Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growth curve analyses in poultry science

Growth is a key characteristic of animals and can be defined as any change in body size per time unit, and is influenced by genotype and environment. Mathematical functions called ‘growth models’ have been used to explain the growth patterns of poultry species. These semi-mechanistic growth models have a non-linear structure, sigmoid shape, and certain biologically meaningful parameters. In poultry science, Gompertz, Logistic, Richards and von Bertalanffy functions have been commonly used to model the growth patterns of birds. In this review, the studies concerned have been summarised under the titles ‘determination of the best-fitting growth model’, ‘a comparison of the growth of poultry species or various experimental groups’, and ‘genetic parameter estimates for growth curve parameters’. This review discusses existing and new approaches to growth modelling.
Multiplex-PCR differentiation of two Hyalomma and two Haemaphysalis species (Acari: Ixodidae)

Hyalomma and Haemaphysalis are two most important genera of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae). The rapid and accurate identification of field collected specimens is crucial in faunal works, laboratory assays, anti-tick vaccine experiments, etc. The present study was designed to introduce a rapid and more sensitive method for the differentiation of closely related Hyalomma and Haemaphysalis species namely the pairs Hy. anatolicum - Hy. asiaticum and Ha. punctata-Ha. sulcata , as the main vectors of different animal and human pathogenic agents. Tick specimens were collected from domestic animals in Ardabil, Hormozgan, Khuzestan, Kurdistan, Lorestan, and Mazandaran and identified according to the taxonomic keys. DNA was extracted by the Phenol-Chloroform method. Then, PCR was carried out in a single PCR reaction tube using three pairs designed primers (one forward and two reverse) adapted from the internal transcribe spacer 2 (ITS2) and cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) genes for Hyalomma and Haemaphysalis , respectively. In the present study, results of Multiplex-PCR revealed that the pairs Hy. anatolicum - H. asiaticum and Ha. punctata-Ha. sulcata could be well differentiated on gel electrophoresis. Morphological misidentification of Hy. anatolicum - Hy. asiaticum and Ha. punctata-Ha. sulcata could be reduced significantly after using Multiplex-PCR.
Explicit diversification of search results across multiple dimensions for educational search

Making use of search systems to foster learning is an emerging research trend known as search as learning. Earlier works identified result diversification as a useful technique to support learning‐oriented search, since diversification ensures a comprehensive coverage of various aspects of the queried topic in the result list. Inspired by this finding, first we define a new research problem, multidimensional result diversification, in the context of educational search. We argue that in a search engine for the education domain, it is necessary to diversify results across multiple dimensions, that is, not only for the topical aspects covered by the retrieved documents, but also for other dimensions, such as the type of the document (e.g., text, video, etc.) or its intellectual level (say, for beginners/experts). Second, we propose a framework that extends the probabilistic and supervised diversification methods to take into account the coverage of such multiple dimensions. We demonstrate its effectiveness upon a newly developed test collection based on a real‐life educational search engine. Thorough experiments based on gathered relevance annotations reveal that the proposed framework outperforms the baseline by up to 2.4%. An alternative evaluation utilizing user clicks also yields improvements of up to 2% w.r. t. various metrics.
The Effects of Dietary Supplements on Skeletal Muscle Function in Type 2 Diabetic Rats

Type 2 Diabetes is considered to be a heterogeneous disease, and whilst its pathogenesis is currently unknown, it is often characterized by high plasma free fatty acids (FFAs), hyperglycaemia, and altered insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells. Whilst multiple organ systems are often affected by the disease, the effects on skeletal muscle in particular are pertinent, as this is the main organ responsible for glucose disposal, and also has a major role in basal and altered metabolism. The overall aim of this thesis is to examine the extent of any changes to skeletal muscle morphology and (dys)function in Type 2 Diabetes and how these can be improved by the use of dietary supplements. Specifically, the potential of Creatine Monohydrate, Whey Protein Isolate, and Aspirin on the contractile apparatus and specific intramyocellular organelles will be tested in order to reverse some of the maladaptations found in skeletal muscle of Type 2 Diabetic patients.
Microscopic analysis of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) infection by Ganoderma boninense

i Declaration by author . iii Publications during candidature . iv Publications included in the thesis . iv Contributions by others to the thesis. iv Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree . iv Acknowledgements. v
Confronto di patogenicità fra otto ceppi di Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev, 1934) (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae) rinvenuti in terreni dell’Italia meridionale

INFECTIVITY COMPARISON AMONG EIGHT STEINERNEMA FELTIAE (FILIPJEV, 1934) (RHABDITIDA: STEINERNEMATIDAE) ISOLATED FROM SOUTHERN ITALIAN SOILS The infectivity of eight strains of Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev, 1934) isolated from Southern Italian soils were compared in two laboratory bioassays against Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera: Galleriidae) larvae. Infectivity was determined by larval mortality rate and penetration rate assays. The percentage of larval mortality was recorded after 72-h exposure to infective juveniles (IJs) ranging from 37.7 to 71.1%. In the penetration rate assay the percentage and sex ratio of nema- todes invading the insects were determined; the average number of nematodes in cadavers exposed to 100 IJs ranged from 5.23 to 15.80. There were significant differences among the strains and four of them (IS-CL2, IS-GR1, IS-CO1, IS-SA1) were highly virulent to G. mellonella larvae. Bioassays’ results showed a correlation between levels of host mortality and levels of nematode establishment. Key words: Entomopathogenic nematodes, Galleria mellonella, Italian strains, bioassays, pene- tration rate, larval mortality rate. E stato effettuato un confronto di patogenicita tra 8 ceppi di Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev, 1934), isolati da terreni dell’Italia meridionale, utilizzando larve di Galleria mellonella in due biosaggi di laboratorio. La patogenicita e stata valutata mediante il tasso di mortalita larvale ed il tasso di penetrazione. I dati sulla mortalita larvale sono stati rilevati 72 ore dopo aver sottoposto 30 larve all’inoculo di stadi giovanili infestanti (Ijs); le percentuali di mortalita hanno presentato valori compresi tra 37,7% (IS-CE2) e 71,1% (IS-CO1). Nel biosaggio sul tasso di penetrazione, dove 3 larve sono state sottoposte all’infestazione di 100 (Ijs) dei diversi ceppi, sono stati determinati il numero dei nematodi penetrati all’interno dell’ospite (variabile da 5,23% a 15,80%) e la sex ratio. Sono state evidenziate significative differenze tra i diversi isolati e 4 di essi (IS-CL2, IS- GR1, IS-CO1, IS-SA1) hanno mostrato una alta patogenicita nei confronti delle larve di G. mellonella. I dati dei biosaggi hanno evidenziato una correlazione tra la mortalita larvale ed i nematodi riscontrati all’interno delle larve. Parole chiave: nematodi entomopatogeni, Galleria mellonella, isolati italiani, biosaggi, tasso di penetrazione, tasso di mortalita.
Contrasting environmental preferences of photosynthetic and non‐photosynthetic soil cyanobacteria across the globe

M.D.-B. is supported by a Ramon y Cajal grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (RYC2018-025483-I), and by the BES grant agreement No LRB17\1019 (MUSGONET). The work of C.C. -D. and F.T. M. and the global drylands database were supported by the European Research Council [ERC Grant Agreements 242658 (BIOCOM) and 647038 (BIODESERT)] and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (BIOMOD project, ref. CGL2013-44661-R). F.T. M. acknowledges support from Generalitat Valenciana (BIOMORES project, ref. CIDEGENT/2018/041). Research on biodiversity by B.K. S. is supported by the Australian Research Council (DP170104634). R.D. B. was supported by the U.K. Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) project no. BD5003 and a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) International Exchange Grant (BB/L026406/1).
Top management capabilities and performance of halal product

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of top management capabilities inclusive of global mindset (GM), foreign knowledge (FK) and international firm performance (IP). ,This paper opted for a descriptive study using structured questionnaires involving 118 Malaysian small medium enterprises (SMEs) that are currently marketing their products abroad with halal JAKIM certification. Multiple regression analysis was applied to test the influence of the two variables on international performance. ,The findings revealed both GM and FK significantly influence IP, which is crucial to overcome SMEs’ resistance to go international. ,This study only focusses on the niche market which is halal export product, thus the findings may not be generalized to other sectors. Furthermore, the firm size might also influence the significant contribution of top management. ,This paper is a part of ongoing study of internal capabilities and international firm performance among SMEs halal product manufacturers in developing countries.
Shifts in the bacterial community structure and function along a vegetation gradient in the Great Xing’an Mountains

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to compare soil bacterial communities in the Great Xing’an Mountains that represent three dominant vegetation types (Quercus mongolica forest, shrub mixed with herb and grassland). Soil bacterial communities were analyzed by both culture-dependent physiological profiling (Biolog) and culture-independent DNA-based approaches. The Q. mongolica forest and shrub mixed with herb had higher average well color development than the grassland, and the Q. mongolica forest and shrub mixed with herb soil bacterial communities easily utilized miscellaneous and amines/amides. The bacterial community structure was distinct across the three sites. Most of Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were found in grassland soil, while Firmicutes was present at a higher percentage in the Q. mongolica soil. Extracellular enzyme assays indicated that the soil ecosystem in the grassland experienced altered N and P nutrient cycling dynamics. pH, available phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen were important in shaping bacterial community structure. These results suggest that vegetation type was a strong determinant of the structure and function of bacterial communities, which may subsequently lead to significant changes in ecosystem functioning.
Mountain roads and non-native species modify elevational patterns of plant diversity

Aim: We investigated patterns of species richness and community dissimilarity along elevation gradients using globally replicated, standardized surveys of vascular plants. We asked how these patterns of diversity are influenced by anthropogenic pressures (road construction and non-native species). Location: Global. Time period: 2008-2015. Major taxa studied: Vascular plants. Methods: Native and non-native vascular plant species were recorded in 943 plots along 25 elevation gradients, in nine mountain regions, on four continents. Sampling took place in plots along and away from roads. We analysed the effects of elevation and distance from road on species richness patterns and community dissimilarity (beta-diversity), and assessed how non-native species modified such elevational diversity patterns. Results: Globally, native and total species richness showed a unimodal relationship with elevation that peaked at lower-mid elevations, but these patterns were altered along roads and due to non-native species. Differences in elevational species richness patterns between regions disappeared along roadsides, and non-native species changed the patterns' character in all study regions. Community dissimilarity was reduced along roadsides and through non-native species. We also found a significant elevational decay of beta-diversity, which however was not affected by roads or non-native species. Main conclusions: Idiosyncratic native species richness patterns in plots away from roads implicate region-specific mechanisms underlying these patterns. However, along roadsides a clearer elevational signal emerged and species richness mostly peaked at mid-elevations. We conclude that both roads and non-native species lead to a homogenization of species richness patterns and plant communities in mountains.
Plasmodium simium causing human malaria: a zoonosis with outbreak potential in the Rio de Janeiro Brazilian Atlantic forest

Background Malaria was eliminated from Southern and Southeastern Brazil over 50 years ago. However, an increasing number of autochthonous episodes attributed to Plasmodium vivax have been recently reported in the Atlantic forest region of Rio de Janeiro State. As P. vivax-like non-human primate malaria parasite species Plasmodium simium is locally enzootic, we performed a molecular epidemiological investigation in order to determine whether zoonotic malaria transmission is occurring. Methods Blood samples of humans presenting signs and/or symptoms suggestive of malaria as well as from local howler-monkeys were examined by microscopy and PCR. Additionally, a molecular assay based on sequencing of the parasite mitochondrial genome was developed to distinguish between P. vivax and P. simium, and applied to 33 cases from outbreaks occurred in 2015 and 2016. Results Of 28 samples for which the assay was successfully performed, all were shown to be P. simium, indicating the zoonotic transmission of this species to humans in this region. Sequencing of the whole mitochondrial genome of three of these cases showed that P. simium is most closely related to P. vivax parasites from South American. Findings The explored malaria outbreaks were caused by P. simium, previously considered a monkey-specific malaria parasite, related to but distinct from P. vivax, and which has never conclusively been shown to infect humans before. Interpretation This unequivocal demonstration of zoonotic transmission, 50 years after the only previous report of P. simium in man, leads to the possibility that this parasite has always infected humans in this region, but that it has been consistently misdiagnosed as P. vivax due to a lack of molecular typing techniques. Thorough screening of the local non-human primate and anophelines is required to evaluate the extent of this newly recognized zoonotic threat to public health and malaria eradication in Brazil. Funding Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Rio de Janeiro (Faperj), The Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), JSPS Grant-in-Aid for scientific research, Secretary for Health Surveillance (SVS) of the Ministry of Health, Global Fund, and PRONEX Program of the CNPq.
Does future time perspective predict motivation to learn?

ABSTRACT Outstanding high-school students in Israel are presented with the option of postponing their mandatory military service to pursue academic studies. The current paper focuses on female students aged 16–18 who are faced with this option, and compares those who are motivated to pursue academic studies to those who are more inclined to join the army immediately after high school. Through this comparison, we try to assess the impact of the students’ Future Time Perspective (FTP), as well as their demographic data, on their motivation to learn. The results demonstrated that FTP in the group of students who were motivated to learn was significantly higher compared to the group of students who were not interested in enrolling into academic studies before military service. These findings point to a positive relationship between FTP and motivation to learn immediately after high school, and perhaps even learning motivation in general.
Last interglacial sea levels within the Gulf of Mexico and northwestern Caribbean Sea

Abstract. During the last interglacial (LIG) the volume of additional water in the world's oceans was large enough to raise global sea levels about 6–9 m higher than present levels. However, LIG sea levels vary regionally and those regional differences hold clues about the past distribution of ice sheets and local rates of subsidence and tectonic uplift. In this study, I used a standardized database template to review and summarize the existing constraints on LIG sea levels across the northern Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean shoreline of the Yucatan Peninsula. In total, I extracted 32 sea-level indicators including the insertion of 16 U-series ages on corals, 1 electron spin resonance age, 2 amino acid racemization ages, and 26 luminescence ages. Most dated sea-level indicators for the northern Gulf of Mexico are based on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) ages of beach deposits of a mappable LIG shoreline. This shoreline extends from the Florida Panhandle through south Texas but is buried or removed by the Mississippi River across most of Louisiana. A similar feature is observed in satellite images south of the Rio Grande within the Mexican portions of the Gulf of Mexico but has yet to be dated. Elevations measured on portions of this feature close to the modern coast point to sea levels less than 1 m to ∼5 m higher than present for much of the northern Gulf of Mexico. However, a few, albeit undated, portions of the same shoreline located at more inland locations point to sea levels up to +7.2 m, attesting to up to 7 m of differential subsidence between the inland and coastal sites. Across the Yucatan Peninsula, U-series dating of corals has provided the main index points for LIG sea levels. Other carbonate coastal features such as beach ridges and eolianites have also been described but rely on corals for their dating. The maximum elevation of the LIG coral-based relative sea-level (RSL) estimates decrease from around +6 m across the Caribbean shoreline of the Yucatan Peninsula near Cancun, Mexico, to as low as −6 m to the south beneath the southern atolls of Belize, although discussion continues as to the validity of the ages for these southern corals. If these lower-elevation corals are LIG in age, their below-present elevations may be a result of vertical motion along faults dipping into the Cayman Trough. South of Belize only one purported LIG coral has been dated on the Isla de Roatan off the coast of Honduras at a likely tectonically uplifted elevation of 37.2 m. Thus the elevation of LIG sea levels within the inland siliciclastic shorelines of Guatemala and Honduras as well as the southwestern Gulf of Mexico remains poorly constrained and a potential venue for future research. The database described in this paper is available open access in spreadsheet format as Simms (2020), at this link: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4556163 .
Online Home Schooling: Are Parents Ready? Lessons from the Corona Virus Disease Induced Lock Down

The outbreak of the corona virus disease (COVID-19) in China around December 2019 led to the premature closure of schools globally. This was done to ensure reduced transmission of the disease. Due to the indefinite level two lockdown in Zimbabwe, schools remain closed. This has led to online home schooling, where schools send work to parents who conduct and monitor the lessons on their behalf. This study sought to find out the experiences and readiness of parents in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe, who were expected to conduct lessons online. The study which is situated in the interpretive paradigm and qualitative approach collected data from ten purposively selected parents as key informants. Qualitative data was collected using emailed open-ended questionnaires in compliance with COVID-19 regulations. Results revealed that parents found it difficult to conduct online lessons due to costly data, lack of expert knowledge and teaching pedagogy, unclear instructions from teachers, unavailable or shared gadgets at home and poor internet connectivity. Schools were also said to be piling up work, disregarding parents’ other responsibilities. Conclusions drawn were that most of the parents were not ready for online home schooling although they perceived the exercise to be beneficial. Recommendations were that schools should conduct training sessions for staff and parents, have formal feedback sessions and exercise flexibility for execution and submission of work and continue online lessons post COVID-19. Further research could be conducted to find out learners’ perceptions of online home schooling.
Thermal and Compositional Anomalies of the Australian Upper Mantle From Seismic and Gravity Data

To discern temperature and compositional variations of the Australian upper mantle, we apply an integrative technique, which jointly interprets seismic tomography and gravity data. The final thermal model, obtained by changing the upper mantle composition according to the density variations, shows temperatures higher by 100–150°C in the Archean and Proterozoic upper mantle, with respect to the initial model based on a uniform “fertile” composition. In the North and West Australian cratons, the upper mantle is cold, with composition depleted in heavy constituents. This suggests the presence of an Archean lithosphere, which remained relatively undisturbed through the Proterozoic. Central Australia is predominantly characterized by a thick, low‐temperature lithosphere having a more fertile composition. Its shallow part is characterized by a thin layer of low‐velocity mantle, which is interpreted by our results as a thermal anomaly. However, this high‐temperature anomaly is hard to reconcile with the tectonic history of the region. A low‐density mineral phase, such as amphibole, may reduce the density relative to our assumed composition. Furthermore, we observe larger iron depletion in the Western Australian Craton than in the Proterozoic terranes. At the depths larger than 150 km, the depletion becomes negligible beneath the Proterozoic regions, while it also persists in the Western Australian Craton at the depths larger than 200 km.