Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of diapause and cold acclimation on the cold-hardiness of the warehouse beetle, Trogoderma variabile (Coleoptera: Dermestidae)

Abstract The warehouse beetle, Trogoderma variabile Ballion (Coleoptera: Dermestidae), is a stored-product pest with scant information on its cold tolerance. Ninety-two per cent of larvae reared in isolation at 30 °C went into diapause in the seventh instar, the remaining 8% emerged as adults in 50 days. Diapausing larvae died after 142 days in the 10th instar. The cold tolerance at 0 °C from highest to lowest was; old larvae>pupae>adult=young larvae>eggs. The LT50 (lethal time for 50% of the population) for grouped (non-diapause) non-acclimated old larvae at 0 °C, −5 °C, −10 °C, −16 °C, and −19 °C were; 20, 11, 5, 1, and 1 day, the LT95 were; 38, 15, 10, 5, and 1 days, respectively. The LT50 for isolated (diapausing), cold-acclimated old larvae at the same temperatures were; 275, 125, 74, 26, and 18 days, and the LT95 were; 500, 160, 100, 45, 20 days, respectively. The supercooling point (SCP) of different stages of non-acclimated insects ranged from −25.3 °C (eggs) to −16.1 °C (young larvae). The most cold hardy stage, isolated and acclimated old larvae, had a SCP of −24.9 °C. The potential of using low temperatures to control T. variabile is discussed. Résumé Le trogoderme des entrepôts, Trogoderma variabile Ballion (Coleoptera: Dermestidae), est un ravageur des denrées stockées sur lequel il existe peu d’information sur la tolérance au froid. Quatre-vingt-douze pour cent des larves élevées dans l’isolement à 30°C étaient en diapause au 7e stade larvaire; les 8% restants ont émergé comme adultes en 50 jours. Les larves en diapause sont mortes après 142 jours au dixième stade larvaire. La tolérance au froid à 0°C en allant du plus tolérant au moins tolérant était: larves âgées>pupes>adultes=jeunes larves>œufs. Les TL50 (temps létal pour 50% de la population) pour les larves élevées en groupe (non en diapause) non acclimatées à 0, −5, −10, −16 et −19 oC étaient de 20, 11, 5, 1 et 1 jours, et les TL95 étaient de 38, 15, 10, 5 et 1 jours, respectivement. Les TL50 des larves âgées élevées dans l’isolement (diapause) et acclimatées au froid aux mêmes températures étaient de 275, 125, 74, 26 et 18 jours, et les LT95 étaient de 500, 160, 100, 45 et 20 jours respectivement. Le point de surfusion de différents stades d’insectes non acclimatés variait de −25.3oC (œufs) à −16.1oC (jeunes larves). Le stade le plus tolérant au froid, celui des larves âgées isolées et acclimatées, avait un point de surfusion de −24.9oC. Le potentiel pour l’utilisation de basses températures pour lutter contre T. variabile est discuté.
Characterization of in-situ Ca²⁺ -sensing mechanisam and stanniocalcin-1 target cells in gills of Japanese eels

In this study, we aimed to measure molecular responses in gill cells of fish acclimating to waters of different Ca2+ levels. Fish were transferred to an artificial freshwater (AFW, with about 0.2mM Ca2+), high Ca2+ AFW (H-AFW, with 2mM Ca2+) and Ca2+-deficient AFW (D-AFW) for 1 and 7 days. On the first day of the transfer, the osmolarity and ions content in blood sera were increased or decreased in fish transferred to H-AFW or D-AFW respectively. On day 7 of the transfer, the serum parameters returned back to normal. In addition to blood samples, gills and CS glands were collected and mRNA expression levels of Ca2+ transporters (i.e. epithelial calcium channel (ecacl), plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (pmca)) and STC-1 were determined. Our results indicated that at the early phase (on day 1) of acclimation to H-AFW, the expression levels of ecacl and pmca were upregulated in gill cells, possibly to increase Ca2+ uptake. This resulted in the increase of serum Ca2+ concentration to stimulate the release of STC-1 from CS glands, leading to the decrease in the expression levels of the ecacl in gill cells and a reduction of serum Ca2+ levels on day 7. Interestingly, stc-1 was found to be upregulated in CCs. On the contrary in the D-AFW, the expression levels of ecacl were decreased in gill cells at the early phase of the acclimation. The levels of stc-1 in CS glands were remained low during the acclimation.
Comparison Theorems on Weighted Finsler Manifolds and Spacetimes with ϵ-Range

Abstract We establish the Bonnet–Myers theorem, Laplacian comparison theorem, and Bishop–Gromov volume comparison theorem for weighted Finsler manifolds as well as weighted Finsler spacetimes, of weighted Ricci curvature bounded below by using the weight function. These comparison theorems are formulated with ϵ-range introduced in our previous paper, that provides a natural viewpoint of interpolating weighted Ricci curvature conditions of different effective dimensions. Some of our results are new even for weighted Riemannian manifolds and generalize comparison theorems of Wylie–Yeroshkin and Kuwae–Li.
Microclimatic patterns correlate with the distribution of epiphyllous bryophytes in a tropical lowland rain forest in Costa Rica

Abstract: Quantitative analyses of the factors driving the distribution of bryophytes in the phyllosphere of tropical rain forests are rare. In this study we sampled epiphyllous bryophytes on two leaves of each of 57 individuals belonging to four phorophyte species (Asplundia pittieri, Carludovica drudei, Costus laevis and Dieffenbachia concinna) at three adjacent, but microclimatically varied sites in the Esquinas forest, Costa Rica. Microclimatic parameters and phorophyte identities were correlated to differences in cover, diversity and species composition of bryophyte assemblages by means of Kruskal–Wallis tests, non-metric multidimensional scaling and indicator species analysis. High relative humidity and in particular daily fluctuations in relative humidity proved to be the most important factors for epiphyll distribution suggesting severe constraints of epiphyll colonisation by pronounced humidity fluctuations. Differences in air temperature and light availability as well as phorophyte identity were only weakly correlated with bryophyte cover and diversity. However, species composition of epiphyllous assemblages was related to all microclimatic variables as well as to phorophyte identity. The strong response of epiphyllous bryophytes to even subtle microclimatic variations suggests that undisturbed forest canopies and their control on microclimate may be essential for the development of epiphyll communities.
Variance estimation under monotone non-response for a panel survey

Panel surveys are frequently used to measure the evolution of parameters over time. Panel samples may suffer from different types of unit non-response, which is currently handled by estimating the response probabilites and by reweighting respondents. In this work, we consider estimation and variance estimation under unit non-response for panel surveys. Extending the work by Kim and Kim (2007), we consider an expansion estimator accounting for initial non-response and attrition, and propose a suitable variance estimator. It is then extended to cover most estimators encountered in surveys, including calibrated estima-tors, complex parameters and longitudinal estimators. The properties of the proposed variance estimator and of a simplified variance estima-tor are estimated through a simulation study. An illustration of the proposed methods on data from the ELFE survey is also presented.
Evaluation and optimization of agro- industrial wastes for conidial production of Trichoderma isolates under solid state fermentation

Objective : The study aimed to evaluate, optimize and determine optimal growth conditions for the control of plant pathogens using high conidia production of Trichoderma isolates on different agro- industrial wastes (wheat straw, tea wastes, vegetable wastes, coffee husk and barley bran) under solid state fermentation (SSF). Methodology and Results : The optimum temperature, pH, moisture content, incubation period, inoculums size, inoculums load and effect of light were optimized for maximum conidia production of Trichoderma isolates. Among seven isolates of Trichoderma only isolates AUT1, AUT2, AUT4 and AUT7 which produced better conidia on potato dextrose agar medium (PDA) were taken for further study in this experiment. Among the substrates tested, wheat straw supported high conidia production of Trichoderma isolates AUT1, AUT2 and AUT4 (105± 5×10 8 conidia/g of substrate, 117±3.5×10 8 conidia/g of substrate and 144±6×10 8 conidia/g of substrate respectively), followed by tea waste (92±3×10 8 conidia/g of substrate, 96.5±2.5×10 8 conidia/g of substrate and 119±12.5×10 8 conidia/g of substrate respectively). Trichoderma isolate AUT7 produced maximum conidia on vegetable wastes 405±19.9×10 8 conidia/g of substrate. The optimum temperature for conidia production was between 20 0 C and 30 o C after 10 and 15 days of incubation. The optimum pH for conidia production was between 4.5 and 5.5 for all Trichoderma isolates except isolate AUT7 (pH 7.5). The optimum incubation period for high conidia production of Trichoderma isolates was 10 and 15 days. The optimum moisture content for conidia production of Trichoderma isolates was 35% and 40% after 5 and 10 days of incubation. The conidia production of Trichoderma isolates was maximum in the presence of light all isolates was best under solid state fermentation (SSF). Conclusions and application of findings : wheat straw, vegetable wastes and tea waste supported good conidia production of Trichoderma isolates under SSF. These wastes are better substrates for conidia production from economic and environmental point of view. The conidia production of Trichoderma isolates was maximal when cultivated in the presence of light than dark condition. The optimum inoculums size and load for conidia production of Trichoderma isolates was between 1ml and 2ml inoculums size and 1×10 6 conidia/ml inoculum load for all isolates except AUT7 (1×10 8 conidia/ml). Therefore, agro-industrial wastes were suitable for mass production of bioformulated products of Trichoderma isolates which are used for the control of coffee wilt disease ( Fusarium xylarioides) in coffee growing areas of Ethiopia.
Correlated Genetic Responses of Feed Efficiency, Growth, and Body Size in Cattle Selected for Milk Solids Yield

Abstract Correlated genetic responses in feed consumption, feed efficiency, growth, and body size in Holstein and Ayrshire cattle selected for 180-day milk solids yield were estimated. The two breeds differed in correlated responses to selection. Growth from 180 to 240 days of age increased significantly in both breeds with increased feed efficiency of the Holsteins but increased feed consumption of the Ayrshires. Efficiency of total digestible nutrient utilization for production of fat-corrected milk improved in Holsteins but not in Ayrshires. This increase in efficiency of Holsteins indicated that efficiency of milk production may be improved by selection for yield. Heritabilities of gain, feed use, and body size during the growth period were from . 31 to . 81. Heritability of fat-corrected milk production was . 63 for Holsteins and . 69 for Ayrshires. Heritabilities of other measures during lactation were from . 22 to . 90 with differences between breeds in all measures. Phenotypic relationships indicated that the faster growing heifers were taller, lighter, and consumed more feed. Animals producing the most milk were heavier at calving, gained more weight during lactation, and consumed more feed. During the course of the selection experiment there was an indication of a genetic trend toward a presumably optimum body weight and wither height with the Holsteins decreasing and the Ayrshires increasing.
Influence of Chemical Cues from Host Plants on the Behavior of Neonate Estigmene acrea Larvae (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae)

Abstract The role of the chemical cues during the host-finding behavior of neonate Estigmene acrea (Drury) larvae was studied in the laboratory using olfactometer bioassays. Three host plant species of E. acrea were used in the experiments: soybean, Glycine max L. Merr. ; tomato, Lycopersicum esculentum Miller; and maize, Zea mays L. The number of larvae showing an attraction toward the leaf volatiles of individual test plants was significantly higher than toward the control air in single-choice olfactometer bioassays. In dual-choice tests, larvae showed a clear preference for the volatiles from soybean over the volatiles from maize and tomato leaves. In contrast, larvae did not show any preference for the maize and tomato volatiles. The locomotory behavior of larvae was clearly affected by hexanic and methanolic soybean extracts. Larvae spent more time walking and walked more distance on the zones containing soybean extracts than on the zones treated with maize and tomato extracts and control solvents. The feeding preference tests revealed that larvae prefer feeding on soybean over maize and tomato foliages.
Comparison of Dorper and Polypay as maternalsire breeds for reduced input lamb production

approved: ____________________________________ Howard H. Meyer During years 2005, 2006, and 2007 ewes of predominantly Polypay breeding were bred to either Dorper or Polypay rams for spring lambing. Ewes were assigned to single-sire mating groups based on age and genotype. Internally generated replacements were added to the flock for the 2007 lambing season and bred to rams within their own sire breed. Litter size was recorded for ewes and lambs were weighed at birth and weaning. Inventory at weaning was used to determine lamb survival. Internally generated replacement females were weighed at approximately one year of age. Dorpermated ewes gave birth to 0.14 more lambs than Polypay-mated ewes, suggesting a ram breed effect on litter size (p <.10). Polypay-sired internally generated replacement females had a mean litter size of 0.30 lambs greater than Dorper-sired generated ewes did (p <.05). Polypay-sired lambs were significantly heavier than Dorper-sired lambs at birth (0.2 kg, p <.05), but similiar in terms of mean weaning weight. No significant difference in lamb survival was observed between the two sire breeds. Polypay-sired replacement females were slightly heavier (2.9 kg) than Dorper-sired replacements as yearlings (p <.10). Due to their advantage in litter size, Polypay-sired females would be expected to generate more profit for commercial sheep producers than would Dorper-sired ewes. Dorpers would still remain a viable ram breed for commercial production in Western Oregon due to their comparable growth rates assuming lamb pelt quality could be maintained through selective breeding.
Pleistocene genetic connectivity in a widespread, open‐habitat‐adapted mosquito in the Indo‐Oriental region

Aim The environmental effect of Pleistocene climatic change in the Indo‐Oriental region has resulted in allopatric fragmentation and the generation of diversity in forest‐associated species. The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which Pleistocene climatic change has resulted in the fragmentation and speciation of an open‐habitat‐adapted mosquito, Anopheles vagus s.l. , across its range.
On the Latency, Rate, and Reliability Tradeoff in Wireless Networked Control Systems for IIoT

Wireless networked control systems (WNCSs) provide a key enabling technique for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). However, in the literature of WNCSs, most of the research focuses on the control perspective and has considered oversimplified models of wireless communications that do not capture the key parameters of a practical wireless communication system, such as latency, data rate, and reliability. In this article, we focus on a WNCS, where a controller transmits quantized and encoded control codewords to a remote actuator through a wireless channel, and adopt a detailed model of the wireless communication system, which jointly considers the interrelated communication parameters. We derive the stability region of the WNCS. If and only if the tuple of the communication parameters lies in the region, the average cost function, i.e., a performance metric of the WNCS, is bounded. We further obtain a necessary and sufficient condition under which the stability region is $n$ -bounded, where $n$ is the control codeword blocklength. We also analyze the average cost function of the WNCS. Such analysis is nontrivial because the finite-bit control-signal quantizer introduces a nonlinear and discontinuous quantization function that makes the performance analysis very difficult. We derive tight upper and lower bounds on the average cost function in terms of latency, data rate, and reliability. Our analytical results provide important insights into the design of the optimal parameters to minimize the average cost within the stability region.
Ballistic Current From First Principles Calculations

The bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE) refers to current generation due to illumination by light in a homogeneous bulk material lacking inversion symmetry. Apart from the intensively studied shift current, the ballistic current constitutes an important contribution to the overall kinetic model of the BPVE. Ballistic current originates from asymmetric carrier generation due to scattering processes. In this Letter, using a perturbative approach, we derive a formula for ballistic current resulting from the intrinsic electron-phonon scattering in a form amenable to first-principles calculation. We then implement the theory and calculate the ballistic current of the prototypical BPVE material BaTiO$_3$ using quantum-mechanical density functional theory. The magnitude of the ballistic current is comparable to that of shift current, and the total spectrum (shift plus ballistic) agrees well with the experimentally measured photocurrents. Furthermore, we show that the ballistic current is sensitive to structural change, which could benefit future photovoltaic materials design.
Effect of Weed Management Strategy and Row Width on Nitrous Oxide Emissions in Soybean

Abstract Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas with implication for climate change. Agriculture accounts for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, but 75% of the country's N2O emissions. In the absence of PRE herbicides, weeds compete with soybean for available soil moisture and inorganic N, and may reduce N2O emissions relative to a weed-free environment. However, after weeds are killed with a POST herbicide, the dead weed residues may stimulate N2O emissions by increasing soil moisture and supplying carbon and nitrogen to microbial denitrifiers. Wider soybean rows often have more weed biomass, and as a result, row width may further impact how weeds influence N2O emissions. To determine this relationship, field studies were conducted in 2013 and 2014 in Arlington, WI. A two-by-two factorial treatment structure of weed management (PRE + POST vs. POST-only) and row width (38 or 76 cm) was arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. N2O fluxes were measured from static gas sampling chambers at least weekly starting 2 wk after planting until mid-September, and were compared for the periods before and after weed termination using a repeated measures analysis. N2O fluxes were not influenced by the weed by width interaction or width before termination, after termination, or for the full duration of the study at P ≤ 0.05. Interestingly, we observed that POST-only treatments had lower fluxes on the sampling day immediately prior to POST application (P = 0.0002), but this was the only incidence where weed influenced N2O fluxes, and overall, average fluxes from PRE + POST and POST-only treatments were not different for any period of the study. Soybean yield was not influenced by width (P = 0.6018) or weed by width (P = 0.5825), but yield was 650 kg ha−1 higher in the PRE + POST than POST-only treatments (P = 0.0007). These results indicate that herbicide management strategy does not influence N2O emissions from soybean, and the use of a PRE herbicide prevents soybean yield loss. Nomenclature: Soybean; Glycine max (L.) Merr.
Estimations of apoplastic concentrations of K+ and Ca2+ in the vicinity of stomatal guard cells

A method which determines the null point for stomatal aperture has been used to estimate the apoplastic concentrations of potassium and calcium adjacent to the stomatal guard cells of Commelina communis. These two ions are contributors to important aspects of stomatal physiology: the determination of guard cell turgor (K+) and intracellular signalling (Ca2+) when the guard cells respond to the various stimuli that effect changes in stomatal aperture. We obtained estimates of apoplastic K+ concentrations in the range of 50–75 mol m-3, which are in general agreement with those of Bowling (1987). Ca2+ concentrations appear to be in the region of 0·05 mol m-3 adjacent to the guard cells even though much higher concentrations (up to 4 mol m-3) may be delivered to the leaf in the xylem sap. Thus it is suggested that the gradient in apoplastic Ca2+ may be very large over short distances, and may be strictly controlled by cells within the epidermis.
The relationship between fine galaxy stellar morphology and star formation activity in cosmological simulations: a deep learning view.

Hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation and evolution attempt to fully model the physics that shapes galaxies. The agreement between the morphology of simulated and real galaxies, and the way the morphological types are distributed across galaxy scaling relations are important probes of our knowledge of galaxy formation physics. Here we propose an unsupervised deep learning approach to perform a stringent test of the fine morphological structure of galaxies coming from the Illustris and IllustrisTNG (TNG100 and TNG50) simulations against observations from a subsample of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Our framework is based on PixelCNN, an autoregressive model for image generation with an explicit likelihood. We adopt a strategy that combines the output of two PixelCNN networks in a metric that isolates the fine morphological details of galaxies from the sky background. We are able to \emph{quantitatively} identify the improvements of IllustrisTNG, particularly in the high-resolution TNG50 run, over the original Illustris. However, we find that the fine details of galaxy structure are still different between observed and simulated galaxies. This difference is driven by small, more spheroidal, and quenched galaxies which are globally less accurate regardless of resolution and which have experienced little improvement between the three simulations explored. We speculate that this disagreement, that is less severe for quenched disky galaxies, may stem from a still too coarse numerical resolution, which struggles to properly capture the inner, dense regions of quenched spheroidal galaxies.