Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Autoinduction of Bacillus subtilis phoPR Operon Transcription Results from Enhanced Transcription from EσA- and EσE-Responsive Promoters by Phosphorylated PhoP

ABSTRACT The phoPR operon encodes a response regulator, PhoP, and a histidine kinase, PhoR, which activate or repress genes of the Bacillus subtilis Pho regulon in response to an extracellular phosphate deficiency. Induction of phoPR upon phosphate starvation required activity of both PhoP and PhoR, suggesting autoregulation of the operon, a suggestion that is supported here by PhoP footprinting on the phoPR promoter. Primer extension analyses, using RNA from JH642 or isogenic sigE or sigB mutants isolated at different stages of growth and/or under different growth conditions, suggested that expression of the phoPR operon represents the sum of five promoters, each responding to a specific growth phase and environmental controls. The temporal expression of the phoPR promoters was investigated using in vitro transcription assays with RNA polymerase holoenzyme isolated at different stages of Pho induction, from JH642 or isogenic sigE or sigB mutants. In vitro transcription studies using reconstituted EσA, EσB, and EσE holoenzymes identified PA4 and PA3 as EσA promoters and PE2 as an EσE promoter. Phosphorylated PhoP (PhoP∼P) enhanced transcription from each of these promoters. EσB was sufficient for in vitro transcription of the PB1 promoter. P5 was active only in a sigB mutant strain. These studies are the first to report a role for PhoP∼P in activation of promoters that also have activity in the absence of Pho regulon induction and an activation role for PhoP∼P at an EσE promoter. Information concerning PB1 and P5 creates a basis for further exploration of the regulatory coordination or overlap of the PhoPR and SigB regulons during phosphate starvation.
Effect of Selected Tanniniferous Leaves on in Vivo Enteric Methane Emission in Sheep

Introduction Concentration of methane is continuously increasing in atmosphere and now almost 155% (IPCC, 2007) more than that recorded during pre-industrial era. Livestock production is a major sector accountable for high methane emission into atmospheric pool. World’s livestock is contributing around 15% of total atmospheric methane on annual basis feeds (Moss et al., 2000). Additionally, methane emission from ruminants leads to a loss of 2 to 15% of the dietary energy (Holter and Young, 1992). Due to these two crucial issues, researchers are working tirelessly to find a suitable and effective way for enteric methane amelioration accompanied with minimal inputs. So far numerous interventions have been tried with variable results, but due to one or another reason the search for effective strategy is on the priority of animal scientist. One of the possible approaches for enteric methane amelioration may be the use of plant secondary metabolites which are being traditionally used by the people since ages.
A space between: Social work through the lens of a mobile tiny house encounter space

This paper reflects on a cross-sector social intervention that uses roadworthy ‘tiny house’ shepherd’s huts in public spaces as informal locations for connectivity. Working at the intersections between street-level outreach, outdoor education and community arts, the Welcome Hut project can be conceptualised as a hospitality hub. Participants engage in public daydreaming and storytelling that emerges from a welcoming gesture of recognition and reciprocity. The autoethnographic narrative by the project’s initiator traces back how this concrete utopia had initially been created outside of social work networks and gradually gained legitimacy in the field. The paper shares methodological insights from operating a deliberately unlocated mobile practice. It is argued that a ‘vagabond’ intervention opens novel in-between spaces for dialogue through relational disruption. By nurturing spaces for otherness inside social work, the emerging interstices enable practitioners to be inspired by unusual perspectives on professionalism and reimagine their own conditions. This paper is therefore written at the unclassified in-betweens to transcend rigid belongings and disciplinary protocol within contemporary beyond-binary social complexities. The researcher angle that investigates social workers’ everyday realities is voluntarily displaced towards migratory arts venues. Unusual narratives can encourage breathing spaces in fragile and fertile liminalities between life worlds and institutional agendas.
Competition between Native Populus deltoides and Invasive Tamarix ramosissima and the Implications for Reestablishing Flooding Disturbance

Abstract: Changes in historical disturbance regimes have been shown to facilitate non‐native plant invasions, but reinstatement of disturbance can be successful only if native colonizers are able to outcompete colonizing invasives. Reintroduction of flooding in the southwestern United States is being promoted as a means of reestablishing Populus deltoides subsp. wislizenii, but flooding can also promote establishment of an introduced, invasive species, Tamarix ramosissima. We investigated competition between Populus and Tamarix at the seedling stage to aid in characterizing the process by which Tamarix may invade and to determine the potential ability of Populus to establish itself with competitive pressure from Tamarix. We planted seedlings of Tamarix and Populus in five ratios at three densities for a total of 15 treatments. The growth response of each species was measured in terms of height, above‐ground biomass, and tissue concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorous. These measurements across treatments were modeled as three‐dimensional response surfaces. For both species, Populus density was more important than Tamarix density for determining growth response. Both species were negatively affected by increasing numbers of Populus seedlings. Due to the larger size of the native Populus, we predict that its superior competitive ability can lead to its dominance when conditions allow native establishment. Our results suggest that even in the presence of an invader that positively responds to disturbance, reestablishment of historical flooding regimes and post‐flood hydrology can restore this ecosystem by promoting its dominant plant species.
The effect of environmental variables on the activity patterns of the southern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons) in captivity: onset, duration and cessation of activity

The influence of scotoperiod, ambient temperature and humidity on the activity of captive wombats was examined to differentiate environmental influence from that pertaining to food availability. The activity of 12 wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) housed at Rockhampton Zoo was remotely monitored by digital video-surveillance for one year, with environmental variables simultaneously recorded via dataloggers. Mean proportion of total daily time spent active was 18.2 ± 1.8%. Mean daily time spent active varied seasonally according to changes in temperature and humidity. Mean daily activity was greater during winter (301 ± 17 min) and spring (295 ± 16 min), than summer (234 ± 16 min) and autumn (238 ± 15 min) with differences due to a decrease in the number and length of activity bouts in summer and autumn; presumably these results reflect a need to maintain heat balance associated with exposure to elevated temperatures. Activity was positively correlated with temperature during winter (r = 0.60) and spring (r = 0.52) but negatively correlated during summer (r = –0.58) and autumn (r = –0.49), suggesting the existence of a thermoneutral zone where activity is maximised. We conclude that activity in captive wombats is influenced by environmental variables.
Focus prosody in Japanese-English early bilinguals: A pilot study

Typologically, some languages mark narrow focus with ‘post-focus compression’ (PFC) while others do not. For those which do, PFC is easily lost through bilingualism, at both societal and individual levels. At the societal level, when in contact with a – PFC language (e.g. Southern Min), a likely +PFC language can lose this prosodic feature (e.g. Taiwan Mandarin) [1]; at the individual level, for bilingual speakers of a +PFC (e.g. Mandarin) and a –PFC (e.g. Southern Min) language, age plays a role in whether they can produce PFC in Mandarin or not [2]. In the latter case, however, the effect of contact and the apparent role of age cannot be teased apart. To better understand how individual characteristics (e.g. age) affect PFC realisation, this study analysed Japanese-English bilinguals, whose two languages are both +PFC. We recruited six early bilingual speakers to complete a speech production task [3] to see if they would produce PFC after narrow focus in Japanese. The results showed that the biracial speakers living in the United Kingdom manifested clear evidence of PFC, whereas another ethnic Japanese speaker who grew up in Japan but identified herself as English-dominant failed to produce PFC. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Review of the genetics, dispersal and recruitment of crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci)

The lack of genetic structuring reported for Acanthaster planci (L.) from major biogeographical zones (i.e. Indian Ocean versus Pacific) may reflect a lack of data rather than confirmation of a recent and rapid dispersal of the species worldwide. The low level of genetic variation among A. planci populations throughout the Pacific is evidence of high levels of gene flow throughout this region. However, gene flow among widely separated reef complexes (average number of migrants per generation, N/em, approximately 2) is an order of magnitude less than that occurring within highly connected reef systems like the Ryukyus and the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) (Nem approximately 20). The genetic similarity between North-west Pacific and Australian populations is likely to reflect gene flow to each place from the central Indo-West Pacific region. Populations peripheral to the species' main distribution show greater genetic differentiation, probably as a result of founder effect. Some, like the Hawaiian and western Australian populations, show reduced genetic diversity, implying colonization by a very small number of individuals or a recent severe bottleneck in population size. Western Australian populations appear to have been derived from eastern Australian populations in the Pacific rather than Indian Ocean sources. On the GBR, genetic differentiation is low among populations that are undergoing outbreaks but there is significant differentiation among populations that are not involved in outbreaks; this suggests that a single primary source is the origin of outbreaks on the GBR. The development of distinctive DNA markers may also allow the detailed tracking of dispersal routes of A. planci and of recruitment within reefs.
Development of a pneumatic master–slave system comprising entirely mechanical components

In recent years, master–slave systems with pneumatic actuators, which are necessary to realize a safe and secure society, have attracted increasing attention and are currently being used in the medical and welfare fields. In addition, they are used in disaster-recovery support through application to remote-controlled robots. The master–slave system proposed in this study aims at improving safety and reliability by controlling a pneumatic actuator with mechanical feedback. A characteristic analysis is essential to improve the performance and expand the possibilities for incorporation into practical systems. The purpose of this study is to clarify the performance of a master–slave system comprising only mechanical components and consider possible applications. We have developed a pneumatic master–slave system that uses a one-axis stage and a precision pressure regulator as the master and a pneumatic positioning device as the slave and performed characteristic confirmation experiments. First, we modeled the pneumatic positioning device and compared it with the actual step response. Next, we made a prototype of the master–slave system and conducted characteristic confirmation experiments such as step response and response to repeated inputs. Our experimental results suggest that this system is suitable for applications that require relatively low speeds and positioning accuracies of several millimeters, such as nursing-care assisting systems, transportation-support systems at production sites, and robots with expanded human abilities.
Selection Improves Drought Tolerance in Tropical Maize Populations: I. Gains in Biomass, Grain Yield, and Harvest Index

Drought is common in tropical environments, and selection for drought tolerance is one way of reducing the impacts of water deficit on crop yield. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate biomass, grain yield, and harvest index of maize (Zea mays L.) populations selected for drought tolerance. Three late-maturing tropical maize populations were subjected to three cycles of S recurrent selection ('La Posta Sequia' and 'Pool 26 Sequia') or eight cycles of full-sib recurrent selection ('Tuxpeno Sequia') for yield and traits indicative of drought tolerance during flowering and grain filling. Selection gains were assessed in five trials conducted under mid-late season drought and in five trials conducted under well-watered conditions. In water-stressed environments, with average yields of 1.0 to 4.5 Mg ha, yield gains averaged 0.26 Mg ha (12.6%) cycle for La Posta Sequia and Pool 26 Sequia and 0.08 Mg ha (3.8%) cycle for Tuxpeno Sequia. In well-watered conditions, where mean yields ranged from 5.8 to 10.4 Mg ha, corresponding gains per cycle were 0.12 Mg ha (1.5%) and 0.04 Mg ha (0.5%). Total biomass was unaffected by selection. Mean correlated responses to selection observed under drought were -0.11 Mg ha cycle in stem biomass and 0.025 cycle in harvest index (HI), and under well-watered conditions, 0.005 cycle in HI. Stem biomass and HI were negatively correlated under drought (r = -0.57; P < 0.01). Improved drought tolerance was attributed to simultaneous selection in well-watered environments and under carefully managed water stress at flowering, resulting in greater partitioning of biomass to the ear and increased harvest index.
Demography of woody plants in relation to fire: Banksia ericifolia L.f. and Petrophile pulchella (Schrad) R.Br.

Plants of Banksia ericifolia and Petrophile pulchella are sensitive to fire. Changes in population size under different fire regimes were estimated, based on measurements of post-fire seedling emergence, seedling survival, survival and seed production in established plants of differing ages, survival of seeds held in serotinous cones and seed-release in the periods between fire. Seeds were first available at 5 years in P. pulchella and 6 years in B. ericifolia. Exact replacement would be possible when burnt at these ages, if seedling establishment were very high. Low establishment would delay replacement to 13 years of age in both species. Late summer/autumn fires of high intensity favour high establishment. Such fires at 8–10 year intervals would be tolerated without any sustained decline in numbers. Fires at 10–15 year intervals could occur regardless of season or intensity with little risk of a population decline. Large increases in numbers and density would follow fires spaced at 15–30 years. Enough seeds would be available for replacement up to about 50 years in both species. Viable seed-release in unburnt conditions was sufficient to compensate for deaths in stands over 20 years old, even with very low levels of establishment. Two variables accounted for the biggest changes in numbers and density between generations interspersed by fires; namely the age at which a stand is burned and the proportion of seeds which emerge as seedlings. A comparison with other similar species showed similarities in controls on emergence and establishment, lengths of primary juvenile periods and life spans.
Adaptation potential of the copepod Eurytemora affinis to a future warmer Baltic Sea

Abstract To predict effects of global change on zooplankton populations, it is important to understand how present species adapt to temperature and how they respond to stressors interacting with temperature. Here, we ask if the calanoid copepod Eurytemora affinis from the Baltic Sea can adapt to future climate warming. Populations were sampled at sites with different temperatures. Full sibling families were reared in the laboratory and used in two common garden experiments (a) populations crossed over three temperature treatments 12, 17, and 22.5°C and (b) populations crossed over temperature in interaction with salinity and algae of different food quality. Genetic correlations of the full siblings’ development time were not different from zero between 12°C and the two higher temperatures 17 and 22.5°C, but positively correlated between 17 and 22.5°C. Hence, a population at 12°C is unlikely to adapt to warmer temperature, while a population at ≥17°C can adapt to an even higher temperature, that is, 22.5°C. In agreement with the genetic correlations, the population from the warmest site of origin had comparably shorter development time at high temperature than the populations from colder sites, that is, a cogradient variation. The population with the shortest development time at 22.5°C had in comparison lower survival on low quality food, illustrating a cost of short development time. Our results suggest that populations from warmer environments can at present indirectly adapt to a future warmer Baltic Sea, whereas populations from colder areas show reduced adaptation potential to high temperatures, simply because they experience an environment that is too cold.
Avian Nest Dispersion and Fledging Success in Field‐Forest Ecotones

Observations of 21 species of open-nesting passerines breeding in contiguous field and forest habitats at Rose Lake Wildlife Research Area, Michigan, were made during 1974 and 1975. Data were collected on nest dispersion, clutch-size, and fledging success in relation to the field-forest edge. Losses of eggs or nestlings were attributed to predation, inclement weather, Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism, nest desertion, hatching failure, and adult death. Each bird species seemed to have a preferred distance from the habitat discontinuity that was used as a nest site. Furthermore, nests were not uniformly distributed on the area. Over one-half of the nests were found within ? 15 m of the habitat discontinuity. Seventy-five percent of the nests belonged to birds characteristic of mixed breeding habitats, i.e., birds requiring an open overstory canopy with elevated singing and observation perches and dense cover near the ground for nesting and feeding. These mixed-habitat species also accounted for the increase in avian species nesting near edges. Based on Kendall rank and partial rank correlation tests, increasing numbers of nests and the percentage of total clutches ^3 eggs were found to be negatively correlated with increasing distance from the habitat discontinuity. Correlation between fledging success and increasing distance from the edge was positive and highly significant. Of the several mortality factors investigated, predation and cowbird parasitism were found to be the most important. The increased predation rate with decreased distance from the edge was attributed primarily to a functional response to higher numbers of nests and a greater activity of potential nest predators in the vicinity of the habitat discontinuities. Our results indicate that habitat suitability decreases with increasing numbers of nests toward the narrow field-forest edges. Although such abrupt habitat discontinuities did attract a variety and abundance of birds characteristic of habitats with mixed life-form, these discontinuities seemed to function as "ecological traps" by concentrating nests and thereby increasing density-dependent mor? tality. Ironically, the cowbird was also a victim of the increased predation rate. As these man-made forest edges are of recent origin, they are perhaps unrepresentative of the ecological niche in which these species evolved, and thus they may be poorly adapted to cope with the increased nest predation.
Aportes a la axiología desde la psicología social

La axiologia es una rama de la filosofia que se caracteriza por el estudio de la naturaleza de los valores. Si bien historicamente se abordo desde una rama de la filosofia desde una perspectiva argumentativa, durante el siglo XX comienzan a surgir una serie de estudios empiricos para abordar este fenomeno desde la psicologia. Esta abordo los valores desde estudios empiricos con distintos autores: Rockeach (1973), Hofstede (1991), Schwartz (1992) e Inglehart (1997). Estas distintas perspectivas para el estudio de los valores, son generalmente interpretadas como sustitutivas, producto de las perspectivas sesgadas de analisis y no se evidencian estudios que hayan analizado los diferentes abordajes, y como pueden aportar todos, considerando las particularidades de cada enfoque, al estudio de la axiologia. El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido analizar las diferencias entre las distintas perspectivas, y discutir los principales aportes a la axiologia desde la psicologia social.
Diseño pedagógico adaptativo para el desarrollo de MOOC: una estrategia para el desarrollo de competencias en contextos corporativos

This article intends to present the contributions of online open mass courses (MOOC) to corporate learning processes, based on an adaptive pedagogical model. To this end, the research was developed under a mixed, within the framework of an exploratory design of explanatory scope, based on variables such as adaptive teaching and the didactic technique of Problem Based Learning (PBL), as well as effects on meaningful learning. The results present some contributions of MOOC to management processes in organizations and to the development of technological skills, which lead to the strengthening and success of organizations in the corporate context.
EFFECT OF FORAGE AMOUNT AND PARTICLE SIZE IN DIETS OF LACTATING DAIRY COWS ON SITE OF DIGESTION AND MICROBIAL PROTEIN SYNTHESIS

Lactating Holstein cows fitted with ruminal and duodenal T-type cannulae were used in two studies to determine the effect of forage: concentrate ratio and forage particle size on site of nutrient digestion and microbial protein synthesis. In exp. 1, cows were fed alfalfa hay at 24, 38, 58 and 80% of total dry matter intake. Organic matter (OM) digestion in the total tract (OMD) increased with increasing concentrate level but apparent ruminal OM digestion (AROMD) was unaffected by diet. Digestion of acid detergent fiber (ADF) was similar among the higher forage diets, but was depressed at the 24% forage level. Efficiency of microbial protein synthesis (MPS) was depressed by high concentrate diets and was positively correlated (P < 0.05) to turnover rate within the rumen. In exp. 2, cows were fed 20% concentrate and 80% alfalfa hay in long, chopped or ground and pelleted form. AROMD was lower with ground hay but OMD was unaffected by diet. Digestibility of ADF in the rumen was lower with ground hay, but was.