Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphological development and nutritive value of herbage in five temperate grass species during primary growth: analysis of time dynamics

In a 2-year field experiment, morphological development and measures of the nutritive value of herbage for livestock during primary growth in Meadow foxtail, Tall oatgrass, Cocksfoot, Perennial ryegrass and Yorkshire fog were investigated. All measured variables were affected significantly by both species and sampling date, and their interaction (P < 0·001), in the period of primary growth. Changes with time in mean stage weight for Meadow foxtail and Cocksfoot were different from the other species due to their indeterminate growth habits. Mean stage weight of Tall oatgrass and Yorkshire fog increased more rapidly than that of Perennial ryegrass with time. Changes in mean stage weight with time were described by linear, parabolic and sigmoid relationships. Crude protein (CP) concentration of herbage was higher for Cocksfoot and Meadow foxtail than for Perennial ryegrass. A parabolic relationship of CP concentration with time was typical for all the species. Concentrations of neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) and acid-detergent fibre (ADF) in herbage of the species differed most during the mid-period of primary growth. Their increases with time showed curvilinear (sigmoid and parabolic) relationships. Perennial ryegrass had lower concentrations of both NDF and ADF in herbage than the other species. Differences between the in vitro dry matter (DM) digestibility among the grasses increased in mid- and late periods of primary growth. Perennial ryegrass had higher values for in vitro DM digestibility but the difference from other species was small in the early period of primary growth and from cocksfoot in the late period of primary growth. In vitro DM digestibility showed, in most cases, a sigmoid and, in others, a linear decrease with time. Principal component analysis showed that perennial ryegrass and meadow foxtail were the most distinctive of the species in characteristics relating to morphological development and the nutritive value of herbage to livestock.
An exploration of artificial neural network rainfall-runoff forecasting combined with wavelet decomposition

This study compares the one-day-ahead stream flow forecasting performance of multiple-layer artificial neurons and a neuro-wavelet hybrid system at two sites. Morlet power spectra are used to identify the period-scale structure of the available rainfall and runoff time series. The time series are wavelet decomposed into three sub-series depicting the rainfall-runoff processes: short, intermediate, and long wavelet periods. Then, multiple-layer artificial neurons are trained for each wavelet sub-series. Results show that the short wavelet periods are responsible for most of the final neuro-wavelet hybrid forecasting error. Short period fluctuations are thus the key to any further improvements in artificial neural network (ANN) rainfall-runoff forecasting models. The final performance of the neuro-wavelet hybrid forecasting system and of the classic forecasting multiple-layer artificial neuron system is very similar. The slight advantage in performance of the neuro-wavelet system may be attributed to a bett.
Comparison of the clinical characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized adult COVID-19 and influenza patients – a prospective observational study

Abstract Background We compared the clinical characteristics, findings, and outcomes of hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or influenza to detect relevant differences. Methods From December 2019 to April 2020, we recruited all eligible hospitalized adults with respiratory infection to a prospective observational study at a tertiary care hospital in Finland. Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 infections were confirmed by RT-PCR. Follow-up lasted for 3 months from admission. Results We included 61 patients, of whom 28 were COVID-19 and 33 influenza patients with median ages of 53 and 56 years. Majority of both COVID-19 and influenza patients were men (61% vs. 67%) and had at least one comorbidity (68% vs. 85%). Pulmonary diseases and current smoking were less common among COVID-19 than influenza patients (5 [18%] vs. 15 [45%], p=.03 and 1 [4%] vs. 10 [30%], p=.008). In chest X-ray at admission, ground-glass opacities (GGOs) and consolidations were more frequent among COVID-19 than influenza patients (19 [68%] and 7 [21%], p<.001). Severe disease and intensive care unit (ICU) admission occurred more often among COVID-19 than influenza patients (26 [93%] vs. 19 [58%], p=.003 and 8 [29%] vs. 2 [6%], p=.034). COVID-19 patients were hospitalized longer than influenza patients (six days [IQR 4-21] vs. 3 [2–4], p<.001). Conclusions Bilateral GGOs and consolidations in chest X-ray may help to differentiate COVID-19 from influenza. Hospitalized COVID-19 patients had more severe disease, required longer hospitalization and were admitted to ICU more often than influenza patients, which has important implications for public health policies.
Exploring Bottom-Up Visual Processing and Visual Hallucinations in Parkinson's Disease With Dementia

Visual hallucinations (VH) are a common symptom of Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD), affecting up to 65% of cases. Integrative models of their etiology posit that a decline in executive control of the visuo-perceptual system is a primary mechanism of VH generation. The role of bottom-up processing in the manifestation of VH in this condition is still not clear although visual evoked potential (VEP) differences have been associated with VH at an earlier stage of PD. Here we compared the amplitude and latency pattern reversal VEPs in healthy controls (n = 21) and PDD patients (n = 34) with a range of VH severities. PDD patients showed increased N2 latency relative to controls, but no significant differences in VEP measures were found for patients reporting complex VH (CVH) (n = 17) compared to those without VH. Our VEP findings support previous reports of declining visual system physiology in PDD and some evidence of visual system differences between patients with and without VH. However, we did not replicate previous findings of a major relationships between the integrity of the visual pathway and VH.
Growth of lucerne in response to height and frequency of defoliation

1. Lucerne growing in pots was defoliated once or at intervals of 3 weeks to either 1 or 5 in. Both height and frequency of cutting affected growth of tops and roots significantly; analysis of root weights also showed that these treatments had interacted. Cumulative yield of tops and leaf area per plant were linearly related.
Computer Simulation in Sociology

Computer simulation is spreading in the field of scientific research. In sociology, too, there are important applications. Some different techniques of simulation have developed: system dynamics, multiagent systems, cellular automata, and genetic algorithms. This article analyzes how each type of technique has been applied in sociology and how it is strictly linked to theoretical propositions that characterize each sociological approach. The introduction of computer simulation poses a question: Which contribution does it bring to the process of sociological research? This article aims to answer that question by examining the functions that simulation can carry out in the studies of sociologists.
Milk production performance of local goats of Rohilkhand region under different milking methods

India possesses 140.53 millions goats, ranking second inthe world and contributes 3.4% of the India’s total milkproduction. Small size black local goats, which are yet to bedocumented as a breed, are found in Rohilkhand region ofUttar Pradesh. This region falls in Upper Gangetic PlainRegion of India and has a population of 1,112,156 goats.Flock is being maintained at Institute farm to study theperformance of this local goat. Recording of milk productionis very important to declare any non- descript goat as meat/dual purpose breed. Therefore, an attempt was made to recordexact amount of milk production and milk composition using25 goats by different milking methods.
Leaf anatomy as a constraint for photosynthetic acclimation: differential responses in leaf anatomy to increasing growth irradiance among three deciduous trees

Interspecific variation in the response to transfer from low to high growth irradiance with respect to anatomical and photosynthetic characteristics was studied in mature leaves of three tree species, Betula ermanii Cham. , Acer rufinerve Sieb. et Zucc. and Fagus crenata Blume, which occur in different successional stages in temperate deciduous forests. Transfer from low to high irradiance increased the light-saturated rate of photosynthesis per unit leaf area (Pmax) significantly in B. ermanii and A. rufinerve, but not in F. crenata. Leaves of B. ermanii grown at low irradiance were relatively thick and had vacant spaces along the mesophyll cell surfaces which was not occupied by chloroplasts or other organelles. After transfer to high irradiance, chloroplasts enlarged to fill the space along with Pmax without an increase in leaf thickness. Leaves of A. rufinerve were plastic in mesophyll cell surface area and in leaf thickness, both of which increased after the transfer to high irradiance, along with an increase in the amount of chloroplasts and in Pmax. On the other hand, F. crenata had little mesophyll cell surface unoccupied by chloroplasts and leaf anatomy was not changed after the transfer. In all species, Pmax was strongly correlated with chloroplast surface area adjacent to the exposed mesophyll surface across different growth irradiances. An increase in Pmax was observed only when chloroplast volume also increased. We conclude that light acclimation potential is primarily determined by the availability of unoccupied cell surface into which chloroplasts expand, as well as by the plasticity of the mesophyll that allows an increase in its surface area.
Assessing Climate Variability Impact on Thermotolerant Coliform Bacteria in Surface Water

ABSTRACT This study investigated the impacts of climate variability on thermotolerant coliform bacteria (TCB) transport in the Upper Pearl River watershed (UPRW) in Mississippi. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was applied using daily observed stream flows and TCB concentration data. The SWAT model was successfully calibrated and validated using both manual and automatic methods from February 2011 to June 2012 (NSE and R2 up to 0.79). The Long Ashton Research Station Weather Generator (LARS-WG), a stochastic weather generator, with the global climate model, CCSM3, which was developed by the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) was used for future climate variability simulations. The Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A1B of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was simulated for the mid (2046–2065) and late (2080–2099) 21st century. The SWAT model simulated TCB concentrations in surface water and demonstrated reasonable performances (R2 up to 0.59 and NSE up to 0.58). During mid-century climate, average monthly TCB levels increase to 175%, while late-century average monthly TCB levels increase to 297% from the watershed. Although late-century climate variability impacts were determined more critical than mid-century climate impacts, appropriate watershed management practices are required to adapt to maintain and improve water quality.
Genetic variability in interspecific progenies in sugar cane (Saccharum spp.)

Genetic variability of the progenies (30 permating group) of Saccharum of ficilJQrum crossed with S. barberilsinense, S. robustum, S. spontaneum and commercial hybrids were studied. The maximum genetic variability was observed among progenies of mating group involving S. sp01ltaneum for all the characters except cane length and cane yield. The mean performance of progenies involving commercial hybrids was the best for cane diameter, single cane weight, quality characten and sugar yield. The S. officinarum x commercial hybrids mating group was found advantageous for obtaining promising clones as compared toothergroups.Thevaluesofcorrelation coefficientsbetween variouscharacters of cane yield and quality characters varied among the four mating groups. The selected genotypes could be used to create a broader genetic base in sugarcane breeding.
Anatomical observations in various mammals

The myocardial fibres of the posterior wall of the atrio-venous junctions were examined in 35 large domestic mammals. In the majority of specimens a common pattern in the course and organization of the fibres could be observed. The most obvious features were the following: (1) a main circular fascicle surrounding the pulmonary trunks; (2) fibres encircling the atriovenous junctions; and (3) myocardial sleeves extending along the veins, occasionally as far as the lung. The superior part of the left atrial wall was consistently thicker than the inferior section. Individual variations of this wall between the various trunks followed one of four patternsvertical, oblique, horizontal or criss-crossed. Differences between mammal and human hearts were found regarding the number of pulmonary trunks, the presence of the oblique vein of the left atrium, and the extension of the myocardial sleeves on the caval vein. This extension on the caval vein continues over the end of the azygos vein in animals. The functional significance of the structures described in this study is discussed.
018 Clinician prediction of cardiac arrhythmia in patients presenting to the ED with palpitation or pre-syncope

The IPED study showed that use of a smartphone-based event recorder in ED patients presenting with palpitation or pre-syncope, increased the number of patients in whom an ECG was captured during symptoms over five-fold to more than 55% at 90 days (Reed MJ et al. Lancet eClinical Medicine 2019; 8: 37–46). This pre-planned analysis looked at the ability of ED clinicians to predict cardiac arrhythmia in patients presenting to the ED with palpitation or pre-syncope. Pre-planned sub study analysis of a randomised controlled multi-centre trial. Participants ≥16 years old presenting to 10 UK hospital EDs with palpitation or pre-syncope whose underlying ECG rhythm during these episodes remained undiagnosed after ED assessmentwere enrolled. The treating ED clinician was asked to rate the likelihood of underlying cardiac arrhythmia ranging from 1 (least likely) to 10 (most likely). Participants were then randomised to either an intervention group using a smartphone-based event recorder or a standard care control group. Primary endpoint of this sub study was symptomatic cardiac arrhythmia at 90 days. 243 patients were enrolled. 6 patients had no ED clinician likelihood rating recorded and two further patients were lost to follow-up leaving 235 available for analysis. There were 12 patients recording a symptomatic cardiac arrhythmia at 90 days. These were atrial fibrillation (8), SVT (3), sinus bradycardia (<40 bpm; 1) and atrial flutter (1). One patient recorded 2 categories of arrhythmia. The AUC for prediction of cardiac arrhythmia was 0.81 (95% CI; 0.71–0.90). An ED clinician likelihood rating of 5 or more had 92% sensitivity and 59% specificity for predicting cardiac arrhythmia. Abstract 018 Figure 1 ROC analysis of ED clinician likelihood rating for symptomatic cardiac dysrhythmia at 90 days Conclusion ED clinicians are able to predict the liklihood of cardiac arrhythmia in patients presenting to the ED with palpitation or pre-syncope with reasonable accuracy.
Organic matter flux and reactivity on a South Carolina sandflat: The impacts of porewater advection and macrobiological structures

Study of the flux and fate of reactive organic material (OM) within Debidue Flat, an intertidal sandflat in the North Inlet estuary, South Carolina, demonstrated that this coarse‐grained deposit is a dynamic, open system that experiences rapid OM decomposition and exchange of solutes in the top 30 cm of the sediment column. The fluxes of reactive OM through Debidue Flat were high during all seasons (27–170 mmol C m2 d-1) and were comparable to fluxes in muddy portions of the North Inlet estuary. Porewater decomposition products were N‐ and P‐rich, the modeled reactivity of organic carbon undergoing decomposition was high (first‐order rate constant, k = 0.02 d-1), and abundant extractable chlorophyll a was measured year‐round; all properties were consistent with marine algal derived substrates. Porewater solute profiles were controlled by advective flow that rapidly exchanged porewater with overlying waters to ~25 cm depth on timescales of hours. Thus, these sandflats act like an unsteady “trickling bed filter,” capturing or generating reactive organic particles, rapidly remineralizing OM, and recycling nutrients. Macrobiological structures within the flat altered the amounts and reaction rates of OM on various spatial and temporal scales. Relatively elevated OM decay rates were associated with the burrows of Callichirus major, a deepburrowing thalassinid shrimp. Large stingray feeding pits accumulated fine grained OM, locally clogging the “trickling bed filter” and inhibiting porewater advection. As illustrated by Debidue Flat, intertidal sands can be sites of high OM flux and turnover and play an important role in biogeochemical cycling in estuarine systems.
The Response of the Grey Heron to a Rapid Increase of the Round Goby

Abstract The fish community of the Gulf of Puck in the Baltic Sea has changed in recent years following the successful introduction of the Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus). The first specimen of Round Goby was caught in 1990 and now is estimated in millions of individuals. The Round Goby was a main component of the Grey Heron diet in the colony at Mosty and made up 95% of regurgitated prey items. During chick rearing period, herons mostly flew to the coast to forage in shallow waters and feed on the Round Goby. The numbers of Grey Herons at Mosty have increased recently, especially since 1999 (from 238 in 1999 to 493 nests in 2003; an increase of 107%). The indirect evidence suggests that the rapid expansion of the Round Goby has influenced the Grey Heron and affected both the diet and the numbers of birds feeding and breeding in the vicinity of the Puck Gulf.
Involvement of the glycine-rich RNA-binding proteins (GRP) in plant abiotic stress response: a comparison between GRP 2 and GRP 7

The plant glycine-rich RNA-binding proteins (GRP) are a major class of proteins known to be implicated in plant response to abiotic and biotic stress. Recent studies regarding this type of proteins focused mostly on two of them, namely GRP2 and GRP7, which are mainly involved in osmotic and oxidative plant adaptation mechanisms. The main purpose of this research was to assess the involvement of these two glycine-rich RNA-binding proteins (GRP2 and GRP7) in seed germination capacity under drought stress conditions using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana . The plant material was composed out of seed batches obtained from the T-DNA insertion Arabidopsis thaliana mutant lines labelled grp2 (knock-out mutant for the glycine-rich RNA-binding protein 2), grp7-1 (knock-out mutant for the glycine-rich RNA-binding protein 7), and the ecotype Columbia 0 (Col0), which was used as control. For the germination assay, the control medium Â½ MS (Murashige&Skoog) was supplemented with three different concentrations (100mM, 200mM and 300mM) of mannitol. The germination was assessed each day during one week. After this period, the germination rate was estimated. Three independent replicates were used and the statistical analysis, namely the ANOVA test, was made using the Graph Pad Prism software (trial version). We observed a difference between the two mutants: grp2 seeds germinated similarly on the control medium as well as on the medium supplemented with various mannitol concentrations, while grp7-1 seeds showed a poor germination rate on all three mannitol culture mediums. The germination rate of the grp2 seeds was also increased, on all the culture mediums used, in comparison to the control Col0 seeds. In the present research work, we demonstrated that even though the two proteins GRP2 and GRP7 belong to the same family, their implication in the seed germination capacity under drought stress is opposite, one enhancing the germination, while the other is reducing it.
Impact of chronic noise exposure on antipredator behavior: an experiment in breeding house sparrows

Over the last century, expanding urbanization has led to a strong increase in the levels of background noise. This noise pollution has been shown to negatively affect wildlife (e.g., reduced species diversity and density, reduced breeding success), especially birds. Most research addressing the effects of anthropogenic noise has focused on avian communication and, to date, very little is known regarding the impact of chronic noise exposure on nonvocal behavior such as antipredator behavior. Here, we exposed free-living house sparrows (Passer domesticus) breeding in nest-boxes to either a playback of traffic noise (disturbed birds) or the rural background noise of the study site (no playback: control birds) during their first breeding attempt. We tested whether one of the female’s antipredator behaviors (i.e., flushing distance) was affected by exposure to chronic noise and investigated the impact of chronic noise on reproductive performances. Disturbed females flushed more rapidly than controls, suggesting that birds may compensate for reduced ability to detect predators with increased vigilance. However, we found no significant effect of exposure to chronic noise on reproductive performances. Our findings show, for the first time, that chronic noise exposure can affect the antipredator behavior of a breeding bird.
Caracterização de concentrado e isolado proteico extraído de sementes de cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum, Schum)

Summary This research describes the extraction of both a protein concentrate and isolate from the seeds of cupuassu (Theobroma grandiflorum Schum) using a mild extraction procedure, and provides the amino acid and electrophoretic profiles of the proteins of this Amazonian product. The pH of minimum solubility, considered as the isoelectric point representative of the proteins was 3.5. The mild extraction system was not capable of producing a protein concentrate and protein isolate containing more than 31.18 and 64.33% protein, respectively. From the electrophoretic profiles of the defatted flour, protein concentrate and protein isolate, three major bands were observed with approximate molecular weights between 20.03 and 39.79 kDa. Six additional weak bands were evident in the profiles of the defatted flour and the concentrate, but two of these were absent from the isolate. As inferred from the amino acid profiles of the flour, concentrate and isolate, the cupuassu seed proteins contain a composition nutritionally superior to that of cocoa for most of the amino acids.
Alterations on growth and gill morphology of Danio rerio (Pisces, Ciprinidae) exposed to the toxic sediments

The objective of this work was to assess the toxicity of sediment samples from six cascade reservoirs in Tiete river system, in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, through chronic-partial toxicity bioassays with Danio rerio larvae as test-organisms. Histology of gills and biometric measurements were used to determine the existence of toxicity problems. The alterations on gill morphology here detected were considered of first stage (hyperplasia, lamellar junction and excess of mucous cells) in the first reservoirs and very slight in the last ones. The biometric analysis pointed to inadequate conditions for the growth of the test-organisms when exposed to the sediment of the rivers and upstream reservoirs and also indicated an improvement of environmental conditions along the system.