Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EVALUATION OF MACRO-MINERAL CONCENTRATIONS OF FORAGES IN RELATION TO RUMINANTS REQUIREMENTS: A CASE STUDY IN SOONE VALLEY, PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

This manuscript reports the essential macro-mineral composition of different plant species in the Soone Valley located in the Salt Range within the province of Punjab, Pakistan. The climate of this Range is characterized by a relatively low annual rainfall (508 mm) and temperature varying from 1° C to 36° C in winter and summer, respectively. Hot dry winds and prolonged periods of drought are frequent in the Range. Grazing animals were followed and forage plants consumed by the livestock, were collected during the study period in the year 2004. The forage plants consisted of legumes and grasses. Different plant parts such as leaves, leaflets and pods, which were lavishly grazed by the grazing animals were separated and analyzed for macro-minerals, Na, P, K, Ca and Mg. On the basis of observations it can be concluded that most of the forage samples were sufficient in Na, P, K, Ca and Mg for the requirements of ruminants grazing therein. Comparatively, the macro-mineral concentrations in pods were higher than those found in the leaves and leaflets showing no need of mineral supplementation. However, it seems most interesting to elucidate the phenomenon of antagonism among minerals, which may adversely affect the availability of minerals in the bodies of animals.
Hatching asynchrony, sibling aggression and cannibalism in the Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus

We report data on laying and hatching asynchrony in the Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus, and provide the first detailed description of the provisioning of nestlings, sibling aggression and cannibalism. The results suggest that brood reduction was mediated through the age and size differences between siblings, which resulted in the superior competitive ability of the older chick. Thus, brood reduction occurred through starvation facilitated directly by the older chick’s aggression. The results support the hypothesis that the second egg probably functions as insurance in case the first egg does not hatch. The insurance-egg hypothesis is supported by the following facts: 1) in three of six breeding attempts, the second egg produced a chick when the first egg failed to hatch or the first chick died young. At least two of these B chicks fledged; 2) in the Bearded Vulture most breeding failures occur during the hatching period and thus the insurance value of last-hatched eggs would be especially important in this species; 3) clutch replacement, an alternative to laying an insurance egg, is relatively uncommon in this species and 4) the laying interval (5‐7 days) and the hatching asynchrony (5‐8 days) of this species are the longest recorded in any raptor, suggesting that they might represent an adaptive mechanism facilitating the rapid loss of the second chick if the first one hatches. In the great majority of bird species with obligate brood reduction (those in which more than 90% of last-hatched chicks die, Simmons 1988), the parents produce two eggs, and then fledge only one chick. In most of these cases, sibling aggression is responsible for brood reduction (Mock & Parker 1997). Adaptive brood reduction strategies may be facilitated either by asynchronous hatching or by a decrease in the size of the last-laid eggs. Large species generally have small final eggs, supporting a brood reduction hypothesis (Edwards & Collopy 1983). Two main hypotheses have gained recent attention in the discussion about the significance of obligate siblicide in species laying two eggs. The ‘insurance hypothesis’ proposes that the second egg may be an insurance in case the first egg does not hatch (Meyburg 1974, Stinson 1979, Parker & Mock
Superabsorbency, pH-Sensitivity and Swelling Kinetics of Partially Hydrolyzed Chitosan-g-poly(Acrylamide) Hydrogels

Acrylamide (AAm) monomer was directly grafted onto chitosan using ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator and methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinking agent under an inert atmosphere. Two factors affecting the swelling capacity of the obtained hydrogel, AAm and MBA concentrations, were studied. The polymer structures were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy. Water absorbencies of the hydrogels were compared between before and after the alkaline hydrolysis treatment. Saponification of chitosan-g-poly(acrylamide) (chitosan-g-PAAm) with a hot sodium hydroxide solution gave rise to a high water absorbency. Swelling of the hydrogel samples in saline solution (0.15 mol/L NaCl, CaCl2 and AlCl3) was examined. Swelling capacity of the chitosan-g-PAAm hydrogels in CaCl2 and AlCl3 solutions was higher than that of its hydrolyzed chitosan-g-PAAm (H-chitosan-g-PAAm) hydrogels. It was also indicated that the chitosan-g-PAAm and H-chitosan-g-PAAm hydrogels had different swelling capacities in various pHs. The latter hydrogel showed a pH-reversible property between 3 and 10. The swelling kinetics of both hydrogels were found to obey second-order kinetics.
Modelling lactation curve in dairy sheep rose under extensive production system

The objective of this study was to compare the goodness-offit of four mathematical functions (Wilmink, 1987; Ali and Schaeffer, 1987; Guo and Swalve, 1995; and a cubic regression model) for modeling lactation curve on dairy ewes. Data comprising 53,428 test-day records of daily milk yield (DMY) of 11,251 ewes raised under extensive production system, collected during six consecutive years (2000 to 2005) by the milking recording program of the Churra da Terra Quente (CTQ) dairy sheep breed, were used. Test-day records registered before 30 and after 150 days in milk (DIM) were discharged. All models presented similar fitting quality, with coefficient of determination between 71.0 and 71.3%, and underestimate the DMY for high production levels; this trend was more pronounced for Wilmink model. All models presented similar data fitting-quality, and Wilmink model presented higher difficulties in modeling the beginning and the end of lactation curve, however, being a model with less parameters can present advantages in dairy ewes productions systems where small number of test days controls per ewe can occur.
THE INFLUENCE OF LOCALITY OR INTIMACY? A CASE STUDY ON THE ISSUE OF REFLEXIVIZATION IN TURKISH

Being distinct from other languages, Turkish has two different reflexive markers ‘’kendi’’ and ‘’kendisi’. Although both markers refer to third person singular, they cannot be used interchangeably. Especially ‘kendisi’ attracted so much attention because of its dual nature as it can be used both locally and non-locally. Nevertheless, there has not been much emphasis on ‘kendi’ since it has been assumed that ‘kendi’ can only be locally bound. Furthermore, although the issue of psychological distance (intimacy) between the speaker and the referent has been claimed to have an effect on reflexive selections, there has not been an experimental study designed before to prove this assumption. By taking all of these into consideration, this research aims to test two main issues: whether the anaphor ‘kendi’ is perceived as a strict local anaphor by native Turkish speakers and how the psychological distance (intimacy) between speaker and referent influences the way Turkish native speakers use anaphors. Within the frame of these research targets, a two-phased experimental design has been developed and applied to 65 participants in total. The age of participants differed between 17-27 years old. The first experiment was a Translation Task, whereas the second experiment was a Forced-Choice Task. After analysis of the first part, it has been concluded that although strict local anaphors are used in English sentences, the participants did not stick to the use of ‘kendi’ which is supposedly a strict local anaphor. According to the data of the second task, the results did not comply with the literature. Whereas it was expected to see ‘kendi’ in informal situations and ‘kendisi’ in formal situations, we concluded that there was no significant difference between the preferences made between ‘kendi’ and ‘kendisi’ depending on the T-test analysis. Article visualizations:
Improved detection of an alien invasive species through environmental DNA barcoding: the example of the American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus

Summary 1. Alien invasive species (AIS) are one of the major causes of biodiversity loss and global homogenization. Once an AIS becomes established, costs of control can be extremely high and complete eradication is not always achieved. The ability to detect a species at a low density greatly improves the success of eradication and decreases both the costs of control and the impact on ecosystems. 2. In this study, we compare the sensitivity of traditional field methods, based on auditory and visual encounter surveys, with an environmental DNA (eDNA) survey for the detection of the American bullfrog Rana catesbeiana = Lithobates catesbeianus, which is invasive in south-western France. 3. We demonstrate that the eDNA method is valuable for species detection and surpasses traditional amphibian survey methods in terms of sensitivity and sampling effort. The bullfrog was detected in 38 sites using the molecular method, compared with seven sites using the diurnal and nocturnal surveys, suggesting that traditional field surveys have strongly underestimated the distribution of the American bullfrog. 4. Synthesis and applications. The environmental DNA approach permits the early detection of alien invasive species (AIS), at very low densities and at any life stage, which is particularly important for the detection of rare and ⁄ or secretive aquatic species. This method can also be used to confirm the sensitivity of control operations and to better identify the distributions of vulnerable species, making this a very relevant tool for species inventory and management.
The Effect of Intellectual Capital on Market Value Added

The aim of this article is to examine the relationship between intellectual capital (IC) and market value added (MVA) in Tehran Stock Exchange. In this research, the intellectual capital was measured from two aspects (efficiency and value). To measure IC efficiency the value added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) method and to evaluate IC value the calculated intangible value (CIV) method was used. The relationship between IC and MVA was investigated through panel data and by using static models, dynamic, estimation methods of fixed Effects and Random Effects. While the effect of calculated intangible value (CIV) and VAIC and its components [Human capital Efficiency (HCE), structural capital Efficiency (SCE), capital Employed Efficiency (CEE)] on MVA was investigated individually and independently, the results of statistical tests indicated that separate from size of firm and financial leverage (LEV), VAIC and its components have a significant and positive relationship with MVA. In investigating the simultaneous effect of CIV and components of VAIC on MVA of firm, the result of statistical tests indicated that separate from size of firm and financial leverage, SCE only in firm fixed effect model and
Output-only Modal Analysis by Frequency Domain Decomposition

In this paper a new frequency domain technique is introduced for the modal identification of output-only systems, i.e. for the case where the modal parameters must be estimated without knowing the input exciting the system. By its user friendliness the technique is closely related to the classical approach where the modal parameters are estimated by simple peak picking. However, by introducing a decomposition of the spectral density function matrix, the response spectra can be separated into a set of single degree of freedom systems, each corresponding to an individual mode. By using this decomposition technique close modes can be identified with high accuracy even in the case of strong noise contamination of the signals. Also, the technique clearly indicates harmonic components in the response signals.
Parameters that control lithospheric‐scale thermal localization on terrestrial planets

Shear‐heating induced localization has been suggested as a potentially important mechanism for breaking the lithosphere. Yet, the physical parameters that control the onset of this instability remain unclear. We therefore performed systematic 2‐D simulations of visco‐elasto‐plastic lithospheric deformation in which we addressed the effects of various parameters and we found that a sharp transition exists between localizing and non‐localizing regimes. In a next step we develop a semi‐analytical model that combines scaling laws with a 1‐D lithospheric deformation model. We show that the 1‐D model successfully predicts the occurrence of shear localization in 2‐D models, if the thickness of the plastically deforming part of the (lower) lithosphere is employed as characteristic length‐scale. An application of the 1‐D model to the terrestrial planets shows that this type of shear‐localization is expected to occur most readily on Earth.
Ethnic Minority‐Majority Asymmetry in National Attitudes around the World: A Multilevel Analysis

Using data from the International Social Survey Programme, this research investigated asymmetric attitudes of ethnic minorities and majorities towards their country and explored the impact of human development, ethnic diversity, and social inequality as country-level moderators of national attitudes. In line with the general hypothesis of ethnic asymmetry, we found that ethnic, linguistic, and religious majorities were more identified with the nation and more strongly endorsed nationalist ideology than minorities (H1, 33 countries). Multilevel analyses revealed that this pattern of asymmetry was moderated by country-level characteristics: the difference between minorities and majorities was greatest in ethnically diverse countries and in egalitarian, low inequality contexts. We also observed a larger positive correlation between ethnic subgroup identification and both national identification and nationalism for majorities than for minorities (H2, 20 countries). A stronger overall relationship between ethnic and national identification was observed in countries with a low level of human development. The greatest minority-majority differences in the relationship between ethnic identification and national attitudes were found in egalitarian countries with a strong welfare state tradition.
Do Tunnel Patterns of Coptotermes formosanus and Coptotermes gestroi (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) Reflect Different Foraging Strategies?

Tunnel network construction and time to food (wood) discovery by Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) (formerly known as Coptotermes vastator Light in the Pacific region) was examined when wood was present in a clumped distribution that mimics field conditions in the subtropical and temperate regions where C. formosanus naturally occurs. Previous research has noted that the tropical species C. gestroi constructs a highly branched tunnel network, while the subtropical C. formosanus constructs longer tunnels with few branches. Grace et al. (2004) hypothesized that this difference in tunneling behavior may relate to a more homogenous distribution of woody resources in the tropics vs. a disjunct and clumped distribution of fallen wood in the cooler subtropics. Thus, C. gestroi may exhibit a thorough search of the immediate area where wood is initially located, while it may be more energetically efficient for C. formosanus to tunnel greater distances in search of scattered resources. To test this hypothesis, we placed two wood resources at the opposite ends of laboratory foraging arenas, and released 1500 termites (1350 workers: 150 soldiers) into each arena. Arenas were observed every 24 hours for 14 days. We measured the total daily tunnel length, number of tunnels created in each quadrant of the arenas, and average time to discover food at both ends. Total daily tunnel length was relatively longer with C. formosanus and average time to discover food at either end was longer for C. gestroi . Although replication was limited in this study, these observations lend support to the hypothesis that C. formosanus is able to locate distant resources more efficiently than C. gestroi .
Efectes d'una intervenció escolar sobre diversos aspectes en la preadolescència

The objective of this study is to examine the possible effects of a daily physical activity intervention on physical fitness, coordination and attention. The program lasts 12 weeks and its participants were 89 sixth grade elementary school students from two bilingual state schools in the Autonomous Community of Madrid; 45 of these students were in the intervention group and 44 were select-ed as control students. Cardiorespiratory capacity was assessed using the 1 km test, lower-limb muscle strength was checked with the standing long jump test, and coordination was determined by lateral jumping. Attention capacity was examined with the Perception of Differences Test. After the paired t-test, significant differences between pre- and post-groups were obtained in cardiorespiratory capacity (min), coordination (number of jumps), height (m), and attention levels (number of rights choices and efficacy). In conclusion, primary school interventions, like the one performed in this study, may offer a positive influence to improve all of the aforementioned aspects. According to these research results and to other researchers in this line of investigation, it is suggest-ed that physical activity be included in the planning of academic subjects as well as physical activity breaks throughout the day that support Physical Education les-sons.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE HEMOGLOBINS AND INTESTINAL ISOZYMES OF THREE SPECIES OF EARTHWORMS

A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE HEMOGLOBINS AND INTESTINAL ISOZYMES OF THREE SPECIES OF EARTHWORMS KENNETH VASKEN KALOUSTIAN Studies on the physiology of earthworms have contributed much to our fundamental knowledge of biological systems. The now classical study of Ramsay (1949) on the nephridia of Lumbricus is but one example of the usefulness of these organisms in biological research. Most research on earthworms, however, has been concentrated on the large and conveniently available Lumbricus te r r e s t r is . Less attention has been paid to the smaller, but frequently more abundant A1lolobophora and Eisenia. In the present study we have examined the relatedness of the hemoglobins and in testina l isozymes of Lumbricus te r r e s t r is , A1lolobophora caliqinosa, and Eisenia fo e tid a . In addition we have examined changes that occur in these molecules with estivation in A1lolobophora caliqinosa. 1. The hemoglobins of a l l three species had approximately the same molecular weight (3 .4 x 10^ daltons) and identical absorp­ tion spectra. 2. Antibody prepared against Lumbricus hemoglobin showed a pa rt ia l iden tity reaction with both Allolobophora and Eisenia
The prevalence of group A rotavirus infection and some risk factors in pediatric diarrhea in Zaria, North central Nigeria

Group A rotavirus cause infectious, severe and dehydrating diarrhea which have great impact on childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study was designed to investigate the disease burden and risk factors of rotavirus infection among children 1 – 5 years in Zaria, Nigeria. Stool samples were collected from 666 diarrheic children and 170 matched non-diarrheic controls and screened for rotavirus antigen by ELISA. Their socio-demographic information and clinical presentations were also noted. There was a 15.6 and 7.6% prevalence of rotavirus infections among the diarrheic and non-diarrheic children, respectively, with the peak of infection occurring between 1 - 6 months of age. The most common clinical features included dehydration (59.1%), fever and vomiting (41.3%), vomiting (34.6%) and fever (19.2%). Age, feeding regimen, and the presence of another person in the house with diarrhea were found to be risk factors for rotavirus diarrhea while gender and socioeconomic status were not. In view of the peak of infection in infants in the study area, rotavirus vaccine will be best administered in early infancy. Key words: Rotavirus, prevalence, risk factors, pediatric, diarrhea.
The receptive vocabulary size of Spanish 5th grade Primary School students in CLIL and Non-CLIL instruction

espanolUno de los factores clave en el aprendizaje temprano de una L2 es el numero de palabras que saben los aprendices. Sin embargo, hay una carencia de investigacion en lo referente al tamano del vocabulario receptivo de los estudiantes que participan en programas de Aprendizaje Integrado de Lenguas y Contenidos (AICLE). A la luz de esta falta de investigacion se administro el Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) correspondiente a las 2000 palabras mas frecuentes del ingles para explorar el vocabulario receptivo de estudiantes espanoles de 5o de primaria en dos tipos diferentes de instruccion AICLE y no-AICLE. Asimismo, se analizaran las diferencias entre los grupos de acuerdo con el sexo de los participantes. Los resultados muestran que existen diferencias significativas a favor de los estudiantes AICLE. En lo que respecta al sexo, no se ponen de manifiesto diferencias estadisticamente significativas entre los chicos y las chicas si no tenemos en cuenta el tipo de instruccion. Sin embargo, se constata que los chicos AICLE obtienen los mejores resultados en el VLT, siendo estos significativamente mejores que los alcanzados por los chicos y las chicas no-AICLE. Estos datos ponen de manifiesto que los programas AICLE pueden tener un impacto positivo en el aprendizaje del vocabulario. EnglishOne of the key factors at early stages of 1.2 learning is the number of words learners know. However, there is a paucity of research regarding the receptive vocabulary size of learners involved in Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) programmes. In light of this lack of research, the 2,000 word frequency band of the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) was administered to explore the receptive vocabulary knowledge of 5th grade primary Spanish students learning English in two different types of instruction i.e. CLIL and non-CLIL. Sex-based differences among the participants will also be explored. Our findings show that there are statistically significant differences in favour of CLIL learners. Regarding sex and regardless of the type of instruction, the differences among boys and girls are not statistically significant. However, our results reveal that CLIL boys attain the highest scores in the VLT, being them significantly higher than the outcomes achieved by non-CLIL boys and girls. These data evince that CLIL programmes may have a positive impact for vocabulary learning.
Identification and Quantification of Fructoborate Ester Complex Using Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Q Exactive Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry

The identification of fructoborate complex in food matrices using liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry was investigated in this study. The LC/MS method was established by optimization of mobile phases and direct infusion of FruiteX-B ® brand calcium fructoborate (CaFB) solution to Q Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometer to obtain MS operation parameters. The precursor ion m/z 367.10522 was dissociated further for conformation analysis of fructoborate complex. The method was applied to identify and quantify fructoborate in freeze dried apricot fruit and raisins. It was found that fructose- 11 B-fructose di-ester complex was present in these fruits. The results were further verified by multinuclear solid and liquid states NMR spectroscopy analysis.