Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Magpie interactions with other birds in New Zealand: results from a literature review and public survey

Accounts of magpie Gymnorhina tibicen attacks on birds in New Zealand were collated from literature and a survey of the public, and then summarised to identify the frequency and characteristics of reported attacks on different species. Magpies were reported attacking 45 bird species. Species commonly found in rural habitats (e.g., harrier hawk Circus approximans, blackbird Turdus merula) where magpies are abundant were attacked most; however, a directly proportional relationship between species abundance in rural habitats and reported attack frequency did not occur. Species consuming similar foods to magpie tended to be attacked more often, probably because these foods are more abundant in rural areas. Attacks on smaller birds (e.g., grey warbler Gerygone igata) regularly (66%) resulted in death, but deaths declined as victim weight increased. Non-contact attacks were most common for the largest species (e.g., kereru Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae). Non-contact and non-lethal contact attacks occurred throughout the year while attacks resulting in death occurred mainly during the magpie's breeding season (July to November). This study indicates that magpies can attack a wide range of species but fails to determine why (no one explanation satisfies all cases). Limitations of the dataset and future research to control these are discussed. Morgan, D. ; Waas, J.R. ; Innes, J. 2005. Magpie interactions with other birds in New Zealand: results from a literature review and public survey. Notornis 52(2): 61-74.
Introductory biology course reform: A tale of two courses

Over the past eight years we have undertaken iterative cycles of course reform in two introductory biology courses: Biology 111 and Biology 211. Our revisions of these formerly “traditional” lecture courses have included in-class case studies with and without peer facilitators and peer-facilitated small-group workshops. Based on analyses of overall pass rates, as well as pass rates by gender and by underrepresented minority (URM) status, we have found that there are differences in the effectiveness of alternative course models in the two courses. In Biol 111, required peer-facilitated workshops improved overall student performance, especially for URM and female students (Preszler, 2009). Here we report that similar workshops were not as successful in Biol 211, but that in-class case studies facilitated by peer instructors have improved student performance and reduced the performance gap. Clearly, what is the “best practice” for one course is not the best practice for the other.
Transport Infrastructure Investment and Sustainable Economic Growth in Côte d’Ivoire: A Cointegration and Causality Analysis

This study examines the temporal relationship between transport infrastructure investment and output in Cote d’Ivoire over the period 1970-2002. Using cointegration and causality tests within a multivariate framework, it is found that the public investment in transport infrastructure, private investment and economic output are cointegrated. The results of the Granger causality tests reveal that public investment in transport does not have a causal impact on economic growth; conversely economic growth has a causal impact on transport investment.
The Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) Patients

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare biochemical tests, body composition and anthropometric parameters in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) patients before and after Ramadan fasting. Methods: fifty NAFLD patients including 33 males and 17 females aged 18-65 year, were recruited. Subjects attended after diagnosis based on ultrasound imaging, with at least 10 hour fasting, before and after Ramadan who were been fasting for at least 10 days. A fasting blood sample was obtained, blood pressure was measured and body mass index(BMI) and fat mass (FM) and fat free mass (FFM) were calculated. Lipid profile, fasting blood sugar (FBS),insulin, ALT and AST enzymes were analyzed on all blood samples. Result: There was a significant increase in HDL-c in females and higher total plasma cholesterol, triglyceride (TG) and FBS in both gender while lower systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and ALT decreasing after Ramadan (P 0.05, t test). Conclusion: This study shows significant effects on NAFLD patient parameters during Ramadan fasting such as decreasing in insulin, ALT enzyme, SBP and DBP and increasing in HDL-c after an average of 27 d fasting, Result from this study suggested that Ramadan fasting may be useful to improve NAFLD, so further studies are needed in this area.
Sleep in diabetic animal modelS

Diabetes, which has been declared a major global health issue, involves the central nervous system and balancing vital functions such as cardiovascular and circadian rhythms. There is increasing evidence that the alarming prevalence of diabetes may be aggravated by endemic voluntary sleep loss. In an attempt to understand the underlying mechanisms involved in the genesis and progression of diabetes, animal models have been developed to mimic the physiological responses involved. These models have greatly assisted research in this field. Major advancements have been made in diabetes research in animal models that have significantly contributed to the understanding of the etiopathology of this disease and its dreaded chronic complications. This review summarizes rodent models used in studying diabetes, focusing on its manifestations in sleep patterns.
ASHWAGANDHA IN PSYCHOGENIC ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION: ANCILLARY FINDINGS

Erectile dysfunction has been defined as the persistent inability to attain and maintain an erection sufficient to permit sat isfactory sexual performance. The present study was based on the ancillary findings of the main study ( which was based on scoring of Internatio nal Index of Erectile Function IIEF) in P sychogeni c Erectile D ysfunction (PED). The study main findings based o n IIEF scoring reported , 12.6 % improvement in trial group (Ashwagandha - Withania somnifera ) and 19.11 % improvement in control group (Placebo) (P 0.05 ) foun d in between the two groups on all the scales . Ashwagandha did not prove better than placebo on EDSI , QEQ and IMH QOL scales .
The bearing capacity of footings on granular soils. I: Numerical analysis

The method of characteristics has been used to determine the bearing capacity of shallow foundations, in either plane-strain or axisymmetric condition. Most previous solutions for granular soils were based either on a straight (c, φ) envelope or simply on a constant angle of shearing, φ. For granular soils, sec φ usually varies linearly with the logarithm of mean effective stress. A new method of calculation permits φ to vary throughout the stress field as an arbitrary (or empirical) function of stress. This method is verified for both plane-strain and axisymmetric conditions by forcing a variation in sec φ equivalent to generating a constant-cohesion envelope, for which solutions already exist. The variable-φ analysis is used to demonstrate the highly significant effect of stress variation around and beneath a footing. Finally, it is shown that an equivalent constant value φm can be derived empirically, using the new solutions to identify an equivalent mean effective stress pm. However, only the variable.
Structural Evolution of Highly Active Multicomponent Catalysts for Selective Propylene Oxidation

Multicomponent Bi-Mo-Fe-Co oxide catalysts prepared via flame spray pyrolysis were tested for selective propylene oxidation, showing high conversion (>70%) and selectivity (>85%) for acrolein and acrylic acid at temperatures of 330 °C. During extended time-on-stream tests (5–7 days), the catalysts retained high activity while undergoing diverse structural changes. This was evident on: (a) the atomic scale, using powder X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy; and (b) the microscopic scale, using synchrotron X-ray nanotomography, including full-field holotomography, scanning X-ray fluorescence, and absorption contrast imaging. On the atomic scale, sintering, coke formation, growth, and transformation of active and spectator components were observed. On the microscopic scale, the catalyst life cycle was studied at various stages through noninvasive imaging of a ~50-µm grain with 100-nm resolution. Variation of catalyst synthesis parameters led to the formation of notably different structural compositions after reaction. Mobile bismuth species formed agglomerates of several hundred nanometres and segregated within the catalyst interior. This appeared to facilitate the formation of different active phases and induce selectivity for acrolein and acrylic acid. The combined multiscale approach here is generally applicable for deconvolution of complex catalyst systems. This is an important step to bridge model two-component catalysts with more relevant but complex multicomponent catalysts.
Food and feeding of the ribbonfish Trichiurus lepturus Linnaeus off Karnataka, south-west coast of India

Trichiurus lepturus samples landed by trawl boats at Mangalore Fishing Harbour were collected regularly from January, 2008 to December, 2012. Stomach of 4,581 ribbonfishes ranging in size from 40 to 110 cm total length (TL) were analysed to study their feeding habits. Prey mainly belonged to three major taxonomic groups i.e., fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods. Index of relative importance (IRI) values were higher for fishes followed by crustaceans and cephalopods. Acetes sp. , Stolephorous devisi, Loligo sp. , Saurida tumbil, Sardinella longiceps and Decapterus russelli were the major food items. Juveniles of T. lepturus and unidentified fish as well as shrimp remains were found occasionally in the gut indicating cannibalistic behaviour. Higher feeding intensity in terms of stomach fullness index (SFI) was observed during April, June and October and lower values during November and December. The monthly change in the empty stomach ratio (ESR) varied from 66.58% in September to 79.14% in June. Generally higher values of ESR were noticed during March to August and lower values during September to February.
Effect of Spermine and Spermidine on Wheat Plants Irrigated with Waste Water: Conductive Canals of Flag Leaf and Peduncle in Relation to Grain Yield

A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the beneficial effect of grain presoaking in spermine (0.15 mM), spermidine (0.3 mM) and their interaction on waste water tolerance of wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L.) variety Sakha 94. In general, waste water caused significant increases in the leaf thickness and ground tissue thickness in flag leaves as well as metaxylem vessel area, xylem vessel area, vascular bundle area in flag leaf and peduncle of main shoot of wheat plants. On the other hand leaf thickness and ground tissue thickness appeared to decrease at concentration 100% of waste water. Irrigation of wheat plants with waste water at all examined concentrations decreased phloem area in flag leaves and peduncle of main shoot of wheat plants. The application of spermine, spermidine or their interaction induced some modifications in the anatomical features of the flag leaf and peduncle of main shoot which appeared to be an adaptive response to heavy metals in applied waste water. Furthermore, Irrigation of wheat plants with waste water stress decreased significantly grain yield / plant. The applied polyamines appeared to alleviate the effect of heavy metals stress in waste water on grain yield. The effect was more pronounced with spermine +spermidine treatment. For anatomical features, the economic yield of wheat plants appeared to be positively correlated with the phloem area but negatively correlated with vascular bundle area and xylem area in flag leaf and peduncle of main shoot.
Clearance rates of jellyfish and their potential predation impact on zooplankton and fish larvae in a neritic ecosystem (Limfjorden, Denmark)

Clearance rates of the hydromedusae Sarsia tubulosa, Rathkea octopunctata and Bougainvillea superciliaris and the scyphomedusa Aurelia aurita were measured in the laboratory. Gut contents analyses of A. aurita were also collected in situ and subsequently used for estimation of clearance rate. The clearance rate of A. aurita varied widely with prey organisms. Large crustacean prey with low escape capabilities (Artemia salina nauplii and cirripede larvae) were cleared at high rates, whereas copepodites were cleared at lower rates, and clearance rates of small bivalve larvae and copepod nauplii were comparatively low. These data were used to assess the impact of jellyfish preda- tion upon zooplankton and fish larvae in Limfjorden, Denmark. Repeated sampling of zooplankton, fish larvae and medusae was undertaken during the first half of 2003. Nine taxa of hydromedusae and 4 taxa of scyphomedusae were identified. Abundance estimates were combined with estimated clear- ance rates of individual medusae to calculate potential jellyfish-induced mortality on prey in Limfjor- den. Copepoda was used as a model prey group to estimate the collective predation impact by all medusae. Medusa species with unknown clearance potential were given assumed clearance rate val- ues, but the collective predation potential by these species was evaluated to be small. Hydromedusae dominated numerically and had their highest potential clearance impact in spring, but overall jellyfish clearance potential on copepods was low during this period. From May A. aurita was the most abun- dant jellyfish and the potential jellyfish predation impact became totally dominated by this scyphome- dusa. Clearance potential was locally high on some prey, and predation by A. aurita probably con- trolled the abundance of cirripede larvae and fish larvae in Limfjorden. For these prey groups, half-life expectancy was less than 1 d at several locations.
Impact of high temperature on pollen germination and spikelet sterility in rice: comparison between basmati and non-basmati varieties

Increased temperature due to global warming may reduce pollen germination and induce spikelet sterility in rice crops. Anthesis is the most sensitive stage in rice and exposure to high temperature during this period may cause reduction in floral reproduction. Increased temperature will have different effects on different rice varieties. In the present study the effect of high temperature on pollen as well as on spikelet sterility in basmati (aromatic) and non-basmati (non-aromatic) rice varieties was quantified. Rice varieties were grown at 11 different sowing dates, to see the effect of varying temperature on pollen and spikelet sterility. Rise in temperature increased pollen sterility and reduced germination of pollen grains on the stigma. Temperature above 33°C during anthesis gradually increased pollen sterility in all rice cultivars. At 35.5°C, variety Pusa Sugandh 2 (basmati) recorded a pollen sterility of 17% and 26% reduction in pollen germination. The principal cause of sterility was reduced anther dehiscence and less pollen deposition on the stigma at higher temperature. Increased temperature during the grain-filling period also increased spikelet sterility in rice and variety Pusa Sugandh 2 was most affected. Non-basmati rice varieties were less affected by increased temperature than basmati types. The study indicated that increasing temperature could limit rice yield by affecting pollen germination and grain formation. It also suggested that sensitivity of pollen grains to temperature damage could be taken as one of the most important parameters for predicting rice yield in warmer climates.
Responses of Chaparral and Oak Woodland Plant Communities to Fuel-Reduction Thinning in Southwestern Oregon

Abstract Fire suppression has led to large fuel accumulations in many regions of the United States. In response to concerns about associated wildfire hazards, land managers in the western United States are carrying out extensive fuel-reduction thinning programs. Although reductions in cover by woody vegetation seem likely to cause changes in herbaceous communities, few published studies have reported on consequences of such treatments for native or exotic plant species. We compared vegetation and abiotic characteristics between paired thinned and unthinned chaparral and oak woodland communities of southwestern Oregon 4–7 yr posttreatment and contrasted impacts of manual vs. mechanical treatments. Herbaceous cover increased on thinned sites, but species richness did not change. Herbaceous communities at thinned sites had an early postdisturbance type of composition dominated by native annual forbs and exotic annual grasses; cover by annuals was nearly twice as high on treated as on untreated sites. Absolute and proportional cover of native annual forbs increased more than any other trait group, whereas exotic annual forbs and native perennial forbs declined. Exotic annual grass cover (absolute and proportional) increased, whereas cover by native perennial grasses did not. Shrub reestablishment was sparse after thinning, probably because of a lack of fire-stimulated germination. Manual and mechanical treatment impacts on abiotic site conditions differed, but differences in vegetation impacts were not statistically significant. Fuel-reduction thinning may have some unintended negative impacts, including expansion of exotic grasses, reductions in native perennial species cover, persistent domination by annuals, and increased surface fuels. Coupled with sparse tree or shrub regeneration, these alterations suggest that ecological-state changes may occur in treated communities. Such changes might be mitigated by retaining more woody cover than is currently retained, seeding with native perennials after treatment, or other practices; further research is needed to inform management in these ecosystems.
Using sparse regularization for multiresolution tomography of the ionosphere

Computerized ionospheric tomography (CIT) is a technique that allows reconstructing the state of the ionosphere in terms of electron content from a set of slant total electron content (STEC) measurements. It is usually denoted as an inverse problem. In this experiment, the measurements are considered coming from the phase of the GPS signal and, therefore, affected by bias. For this reason the STEC cannot be considered in absolute terms but rather in relative terms. Measurements are collected from receivers not evenly distributed in space and together with limitations such as angle and density of the observations, they are the cause of instability in the operation of inversion. Furthermore, the ionosphere is a dynamic medium whose processes are continuously changing in time and space. This can affect CIT by limiting the accuracy in resolving structures and the processes that describe the ionosphere. Some inversion techniques are based on `2 minimization algorithms (i.e. Tikhonov regularization) and a standard approach is implemented here using spherical harmonics as a reference to compare the new method. A new approach is proposed for CIT that aims to permit sparsity in the reconstruction coefficients by using wavelet basis functions. It is based on the `1 minimization technique and wavelet basis functions due to their properties of compact representation. The `1 minimization is selected because it can optimize the result with an uneven distribution of observations by exploiting the localization property of wavelets. Also illustrated is how the inter-frequency biases on the STEC are calibrated within the operation of inversion, and this is used as a way for evaluating the accuracy of the method. The technique is demonstrated using a simulation, showing the advantage of `1 minimization to estimate the coefficients over the `2 minimization. This is in particular true for an uneven observation geometry and especially for multi-resolution CIT.
A flexible communicator: Social call repertoire of Savi’s pipistrelle, Hypsugo savii

Bat social calls are specifically tailored for communication and play different roles according to their structure. Their structure is stereotyped and species-specific so they may aid acoustic identification of bats. To provide the first quantitative description of social call repertoire of Hypsugo savii and offer a way to identify this bat in free flight we made audio recordings in four areas of Central and Southern Italy in summers 2011–2015. We identified single and multiple-component social calls and categorized them into five structure types. Within each structure type, call frequency and / or duration differed between single and multiple-component calls, the latter being shorter and showing higher frequencies. In multiple-component calls both the number of syllables and the way they were associated were highly variable, making it difficult to recognize patterns. Some motifs, however, showed the same first component type and final sequence. We also recorded trill-like calls and two complex sequences of multiple-component social calls (songs) lacking repeated motifs. The complex association of syllables, the rarity of recurrent motifs and the significant structural flexibility suggest that social calls serve a range of scopes and that they might convey acoustic signatures and other individual-specific features.
Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in Portugal: incidence versus healthcare provider estimations and effect on quality of life

Aim: To compare chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) incidence with healthcare provider (HCP) estimations, and determine predictors of CINV-related quality of life in patients receiving highly or moderately emetogenic chemotherapy. Methods: A prospective observational study of patients in Portugal was conducted. A logistic regression model was used to predict the individual probability of CINV and compare it with the HCP estimate for each patient using a paired t-test. Quality of life was evaluated using the Functional Living Index of Emesis. Results: A total of 81 patients and ten HCPs participated at five hospitals. HCPs significantly underestimated acute nausea (difference = 38.3%), delayed nausea (difference = 41.1%) (both p < 0.001) and delayed vomiting (difference = 7.15%; p = 0.03) in cycle 1. CINV was the only statistically significant predictor of impaired quality of life. Conclusion: Nausea and delayed emesis are underestimated by HCPs.