Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Weight Lifting Task for Investigating Effort and Persistence in Rats

Here we present a novel effort-based task for laboratory rats: the weight lifting task (WLT). Studies of effort expenditure in rodents have typically involved climbing barriers within T-mazes or operant lever pressing paradigms. These task designs have been successful for neuropharmacological and neurophysiological investigations, but both tasks involve simple action patterns prone to automatization. Furthermore, high climbing barriers present risk of injury to animals and/or tethered recording equipment. In the WLT, a rat is placed in a large rectangular arena and tasked with pulling a rope 30 cm to trigger food delivery at a nearby spout; weights can be added to the rope in 45 g increments to increase the intensity of effort. As compared to lever pressing and barrier jumping, 30 cm of rope pulling is a multi-step action sequence requiring sustained effort. The actions are carried out on the single plane of the arena floor, making it safer for the animal and more suitable for tethered equipment and video tracking. A microcontroller and associated sensors enable precise timestamping of specific behaviors to synchronize with electrophysiological recordings. The rope and reward spout are spatially segregated to allow for spatial discrimination of the effort zone and the reward zone. We validated the task across five cohorts of rats (total n=35) and report consistent behavioral metrics. The WLT is well-suited for neuropharmacological and/or in vivo neurophysiological investigations surrounding effortful behaviors, particularly when wanting to probe different aspects of effort expenditure (intensity vs. duration).
ASSESSMENT OF COFFEE BERRY DISEASE, CHARACTERIZATION OF Colletotrichum kahawae ISOLATES AND EVALUATION OF RESISTANCE IN Coffea arabica COLLECTIONS FROM GIDAME, WESTERN ETHIOPIA

Ethiopia is the center of origin and diversity for Arabica coffee which acts as an engine for the country’s economy. Coffee berry disease (CBD) caused by the fungus Colletotrichum kahawae is one of the major constraints for coffee production in the country. However, little information is available regarding the extent of the CBD and related factors in Gidame district. The objectives of this study were to assess the magnitude of CBD in coffee fields at Gidame district, to characterize and study the pathogenicity of C. kahawae isolates and further evaluate disease resistance in local C. arabica collections. A survey to assess the distribution and magnitude of CBD was conducted in nine selected kebeles during July to August 2017. Disease assessment and collection of CBD infected coffee berry samples were collected in a total of 45 farms. Furthermore, evaluation of CBD resistance was conducted under field (Attached berry test) and laboratory (detached berry test)conditions. The survey results showed the prevalence of CBD in all assessed areas with varied intensity that ranged from 66 86% and 16 to 50% of disease incidence and percent severity index, respectively. More importantly, increased CBD intensity was observed in higher altitudes resulting in a significant positive correlation with disease incidence (r=0.61) and severity (r=0.55). Furthermore, macroscopic and microscopic investigations revealed that C. kahawae isolates in the study area are highly diverse in terms of cultural and conidial characteristics (colony color and density, mycelial growth rate and conidial production). Mycelial growth rate differs significantly (p<0.001) with the range between 2.2 to 4.3 mm/24hrs. Similarly, sporulation capacity varied between 186.1572. 3 spores/ml. Those observations were in strong agreement with the results of the virulence test that revealed significant variation (p<0.001) among C. kahawae isolates and infection percentage ranged between 34.8 and 88.7%. It was also observed that Gidame coffee accessions significantly differ (P<0.001) in resistance to CBD at field and laboratory conditions. Accessions G65, G15, G63, G66 and G72 showed the lowest CBD severity score in field (<10%) hence relatively resistant to CBD. On the other hand, coffee accessions G50, G89, G92 and G67 were found to be the most susceptible with >25% of berry infection. Overall, the present study not only showed that CBD is one of the most important diseases of coffee in the study area but also demonstrates the variation of virulence among C. kahawae isolates and the role of host resistance in combating CBD. Future research should focus on evaluating the promising coffee accessions in mutilocation field trials across several years. Besides, the diversity/identity of C. kahawae isolates should be verified using more reliable methods and further studies to understand mechanism of CBD resistance should be the priority research topic to fully understand the C. arabica C. kahawae pathosystem.
Prevalence of stunting and associated factors among public primary school pupils of Bahir Dar city, Ethiopia: School-based cross-sectional study

Background Stunting is a well-established pupils-health indicator of chronic malnutrition which reliably gives a picture of the past nutritional history and the prevailing environmental and socioeconomic circumstances. Objective The prevalence of stunting and associated factors among public primary school pupils of Bahir Dar city. Method A cross-sectional study was carried out from March to June 2019. Data were coded and entered into Epi-Data and exported to SPSS. Then, Anthropometric data were converted into height for age Z-scores to determine the pupils stunting outcomes using WHO Anthro-Plus software. Then, the final analysis was done by SPSS version 20 software. Anthropometric measurements determined the proportion of stunting (z-score of height for age less than minus two standard deviations from WHO Anthro-plus software output). A simple logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated between the independent variables and the dependent variable at a 95% confidence level and p-value <0.05. Results 370 primary school pupils were included in the study with the mean age of 121.84(± 26.67) months. About 51.6% of the pupils were females. The total prevalence of stunting was 15.13% (95%CI; 11%, 19%). The burden of stunting was higher in the age group of greater than 132 months. Pupil’s age ≥132 months (AOR=15.6; 95%CI; 3.31, 73.45; p-value<0.001) and male pupils (AOR=7.07; 95%CI: 2.51, 19.89; p-value<0.0002) were significantly associated with stunting. Conclusion The prevalence of stunting was relatively lower than the regional estimated stunting level. However, this result is also very significant figure to get critical attention. Pupil’s age ≥ 132 months and male sex were significantly associated with stunting.
Next-generation sequencing yields the complete mitochondrial genome of Corydoras sterbai (Teleostei, Siluriformes, Callichthyidae, Corydoradinae)

Abstract In this work, we reported the complete mitochondrial genome yielded from next-generation sequencing of Corydoras sterbai. The total length of the mitochondrial genome is 16,636 bp, with the base composition of 32.70% A, 26.40% T, 26.00% C, and 14.90% G. It contains two ribosomal RNA genes, 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and a major non-coding control region (D-loop region). The arrangement of these genes is the same as that found in the Siluriformes. All the protein initiation codons are ATG, except for cox1 that begins with GTG. The Neighbour-Joining tree built using Geneious showed that C. sterbai was clustered with other species from the genus Corydoras. It means that its external morphological feature classification is consistent with the molecular classification results.
Mesolimbic microglia display regionally distinct developmental trajectories

Microglia play critical roles during CNS development and undergo dramatic changes in tissue distribution, morphology, and gene expression as they transition from embryonic to neonatal to adult microglial phenotypes. Despite the magnitude of these phenotypic shifts, little is known about the time course and dynamics of these transitions and whether they vary across brain regions. Here we define the time course of microglial maturation in key regions of the basal ganglia in mice where significant regional differences in microglial phenotype are present in adults. We found that microglial density peaks in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) during the third postnatal week, driven by a burst of microglial proliferation. Microglial abundance is then refined to adult levels through a combination of tissue expansion and microglial programmed cell death. This overproduction and refinement of microglia was significantly more pronounced in the NAc and was accompanied by a sharp peak in NAc microglial lysosome abundance in the third postnatal week. Collectively, these data identify a key developmental window when elevated microglial density in discrete basal ganglia nuclei may support circuit refinement and could increase susceptibility to inflammatory insults.
Breeding ecology and causes of nest failure in the Indian Skimmer Rynchops albicollis

ABSTRACT Capsule: The breeding success of the Indian Skimmer Rynchops albicollis in eastern India is significantly reduced by human activities at the breeding sites. Aim: To investigate the breeding ecology of Indian Skimmer and factors affecting breeding success along the Mahanadi River in eastern India. Methods: A total of 230 Indian Skimmer nests were monitored in 2017 and 2018. Population, breeding phenology, clutch size, egg dimensions and factors affecting breeding success rates were determined. Results: Indian Skimmers arrived at the breeding sites during January–February followed by breeding activities during March–May. On a small scale, nests were more likely to be closer to water and ground vegetation than expected by chance, probably as mitigation against hot afternoon temperatures. Hatching success rate was higher (72.27%) in 2017 and chick survival rate was higher (33.15%) in 2018. Factors that affected breeding success were flooding, nest desertion, egg collecting by humans, predation and trampling. Conclusion: The breeding success rate of Indian Skimmer could be increased by protecting the breeding sites and minimizing disturbances through community awareness.
Supplemental Magnesium in Diets for Growing Pullets and Hens: Growth, Skeletal Development, and Egg Production

SUMMARY Growing pullets and subsequently laying hens were fed practical type corn-soybean meal diets with and without 0.1% supplemental magnesium oxide (MgO) through 36 wk of age. During the pullet phase, one half the chicks were allowed access to perches beginning at a day of age (2.5 cm) and perch height was increased in 2.5 cm weekly increments through 3 wk. Access to perches had no effect on body weight or skeletal development, and there were no significant perch x MgO interactions. There was a significant increase in cortical bone density between 6 and 12 wk of age and an increase in cortical density in pullets fed supplemental MgO (P
Presence of Stromal Cells Enhances Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) Induction in Lung Bronchial Epithelium after Protracted Exposure to Oxidative Stress of Gamma Radiation

The aim of the study was to investigate the role of a microenvironment in the induction of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) as a sign of early stages of carcinogenesis in human lung epithelial cell lines after protracted low-dose rate γ-radiation exposures. BEAS-2B and HBEC-3KT lung cell lines were irradiated with low-dose rate γ-rays (137Cs, 1.4 or 14 mGy/h) to 0.1 or 1 Gy with or without adding TGF-β. TGF-β-treated samples were applied as positive EMT controls and tested in parallel to find out if the radiation has a potentiating effect on the EMT induction. To evaluate the effect of the stromal component, the epithelial cells were irradiated in cocultures with stromal MRC-9 lung fibroblasts. On day 3 post treatment, the EMT markers: α-SMA, vimentin, fibronectin, and E-cadherin, were analyzed. The oxidative stress levels were evaluated by 8-oxo-dG analysis in both epithelial and fibroblast cells. The protracted exposure to low Linear Energy Transfer (LET) radiation at the total absorbed dose of 1 Gy was able to induce changes suggestive of EMT. The results show that the presence of the stromal component and its signaling (TGF-β) in the cocultures enhances the EMT. Radiation had a minor cumulative effect on the TGF-β-induced EMT with both doses. The oxidative stress levels were higher than the background in both epithelial and stromal cells post chronic irradiation (0.1 and 1 Gy); as for the BEAS-2B cell line, the increase was statistically significant. We suggest that the induction of EMT in bronchial epithelial cells by radiation requires more than single acute exposure and the presence of stromal component might enhance the effect through free radical production and accumulation.
Optimum and Decorrelated Constrained Multistage Linear Phenotypic Selection Indices Theory

Some authors have evaluated the unconstrained optimum and decorrelated multistage linear phenotypic selection indices (OMLPSI and DMLPSI, respectively) theory. We extended this index theory to the constrained multistage linear phenotypic selection index context, where we denoted OMLPSI and DMLPSI as OCMLPSI and DCMLPSI, respectively. The OCMLPSI (DCMLPSI) is the most general multistage index and includes the OMLPSI (DMLPSI) as a particular case. The OCMLPSI (DCMLPSI) predicts the individual net genetic merit at different individual ages and allows imposing constraints on the genetic gains to make some traits change their mean values based on a predetermined level, while the rest of them remain without restrictions. The OCMLPSI takes into consideration the index correlation values among stages, whereas the DCMLPSI imposes the restriction that the index correlation values among stages be null. The criteria to evaluate OCMLPSI efficiency vs. DCMLPSI efficiency were that the total response of each index must be lower than or equal to the single-stage constrained linear phenotypic selection index response and that the expected genetic gain per trait values should be similar to the constraints imposed by the breeder. We used one real and one simulated dataset to validate the efficiency of the indices. The results indicated that OCMLPSI accuracy when predicting the selection response and expected genetic gain per trait was higher than DCMLPSI accuracy when predicting them. Thus, breeders should use the OCMLPSI when making a phenotypic selection.
A kinematic analysis of Micrurus coral snakes reveals unexpected variation in stereotyped anti-predator displays within a mimicry system

Warning signals in chemically defended organisms are critical components of predator-prey interactions, often requiring multiple coordinated display components for a signal to be effective. When threatened by a predator, venomous coral snakes (genus Micrurus) display a vigorous, non-locomotory thrashing behaviour that has been only qualitatively described. Given the high-contrast and often colourful banding patterns of these snakes, this thrashing display is hypothesized to be a key component of a complex aposematic signal under strong stabilizing selection across species in a mimicry system. By experimentally testing snake response across simulated predator cues, we analysed variation in the presence and expression of a thrashing display across five species of South American coral snakes. Although the major features of the thrash display were conserved across species, we found significant variation in the propensity to perform a display at all, the duration of thrashing, and the curvature of snake bodies that was mediated by predator cue type, snake body size, and species identity. We also found an interaction between curve magnitude and body location that clearly shows which parts of the display vary most across individuals and species. Our results suggest that contrary to the assumption in the literature that all species and individuals perform the same display, a high degree of variation persists in thrashing behaviour exhibited by Micrurus coral snakes despite presumably strong selection to converge on a common signal. This quantitative behavioural characterization presents a new framework for analysing the non-locomotory motions displayed by snakes in a broader ecological context, especially for signalling systems with complex interaction across multiple modalities.
Effect of the addition of cactus (O. ficus-indica) to the lactating sows’ diet on piglet development at lactation and post-weaning

Objective: The aim was to evaluate the effect of cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) to the lactating sows’ diet on piglet development at lactation and post-weaning. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four litters of hybrids sows were evaluated in this study. The sows were divided into two groups: Control (CG), sows fed conventionally and experimental (EG), sows fed with commercial fed plus cactus. Post-weaning, the piglets of both groups were monitored up to the 20 kg liveweight (LW). It was evaluated, lactation (in sows): feed intake (FI), milk production (MP), and quality (MQ) and LW of the piglet. Post-weaning (in piglets): FI, LW, and length of intestinal villi (LIV) at 0, 24 h, and 42 days post-weaning. Results: FI sow-1 was higher in EG (p < 0.05). MP, MQ, and LW piglet-1 at weaning were equal (p > 0.05). FI piglet-1 in the sixth and eighth week of age was higher in EG (p < 0.05); at the end of weaning phase, EG presented higher LW (p < 0.05): 8.4% more. LIV of the jejunum were higher (p < 0.05) in EG at 48 h (28.8%) and 42 days post-weaning (29.9%). At day 0, post-weaning LIV of the descending portion was higher (p < 0.05) in CG (1,571.0 μm) versus EG (1,058.0 μm). At day 42, post-weaning LIV of the transverse portion was higher (p < 0.05) in EG: 23.7% higher. Conclusion: Cactus intake in lactating sows does not affect the piglet development. However, post-weaning piglets present higher LIV in jejunum and transverse portion, aspect that improves LW.
The functional role of the subthalamic nucleus in response control

The subthalamic nucleus (STN) of the basal ganglia is considered a relay station for response control such as stopping or slowing of responses and is thought to have a broad, suppressive effect on the motor system. Previous studies found that STN oscillatory activity in the beta (1330Hz) band was associated with stopping and in lower frequencies (<12Hz) was associated with slowing. However, there are several unanswered questions. First, it is not known whether there is a link between STN stop-related beta oscillatory activities and the broad, suppressive effect of stopping previously demonstrated. Secondly, whether the same STN oscillatory activities are present in the control of verbal responses have not been tested. Thirdly, the precise timing of STN involvement in response control and whether it corresponds to the timing of enhanced oscillatory activities have not been assessed. To assess the linkage between stop-related beta and stop-related broad suppressive effect, we simultaneously recorded local field potentials (LFP) during stopping of verbal responses and applied transcranial magnetic stimulation to measure the excitability of a hand muscle not involved in the task. We also recorded and compared LFPs while stopping and slowing of verbal and manual responses. Lastly, we delivered event-related deep brain stimulation (DBS) in short trains of high frequency time-locked to a response control task containing conflict to induce response slowing and measured LFPs in the absence of stimulation. We found stopping of verbal responses increased STN beta activities, which was linked to the reduced hand excitability. We also found similar oscillatory activity during stopping and slowing of verbal and manual responses. Finally, event-related DBS reduced conflictinduced slowing especially when applied during preparation and reduced accuracy under conflict
Progress on Resolving the Gonatocerus tuberculifemur Complex: Neither COI nor ITS2 Sequence Data Alone Can Discriminate All the Species Within the Complex, Whereas ISSR-PCR DNA Fingerprinting Can

Project Leaders: Jesse H. de León USDA, ARS KSARC Weslaco, TX 78596 jesus.deleon@ars.usda. gov Guillermo A. Logarzo USDA, ARS SABCL Buenos Aires, Argentina glogarzo@speedy.com. ar Serguei V. Triapitsyn Dept. of Entomology University of California Riverside, CA 92501 serguei.triapitsyn@ucr.edu Cooperator: David J.W. Morgan Calif. Dept. Food & Agric. Mt. Rubidoux Field Station Riverside, CA 92501 dmorgan@cdfa.ca. gov
Stable isotopes reveal independent carbon pools across an Arctic hydro‐climatic gradient: Implications for the fate of carbon in warmer and drier conditions

Arctic lakes are poised for substantial changes to their carbon (C) cycles in the near future. Autochthonous processes in lakes which consume inorganic C and create biomass that can be sequestered in sediments are accompanied by allochthonous inputs of organic matter from the surrounding watershed. Both C sources can be mineralized and degassed as CO2, but also become recalcitrant and accumulate in pelagic waters. Using stable carbon isotope (δ13C) values and elemental ratios as geochemical proxies, we investigated diverse organic matter sources to lakes located across a hydro‐climatic gradient in Southwest Greenland. Particulate organic matter (POM) and sediments were clearly of autochthonous algal origin, while dissolved organic matter (DOM) was a mix between autochthonous macrophytes and allochthonous watershed sources. Our results imply that a warmer and drier Arctic will lead to decoupled C pools: a water column dominated by increasingly autochthonous, macrophytic DOM, and sediments dominated by autochthonous algal POM.
Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Parasites in Local and Exotic Breeds of Chickens in Pankrono–Kumasi, Ghana

The world's poultry population is on the ascendency as a result of the high demand for poultry product by consumers. In Africa, poultry meat is estimated to represent almost 25% of all meat, whereas in some areas it covers 100% of the animal protein available. The high demand for poultry products has led to an increase in poultry production in almost all African countries including Ghana, with the domestic chicken being the most kept. The sector has been reported to have recorded a drop in production, partly due to infection of birds by diseases, causing organisms including parasites. The study conducted was to investigate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in local and exotic breeds of chickens in Pankrono–Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Two hundred (200) cloacae of slaughtered birds were collected from slaughtering units in the study area and the faecal samples were examined for the eggs/cysts of gastrointestinal parasites using the simple flotation technique and microscopy. Nematodes and cestodes were recovered in 131 (65.5%) of the samples examined with Ascaridia galli recorded as the most prevalent. Some of the nematodes include Ascaridia galli 65 (32.5%), Heterakis gallinarum 38 (19.0%), and Capillaria spp. 29 (14.5%). Some cestodes were Raillietina spp. 19(9.5%) and Choanotaenia infundibulum 5 (2.5%) with Prosthogonimus spp. 3 (1.5%) being the only trematode recovered. The local breeds recorded a percentage prevalence of 76.0%, making them the most susceptible breed to gastrointestinal parasites. The results obtained attest to the reason behind the reduction in poultry production. It is therefore recommended that farmers are educated on farm managerial practices that will reduce the risk of infection and help increase production to meet the demand of consumers.