Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic diversity of Muscovy ducks revealed by mtDNA d-loop

Based on geographical location and previous studies, the Muscovy ducks were grouped into six different populations such as India-Manipuri (IM), Wuyi-China (WC), Yuyao-China (YC), Fujian-China (FC) and Unkown-China (UC) and France. In total, 12 haplotypes were observed from six Muscovy population. The India-Manipuri (IM) population contributes 8 haplotypes. The AMOVA test shows high (75.12%) genetic variation within population. The NJ phylogenetic tree shows the intermingled China, India and France Muscovy populations. In order to find the depth of haplotype differences, the median joining network was constructed whereby H1 haplotype were shared by India and China population. Moreover, except H1 haplotype, other seven haplotypes from IM population were not observed to be shared with China population. Most importantly 33 InDel sites were observed, with regard to that another MJ network was constructed based on the InDel (Insertion-Deletion) sites or including alignment gaps. This InDel MJ network shows that India and China haplotypes separation based on H5 and H1 haplotype, and star-like structure also observed in both the networks. The non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) plot and cluster analysis shows that France population was distinct from other populations and the IM shows closeness with Unknown-China (UC) population. Other three China populations FC, WC and YC clustered together and differ from France and IMUC groups. The finding of this study would help to understand the maternal genetic evolution of Muscovy duck.
Correlation among cirrus ice content, water vapor and temperature in the TTL as observed by CALIPSO and Aura/MLS

Water vapor in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) has a local radiative cooling effect. As a source for ice in cirrus clouds, however, it can also indirectly produce infrared heating. Using NASA A-Train satellite measure- ments of CALIPSO and Aura/MLS we calculated the cor- relation of water vapor, ice water content and temperature in the TTL. We find that temperature strongly controls wa- ter vapor (correlation r = 0.94) and cirrus clouds at 100 hPa (r = 0.91). Moreover we observe that the cirrus seasonal cycle is highly (r = 0.9) anticorrelated with the water va- por variation in the TTL, showing higher cloud occurrence during December-January-February. We further investigate the anticorrelation on a regional scale and find that the strong anticorrelation occurs generally in the ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone). The seasonal cycle of the cirrus ice water content is also highly anticorrelated to water vapor (r = 0.91) and our results support the hypothesis that the total water at 100 hPa is roughly constant. Temperature acts as a main regulator for balancing the partition between water vapor and cirrus clouds. Thus, to a large extent, the deplet- ing water vapor in the TTL during DJF is a manifestation of cirrus formation.
Metabarcoding and mitochondrial metagenomics of endogean arthropods to unveil the mesofauna of the soil

Biological communities inhabiting the soil are among the most diversified, complex and yet most poorly studied terrestrial ecosystems. The greatest knowledge gaps apply to the arthropod mesofauna (0·1–2 mm body size) because conventional morphological and molecular approaches are in many cases insufficient for the characterisation of these complex communities. The development of high‐throughput sequencing (HTS) methodologies is required to solve current impediments and to further advance our understanding of below‐ground biodiversity. We propose a flotation–Berlese–flotation (FBF) protocol for sampling and specimen processing to obtain ‘clean’ DNA extractions of arthropod mesofauna from the soil. In addition, we developed and tested HTS protocols for the characterisation of arthropod communities from these bulk DNA extractions using cox1 metabarcoding and shotgun metagenomic sequencing on the MiSeq Illumina platform. The FBF protocol provided DNA of soil arthropods from sufficiently large volumes of soil and free from contaminating bacteria and inhibitors. Metabarcoding and metagenomic sequencing on two deep soil samples from Iberian grasslands revealed >100 species of Acari and Collembola from 28 families. Genome assembly straight from shotgun sequencing of bulk specimens produced partial and full mitogenomes for 54 species with average length of >6000 bp. Metabarcoding and metagenomic sequencing resulted in closely congruent OTUs, but species numbers were highest with metabarcoding, while ∼73% of species were confirmed by matching shotgun sequence reads and ∼48% by contig assembly from those shotgun reads. In combination, the FBF protocol together with the PCR‐based and shotgun sequencing pipelines addressed most of the challenges of studying soil arthropod mesofauna on the MiSeq Illumina platform. They are powerful, cost‐efficient tools for characterising soil diversity in a phylogenetic and community ecology context. These methodological developments of HTS approaches for the study of mesofauna will accelerate ecological and evolutionary studies, biomonitoring of soil arthropods, and progress in both theoretical and applied soil science.
ENHANCED THERMAL BEHAVIOR , MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND UV SHIELDING OF POLYLACTIC ACID ( PLA ) COMPOSITES REINFORCED WITH NANOCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE AND FILLED WITH NANOSERICITE

The objectives of this study were to utilize nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) and nanosericite (NS) as reinforcing and functional filling agents compounded in a polylactic acid (PLA) substrate for forming novel nanocomposite materials, and subjecting the composites to field-emission electron microscopy (FE-SEM), tensile strength, thermomechanical analyses, thermal gravimetric analysis and UV-Vis spectroscopic analyses; so as to investigate the effect of the modifications achieved by incorporating the nanomaterials on the surface properties, tensile strength, glass transition temperature (Tg), storage modulus, thermal gravimetric loss and shielding efficacy against UV light of different wavelengths. The results indicated that adding suitable quantities of NS and/or NCC to a PLA substrate could improve the overall thermal stability, mechanical strength and UV shielding capacity of the resulting nanocomposites. The shortcoming of weak bonding between NS and PLA could be ameliorated with the addition of NCC. The simultaneous addition of NS and NCC to the composite substrate exerted a greater contribution to the enhancement of the overall functionalities, compared to either bipartite compounds. Based on our results, at a 3% NS and 7% NCC addition rate to the PLA substrate, the most optimal tensile strength was obtained. At temperatures <250 °C, the nanocomposites exhibited good thermal stability and could effectively block about 65% of UVB and UVC irradiation. In the future, the formulations might be applied as a biodegradable UV shielding coating film, or alone, as a medical wrapping material or packaging material.
Self-esteem and Evaluations of Targets with Ostensibly Different Levels of Self-worth

Individuals with high self-esteem are often perceived to be desirable romantic partners. The aim of the present study was to examine the moderating effect of the self-esteem of participants on their evaluations of opposite-gender targets with randomly assigned self-esteem designations on dimensions that are relevant for selecting relationship partners, their willingness to engage in particular types of uncommitted relational activities with these targets, and the consequences that participants anticipated for themselves resulting from interactions with the targets. A randomized experimental two-wave design was used to examine whether the self-esteem possessed by Israeli community participants (N = 799) would moderate the attractiveness ratings they assigned to opposite-gender targets with ostensibly different levels of self-esteem. Our results found that targets with relatively high levels of self-esteem were perceived to be highly attractive and desirable romantic partners. This general pattern was moderated by the self-esteem of the participants such that participants with high self-esteem found targets with somewhat high levels of self-esteem to be more desirable than other targets including those targets with very high levels of self-esteem. The present findings are discussed in the context of the implicit theory of self-esteem.
Predation, Reproduction, and Impact of Phytoseiid Mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae) on Cyclamen Mite (Acari: Tarsonemidae) on Strawberry

Abilities of phytoseiid mites to attack, reproduce, and control cyclamen mite, Phy- tonenus pallidus (Banks), on strawberry were assessed. In laboratory feeding tests, Typhlodromus Pyri Scheuten, Neoseiulus fallacis (Garman), and N. califomicus (Chant) attacked P. pallidusl i most often; Amblyseius andersoni Chant fed on the cycalmen mite most successfully, and Galendromus occidentalis (Nesbitt) had difficulty piercing the hardened body of adults. Net predation was T. pyri > N. fallacies > N. californicus > A. andersoni > G. occidentalis , Although several species fed on cyclamen mites, some are more common on strawberry or are more proven as effective predators of P. pallidus and thus later reproduction and pest control tests were conducted with only 2 species. When held with excess cyclamen mites, survival and immature production of N. fallacies were ""'50% of when feeding on a more preferred prey, Tetranychus urticae Koch and like levels for N. cucl1meris (Oudemans), a proven effective predator of P. pallidus . When releases of N.fallacis or N. CtIc11lneris were made to plants with moderate densities of cyclamen mites and T. urticae , pests were controlled sooner and damage to plants was less with N. fallacis than N. Cucumeris . Releases of both phytoseiids to plants infested with high densities of only cyclamen mites produced fewer of either N. fallacis or N. Cucumeris than when both pests were present, but there was better pest control (less plant damage) and again, N.fallacis gave slightly better control than N. CtICt1meris . Although N.fallacis gave more rapid control of both pests, N. Cucumeris may give longer-term regulation at lower densities. Differences in life histories may dictate that unique methods of release are needed for N. fallacis versus N. Cucumeris and mixed releases of both may be effective.
Contrasting effects of the extent of sea-ice on the breeding performance of an Antarctic top predator, the Snow Petrel Pagodroma nivea

Recent studies have shown that the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave and the related sea-ice cover around the Antarctic continent may have a profound effect on the lower trophic levels of the marine environment. In particular, extensive sea-ice cover enhances the survival of krill. However, the effects of sea-ice cover on top predators remain poorly understood. Using time series from 1973 to 1999, we examine the influence of regional sea-ice extent on a number of indices of breeding performance of an avian predator, the Snow Petrel, in Antarctica. The percentage of breeding pairs was highly variable and there were fewer birds breeding when sea-ice cover was extensive during July. By contrast, overall breeding success and fledgling body condition were improved during years with extensive sea-ice cover during the preceding November and July-September. These results indicate that the same sea-ice conditions may have different effects on the breeding performance of a species. The overall increase in winter sea-ice extent during the last decade appears to have resulted in an overall improvement of the quality of fledglings produced, and thus probably of future recruitment.
DESCRIPTION OF TWO NEW SPECIES OF Crenicichla (TELEOSTEI: CICHLIDAE) FROM THE LOWER IGUAZÚ RIVER WITH A TAXONOMIC REAPPRAISAL OF C. iguassuensis, C. tesay AND C. yaha

Five species of Crenicichla have been recorded so far from the lower Iguazú River. Four of them are endemic (members of the C. mandelburgeri species complex from the C. lacustris group) and living in sympatry; the fifth species (C. lepidota) belongs to an Amazon/Orinoco-centered species group (C. saxatilis) and is only distantly related to the remaining species. The four sympatric species differ substantially in their head/teeth morphology and related utilization of the ecological niches, and represent all known ecomorphs within Crenicichla. Two of them, a gregarious small-mouthed picker/grazer C. tapii sp. n. and a large-mouthed thick-lipped cavity explorer/excavator C. tuca sp. n. are described here as new species. The piscivorous large-mouthed species C. iguassuensis represents the ancestral form of the genus. The fourth species is the small-mouthed picker/molluscivore C. tesay with a robust lower pharyngeal jaw with molariform teeth. Populations referred to in previous studies as C. yaha are reclassified as C. tesay; C. yaha is an endemic species of the neighboring Urugua-í stream known only from nine specimens because the species has not been collected since 1989 (when a dam was constructed on this stream). The taxonomic status of the populations referred to here as C. iguassuensis remain tentative because these form a separate clade in mtDNA analysis, reveal slight morphological differences, and have a wide distribution gap to the type locality with similar yet undescribed species in the intervening area.
Simulation-guided Contraction Analysis

—We present a simulation-guided approach to perform contraction analysis of nonlinear dynamical systems. The central step in performing contraction analysis is to discover a contraction metric for a given system; however, there is no general technique to do so. Our approach leverages information from concrete system executions to construct a series of iteratively improved candidate contraction metrics. The ﬁnal candidate metric is veriﬁed using nonlinear satisﬁability solvers. We present several examples of systems with dynamics given by nonpolynomial functions, including an example from the automotive powertrain control domain.
Ostwald ripening in dryland vegetation

Dryland landscapes self-organize to form various patterns of vegetation patchiness. Two major classes of patterns can be distinguished: regular patterns with characteristic length scales and scale-free patterns. The latter form under conditions of global competition over the water resource. In this paper we show that the asymptotic dynamics of scale-free vegetation patterns involve patch coarsening similar to Ostwald ripening in two-phase mixtures. We demonstrate it numerically, using a spatially explicit model for water-limited vegetation, and further study it by drawing an analogy to an activator-inhibitor system that shares many properties with the vegetation system. The ecological implications of patch coarsening may not be highly significant due to the long time scales involved. The reported results, however, raise an interesting pattern formation question associated with the incompatibility of mechanisms that stabilize vegetation spots and the condition of global competition.
Investigating Barriers to Adoption of Integrated pest management Technologies in Iran

Integrated pest management is one of the sustainable agricultural strategies. IPM encompass the total package methods to control or manage pests and disease in crops. It provides a system approach to pest management and decrease pesticide using and it uses sustainable method. Farmer’s participation is the key of IPM success and can help obtaining sustainable agricultural. It needs to detect the barriers of adopting integrated pest management. This research was done with aim to study the barriers of adopting integrated pest management in Iran. A questionnaire was used to collect data. For determining the validity of questionnaires, the content validity was used. Cronbach's alpha was used to measure reliability of the instrument, which was 95.9% and showed the instrument reliability. SPSS/Win software was used for data analyzing. This research studies 68 farmers that attending IPM classes. The firstpriority of barriers to adoptionintegrated pest management in Iran is “lack of farmer's assurance to control pests with pest management methods”. The lastprioritization of barriers of adopting integrated pest management in IRAN is “lack of government's support for integrated pest management methods”.
Genetic variability of Paecilomyces variotii isolates, the causal agent of die–back disease in pistachio, using ITS–RFLP analysis

Paecilomyces variotii is one of the most important causal agents of dieback disease in pistachio (Pistacia vera) gardens. The disease affects different parts of the tree, such as branch and trunk. Assessment of genetic structure in different populations of this species will lead to more useful management of pistachio dieback disease. In this study, genetic variation within samples of P. variotii isolates from different geo-climatic origins of Kerman province was studied using ITS- RFLP analysis. Universal primer pairs AB28 and TW81 were used for ITS region amplification. Thirteen restriction enzymes were subjected to digest PCR products. Seven out of the 13 restriction enzyme including: EcoR І, Hpyf 3І, Apa І, Hinf І, Mbo І, Msp І, Rsa І showed restriction pattern. Jaccard's similarity coefficient used to determine of genetics similarity and cluster analysis dendrog was designed by using UPGMA algorithm method. Data analysis showed a high similarity at the level of 70% between isolates and all isolates were divided into 9 distinct groups. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed a variation of 85% and 15% among of within isolates, respectively. Based on these results we can conclude that ITS-RFLP is useful for wider genetic diversity assessment and epidemiological studies of distantly related isolates. The future studies could be performed to develop new molecular markers to detect this fungus in field.
Physiological Variables Related to 20 km Race Walk Performance

Problem Little is known regarding the physiological determinants of elite race walking performance as previous studies have considered heterogeneous groups (Hagberg and Coyle, 1983, male 20 km, n = 8; Reilly et al. 1979, male 20 km, n = 9; Dunster et al. 1993, female 10 km, n = 12; and Yoshida et al. 1989, female 5 km, n = 8 and 1990, female 5 km, n = 5). High level performance in the 20 km race walk events is sub ~1 hr 26 min for male and sub ~1 hr 40 min for female athletes. This level of performance equates to mean competition velocities of ~14.0 km.h -1 or faster and ~12.0 km.h -1 or faster for male and female athletes respectively (Castellini, 2005).
Clinical factors and outcome in T-cell lymphoma: a population-based perspective

The heterogeneous group of T-cell lymphomas consist mostly of aggressive diseasess, with generally unfavourable outcome compared to aggressive B-cell lymphomas following similar therapy. This thesis focus on outcome and risk factors for inferior survival, in an unselected population-based cohort of T-cell lymphoma patients. In the first study, outcome of the precursor malignancy T-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma was investigated. This lymphoma has many similarities to T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, and intensive chemotherpay developed for leukemia is known to result in better outcome, than standard lymphoma therapies. The study confirms the superior survival after intensive therapy also in a population-based setting. Intensive as opposed to non-intensive treatment was the main prognostic factor for survival, while age was not associated with an inferior outcome among intensively treated patients. The other three studies focus on outcome in peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL). The second study investigates outcome according to treatment and standard clinical factors at diagnosis. Male gender was found to be associated with inferior survival. Intensification of first-line treatment with up-front autologous stem cell transplantation (auto SCT) consolidation was found to be associated with a favourable outcome in patients younger than 70 years. Relapsing patients had a dismal outcome, with a median post relapse survival of 6 months. Study number three focused on the occurance of central nervous system (CNS) relapse in PTCL. In all, 28 patients (4.5%) experienced CNS relapse, most commonly with leptomeningeal involvement. Extensive extranodal involvement, skin or gastrointestinal involvement was associated with a higher risk for secondary CNS spread. At relapse patients had a very poor survival, irrespective of CNS involvement or not, with no survival difference between the groups. The last study investigates the impact of comorbidity in PTCL. Using the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), presence of concomittant disease was found to be independently associated with inferior survival. CCI was the only factor at diagnosis that showed an association with survival after first-line auto SCT. The association with favourable outcome in patients treated with auto SCT found in the second study, was still significant when adjusting for CCI. In patients ≥75 years, a similar survival in patients treated with curative and low-intensity chemotherapy was found. This was not changed when adjusting for the CCI. In summary, the studies included in this thesis provides information on risk factors and population-based outcomes in T-cell lymphomas. Associations between treatment intensification and better outcome suggests a beneficial effect of these strategies in younger patients. The thesis also provides information on previously poorly documented disease, and patient-related, factors in PTCL, and will possibly serve as comparative data for future population-based studies. (Less)
Antibacterial and Anti-inflammatory Potential Bergenia ligulata

Bergenia ligulata Wall. , family Saxifragaceae, is an Indian folk medicine used for a variety of pharmacological effects. In this study, evidence is provided in animal model to demonstrate the role of aqueous as well as 50% ethanolic extract of B. ligulata in inflammation and as antibacterial agent. Oral administration of the extract at a dose level of 1 gm/kg bw showed anti-inflammatory and free radical scavenging activity as evaluated using pharmacological and biochemical parameters. The effect was studied on biochemical parameters reportedly perturbed in inflammation. While the extract treatment could alleviate the level of succinate dehydrogenase and xanthine oxidase, which increase in inflammation, the level of superoxide dismutase increased following the treatment with the extract as well as the diclofenac. Role of oxygen free radicals/peroxides was evaluated by measuring lipid peroxidation and glutathione. Treatment with the extract could significantly decrease the enhanced level of lipid peroxidation in inflammation, and increased the level of glutathione. Further, the antibacterial activity of various fractions was tested in vitro using cultures of Escherichia coli, Baccillus subtilis, and S. aureus, and the fractions were found to be antibacterial. The antifungal activity was also tested using the culture of Saccharomyces. However, the drug was ineffective in inhibiting fungal growth. Results provide evidence suggesting the anti-inflammatory as well as the antibacterial role of B. ligulata, thus implicating the plant extract in treatment against the bacterial infection and inflammation.