Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nest attendance and hatchling care in wild American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Crocodilians show universal parental care, but few studies concentrate on this behavior in wild crocodiles. We studied nest and hatchling care in genetically pure wild American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) on two Caribbean islands of Mexico. From 2006 to 2009 we made direct observations of crocodile behavior upon discovery of nests and groups of hatchlings in Banco Chinchorro. In 2009, we installed camera traps at 4 nests from the time of their discovery to the hatching of each nest, in Banco Chinchorro and Cozumel Island. Twenty-one other species were observed to visit crocodile nests. No nest predation was observed but nine species represented some danger to nests and/or hatchlings. Females seemed to remain in the nest vicinity during incubation. There was variability in nest visit frequencies and no nest defense toward human intrusion was observed. Visit frequency by other species at nests decreased with increased crocodile visitation. Crocodiles mainly visited nests on darker nights, corresponding to the visits of species representing greater danger for nests. Repair of the nest by females after disturbance was observed for the first time in wild American crocodiles. Crocodile visits were more frequent at the beginning and the end of incubation, which could represent different antipredation strategies. Although adult crocodiles helped during hatching for the emergence of neonates, hatchling care seemed reduced compared to other crocodile species. We provide the first data on nesting behavior of genetically pure American crocodiles in the Yucatan peninsula, which provides a base for future comparisons with Morelet's crocodiles and their hybrids.
MARINICHLORELLA KAISTIAE GEN. ET SP. NOV. (TREBOUXIOPHYCEAE, CHLOROPHYTA) BASED ON POLYPHASIC TAXONOMY 1

We describe three coccoid green algal strains belonging to a new genus and species, Marinichlorella kaistiae Z. Aslam, W. Shin, M. K. Kim, W. ‐T. Im et S. ‐T. Lee, in seawater samples from the South Sea of Korea. These strains were maintained at 25°C–30°C under a 12:12 light:dark (L:D) photoregime in an ASN‐III medium at a pH of 7.5. These strains were tolerant of high salinity (7.5% NaCl) (w/v) and temperature (40°C). Molecular phylogenetic analyses using 18S rRNA gene sequence data resolved these organisms to a clade separate from green coccoid algae with similar morphology. The DNA–DNA hybridization results demonstrated very low relatedness of these organisms to phylogenetically related species of the genera Chlorella and Parachlorella. The molar guanine + cytosine content (G + C mol%) of the genomic DNA of these organisms ranged from 64.7 to 69.1 mol%. Based on molecular phylogeny, DNA–DNA hybridization, and other morphological studies, we propose a new taxon, Marinichlorella kaistiae, to describe these strains and classify them in the family Chlorellaceae. The type strain is KAS007T (= KCTC AG10303T = IAM C‐620T).
Tax Avoidance and Labor Investments

I examine the relation between tax avoidance and firms’ labor investments. Consistent with risks and uncertainties from tax avoidance making firms more cautious when investing, I provide evidence that firms with low cash effective tax rates, my proxy for tax avoidance, undertake sub-optimal labor investments relative to the level justified by their underlying economic fundamentals and industry medians. I find this effect using a quasi-natural experiment around Ireland’s statutory corporate tax cut of December 1997. More importantly, I find my result to be more pronounced in sub-samples of firms exposed to greater tax risks and uncertainties, which is consistent with the view of firms withholding their investments in human capital in response to potential reductions in cash flows and shareholders’ wealth.
Intact lima bean plants exposed to herbivore-induced plant volatiles attract predatory mites and spider mites at different levels according to plant parts

Previous studies have shown that intact lima bean plants exposed to volatiles emitted from conspecific plants infested by two-spotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae), attract Phytoseiulus persimilis (Acari: Phytoseiidae), a carnivorous natural enemy of spider mites. Here, we investigated the olfactory responses of P. persimilis and T. urticae to different parts of intact lima bean plants exposed to these volatiles using a Y-tube olfactometer. Predators responded in greater number to volatiles from the first trifoliate leaves compared to those from primary leaves, and to volatiles from the parts above the first trifoliate leaves compared to those from the first trifoliate leaves. Conversely, spider mites responded more to volatiles from primary leaves compared to those from the first trifoliate leaves, and showed equal preference for volatiles released from the first trifoliate leaves or the parts above the first trifoliate leaf. The reproduction of spider mites in primary leaves was higher than those on trifoliate leaves. Based on these data, the potential adaptive value of differential attractiveness of different parts of intact lima bean plants to T. urticae and P. persimilis is discussed.
A survey of Neospora caninum-associated abortion in dairy cattle of Romania

The first detection by immunohistochemistry of Neospora caninum parasitic forms in the tissues of aborted bovine fetuses in Romania is reported. Nine dairy cattle and their aborted fetuses and feces samples from 12 dogs were tested. Five dairy cattle were serologically positive for N. caninum by ELISA. The Nc-5 gene of N. caninum was amplified from samples of four aborted fetuses. In two fetuses immunohistochemistry showed parasitic forms stained positively with the mouse anti-N. caninum antibodies. Histopathology revealed multifocal non-suppurative encephalitis and myocarditis. Neospora caninum DNA was amplified in one feces dog sample.
KINESIOLOGY TAPING IN CERVICAL SPINE PAIN SYNDROMES. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE METHOD BASED ON PILOT CLINICAL NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES

Material and methods Research involved two Groups: I (N = > 7) with cervical spine pain syndrome and II (N = > 10) of healthy volunteers. I Group was studied by the Copenhagen Scale of Functional Disability of the cervical spine. Also Lovett’s muscle strength test as well as measurement of range of cervical spine motions (ROM): flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation were applied. Electroneurography (ENG) and surface electromyography (sEMG) in three observation periods were done. II Group was examined by ENG and sEMG tests once. Neural transmission of the musculocutaneous, axillaris and accesorius nerve were performed. Muscle activity at rest and maximum contraction of the trapezius, paraspinal muscles, deltoid and biceps brachii muscles were studied in both groups. Only I Group was treated by KT application. Statistical analysis used the W Shapiro-Wilk for dependent and independent variables, U Mann-Whitney test for statistical significance for independent and dependent samples. Wilcoxon test was used for the analysis of related variables.
Phloretin as an Antagonist of Prostaglandin F2α Receptor in Cultured Rat Astrocytes

Abstract: The effect of phloretin on prostaglandin (PG) F2α‐induced phosphoinositide hydrolysis and elevation of intracellular Ca2+ concentration was examined in cultured rat astrocytes. Phloretin inhibited PGF2α (1 μM)‐induced phosphoinositide hydrolysis in a concentration‐dependent manner with an IC50 value of 16 μM. The inhibitory action of phloretin was specific for PGs. The addition of increasing concentrations of phloretin caused progressive shifts of the dose‐response curves of PGF2α to the right. In digitoninpermeabilized astrocytes, phloretin (100 μM) inhibited the stimulation induced by PGF2α (1 μM) plus GTPγS (50 μM) without affecting that induced by GTPγS alone. PGF2α at 1 μM transiently increased astrocytic intracellular Ca2+ concentration in 39% of the cells tested. The response was completely blocked by 100 μM phloretin and the calcium response recovered again after washing out phloretin. These results suggest that phloretin is an antagonist of PGF2α receptor linked to phospholipase C in astrocytes.
The Importance of Contract Farming to Small-scale Farmers in Africa and the Implications for Policy: A Review Scenario

Contract Farming (CF) has been largely believed to have the ability to promote the chances of Small-scale Farmers (SSFs) from less developed nations to participate in intensive agricultural production and lucrative export markets, thereby integrating them into the latest way of doing agri-business. A perennial issue of SSFs in Africa is a subsistence agricultural productivity due to lack of proper markets, credits and technology in recent years, aggravated by unstable prices of energy and food and lately by the global financial crisis. The study is purely qualitative in nature, making use of secondary data (literature from journals, working papers, unpublished theses and other publications was analysed). The study reviewed CF definitions, the origins, evolution, models on CF, SSFs and CF, objectives, policy-issues and implications to conclusions and recommendations. The study has shown that adjustments in agri-food systems globally are producing an increased new interest in CF as a supply-chain governance strategy. It has been established that small and medium size farmers in Africa are suppressed by market bottlenecks or unfairness, for example, restricted access to loan facilities, insurance and specialised agri-inputs at above-average costs. Government and the private sector must formulate contractual laws that will govern agricultural production and marketing agreements between agri-businesses and farmers in addition to establishing and strengthening contract-enforcing institutions to protect both parties contract from any contractual problems, for example, side marketing. Contract Farming brings out the best outcomes for farmers when they have sufficient bargaining power to negotiate the terms of the contract.
SPATIAL-TEMPORAL MODELING OF CIVIL WAR: THE EXAMPLE OF BOSNIA

We describe a spatially and temporally autoregressive discrete regression model, detail and implement an algorithm for estimating the parameters of such a model, following the framework of Geyer and Thompson (1992), as recently updated by Zhu, Zheng, Carroll and Aukema (2008); Zhu, Rasmussen, Møller, Aukema and Raffa (2008); Zheng and Zhu (2008). This model is applied to geo-located data on attributes and conflict events in Bosnia over the period from March 1992 through October 1995. We present an R program library to estimate this class of models. Results show that there is a strong spatial as well as temporal dimension to the outbreak of civil conflicts in Bosnia, dynamics in space and time that standard OLS-type implementations completely miss. Using this approach it is no longer necessary to assume that either the spatial or the temporal dependencies in conflict data are exogenous in order to create predictive and inferential models of civil conflicts. Substantively, we show via inference, simulation, and animations that conflict events in Bosnia did diffuse spatially as well as temporally. 1. The Spatial-temporal Model Discrete spatial temporal data characterize most models of conflict, both at the international and domestic levels. The gold-standard approach in political science appears to focus on the temporal dependencies in such data, at the expense of the spatial dependence. In the fields of applied statistics, there are two general stepping off points for developing models of such data. One approach follows the model based geo-statistics approach found in Diggle, Moyeed and Tawn (1998) and uses a form of generalized linear mixed models to examine spatial dependencies among geo-located events. The spatial-temporal component is modeled by a Gaussian process that captures the dependencies via an autocorrelation function that embodies both spatial and temporal lags. A second approach follows from the breakthrough of Besag (1972, 1974) in using a lattice based framework for a Markov Random Field, which models the discrete outcome at one location conditional on the observed outcomes at neighboring locations. This approach–known as autologistic regression–was widely employed for decades by using a pseudo-likelihood approach (i.e., a normal logistic regression). The autologistic approach is fairly straightforward. We detail it formally herein. Let Yt = (Y1,t . . . YN,t) ′ represent whether there is a conflict on the observed spatial arrangement of units at time t; Yi,t is the existence of conflict at location i at time t. Date: September 15, 2008, version 0.9, conference draft, do not cite. Authors’ Note: This was prepared for the GROW-Net Conference on “Disaggregating Civil War: Transitions, Governance and Intervention,” held in Zurich, 18-20 September, 2008. We would like to thank Jun Zhu for sharing code from his STARM package with us. Jan Ketil Rød has our gratitude for his help in obtaining a digital representation of the Bosnian municipalities.
DNA POLYMORPHISM WITHIN THE WH7803 SEROGROUP OF MARINE SYNECHOCOCCUS SPP. (CYANOBACTERIA) 1, 2

Genetic differences among ten strains of chroococcoid cyanobacteria (Synechococcus spp.) were identified by Southern blot hybridization. Data on shared number of restriction fragment length polymorphisms were used to identify the pattern and degree of genetic relatedness among the strains by two different methods of phylogenetic analysis. All the marine strains in the study contained phycoerythrin (PE) and cross‐reacted with antisera directed against strain WH7803. Five contained a PE composed of phycourobilin (PUB) and phycoerythrobilin (PEB) Chromophores, and three contained a PE composed of only PEB chromophores. Two freshwater strains which do not contain PE and do not cross‐react with the anti‐WH7803 serum were included in the study for comparison. Dollo Parsimony analysis and cluster analysis showed that the WH7803 serogroup includes at least four widely separated genetic lineages. Strains within each lineages were closely related but the differences between lineages were as great as those between any of the marine lineages and the freshwater lineage. Strains cultured simultaneously from the same water mass were associated with different lineages. Thus, we conclude that natural assemblages of marine. Synechococcus are, at least occasionally, composed of individuals as genetically distinct from each other as members of different species or genera in other taxa.
Public judgements of the social acceptability of silvicultural alternatives in Tasmanian wet eucalypt forests

Summary This research compared individual's social acceptability ratings of six harvest and regeneration systems that could be applied in wet eucalypt forests: the clearfell, burn and sow system and five alternatives. A smaller calibration study also tested the effect of providing participants with a wider range of alternative systems including a no-harvest option and conversion to blue gum plantation. A survey method was complemented by qualitative follow-up interviews. About 300 Tasmanians with different affiliations in relation to forest harvesting were asked to judge the acceptability of the harvest systems. These were presented to them in two ways: as still images showing the forest in the first year after harvest and as animated sequences showing the forest regenerating over time. On average, non-affiliated and conservation-affiliated people rated the clearfell system least acceptable and a selective logging system most acceptable. For these two groups, as a general trend, acceptability increased with the proportion of forest retained at the first harvest. Aggregated harvest patterns were more acceptable than dispersed. Follow-up interviews provided examples of aesthetic and more thought—based responses leading to these trends. The trend for large-scale timber-industry-affiliated participants was opposite: the more forest retained on the site, the less acceptable the result. In the calibration study, which included a wider range of systems and mostly non-affiliated participants, a no-harvest option was rated most acceptable and the selective-harvest system was rated significantly less acceptable than when the no-harvest option was not available. Viewing animated sequences led to higher ratings of the more intensive harvest systems and lower ratings of the selective harvest system than those based on still images. While significant, these differences were small.
Critical nutrient concentrations and antagonistic and synergistic relationships among the nutrients of NFT‐grown young tomato plants

Abstract Critical concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn) with respect to dry matter yield end antagonistic and synergistic relationships among these nutrients were studied in which tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) was grown in recirculating nutrient solution (NFT). Increments of nutrient elements in the nutrient solution increased the proportional rate of the corresponding nutrient elements. Increasing levels of N negatively correlated with plant P and positively correlated with Ca, Fe, and Zn. Iron and Mn contents of the plants were increased and N, K, Ca, and Mg were decreased as a function of P applied. Increases in K in the nutrient solution caused increases in the concentrations of K, N, P, and Zn, and decreases in the concentration of Ca and Fe. Applied Ca increased the concentrations of Ca and N, and decreased the concentrations of P, Mg, Fe, Zn, and Mn. Potassium, Ca, and Fe contents of the plants wer.
Toxicity of oil-spill removers (‘detergents’) to marine life: an assessment using the intertidal barnacle Elminius modestus

The oil-spill removers BP 1002, Gamlen, Slipclean and Dasic have been tested for toxicity using the barnacle Elminius modestus Darwin. All four substances were more toxic than the laboratory detergent Teepol-L, and Kuwait crude oil. BP 1002 was the most toxic of the oil-spill removers, and Dasic the least, but all were poisonous at concentrations between 2 and 10 ppm.
Desempenho até a desmama de bezerros Nelore e cruzas com Nelore

The pre-weaning performance of Nellore (N), Guzera x N (GN), Red Angus x N (RN) and Marchigiana x N (MN) calves, from a crossbreeding experiment conducted at IAPAR Paranavai Experimental Station, produced by artificial insemination, born between 1985 and 1998 within two birth seasons (January to April and July to December) was studied. The least squares method was utilized to analyze 721 observations of birth weight (PNT) and 686 of weaning weight (PDS) and average daily gain from birth to weaning (GMD_ND). For PNT, the effect of classes of Julian days with ten days interval between classes, showed to be more useful to explain birth seasons variations than the calf birth month, whose influence was very strong for PDS and GMD_ND. For the three evaluated traits, there was important effect (linear and quadratic) of age (days) of the dam of the calf, as a co-variable, as well as of the fixed effects of breed of sire or genetic group, calf birth year and calf sex. The genetic group x sex of calf interaction was significant for PNT, PDS and GMD_ND. The random effect of sire within genetic group was important for PNT, PDS and GMD_ND. The least squares means and respective standard errors, always in the sequence N, GN, RN and MN, were: 28.5 ± 0.38 kg, 29.0 ± 0.44 kg, 29.4 ± 0.46 kg and 31.3 ± 0.47 for PNT; 141.3 ± 1.47 kg, 147.6 ± 1.61 kg, 167.5 ± 1.72 kg and 162.0 ± 1.89 kg for PDS; and 0.510 ± 0.007 kg, 0.540 ± 0.008 kg, 0.627 ± 0.008 and 0.583 ± 0.009 for GMD_ND.
Morphological characterization of the local goat population “Beni Arrous”

A total of 106 goats (10 bucks and 96 does) in 21 farms chosen at random in two districts of Beni Arrous and Rommani were used for description and measurements. Goats studied had stains on their coat, red for two thirds and black for one third of them. The adult goat weighed in average 37.5 kg, the size (height at withers) averaged 63.6 cm and the total body length 64.4 cm. The buck weight averaged 41.8 kg, the height at withers 65.2 cm, and its total body length 60.8 cm. A proportion of 51.4% of goats had a dressed ears form, 76% had no tassels and 57.3% did not have a beard. The presence of horns is dominant in males and females. The chest is prominent; the heart girth is of 79.5 cm.
Efficient Techniques to Strongly Enhance the Virtual Prototype Based Design Flow

SystemC-based Virtual Prototypes (VPs) are an industry-proven solution to tackle the rising complexity of embedded systems in the design flow. This paper proposes a comprehensive set of novel approaches that strongly enhance all major aspects of a modern VP-based design flow. A strong emphasis is put on automated formal verification methods and advanced coverage-guided testing techniques tailored for SystemC-based VPs and also the software. In addition, we consider VP modeling techniques that cover functional as well as non-functional aspects and also propose automated correspondence analyses between the hardware-and VP-level to utilize information available at different levels of abstraction. All approaches have been extensively evaluated with several experiments that clearly demonstrate their effectiveness in strongly enhancing the VP-based design flow, in particular by drastically improving the overall quality in combination with a reduction in time-to-market. Furthermore, this paper puts a particular focus on the modern RISC-V Instruction Set Architecture (ISA).
Conjugated polyamines and reproductive development: Biochemical, molecular and physiological approaches

Whole tobacco plants containing the root-inducing, left-hand transferred DNA (Ri TL-DNA) display a transformed phenotype, that includes alterations in a number of developmental processes, such as floral induction, flowering and reproduction. We show that the entire Ri TL-DNA is responsible for repression of ornithine and tyrosine decarboxylases while it exerts no effect on transferase and the methyl transferase activities. Evidence is provided that two genes from the Ri TL-DNA, rolA and rolC, alter polyamine metabolism as well as floral induction and flowering. Thus, plants transformed by the rolC gene (under the control of the 35S promoter from cauliflower mosaic virus) were male-sterile (non-viable pollen) and female fertility was reduced by approximatively 80%. A constitutive overexpression of the rolC gene may directly or indirectly cause inhibition of the accumulation of water-insoluble amine conjugates located in the anthers and all the methyl transferases, leading to increases of ornithine decarboxylase, phenylalanine ammonia lyase and putrescine caffeoyl-CoA transferase. The results suggest that male sterility is associated with catabolic processes exerted at the level of water-insoluble amine conjugates and support the view that diamine oxidase may be involved in the regulation of the amine concentration during sexual differentiation, a factor that should be considered when attempting to decipher the mechanisms of control of sexual differentiation. The rolC gene could be useful in determining the role of diamine oxidase in the physiology of flowering. These results suggest that elevated free polyamine and water-soluble polyamine levels (located in the ovaries) contribute to abnormal floral development. The transformed phenotype due to P 35s -rolA (the rolA gene fused to the 35S promoter) consisted of inhibited or delayed flowering, and altered floral morphology in the form of flower abortion. The effects of P 35s -rolA on flowering and fertility are closely correlated with limitations in the accumulation of the water-soluble and -insoluble amine conjugates and increase in accumulation of free amines, indicating that amine conjugates (via transferases) have important functions in floral induction, floral evocation and reproduction. Spermidine availability as well as tyramine availability (in conjugated forms) could be limiting factor(s) in sexual development in tobacco.