intelligence and conventional HS. However, randomized selection of harmony in the permissible interval diverts the GHS algorithm from the global optimum. To address this issue, the proposed EAGHS method introduces a dynamic coefficient into the GHS algorithm to increase the search power in early iterations. Various complex and extensively‐applied benchmark functions are used to validate the developed EAGHS algorithm. The results indicate that the EAGHS algorithm offers faster convergence and better accuracy than the standard HS, GHS and other similar algorithms. Further analysis is performed to evaluate the sensitivity of the proposed method to the changes of parameters such as harmony memory consideration rate, harmony search memory, and larger dimensions.
First‐principles based simulation of electron and hole transfer in PET oligmer

Recently, we have developed a first-principles based multiscale modeling approach for studying carrier transport properties in polymeric dielectric, and have successfully modeled hole transfer in polyethylene (PE). In this study, in order to see if we can model carrier transport in more complex polymers, we have utilized the multiscale modeling method to simulate electron and hole transfer in polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The agreement between computed and experimental electron and hole mobilities in PET demonstrated the robustness of the modeling technique. The multiscale modeling approach enabled us to under-stand the microscopic origin of the carrier transport properties; unlike carrier transport in PE where the energetic disorder is dominated by the conformational disorder of the polymer chain, that in PET was strongly affected by the electrostatic disorder (disorder of the electrostatic potential due to surrounding environment). It is shown that this difference comes from the fact that (1) the charge localized region in PE chain is determined by the conformational disorder whereas that in PET is determined by the chemical structure of the polymer chain, and (2) PET chain has large local dipole compared to PE chain.
Study of RIN3 : a susceptibility gene for Paget’s disease of bone

s, Oral Presentations & Awards Vallet, M. , Soares, D. C. , Wani, S. , Sophocleous, A. , Warner, J., Salter, D. M. , Ralston, S. H. & Albagha, O. M. , Variants in RIN3 predispose to Paget's disease of bone. Presented at the 41th European Symposium on Calcified Tissues, Prague, Czech Republic, May 2014. Received: New Investigator Award. Vallet, M. , Soares, D. C. , Wani, S. , Sophocleous, A. , Warner, J., Salter, D. M. , Ralston, S. H. & Albagha, O. M. , Targeted sequencing of the Paget’s disease associated 14q32 locus identifies several missense coding variants in RIN3 that predispose to Paget's disease of bone. Presented at the 48th European Society of Human Genetics, Glasgow, Scotland, June, 2015. Vallet, M. , Soares, D. C. , Wani, S. , Sophocleous, A. , Warner, J., Salter, D. M. , Ralston, S. H. & Albagha, O. M. , Targeted sequencing of the Paget’s disease associated 14q32 locus identifies several missense coding variants in RIN3 that predispose to Paget's disease of bone. Presented at the British-Society-for-MatrixBiology (BSMB) and Bone-Research-Society (BRS), Edinburgh, Scotland, September, 2015.
Sequencing of Dna Isolated From Colorectal Sample Fixed in Liquid Formalin : Obstacles and Required Modifications

The necessary modifications in the protocol of general purpose DNA isolation kit to isolate and amplify a target region of genome from colorectal cancer tissues fixed in liquid formalin were made. It is shown that a one hour digestion with proteinase K yields enough DNA from formalin fixed colorectal tissue for subsequent PCR and sequencing. Moreover, using 100% ethanol instead of standard 50% during DNA binding step in the column improves the yield. As DNA fragmentation is unavoidable in formalin fixed tissue, PCR protocol was modified by increasing polymerase concentration to get successful amplification. Following these modifications, two regions of KRAS and BRAF genes were amplified and successfully sequenced from three different patients. These modifications provide a low cost option for Sanger sequencing of DNA isolated from formalin fixed tissue. Dhaka Univ. J. Biol. Sci. 29(2): 165-174, 2020 (July)
Performances of Broiler Chickens Fed the Commercial Diets Partially Substituted with Feeds Containing Fermented and Non Fermented Leubim Fish Meal (Canthidermis maculata)

The purpose of present study was to evaluate the performance of broilers fed the commercial diet partially substituted with leubim fish (Canthidermis maculata) waste meal (LFWM) treated by fermentation and without fermentation. As many as 100 broiler chicks, MB 202 strain, unsex, were reared up to 5 weeks in this study. The research was set up into randomized block design (RBD) consisting of 5 treatments and 4 blocks with 5 birds each. Blocks were as replicate based on the body weights of the birds at the beginning of feeding experimental diets. The experimental diets were commercial diets partially replaced with LFWM administered by either fermentation or not with the level of 6 and 12% each, 6.5% and 13% yellow corn, and 0.5% topmix. The data was analyzed using an Analysis of Variance (AOV) and continued by Duncan’s Multiple Range Test (DMRT) only if significant effects were detected among the treatments. The result of recent study indicated that the inclusion of feeds containing LFWM treated by either or not fermented combined with yellow corn and topmix as partially substitution of commercial diets significantly increased (P<0.05) FBW, BWG, feed intake, and protein intake compared to those fed full commercial diet. However, FCR and PER were not significantly affected. DMRT indicated there were no significant diferences in broiler performances fed the feeds containing LFWM treated by fermentation vs without fermentation.
Investigating the Relationship between Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease:

Ageing is associated with a number of diseases. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and diabetes are among such most common diseases. These two diseases are considered to be fundamentally similar disorders because they share some common elements, though they differ in the time of onset, tissues affected as well as the magnitudes of their specific traits. The present study was undertaken to prospect the association between the genes involved in Diabetes and AD; and their common pathophysiology. Using a network system biology approach, the genes common between Diabetes and AD were retrieved from DisGeNET database. The common genes were analysed using in silico tool, Cyctoscape’s various plug-ins, ClusterONE, CytoHubba, ClueGO and CluePedia. Eleven genes which can act as potential marker for both Diabetes and AD namely IL4, ICAM1, ALB, INS, CSF2, IL6, TNF, IL10, GAPDH, TLR4, and AKT have been identified in the present study. This is the first study of its kind in which relationship between Diabetes and AD has been investigated to identify their common genes, which can help in better understanding of pathophysiology of these age-related diseases.
Effect of a total substitution of vegetable protein and phosphates on shrinkage by cooking and purging in chopped york ham

The trend with the most significant impact on food is currently clean labeling, and meat products are not exempt from it. This trend promotes the elimination of additives of inorganic origin and their replacement by natural ingredients in the formulation of products. In the present work, the effects of the total substitution of polyphosphate and vegetable protein for citric fiber and hydrolyzed pork collagen in chopped pork York ham, with an extension of 52.9% at the end of cooking, were evaluated to achieve clean labeling. Two treatments were performed with two types of brine, which had a citrus fiber A and a citrus fiber B as phosphate replacements. Additionally, as a vegetable protein replacement, the same hydrolyzed pork collagen was used for both treatments. Tumbler massaging was made to allow correcting protein extraction, then it was subjected to heat treatment by immersion in hot water at 80 °C. It was concluded that the ham made with citric fiber B and hydrolyzed pork collagen obtained better results in texture, syneresis, sensory analysis and cooking losses, with no significant differences with the standard.
EBG Based Compact Design of Dual Band UWB MIMO Antenna Operating in Ku/K Band

In this paper, a new EBG based compact design of dual band UWB MIMO antenna is proposed. This MIMO antenna operates in Ku-band and K-band. It consists of four slotted-rectangular element antennas and it occupies a compact size of 60.72×56.72 mm2. The existence of EBG enhances a -10 dB impedance bandwidth (VSWR ≤ 2) and it reduces mutual coupling. Based on the simulated numerical results, it is shown that the EBG based design has a 3.518 GHz of ultrawideband in Ku-band and a 3.699 GHz of ultrawideband in K-band, respectively. There is a 17.46 % bandwidth improvement in Ku-band. In addition, reducing the level of mutual coupling by using EBG technique reaches – 30 dB until – 70 dB along dual band. In addition, the presented design has very low ECC level, i.e., 0.003. This new proposed design has a good performance including low mutual coupling, compact size and ability to operate in dual band UWB.
Restoration of Temperate Savannas and Woodlands

Savannas and woodlands are open forest phases that occur along a gradient between grasslands and closed canopy forests. These ecosystems are characterized by open to nearly closed canopies of overstorey trees, relatively sparse midstorey and understorey woody vegetation, and dense, species-rich ground flora. In contrast to closed forests, the dominant and codominant trees in the canopy of open forests often have large, spreading crowns. Relatively open structure allows light to the floor, which is critical for grasses and forbs; the greatest plant species diversity and turnover rates occur in the herbaceous layer of open forest ecosystems in temperate zones (Gilliam 2007). Open structure, old trees, and variation of light and microclimate are important for lichens (Paltto et al. 2011), insects (e.g. carabids; Taboada et al. 2011), birds (Hunter et al. 2001), mammals and other taxa.
Family entrepreneurship and banking support in Kuwait: conventional vs Islamic banks

PurposeIn this paper family entrepreneurship and its banking support in Kuwait is discussed, as one of the wealthiest countries in the world. In the beginning is provided an overview of the Kuwaiti context of entrepreneurship and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), followed by discussion of family businesses' profile and benefits to the economy and society. The paper discusses the banking sector in Kuwait and its contribution to the development of family entrepreneurship and the small business sector in Kuwait.Design/methodology/approachFor purposes of this study a multiple case study approach and a snowballing sample was used.FindingsEven that, Kuwait is considered as an Islamic country, from the answers and comments that were received from our research, we concluded that most of the family businesses cooperate with conventional banks, instead of Islamic banks.Practical implicationsSeveral supporting products are described and analysed in this paper, which can help family business and SMEs' owners where to address when a support is needed. Also are provided information on similarities and differences between Islamic and conventional banking.Originality/valueThis paper is one of the first papers that discusses family businesses and entrepreneurship in Kuwait and the support they receive from Islamic and conventional banks. It provides original quotes from family business owners regarding this topic.
Performance and Emissions of a Spark Ignition Engine Operated with Gasoline Supplemented with Pyrogasoline and Ethanol

The partial replacement of fossil fuels by biofuels contributes to a reduction of CO2 emissions, alleviating the greenhouse effect and climate changes. Furthermore, fuels produced from waste biomass materials have no impact on agricultural land use and reduce deposition of such wastes in landfills. In this paper we evaluate the addition of pyrolysis biogasoline (pyrogasoline) as an additive for fossil gasoline. Pyrogasoline was produced from used cooking oils unfit to produce biodiesel. This study was based on a set of engine tests using binary and ternary mixtures of gasoline with 0, 2.5, and 5% pyrogasoline and ethanol. The use of ternary blends of gasoline and two different biofuels was tested with the purpose of achieving optimal combustion conditions and lower emissions, taking advantage of synergistic effects due to the different properties and chemical compositions of those biofuels. The tests were performed on a spark-ignition engine, operated at full load (100% throttle, or WOT—wide open throttle) between 2000 and 6000 rpm, while recording engine performance and exhaust gases pollutants data. Binary mixtures with pyrogasoline did not improve or worsen the engine’s performance, but the ternary mixtures (gasoline + pyrogasoline + ethanol) positively improved the engine’s performance with torque gains between 0.8 and 3.1% compared to gasoline. All fuels presented CO and unburned hydrocarbons emissions below those produced by this type of engine operated under normal (fossil) gasoline. On the other hand, NOx emissions from oxygenated fuels had contradictory behaviour compared to gasoline. If we consider the gains achieved by the torque with the ternary mixtures and reductions in polluting emissions obtained by mixtures with pyrogasoline, a future for this fuel can be foreseen as a partial replacement of fossil gasoline.
EVALUATION OF THE BEHAVIOR OF SALMONELLA ENTERICA IN REHYDRATED DRY DOG FOODS

Title of Thesis: EVALUATION OF THE BEHAVIOR OF SALMONELLA ENTERICA IN REHYDRATED DRY DOG FOODS Yinzhi Qu, Master of Science, 2017 Directed By: Abani K. Pradhan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Science Recent human salmonellosis outbreaks associated with dry dog foods have raised concern over these products as potential vehicles for Salmonella. In this study, different behavior (decline or growth) of Salmonella across twenty-six different brand dog foods that were rehydrated to a moisture content of 35% and stored at 30°C for 72 hr were characterized. Decline data were fitted with log-linear model and growth data were fitted by reparameterized Gompertz model. The distributions for the parameters in the fitted reparameterized Gompertz model were obtained. The effects of pH and water activity of rehydrated dog foods on changes in Salmonella levels (Log CFU/g) within 72 hr were modeled by the second order polynomial regression. The results can be implemented in the future quantitative microbial risk assessment studies. This study was useful in providing critical information regarding Salmonella and dog food to develop effective contamination prevention and mitigation strategies. EVALUATION OF THE BEHAVIOR OF SALMONELLA ENTERICA IN REHYDRATED DRY DOG FOODS
Recent developments of modulation and control for high-power current-source-converters fed electric machine systems

 Abstract —The pulse-width-modulated (PWM) current-source converters (CSCs) fed electric machine systems can be considered as a type of high reliability energy conversion systems, since they work with the long-life DC-link inductor and offer high fault-tolerant capability for short-circuit faults. Besides, they provide motor friendly waveforms and four-quadrant operation ability. Therefore, they are suitable for high-power applications of fans, pumps, compressors and wind power generation. The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively review recent developments of key technologies on modulation and control of high-power (HP) PWM-CSC fed electric machines systems, including reduction of low-order current harmonics, suppression of inductor–capacitor (LC) resonance, mitigation of common-mode voltage (CMV) and control of modular PWM-CSC fed systems. In particular, recent work on the overlapping effects during commutation, LC resonance suppression under fault-tolerant operation and collaboration of modular PMW-CSCs are described. Both theoretical analysis and some results in simulations and experiments are presented. Finally, a brief discussion regarding the future trend of the HP CSC fed electric machines systems is
Endometrial local injury, a simple procedure that improves IVF outcome in a selected population of patients

Embryo implantation, an essential prelude for the establishment of pregnancy, is successful upon the interaction of a high-quality embryo with a receptive uterus. Nevertheless, ‘inadequate uterine receptivity’ which has been pointed out as the cause for approximately two-thirds of repeated implantation failures (RIF, [1-3]), combined with the low rate of implantation (~25%) obtained upon transfer of good embryos in IVF, makes implantation the rate-limiting step for the success of ART.
Performance Analysis and Evaluation of Different Voltage Balancing Schemes for a Grid Connected Modular Multilevel Converter under Asymmetrical Grid Condition

: Furnished with many features, modular multi-level converters (MMC) have various applications in power systems. The main application considered is high voltage direct current transmission (HVDC), where the MMC operates as back to back converters. In this work, an MMC is studied as an interfacing converter, between a distributed energy source and an unbalanced grid. Therefore, at the point of common coupling (PCC) the voltage and current is a composite of positive, negative and zero sequence components. A mathematical relationship for the MMC arm current is developed that accounts for the presence of the PCC voltage and current zero sequence in addition to the positive and negative components. Since current is injected towards the grid, the profile of the converter output voltage is an important factor. This voltage is implicitly affected by the sub-module capacitor voltage; hence, the balancing scheme adopted is pivotal in grid connected applications. Therefore, two balancing techniques are investigated, where one depends on simply rotating the carriers between sub-modules of the MMC. The other is based on the conventional sorting algorithm. Results show that the former method, which requires less calculation efforts, provides sufficient results in-terms of the current shape and ripple injected by the converter compared to the sorting based benchmark scheme. This is attributed to the converter output voltage, for which simulation results confirm that the rotation method contributes to small deviations in this voltage. Evaluations of balancing methods presented in this work prove that the rotation method is a sufficient balancing platform for interfacing MMC applications.
Soil fertility and bacterial community composition in a semiarid Mediterranean agricultural soil under long‐term tillage management

This research attempted to investigate a part of the United Nations sustainable development goal 15, dealing with preventing land degradation and halting the loss of microorganisms’ diversity. Since soil deterioration and biodiversity loss in the Mediterranean area are occurring because of intensive management, we evaluated some biochemical and microbiological parameters and bacterial biodiversity under long‐term conventional tillage (CT) and no‐tillage (NT) practices, in Basilicata, a typical Region of Southern Italy, characterized by a semiarid ecosystem. The highest biological fertility index (BFI) (composed of soil organic matter, microbial biomass C, cumulative microbial respiration during 25 days of incubation, basal respiration, metabolic quotient and mineralization quotient) was determined for the 0–20 cm of NT soil (class V, high biological fertility level). The analysis of the taxonomic composition at the phylum level revealed the higher relative abundance of copiotrophic bacteria such as Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes in the NT soil samples as compared to the CT soil. These copiotrophic phyla, more important decomposers of soil organic matter (SOM) than oligotrophic phyla, are responsible of a higher microbial C use efficiency (CUE) in tilled soil, being microbial community composition, C substrates content and CUE closely linked. The higher Chao1 and Shannon indices, under the NT management, also supported the hypothesis that the bacterial diversity and richness increased in the no‐till soils. In conclusion, we can assume that the long‐term no‐tillage can preserve an agricultural soil in a semiarid ecosystem, enhancing soil biological fertility level and bacterial diversity.