Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mate sampling in a population of sand gobies

Abstract Female mate-sampling behaviour and mate choice were investigated in a natural population of sand gobies,Pomatoschistus minutusThe sand goby is a promiscuous fish with paternal care. Gravid females were released in the field and watched while they inspected potential mates. In total, 26 females were observed until they spawned. Half of the females spawned with the first male encountered. The other females inspected two or more males in sequence and never returned to a previously inspected male to mate. Females mated preferentially with males that courted intensively. The mate-sampling behaviour of the female sand gobies was most consistent with a threshold-criterion tactic, which is to be expected if search costs are important. Moreover, there was an effect of season, such that females sampled very few males early but apparently became more selective later in the breeding season. This is discussed and interpreted as an effect of varying costs and benefits of being choosy over the season.
Harmonization of exosome isolation from culture supernatants for optimized proteomics analysis

Exosomes, the smallest subset of extracellular vesicles (EVs), have recently attracted much attention in the scientific community. Their involvement in intercellular communication and molecular reprogramming of different cell types created a demand for a stringent characterization of the proteome which exosomes carry and deliver to recipient cells. Mass spectrometry (MS) has been extensively used for exosome protein profiling. Unfortunately, no standards have been established for exosome isolation and their preparation for MS, leading to accumulation of artefactual data. These include the presence of high-abundance exosome-contaminating serum proteins in culture media which mask low-abundance exosome-specific components, isolation methods that fail to yield “pure” vesicles or variability in protein solubilization protocols. There is an unmet need for the development of standards for exosome generation, harvesting, and isolation from cellular supernatants and for optimization of protein extraction methods before proteomics analysis by MS. In this communication, we illustrate the existing problems in this field and provide a set of recommendations that are expected to harmonize exosome processing for MS and provide the faithful picture of the proteomes carried by exosomes. The recommended workflow for effective and specific identification of proteins in exosomes released by the low number of cells involves culturing cells in medium with a reduced concentration of exosome-depleted serum, purification of exosomes by size-exclusion chromatography, a combination of different protein extraction method and removal of serum-derived proteins from the final dataset using an appropriate sample of cell-unexposed medium as a control. Application of this method allowed detection of >250 vesicle-specific proteins in exosomes from 10 mL of culture medium.
Ontogenetic improvement of visual function in the medaka Oryzias latipes based on an optomotor testing system for larval and adult fish

Abstract We developed a system for evaluation of visual function in larval and adult fish. Both optomotor (swimming) and optokinetic (eye movement) responses were monitored and recorded using a system of rotating stripes. The system allowed manipulation of factors such as width of the stripes used, rotation speed of the striped drum, and light illuminance levels within both the scotopic and photopic ranges. Precise control of these factors allowed quantitative measurements of visual acuity and motion detection. Using this apparatus, we tested the hypothesis that significant posthatch ontogenetic improvements in visual function occur in the medaka Oryzias latipes, and also that this species shows significant in ovo neuronal development. Significant improvements in the acuity angle alpha (ability to discriminate detail) were observed from approximately 5 degrees at hatch to 1 degree in the oldest adult stages. In addition, we measured a significant improvement in flicker fusion thresholds (motion detection skills) between larval and adult life stages within both the scotopic and photopic ranges of light illuminance. Ranges of flicker fusion thresholds (X±SD) at log I=1.96 (photopic) varied from 37.2±1.6 cycles/s in young adults to 18.6±1.6 cycles/s in young larvae 10 days posthatch. At log I=−2.54 (scotopic), flicker fusion thresholds varied from 5.8±0.7 cycles/s in young adults to 1.7±0.4 cycles/s in young larvae 10 days posthatch. Light sensitivity increased approximately 2.9 log units from early hatched larval stages to adults. The demonstrated ontogenetic improvements in visual function probably enable the fish to explore new resources, thereby enlarging their fundamental niche.Copyright 2002 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved .
Evidence for a more effective signal in aggregated aposematic prey

Aposematic prey tend to live gregariously. A recent study using artificial prey has shown that a gregarious life style can be advantageous by generating faster avoidance learning in predators (Gagliardo & Guilford 1993, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. Ser. B, 286, 149-150). However, a predator may react diVerently to artificial and live prey. This study investigates whether chicks, Gallus gallus domesticus, react diVerently towards aggregations and solitary individuals of the seed bug Spilostethus pandurus (Heteroptera: Lygaeidae). There was no significant diVerence in the speed of avoidance learning between chicks presented with grouped prey and chicks presented with solitary prey. The aggregated prey did, however, generate greater unconditioned aversion than prey presented singly. This indicates that a possible advantage of grouping in aposematic prey is a more eVective aposematic signal. The greater unconditioned aversion is comparable to the generally greater initial reluctance of predators to attack aposematic than cryptic prey. 1996 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
Comparative orientation experiments with different species of passerine long-distance migrants: effect of magnetic field manipulation

Abstract Abstract. The orientation of four species of passerine long-distance migrants was studied in spring and autumn by orientation cage experiments during the twilight period after sunset in Sweden. Two groups of migrants from the Palaearctic-African migration system were used: migrants wintering mainly north of the magnetic equator in west Africa (pied flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca, and redstart, Phoenicurus phoenicurus) and migrants wintering south of the magnetic equator in southeast Africa (thrush nightingale, Luscinia luscinia, and marsh warbler, Acrocephalus palustris). Orientation experiments were conducted in three magnetic conditions, in the local geomagnetic field and in a deflected and in a vertical magnetic field, under clear and simulated total overcast conditions, respectively. The results did not provide any convincing indications about differences in the orientation system between the two groups of migrants. The responses of all species seemed to be affected in a similarly complex way by celestial as well as magnetic cues, involving conflicting elements of a possible attraction towards the brightest part of the twilight sky as well as orientation in the migratory direction. Shifting the horizontal component of the magnetic field neither shifted nor disrupted orientation. Abolishing the horizontal component of the magnetic field increased the orientational scatter in three species in spring and one in autumn. Simulated total overcast largely abolished orientation, except in two species (in the local geomagnetic field only) that do not migrate across the geomagnetic equator.
In-Vivo Evaluation of Peripheral Refraction Changes with Single Vision and Multifocal Soft Contact Lenses

This study investigated in-vivo changes of peripheral refraction with commercially available single vision and multifocal soft contact lenses, utilizing different designs and various corrective power values. Starting at the fovea, wave-front aberrations were measured up to 30o nasal retinal eccentricity, in 10o increments, using a commercially available Shack-Hartmann aberrometer. Three different types of contact lenses were fitted in an adult subject’s right eye: Acuvue Oasys Single Vision (ASV), Proclear Multifocal D with 2.50 diopters (D) add power (PMD), and ArtMost SoftOK (SOK). Each lens type was fitted in corrective power values of -2.00 D, -4.00 D, and -6.00 D. Refractive errors were computed in power vector notation: The spherical equivalent (M), the Cartesian Jackson-Cross-Cylinder (J0), and the oblique Jackson Cross Cylinder (J45) from measured second order Zernike terms. Acuvue Oasys Single Vision lenses produced a slight myopic shift at 30o retinal periphery (-0.32 D ± 0.05) without significant differences between the various lens power values. Proclear Multifocal D lenses did not create clinically significant myopic shifts of at least -0.25 D. All SOK lenses produced clinically significant relative myopic shifts at both 20o (-0.61 D ± 0.08) and 30o (-1.42 D ± 0.15) without significant differences between the various lens power values. For all lens types and power values, off-axis astigmatism J0 was increased peripherally and reached clinical significance beyond 20o retinal eccentricity. The increased amount of off-axis astigmatism J0 did not show a significant difference for the same type of lenses with different dioptric power. However, at 30o retinal eccentricity, SOK lenses produced significantly higher amounts of off-axis astigmatism J0, compared with ASV and PMD lenses (SOK versus ASV versus PMD: -1.67 D ± 0.09, -0.81 D ± 0.07, and -0.72 D ± 0.15). Both ASV and SOK lenses showed no clinically significant differences in the amount of introduced astigmatic retinal image blur, with various lens power values. Proclear Multifocal D lenses showed a systematic increase of astigmatic retinal image blur with an increase of add power. At 30o retinal eccentricity, -6.00 D SOK lenses introduced 0.73 D astigmatic retinal image blur, while PMD and ASV lenses introduced 0.54 D and 0.37 D, respectively. In conclusion, relative peripheral refractions, measured in-vivo, were independent of the contact lenses central corrective power. The SOK contact lenses demonstrated a stronger capability in rendering relative peripheral myopic defocus into far periphery, compared to the other lens designs used in this study. This was accompanied by higher amounts of introduced astigmatic retinal image blur.
Song activity in the chiffchaff: territorial defence or mate guarding?

Abstract It has been suggested that males of passerine bird species sing most actively during the fertile period of their mates partly as a paternity guard strategy and partly to maximize their own extra-pair copulation success. This investigation considers whether song is used as a paternity guard strategy in the chiffchaff,Phylloscopus collybita. The study was carried out in south-eastern England (Wytham Woods, Oxford) during 1993 and 1994. Song rate was calculated as the proportion of a 5-min period a bird spent singing, sampled either at dawn or at noon. Male chiffchaffs did not sing more during the fertile period of their females contradicting the paternity guard hypothesis. During the fertile period, song rate decreased when the female was present, suggesting that males sing to contact their mates. It is suggested that after the fertile period song is used to proclaim an established territory to the neighbours. This might also allow the male to re-mate quickly following nest predation or following female desertion or predation, while minimizing expensive territorial fights.
Sınıf Öğretmenlerinin Kaynaştırmaya Yönelik Tutumlarının İncelenmesi

Bu calismada, sinif ogretmenlerinin kaynastirma uygulamalarina yonelik tutumlarinn cesitli degiskenler acisindan anlamli farklilik gosterip gostermedigi amaclanmistir. Arastirmada betimsel tarama modeli kullanilmistir. Arastirma grubunu Malatya ilinde ilkokullarda gorev yapan 457 sinif ogretmeni olusturmustur. Arastirmada ogretmenlerin kaynastirma uygulamalarina yonelik tutumlarini belirlemek amaciyla Forlin, Earle, Loreman ve Sharma tarafindan (2011) yilinda gelistirilen ve Bayar, Ozaskin ve Bardak (2015) tarafindan Turkceye uyarlanan Kaynastirmaya Yonelik Duygu, Tutum ve Endise Olcegi (KYDTEO) kullanilmistir. Arastirma sonuclari, sinif ogretmenlerinin kaynastirma uygulamalarina yonelik tutumlarini olcen KYDTEO olceginden maksimum dort puan uzerinden ortalama 2.56 puan almislardir. Ayrica, ogretmenlerin kaynastirmaya yonelik tutum olcegi toplam puanlari arasinda onlarin, cinsiyetleri, mezuniyet duzeylerine gore anlamli bir farklilik bulunmamis ancak ogretmenlerin yaslari, ozel gereksinimli bireyle etkilesim duzeyi, ozel egitim dersi alma duzeyleri ve yasa ve politikalar hakkinda bilgi duzeyi, engelli bireyle calisma konusunda kendisine guven duzeyi ve engelli ogrencilerle calisma deneyimi duzeylerine gore anlamli bir farkliliga yol acmistir.
Individualized Management of Pyrexia of Unknown Origin: Will Fludeoxyglucose-positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Emerge as the Imaging Common-point in the Algorithm?

Sir, Over the years, the landscape of the “pyrexia of unknown origin” (PUO) has seen some changing trends from various aspects. These include (a) alterations in etiological spectrum, (b) changing the definition of the disease, and (c) evolution and applications of newer diagnostic modalities (both in vivo and in vitro). These changes would mandate the need to streamline the often discordant investigations (serology, cultures, and imaging) adopted in the clinical setting. Furthermore, it is important to define the place of newer techniques, namely the in vitro PCR techniques and novel hybrid fludeoxyglucose‐positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG‐PET/CT) molecular imaging, in the diagnostic algorithm of PUO. A relatively well‐defined investigational workup is the need of the hour, and a critical look at the aforementioned points would be pivotal to developing a rational algorithm.
The effect of male removal on female parental care in the orange-tufted sunbird

The importance of male care and the nature of facultative adjustments in female care were assessed by experimentally removing males in pairs of orange-tufted sunbirds, Nectarinia osea, feeding broods of two or three chicks. The predation of all three-chick broods with female-only care suggested that male nest guarding is critical, especially because males also deter infanticidal floater males. Comparison of provisioning and nest guarding behaviour in male-removed and control nests was therefore limited to two-chick broods. As expected, lone females provisioned at a greater rate, but compensated incompletely for the lack of male provisioning eVort. Surprisingly, even when provisioning at high rates, lone females still performed the usual levels of nest guarding and nest sanitation. Lower rates of chick mass gain in the nest, and subsequent premature disappearance of fledglings from male-removed broods, confirmed that reduced provisioning to broods of lone females had detrimental eVects upon chick fitness. Sunbirds exhibit sex-specific roles in parental care. Female provisioning appears flexible, ensuring adequate care for young in the nest. Nest guarding is incompatible with high foraging eVort, but it may be compatible with male non-parental activities such as territorial defence and extra-pair mating. These results concur with recent data concerning male responses to experimen- tally reduced female care in this species, and are discussed in terms of evolutionary strategies for stable biparental cooperation. 1996 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
Digital video playback and visual communication in lizards

Experimental analyses of dynamic visual signals have to overcome the technical obstacle of reproducing complex motor patterns such as those found in courtship and threat displays. Video playback offers a potential solution to this problem, but it has recently been criticized because of sensory differences between humans and nonhuman animals, which suggest that video stimuli might be perceived as deficient relative to live conspecifics. Quantitative comparisons are therefore necessary to determine whether video sequences reliably evoke natural responses. Male Jacky dragons, Amphibolurus muricatus, compete for territories using complex displays delivered in a rapid stereotyped sequence. We evaluated video playback as a technique for studying this visual signal. Digital video sequences depicting a life-sized displaying male were indistinguishable from live male conspecifics in the rate and structure of aggressive displays evoked. Other measures of social behaviour suggested that video stimuli were more effective in this context. Lizards produced significantly more appeasement displays and had higher rates of substrate licking and locomotor activity in response to video playback than to confined male opponents, which failed to produce aggressive displays. Lizards tracked temporal changes in the display rate of video stimuli and were also sensitive to individual differences in morphology and behaviour between video exemplars. These results show that video stimuli are appropriate for the experimental analysis of Jacky dragon aggressive displays. We compare the potential shortcomings of video playback with those of other techniques and conclude that no approach offers a panacea, but that several have complementary characteristics.
Accuracy of invasive and noninvasive methods of Helicobacter pylori infection diagnosis in Saudi children

Background/Aim: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is one of the most common chronic infections in the world. The prevalence of H. pylori is high in Saudi Arabia, but there are no studies in children on the accuracy of invasive and noninvasive methods to diagnose H. pylori infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of six methods for diagnosis of H. pylori infection; four invasive [rapid urease test (RUT), histology, antral nodularity (AD), and biopsy culture (BC)] and two noninvasive methods [serologic test and stool antigen test (SAT)]. Patients and Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was performed among symptomatic children in National Guard hospitals who underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy from 2010 to 2013. The gold standard diagnosis of H. pylori was positive tissue culture. If the culture was unsuccessful or not done, concordant-positive results for histology and RUT were considered to indicate a positive H. pylori. The variables analyzed as diagnostic methods included RUT, BC, histology, AD, serologic test, and SAT. Results: A total of 303 children were included in the study. The overall prevalence of H. pylori infection was 49.8%. Most diagnostic tests showed high specificity and moderate-to-low sensitivity when compared to the gold standard test. Sensitivity of AD, SAT, and RUT to detect H. pylori were 62% (95% CI: 0.51–0.74), 69% (95% CI: 0.58–0.79), and 87% (95% CI: 0.79–0.95), respectively (P value 0.040, 0.0023, and <0.0001, respectively). RUT showed the lowest specificity, 65% (95% CI: 0.58–0.71) in contrast to BC and histology which showed moderate-to-high specificities of 88% (95% CI: 0.82–0.95) and 89% (95% CI: 0.82–0.95), respectively (P <0.0001). Conclusion: RUT is a valuable diagnostic method for identifying H. pylori with the highest sensitivity compared to AD and SAT. All diagnostic tests showed moderate-to-high specificities but BC and histology showed the highest specificity.
Untargeted lipidomic analysis to broadly characterize the effects of pathogenic and non-pathogenic staphylococci on mammalian lipids

Modification of the host lipidome via secreted enzymes is an integral, but often overlooked aspect of bacterial pathogenesis. In the current era of prevalent antibiotic resistance, knowledge regarding critical host pathogen lipid interactions has the potential for use in developing novel antibacterial agents. While most studies to date on this matter have focused on specific lipids, or select lipid classes, this provides an incomplete picture. Modern methods of untargeted lipidomics have the capacity to overcome these gaps in knowledge and provide a comprehensive understanding of the role of lipid metabolism in the pathogenesis of infections. In an attempt to determine the role of lipid modifying enzymes produced by staphylococci, we exposed bovine heart lipids, a standardized model for the mammalian lipidome, to spent medium from staphylococcal cultures, and analyzed lipid molecular changes by MS/MSALL shotgun lipidomics. We elucidate distinct effects of different staphylococcal isolates, including 4 clinical isolates of the pathogenic species Staphylococcus aureus, a clinical isolate of the normally commensal species S. epidermidis, and the non-pathogenic species S. carnosus. Two highly virulent strains of S. aureus had a more profound effect on mammalian lipids and modified more lipid classes than the other staphylococcal strains. Our studies demonstrate the utility of the applied untargeted lipidomics methodology to profile lipid changes induced by different bacterial secretomes. Finally, we demonstrate the promise of this lipidomics approach in assessing the specificity of bacterial enzymes for mammalian lipid classes. Our data suggests that there may be a correlation between the bacterial expression of lipid-modifying enzymes and virulence, and could facilitate the guided discovery of lipid pathways required for bacterial infections caused by S. aureus and thereby provide insights into the generation of novel antibacterial agents.
Development of Low Glycemic Index Foods and Their Glucose Response in Young Healthy Non-Diabetic Subjects

Development of low glycemic-foods is important in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes. In this context, we prepared four test foods (TFs) (two mixed mini-meals and two breakfast items) with low glycemic-components and assessed their glycemic index (GI) in young healthy non-diabetic volunteers with mean age of 29 yr, body mass index of 24 kg/m2, and fasting plasma glucose levels less than 4.62 mmol/L. Volunteers were given 50 g of glucose, as a reference food (RF) on the first day, and TFs, i.e. TF1 (mixed mini meal: roti made of wheat flour and chana dal+ curd), TF2 [mixed mini meal made of wheat, pearl barley, and Bengal gram flour (besan) mix with chana whole (unhusked chana+curd)], TF3 (pearl barley rawa upma), and TF4 (wheat rawa upma) were given 2-day intervals in the same order. Glucose levels at fasting conditions and after the consumption of RF and TFs at different time intervals (15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min) were measured, and the incremental area under curve (IAUC) for glucose and GI of the TFs were calculated. The glucose IAUC values at different time points were highest for TF2 (GI=71.9±7.4), while all other TFs had comparable GI in the range of 53.7~54.9. Among the various TFs, TF1, TF3, and TF4 exerted low to moderate glycemic response, and thus can be classified as low glycemic-foods. Nevertheless, these foods need to be tested for their efficacy in controlling and/or managing hyperglycemia and glucose over-load in diabetic subjects.