Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of concentrate supplementation and season on apparent digestibility and growth performance of sheep in smallholder production system

The effect of concentrate feed supplementation, healthcare and season on dry matter and nitrogen apparent digestibility and growth performance of sheep were investigated in the smallholder production system. A total of 819 sheep belonging to 36 smallholder farmers were studied. Animals in each pen were randomly assigned to one of 2 feeding regimes. The first regime (control) was grazing and crop residues supplementation (75 g DM/d). In the second regime, sheep were treated as in first and given an additional package of concentrate feed (180 g DM/d) plus orthodox prophylactic and curative healthcare. Dry matter and nitrogen apparent digestibility and growth performance of animals were determined seasonally. The dry matter intake among animals on concentrate supplementation was higher (P<0.05) than those on control (608 vs. 515 g DM/d) but the faecal output was similar. Seasonally, DM intake was found highest during the early wet season (679 g DM/d) and lowest in the main wet season (397 g DM/d). Nitrogen intake was significantly affected by concentrate supplementation (11 vs. 8 g DM/d for concentrate supplemented and control groups respectively). Season significantly affected dry matter and nitrogen digestibility with the early wet season having the highest digestibility. The concentrate supplementation and healthcare provision package improved feed digestibility and increased ADG of animals from 19 g/d to 34 g/d in the smallholder production system.
Genre Analysis of Acknowledgement Texts by Pakistani Master Level Theses Writers

This study aims to investigate the lexical, structural and cultural elements in acknowledgement texts written by Pakistani candidates of master of philosophy degrees (18 years of education). For this purpose, a corpus of 100 acknowledgement texts has been developed and analyzed with the help of AntConc 3.4. 4.0. Results reveal that Pakistani master level acknowledgement writers use gratitude markers extravagantly to thank their contributors and use high sounding adjectives exaggeratedly to increase the effect of thankfulness and glorify the acknowledged persons. Acknowledgement texts are a blend of different patterns which are the example of their own. Study concludes that Pakistani acknowledgement texts are affected by cultural, social and personal elements with the help of which Pakistani acknowledgers pay gratitude directly, emotionally and warmly using direct, emotional and rhetorical language.
Biology of Amphibians

Introduction to amphibia - the world of amphibians, historical resume, prospects for the future. Part 1 Life History: reproductive strategies - reproductive cycles, reproductive mode, quantitative aspects, parental care, evolution of reproductive strategies courtship and mating - location of breeding site, secondary sexual characters, courtship behaviour, fertilization and oviposition, sexual selection, evolution of mating systems vocalization - anuran communication system, mechanisms of sound production and reception, kinds of vocalizations and their functions, abiotic factors affecting vocalization, interspecific significance of vocalization, phylogenetic implications of vocalization eggs and development - spermatozoa and fertilization, egg structure, egg development, hatching and birth, development and amphibian diversity larvae - morphology of larvae, adaptive types of larvae, physiology and ecology, social behaviour, evolutionary significance of larvae metamorphosis - endocrine control, other biochemical changes, morphological changes, neoteny, ecological and evolutionary significance of metamorphosis. Part 2 Ecology: relationships with the environment - water economy, temperature, gas exchange, energy metabolism and energy budgets, ecological synthesis food and feeding - prey selection, location of prey, capture of prey, evolution of prey-capturing mechanisms and strategies enemies and defence - diseases, parasites, predators, anti-predator mechanisms, evolution of defence mechanisms population biology - characteristics of individuals, movements and territoriality, demography, factors regulating populations community ecology and species diversity - community structure, species diversity, evolution of amphibian communities. Part 3 Morphology: musculoskeletal system - skull and hyobranchium, axial system, appendicular system, integration of functional units integumentary, sensory and visceral systems - integument, sensory receptor systems, nervous system, circulatory and respiratory systems, urogenital system, digestive system, endocrine glands, evolutionary considerations. Part 4 Evolution: origin and early evolution - nature of a tetrapod, primitive tetrapods, tetrapod affinities (lungfishes or lobe-fins? ), diversity and evolution of early tetrapods, status of the lissamphibia cytogenetic, molecular and genomic evolution - cytogenetics, molecular evolution, genomic evolution phylogeny - caudata, gymnophiona, anura biogeography - biogeographic principles, historical setting, lissamphibia, caudata, gymnophiona, anura classification.
Aquatic Dance Flies from a Small Himalayan Mountain Stream (Diptera: Empididae: Hemerodromiinae, Trichopezinae and Clinocerinae)

For the first time an emergence trap was permanently run for almost two years over a Himalayan stream (Kullu Valley, SW-Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh, India). The area is situated in monsoon climate. We report the results of the emergence of aquatic dance flies (Empididae: Hemerodromiinae, Trichopezinae and Clinocerinae). Forty-nine taxa were distinguished, and thirty-three were determined to species level; seventeen species were new to science. In Hemerodromiinae four new species of the genus Hemewdromia Meigen, 1822, and ten of Chelifera Macquart, 1823, were found over approx. 5 mof stream surface. One species oí Heleodromia Haliday, 1833, subfamily Trichopezinae, was new. In Clinocerinae, two species of Dolichocephalu Macquart. 1823, three of Roederiodes Coquillett, 1901, seven of Clinocera Meigen, 1803 and one of Trichoclinocera Collin, 1941, were new to science. Species and specimen number of Clinocerinae, particularly Wiedemannia glaucescem (Brunetti 1917), were highest at high precipitation; Hemerodromiinae were more abundant during the dry periods. Species richness is remarkably high, compared with studies on European or North American streams. Probably many endemics exist. Morphological similarity of several Clinocera species indicates intense speciation processes. Species richness may further depend on the position of the Himalayas between the Palaearctic and the Oriental region, and the vicinity of climatic zones along the different elevations and slopes of the mountain chains. Provisional keys for the genera Chelifera. Hemerodromia, Heleodromia and Clinocera are provided.
An Investigation Into The Role Of Cfia 3' End Processing Complex In The Termination And Initiation/reinitiation Of Transcription

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE ROLE OF CFIA 3' END PROCESSING COMPLEX IN THE TERMINATION AND INITIATION/REINITIATION OF TRANSCRIPTION by NADRA Al-HUSINI May 2014 Advisor: Dr. Athar Ansari Major: Biology Degree: Doctor of Philosophy In budding yeast, as in higher eukaryotes, transcription of protein coding genes is executed by a highly specialized, conserved polymerase called RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). The transcription cycle of RNAPII has four major steps: initiation, elongation, termination, and reinitiation. The successful accomplishment of each of these steps requires a number of accessory factors. Many of these factors operate at multiple steps in the transcription cycle. The major focus of this study was to examine the function of Clp1, which is an RNA processing factor operating at the 3′ end of genes, in the transcription cycle. Clp1 is one of the four subunits of the CFIA 3′ end processing complex. It is the least investigated CFIA subunit. The role of the other three subunits of the CFIA complex in 3' end processing and termination of transcription is well documented. Here we investigate the role of Clp1 in the initiation as well as the termination of transcription. We used a temperature-sensitive mutant of Clp1 to assess its function. We demonstrated a direct role for this factor in the termination of transcription of CHA1. We used three different approaches; TRO assay, RNAPII-ChIP assay, and strand
Feeding ecology of pintail hens during reproduction

FOOD supply has been acknowledged as one of eight major external factors regulating the sexual cycles of birds (Marshall 1961). Several hypotheses have been advanced to explain the role of food supply as an ultimate factor regulating breeding (Marshall 1951; Lack 1954, 1968; Wynne-Edwards 1962; and others). Another potential influence of food is its being a proximate stimulus to breeding. When certain foods become available they may act as a stimulus as the female requires them to meet her dietary needs during egg formation. Lack (1966a: 24) suggested that the average date of laying by the Great Tit (Parus major) probably resulted from a correlation between spring temperatures and the time of appearance of the insect foods the adult females need to form eggs. He also cited other passerines whose breeding was affected by food supply available to the female. In waterfowl it has been suggested that laying females require invertebrate foods (Moyle 1961, Leitch 1964). If true, this implies that the timing of laying is influenced by those environmental changes that affect food supply. The Pintail (Anas acuta) lives primarily on plant foods during much of the year (Martin et al. 1951); thus a study of feeding ecology during the nesting season provided an opportunity to evaluate the significance of an invertebrate food source to females during the period of egg formation. Marshall (1951) stated that essentially vegetarian species appear compelled to switch at least partially to a heavier protein diet when feeding their developing young. Production of a clutch of eggs, like tissue growth in the young, requires a special dietary need that presumably should be reflected in the diet of vegetarian species during the period that eggs are being formed. This paper describes the diet of the female Pintail prior to, during, and after laying and discusses the impact of certain environmental and physiological changes on Pintail breeding.
The diet of the night heron and purple heron in the Guadalquivir Marshes

SUMMARY. —The diet of the night heron and purple heron in the Guadalquivir Marshes. Aims: To compare the diet of chicks of night heron Nycticorax nycticorax and purple heron Ardea Purpurea in the Guadalquivir Marshes. To study the diet of night heron adults during breeding and non-breeding seasons. To establish whether the diet of purple heron in Donana has changed over the past 30 years in response to changes in land use and habitat quality. Location: Heronries in the Guadalquivir Marshes, including the natural marshes of Donana National Park and transformed marshes dominated by ricefields outside the National Park. Methods: Collection of regurgitates from purple heron chicks (n = 52) and night heron chicks (n = 12) during ringing operations in 2001-2002. Collection of pellets (n = 80) under daytime roosts of night herons in 2001-2002. Results: Purple heron regurgitates were dominated by carp Cyprinus carpio, recorded in 84.6 % of samples and representing 73.3 % of all prey items. Odonata nymphs were present in 13.5 % of samples and aquatic Coleoptera in 9.6 %. Regurgitates from night heron chicks were also dominated by carp, recorded in 83.3 % of the samples and representing 76.3 % of prey items. Coleoptera larvae were present in 25 % of samples. There was no difference in the size of carp consumed by the two species, but carp taken by purple heron were larger in 2002. Night heron pellets collected outside the breeding colonies lacked fish and were dominated by red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii, present in 86.2 % of pellets and representing 44.4 % of prey items. Terrestrial insects were also abundant in pellets. Conclusions: In spite of the great increase in abundance of P. clarkii in natural marshes since earlier
Numerical model of vegetal fabric reinforced cementitious matrix composites (FRCM) subjected to tensile loads

Parte de esta investigacion se ha llevado a cabo en el marco del proyecto REDUVE de la empresa AZVI cofinanciado por el CDTI (Gobierno de Espana). El primer autor agradece al Ministerio de Educacion, Ciencia y Tecnologia (Mesyt) de la Republica Dominicana por su apoyo financiero a traves de su programa de becas internacionales.
Species diversity and decomposition in laboratory aquatic systems: the role of species interactions

Summary 1. Interest in the effects of biodiversity on ecosystem processes is increasing, stimulated by the global species decline. Different hypotheses about the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationship have been put forward and various underlying mechanisms proposed for different ecosystems. 2. We investigated BEF relationships and the role of species interactions in laboratory experiments focussing on aquatic decomposition. Species richness at three different trophic levels (leaf detritus, detritus-colonising fungi and invertebrate detritivores) was manipulated, and its effects on leaf mass loss and fungal growth were assessed in two experiments. In the first, monocultures and mixtures of reed (Phragmites australis), alder (Alnus glutinosa) and oak (Quercus cerris) leaf disks were incubated with zero, one or eight fungal species. Leaf mixtures were also incubated with combinations of three and five fungal species. In the second experiment, reed leaf disks were incubated with all eight fungal species and offered to combinations of one, two, three, four or five macroinvertebrate detritivores with different feeding modes. 3. Results from the first experiment showed that leaf mass loss was directly related to fungal mass and varied unimodally with the number of fungi, with a maximum rate attained at intermediate diversity in oak and reed and at maximum diversity in alder (the fastest decomposing leaf). 4. Mixing litter species stimulated fungal growth but interactions between species of fungi slowed down decomposition. In contrast, mixtures of macroinvertebrate detritivores reduced fungal mass and accelerated leaf decomposition. Possible explanations of the positive relationship between detritivore diversity and decomposition are a reduction in fungal dominance and a differentiation in the use of different resource patches promoted by higher fungal diversity. 5. In conclusion, the results show a general increase in decomposition rate with increasing biodiversity that is controlled by within- and between-trophic level interactions, and support the hypothesis of both bottom-up and top-down effects of diversity on this process.
LONG-TERM RECAPTURES AND GROWTH OF SLIPPER LOBSTERS, SCYLLARIDES LATUS, IN THE STRAIT OF SICILY (MEDITERRANEAN SEA)

Mediterranean slipper lobsters, Scyllarides latus, were captured, tagged, and released at selected sites off the western coasts of Sicily and Linosa Island (Mediterranean Sea) in the framework of a research project on restocking feasibility. During the programme (1995-97), 288 specimens of S. latus of Sicilian origin were handled, having 59 moults in the aquarium. Of the 115 that were released, 29 individuals were later recovered, many of which had grown in the meantime. In 1999, one more tagged female of S. latus was caught by a trammel net after 1575 days at sea, about 5 km from the place of release. The specimen was fully viable and showed an increase of 28% in carapace length and 100% in body weight, and both its external t-tag and the internal PIT were still readable. This record, together with previous in-captivity results and short- and long-term (up to 70 weeks) recaptures, allows an estimate of the slipper lobster's growth rates. Des specimens de grande cigale de la Mediterranee, Scyllarides latus, ont ete captures, marques et relâches dans des sites choisis au large des cotes occidentales de Sicile et de l'ile de Linosa (mer Mediterranee) dans le cadre d'un projet de recherche sur la faisabilite du repeuplement. Au cours du programme (1995-97), 288 specimens de S. latus d'origine sicilienne ont ete etudies et 59 mues ont eu lieu en aquarium; parmi les 115 specimens relâches, 29 ont ete ensuite recuperes, dont beaucoup avaient grandi entre temps. En 1999, une femelle marquee supplementaire a ete capturee au filet maillant apres 1575 jours, a environ 5 km du lieu ou elle avait ete relâchee. Le specimen etait parfaitement viable et montrait une augmentation de 28% de la longueur de sa carapace et 100% de son poids, et la marque externe (t-tag) ainsi que le PIT interne etaient tous deux encore lisibles. Ce resultat, ajoutes a ceux obtenus auparavant sur les animaux en captivite, et aux recaptures a court et long terme (jusqu'a 70 semaines) permettent une estimation des taux de croissance de la cigale de mer.
Effect of dietary hormones on food utilization, growth and body composition of the pearlspot, Etroplus suratensis (Bloch) in a brackish water pond.

The influence of hormones (testosterone propionate, diethylstilbestrol, human chorionic gonadotropin) and their combinations on the growth of pearlspot fingerlings was assessed for 90 days by feeding the hormones through fish meal based pelleted diet containing 40% protein. The hormone treated fishes showed significant increase in growth (P < 0.01) than the control. Human chorionic gonadotropin promoted better growth, feed conversion efficiency and maximum protein digestibility. The combinations of all the three hormones in the diet performed better than the two hormone combinations. From the present study, it can be concluded that the hormones stimulated growth of pearlspot, through the combined influence of enhanced food intake, high food conversion efficiency, better digestion, assimilation and increased protein synthesis
Study on the efficiency of threee different feeding techniques in the culture of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei).

The efficiency of three different shrimp feeding techniques used in intensive culture of white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) was compared, with feeding trials conducted in Tha Chang district, Surat Thani province. The experiment had 3 treatments employing the 3 feeding techniques, namely, manual feeding (technique 1), automatic feeding with time setting (technique 2), and automatic feeding with sound detection (technique 3). Each treatment utilized 3 1-ha ponds with polyethelene sheet lining (PE). Stocking density was 75 post-larvae (PL)/m 2 and culture period was 120 days. Results showed that the average daily growth (ADG) from techniques 2 and 3 were 0.21 and 0.24 g/day, respectively, which were higher than that obtained from technique 1 (0.18 g/day). The feed conversion ratio (FCR) from techniques 1 to 3 were 1.5, 1.4 and 1.3, respectively. The best mean body weight was found in shrimp fed by technique 3 at 24.52g while the poorest weight was 15.92g found in shrimp fed by technique 1. No significant differences in survival rates were found in all treatments. The yield from techniques 1 to 3 were 1,672, 1,739.3 and 1,848.3 kg/rai, respectively. Water quality parameters in the experimental ponds were within the suitable ranges for shrimp culture.
Portfolios Optimizations of Behavioral Stocks with Perception Probability Weightings

Having traceable stock price movements and predictable market trends can always benefit investors. Considering specific irrational investor behaviors that may collectively affect a stock's price movement, we identified the cause-and-effect return patterns of affected stocks (behavioral-stocks) with their corresponding time-to-effects and likelihood-of-effects. Considering different individual investor perceptions on future market performances, we transformed investor perceptions into probability weights on future market performances, wherein the weights are also consistent with the estimated likelihood-of-effects of behavioral-stocks. Utilizing a scenario-based mixed-integer behavioral-stocks portfolio optimization program embedded with a new two-dimensional weightings on scenarios and behavioral-stocks, we obtained portfolios that statistically outperform the market.
Characterisation of the role of autophagy in DNA damage repair

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process that is important for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and also genomic integrity. Autophagy is a self-digestive process that takes place in the cytoplasm, however recent studies by Eileen White and colleagues demonstrated that defective autophagy leads to accumulation of DNA damage in vitro and in vivo [1] [2]. This discovery leads to a question: whether there is increased DNA damage incidences or defective DNA damage repair in autophagy deficient cells. Autophagy and DNA damage are two important areas for cancer research. The aim of this project is to provide a better understanding of the role of autophagy plays in DNA damage and DNA damage response. The activation of Chk1 facilitates its degradation. The results presented in this project illustrate that autophagy deficient cells exhibit elevated proteasomal activities and autophagy inhibition leads to activation of Chk1. These combined factors contribute to increased degradation of Chk1 in autophagy deficient cells. This was manifested first as decreased phospho-Chk1 in response to DNA damage, later on when the loss of autophagy effect is more pronounced; decrease in total Chk1 protein level was observed. Chk1 is a crucial DNA damage response mediator that plays roles in cell cycle checkpoints and DNA damage repair. Cells without autophagy appear to have intact cell cycle checkpoints in response to starvation or DNA damaging agents; however they show deficiency in homologous recombination (HR) repair pathways. Autophagy deficient cells display increased spontaneous cell death and formation of micronuclei. Defective HR pathways in autophagy deficient cells lead to hyper-dependency on non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) process. Since HR and NHEJ are the two main ways of repairing double strand breaks (DSB), it is not surprising that inhibition of NHEJ following DSB inducing agents in autophagy deficient cells results in persistence of damage lesions and increased cell death. 3 This project demonstrated that loss or inhibition of autophagy leads to defective DNA damage response pathways. We established that Chk1 is de-regulated in autophagy deficient cells and this has differential downstream effects on DNA damage response. These findings potentially provide a novel synthetic lethal strategy to selectively kill autophagy-deficient cells, which are implicated in a number of diseases including certain cancers.