Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rice blast-mycoflora, symptomatology and pathogenicity -

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the second most important cereal crop of the world as well as of Pakistan. Rice blast caused by a Magnaporthe oryzae (syn: Pyricularia oryzae Cav.) is an infectious fungal disease which is distributed worldwide and prevailing in more than 85 countries of the world. Therefore, present studies were carried out to isolated different fungi associated with seeds and leaves of commercially grown rice varieties and to test the pathogenicity of predominantly isolated species. Seven fungi namely Magnaporthe oryzae, Curvularia lunata, Helminthosporium oryzae, Fusarium moniliforme, Alternaria alternata, Nigrospora oryzae and Aspergillus niger were isolated from seeds and affected leaves of five rice varieties viz., IRRI-6, IRRI-8, DR-82, KS-282 and Shua. N. oryzae was isolated only from IRRI-6 and IRRI-8 rice varieties. Among these fungi, M. oryzae was predominantly isolated both from seeds and leaves of the rice varieties studied. Rice variety IRRI-6 followed by KS-282 appeared as most susceptible rice cultivars to rice blast fungus. M. oryzae was detected with highest frequency from leaves and seeds of IRRI-6. All other fungi were isolated either occasionally or with low frequency. Pathogenicity test of M. oryzae conducted on apparently most susceptible variety IRRI-6 has confirmed the pathogenic nature of the fungus. Plant growth was significantly decreased in inoculated plants as compared to un-inoculated plants. Moreover, typical rice blast disease symptoms were also produced in inoculated plants.
Bovid Horns: An Important Site for Heat Loss during Winter?

Bovid horns play a prominent role in social and sexual interactions. In cold climates, however, heat loss through the horn surface may represent a major energy cost. We measured surface temperatures of horns (Th) for two Barbary sheep ( Ammotragus lervia ; one male and one female) at the Granby Zoo, Quebec, using temperature-sensitive radiotrans-mitters. Over ambient temperatures (Ta) of 5 to — 19°C, Th never dropped below 3°C. At Ta ≈ −10°C, the difference between Th and Ta was 17°C for the male and 21°C for the female. Using empirical models to predict heat loss through horns and resting metabolic rates, we estimate that, at Ta of ≈−10°C, heat loss through the horn surface is 20% of resting metabolic rate for females and 29% for males which have larger horns than females. We argue that the metabolic costs of possessing large horns in cold climates may impose constraints on morphology and sexual selection.
Assessing and Scaffolding: Make-Believe Play.

Young Children • January 2012 It is the third week that Ms. Sotto’s preschool classroom has been turned into an airport. The literacy center is a ticket counter, with a travel agency complete with child-made passports, tickets, and travel brochures. In the block area the children have constructed a walk-through X-ray scanner from cardboard boxes. A smaller box with openings on both ends functions as the screening device for carry-on luggage. There is an airplane cockpit made out of a big piece of cardboard with child-drawn instruments, an upside-down egg carton for a keyboard, and a paper plate that functions as the steering wheel. Sophia tells her friend Vince that she is going on a trip and that she is going to forget to take out her water bottle. Then she won’t be able to get through security. Vince says he is going to go to Puerto Rico where his grandmother lives. Sophia puts on her backpack and stands in line behind Vince. Finally it’s her turn. “Where are you going? ” asks Tanya, the child behind the counter. “I’m goin’ to Puerto Rico too. ” “OK. Here’s your passport and your ticket to Puerto Rico. Your flight leaves at 77 o’clock. ” Tanya hands two pieces of torn construction paper to Sophia. Sophia goes to another center and takes off her shoes. She puts them in a basket with her backpack, then pushes the basket through the scanner. Amir, who is the security guard, waits until Sophia walks through the X-ray frame, then waves a paper towel roll wand over her head. “OK,” he says, “you can go now. ” Another security guard, Milda, is standing with Sophia’s backpack, holding the bottle of water that Sophia “forgot” to take out of her backpack. “This is more than three ounces! ” “Oh, I forgot. I’ll put it in my cubby,” says Sophia as she takes the bottle and runs to her cubby. Her next stop is the passenger lounge. Assessing and Scaffolding
Continental European Gas Hubs: Are They Fit for Purpose?

This paper by Patrick Heather assesses the development of the European Continental Gas Trading Hubs. It is a natural successor to his 2010 paper ‘The Evolution and Functioning of the Traded Gas Market in Britain’. Although the drivers and challenges for gas trading on the European Continent have been different from those of Britain, the desire for change at an EU policy level, the catalyst of the economic recession and the sea-change in the acceptance of trading have all contributed to an astonishing development in European gas hubs over the past few years. Based on extensive research and discussion with the key actors intimately involved, the paper provides deep insights into the characteristics of the individual hubs, the reasons behind their particular evolutionary path and their characterisation as ‘Trading Hubs’ (NBP and TTF), ‘Transit Hubs (ZEE and CEGH) and ‘Transition Hubs’ (GPL, NCG, PEGs and PSV); a framework which assists the reader in better understanding the current and future role of each.
An opcode‐based technique for polymorphic Internet of Things malware detection

The increasing popularity of Internet of Things (IoT) devices makes them an attractive target for malware authors. In this paper, we use sequential pattern mining technique to detect most frequent opcode sequences of malicious IoT applications. Detected maximal frequent patterns (MFP) of opcode sequences can be used to differentiate malicious from benign IoT applications. We then evaluate the suitability of MFPs as a classification feature for K nearest neighbors (KNN), support vector machines (SVM), multilayer perceptron (MLP), AdaBoost, decision tree, and random forest classifier. Specifically, we achieve an accuracy rate of 99% in the detection of unseen IoT malware. We also demonstrate the utility of our approach in detecting polymorphed IoT malware samples.
Notes on Notonectidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from southeastern Asia, mostly from Brunei and the Philippines

Updated distribution data are presented for the following species of Notonectidae (Heteroptera) in southeastern Asia: Anisops breddini Kirkaldy, 1901, A. kuroiwae Matsumura, 1915, A. nasutus Fieber, 1851, A. nigrolineatus Lundblad, 1933, A. occipitalis Breddin, 1905, A. rhomboides Nieser & Chen, 1999, A. stali Kirkaldy, 1904, Aphelonecta philippina Zettel, 1995, Enithares bakeri Brooks, 1948, E. freyi Brooks, 1948, E. intha Paiva, 1918, E. mandalayensis Distant, 1910, E. martini martini Kirkaldy, 1898, E. quadrispinosa Lansbury, 1967, E. sinica (Stål, 1854), E. subparallela Lansbury, 1968, E. uncata Lundblad, 1933, E. cf. vicintricata Lansbury, 1968, and Nychia sappho Kirkaldy, 1901. There are six fi rst records from Brunei Darussalam (Anisops breddini, A. nasutus, A. nigrolineatus, Aphelonecta philippina, Enithares cf. vicintricata, and Nychia sappho) and one fi rst record each from the Philippines (Anisops occipitalis), China (Enithares mandalayensis), West Malaysia (Enithares sinica) and East Malaysia (Sarawak) (Enithares uncata). A short description of the previously unknown female of Enithares intha is given. The status of Enithares quadrispinosa as a separate species (not a subspecies of E. freyi) is confi rmed. Check-lists of the Notonectidae of the Philippines and Brunei are provided.
Female begging in European robins: do neighbors eavesdrop for extrapair copulations?

Female European robins beg for food from their mates throughout the breeding season using far-carrying "seep" calls which resemble the begging calls of fledglings. We investigated the possibility that these calls are eavesdropped by neighboring males and used as cues to target intrusions during the fertile period. Female seep calling and male courtship feeding peaked in the fertile period, and males appeared to modify provisioning rate in relation to seep calling rate. Further, there was a positive correlation between rate of courtship feeding and clutch size, both of which tended to be inversely related to seep calling rates. These observations imply that the seep call is a hunger signal directed at pair males. As the signal is loud and given most frequently during the fertile period, it must also contain information about fertility and location. Playback experiments suggested that this information is eavesdropped by neighboring males, who responded to rapid rates of seep calling more readily than slow rates and to calls broadcast at the edge of territories rather than their center, presumably in search of extrapair copulations. Pair males can reduce the intensity of the female's signal by courtship feeding, and thus male provisioning may protect paternity. Copyright 2002.
Growth and capture activities of nematophagous fungi in soil visualized by low temperature scanning electron microscopy

Abstract Growth and capture activities of nematophagous fungi in soil were observed using the low temperature scanning electron microscopy technique. The advantages of this sample preparation technique, compared with conventional scanning electron microscopy, are that it does not involve chemical fixation and dehydration of the sample and, therefore, gives a more accurate view of organisms in soil. Growth, sporulation, trap formation, capture and digestion of nematodes were observed in soil using the nematode-trapping fungi Arthrobotrys superba, A. dactyloides and A. oligospora CT, and the endoparasite Drechmeria coniospora.
Growth, photosynthetic efficiency, yield and swelling factor in Plantago indica under semi-arid condition of Gujarat, India

An experiment was carried out with Black Isabgol (Plantago indica L) an annual herb cultivated recently as a medicinal plant at Directorate of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Research (DMAPR) in India, aiming on the effect at different stages of growth under the influence of different sowing dates and spacings on growth, seed yield and seed swelling factor as a part of good agricultural practices (GAP). No detail morpho-physiological work has been carried out in this species including yield. Results revealed that growth and yield were significantly influenced by sowing dates and spacings. The best time for sowing of P. indica was found to be between 15 to 30th November and the suitable spacing was either 50 or 60 × 15 cm. Swelling factor was not influenced by these factors, however, a positive trend was observed towards suitable date of sowing and spacing. The finding was a step forward towards determining good agricultural practices (GAP) of P. indica, probably an alternative of P. ovata in future. Key words: Plantago indica, Sowing date, spacing, growth, yield, swelling factor.
Evaluation of Effect of As2O3 on Cell Growth, Cell Cycle and Apoptosis in Human Leukemia Cell Line HL-60

Introduction : Arsenic Trioxide (As2O3) causes antitumor effects by various mechanisms, including degradation of PML-RARA in the acute promyelocytic cells, growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis. However, the precise mechanisms of these processes remain incompletely understood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of arsenic trioxide on cell growth, cell cycle regulation and apoptosis in PML/RARA negative acute promyelocytic leukemia cell line HL-60. Methods: The cytotoxic effect of As2O3 was assessed by MTT assay, Apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry analysis using annexin V–FITC/PI and cell cycle distribution was evaluated by propidium iodide staining. Results: MTT assay showed that cell growth was inhibited in a time- and dose-dependent manner. As2O3 exerts growth inhibitory effect by arresting the cells at G2/M phase. Apoptosis analysis revealed that As2O3 treatment induced apoptosis at the lower concentrations, while necrosis occurred at the higher concentrations. Conclusion: As2O3 inhibits growth and induces apoptosis of HL-60 cells through induction of cell cycle arrest. Further studies are required to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of As2O3-induced anti-tumor effects.
Antifungal Activity of Crude Extracts of Some Medicinal Plants against Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc.

The crude extracts of six plants viz, Allium sativum , Capsicum annuum , Artimesia vulgaris , Eupatorium adenophorum , Gaultheria fragrantissima and Phyllanthus emblica were assessed in vitro for activity against fungi Fusarium solani (Mart.) Sacc. , the causal agent of dry potato tuber rot. Pathogenecity test was confirmed by inoculating the pathogen into the healthy potato tuber. The assessment of fungitoxicity was carried out by poisoned food technique using ten different concentrations (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100%) against the test fungus. Assessment was carried out in terms of percentage of mycelial growth inhibition of the test fungus. The extracts of all the plant species were found to be effective in inhibiting the mycelial growth. The extract of A. sativum completely inhibited the mycelial growth of the test fungus at the concentration of 40% and the extracts of Capsicum annuum and Phyllanthus emblica inhibited the mycelial growth completely at the concentration of 100%. Key words: Plant extracts, antifungal activity. DOI: 10.3126/eco.v16i0. 3476 ECOPRINT 16: 75-78, 2009
Imbalanced coral growth between organic tissue and carbonate skeleton caused by nutrient enrichment

Effects of moderate nutrient enrichment (NO3− : <5 µmol L−1, PO43‐ : <0.3 µmol L−1) on two carbon (C) fixation rates (photosynthesis and calcification) of the zooxanthellate coral Acropora pulchra were investigated under laboratory conditions. The coral branches were incubated in the nutrient condition for three different periods (0, 5, 10 d) to observe changes in tissue biomass and zooxanthellate chlorophyll a (Chl a) concentration. Next, the incubated corals were simultaneously transferred to nutrient‐depleted seawater containing 13C‐labeled dissolved inorganic carbon to assay net photosynthesis and calcification rates. Chl a concentration per unit surface area increased 2.6‐fold for the 10‐d enrichment, and net photosynthetic rates were also stimulated up to a similar level (2.8‐fold). Tissue biomass of the host coral and zooxanthellae was approximately doubled during the period. On the other hand, calcification rates only increased 1.3‐fold, suggesting that even moderate nutrient loading resulted in one‐sided enhancement of the algal photosynthetic activity. The measured C fixation ratios of organic C: skeletal C were higher than the structural ratios, and the inconsistency became greater as Chl a concentration increased. The increased photosynthetic products could be excessively stored in the organic tissue and/or released into the ambient seawater.
EXPERIMENTS ON MECHANISMS OF TREE ESTABLISHMENT IN OLD-FIELD SUCCESSION: SEEDLING EMERGENCE'

Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) is the initial successful woody invader of aban- doned old fields in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, but hardwood tree species also invade old fields and develop an understory community beneath young pine stands. The composition of this early hardwood community will be regulated by factors affecting the relative establishment success of these species in old-field habitats. Mechanisms influencing differential seedling emergence of such early successional tree species were studied in multi- factor field experiments. Seeds of six wind-dispersed species (Acer rubrum, Fraxinus amer- icana, Liquidambar styraciflua, Liriodendron tulipifera, Ulmus alata, and Pinus taeda) were sown into old fields at equal densities, and their relative germination (emergence) in two successive years was evaluated with respect to: (1) presence of old-field vegetation (tested with a weeding treatment), (2) vertebrate seed predation (tested with exclosures), (3) vari- ation in life history traits (seed size and germination phenology), and (4) variation in physical factors (spring drought). Emergence of one species (Liriodendron) was limited by intrinsically low seed viability. In 1984, a wet spring, emergence of Pinus exceeded that of all hardwood species, and the smaller-seeded Liquidambar and Ulmus had higher emergence than the larger-seeded Acer and Fraxinus. Seed predators reduced emergence proportionately more in larger-seeded species than in smaller-seeded species. Herbaceous cover facilitated emergence of larger- seeded species by providing a moister germination microenvironment, and perhaps also by reducing visibility of seeds to predators. In 1985 an early spring drought reduced emergence of fall-dispersed species (Pinus, Liquidambar, and Fraxinus), whose earlier germination phenology coincided with the drought. Later-germinating, spring-dispersed species (Ulmus and Acer) avoided this drought period and displayed similar germination responses in both years. The prominence of drought effects in 1985 reduced the apparent impact of other experimental factors upon emergence rates. The emergence stage is an important filter on relative establishment success of tree species colonizing old-field hab- itats, and multiple "mechanisms" interact in complex ways to influence emergence rates.
Pigeons with better body condition do not have different symmetries.

Twenty seven homing pigeons (10 males and 17 females) were biometrically studied and the bilateral symmetry (right-left) level was evaluated. Analysed traits were the length of outer external rectrices, length of the wing and length of the second primary feather. The aim of the study was to check whether there is a relationship between the degree of asymmetry level and general health of the birds (expressed as a measure of body condition). Measurements showed a normal distribution and without differences according to the body condition, indicating a high degree of stable growth.
Association between polymorphism of 5-hydroxy tryptamine 2A receptor T102C gene and poststroke depression

Objective To explore the relationship between polymorphism of 5-hydroxy tryptamine 2A(5-HT2A)receptor T102C gene and post-stroke depression(PSD),and investigate the heredity-related pathogenesis of PSD.Methods The polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP)method was applied to test the allele frequencies and genotype of 5-HT2A receptor T102C gene in 97 patients with PSD and 72 patients without depression after stroke.Results The frequency of mutant C allele in patients with PSD was significantly lower than that in patients without depression(P＜0.05),and the frequency of homozygote C/C genotype in patients with PSD was also obviously lower than that in patients without depression(P＜0.05). Conclusion The 5-HT2A receptor T102C gene may be the susceptibility gene of PSD and C allele may be the protective factor of subjects suffering from PSD. Key words: Depression; Stroke; 5-hydroxy tryptamine; Gene polymorphism
Security Analysis and Improvement on an Image Encryption Algorithm Using Chebyshev Generator

Chaotic map including Chebyshev’s polynomial have been studied and used in many cryptographic areas recently due to its low cost of computation and high level of security. Some research works have been proposed to use Chebyshev’s polynomial in image encryption by setting up two-stage encryption algorithms. Pixels of a plain image are first permuted by a Permutation process. Then each pixel values are changed by a Diffusion process. A two-stage image encryption algorithm is generally believed to be more secure than a single stage image encryption algorithm. In this paper, however, we demonstrate a recent two-stage image encryption algorithm proposed by Wang et al., is insecure against chosen plaintext attack. An attacker may be able to decrypt a cipher image after knowing some ciphers of images which are chosen by the attacker. We present an subtle but efficient improvement over Wang et al.’s algorithm so that it is not only immune to the attack we presented but also statistically improved when experiment is conducted to measure pixels’ correlation, NPCR and UACI.
Treadmill training and kinesiotherapy versus conventional physiotherapy in Parkinson’s disease: a pragmatic study

Abstract Introduction: Physiotherapy has been identified in the literature as an important treatment for individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) to improve functional capacity. Little is discussed about the physiotherapy practice environment for this population. Objective: To assess pragmatically the effects of two physiotherapy protocols: Conventional Physiotherapy (CP) and Treadmill Training and Kinesiotherapy (TTK) in PD patients. Method: Twenty-four PD patients classified from 1 to 3 on the Hoehn and Yahr scale were randomly distributed into two groups. In CP group (12 patients), exercises aimed to improve range of motion, bradykinesia, postural adjustments and gait. In TTK group (12 patients), exercises aimed to improve physical fitness, mobility and functional independence. The treatments were performed for 50 minutes, twice a week for 14 weeks. The following evaluations were performed before and after the interventions: Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS); gait speed (GS); up stairs (US) and down stairs (DS) tests; timed get-up-and-go test (TUG) and 6-Minute Walk Distance Test (6-MWDT). Sociodemographic and clinical data were presented as descriptive analysis. Variables with normal and non-normal distributions were analyzed by specific statistical tests. Results: Intragroup analysis showed significant results for the TTK group (TUG, US, DS, GS, UPDRS total and UPDRS II) and for the CP group only UPDRS total. Intergroup analysis was favorable for the TTK group (TUG, US, DS, 6-MWDT). Conclusion: CP group improved the patients’ general clinical status, while treadmill and kinesiotherapy improved the physical-functional and clinical aspects.
Changes in meat texture of three varieties of squid in the early stage of cold storage

: The present study examined the changes in texture and protein components during cold storage of different squid varieties. Raw oval squid, Japanese common squid and arrow squid were sliced fresh and the muscles were stored at 4°C for 0, 4, 8, 12, 18, 24, 48 and 120 h. The rheological measurements, protein components and amounts of collagen were examined. The adhesiveness of each squid increased significantly in the early stage of cold storage. In all varieties, penetration decreased at 4 h, which is considered to be rigor mortis, then increased. The amounts of total collagen, 20°C water-soluble collagen and 70°C water-soluble collagen did not change significantly in each variety during cold storage. Sodium dodecylsulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) pattern showed that the 580 kDa component gradually disappeared up to 48 h. The correlations between the amounts of 580 kDa component and adhesiveness or firmness were high. Models of fit based on chemical kinetics accurately expressed the behavior of adhesiveness, firmness and penetration showing that 63.2% of adhesiveness changes occurred in 13–19 h and that 63.2% of firmness changes occurred in 18–24 h.
Elliptic bihamiltonian structures from relative shifted Poisson structures

In this paper, generalizing our previous construction, we equip the relative moduli stack of complexes over a Calabi–Yau fibration (possibly with singular fibers) with a shifted Poisson structure. Applying this construction to the anticanonical linear systems on surfaces, we get examples of compatible Poisson brackets on projective spaces extending Feigin–Odesskii Poisson brackets. Computing explicitly the corresponding compatible brackets coming from Hirzebruch surfaces, we recover the brackets defined by Odesskii–Wolf.