Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The bacterial biogenic synthesis of magnetic, catalytic and semiconducting nanomaterials

The environmental, microbiological and technological aspects of selenium is explored with the aim of assessing and identifying microorganisms capable of interacting with Se in the environment and forming functional ? bionanomaterials? To determine the natural microbial response to high selenium concentrations, and to understand the role soil microorganisms play in transforming Se, a field site in Co. Meath, Ireland, was identified and sampled to determine the Se contents. Detailed examination of the soil profile showed toxic levels of Se up to 156ppm. The highest Se concentrations correlated with elevated concentrations of higher plant matter, inferring a phytoconcentration mechanism for Se within a post glacial fen, and Se was identified as a reduced organic species. Microcosm experiments were established to test whether the soil microbial community displayed increased resistance to Se. These revealed the Se present in the soil was recalcitrant to microbial degradation and Se(VI) enriched experiments were noted to cause drastic alterations in community structure, indicating elevated Se resistance was not widespread throughout the community. Despite this, amended Se(VI) was rapidly reduced to Se(0), as determined by XAS. Selenium, and the group 16 element tellurium, also display physico-chemical properties that make them ideal for a range of industrial, chemical and technological applications, including sequestration of hazardous wastes and as metal chalcogenide semiconducting ? quantum dots? Se(0) and Te(0) bionanomaterials formed by ? resting cell? cultures of the model environmental isolate Geobacter sulfurreducens, despite low MIC values, were characterised and subsequently applied to the sequestration of Hg(0)v derived from Hg historically used to preserve herbarium specimens. This showed that the Hg can be sequestered by the Se(0) bionanoparticles in the form of HgSe and demonstrated increased stability over abiotic counterparts. Finally, the bacteria G. sulfurreducens, Shewanella oneidensis and Veillonella atypica were compared for Se(IV) reducing capabilities, and V. atypica was shown to be adept at the production of significant quantities of Se(II-) utilising the electron shuttle AQDS. Biogenic Se(II-) compared favourably with abiotic Se(II-) solutions in the formation of metal selenide quantum dots, displaying increased particle growth control as shown via a novel, time resolved XAS technique. Bacterial polymeric substances are inferred in controlling Se(II-) precursor stability. This research shows that bacteria represent an alternative, facile, ? green? synthetic method for the production of next-generation technological nanomaterials.
Étude de l'ARN polysomal durant la maturation de l'ovocyte bovin

Oocytes synthesise large amount of mRNA during their growth. A great part of it is stored in the cytoplasm of the cell and will be required for oocytes maturation or early embryo development. This creates two populations of mRNA within these cells: stored and actively translated mRNAs. Because no actual technique based on total or poly(A) RNA is able to characterize faithfully the later population, we developed a polysome extraction protocol applicable to small cell population that allows us to study actively translated mRNAs in oocytes and early embryo. Our results show that the carrier employed by the method is efficiently crosslinked limiting the contamination following sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Several other tests also demonstrated the repeatability and the validity of the method. Only the formaldehyde quenching step still needs optimisation. Taken together, these results confirm the development of an efficient method of polysomal fractionation from small cell populations.
Beacon - The Location-Based Service Technology to Enhance Customer Experience

In the digital mobile era of retailing, retailers can gain an opportunity to have a better understanding of their customers and closer connections with them than ever before. Mobile engagement enables retailers to develop and implement a very effective “hyper-local” proximity marketing strategies by obtaining consumer data that provide more in-depth insight into understanding their behaviors. Real-time on-site communications with a customer are vital to engage customers and increase sales. Thus, this paper discusses the applications of Location-based Service Technologies in beauty and fashion, health, tourism, and sports and entertainment industries. Managerial implications and challenges of using location-based services are also discussed.
The Unexplored Potential of Edible Flowers Lipids

Edible flowers have been historically linked to traditional world cuisine and culture. They are often used as ingredients in food and beverages for medicinal or pharmaceutical purposes. However, little attention has been paid to the quality of their lipids, and therefore to their potential for oil extraction and use in the food and food supplements industries. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the lipid composition of several edible flowers, including fat content, fatty acids, vitamin E, and carotenoids profiles. Edible flower lipids were found to be rich in linoleic (C18:2) and α-linolenic (C18:3) acids, which are essential fatty acids. Furthermore, most flowers are a good source of α-tocopherol and xanthophylls, such as lutein and zeaxanthin. This review provides valuable information on the lipid profile of some edible flowers in order to better characterize them and to increase their popularization among the food industry and consumers, boosting agriculture demand for these products.
Phytochemical composition and antioxidant property of Dissotis rotundifolia used for malaria management in south Benin

Oxidative stress contributes to induction and progression of many diseases such as malaria. The antioxidant activity of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Dissotis rotundifolia were investigated using superoxide anion assay, hydrogen peroxide assay, Ferric Reducing Power method and 2, 2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl assay. Phytochemicals such as total phenolics and flavonoids were assessed by FolinCiocalteu and aluminum chloride methods. Ethanolic extract of D. rotundifolia showed the highest phenolic (217.12 ±3.63mg Gallic Acid Equivalent/g) and flavonoid (22.68 ±2.14 mg Equivalent Quercetin/g) contents. The same extract showed a higher antioxidant activity with an IC50 value of 9.93 ±1.62 μg/mL for 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl assay. Superoxide anion radical scavenging (59.69 ±2.07%), hydrogen peroxide scavenging (81.73 ±1.29%) and ferric reducing power (910.33 ± 12.52 μmol Ascorbic Acid Equivalent/g) of ethanolic extract were also higher than aqueous extract. Dissotis rotundifolia has potent antioxidant activity which probably contributes to its effectiveness in malaria
Functional Analysis of the Motor Circuit of Juvenile Caenorhabditis elegans

Caenorhabditis elegans generates alternating dorsal-ventral bending waves across developmental stages. The overall level of dorsal and ventral muscle output is symmetric. In adults, this behavioral symmetry correlates with anatomy symmetry: distinct pools of cholinergic motor neurons activate dorsal and ventral body wall muscles, whereas distinct pools of GABAergic motor neurons contra-laterally inhibit dorsal and ventral muscles, respectively. However, in the first stage larva (L1), cholinergic motor neurons only make neuromuscular junctions to the dorsal muscle, and GABAergic motor neurons to the ventral muscle. How does an asymmetric motor circuit produce symmetric motor output? In the past five years, my colleagues and I undertook anatomical and functional analyses of the L1 larva motor circuit to address this question. First, my colleagues fully reconstructed the connectivity of a complete L1 larva, from which we identified all candidate cellular components for muscle activity. Next, to elucidate the functional contribution of these candidates, I developed a novel all-optical manipulation methodology that allows fast and systemic probing of functional connections of neural circuits. Third, I led the effort to combine free-moving calcium
The role of transcription factor MYB53 from Arabidopsis thaliana in the regulated production of suberin

Suberin plays important roles in protecting plants against various stressors but the molecular mechanisms governing the regulated deposition of suberin are currently unclear. I provide evidence here that AtMYB53, AtMYB92, and AtMYB93 of the MYB-type transcription factor family are important regulators of suberin in root endodermis under non-stress conditions. I characterized an Arabidopsis steroid-inducible line of MYB53 showing significant suberin increase and a collection of loss-of-function mutants of MYB53/MYB92/MYB93 which exhibited major reductions of suberin in young roots, compared to wild-type. A suite of suberin biosynthetic genes were also positively regulated at the transcriptional level in MYB53 overexpression line and MYB53/MYB92/MYB93 loss-of-function lines.The identification of master regulators of suberin may provide the means to generate crops that are more stress resistant via enhancement of their suberized cell walls.
Intraspecific phenotypic variability of the herbaceous species Daucus carota (Apiaceae) used for restoration purposes

For restoration purposes nature conservation preferably requests the use of local seed sources based on the “local-is-best” (LIB) approach. However, counter-arguments against this usage are potential benefits by increased variation, which could be beneficial especially in times of global change. We here investigate intraspecific morphological variability of one of the most common herbaceous, insect pollinated and zoochorous plants from seed mixtures used for landscape restoration processes in central Europe, the wild carrot, Daucus carota L. (Apiaceae). Our results show that D. carota features no vegetative but two generative characters that significantly differed among plants originating from seeds of natural (I) and restored (R) sites. We could show that effects of mowing always overlay origin-specific characteristics. The earlier genetic analysis did not support a regional provenance concept for restoration purposes, while slight differences in phenological parameters related to fitness pinpoint to ‘mix and match-admixture provenancing’ as a compromise strategy.
Neurostimulation and Pupillometry: New Directions for Learning and Research in Applied Linguistics

Abstract This paper begins by discussing new trends in the use of neurostimulation techniques in cognitive science and learning research, as well as the nascent research on their application in second language learning. To illustrate this, an experiment designed to investigate the impact of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS), which is delivered via earbuds, on how learners process and learn Mandarin tones is reported. Pupillometry, which is an index of cognitive effort, is explained and illustrated as one way to assess the impact of tVNS. Participants in the study were native English speakers, naïve to tone languages, pseudorandomly assigned to active or control conditions, while balancing for nonlinguistic pitch ability and musical experience. Their performance after tVNS was assessed using a range of more traditional language outcome measures, including accuracy and reaction times from lexical recognition and recall tasks and was triangulated with pupillometry during word-learning to help understand the mechanism through which tVNS operates. Findings are discussed in light of the literatures on lexical tone learning, cognitive effort, and neurostimulation, including specific benefits for learners of tone languages. Recommendations are made for future work on the increasingly popular area of neurostimulation for the field of applied linguistics in the 40th anniversary issue of ARAL.
Interspecific variation in SO/sub 2/ flux: leaf surface versus internal flux, and components of leaf conductance. [Pisum sativum L. , Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. Flacca, Geranium carolinianum L. , Diplacus aurantiacus (Curtis) Jeps]

The objective of this study was to clarify the relationships among stomatal, residual, and epidermal conductances in determining the flux of SO/sub 2/ air pollution to leaves. Variations in leaf SO/sub 2/ and H/sub 2/O vapor fluxes were determined using four plant species: Pisum sativum L. (garden pea), Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. flacca (mutant of tomato), Geranium carolinianum L. (wild geranium), and Diplacus aurantiacus (Curtis) Jeps. (a native California shrub). Fluxes were measured using the mass-balance approach during exposure to 4.56 micromoles per cubic meter (0.11 microliters per liter) SO/sub 2/ for 2 hours in a controlled environmental chamber. Flux through adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces with closed stomata ranged from 1.9 to 9.4 nanomoles per square meter per second for SO/sub 2/, and 0.3 to 1.3 millimoles per square meter per second for H/sub 2/O vapor. Flux of SO/sub 2/ into leaves through stomata ranged from approx.0 to 8.5 (dark) and 3.8 to 16.0 (light) millimoles per square meter per second. Flux of H/sub 2/O vapor from leaves through stomata ranged from approx.0 to 0.6 (dark) to 0.4 to 0.9 (light) millimole per square meter per second. Lycopersicon had internal flux rates for both SO/sub 2/ and H/sub 2/O vapormore » over twice as high as for the other species. Stomatal conductance based on H/sub 2/O vapor flux averaged from 0.07 to 0.13 mole per square meter per second among the four species. Internal conductance of SO/sub 2/ as calculated from SO/sub 2/ flux was from 0.04 mole per square meter per second lower to 0.06 mole per square meter per second higher than stomatal conductance. For Pisum, Geranium, and Diplacus stomatal conductance was the same or slightly higher than internal conductance, indicating that, in general, SO/sub 2/ flux could be predicted from stomatal conductance for H/sub 2/O vapor. « less
Occurrence of Babesia Theileria amongst Humans Cattle and Dogs at the Middle Belt of Ghana

iv TABLE OF CONTENTS . v LISTS OF FIGURES . x LIST OF TABLES . xi ABBREVIATIONS . xii CHAPTER ONE . 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION. 1 1.1 Background . 1 1.2 Problem statement . 2 1.3 Justification . 4 1.4 Main Aim . 5 1.5 Specific objectives . 6 1.6 Hypothesis . 6 CHAPTER TWO . 7 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW . 7 2.1 Overview Babesia/Theileria species . 7 University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug. edu.gh
Structural Properties of the RNA Synthesized by Glutamate Dehydrogenase for the Degradation of Total RNA

Glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH)-synthesized RNA, a nongenetic code-based RNA is suitable for unraveling the structural constraints imposed on the regulation (transcription, translation, siRNA etc.) of metabolism by genetic code. GDH-synthesized RNAs have been induced in whole plants to knock out target mRNA populations thereby producing plant phenotypes that are allergen-free; enriched in fatty acids, essential amino acids, shikimic acid, resveratrol etc. Methods applied hereunder for investigating the structural properties of GDH-synthesized RNA included purification of GDH isoenzymes, synthesis of RNA by the isoenzymes, reverse transcription of the RNA to cDNA, sequencing of the cDNA, computation of the G+C-contents, profiling the stability through PCR amplification compared with genetic code-based DNA; and biochemical characterization of the RNAs synthesized by individual hexameric isoenzymes of GDH. Single product bands resulted from the PCR amplification of the cDNAs of GDH-synthesized RNA, whereas several bands resulted from the amplification of genetic code-based DNA. The cDNAs have wide G+C-contents (35% to 59%), whereas genetic code-based DNA has narrower G+C-contents (50% to 60%). The GDH β6 homo-hexameric isoenzyme synthesized the A+U-rich RNAs, whereas the a6, and α6 homo-hexameric isoenzymes synthesized the G+C-rich RNAs. Therefore, the RNA synthesized by GDH is different from genetic code-based RNAs. In vitro chemical reactions revealed that GDH-synthesized RNA degraded total RNA to lower molecular weight products. Therefore, GDH-synthesized RNA is RNA enzyme. Dismantling of the structural constraints imposed on RNA by genetic code liberated RNA to become an enzyme with specificity to degrade unwanted transcripts. The RNA enzyme activity of GDH-synthesized RNA is ubiquitous in cells; it is readily induced by treatment of plants with mineral nutrients etc. and may simplify experimental approaches in plant enzymology and molecular biology research projects.
Convolutional neural network modeling for classification of pulmonary tuberculosis disease

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the lungs so called Pulmonary Tuberculosis or PTB. Diagnosis using a chest radiograph image manually by doctor requires a long time, even difficult to detect PTB. Convolutional neural network (CNN) is a deep learning method that adopts the performance of human brain neurons called neural network and convolution functions to classify images. CNN can also help classify PTB based on chest radiograph images. This study uses data from the National Library of Medicine, Maryland, USA in collaboration with Shenzhen No.3 People’s Hospital, Guangdong Medical College, Shenzhen, China including 663 images entered into two classes, normal and PTB. This study uses adaptive momentum optimization (Adam) which serves to improve the accuracy of the model. The classification results of the models built were 99.19% for training data and 80.60% for validation data with 75 epochs, and accuracy in the test data was 84% which means that the model was able to qualify 84% of the test data into normal classes and PTB appropriately. 25 correctly classified as normal lungs, 5 incorrectly and 26 correctly classified as PTB and 5 incorrect.
E-COMMERCE EFFECT AND VALUE ADDED TAX (VAT) POLICY ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOR:

This study aims to determine the effect of e-commerce and Value Added Tax (VAT) policy on consumer behavior. The data in this study were obtained from students of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Muslim University of Indonesia who were willing to become respondents. This study uses primary data by conducting direct research in the field by providing online questionnaires to 88 respondents. The research used is quantitative method; the type of data used in this research is primary data by distributing online questionnaires. The sample selection technique used purposive sampling. The method of data analysis of this research was carried out by using descriptive statistical tests, data quality testing, classical assumption tests and hypotheses using SPSS software. The results showed that the existence of e-commerce and VAT policies had a positive and significant effect on consumer behavior, because with the e-commerce, students of the Faculty of Economics and Business felt it was easier to buy the desired goods and students trusted e-commerce sites more if there was clear information about the imposition of VAT and considers that the VAT policy is something that does not harm or does not affect the desire to buy the product.
Novel biological, forensic, and historical applications of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

This dissertation describes three new applications of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Arsenic content was measured in rice and coffee samples. These results for the concentration of arsenic in rice and coffee independently verify the results of a similar FDA study. Direct comparisons of the arsenic content in different types of rice (i.e. black, brown, jasmine) indicated no correlation in the amount of arsenic and the type of rice. Additionally, the rice and coffee samples were cultivated in different locations throughout the world and results were analyzed to discern any trends between the amount of arsenic and the country of origin. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is used to measure the trace elemental composition of various well-known brands of duct and electrical tapes. A new method derived from existing chemometric principles (principal components analysis) for identifying which elements vary the most between the brands of tape is described. The new method is applied to measurements collected from duct and electrical tapes and they are compared to one another. Pigments from a ship which sank off the coast of Texas in 1684 were recently recovered. ICP-MS was used to perform elemental analysis on these samples to identify the type of pigment. These pigments were suspected to be products for trade with natives in the new world. As was common at the time, the pigments were also suspected of adulteration (being cut with a cheaper product); they were analyzed for evidence of such a practice. ICP-MS is one of the most sensitive useful tools for elemental analysis. Knowing the exact composition of various samples using this technique can help scientists assist in setting
Study on textural analysis of camel and buffalo milk based khoa burfi blended with watermelon seeds

The present study was carried out to assess the textural analysis of camel and buffalo milk based khoa burfi blended with watermelon seeds. Formation of burfi was done by using different ratio of camel and buffalo milk (50% of camel milk and 50% of buffalo milk) and then the incorporation of watermelon seeds powder was done, whereas the control burfi was obtained without incorporation of watermelon seeds powder. Burfi was subjected to the textural analysis on TA-XT plus texture analyzer. Various textural characteristics like hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness, gumminess and chewiness were determined. The overall textural profile of Burfi showed a wide difference in value of texture parameters like Hardness, Adhesiveness, Springiness, Cohesiveness, Gumminess and Chewiness in control as well as all treatment groups of developed Burfi. The incorporation of 50% of camel milk and 50% of buffalo milk without watermelon seeds incorporation forms a good textural structure of the khoa Burfi.
Using A Body-part Compatibility Paradigm as an Index of Tool-embodiment

Previous research, using the body-part compatibility (BPC) task, has revealed that tool embodiment might emerge through both real and virtual interactions. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the validity of using a BPC task to measure tool-embodiment that typically only emerges from active tool-engagement. Participants completed a BPC task in which they responded with either a foot or hand press to targets presented on an image of a model holding a rake. Targets were presented on the model’s foot, hand, and the rake. This response time (RT) task was performed before and after one of two interventions. Participants in the first group made reaching movements to targets presented on static images of the virtual tool-use task. Participants in the control group completed math problems. Overall, the study indicates that, perhaps, a BPC task is not a valid paradigm to assess tool-embodiment for active tool-use.