Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polygyny and female reproductive success in golden lion tamarins, Leontopithecus rosalia


Abstract. In an 8-year study of one population of golden lion tamarins in Poco das Antas Reserve, Brazil, female aggression often resulted in the expulsion of nulliparous daughters. Tamarins were polygynous in approximately 10% of group samples and polygyny usually did not last longer than 2 years. Reproductive females in polygynous groups were usually mother and daughter, with the older female (R1) dominant to the younger (R2). A cost-benefit model using estimates of reproductive success for females in this population is presented to predict the circumstances under which polygyny might be expected. Costs to R1 for allowing R2 to breed in the natal group included the expected loss in fitness due to sharing a territory and the possibility of a role reversal in the social dominance hierarchy. The inclusive fitness of R1 was increased by half R2's expected reproductive success in the natal group. Benefits to R2 for being allowed to breed in the natal group included increased survivorship and reproductive success. Costs to R2 for breeding in the natal group included losses in fitness as a result of inbreeding. These results suggest that the benefits a reproductive female gains for expelling her nulliparous daughter from the natal group outweigh the costs only slightly when in breeding is not a factor, but are substantially greater when all adult males in the group are related to the daughter. The number of reproductive females in the group was not correlated with the availability of any sampled territorial resources, except swampland. Polygyny in this study could not be explained by the polygyny threshold model.
Efficacy of Probiotics Supplementation On Chronic Kidney Disease: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background/Aims: Dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota may accelerate the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) by increasing the levels of urea toxins. In recent years, probiotics have been recognized to maintain the physiological balance of the intestinal microbiota. In this study, we aim to assess the therapeutic effects of probiotics on CKD patients with and without dialysis via meta-analysis. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) by searching the databases of Pubmed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library (No. CRD42018093080). Studies on probiotics for treatment of CKD adults lasting for at least 4 weeks were selected. The primary outcomes were the levels of urea toxins, and the second outcomes were the levels of interleukin (IL)-6, C-reactive protein (CRP) and hemoglobin (Hb). The risk of bias was assessed by Cochrane Collaboration’ tool, and the quality of evidence was appraised with the Grading of Recommendation Assessment. Means and standard deviations were analyzed by random effects analysis. Stratified analysis was done and sensitivity analysis was performed when appropriate. Results: Totally, eight studies with 261 patients at CKD stage 3 to 5 with and without dialysis were included. We found a decrease of p-cresyl sulfate (PCS) of 3 studies with 125 subjects (P = 0.01, SMD -0.57, 95% CI, -0.99 to -0.14, I2 = 25%) and an increase of IL-6 in 3 studies with 134 subjects (P = 0.03, 95% CI, SMD 0.37, 0.03 to 0.72, I2 = 0%) in the probiotics groups. Analysis of serum creatinine (P = 0.47), blood urine nitrogen (P = 0.73), CRP (P = 0.55) and Hb (P = 0.49) yielded insignificant difference. Conclusion: Limited number of studies and small sample size are limitations of our study. Probiotics supplementation may reduce the levels of PCS and elevate the levels of IL-6 whereby protecting the intestinal epithelial barrier of patients with CKD.
Multilingual NMT with a Language-Independent Attention Bridge

In this paper, we propose an architecture for machine translation (MT) capable of obtaining multilingual sentence representations by incorporating an intermediate attention bridge that is shared across all languages. We train the model with language-specific encoders and decoders that are connected through an inner-attention layer on the encoder side. The attention bridge exploits the semantics from each language for translation and develops into a language-agnostic meaning representation that can efficiently be used for transfer learning. We present a new framework for the efficient development of multilingual neural machine translation (NMT) using this model and scheduled training. We have tested the approach in a systematic way with a multi-parallel data set. The model achieves substantial improvements over strong bilingual models and performs well for zero-shot translation, which demonstrates its ability of abstraction and transfer learning.
A New Theory for Sketching in Linear Regression

Large datasets create opportunities as well as analytic challenges. A recent development is to use random projection or sketching methods for dimension reduction in statistics and machine learning. In this work, we study the statistical performance of sketching algorithms for linear regression. Suppose we randomly project the data matrix and the outcome using a random sketching matrix reducing the sample size, and do linear regression on the resulting data. How much do we lose compared to the original linear regression? The existing theory does not give a precise enough answer, and this has been a bottleneck for using random projections in practice. In this paper, we introduce a new mathematical approach to the problem, relying on very recent results from asymptotic random matrix theory and free probability theory. This is a perfect fit, as the sketching matrices are random in practice. We allow the dimension and sample sizes to have an arbitrary ratio. We study the most popular sketching methods in a unified framework, including random projection methods (Gaussian and iid projections, uniform orthogonal projections, subsampled randomized Hadamard transforms), as well as sampling methods (including uniform, leverage-based, and greedy sampling). We find precise and simple expressions for the accuracy loss of these methods. These go beyond classical Johnson-Lindenstrauss type results, because they are exact, instead of being bounds up to constants. Our theoretical formulas are surprisingly accurate in extensive simulations and on two empirical datasets.
Separation of caches between individual willow tits hoarding under natural conditions

Abstract Abstract. Individual variation in foraging and hoarding locations of willow tits, Parus montanus , was studied for 3 years during the main hoarding period in the autumn. Caching locations of different individuals were separated vertically; this was especially clear between males in the same flock. Spatial separation of caches for individuals could make hoarding evolutionarily stable even if specific caching locations are not remembered. Pine, which is the most important foraging tree during the winter, was preferred for hoarding more than for foraging during the autumn. Seeds were hoarded more frequently than the other major component in the diet, larvae. These characteristics may be adaptations for large-scale long-term hoarding of the kind that has been reported from field studies of boreal tits.
Asymmetric cheating opportunities and partner control in a cleaner fish mutualism

How can cooperation persist if, for one partner, cheating is more profitable than cooperation in each round, while the other partner has no option to cheat? Our laboratory experiments suggest that such a situation exists between the cleaner fish Labroides dimidiatus and its nonpredatory client reef fish species, which actively seek cleaners to have their ectoparasites removed. Clients Ctenochaetus striatus regularly jolted in response to cleaner mouth contact, and these jolts were not linked to the removal of parasites. In addition, cleaners did not search for parasites but fed on mucus when exposed to anaesthetized clients, which could not control the cleaners' behaviour. Field data showed that clients often terminated an interaction immediately after a jolt. Client species with access to only one cleaning station, owing to their small territories or home ranges, terminated interactions mainly by chasing cleaners while clients with access to two or more cleaning stations mainly swam away. Thus, the chasing of cleaners appeared to be a form of punishment, imposing costs on the cleaner at the client's (momentary) expense. Chasing yields future benefits, as jolts were on average less frequent during interactions between cleaners and individuals that had terminated their previous interaction by aggressive chasing.
Abscisic acid inhibits hypocotyl elongation acting on gibberellins, DELLA proteins and auxin

Abstract Hypocotyl elongation of Arabidopsis seedlings is influenced by light and numerous growth factors. Light induces inhibition of hypocotyl elongation (photomorphogenesis), whereas in the dark hypocotyl elongation is promoted (skotomorphogenesis). Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a major role in inhibition of hypocotyl elongation, but the molecular mechanism remains unclear. We investigated the effect of ABA during photo- and skotomorphogenesis, making use of appropriate mutants, and we show that ABA negatively controls hypocotyl elongation acting on gibberellin (GA) metabolic genes, increasing the amount of the DELLA proteins GAI and RGA, thus affecting GA signalling, and (ultimately) repressing auxin biosynthetic genes.
Transplants, Open Top Chambers (OTCs) and Gradient Studies Ask Different Questions in Climate Change Effects Studies

Long-term monitoring, space-for-time substitutions along gradients, and in situ temperature manipulations are common approaches to understand effects of climate change on alpine and arctic plant communities. Although general patterns emerge from studies using different approaches, there are also some inconsistencies. To provide better estimates of plant community responses to future warming across a range of environments, there have been repeated calls for integrating different approaches within single studies. Thus, to examine how different methods in climate change effect studies may ask different questions, we combined three climate warming approaches in a single study in the Hengduan Mountains of southwestern China. We monitored plant communities along an elevation gradient using the space-for-time approach, and conducted warming experiments using open top chambers (OTCs) and plant community transplantation toward warmer climates along the same gradient. Plant species richness and abundances were monitored over 5 years addressing two questions: (1) how do plant communities respond to the different climate warming approaches? (2) how can the combined approaches improve predictions of plant community responses to climate change? The general trend across all three approaches was decreased species richness with climate warming at low elevations. This suggests increased competition from immigrating lowland species, and/or from the species already growing inside the plots, as indicated by increased biomass, vegetation height or proportion of graminoids. At the coldest sites, species richness decreased in OTCs and along the gradient, but increased in the transplants, suggesting that plant communities in colder climates are more open to invasion from lowland species, with slow species loss. This was only detected in the transplants, showing that different approaches, may yield different results. Whereas OTCs may constrain immigration of new species, transplanted communities are rapidly exposed to new neighbors that can easily colonize the small plots. Thus, different approaches ask slightly different questions, in particular regarding indirect climate change effects, such as biotic interactions. To better understand both direct and indirect effects of climate change on plant communities, we need to combine approaches in future studies, and if novel interactions are of particular interest, transplants may be a better approach than OTCs.
The conflict between moult and migratory fat deposition: a photoperiodic experiment with bluethroats

Abstract Abstract. The post-breeding moult and fat deposition of adult male bluethroats, Luscinia svecica , were studied in captivity. One group (Control group) was held under light conditions simulating the natural light regime of their moulting grounds at 66°N latitude. The light regime of another group (Shifted group) was similar to the Control group, but shifted 1 month forward, simulating light conditions further into autumn. All birds had food ad libitum. In addition, comparisons were made with free-living bluethroats. There were no differences in moult performance (start and speed) between the Control group and the Shifted group, and moult was similar to that of free-living birds. The start of moult may be endogenously controlled and set earlier in the season so the change in light regime for the Shifted group may have come too late to influence moult performance. The rate of moult may also be inflexible, in spite of the imposed time stress. In addition, bluethroats may moult so fast that further acceleration would hamper flight manoeuvrability and feeding efficiency. Whereas the Control group birds first started to deposit fat when moult was finished, as free-living birds do, the Shifted group birds started fat deposition in mid-moult. Also, the fat deposition rate following completion of moult was higher in the Shifted group. Thus, adult bluethroats can adjust the timing and speed of fat deposition in relation to moult and time of season. Such flexibility should be advantageous for migratory birds moulting at high latitudes where time available between breeding and migration is short.
Effects of Ocean Acidification on Atlantic Cod Larvae (Gadus morhua)

Throughout the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first century technical advancements in many industries as well as the vast increase in world population have led to increasing emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. The changes in the chemistry of the atmosphere not only result in retention of heat causing global warming, but also transfer to the oceans. The world’s oceans are not only warming, but are furthermore acidifying through the reaction of seawater with carbon dioxide, measured in pH and termed ocean acidification. The aim of this thesis was to provide greater understanding of the impact of ocean acidification on one of the most important commercial species, the Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and to provide a quantitative foundation to evaluate recruitment processes of this species. This thesis has quantified the effect of ocean acidification on larval survival of two Atlantic cod stocks from the Western Baltic Sea and the Barents Sea and how this translates into the recruitment of these populations. Additionally, the effect of acidification and its interaction with food availability on larval growth was quantified for the Barents Sea cod. In order to investigate the potential for adaptation or acclimation, it was furthermore explored whether the acclimation of the parental generation to acidification had a significant effect on larval survival and organ development. The results of this dissertation demonstrate that ocean acidification may pose a severe threat to Atlantic cod populations. Nonetheless, the exact effects are very complex and rely on other factors, like the exposure of the parental generation to acidification and on food availability to the larvae.
Captive fledgling American kestrels prefer to play with objects resembling natural prey

Abstract Object play may be a mechanism by which young predators acquire skills in manipulating prey, as well as physical strength and endurance. It has also been proposed that fledgling raptors play with live or dead prey if available, but would play with surrogates such as sticks or grass if not. Different objects were offered to captive fledgling American kestrels, Falco sparverius , to test whether they prefer to play with objects resembling prey. Individuals were divided into two groups: those in treatment A were offered mouse mimics, along with one of four objects (large and small pine cones, long and short twigs) which were alternated daily. Individuals in treatment B were offered bottle corks, and the same type of alternative objects as in treatment A. There were no significant differences in the mean number of play instances of birds in each of the two treatments (total of 506 instances). However, fledglings in treatment A played significantly more with the mouse mimics, whereas fledglings in treatment B played with the different objects in proportion to their availability. These results support the hypothesis that young raptors devote a relatively fixed amount of time to object manipulation, and that they prefer to manipulate objects resembling natural prey. The same set of objects were offered to adult American kestrels, but they were never manipulated. This suggests that object play has a function in the maturation of hunting skills of young raptors.
Creativity Alone Does Not Make a Star – Social Attributes of the Nomination of Creative Icons: Results of a Trend Study in Germany

Recent years have witnessed a series of studies of the nomination of the most creative persons using a cross-sectional design. Such studies only provide a “snapshot” of the creativity nomination phenomenon without being able to detect the temporal pattern of the nomination over time. The current study is among the first of such studies that use a time series design. Data were collected from German young adults in 2013 (n = 460, Mage = 28.3, SD = 9.9) and in 2017 (n = 617, Mage = 31.4, SD = 10.6). Consistent patterns emerge from the nomination of the top 10 most creative Germans: (1) Artists are predominantly represented; (2) Male creators are predominantly nominated; (3) Einstein ranks the first in both lists followed by Goethe; (4) Merkel is the only female nominee in both lists. Analysis of all nomination in both years reconfirmed the aesthetic salience and male-dominance and these patterns were more likely to occur in earlier than later nominations. Regression analysis revealed that social contribution (SC) and social acceptance (SA) each mediated the positive relation between creativity and creative fame. Further, the three-path mediation model of creativity on creative fame through SC and SA was also significant for both nomination conditions, with stronger mediating effect on the nomination from the meritorious than the aesthetic areas. Domain-specificity theories and social psychological theories were used to interpret the results.
Behaviour, morphology and the division of labour in two soldier-producing aphids

In social insects the division of labour will reflect the trade-off between behavioural flexibility and physical specialization of workers. We investigated this trade-off in two social aphids: Pseudoregma sundanica (Van der Goot) and P. nicolaiae (Takahashi) (Hormaphididae: Cerataphidini). They are sibling species that produce dimorphic first-instar larvae of soldiers and nonsoldiers. Defence is ostensibly the task of soldiers, but P. sundanica is also defended by tending ants. We determined the extent to which physical castes are developed in both species by measuring the lengths of various body parts of soldier and nonsoldier first instars. We also measured the defensive behaviour of soldiers and nonsoldiers by confronting them with aggressive stimuli. The soldiers and nonsoldiers of P. nicolaiae were morphologically and behaviourally more similar than those of P. sundanica, and the nonsoldiers showed greater behavioural plasticity. This suggests a more flexible division of labour in P. nicolaiae, with nonsoldiers being recruited to defensive tasks. Across both castes first-instar larvae were also more aggressive in P. nicolaiae than in P. sundanica. We relate these findings to the differences in ant tending in the two species. The data suggest that the caste structure of the social aphids is more complex than expected, and is perhaps more similar to that of the social Hymenoptera.
Investigation of a Scabies Outbreak in Drought-Affected Areas in Ethiopia

The impact of the severe drought in Ethiopia, attributed to El Niño weather conditions, has led to high levels of malnutrition that have, in turn, increased the potential for disease outbreaks. In 2015, Ethiopia faced a scabies outbreak in drought-affected areas where there was a shortage of safe water for drinking and personal hygiene. Following a house-to-house census to assess the prevalence of scabies, a detailed study was conducted looking at the disease burden. Following the outbreak report, training was provided on scabies identification and management for zonal and district health officials from administrative districts affected by the drought (nutritional hot-spot woredas). The training was cascaded down to the health extension workers in the affected areas. Screening and management guidelines and protocols were also distributed. House-to-house data collection was undertaken by 450 health extension workers (HEWs) to assess the prevalence of scabies. The HEWs used a simplified reporting tool. Subsequently, data were collected and validated in two zones and six woredas from 474 participants who had been diagnosed with scabies using a standardized questionnaire. This was designed to look at the specificity of the diagnosis of scabies, age distribution, severity, duration of illness, secondary infection and other sociodemographic variables as preparation for mass drug administration (MDA). The HEWs screened 1,125,770 people in the 68 districts in Amhara Region and a total of 379,000 confirmed cases of scabies was identified. The prevalence in the different districts ranged from 2% to 67% and the median was 33.5% [interquartile range (IQR) 19–48%]. 49% of cases were school-aged children. The detailed study of 474 individuals who were recorded as scabies cases revealed that the specificity of the diagnosis of scabies by the HEWs was 98.3%. The mean duration of illness was 5 months (SD of ± 2.8). One third of patients were recorded as having severe illness, 75.1% of cases had affected family members, and 30% of affected children were noted to have secondary bacterial infection. Eleven percent of the students had discontinued school due to scabies or/and drought and 85% of these had secondary bacterial infection. These community-based data serve as reliable proxy indicators for community-based burden assessment of the scabies epidemic. This study will also provide a good basis for advocating the use of a community-level clinical diagnostic scheme for scabies using an algorithm with a simple combination of signs and symptoms in resource-poor settings.