Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Light-Dependent CO2 Retrieval in Immature Barley Caryopses

Immature detached caryopses from barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var. distichum cv. Midas) were shown to be capable of light dependent retrieval of internally-produced C02. In the first set of experiments, caryopses were radioactively labelled by supplying (U-14C)-sucrose to detached ears in liquid culture. Caryopses were then removed from the ear and given a 12 h chase of non radioactive sucrose in either the light or dark. More 14C was recovered in the caryopses after the chase in the light than in the dark but the differences were not significant. In the second set of experiments, 14C-labelled caryopses obtained by a 15 min light incubation in 14C02 were maintained in either the light or dark for 3 h and any redistribution of label between the tissues recorded. The results show that under these conditions, photosynthesis in the Chl-containing green layer of the pericarp can prevent losses of internally-produced C02, since 3 times as much radiocarbon remained in the caryopses incubated in the light as in the dark. These differences were significant at P=0 001. Experiments with the mutant barley Albino lemma, which has no Chi in the pericarp, showed that there was little difference between light and dark treatments. This confirms the suggestion that photosynthesis in the pericarp of the normal cultivar Midas may be concerned in the refixation of C02.
Effect of Precious Metals on NO Reduction by CO in Oxidative Conditions

Carbon dioxide has become an environmental challenge, where the emissions have reached higher level than can be handled. In this regard, conversion of CO2 to value-added chemicals and thus recycling of CO2 appear a viable option. Prior to valorization, CO2 must be purified. Among several opportunities, oxyfuel combustion is a process in rapid development. However, the gases resulting from this process contain some traces of impurities that can hinder the recovery of CO2 such as NO and CO. This work has, therefore, focused on the study of the NO-CO reaction in an oxidizing medium, using heterogeneous catalytic materials based on various supported noble metals. These materials were extensively characterized by a variety of methods including Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area measurements, hydrogen chemisorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and H2 temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR). The results obtained show that the catalytic behavior of M/Al2O3 catalysts in CO oxidation and NO reduction with CO in oxidative conditions depends mainly on the nature of the metal. The best result for both reactions is obtained with Pt/Al2O3 catalyst. The Pt nanoparticles in their metallic form (Pt°) as evidenced by TPR could explain the activity.
Differences in composition of endophytic mycobiota in twigs and leaves of healthy and declining Quercus species in Italy

Summary The composition of the endophytic fungal assemblages in Quercus cerris, Q. pubescens and Q. robur, three oak species most susceptible to decline, was investigated in Fagare ` (Padova), Ulignano (Pisa), and Radda in Chianti (Firenze). The endophytic assemblages were studied as a function of health status of the whole tree and of twigs and leaves. The effect of station altitude was tested on Q. cerris. Samples were gathered from healthy and declining trees. In April (bud opening time) 20 twigs and 10 leaves were collected from each tree. Fungi were isolated from twig segments and leaf portions. A total of 23 fungal genera with 27 different species were isolated, in addition to a few sterile mycelia. Eleven species were found to be common to all three oak species, while other species were found only on one oak species, suggesting host specificity. Among the fungal species isolated, some were known to be pathogenic (Apiognomonia quercina, Colpoma quercinum, Diplodia mutila, Phomopsis quercina). The colonization frequency (CF) of pathogenic species varied between 0.9% for A. quercina in Q. cerris and 60.2% for P. quercina in Q. robur. Analysis of variance showed a statistically significant difference among the oak species tested. The CF was higher in declining trees in comparison with healthy trees, and also in twigs vs. leaves. The CF was found to be higher for Q. cerris trees growing at sea level as compared with those situated at an elevation of 350‐400 m. In stands where, on account of particular ecological conditions, pathogenic behaviour is displayed simultaneously by more than one endophytic fungal species, trees accentuate their decline.
Sex differences in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: hints for future management of the disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains a major cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Despite extensive studies, the heterogeneity of the risk factors as well as different disease mechanisms complicate the goals toward effective diagnosis and management. Recently, it has been shown that sex differences play a role in the prevalence and progression of NAFLD. In vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies revealed that the lower prevalence of NAFLD in premenopausal as compared to postmenopausal women and men is mainly due to the protective effects of estrogen and body fat distribution. It has been also described that males and females present differential pathogenic features in terms of biochemical profiles and histological characteristics. However, the exact molecular mechanisms for the gender differences that exist in the pathogenesis of NAFLD are still elusive. Lipogenesis, oxidative stress, and inflammation play a key role in the progression of NAFLD. For NAFLD, only a few studies characterized these mechanisms at the molecular level. Therefore, we aim to review the reported differential molecular mechanisms that trigger such different pathogenesis in both sexes. Differences in lipid metabolism, glucose homeostasis, oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrosis were discussed based on the evidence reported in recent publications. In conclusion, with this review, we hope to provide a new perspective for the development of future practice guidelines as well as a new avenue for the management of the disease.
Main critical factors affecting the welfare of beef cattle and veal calves raised under intensive rearing systems in Italy: a review

Abstract This review describes the principal causes of poor welfare in beef cattle and veal calves raised in intensive husbandry systems in Italy. Nowadays there are no specific regulations in force for beef cattle welfare. However, a document produced in 2001 by the Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare of the European Commission on Health and Consumer Protection identified the main causes of inadequate welfare levels in the different cattle rearing systems in Europe. In Italy and in the Po Valley in particular, the beef cattle farms are mainly finishing units characterised by animals kept at high density in multiple pens and fed high starch diets. Under these rearing conditions the limited space allowance is one of the most important issues impairing animal welfare. Other risk factors for poor welfare related to the housing structures are type of floor, space at the manger, number of water dispensers and lack of specific moving and handling facilities. Microclimatic conditions can be critical especially during the summer season when cattle can experience heat stress. The feeding plan adopted in the Italian beef farms may be another factor negatively affecting the welfare of these animals due to the low content of long fibre roughage which increases the risk of metabolic acidosis. In the veal calf rearing systems there has been a mandatory introduction of the new system of production according to the European Council Directives 91/629/EEC and 97/2/EC. Farms had to adopt group housing and to provide calves with an increasing amount of fibrous feed in addition to the all-liquid diet. Despite this specific legislation, several risk factors for calves’ welfare can still be identified. Some of them are related to the housing system (type of floor, air quality, feed and water supply equipment and lack of loading facilities) and some others to the feeding plan (type and amount of roughage, quality of milk replacers). Recent studies have shown that the welfare of veal calves and beef cattle can be severely affected by the quality of the stockmanship and particularly by negative human-animal interaction.
Is Social Media Adoption a Powerful Means to Reach High Performance in Small- and Medium-Sized Firms? An Empirical Investigation

Social media represent today an essential part of marketing strategies in business life. These communication tools are used as a source of information and dissemination of knowledge and belong to very important business marketing tactics as they help create new business opportunities, develop a stronger market position and, often contribute to changing consumer behaviour. In particular, this study investigates if and how the use of Facebook and Instagram positively affects business performance. Analyzing a sample of 30 successful European businesses that have registered relevant revenue growth in the last 3-year period, findings show that Facebook and Instagram adoption is neutral with reference to the achievement of positive financial and economic performance. An interpretive model is conceived to point out different kinds of social media adopters. Implications and limitations are discussed.
An updated list and some comments on the occurrence of intraspecific nest parasitism in birds

This paper presents a list, compiled from the literature, of bird species in which intraspecific nest parasitism (INP) occurs. INP was reported in 234 species: one Struthioniformes, two Tinamiformes, two Procellariiformes, six Podicipediiformes, five Ciconiiformes, one Phoenicopteriformes, 74 Anseriformes, one Falconiformes, 32 Galliformes, eight Gruiformes, 19 Charadriiformes, nine Columbiformes, five Cuculiformes, two Apodiformes, one Coraciiformes and 66 Passeriformes. Hence, INP is very common among precocial species, and less so among altricials. Irrespective of this, most INP birds are colonial.
Beam alignment and image distortion assessment of dental cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) system

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) technique has been widely used in dental imaging as it offers different image views such as panoramic, cephalometric, tomographic, and three dimensions (3D). This study aimed to assess image distortion due to beam misalignment for CBCT system using phantom study. A ball phantom was scanned with default exposure setting for standard panoramic imaging (68 kV, 8 mA and patient size of M) using Planmeca ProMax CBCT unit. Three different measurements were performed on the phantom images such as distance measurement between the centre of the middle ball and rear middle ball, distance measured from the centre of middle ball to tenth ball (left and right), and measurement of both vertical and horizontal distance of any four balls. From the findings, most of measured distance between middle ball and rear middle ball were below the acceptable level, but two measurements exceeded the reference value by 6% and 75%. Similar with the measured distances of the tenth balls, two measurements exceeded the acceptable level by 3% and 28%. The vertical and horizontal distance of 4 balls were slightly differ from standard value with overall magnification of 1.06 and percentage error of 6%. The beam alignment and patient positioning should be accurately evaluated to avoid image distortion and misdiagnosis in dental CBCT images.
Repetitive DNA and the Chromosomes in the Genome of Oil Palm ( Elaeis guineensis )

Abstract Like most plant genomes, much of the oil palm genome ( Elaeis guineensis L., 2 n = 32) consists of repetitive DNA sequences. We aimed to isolate and characterize a range of repetitive sequences from the genome of the crop and analyse the repeats by sequencing, Southern and in situ hybridization. Three unrelated repetitive sequence families, with no homology to known sequences, showed a dispersed distribution along the chromosomes with concentration in the proximal parts of arms, while simple sequence repeats of DNA (GA, GATA and CAC) were clustered in the distal parts. Copia -like retroelements were dispersed throughout the genome, with a concentration in proximal regions, but were not as abundant as in species with larger genomes. Among tandemly repeated sequences, a major 18S-25S rDNA site was present on a single pair of chromosomal sites, often on a satellite with no visible connection to its parent chromosome. A major 5S rDNA site was located on another chromosome pair; variable numbers of minor sites of both rDNA families were also detected. The telomeric sequence (CCCTAAA) was located at the ends of all chromosome arms, but no intercalary sites of amplification were detected. No other major families of tandemly repeated sequences were found. The molecular cytogenetic analysis and chromosome amplification patterns of major sequence families provide the reference point for examination of genomic organization of major classes of the repetitive DNA in normal and in tissue culture material including abnormal regenerants.
PENGARUH TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTANCE MODEL (TAM) TERHADAP KEPUASAN PELANGGAN DAN NIAT PENGGUNAAN MOBILE BANKING SECARA BERKELANJUTAN (PRIVASI DAN PERSONALISASI SEBAGAI VARIABEL MODERASI)

The increasing use of smartphones allows users to access online banking accounts anywhere and anytime. This accessibility is an advantage for large banks. It is important to highlight that the number of clients operating through online banking has not increased as much as expected. Some aspects such as lack of trust in the system, impersonal treatment or lack of security and privacy protection, lack of effective personalization have caused reluctance from many customers to use the mobile banking application. The purpose of this study is to fill the gap in the mobile banking literature using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by integrating the influence of privacy and personalization on customer satisfaction and intentions to use mobile banking services continuously. Data collection techniques in this study used an online survey by distributing questionnaires online to mobile banking users throughout Indonesia. SEM-PLS is used to test hypotheses with a sample size of 407. The results show that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use have a positive effect on customer satisfaction. Privacy has a negative effect on customer satisfaction while personalization has no effect on customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction shows significant results so that it can determine the intention of using mobile banking continuously.
Wood-Based Epoxy Resin's Synthesis Using Decayed Woody Material from Mushroom Cultivation

Received: 4 January 2020 Accepted: 17 March 2020 The aim of this study is to investigate the epoxy resin prepared from liquefied decayed woody materials after mushroom cultivation, in order to widen the applicable range of liquefaction technology. Liquefaction technology is valid replacement of fossil fuel and serving the Sustainable Development Goals. Decayed materials have less usage due to the damage to its original form and the deterioration of its strength. However, decay refers to decomposition of woody composition of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, which are easy to be liquefied. Decayed wood woody material was first liquefied by reaction with polyethylene glycol and glycerin. Then epoxy function groups were introduced to the liquefied wood by the glycidyl etherification. The synthesized epoxy resins from decayed woody sample have the similar chemical and technological properties with these from control woody samples. This reality indicates that decayed woody materials have potentially to be used for a wide range of applications including binding and contribute to construct sustainable development society.
PERAN KETERLIBATAN HIJABERS DI MEDIA SOSIAL TERHADAP PERILAKU BELANJA ONLINE BUSANA MUSLIM

The purpose of the study was to identify the effects of motivation, opportunity, ability, and likes on social media involvement for online shopping. The population in this study is the Facebook users in order to transact online shopping, especially Muslim fashion. Sampling method in this research is purposive sampling with 316 respondents. Data analysis techniques use SEM (Smart-PLS) analysis. The results stated that motivation, ability, and likes have a positive influence on involvement in social media through online shopping among hijabsta. While opportunities have no influence on involvement in social media.
Teachers’ Perception of Factors Affecting Integration of Information and Communication Technology for Instructional Purposes in Secondary Schools in Kenya

This research determined the perception of secondary school teachers on the effect of teacher-related factors on the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) for instructional purposes. The study was conducted in 40 secondary schools of the North Rift Valley region of Kenya that had computers. Likert-type scale for each technology acceptance variable (Computer self-efficacy, teacher efficacy, attitude towards computer, Social influence, and Constructivist beliefs) was developed/ adopted for the study. These scales were established to have adequate reliability through a pilot study. Usable data from 400 respondents was collected and used to test the hypotheses. T-test, ANOVA and Fisher’s LSD post hoc analyses were conducted on the data collected using SPSS version 20.0. The results show that voluntariness and computer experience were the two main variables that determined teachers’ perception of factors affecting the integration of Information and Communication Technology for instructional purposes. On the other hand, subject specialization, gender and teaching experience had marginal or no significant influence on teachers’ perception of factors affecting the integration of Information and Communication Technology for instructional purposes. Therefore, it should be understood that a number of factors interact to produce a significant effect on ICT integration in pedagogy.
Effect of feeding corn cob meal on the growth, nutrient digestibility and organ characteristics of finisher broilers

One hundred and twenty (120) five weeks old Anak broiler finisher birds were used to study the effect of corn cob meal on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and organ weight characteristics. The birds were divided into 4 treatment groups of 30 birds each and further replicated thrice (10 birds per replicate). Four finisher diets were formulated with 0, 5, 10 and 15% corn cob meal and fed to the birds in a completely randomized design (CRD). The results showed significant differences (p 0.05) between treatments. The organ weights (Liver, heart and gizzard) did not differ significantly (p>0.05) between the treatment groups. Nutrient digestibility results showed that crude protein and neutral ether extract differed significantly (p 0.05) between treatments. The results of this study suggest that feeding 5% corn cob meal diet was not detrimental to the performance of broilers at the finisher level. Keywords: Poultry, nutrient digestibility, corn cob, broilers, performance, organs
Quality changes in frozen whole and gutted anchovies during storage at −18°C

Fresh samples of whole and gutted anchovies were blast frozen at - 35°C and stored at -18°C. The quality of the samples was examined as organoleptic, microbiological and chemical changes during the storage period. Gutting had no significant effect on the quality of the final product. Sensory quality was good for up to 90 days of storage. No increase in microbial activity was detected, but some oxidative and hydrolytic deterioration of fats were observed. The final product was still edible after 180 days.
Radiation within the advanced snakes (Caenophidia) with special emphasis on African opistoglyph colubrids, based on mitochondrial sequence data

A parsimony analysis of parts of the mitochondrial genes 12S and 16S (722 base pairs) from 43 species of the advanced snakes (Caenophidia) resulted in two most parsimonious topologies. Based on a strict consensus of these the following objectives were addressed: (1) Which groupings of caenophidian taxa can be recognized? (2) Is Acrochordus sister group to, or included in, Caenophidia? (3) Are boigine snakes (sensu stricto) a monophyletic grouping and where do these taxa belong in a broader caenophidian context? (4) What are the systematic affinities of the African egg-eating genus Dasypeltis? The phylogeny was then used to discuss: (5) the evolution of the posterior maxillary dentition and the composition of the retinal visual cells. The results reveal that, when using Boa constrictor as outgroup, Acrochordus is the sistergroup to the remainder of the ingroup, and a further eight clades are defined. Five genera of elapids did not appear to be monophyletic and a number of colubrids {sensu lato) such as Mehelya, Lycodonomorphus, Lamprophis, Atractaspis, and Buhoma (formerly Geodipsas), which have traditionally been problematic to place systematically, did not group with any of the larger clades. These taxa are together with the elapids representatives of very early radiations in the evolution of the Advanced snakes. The homalopsine Enhydris enhydris appears as a sistergroup to the viperine clade (Clade 1). When plotted onto the topology the posterior maxillary dentition appear to express three, maybe four, independent origins of the Opistoglyph State. The retinal evolution also appeared very complex. The suggested very primitive placing of the Boigine snakes (sensu stricto) due to their lack of double cones in the retina of the eye was not supported here; instead the sequence data suggests this observation to be the result of a secondary loss.
The Transboundary Nature of the Allende–Piedras Negras Aquifer Using a Numerical Model Approach

The Allende–Piedras Negras (APN) aquifer is located between the states of Texas (United States [U.S.]) and Coahuila (Mexico). The Rio Grande crosses the aquifer, acting as a natural and political divide between the countries. However, it remains unclear whether the APN aquifer can be considered a truly transboundary aquifer flow system, which would potentially require joint management by two different administrative jurisdictions. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the transboundary nature of this aquifer. This was achieved by developing a detailed hydrogeological model to analyze the direction of volumetric fluxes within the APN aquifer using Visual MODFLOW. The model simulated a spatially averaged cumulative drawdown of 0.76 m for the entire aquifer over an 18‐year modeling period (2000–2017). The flow convergence zone, previously located below the Rio Grande, has shifted to the U.S. side in most locations, driven by higher pumping rates of the wells located near the river. This shift of the convergence zone from one country to the other means that groundwater recharge from one side flows underneath the river to the other side. This qualifies the APN aquifer as a “transboundary groundwater flow system. ” The procedure followed in this study may be applied to other aquifers that straddle the U.S.–Mexico border and may motivate future modeling studies on other poorly studied transboundary aquifers around the world and thereby enable bi‐national aquifer management.