Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular analysis of native Manipur rice accessions for resistance against blast

The genetic diversity for resistance against blast, a major disease on rice, was assessed in the land race collections of Manipur, India, a region reported to be associated with origin of rice. The presence of eight well characterized genes, that is Pi-b, Pi-z, Piz-t, Pi-9, Pi-40, Pi-5, Pi-a and Pi-ta that were known to confer resistance to different isolates of blast were analyzed through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay using gene specific molecular markers. The characterization of one hundred and eight accessions revealed the presence of these genes in the range of two to seven confirming the rich diversity for this economically important trait in these native landraces. The genetic diversity for resistance appears to be associated with the high levels of incidence of blast in the hilly uplands of Manipur, a feature that characterizes the rice cultivation of this region. The natural gene pyramids having diverse combinations of resistant genes provide the breeders a great opportunity to transfer and deploy these genes to provide adequate security against this deadly disease of rice in India, a country characterized by highly varied agro-climates and diverse growing conditions.
Stellaria media embryogenesis: the development and ultrastructure of the suspensor

As early as the three-celled stage of embryogenesis, the basal cell of chickweed, Stellaria media, is larger than the other embryonic cells and contains large differentiating plastids, microbodies, and wall ingrowths of the transfer cell type at the micropylar end of the cell. Subsequent development produces a suspensor with unique plastids, microbodies, and extensive profiles of dilated endoplasmic reticulum not found in the embryo proper. The suspensor plastids, which appear to be different from any other plastids previously described on the ultra-structural level, are large and contain two types of tubules and electron-translucent inclusions. Plasmodesmata occur in the end walls but not in the side walls of the suspensor cells. It is suggested that the suspensor of chickweed is involved in important, possibly essential, translocation and metabolic activities during early embryogenesis.
Effect of microcolony formation on the adherence of pseudomonas aeruginosa to human buccal epithelial cells

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is thought to initiate respiratory infections in susceptible individuals by adhering to and colonising the respiratory epithelium. We have examined the binding properties of P. aeruginosa strain P1 to human buccal epithelial cell (BEC)s and found that it may bind as a single bacterium or as an alginate encased microcolony. Examination of the binding of P1 to BECs revealed that single bacteria bound to BECs via a single class of adhesinreceptor site interactions, where the apparent association constant of binding (K a ) was 4.6 x 10 -9 ml/CFU and the maximum number of bacteria that could bind per BEC (N) was 223 bacteria/BEC. Cultures that produced microcolonies bound to BECs via two classes of adhesin-receptor site interactions. The first was identical to the class employed by single bacteria and was due to the presence of single bacteria in the culture and did not represent microcolony binding to the BECs. The second class of adhesin-receptor site interactions had a K a of 4.7 x 10 -10 ml/ CFU and N of 3388 bacteria/BEC. This second class of interactions was due to the binding of microcolonies to BECs. These data indicated that single bacteria bound to the BEC with a higher affinity than microcolonies. While the adherence of microcolonies to BECs was not as efficient as single cells, substantially higher numbers of bacteria could attach to an epithelial cell. Keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Bacterial colonisation; Bacterial binding; Microcolony.
Foliar demand and resource economy of nutrients in dry tropical forest species

Important phenological activities in seasonally dry tropical forest species occur within the hot-dry period when soil water is limiting, while the subsequent wet period is utilized for carbon accumulation. Leaf emergence and leaf area expansion in most of these tree species precedes the rainy season when the weather is very dry and hot and the soil cannot support nutrient uptake by the plants. The nutrient requirement for leaf expansion during the dry summer period, however. is substantial in these species. We tested the hypoth- esis that the nutrients withdrawn frorn the senescing leaves support the emergence and expansion of leaves in dry tropical woody species to a significant extent. We examined the leaf traits (with parameters such as leaf life span. leaf nutrient content and retranslocation of nutrients during senescence) in eight selected tree species in northern India. The concentrations of N, P and K declined in the senescing foliage while those of Na and Ca increased. Time series obserkations on foliar nutri- ents indicated a substantial amount of nutrient resorption before senescence and a 'tight nutrient budgeting'. The resorbed N-mass could potentially support 50 to I00 % and 46 to 80 % of the leaf growth in terms of area and weight. respectively, across the eight species studied. Corresponding values for P were29to 100%and20to91%,f orK29to l00%and20to 57%,forNa3to l00%and 1 to548,andforCaOt o32%and 0 to 30 %. The species differed significantly with respect to their efficiency in nutrient resorption. Such interspecific dif- ferences in leaf nutrient economy enhance the conservative utilization of soil nutrients by the dry forest community. This reflects an adaptational strategy of the species growing on seasonally dry. nutrient-poor soils as they tend to depend more or less on efficient internal cycling and, thus. utilize the retranslocated nutrients for the production of new foliage biomass in summer when the availability of soil moisture and nutrients is severely limited.
Early childhood caries in Cambodia

ii Dedication . iv Declaration. v Acknowledgements . vi Table of Content . viii List of Tables . xiii List of figures . xv List of Appendices . xvi Abbreviations . xvii Publications and Presentations . xix 1.0 Chapter 1 – Literature Review . 2 1.1 Dental caries . 2 1.1.1 The caries balance . 3 1.1.2 Observing and quantifying the signs of dental caries . 5 1.2 Early childhood caries . 7 1.2. 1 Early childhood caries. 7 1.2. 2 The maternal-child link to ECC . 9 1.2. 3 Nursing habits and ECC. 10 1.2. 3.1 Breast feeding . 10 1.2. 3.2 Bottle feeding . 13 1.2. 4 The diet and ECC . 13 1.2. 5 The bacteria and ECC . 15 1.2. 6 Host factors . 16 1.2. 7 Socio-behavioural factors and risk modelling . 17 1.3 Prevention of ECC . 19
Developed hybrid genetic algorithm for optimizing reverse engineering methods

An important area in Reverse Engineering applications is the combination of multiple scans o f a 3D product to model the object. Moreover the registrat ion refinement of multiple range images is a crucial st ep in multi-view 3D modeling. In the present paper a hybr id optimization method is developed to align point clo uds, without any user-applied initial alignment. The pro osed method combines a genetic algorithm with a quasi-Ne wton algorithm and furthermore a constraints handling me thod is involved. Several free-form point clouds are used t o verify the accuracy and the reliability of the proposed me thod and two characteristic examples are presented. The appl ied examples point clouds are retrieved using a Coordin ate Measuring Machine (CMM), which is not restrictive f or the developed optimizing methodology.
Controlling radiation pattern of patch antenna using Transformation Optics based dielectric superstrate

Transformation Optics (TO) is a powerful electromagnetic design tool that enables the design of new devices such as the famous "invisibility cloak". This thesis is in direct continuation of that of M.D. Clemente Arenas (Application de la transformation d'espace a la conception d'antennes a diagramme de rayonnement controle, 2014) and focuses on the use of the TO to drastically change radiation of a patch antenna. These sharp changes in radiation pattern are usually obtained using bulky superstrates made of metamaterials having exotic permeability and permittivity values. The objective of this thesis is to reduce the thickness of the superstrate and simplify the fabrication by enabling the use of standard dielectric materials. Thus, a patch antenna with realized gain of 7 dB is transformed, with the help of proposed superstrate, into an antenna having two lobes in the azimuth plane withrealized gain of 3.5 dB. The 0. 12λ thick superstrate is designed using two standard dielectric materials only: Alumina (er = 9.9) and FullCure (er = 2.8), whereas the previous solution had variation in permittivity between 1 and 15 and in permeability between 0.3 and 3. Various degrees of freedom in the design allow adapting this solution to develop new superstrates for other applications: radiation pattern with HPBW greater than 180 ° in one plane, end-fire radiation pattern, etc. Target applications include those of aeronautics. Today, dozens of antennas on an aircraft are required to ensure the necessary communications links, identification, positioning and other purposes. The structure of the aircraft necessitates use multiple antennas to fulfill this mission, which are fixed and protrude on fuselage or wings. However, for an aircraft, these protuberances contribute to the aerodynamic drag, which results in higher fuel consumption. Therefore, the objective is to propose conformal antenna solutions with unconventional radiation pattern, which can be eventually integrated on fuselage or rudder. The concept is validated using a model made with a 3D printer and with the support of Airbus Group Innovations
Compatibilidade de inseticidas e acaricidas com o percevejo predador Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) em algodoeiro

The objectives of this work were to study the insecticides espinosad, lambdacyhalothrin and monocrotophos on the control of Alabama argillacea (Hubner), the compatibility of these insecticides with the predatory stinkbug Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas), and the effects of the insecticides and acaricides methiocarb, pymetrozine, thiamethoxam, abamectin, diafenthiuron, dicofol and propargite on the predatory stinkbug behavior preying upon A. argillacea under field conditions. More than 90% of cotton leafworm control was obtained at the day 0 of application with all insecticides. Control of A. argillacea by lambdacyhalothrin (20 g a.i./ha) and monocrotophos (240 and 320 g a.i./ha) was observed up to day 3 after application; while spinosad (30 and 60 g a.i./ha) prolonged control up to day 5. Monocrotophos and lambdacyhalothrin were significantly more toxic to P. nigrispinus compared to spinosad. Toxicity of monocrotophos and lambdacyhalothrin to P. nigrispinus was evident up to day 3 after application. Survival of P. nigrispinus was affected by methiocarb, thiamethoxam, diafenthiuron, abamectin and sulfur one day after application and only under thiamethoxam treatment after three days. Pymetrozine, dicofol and propargite did not affect P. nigrispinus survival compared to untreated plants. Podisus nigrispinus at the day of application did not prey on A. argillacea under methiocarb treatment, and the predation rate was affected under thiamethoxam, abamectin, diafenthiuron and sulfur treatments at the day of application and after three days. The insecticides pymetrozine and spinosad, and the acaricides dicofol and propargite were compatible to P. nigrispinus and should be considered within a cotton pest management program.
Solving the Greek school timetabling problem by a mixed integer programming model

Abstract This study deals with the school timetabling problem for the case of Greek high schools. At first, the problem is modelled as a Mixed Integer Programming problem for ten instances referring to Greek high schools. Then, the problem is coded using the MathProg programming language. Two different linear programming solvers are employed, Gurobi and CPLEX, to solve the problem for the instances at hand. Two methodologies are proposed. The first one deals with the problem utilising a model that includes all hard and soft constraints, called “monolithic” model, while the second one is based on a decomposition of the problem to six sub-problems. It should be stated that Gurobi and CPLEX did not produced satisfactory results when the monolithic model was the case. Computational results demonstrate the effectiveness of the second proposed methodology, as optimal solutions or new lower bounds were found. In addition, the results produced by Mixed Integer Programming are compared with the best so far published results, obtained by two Nature Inspired algorithms namely Particle Swarm Optimization and Cat Swarm Optimization.
Understanding trait interactions and their impacts on growth in Scots pine branches across Europe

Summary 1. Plants exhibit a wide variety in traits at different organizational levels. Intraspecific and interspecific studies have potential to demonstrate functional relationships and trade-offs amongst traits, with potential consequences for growth. However, the distinction between the correlative and functional nature of trait covariation presents a challenge because traits interact in complex ways. 2. We present an intraspecific study on Scots pine branches and use functional multi-trait concepts to organize and understand trait interactions and their impacts on growth. Branch-level traits were assessed for 97 branches from 12 Scots pine sites across Europe. 3. To test alternative hypotheses on cause–effect relationships between anatomical traits, hydraulic traits and branch growth, we measured for each branch: the tracheid hydraulic diameter, double cell wall thickness, cell lumen span area, wood density, cavitation vulnerability, wood-specific hydraulic conductivity, the leaf area to sapwood area ratio and branch growth. We used mixed linear effect models and path models to show how anatomical traits determine hydraulic traits and, in turn, how those traits influence growth. 4. Tracheid hydraulic diameter was the best predictor of cavitation vulnerability (R 2 =0 AE09 explained by path model) and specific conductivity (R 2 =0 AE19) amongst anatomical traits. Leaf area to sapwood area ratio had the strongest direct effect on branch growth (R 2 =0 AE19) and was positively associated with the tracheid hydraulic diameter (R 2 =0 AE22). A number of bivariate correlations between traits could be explained by these functional relationships amongst traits. 5. The plasticity in tracheid hydraulic diameter (10.0–15.1 lm) and leaf area to sapwood area ratio (600–6051 cm 2 cm )2 ) and the maintenance of a minimum leaf water potential (between )2 and )2AE5 MPa) appear to drive the anatomical and hydraulic traits of Scots pine across Europe. These properties are major drivers of the functional trait network underlying the growth variation amongst pine branches and thus possibly contribute to the ecological success of pines at a local and continental scale.
Privacy Preserving Approaches in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is becoming increasingly popular and promises to revolutionize the future of IT service delivery. However, security and privacy concerns continue to hinder cloud adoption. This paper highlights major privacy issues and reviews existing privacy preserving approaches in cloud computing. Some of the challenges and open issues associated with privacy preserving concern in cloud computing are also discussed. Keywords— Cloud computing; privacy preserving; anonymity; security.
Art, Creativity, and the Potential of Artificial Intelligence

Our essay discusses an AI process developed for making art (AICAN), and the issues AI creativity raises for understanding art and artists in the 21st century. Backed by our training in computer science (Elgammal) and art history (Mazzone), we argue for the consideration of AICAN’s works as art, relate AICAN works to the contemporary art context, and urge a reconsideration of how we might define human and machine creativity. Our work in developing AI processes for art making, style analysis, and detecting large-scale style patterns in art history has led us to carefully consider the history and dynamics of human art-making and to examine how those patterns can be modeled and taught to the machine. We advocate for a connection between machine creativity and art broadly defined as parallel to but not in conflict with human artists and their emotional and social intentions of art making. Rather, we urge a partnership between human and machine creativity when called for, seeing in this collaboration a means to maximize both partners’ creative strengths.
Vascular endothelial function in patients with coronary slow flow and the effects of nebivolol

BACKGROUND: Brachial endothelial function has been associated with coronary slow flow (CSF). Increasing blood flow to brachial artery provokes endothelium to release nitric oxide (NO) with subsequent vasodilatation. Besides its β1-blocker activity, nebivolol causes vasodilatation by increasing endothelial NO release. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of nebivolol on vascular endothelial function in patients with CSF. METHODS: Forty-six patients with CSF and 23 individuals with normal epicardial coronary arteries were examined with transthoracic echocardiography and brachial artery ultrasonography. The patients were reevaluated two months after treatment with aspirin or aspirin plus nebivolol. RESULTS: Patients with CSF had higher body mass index (26.5 ± 3.3 vs. 23.8 ± 2.8, p < 0.001), mitral inflow isovolumetric relaxation time (IVRT) (114.9 ± 18.0 vs. 95.0 ± 22.0 msec, p < 0.001) and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (63.5 ± 3.1% vs. 65.4 ± 2.2, p = 0.009), HDL-cholesterol (39.4 ± 8.5 vs. 45.8 ± 7.7 mg/dL, p = 0.003) and brachial flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) (6.1 ± 3.9% vs. 17.6 ± 4.5%, p < 0.001). There were significant correlations between FMD and the presence of CSF (r = 0.800, p < 0.001) and HDL-cholesterol (r = 0.349, p = 0.003). Among Patients with CSF, although pretreatment mean FMD values were similar (6.1 ± 4.3% vs. 6.0 ± ,6%, p = 0.917) compared to aspirin alone group, posttreatment FMD was significantly higher in patients treated with aspirin plus nebivolol (6.0 ± 3.5% vs. 8.0 ± 2.9%, p = 0.047). Treatment with nebivolol was associated with a significant increase in FMD (6.0 ± 3.6 to 8.0 ± 2.9 %, p = 0.030) whereas treatment with aspirin alone was not. CONCLUSION: Endothelial function may be impaired in both coronary and brachial arteries in patients with CSF and nebivolol may be effective in the improvement of endothelial function in patients with CSF.
Tolerance in the postindustrial city: Assessing the ethnocentrism of less educated natives in 22 dutch cities

textabstractThis article studies whether and why less educated natives are less ethnocentric in postindustrial Dutch cities than in industrial ones, as suggested by several theories in urban studies. A multilevel analysis of survey data collected among the native working populations (source: Cultural Change in the Netherlands Surveys 2004 and 2006) of 22 Dutch metropolitan agglomerations (sources: Statistics Netherlands Statline and Atlas of Municipalities) confirms that those concerned are indeed less ethnocentric in the most postindustrial cities. This pattern proves not to stem from the better opportunities at the bottom end of the labor market in these cities, as the ethnic competition theory suggests, but from the more tolerant cultural climate in these cities, as emphasized by Richard Florida in his work on creative cities.
Interspecific interference competition in three European raptor species

(1) These analyses were based on 366 territory-years in Common Buzzards, 134 territory-years in Goshawks and 105 territory-years in Honey Buzzards. All sets of data which could have been biased by factors other than interference competition were previously omitted. (2) Common Buzzards and Goshawks defended territories against con- and interspecifics throughout the year in the study area. The migratory Honey Buzzards also defended their territories during the breeding season. Goshawks took over several nesting territories of Common Buzzards, and have also taken young of Honey and Common Buzzards. After Goshawks settled in territories of Common Buzzards, the Buzzard pairs disappeared from these areas. This seemed to be the most important evidence for competition for territories between species and had effects on local Buzzard density. (3) Interspecific spacing of all three species was highly regular, indicating a competition for space. Spacing between conspecifics was also regular. (4) Due to interference b.
High Focused Ultrasound in a Case of Previously Untreated Breast Cancer

Introduction: High focused ultrasound is a non-invasive treatment used for destroying benign and potentially also malignant tumors. Recent data have suggested that the generation of large volumes of tumor debris by high focused ultrasound may initiate an adaptive antitumor immune response by the release of tumor antigens and damage associated molecular patterns Case: The patient, a 48-year-old woman who was diagnosed with hormone receptor positive HER2 negative breast cancer 17 months before presentation had repeatedly refused any state-of-the-art treatment, instead she specifically asked to be treated with high focused ultrasound. After an intense discussion in our multidisciplinary tumor board we decided to treat her primary tumor with the Echopulse device. 10 months after her treatment, the tumor in the breast showed a complete remission by ultrasound and the involved axillary lymph node showed a more than 50% reduction in size. Conclusion: The observed local complete remission in the breast and partial but substantial remission of the involved axillary lymph node may add to the body of evidence indicating a systemic, possibly immunologic, effect of local therapy of a primary tumor with high focused ultrasound. This possible effect needs further investigation in prospective clinical trials.
21st Century Guidebook to Fungi

The mysterious world of fungi is once again unearthed in this expansive second edition. This textbook provides readers with an all-embracing view of the kingdom fungi, ranging in scope from ecology and evolution, diversity and taxonomy, cell biology and biochemistry, to genetics and genomics, biotechnology and bioinformatics. Adopting a unique systems biology approach - and using explanatory figures and colour illustrations - the authors emphasise the diverse interactions between fungi and other organisms. They outline how recent advances in molecular techniques and computational biology have fundamentally changed our understanding of fungal biology, and have updated chapters and references throughout the book in light of this. This is a fascinating and accessible guide, which will appeal to a broad readership - from aspiring mycologists at undergraduate and graduate level to those studying related disciplines. Online resources are hosted on a complementary website.