Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sex ratios, virginity, and local resource enhancement in a quasisocial parasitoid

Sclerodermus harmandi (Buysson) (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) is an economically beneficial species of parasitoid wasp that has an unusual level of sociality: groups of female foundresses reproduce on a single host and exhibit cooperative post‐ovipositional brood care. The beneficial effects females have on each other's reproductive success provide, via the theory of local resource enhancement (LRE), an explanation for their female‐biased progeny sex ratios, which is part of the same framework for understanding sex‐ratio evolution as the more often invoked theory of local mate competition (LMC). Here, we show that S. harmandi sex ratios are overdispersed, with high variance largely attributable to the common occurrence (60%) of developmental mortality. Developmental mortality is also positively associated with the proportion of broods which contain only females at emergence (virgin broods). Virginity is more common when broods are produced by fewer foundresses. Virginity is expected to be disadvantageous under LRE, as it is under LMC, but theory for LRE is less extensively developed. We suggest approaches for the development of LRE theory, in particular using models of ‘population elasticity’ in which the intensity of kin competition is reduced because extra resources are available to local populations that are more cooperative. For S. harmandi, such extra resources may include large hosts that can only be successfully utilised if multiple foundresses cooperate.
Detection of Congestive Heart Failure Based on LSTM-Based Deep Network via Short-Term RR Intervals

Congestive heart failure (CHF) refers to the inadequate blood filling function of the ventricular pump and it may cause an insufficient heart discharge volume that fails to meet the needs of body metabolism. Heart rate variability (HRV) based on the RR interval is a proven effective predictor of CHF. Short-term HRV has been used widely in many healthcare applications to monitor patients’ health, especially in combination with mobile phones and smart watches. Inspired by the inception module from GoogLeNet, we combined long short-term memory (LSTM) and an Inception module for CHF detection. Five open-source databases were used for training and testing, and three RR segment length types (N = 500, 1000 and 2000) were used for the comparison with other studies. With blindfold validation, the proposed method achieved 99.22%, 98.85% and 98.92% accuracy using the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) CHF, normal sinus rhythm (NSR) and the Fantasia database (FD) databases and 82.51%, 86.68% and 87.55% accuracy using the NSR-RR and CHF-RR databases, with N = 500, 1000 and 2000 length RR interval segments, respectively. Our end-to-end system can help clinicians to detect CHF using short-term assessment of the heartbeat. It can be installed in healthcare applications to monitor the status of human heart.
Comparative Microbicidal Efficacy of Fractionated Extracts from In Vitro and In Vivo Raised Cells of Tinosporacordifolia Against MDR Pathogens

The present study was conducted to explore the hidden potential of natural products synthesized in the medicinal plant Tinosporacordifolia. This plantis prioritized by National Medicinal Plant Board, New Delhi. Leaf and inter nodal segments were inoculated on MS Medium fortified with IBA (1.0 mg/L) produced callus after four weeks. The calli were brown due to phenolic substance secreted by the explant. This problem was overcome by using adjuvant PVP (0.1%). Further, secondary metabolites were isolated from callus and field leaf through soxhlet extractor and fractionated by using column chromatography. The antibacterial activity of these fractioned extracts from Tinosporacordifolia callus and leaf were seen against multi drug resistance bacteria viz., Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, (ATCC 27853) & Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213) and against plant pathogenic fungus Fuseriumoxisporum(MTCC 8608) and Sclerotiniasclerotiorum (MTCC 8785). All fractionated extracts showed antimicrobial activity but callus extracts were proved to be best in compare to leaf extracts. Furthermore, we are trying to analyze different bio active compounds through GCMS.
Motility and dynamics of eupyrene and apyrene sperm in the spermatheca of the monandrous swallowtail butterfly Byasa alcinous

Lepidopteran males produce two sperm types: nucleated eupyrene sperm and non‐nucleated apyrene sperm. Although apyrene sperm are infertile, both sperm types migrate from the spermatophore to the spermathecal after copulation. As a dominant adaptive explanation for migration of apyrene sperm in polyandrous species, the cheap filler hypothesis suggests that the presence of a large number of motile apyrene sperm in the spermatheca reduces female receptivity to re‐mating. However, apyrene sperm are also produced in males of the monandrous swallowtail butterfly Byasa alcinous Klug. To identify the role of apyrene sperm in these males, the present study examines the number of spermatozoa produced and transferred and the dynamics and motility of spermatozoa in the spermatheca for each type of sperm. Apyrene sperm represents approximatey 89% of the sperm produced and transferred, which is comparable to polyandrous species. Two‐day‐old males transfer approximately 17 000 eupyrene and 230 000 apyrene spermatozoa to a spermatophore; approximately 5000 eupyrene and 47 000 apyrene spermatozoa arrive at the spermatheca. Eight days after copulation, most eupyrene spermatozoa remain in the spermatheca and a quarter of them are still active. However, the number of apyrene spermatozoa decreases and those remaining lose their motility after the arriving at the spermatheca. Consequently, 8 days after copulation, no motile apyrene sperm are found. The high proportion of apyrene sperm in the spermatophore, as well as in sperm migration, suggests that the production and migration of apyrene sperm is not simply an evolutionary vestigial trait. The possible functions of apyrene sperm in monandrous species are discussed.
Effect of watershed disturbance on Pinelands stream vegetation1

ZAMPELLA, R. A. AND K. J. LAIDIG (Pinelands Commission, New Lisbon, NJ 08064). Effect of watershed disturbance on Pinelands stream vegetation. J. Torrey Bot. Soc. 124: 52-66. 1997. -We related stream channel and stream bank plant species composition to eighteen site specific and regional environmental variables in the New Jersey Pinelands (Pine Barrens). Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) related major patterns in species composition to complex watershed disturbance gradients. There were significant correlations between the first axes of both the CCA and DCA stream site ordinations and agricultural and developed land cover in a drainage area, pH, specific conductance, and channel sediment. There was a clear contrast between stream stations found within relatively undeveloped watersheds and those in highly developed or farmed drainage areas. Surface waters of the undisturbed sites displayed lower pH and specific conductance values compared with waters in the more disturbed watersheds. The most heavily impacted sites supported a unique group of peripheral or exotic plant species that replaced characteristic Pine Barrens species. Overall species richness did not change in response to watershed disturbance. The presence of disturbance indicator species, or species found only at disturbed sites, provided a good measure of watershed disturbance. High between-site variability in the species present at relatively undisturbed stations and the persistence of some species at more recently disturbed sites complicated the identification of sensitive species, or species found only at undisturbed sites. A comparison of the number of species historically found within and outside the Pine Barrens, rather than the presence or absence of particular sensitive species, provided an additional measure of ecological integrity.
Ethnopteridology of the Chacobo Indians in Amazonian Bolivia

The Chacobo are a small tribe of some 400 Indians belonging to the Panoan language family who live in an isolated rainforest region in northern Bolivia. During a six-month ethnobotanical study of the Chacobo living in the vicinity of the village Alto Ivon, a special effort was made to collect all the pteridophytes and to obtain indigenous names and information on use. The village of Alto Ivon (11045'S, 66? 02'W) is located some 60 air miles south of Riberalta in the Bolivian department of Beni. The forest is Tropical Moist with a distinct dry season, generally from about June to October. The elevation is about 200 m and the terrain is level. The forest canopy is at about 25 m, and the species composition appears to be typical of southwestern Amazonia. The five ecologically most important tree families, as revealed by a 1 ha. inventory, are Moraceae, Myristicaceae, Palmae, Leguminosae sensu lato, and Vochysiaceae. This tree flora is not especially species-rich; only 94 species with a DBH greater than 10 cm were encountered in the hectare. As with the trees, the pteridophyte flora is not particularly rich. Between Nov. 1983 and Apr. 1984, 13 genera and 25 species of pteridophytes were collected. If the species diversity was not impressive, what was quite interesting was the high degree of fern utilization. The Chacobo have uses for 16 species, or 65 percent of the total encountered in their territory. The uses are all medicinal in nature and generally involve the making of a decoction of fronds or rhizomes. No instances of ferns used as food were encountered.
Girdling and the reduction in shoot xylem sap concentrations of cytokinins and gibberellins in peach

The effects of girdling at the beginning of pit hardening on peach shoot xylem sap cytoki- nin and gibberellin concentrations were studied. Girdling at the beginning of growth stage II of fruit development significantly reduced xylem sap concentration of zeatin-type cytokinins, gibberellin A, and/or gibberellin A3. Girdling also reduced shoot growth, both internodal length and node number, for about eight weeks after girdling until the girdle had healed over. The results support the hypothesis that reduced shoot growth is caused by reduced xylem transported, root supplied, promotive growth substances.
Trichogramma pretiosum : Effect of Prerelease Parasitization Experience on Retention in Release Areas and Efficiency

Failure of released parasitoids to assume a host-seeking behavior often contributes to their premature dispersal and subsequent failure to adequately control target species. Results of laboratory and field studies conducted at Tifton, Ga. , in 1979 showed that prerelease exposure of female Trichogramma pretiosum Riley to host Heliothis zea (Boddie) eggs resulted in significantly more time (ca. sixfold) spent in host-seeking behavior in a laboratory release area and significantly higher subsequent rates of parasitization of H. zea eggs on peas and cotton.
A Study of Risk Factors for Early-Onset Adjacent Vertebral Fractures After Kyphoplasty

Study Design: Retrospective study. Objectives: To elucidate risk factors for early-onset (2 months after initial kyphoplasty) adjacent vertebral fracture (EO-AVF) after kyphoplasty. Methods: A total of 108 vertebral bodies (95 patients) were included in this study. We examined patient backgrounds, the spinal level of EO-AVFs, surgery-related factors, and imaging findings. We divided the cases into 2 groups: patients with EO-AVF and patients without EO-AVF. Univariate, correlation, and multivariate analyses were conducted to reveal the risks factors for EO-AVFs for these 2 groups. Results: EO-AVFs developed in 28 vertebral bodies; they did not develop in 80 vertebral bodies. The overall EO-AVF incidence rate was 26%. The spinal level was the thoracolumbar junction for 93% of patients and another level for 7%, thus demonstrating the concentration of EO-AVFs in the thoracolumbar junction. For patients without EO-AVF and those with EO-AVF, there were significant differences in age (76 and 80 years, respectively), preoperative vertebral angles (VAs) (17.8° and 23°, respectively), and corrected VAs (7.3° and 12.7°, respectively). Significant differences were not observed for other factors. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was 0.661 (P < .000), thereby showing a significantly positive correlation between preoperative VAs and corrected VAs. Logistic regression analysis indicated that age (odds ratio, 1.112; 95% CI, 1.025-1.206) and preoperative VAs (odds ratio, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.026-1.135) were covariates and that the presence of an EO-AVF was a dependent variable. Therefore, both were predictable risk factors for EO-AVFs. Conclusion: Age, preoperative VAs, and corrected VAs are risk factors for EO-AVFs after kyphoplasty.
Examining the Advantages of Using Multiple Web-Based Dietary Assessment Instruments to Measure Population Dietary Intake: The PREDISE Study

Abstract Background Combining traditional dietary assessment instruments has been suggested to improve precision of dietary intake estimates. However, this has not been investigated using web-based 24-h recall (R24W) or a web-based food-frequency questionnaire (wFFQ). Objective The aim of this study was to compare different combinations of web-based instruments to assess population-level dietary intake estimates (means and percentiles) and their precision, either with or without statistical modeling of within-person day-to-day variations. Methods As part of the cross-sectional PREDISE study, 1025 French-speaking adults completed 3 randomly allocated R24W and 1 wFFQ within 21 d. Crude estimates of intake were generated from either 1 or 3 repeated R24W. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) method was used to account for within-person variation. Usual intakes were modeled from 1 R24W repeated in a subsample (40%) and from 3 R24W, with or without consideration of data from the wFFQ. Results Using crude data from 3 R24W increased precision of estimates and modified distribution of intakes compared with using data from only 1 R24W. Using NCI-modeled data from 3 repeated R24W had no impact on the precision around mean intakes but increased precision of low and high percentiles intake estimates compared with NCI-modeled data from a partially repeated R24W. Considering data from a wFFQ in combination with data derived from 3 R24W did not influence the precision of intake estimates of most foods and nutrients. Conclusions The data suggest that relying on repeated measures of food and nutrient intake through R24W is preferable to single assessment when within-person variation is not considered. Data also suggest that when NCI modeling is applied, using 3 R24W only improves the precision of low and high percentiles intake estimates compared with using a partially repeated web-based recall.
Green Tea Catechin Extract Supplementation Does Not Influence Circulating Sex Hormones and Insulin-Like Growth Factor Axis Proteins in a Randomized Controlled Trial of Postmenopausal Women at High Risk of Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND Consumption of green tea has been associated with reduced risk of breast cancer. Hormonal modulation has been suggested as one of the potential underlying mechanisms; however, it has yet to be fully elucidated in large, long-term human clinical trials. OBJECTIVE We investigated the effects of decaffeinated green tea extract (GTE) on circulating sex hormones and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) proteins. METHODS We conducted a placebo-controlled double-blind randomized clinical trial recruiting from 8 clinical centers in Minnesota. Participants were 538 healthy postmenopausal women randomly assigned to the GTE group (463 completed the study; mean age = 60.0 y) and 537 to the placebo group (474 completed; mean age = 59.7 y). Women in the GTE group orally took 4 decaffeinated capsules containing 1315 mg total catechins including 843 mg epigallocatechin-3-gallate daily for 1 y, whereas women in the placebo group took similar capsules containing no tea catechins. Blood sex hormones (estrone, estradiol, androstenedione, testosterone, and sex hormone-binding globulin) and IGF proteins (IGF-1 and IGF binding protein-3) were quantified at baseline and months 6 (for IGF proteins only) and 12, and were assessed as secondary outcomes of the study using a mixed-effect repeated-measures ANOVA model. RESULTS Women in the GTE group had significantly higher blood total estradiol (16%; P = 0.02) and bioavailable estradiol (21%; P = 0.03) than in the placebo group at month 12. There was a statistically significant interaction between GTE supplementation and duration of treatment on estradiol and bioavailable estradiol (both Ps for interaction = 0.001). The catechol-O-methyltransferase genotype did not influence blood sex hormones before or after GTE supplementation. The circulating concentrations of IGF proteins were comparable between GTE and placebo groups at all 3 time points. CONCLUSION These results suggest that a 12-mo GTE supplementation significantly increases circulating estradiol concentrations in healthy postmenopausal women. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00917735.
Late Cretaceous Marine Vertebrate Fauna from the Fairport Chalk Member of the Carlile Shale in Southern Ellis County, Kansas, U.S.A.

The Fairport Chalk (middle Turonian) of the Carlile Shale is an Upper Cretaceous rock unit deposited in the middle of the Western Interior Seaway during the early regressive phase of the Seaway following its peak transgressive phase. The Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, Kansas, U.S.A. , houses a collection of marine vertebrate fossils from the Fairport Chalk in southern Ellis County, Kansas. The fossil fauna consists of at least 16 taxa, including 11 chondrichthyans, four osteichthyans, and one reptilian. They show wide ecological diversity, with examples of small to medium-sized opportunistic (Squalicorax), large predaceous (Cardabiodon and Cretoxyrhina), and durophagous (Ptychodus) sharks, as well as small (Enchodus), medium-sized (Plethodidae and Pachyrhizodus), and large (Ichthyodectes) bony fishes. Another notable finding is the occurrence of Telodontaspis agassizensis in which the species was previously known only from Cenomanian deposits, making the specimen from the Fairport Chalk the geologically youngest record for the species.
Age Estimation, Growth Rates, and Population Structure in Missouri Bullfrogs

vocal sac; ovary packed with heavily pigmented eggs each approximately 1.5 mm in diameter. Skin of head not co-ossified with skull, roof of skull not exostosed. Dimensions. -Head and body 57.0 mm; head length 20.5 mm; head width 19.8 mm; femur 32.3 mm; tibia 32.2 mm; heel-to-toe 40.0 mm; hand 17.0 mm. Color in alcohol. -A dingy white with tiny melanophores scattered over all dorsal surfaces but restricted to a narrow band on top of the thigh. Notes. -When we examined this specimen in Paramaribo just a few weeks after it was preserved it still retained some of the dark green dorsal pigmentation it had in life but by the time it was shipped to us from Pittsburgh nearly a year later the green coloration had completely faded and all that remained of pigment or pattern was minute, scattered melanophores on the dorsum and dorsal surfaces of the limbs. These have the effect of making the specimen a dirty white rather than clear milky white. The type was taken at night from a large aroid plant beside a house in the Arawak village of Powakka. A diligent search by five of us in the same area a few weeks later failed to turn up any more specimens. Mr. Walter Polder of Paramaribo, who is well acquainted with the local fauna, told us that he caught an individual of what he believes is the same species in the suburbs of Paramaribo but that it escaped before he was ready to preserve it. The type-specimen is filled with mature, pigmented eggs and apparently was ready for amplexus. The species is named in honor of our friend, Murray de la Fuente, who collected the type.
Genetic Analysis of Clubroot Resistance in the Populations of Broccoli × Wild Cabbage Accession ‘B2013'

Six generations(P1,P2,F1,BC1,BC2 and F2)derived from the crosses of broccoli inbred line‘93219'(high susceptible)and the wild cabbage accession inbred line(Brassica macrocarpa Guss.)‘B2013'(high resistant)were used to investigate the inheritance of clubroot resistance by using mixed major gene plus polygene inheritance model. The results showed that the clubroot resistance was controlled by two additive-dominant-epitasis major genes(B-1 model)in the joint analysis of the six generations. The major genes heritability of BC1,BC2 and F2 were estimated to be 81.22%,78.36% and 80.00%,the genetic variance and the environmental variance accounted for 79.86% and 20.14% of the phenotypic variance in each population respectively. It indicated that the clubroot resistance was dominated by major genes though the environmental factors had a great effect. In practical breeding,higher heritability of major genes can be favorable to an efficient selection in early generations,such as BC1 and F2 for resistance to clubroot in broccoli breeding plan.
Effects of two training systems on sugar metabolism and related enzymes in cv. Beibinghong (Vitis amurensis Rupr.)

Liu, L. , Nan, L. , Zhao, X. , Wang, Z. , Nan, H. and Li, H. 2015. Effects of two training systems on sugar metabolism and related enzymes in cv. Beibinghong (Vitis amurensis Rupr.). Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 987-998. Eight individual sugars and four sugar-metabolism-related enzymes were investigated in the development of Vitis amurensis Rupr. ‘Beibinghong’ grape berries. Two different training systems, vertical shoot positioning (VSP) and Y-shaped training system (Y-shape) were applied. Sucrose contents in the two training systems were significantly related to the sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS) and sucrosynthetic activity of sucrose synthase (SS-s) in berries before veraison. The results show that throughout the veraison period, individual sugars, such as glucose, fructose, galactose and lactose, increased. Glucose and fructose were affected by both training systems, mainly at 15 and 16 wk (weeks after fruit setting). Training systems had no significant effects on the rhamnose, arabinose, galactose and maltose contents, and barely had an effect on the lactose content. The VSP training system mainly affected the sucrose content during the harvest period, while the Y-shape affected sucrose content mainly after 9 wk. During 2011 to 2013, VSP and Y-shape strongly affected the sucrose contents before veraison, and also affected the cleavage activity of sucrose synthase (SS-c) mainly between 5 and 8 wk; however, different training systems barely affected the soluble acid invertase (SAI) activities in whole berry growth. From the perspective of the whole berry development, the results showed that different systems had no significant effects on individual sugars and enzymes.