Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Behavioural Ecology, Local Population Dynamics and Conservation of the Bearded Reedling Panurus Biarmicus in “El Hondo Natural Park” (SE Spain)

The behavioural ecology of the Bearded Reedling Panurus biarmicus in wild using data available from mist-netting has received little attention. One of such aspects is to evaluate if flock composition and structure vary among reed successional stages and facilities dispersal among near wetlands in small and semi-isolated populations by analysing mist-netting capture events. This study shows that mist-netting events comprised catches of solitary birds or small groups in samples from small to moderate size. Overall mean frequency of each flock result in a population of low aggregation at low densities and being lower than reported from bigger central Spanish populations. A majority of birds of these flocks are "transients", characterized by have shorter wing lengths and smaller body masses compared to "residents", which attain higher body masses and longer wing lengths. Residents have the ability to settle in unmanaged sparse habitats in the periphery of the wetlands and the possibility to undertake longer flights outside wetlands is greater due to a higher condition and performance. Since a high overnight mass loss of birds has been verified in this study, I hypothesize that Bearded Reedlings move in short-times elapsed from sunset (before arriving at the roosts) to sunrise, so earlier surveys carried out in wetlands might give inadequate results to monitoring Bearded Reedling’s populations, demanding alternative methods to survey them properly. Due to the occurrence of such residents, the importance of saltmarshes with reed sparse-patches in the periphery of wetlands results in a key factor for the dispersal of this species.
Hyper-Media Search and Consumption

Hyper-media, owing to its ability to embed and link to information from other sources, has become an important modality for consuming news and information. Yet there remains a dearth of empirical research seeking to explain and forecast consumer behavior in this context.We develop a structural model of hyper-media search and consumption that accounts for features unique to this environment, including: 1) the rapid turnover of information (and consumers’ concomitant uncertainty about its relevance and availability), 2) the redundancy of information across sites, and 3) the important signaling role played by linked excerpts. We estimate the model using panel data on consumer celebrity blog browsing and information scraped from sites regarding the link structure between them.We find that blogs are differentiated horizontally by their degree of sexually-oriented content and that links are informative of the linked sites’ content. Results indicate links can decrease (increase) visitations to the linked (linking) sites.A counterfactual experiment related to fair use indicates that sites with mainstream (niche) content lose more (less) traffic when excerpting is prohibited. A net neutrality counterfactual shows that consumers who strongly prefer a high bandwidth site might be better off after its bandwidth is allocated to less preferred sites.
Analysis of predicted and observed accumulated convective precipitation in the area with frequent split storms

Abstract. Convective clouds generate extreme rainfall events and flash floods in small areas with both large spatial and temporal variability. For this reason, the monitoring of the total accumulated precipitation fields at the surface with rain gauges and meteorological radars has both strengths and weakness. Alternatively, a numerical cloud model may be a useful tool to simulate convective precipitation for various analyses and predictions. The main objective of this paper is to show that the cloud-resolving model reproduces well the accumulated convective precipitation obtained from the rain gauge network data in the area with frequent split storms. We perform comparisons between observations and model samples of the areal accumulated convective precipitation for a 15-year period over treated area. Twenty-seven convective events have been selected. Statistical analyses reveal that the model areal accumulated convective precipitation closely match their observed values with a correlation coefficient of 0.80.
Wolbachia is present in Apis mellifera capensis, A. m. scutellata, and their hybrid in Southern Africa

Apis mellifera capensis, A. m. scutellata and their hybrids were screened by a sensitive Long PCR protocol for Wolbachia because this endosymbiont has been implicated in causing thelytoky in other Hymenoptera. Wolbachia was found in all workers of A. m. capensis examined, and in workers and drones of A. m. scutellata and in hybrid workers of these two subspecies. Cloning and sequencing indicated that all contained the same unique Wolbachia strain, named wCap-B1, which belongs to the Con Group because it displayed less than 2.5% sequence divergence from the reference strain from Tribolium confusum. wCap- B1 is closely related to Wolbachia from Diaphorina citri, Solenopsis invicta, Coleomegilla maculata lengi, Plutella xylostella, and Bemisia tabaci. Because no sequence differences were found among these bee populations, infection with this Wolbachia strain is unlikely to be associated with thelytoky in A. m. capensis. Apis mellifera capensis / Apis mellifera scutellata / Wolbachia / Long PCR / thelytoky
Bioluminescent assay for evaluating antimicrobial activity in insect haemolymph

We describe an antibacterial assay based on bioluminescence of two Gram negative bacteria, Photorhabdus luminescens and transformed Escherichia coli, which can be used as a real-time measurement of antibacterial activity in insect haemolymph. This method is based on the production of the bioluminescence signal depending on the viability of bacterial cells. We observed a significant rapid dose-dependent decrease in bioluminescence using both bacterial species, and Bombyx mori or Galleria mellonella haemolymph, which was confirmed by the decrease in bacterial viability determined by plating. The humoral origin of the antibacterial activity observed in whole haemolymph was confirmed for haemolymph plasma without haemocytes. Antibacterial activity directed against Gram negative bacteria was recorded in unaffected insect larvae as well as after septic injury; increased antibacterial activity of haemolymph was detected in the latter case confirming the inducibility of antimicrobial agents. We think it is likely that this method could be widely used for determining antibacterial activity in insects and other invertebrates.
Business Policies and New Firm Birth Rates Internationally

The creation of new businesses is vitally important to a healthy economy. Governments can enact laws and enforcement policies to foster and protect business. Or, the priority in some countries can be to protect employees and labor organizations. We examine how the business policies and laws enacted foster or inhibit new firm births in 19 countries. Firm birth rates are analyzed in countries with various business polices and control for legal environments, quality of government, and cultural variables. We conclude that policies which inhibit large firm competitiveness also foster more new firm births. Policies that give large firms an advantage seem to restrain firm births. High accounting standards favor the specialization ability of large firms and reduce new firm startups. Firm death rates are also examined.
Galaxy mergers on a moving mesh: a comparison with smoothed particle hydrodynamics

Galaxy mergers have been investigated for decades using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), but recent work highlighting inaccuracies inherent in the traditional SPH technique calls into question the reliability of previous studies. We explore this issue by comparing a suite of Gadget-3 SPH simulations of idealised (i.e., non-cosmological) isolated discs and galaxy mergers with otherwise identical calculations performed using the moving-mesh code Arepo. When black hole (BH) accretion and active galactic nucleus (AGN) feedback are not included, the star formation histories (SFHs) obtained from the two codes agree well. When BHs are included, the code- and resolution-dependent variations in the SFHs are more significant, but the agreement is still good, and the stellar mass formed over the course of a simulation is robust to variations in the numerical method. During a merger, the gas morphology and phase structure are initially similar prior to the starburst phase. However, once a hot gaseous halo has formed from shock heating and AGN feedback (when included), the agreement is less good. In particular, during the post-starburst phase, the SPH simulations feature more prominent hot gaseous haloes and spurious clumps, whereas with Arepo, gas clumps and filaments are less apparent and the hot halo gas can cool more efficiently. We discuss the origin of these differences and explain why the SPH technique yields trustworthy results for some applications (such as the idealised isolated disc and galaxy merger simulations presented here) but not others (e.g., gas flows onto galaxies in cosmological hydrodynamical simulations).
Examining the interactive roles of marketing, innovation and social networking capabilities on firms customer-based performance

This study investigates how marketing capability, innovation capability and their complementarity effect influence on firm customer-based performance. The study also examines the moderating role of social networking capability on these relationships. The results of a survey of 184 SME manufacturing firms show that both marketing and innovation capabilities significantly influence customer-based performance. Further, our findings reveal that the complementary effect of marketing and innovation capabilities is also positively related to customer-based performance. In addition, the marketing and innovation capabilities relationships with customer-based performance are moderated by social networking capability. However, social networking capability does not moderate the complementary effect of marketing and innovation capabilities.
Effect of Two Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) Fodder Cultivars as Supplements on Voluntary Intake; Milk Yield and Manure Production of Bunaji Cows

The feeding value of fodder from two cowpea cultivars to a basal maize stover diet was investigated using fifteen lactating White Fulani (Zebu) cows. The two cultivars were IT-716 and 994-DP. Diet was constituted as 50g DM/kg live weight and each of the cultivars was supplemented at 50% of the daily dry matter requirement of individual animals. The experimental design was a complete randomize. The parameters measured included feed intake, milk yield and composition and manure production. In a separate trial, dry matter degradation of the fodder was assessed. There were no significant differences in dry matter intake of the supplements. However, the dry matter intake of stover in the control diet was higher than those on the supplemented groups. The milk yields ranged from 887 to 1378 ml/day. Milk yield differed among treatments. Supplementation did not affect (P > 0.05) fat, protein, total solids and ash contents of the milk across the treatments. Manure productions were not significantly different among the treatments. Similarly, content of N, P and K in manure were comparable among the treatments except for N that was lower (P < 0.05) in the control group. The dry matter degradation was influenced by the fodder cultivars. The feeding of dual-purpose forage legumes residues could enhance milk production in lactating Zebu cows. This may be further increased by exploring other ways of improving feed residue utilization in the dry season.
Abstract Objectives: To discuss the possibility that neonatal behavior can be understood as biologically motivated behavior. Hypothesis: Human newborns present a behavioral repertoire which corre- sponds to the phylogenetic evolution and adaptation of the human species to environmental cir- cumstanc

Objectives: To discuss the possibility that neonatal behavior can be understood as biologically motivated behavior. Hypothesis: Human newborns present a behavioral repertoire which corresponds to the phylogenetic evolution and adaptation of the human species to environmental circumstances. Method: The behavioral repertoire of the human newborn is discussed at the light of the neurobehavioral evaluation of babies at the first moments of extra-uterine life, namely the NBAS (Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale) by T. Berry Brazelton. This description is articulated with several aspects of human experience: a) adequacy for survival after birth; b) sequence from prenatal behavior to postnatal behavior, c) similarity between prenatal sleep/awake states and postnatal sleep/awake states and d) postnatal behavioral competence as a result of prenatal training (the performance of prenatal behavior as an exercise towards the enhancement of postnatal behavioral performance). Conclusion: The articulation above described will be used to enlighten future research in the fields of neonatal behavior and prenatal behavior. It will also be used to deepen possibilities of psychological interventions based at presentations offered to mothers, fathers or families when assessing newborns’ behavior (Brazelton demonstrations).
Economic gains of realized volatility in the Brazilian stock market

This paper evaluates the economic gains associated with following a volatility timing strategy based on a multivariate model of realized volatility. To study this issue, we build a high frequency database with the most actively traded Brazilian stocks. Comparing with traditional volatility methods, we find that, when estimation risk is controlled, economic gains associated with realized measures perform well and increase proportionally to the target return. When expected returns are bootstrapped, however, performance fees are not significant, which is an indication that economic gains of realized volatility are offset by estimation risk.
Riesgo de deshidratación entre deportistas y sedentarios con discapacidad intelectual

El presente estudio descriptivo de tipo transversal se diseno para determinar el nivel de hidratacion de deportistas con discapacidad intelectual y su comparacion con adultos sedentarios con la misma discapacidad. Participaron 22 deportistas federados que realizan el mismo programa de entrenamiento ademas de 22 adultos sedentarios ajustados en sexo, edad y cociente de inteligencia. Los parametros ensayados fueron la densidad urinaria determinada mediante refractometro asi como la ingesta diaria de liquido ad-libitum. Este protocolo fue aprobado por un Comite de Etica Institucional. Tan solo 6 deportistas (21,6%) presentaron valores de euhidratacion frente a 9 (40,9%) de los participantes sedentarios incluidos en el grupo control. Las unicas diferencias significativas respecto a la ingesta de liquidos se establecio precisamente entre deportistas y sedentarios con euhidratacion. Se concluye que los deportistas con discapacidad intelectual se encuentran en riesgo de deshidratacion que podria explicarse, al menos en parte, por una insuficiente ingesta hidrica. PALABRAS CLAVE: Discapacidad intelectual; Deporte; deshidratacion; Densidad de orina ABSTRACT The current study was designed to determine hydration status of well-trained, male athletes with ID. A secondary purpose was to compare these results with hydration status of sedentary young adults with ID. A total of 22 athletes with ID volunteered for this cross-sectional, descriptive study. The control group included 22, age, sex and IQ-matched sedentary adults with ID. Main outcome measurements were urine specific gravity (USG) and daily fluid intake for three consecutive days. With regard to athletes with ID, it was found that 5 participants (21,7%) stayed significantly hypohydrated, 12 athletes (52,2%) appeared hypohydrated and 6 participants (26,1%) stayed euhydrated. In fact, a significantly lower percentage of athletes was euhydrated when compared to sedentary matched adults with ID (26,1vs.40,9%;χ2=5,67;p<001). In conclusion, athletes with ID are at increased risk of dehydration that may be explained, at least in part, given that ad-libitum fluid consumption was insufficient. KEY WORDS: Intellectual disability; Sport; dehydration; urine specific gravity
Apoptosis of human malignant glioma-derived cell cultures treated with clomipramine hydrochloride, as detected by Annexin-V assay

Background. Previous research in our laboratories has shown that Clomipramine Hydrochloride (CLOM), a tricyclic antidepressant in use for over thirty years, selectively kills neoplastic glial cells in vitro whilst leaving normal brain cells unaffected. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a range of early passage cell cultures and established cell lines, derived from a number of patients with malignant glioma, would display different sensitivities when exposed to CLOM. The particular assay of interest, following our discovery that CLOM targets the mitochondria of tumour cells and triggers Caspase 3 mitochondrially-mediated apoptosis, was Annexin-V flow cytometry. This assay was used to determine the mechanism of cell death, either necrosis or apoptosis, according to drug concentration and period of incubation. Method. Cells grown to 90% confluence in 25cm3 flasks were incubated with concentrations of CLOM from 20μM – 100μM, for up to 6 hours. Cells were harvested and resuspended in calcium binding buffer, which triggers translocation of calcium-regulated phosphatidylserine residues to the nuclear envelope, before removing 500μl of the single cell suspension to a Facs tube. Controls used in the analysis were performed by omission of the drug incubation in one flask, and addition of 1μM staurosporine to one flask. These served as negative and positive controls respectively. Annexin-V FITC and propidium iodide were added to all tubes and incubated for 15 minutes at room temperature, in the dark. Subsequent to this, binding buffer was added to each tube and analysed using a BD FACScalibur. Results. Results show that, of the five malignant gliomas tested, the two established cell lines had the lower apoptotic threshold, with a significant percentage of apoptotic cells present at 60μM and above when compared to the control sample. The three early passage cultures, developed ‘in house’ from biopsy, had higher apoptotic thresholds, withstanding up to 100μM CLOM incubation for six hours. Normal human astrocytes were assayed in parallel, and show that CLOM does not cause cell death at the concentrations tested. Conclusions. It may be possible, in a larger study, to predict individual patient response to CLOM using the Annexin-V assay, alongside Bcl-2 analysis and CYP gene testing, on the individual patient’s tumour cells. The difference in sensitivities between glioma, in this small study, indicates the importance of analysing early passage cultures, which retain original morphology and characteristics to a greater extent, alongside established cell lines.
Plant microbiota: from model plants to Mediterranean crops

Plants live in ecosystems where they interact with complex microbial communities instigating a wide range of relationships. These communities constitute the ‘microbiota’, a term initially coined to describe host-symbiont systems that has been extended to cover non-symbiotic, but mostly beneficial interactions. Through the development of innovative ‘-omics’ technologies such as high-throughput sequencing, study of plant microbiota has advanced rapidly, allowing scientists to increase understanding of plant primary functions and how these can be positively impacted by microbes. In addition, basic knowledge of plant-microbe interactions offers novel potential applications for sustainable agriculture. This review outlines new concepts of the ’plant metagenome‘, then summarizes major advances related to plant root-associated microbial communities, from model plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, to important Mediterranean crops. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are crucial components of root microbiota: they are acknowledged as relevant tools for improving plant mineral nutrition in agricultural environments. Particular attention is given to their impacts on plant hosts, particularly tomato, which has been widely used as valuable model, both in plant biology and crop sciences, due to its importance in Mediterranean agriculture.
Jordan k-Derivations on Lie Ideals of Prime Γ-Rings

Let M be a Γ- ring and U a Lie ideal of M. Let d : M → M and k :Γ → Γ be additive mappings. Then d is a k- derivation on U of M if d(uαv) = d(u)αv + uk(α)v + uαd(v) is satisfied for all u, v ∈ U and α ∈ Γ. And d is a Jordan k- derivation on U of M if d(uαu) = d(u)αu + uk(α)u + uαd(u) holds for all u ∈ U and α ∈ Γ. It is well-known that every k- derivation on U of M is a Jordan k- derivation on U of M but the converse is not true in general. In this article we prove that every Jordan k- derivation on U of M is a k- derivation on U of M if , M is a 2- torsion free prime Γ- ring and U is a Lie ideal of M such that uαu ∈ U for all u ∈ U and α ∈ Γ.
Relational capabilities to leverage new knowledge: Managing directors’ perceptions in UK and Portugal old industrial regions

Purpose Focusing on the specific context of two European old industrial regions – South Yorkshire (UK) and North Region of Portugal – this paper aims to identify and conceptualise a set of relational capabilities that business leaders perceive to play a key role in industrial rejuvenation. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research design operationalised via case studies was followed for the empirical analysis. Data collection was developed through in-depth interviews with managing directors in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) belonging to the metal and engineering industry and the textile and footwear sectors in the two old industrial regions. Data analysis followed the techniques of data categorisation, within case-analysis and cross-case analysis. Findings The study identifies relational capabilities that firms use to identify, access and leverage new knowledge: frequent meetings with customers; frequent meetings with suppliers; dialogue with government to influence policy that encourages research and technology transfer; partnership actions for the commercialisation of products and services; active membership with sector associations; immersion in science and technological parks; intentionally establishing links with entrepreneurship-supporting entities; human resources development by technical training institutions; and systematic links with the University. The relational capabilities identified require structured communication processes and alliance management practices to enable and support absorptive capacity and learning in inter-organisational networks. Practical implications The relational capabilities identified can help position regions in specific markets and value chains, contribute to improving regions’ internal and external connections and assist in combining regions’ strengths to create industrial capability in high-growth-potential areas. Originality/value This paper highlights the role of relational capabilities as a way to secure access to knowledge and competencies needed for firms’ innovation and avoidance of competency traps. This is particularly relevant in the context of European smart specialisation policy, where key regional stakeholders collectively engage in the identification of areas of competitive strength, enhanced coordination and strategic alignment of resources. The study is not without limitations, as findings are based on case studies of SMEs operating in the manufacturing industry and the analysis of relational capabilities is focused on knowledge novelty.