Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Biotic and Abiotic Factors on Growth and Relative Survival of Young American Shad, Alosa sapidissima, in the Connecticut River

We examined the hypothesis that temporal oscillations in zooplankton abundance, river flows, and temperatures in the Connecticut River affect the survival and growth rates of larval and juvenile American shad, Alosa sapidissima, among 5-d cohorts. The relative survival rates between newly hatched shad larvae and juveniles were low among early cohorts (May 21 – June 15), but rose rapidly among later cohorts (June 21 – July 6) when river flows were low and temperatures and zooplankton densities were high. Age of larval and juvenile shad was estimated by counting daily rings on sagittal otoliths and age-specific length increments determined by backcalculation techniques. Cohort-specific growth rates of larval shad increased linearly with rising zooplankton densities, and asymptotically with rising river temperatures and declining flows. By contrast, juvenile growth rates among 5-d cohorts showed no significant linear or nonlinear relationships to water temperatures and flows.
Do Taxonomic and Associative Relations Affect Word Production in the Same Way?

Naming a picture is more difficult in the context of a taxonomically-related picture. Disagreement exists on whether non-taxonomic relations, e.g., associations, have similar or different effects on picture naming. Past work has reported facilitation, interference and null results but with inconsistent methodologies. We paired the same target word (e.g., cow) with unrelated (pen), taxonomically-related (bear), and associatively-related (milk) items in different blocks, as participants repeatedly named one of the two pictures in randomized order. Significant interference was uncovered for the same target item in the taxonomic vs. unrelated and associative blocks. There was no robust evidence of interference in the associative blocks. If anything, evidence suggested that associatively-related items marginally facilitated production. This finding suggests that taxonomic and associative relations have different effects on picture naming and has implications for theoretical models of lexical selection and, more generally, for the computations involved in mapping semantic features to lexical items.
Developmental Pathways and Polyethism of Neuter Castes in the Processional Nasute Termite Hospitalitermes medioflavus (Isoptera: Termitidae)

Abstract The developmental pathways of neuter castes in the processional nasute termite Hospitalitermes medioflavus, which has monomorphic soldiers and trimorphic workers, was examined. Hospitalitermes is one of the genera of Nasutitermitinae which make processional foraging columns. The castes engaged in foraging are soldiers, and minor, medium and major workers. Sex determination by dissection and histological staining showed that soldiers and minor workers were males, while medium and major workers were females. In larval head width, three well-defined size peaks in the frequency distribution were found. The smallest peak consisted of both males and females of the first instar. The intermediate and largest peaks consisted respectively of males only and females only, of the second instar. Molting individuals and observations of mandibles confirmed the developmental relationships among castes. We concluded that the developmental pathway of the neuter castes in H. medioflavus is parallel to that found in Nasutitermes. Males change tasks from gnawing food (as minor workers) to defense (as soldiers), whilst females specialize in foraging (gnawing and carrying food). Division of labor during foraging depends primarily on sex and the developmental stage of neuter castes. This species thus displays both temporal and sexual polyethism.
Lipid-induced depression of methane production and digestibility in the artificial rumen system (RUSITEC)

An artificial rumen (RUSITEC) equipped with eight fermenters was used to examine the effects of canola oil (CA), cod liver oil (CD) and coconut oil (CO) on methane production, dietary digestibility and rumen microbial populations. The experiment, repeated three times, involved two diets (100% grass hay or a 90%:10% wheat:hay mixture) either untreated (controls) or sprayed with CA, CD or CO (10%, wt/wt) in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement. Dry matter disappearance and CH4 production were greater (P < 0.05) from untreated concentrate diet than from untreated hay. There were significant interactions (P < 0.05) between diet and lipid type for DM digestion and several of the fermentation parameters. Coconut oil decreased (P < 0.05) DM and neutral detergent fibre disappearance of hay but did not affect digestion of concentrate. All oils, especially CO, depressed (P < 0.05) CH4 production (mmol g−1 digestible DM) and methanogenic populations regardless of diet. Methanogens on CO-treated diets numbered less than 1% .
The Network Structure of the Malawi Interbank Market: Implications for Liquidity Distribution and Contagion around the Banking System

The study aimed to understand the network structure of the Malawi interbank market, a relatively small but active market. To do this, we constructed a network of banks using aggregated interbank loan amounts. We then analyzed the topological characteristics of the interbank market network structure and discussed the implications of such characteristics in terms of liquidity distribution and contagion in the Malawi banking system. We establish that the Malawi’s interbank network is fairly dense with a significantly high clustering and a small average path length. This implies that liquidity is able to flow in a fairly efficient manner within the network. Due to the relatively high connectivity of the network, entry or exit of a bank, on average, is likely to have little impact on the ability of other banks to lend and borrow from each other. The high connectivity further implies that banks are able to monitor each other’s behaviour. This may result into liquidity hoarding and may force some banks to get liquidity at a higher cost than the one prevailing on the market. The relatively high clustering and a small average path length further implies that the interbank participants are more vulnerable to contagion than in random networks. We further argue that because of the strong connectivity, the network may not be resilient to an operational shock affecting one or more of the banks. In this case, the impact of an operational shock may be felt not just on the connectivity of the network but rather on the availability of liquidity within the banking system.
Technical Efficiency of Open Field Tomato Production in Kiambu County, Kenya (Stochastic Frontier Approach)

The study conducted an estimate of the mean technical efficiency and the determinants of technical efficiency for the open field tomato farmers in Kiambu, Kenya. A multistage sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 75 respondents who participated in the study. A two stage analysis using a Cobb Douglas stochastic frontier analysis and a Tobit regression to compute the mean technical efficiency and determine factors influencing technical efficiency respectively. All the analyses were computed using Stata versions 13. Results indicated a mean technical efficiency of 65 percent ranging from 26.7 percent to 96.3 percent implying that there is room to increase efficiency by 35 percent. Education, family size and Experience positively influenced technical efficiency while gender and farm size had a negative significant influence. The study demonstrated that farmers had a lower level of experience (5 years) and education (9 years) as compared to the national and other local areas within the country despite their positive significant influence on technical efficiency. The implication from the study findings is that greater attention should be paid towards farmer training to enhance their knowledge and farming experience with regard to tomatoes. A few farmers (16, 14 and 8 percent) had received credit, extension and agriculture support facilities. Extension is very important as it bridges the gap between researchers and farmers whereas credit access enables farmers to buy farming inputs like fertilizers. Investments in farmer education without appropriate dissemination techniques may not cause any impacts. The study therefore recommends that accessibility to these services be enhanced.
Behavioural and cognitive influences of kairomones on an araneophagic jumping spider

In laboratory experiments, Portia fimbriata, an araneophagic salticid from Queensland, was influenced by olfactory and contact-chemical cues from Jacksonoides queenslandicus, an abundant salticid on which P.fimbriata preys. Four distinct effects were revealed: P.fimbriata (1) moved into and remained in the vicinity of J. queenslandicus, (2) performed undirected leaping, behaviour known to function as speculative hunting by inducing a turning response from not-yet-seen J. queenslandicus, (3) adopted a posture (retracted palps) known to be routine when stalking salticids and (4) showed enhanced attention to optical cues from J. queenslandicus. Laboratory experiments provided no statistical evidence that chemical cues from other prey species affected P.fimbriata, that J. queenslandicus was affected by chemical cues from P. fimbriata or that allopatric Portia were sensitive to chemical cues from J. queenslandicus.
Distribution, Stock Composition and Timing, and Tagging Response of Wild Chinook Salmon Returning to a Large, Free-Flowing River Basin

AbstractChinook Salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha returns to the Yukon River basin have declined dramatically since the late 1990s, and detailed information on the spawning distribution, stock structure, and stock timing is needed to better manage the run and facilitate conservation efforts. A total of 2,860 fish were radio-tagged in the lower basin during 2002–2004 and tracked upriver. Fish traveled to spawning areas throughout the basin, ranging from several hundred to over 3,000 km from the tagging site. Similar distribution patterns were observed across years, suggesting that the major components of the run were identified. Daily and seasonal composition estimates were calculated for the component stocks. The run was dominated by two regional components comprising over 70% of the return. Substantially fewer fish returned to other areas, ranging from 2% to 9% of the return, but their collective contribution was appreciable. Most regional components consisted of several principal stocks and a number of sm.
Thermal effects on behavior of juvenile walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) : implications for energetics and food web models

The behavioral responses of fishes to temperature variation have received little attention despite their direct implications to bioenergetics-based models of production and encounter-based models of food web dynamics. Behavioral characteristics of juvenile walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma), a pelagic marine zooplanktivore, were examined between 2 and 9 °C in large arenas. Routine swim speed, path sinuosity, and schooling cohesiveness of fish in small groups were described from overhead video observations. In a separate experiment, maximum swimming speeds were measured in a recirculating flume. Routine and maximum swimming speeds had contrasting responses to temperature demonstrating a behavioral rather than physiological regulation of activity level. Routine swim speed was 48% faster at 2 °C than at 9 °C. This result is inconsistent with the assumption of a constant activity multiplier for metabolism incorporated into most bioenergetics models of fish growth. Increased swim speed, along with the red.
An Investigation of Pictography and Verbal Rehearsal on College Students’ Recall of Expository Texts

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of pictography with and without verbal rehearsal on informational recall of two types of expository texts. This study is part of a research program to further develop a treatment for younger students with language impairment called Sketch-andSpeak. Procedure: 66 undergraduate students between the ages of 18 and 40 were tested on recall of concrete versus abstract expository texts in a randomized group experiment across three conditions: pictography with and without verbal rehearsal versus re-reading. Participants were trained on the assigned testing condition and then proceeded to the experimental procedure. In the experimental procedure, participants read and studied two expository passages differing in concreteness and abstractness while utilizing the assigned learning strategy. Tests were presented in a counterbalanced order across participants within a condition. Following the reading and studying, participants were given a “mind wipe” to provide a pause between reading and testing. Participants then were administered a free recall on each text and then a multiple-choice recall test and a self-rating questionnaire on each. Results: For concrete exposition, pictography significantly improved free recall over re-reading for number of key details. For both concrete and abstract exposition, pictography plus verbal rehearsal significantly improved recall for ideas, holistic quality of free recalls, and multiple-choice testing. 86% of participants in the Picto and PVR judged pictography as useful for the concrete text and 72% judged it useful for the abstract text. 85% of participants in the PVR condition found verbal rehearsal helpful for both texts. Pictography and verbal rehearsal strategies help recall of abstract texts, but help concrete informational recall even more. Conclusion: This study indicates the potential for Sketch-andSpeak to improve student performance in expository comprehension and recall, and provides support and direction to further investigate this SLP treatment. Pictography and Verbal Rehearsal on Expository Texts 3 An Investigation of Pictography and Verbal Rehearsal on College Students’ Recall of
The Identification of Information Technology Competencies Level among Accounting Practitioners

Information technology skills and competencies for accounting practitioners have become crucial for the accounting process in the current business environment. In response to this challenge, the identification of a new and comprehensive set of information technology competencies combined with information technology skills and other skills (namely, professional skills or soft skills) is necessary. This study used quantitative methods to identify the ranking and correlation of information technology competency dimensions among accounting practitioners in Malaysia. The findings indicated that three technical skills, namely, spreadsheet software, accounting packages and advanced word processing, were higher ranked among the technical skills while prioritisation skills, negotiation skills and decision-making skills were top ranked for organisational skills, people skills and conceptual skills, respectively. Additionally, the Pearson correlation coefficient was used to test the relationship between skill dimensions. In this case, all the tested relationships were significant and positive. The results provided insights into how accounting practitioners adopt the skills required for the service and tasks that they are expected to fulfil in practice.
A one-year hospital-based prospective COVID-19 open-cohort in the Eastern Mediterranean region: The Khorshid COVID Cohort (KCC) study

The COVID-19 is rapidly scattering worldwide, and the number of cases in the Eastern Mediterranean Region is rising, there is a need for immediate targeted actions. We designed a longitudinal study in a hot outbreak zone to analyze the serial findings between infected patients for detecting temporal changes from February 2020. In a hospital-based open-cohort study, patients are followed from admission until one year from their discharge (the 1st, 4th, 12th weeks, and the first year). The measurements included demographic, socio-economics, symptoms, health service diagnosis and treatment, contact history, and psychological variables. The signs improvement, death, length of stay in hospital were considered as primary, and impaired pulmonary function and psychotic disorders were considered as main secondary outcomes. Notably, In the last two follow-ups, each patient attends the hospital to complete the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). Moreover, clinical symptoms and respiratory functions are being determined in such follow-ups. Among the first 600 COVID-19 cases, a total of 490 patients with complete information (39% female; the average age of 57 {+/-} 15 years) were analyzed. Seven percent of these patients died. The three main leading causes of admission were: fever (77%), dry cough (73%), and fatigue (69%). The most prevalent comorbidities between COVID-19 patients were hypertension (35%), diabetes (28%), and ischemic heart disease (14%). The percentage of primary composite endpoints (PCEP), defined as death, the use of mechanical ventilation, or admission to an intensive care unit was 18%. The following comorbidities were significantly different in the positive and negative PCEP groups: acute kidney disease (p=0.008) and diabetes (p=0.026). For signs and symptoms, fatigue (p=0.020) and sore throat (p=0.001) were significantly different. This long-term prospective Cohort may support healthcare professionals in the management of resources following this pandemic.
Cochlea anatomy of Numidotherium koholense: auditory acuity in the oldest known proboscidean

Court, N. 1992 04 15: Cochlea anatomy ofNumidotherium koholense: auditory acuity in the oldest known proboscidean. Lethaia, Vol. 25, pp. 211–215. Oslo. ISSN 0024–1164. A natural cast of the spiral cochlea space from the inner ear of the oldest known proboscidean, Numidotherium koholense, is described. The cast was sectioned to reveal internal structures. Cochlea structure in numiodtheres, and by inference auditory acuity, is shown to have been very different from that of living proboscideans. The cochlea of Numidotherium is deemed to reflect tuning to relatively high frequencies and contrasts with the low-frequency specializations seen in the inner ear of living proboscideans. It is suggested that evolution of the elephant otic region might be explained by a shift in developmental timing such that features occurring earlier in ontogeny are characteristic of the adult stage. *Proboscidea, Numidotherium, cochlea, natural cast, auditory acuity.
The role of diverse knowledge in creating knowledge within industry networks ¬¬-A study in the Victorian biotechnology industry

Inter-organizational knowledge networks have been considered vital for the knowledge economy, particularly for small and medium size enterprises in knowledge-based industries, since knowledge creation often happens within those networks. Hence an interesting question to explore is: how do knowledge networks serve to contribute to knowledge creation? Beyond the role of network structure, which has dominated the knowledge network literature, our research highlights the need for the consideration of other factors like knowledge content. First by reviewing the literature, we propose a hypothesis that predicts a positive association of content and knowledge creation. Then, focusing on patent co-authorship networks of the biotechnology industry in Victoria, this research used an explanatory multiple case study approach to test the formulated hypothesis. By introducing new emergent constructs, the results provide more insight on the positive association of knowledge content and knowledge creation. Based on the emergent constructs, rival hypotheses are also developed for further research.
Effect of Methanol extract of Kigelia africana on Sperm Motility and Fertility in Rats

The fertility activities of the fruit of Kigelia africana Lam. Benth. Family Bignoniaceae, a medicinal plant used in south eastern Nigeria by local traditional healers for treatment of fertility abnormalities especially in male and female adults has been carried out. The research revealed that male rats treated with the methanol extract of the fruit showed greater sperm motility 95.14 ± 1.35, when compared to that of male rats treated with testosterone and the untreated control rats which had 89.34 ± 1.45 and 82.81 ± 2.51 respectively. The result also showed that 77.8% of mated pro-estrus female rats were pregnant after a four day circle. There was also a 66.7% pregnancy rate in females mated with testosterone induced male rats and 44.4% for the control, showing that the methanol extract had greater fertility effects on male rats. Key words: Kigelia africana, fertility, spermatozoa, methanol extract and pregnancy. [Nig. Jnl Health & Biomedical Sciences Vol.1(2) 2002: 113-116]
Dispersal data and the spread of invading organisms.

Models that describe the spread of invading organisms often assume that the dispersal distances of propagules are normally distributed. In contrast, measured dispersal curves are typically leptokurtic, not normal. In this paper, we consider a class of models, integrodifference equations, that directly incorporate detailed dispersal data as well as population growth dynamics. We provide explicit formulas for the speed of invasion for compensatory growth and for different choices of the propagule redistribution kernel and apply these formulas to the spread of D. pseudoobscura. We observe that: (1) the speed of invasion of a spreading population is extremely sensitive to the precise shape of the redistribution kernel and, in particular, to the tail of the distribution; (2) fat-tailed kernels can generate accelerating invasions rather than constant-speed travelling waves; (3) normal redistribution kernels (and by inference, many reaction-diffusion models) may grossly underestimate rates of spread of invading populations in comparison with models that incorporate more realistic leptokurtic distributions; and (4) the relative superiority of different redistribution kernels depends, in general, on the precise magnitude of the net reproductive rate. The addition of an Allee effect to an integrodifference equation may decrease the overall rate of spread. An Allee effect may also introduce a critical range; the population must surpass this spatial thresh-old in order to invade successfully. Fat-tailed kernels and Allee effects provide alternative explanations for the accelerating rates of spread observed for many invasions.
Etiologies of associations between childhood sleep disorders and behavioral problems in China

In this article, the major studies on the etiologies of associations between childhood sleep disorders and behavioral problems in children in China are reviewed. PUBMED was used to locate original articles published in China and international journals in both the Chinese and English languages. About 50 articles were selected on the basis of their having a sufficiently high scientific standard. Reviewing these articles indicates that there has been an increased interest in recent years in the association between sleep disorders and behavioural problems in young children. Behavioural problems include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, emotional problems (including anxiety and depression), Tourette's syndrome and autism. Possible reasons for these associations are discussed; they appear to be complex and diverse, and many aspects of the problems and details of causal links are still poorly understood. Further work is required to address these problems specifically and so provide advice to clinicians, healthcare workers and parents.