Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reproductive biology and population dynamics of an ovoviviparous land snail, Lauria cylindracea (Pupillidae)

The orthurethran land snail Lauria cylindracea is ovoviviparous. We examined its life history in Israel, where it lives in litter of the riparian forest floor, in a cool, humid habitat, that has a very stable and predictable temperature. Activity of snails started in winter and continued well into summer with gametogenesis commencing in early winter, after the beginning of the rainy season. In mid winter, all animals showed advanced spermatogenesis, early oogenesis, vitellogenic eggs and a few of the adults contained embryos. By spring and early summer, the gonads were larger, with both mature sperm and up to seven vitellogenic eggs; and up to 100% of the adults contained embryos, usually four per individual. A reproductive adult weighed about 4.5 mg, of which 17–25% was embryo weight. In later summer and autumn, we observed no feeding or reproductive activity, no gametogenesis, and very few embryos. We distinguished three age groups: juveniles, subadults and adults. Juveniles were born in summer by adults having enough moisture to be active, whereas adults on dry leaves appeared to retain their embryos. The number of juveniles was therefore never as high as could be expected from the number of embryos inside the animals, and never exceeded 26% of the population. The juveniles grew until spring and then, as subadults, stopped growth until the following winter. It took a snail two winters to reach reproductive maturity, and the lifespan was about five years. About 30% of the adult snails died in late summer. All individuals throughout the year were euphallic, which is in contrast to the high frequency of aphally in other pupilloideans. In discussing the adaptive significance of ovoviviparity in Lauria, we note that it is a minute snail, and therefore constrained to low fecundity—it can produce only few ova per unit time. Under such conditions, ovoviviparity may be advantageous in that the (few) hatchlings can immediately feed and grow, fight off fungi, cope with brief periods of desiccation and avoid drowning or flooding. In environments subject to frequent flooding, eggs may be retained within the adult until full embryonic development of the kidney. In such an environment of excess water, ovoviviparity may be advantageous.
Susceptibility of apple cultivars to apple scab and powdery mildew in Victoria, Australia

Summary. Twenty apple cultivars were assessed over 3 seasons for their susceptibility to natural infection with scab (caused by Venturia inaequalis) and powdery mildew (caused by Podosphaera leucotricha). It was evident that a number of important commercial cultivars are highly susceptible to leaf scab (average incidence of leaf scab: Pink Lady, 40.2% of leaves; Lady William, 37.1%; Braeburn, 20.0%; and New Jonagold, 18.7%) and powdery mildew (average incidence of leaf mildew: New Jonagold, 23.0%; Pink Lady, 17.8%). There was a high level of resistance to leaf scab in the cultivars Florina-Querina, Redfree and Jonafree (all less than 1% incidence on leaves) and to powdery mildew in the cultivar Earlidel (no infection observed). The cultivars Jonathan, Bonza and Red Elstar showed a useful level of resistance to scab (average incidence of leaf scab between 1.6 and 3.2%), while the cultivars Red Fuji, HiEarly and Redfree all showed some resistance to powdery mildew (average incidence of mildew between 2.6 and 5.9%). Observations made on the low and variable numbers of fruit produced by some trees in their third year after planting showed that Pink Lady and Lady William were highly susceptible to fruit scab (67.6 or 57.6% scabbed fruit respectively). Twig infection by scab was also observed on shoots of the current season’s growth of Pink Lady.
The potential of higher plants with the phosphopyruvic acid cycle

Optimal conditions for photosynthesis by intact higher plants are considered as those resulting in the maximum production of organic matter from carbon dioxide over a prolonged period of time. Photosynthetic yields may be limited by the ability of plants to fix and retain carbon from an atmosphere containing high concentrations of oxygen and low concentrations of carbon dioxide. In many plants photosynthetic capacity is decreased under these conditions as a result of loss of carbon from the photosynthetic carbon reduction cycle as glycollic acid. Photosynthesis is further decreased by the loss of carbon dioxide from the leaf during the further metabolism of this glycollate in photorespiratory processes. Other plants, tropical grasses in particular, are resistant to inhibition by high concentrations of oxygen. This resistance is associated with an apparent lack of photorespiration, a characteristic leaf anatomy, dimorphic chloroplasts and an ancillary mechanism for trapping carbon dioxide— the phosphopyruvic acid cycle. It is concluded that a tropical grass such as sugar cane could produce the optimum yield of organic material in an artificial environment.
A New Approach to Estimate Earnings Forecasting Models: MM-Estimation

This study focuses on the impact of model estimation methods on earnings forecast accuracy. Compared with ordinary least squares (OLS) regression combined with winsorization, MM-estimation improves the earnings forecast accuracy of all the models examined, especially for the models with more variables and estimated with more observations. My findings indicate that the impact of influential observations on OLS regression increases with the number of variables in the models and sample size, warnings researchers who use OLS regression in forecasting. My findings explain the puzzling negative relationship between earnings forecast accuracy and the number of model variables found in prior research. Moreover, I demonstrate the valuation implications of the earnings forecasted using MM-estimation. This study contributes to earnings forecasting, valuation, and influential observation treatment in forecasting.
Some Aspects of the Biology of Callosobruchus Subinnotatus (PIC) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) A Pest of Stored Bambarra Groundnuts

Some aspects of the biology of Callosobruchus subinnotatus (Pic) were investigated at controlled conditions. Temperature and relative humidity were found to have effect on oviposition, development and longevity of adults. The best condition for oviposition was 30°C, 80% r.h. at which the mean number of eggs laid was 135.8 and the worst condition was 35°C, 50% r.h. at which 61.1 eggs were laid per female. Oviposition lasted very long at 25°C and was too short at 35°C. Relative humidity favoured oviposition at 30 and 35 but not at 25°C. The beetles were found to be positively phototactic as more eggs were laid at 12 hr light and 12 hr dark (105.1 eggs) and continuous light (98.6) than at continuous darkness (43.0). Duration of development was shorter at 35°C than at other temperatures investigated. The shortest developmental period was at 35°C, 80 % r.h. (23.2 days) while longest was at 25°C, 50 % r.h. (42.6 days). While development was shorter at 35°C, more progenies were produced at 30°C and the rate of increase was better enhanced at 30°C. Adults were heavier when reared at lower temperatures and high humidities than at high temperatures and low humidities. Adults lived longer at lower temperatures and high humidities than at higher temperatures and lower humidities. The females were heavier and lived longer than the males. RésuméQuelques aspects de la biologie de Callosobruchus subinnotatus (Pic) étaient vérifiés à des conditions controllées. La température et l’humidité relative, d’après les investigations, influencent l’oviposition, le développement et la longévité des adultes. La meilleure condition pour l’oviposition étai 30°C, 80% r.h. à laquelle le nombre moyen d’oeufs étaient produits par femelle.L’oviposition a duré longtemps à 25°C mais était trop éphemeère à 35°C. L’humidité relative a favorisé l’oviposition 30 ét a 35°C mais pas à 25°C. Les scarabés, selon l’enquðe, étaient positivement phototactiques puisque plus d’oeufs se sont profuits 12 hr lumiére, 12h obscur (105.1) et continuous des lumiére (98.6) qu’a continua desobscur (43.0). La durée du développement était plus rapide à 35°C qu’aux autres températures qui ont été vérifiées. La période de développement la plus courte était à 35°C, 80%r.h. (23.2 jours) tandisque la plus longue était 25°C, 50% r.h. (42.6 jours). Bien que le développement soit plus rapide à 35°C; plus de progénies étaient produites à 30°C et le taux d’augmentation était mieux mis en valeur à 30 qu’à 35°C. Les adultes étaient plus gros lorsque produits à des températures basses et humidités plus élevées qu’à des températures élevées et humidités basses.Les adultes ont vécu plus longtemps à des températures basses et hautes humidités qu’à de hautes températures et humidités basses. Les femelles étaient plus grosses et vivaient plus longtemps que les m←es.
Seasonal productivity and nest survival of Golden-cheeked Warblers vary with forest type and edge density

ABSTRACT Knowledge of the demography and habitat requirements of the endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) is needed for its recovery, including measures of productivity instead of reproductive indices. We report on breeding phenology and demography, calculate model-based estimates of nest survival and seasonal productivity and evaluate support for relationships with forest type, forest edge density, day of year, and year, and determine correspondence in these 2 measures of reproductive success. Males arrived in early March. Females laid the first egg of the first clutch in early April, made up to 5 nesting attempts, and completed nesting by mid-June. The most-supported nest survival model included day of year, proportion of juniper and juniper–oak forest within a 100-m radius of each nest, and the interactive effect of year and forest edge density. The most-supported seasonal productivity model included proportion of each forest type and the interactive effect of year and forest edge density. Seasonal productivity increased from 1.38 to 3.96 fledglings per territory and from 1.38 to 2.40 fledglings per territory across 0.00 to 0.87 and 0.00 to 1.00 proportion of juniper and proportion of juniper–oak forest, respectively. Seasonal productivity ranged from 1.86 to 3.12 fledglings per territory in 2010 and 2004, respectively (mean ± SD = 2.36 ± 0.37). Correlations between nest survival and seasonal productivity were strong when we controlled for the effect of year indicating demographic parameters other than nest survival, particularly renesting, double brooding, and polygyny, made an important contribution to actual seasonal productivity. The similarity in relationships of both measures of reproductive success with forest type and edge density and parallel findings for density with these habitat metrics reported in other studies provide strong rationale for protecting sites with high proportions of juniper and juniper–oak forest and less forest edge to further recovery efforts for the Golden-cheeked Warbler.
Breeding Range Extension of the Northern Saw-whet Owl in Quebec

Abstract Although the breeding range of the Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) is restricted to North America, the northern limits of its range are still unclear. In Quebec, the most northerly confirmed breeding records had come from the Saguenay area (Chicoutimi; 48° 25′ N, 71° 03′ W) in balsam fir- (Abies balsamea) white birch (Betula papyrifera) forest and on the Gaspé Peninsula (Amqui; 48° 28′ N, 67° 25′ W) in balsam fir-yellow birch (B. alleghaniensis) forest. Between 1998 and 2003, however, we documented nine Northern Saw-whet Owl nests in balsam fir-black spruce (Picea marina) forest in boreal Quebec on the Mingan Terraces. These records extend the species' known breeding range northward to >50° N.
Comparing isotope signatures of prey fish: does gut removal affect δ13C or δ15N?

Stable isotope analysis is a quick and inexpensive method to monitor the effects of food web changes on aquatic communities. Traditionally, whole specimens have been used when determining isotope composition of prey fish or age-0 recreational fishes. However, gut contents of prey fish could potentially alter isotope composition of the specimen, especially when recent foraging has taken place or when the gut contains non-assimilated material that would normally pass through fishes undigested. To assess the impacts of gut content on prey fish isotope signatures, we examined the differences in isotopic variation of five prey fish species using whole fish, whole fish with the gut contents removed, and dorsal muscle only. We found significant differences in both δ15N and δ13C between the three tissue treatments. In most cases, muscle tissue was enriched compared to whole specimens or gut-removed specimens. Moreover, differences in mean δ15N within a species were up to 2‰ among treatments. This would result in a change of over half a trophic position (TP) based on a 3.4‰ increase per trophic level. However, there were no apparent relationships between tissue isotope values in fish with increased gut fullness (more prey tissue present). We suggest that muscle tissue should be used as the standard tissue for determining isotope composition of prey fish or age-0 recreational fishes, especially when determining enrichment for mixing models, calculating TP, or constructing aquatic food webs.
Biological control of the papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in Guam.

Summary The papaya mealybug (PM), Paracoc-cus marginatus , a pest in the Central America and the Caribbean was noted to have established on Guam in April 2002 and was causing serious damage to papaya, Plumeria spp. , Hibiscus spp. and other plants. The parasitoids Anagyrus loecki , Pseudleptomastix mexicana and Acerophagous papayae totalling 46 200 individuals were introduced from Puerto Rico and ﬁ eld released in Guam from June to October, 2002. A reduction of over 99% of papaya mealybug was ob-served about a year after the introduction of these parasitoids. This has reduced risk of introduction of this mealybug to neighbouring islands in the Paciﬁ c Region. A biological control system now appears successful and is available for implementation if necessary in other islands in the Paciﬁ c region.Keywords: Papaya mealybug, Para-coccus marginatus , Hemiptera, Pseudo-coccidae, Anagyrus loecki , Pseudlepto-mastix mexicana , Acerophagous papayae , Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae, biological control, Guam.
The effect of mendi (Chaerophyllum sp.) on ripening of vacuum‐packed herby cheese

The composition, biochemical and sensory parameters of control cheese (without herbs) and four herby cheeses at 0.5, 1, 2 and 3% herb levels (mendi, Chaerophyllum sp.) ripened at 4 ± 1 °Cfor 90 days were compared. As herb levels increased from 0.5 to 3%, dry matter and pH value decreased significantly. However, dry matter of all cheeses showed similar changes during ripening. The salt content of samples changed from 3.44 to 5.47% during ripening. There was a tendency toward slightly higher titratable acidity in cheeses with more added herbs. Ripening index, trichloroacetic acid-soluble nitrogen/total nitrogen, phosphotungstic acid-soluble nitrogen/total nitrogen, and lipolysis values of the cheese samples were affected by adding herbs and by ripening time. The most acceptable sensory score was obtained with 1% added herbs.
Near-future levels of ocean acidification do not affect sperm motility and fertilization kinetics in the oyster Crassostrea gigas

Abstract. An increasing number of studies are now reporting the effects of ocean acidification on a broad range of marine species, processes and systems. Many of these are investigating the sensitive early life-history stages that several major reviews have highlighted as being potentially most susceptible to ocean acidification. Nonetheless there remain few investigations of the effects of ocean acidification on the very earliest, and critical, process of fertilization, and still fewer that have investigated levels of ocean acidification relevant for the coming century. Here we report the effects of near-future levels of ocean acidification (≈−0.35 pH unit change) on sperm swimming speed, sperm motility, and fertilization kinetics in a population of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas from western Sweden. We found no significant effect of ocean acidification – a result that was well-supported by power analysis. Similar findings from Japan suggest that this may be a globally robust result, and we emphasise the need for experiments on multiple populations from throughout a species' range. We also discuss the importance of sound experimental design and power analysis in meaningful interpretation of non-significant results.
Flavonoid Identification and Hypoglycaemic Studies of the Butanol Fraction from Gynura procumbens

The methanol extract of the leaves of Gynura procumbens was partitioned between chloroform, ethyl acetate and n -butanol. Qualitative HPLC identification of the major flavonoid constituents in the n -butanol fraction and separation of standard mixture of isolated compounds from the n -butanol fraction are given. Blood glucose levels in streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic rats were reduced by the administration of 1 g/kg of the n -butanol fraction. The results were compared with glibenclamide used as standard drug. The fraction produced no significant effect in normal rats.
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Improved Source Memory and Modulated Recollection-Based Retrieval in Healthy Older Adults

Source memory is one of the cognitive abilities that are most vulnerable to aging. Luckily, the brain plasticity could be modulated to counteract the decline. The repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), a relatively non-invasive neuro-modulatory technique, could directly modulate neural excitability in the targeted cortical areas. Here, we are interested in whether the application of rTMS could enhance the source memory performance in healthy older adults. In addition, event-related potentials (ERPs) were employed to explore the specific retrieval process that rTMS could affect. Subjects were randomly assigned to either the rTMS group or the sham group. The rTMS group received 10 sessions (20 min per session) of 10 Hz rTMS applying on the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (i.e., F4 site), and the sham group received 10 sessions of sham stimulation. Both groups performed source memory tests before and after the intervention while the electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded during the retrieval process. Behavioral results showed that the source memory performance was significantly improved after rTMS compared with the sham stimulation; ERPs results showed that during the retrieval phase, the left parietal old/new effect, which reflected the process of recollection common to both young and old adults, increased in the rTMS group compared with the sham stimulation group, whereas the late reversed old/new effect specific to the source retrieval of older adults showed similar attenuation after intervention in both groups. The present results suggested that rTMS could be an effective intervention to improve source memory performance in healthy older adults and that it selectively facilitated the youth-like recollection process during retrieval. This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) with the identifier chictr-ire-15006371.
Measuring Changes in Liquidity Using the Bid-Offer Price Proxy: Determinants of Liquidity in the United Kingdom Gilt Market

Financial market liquidity is an important yardstick of value for investors and central monetary authorities. Secondary market liquidity itself cannot be observed directly and is instead measured using a number of different proxies. The most common proxy is the asset bid-off price spread. In this study we conduct time series analysis of the bid-offer spread in order to ascertain if the level of liquidity in a specified market has improved over a period of time. The market we select is the United Kingdom government bond market or gilt market. During the 1990s the UK monetary authorities introduced a number of structural reforms in the gilt market, designed to improve secondary market liquidity. We measure the success of the reforms by attempting to determine if liquidity levels improved in the post-reform period, via the examination of the bid-offer spread. We examine the determinants of this proxy measure, and estimate which of the explanatory variables carries the greatest weight in influencing liquidity levels. We conclude that a number of the independent variables that we examined, including bond issue size and maturity, are found to be significant determinants of liquidity. We conclude further that similar structural reforms should be considered by other central monetary authorities wishing to improve bond market liquidity levels, and that the determinant factors we cite should be reviewed during periods of market correction, when liquidity levels decrease.
Effect of xylitol on wheat dough properties and bread characteristics

Summary The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the effect of xylitol on wheat dough properties and bread qualities. The results showed that peak viscosity of bread flour containing 20% xylitol was about 12.59% higher than that of the control. The development time and stability time of dough containing 5% xylitol were 2.55 and 1.62 min longer than those of the control, and the drop value decreased from 454 FU to 359 FU. The extensibility of dough containing 10% xylitol was 21 mm longer than that of the control. The maximum resistance and energy area showed an increasing trend. Scanning electron microscopy images showed a discontinuous gluten matrix in which starch granules were not covered completely with gluten when containing xylitol. The springiness of bread with 10% xylitol was increased by 10.6% compared with that of the control, while the hardness was decreased by 21.5%. The bread added 10% and 15% xylitol had higher scores than the control.
Artificial dietary regime may impair subsequent foraging behaviour of hatchery-reared turbot released into the natural environment

When offered a size range of shrimp Crangon crangon, fewer naive reared turbot Scophthalmus maximus fed than did wild fish, and those that fed took smaller prey. Analysis of feeding behaviour indicated differences between wild and naive reared fish in the motivation to feed on novel prey and in prey recognition and capture efficiency. Feeding efficiency and motivation increased with experience and reared fish achieved the feeding rate of wild fish within the 9 days of the experiment. The ‘creep’ style of approach to shrimp was innate to naive reared turbot. A comparative feeding experiment confirmed that experienced reared fish ate more prey than naive reared fish. Naive reared turbot selected pellets and attacked stones preferentially to shrimp, in contrast to wild and experienced reared fish, which selected shrimp. Stones were attacked due to the memory of pellet-like visual characteristics and this behaviour persisted in some reared fish for at least 6 weeks, illustrating a cost of memory in which changing environmental conditions cause previously learnt information to become misleading. The experimental data also demonstrated that differences may arise in the prey and feeding behaviour of wild and naive reared fish, but that such differences diminish with experience.