Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
STATUS OF STUDIES ON FOSSIL MARINE MAMMALS

A 30-year renaissance in research on fossil marine mammals has brought advances on several fronts and suggests potential directions for future study. Gingerich and Russell have described Pakicetus, the most primitive archaeocete cetacean. Mchedlidze has described a diverse assemblage of late Oligocene/early Miocene cetaceans from the Caucasus and Georgia, S.S. R. Barnes and Fordyce, respectively, have outlined sequences of fossil cetacean assemblages in the northeast and southwest Pacific. Much remains to be done on origin and definition of cetacean suborders, diversification and systematics of families, and relationships among infra-familial taxa. New material has been recovered of the most primitive desmostylians, and other new specimens, especially ones from Japan studied by Inuzuka and others, give a relatively complete picture of their anatomy. Material now exists for phylogenetic analysis. Domning has proposed a phyletic lineage of the sirenian subfamily Hydro-damalinae and has outlined patterns of Late Cenozoic manatee evolution. With Morgan and Ray he reviewed Eocene sirenians in the northwest Atlantic. Numerous new specimens are being actively studied in attempts to reassess relationships within the Sirenia. Mitchell and Tedford described the most primitive otariid, Enaliarctos. Repenning and Tedford reviewed the otarioids. The primitive taxa and their origin near or in the amphicynodontine ursids have been identified. The zoogeography of true seals, the phocids, has been analyzed recently by Repenning, Ray and Grigorescu, and by de Muizon. Most taxa are based on a few fragmentary specimens, and much work needs to be done on basic descriptions, interspecific comparisons and phyletic analysis. However, major progress has been made in the southern hemisphere through description of extensive new materials from Peru and South Africa. Many important phylogenetic gaps in the fossil record of marine mammals have been filled recently, and further advances continue at a rapid rate. Studies of zoogeography, functional anatomy and paleoecology, in addition to phylogeny, are coming into their own and promise an exciting series of discoveries in the coming years.
Dropouts Need Not Apply? The Minimum Wage and Skill Upgrading

We explore whether minimum wage increases result in substitution from lower-skilled to slightly higher-skilled labor. Using 2011–16 American Community Survey (ACS) data, we show that workers employed in low-wage occupations are older and more likely to have a high school diploma following recent statutory minimum wage increases. To better understand the role of firms, we examine the Burning Glass vacancy data. We find increases in a high school diploma requirement following minimum wage hikes, consistent with our ACS evidence on stocks of employed workers. We see substantial adjustments to requirements both within and across firms.
Field studies on the enhancement of nematicidal activity of ammonia-releasing fertilisers by alkaline amendments

Nematicidal activities of ammonia-releasing organic and inorganic fertilisers, applied with alkaline amendments, were tested against Meloidogyne javanica and M. incognita under field conditions. In microplots infested with M. javanica, ammonium sulphate applied with alkaline-stabilised biosolid (ASB) significantly reduced the root-galling index of tomato plants compared with that of plants grown in soils treated with ammonium sulphate or ASB alone. Although ammonia concentrations in the soil treated with broiler litter plus cement kiln dust were high (ca 60-200 mg kg−1), this treatment was less effective. Ammonia volatilisation resulted in rather low concentrations of ammonium in the soils treated with alkaline amendments. The combination of ASB and ammonium sulphate reduced the tomato root-galling index and the number of M. javanica juveniles recovered from the soil in a field experiment. On an organic farm, application of slaked lime in combination with broiler litter significantly reduced the root-galling index of pepper plants infested with M. incognita. Calcification of excess hydroxyls in the ASB or lime lowered the soil pH to values normally found in these soils in the field experiments.
Dual-Inverter-Controlled Brushless Operation of Wound Rotor Synchronous Machines Based on an Open-Winding Pattern

In an open-winding machine, three-phase stator currents can be controlled such that the input armature currents may contain the third-harmonic current component in addition to the fundamental. Considering this attribute of open-winding patterns, a harmonic current field excitation technique for a wound rotor synchronous machine (WRSM) is proposed in this paper based on the control of time-harmonic magneto-motive force. Two inverters connected to both terminals of the stator winding are controlled so that the input armature current generates an additional third-harmonic current component. This third-harmonic component generates a vibrating magnetic field that induces a current in the specially designed rotor harmonic winding. The current is supplied as DC current to the rotor excitation winding to generate a rotor field by using a full-bridge diode rectifier in order to achieve brushless operation. The proposed dual-inverter-controlled brushless operation for a WRSM is executed in ANSYS Maxwell using 2-D finite element analysis to validate its operation and electromagnetic performance.
Host-constrained epidemiology of the fish tapeworm Ligula intestinalis (L.)

Investigations into the biology of the roach, Rutilus rutilus (L.), and Ligula intestinalis (L.) populations at Slapton Ley, Devon were carried out between October 1982 and December 1984, and additional data collected from the lake since 1977 have been re-analysed. The Ligula population exhibited some unusual features: a limited specificity, a persistently low abundance and a scarcity of multiple infections. The population dynamics of the roach were also unusual in that the individual growth rate was one of the fastest in Britain, the survival was very poor and the year classes tended to alternate in strength. Whether the unusual epidemiology of Ligula could be explained by the unusual population dynamics of the roach is investigated. The transmission period of Ligula to the roach was limited to their first few months of life, probably due to a limited period of feeding on copepods by the fry. This narrow transmission window was almost certainly the major factor that has prevented the abundance of Ligula plerocercoids attaining high levels in the fry or of increasing in subsequent years, and has resulted in their abundance being determined entirely by transmission events to the fry. The limited transmission period has also caused the life-cycles of the roach and Ligula populations to become synchronized. At other localities, the abundance of Ligula is typically high, and can have a significant effect on the mortality of the host population, but, with the low abundance at Slapton, Ligula-induced roach mortality was insignificant. The rapid growth of the roach fry was the most likely explanation for the limited period of feeding on copepods, and the large size, short life-span and low abundance of the roach probably also constrained the build-up of the Ligula population in the lake. The random frequency distribution and scarcity of multiple infections was not considered unusual in view of the very low plerocercoid abundance. The very low abundance of Ligula, the separation of the spawning of roach and rudd in time and space, and the scarcity of rudd may account for the absence of infection in this species. It was concluded that the Ligula population in Slapton Ley was being constrained by the atypical population dynamics of the roach, and not vice versa as theory predicts.
Upwind flight by the cabbage root fly, Delia radicum

ABSTRACT. In fourteen releases, most female D.radicum (L.) (Diptera, Anthomyiidae) flew upwind or at an angle to it of less than 77° regardless of the presence of host‐plant odour. Females ready to lay eggs flew upwind without prior stimulation by odours from either a host crop or a trap releasing up to 3 ml/day of the attractant allylisothiocyanate. Upwind flight was more pronounced in flies from a diapause than from a continuous, non‐diapause culture. Males from the non‐diapause culture dispersed upwind and downwind in more or less equal numbers; old males flew mainly downwind. But, like the females, most males from the diapause culture flew upwind. Long‐distance, odour‐modulated anemotaxis did not appear to be used to locate distant host crops by either sex. It is concluded that the distances of insect orientation to plant odours recorded to date are only of intermediate range, and that long‐range orientation to the odours of a host‐plant still has to be proven. It is suggested that host‐plant volatiles are involved not only in the final stage of host location but also in the first, and probably most important stage of host selection whilst the insect is still in flight.
The Fourth Transmembrane Segment of the Na,K-ATPase α Subunit

The Na,K-ATPase is a major ion-motive ATPase of the P-type family responsible for many aspects of cellular homeostasis. To determine the structure of the pathway for cations across the transmembrane portion of the Na,K-ATPase, we mutated 24 residues of the fourth transmembrane segment into cysteine and studied their function and accessibility by exposure to the sulfhydryl reagent 2-aminoethyl-methanethiosulfonate. Accessibility was also examined after treatment with palytoxin, which transforms the Na,K-pump into a cation channel. Of the 24 tested cysteine mutants, seven had no or a much reduced transport function. In particular cysteine mutants of the highly conserved “PEG” motif had a strongly reduced activity. However, most of the non-functional mutants could still be transformed by palytoxin as well as all of the functional mutants. Accessibility, determined as a 2-aminoethyl-methanethiosulfonate-induced reduction of the transport activity or as inhibition of the membrane conductance after palytoxin treatment, was observed for the following positions: Phe323, Ile322, Gly326, Ala330, Pro333, Glu334, and Gly335. In accordance with a structural model of the Na,K-ATPase obtained by homology modeling with the two published structures of sarcoplasmic and endoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase (Protein Data Bank codes 1EUL and 1IWO), the results suggest the presence of a cation pathway along the side of the fourth transmembrane segment that faces the space between transmembrane segments 5 and 6. The phenylalanine residue in position 323 has a critical position at the outer mouth of the cation pathway. The residues thought to form the cation binding site II (333PEGL) are also part of the accessible wall of the cation pathway opened by palytoxin through the Na,K-pump.
Effects of Fertilization and Planktivorous Fish on Epilimnetic Phosphorus and Phosphorus Sedimentation in Large Enclosures

Enclosure experiments were conducted during 1986 and 1987 to test the hypothesis that predation-induced shifts in plankton size-structure affect epilimnetic total phosphorus (TP) through changes in sedimentation rates, both with and without external nutrient loading. Fertilization and/or planktivorous fish were applied to eight enclosures in a 2 × 2 factorial design. Epilimnetic TP was higher with fish in the unfertilized enclosures and lower with fish in the fertilized enclosures; that is, fertilization increased epilimnetic TP only in enclosures without fish, and much less than expected based on the amounts added. The fraction of TP sedimenting per unit time, and the spring to summer decline in TP, was consistently lower with fish. Sedimentation rates were poorly correlated with epilimnetic TP, but were more strongly correlated with TP decline rates and particulate phosphorus larger than 20 μm. Presence or absence of planktivorous fish can alter the trophic status of planktonic systems, and the impact o.
Performance and Egg Quality of Hens from Conservation Flocks Fed a Diet Containing Maize Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS)

Performance and Egg Quality of Hens from Conservation Flocks Fed a Diet Containing Maize Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) The objective of the study was to evaluate laying performance and quality indices of consumption and hatching eggs in hens from conservation flocks fed a diet containing maize distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). A total of 360 Greenleg Partridge (Z-11) and Rhode Island Red (R-11) hens, included in the genetic resources conservation programme in Poland, were investigated. The good performance obtained by layers fed the DDGS diet indicates that maize distillers dried grains with solubles can serve as a useful source of protein in the nutrition of hens from conservation flocks, partly replacing imported soybean meal. The dietary inclusion of DDGS improved laying performance while maintaining hatchability traits and the quality of consumption eggs. The DDGS diet had an effect on nutritionally important egg quality traits, i.e. increased protein content of egg albumen and increased concentration of oleic and linoleic acids in yolk lipids, with a simultaneous increase in n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio. Dietary inclusion of DDGS also increased yolk colour intensity and Haugh units while having no effect on eggshell quality. Jakość jaj i wskaźniki produkcyjne kur ras zachowawczych żywionych mieszanką paszową zawierającą suszony wywar kukurydziany Celem podjętych badań była ocena wyników produkcyjnych oraz jakości jaj spożywczych i wylęgowych w stadach kur ras zachowawczych, żywionych mieszanką paszową zawierającą suszony wywar kukurydziany (DDGS). Badaniami objęto po 360 kur ras zielononóżka kuropatwiana (Z-11) i Rhode Island Red (R-11), objętych w Polsce programem ochrony zasobów genetycznych. Dobre wyniki produkcyjne niosek żywionych paszą z udziałem DDGS wskazują, że suszony wywar kukurydziany może stanowić przydatne źródło białka w żywieniu kur stad zachowawczych, zastępując częściowo importowaną śrutę sojową. Dodatek DDGS do mieszanki paszowej poprawił nieśność kur przy zachowaniu dobrych parametrów wylęgowości oraz jakości jaj spożywczych. Stwierdzono wpływ diety zawierającej DDGS na ważne z punktu widzenia dietetyki cechy jakości jaj, tj. zwiększenie udziału protein w białku jaja oraz zwiększenie koncentracji kwasu oleinowego i linolowego w lipidach żółtka, przy jednoczesnym wzroście stosunku PUFA n-6/PUFA n-3. Wprowadzenie DDGS do diety zwiększyło także intensywność barwy żółtka i wartość jednostek Haugha, nie wykazując równocześnie wpływu na jakość skorup.
Survival and Growth of Fagus sylvatica Seedlings Root-pruned Prior to Transplanting under Competitive Conditions

Bare-rooted seedlings are normally root-pruned prior to transplanting to facilitate the planting process. This study was designed to determine the effect of root-pruning on subsequent survival and growth of transplanted beech under competitive conditions. Two-year-old beech seedlings (Fagus sylvatica L.) were transplanted in a mixture of grasses with below-ground competition for water and nutrients and grown for 2 yrs with no irrigation or fertilization. Before transplanting, the root systems were pruned to 7, 13 and 19 cm; alternatively, coarse roots (>2 mm) or fine roots (<2 mm) were removed and unpruned plants were used as controls. Survival and growth were compared with seedlings grown under standard conditions. Mortality increased in correspondence with severity of pruning. Total plant dry weight (DW) was lower and root:shoot ratio higher in competitive compared with standard conditions. Removal of fine roots depressed plant DW under both standard and competitive conditions, whereas removal of coarse roots did so only under competitive conditions. The results indicate that roots of beech should not be pruned prior to transplanting, regardless of transplanting conditions, and that fine roots are necessary for regrowth in transplanted beech.
Rational or Emotional? An Examination of Customer Loyalty in B2B Packaged Food Retail Setting

This study aims to examine the contributing rational and emotional transaction-specific characteristics to customer loyalty dimensions, namely repurchase intention and positive words of mouth (WoM); as well as the mediation role of customer satisfaction among the buyers of packaged food retail outlets. A total of 221 responses were collected from the food retail businesses using purposive sampling method. The results demonstrated only four significant contributing factors to customer satisfaction, namely product quality, price perception, brand image and manufacturing country’s product image among the eight factors examined; with product quality and price perception played the most important roles. Proxys of a satisfied customers can be used to predict both behavioural and attitudinal loyalty. The study expands on existing literature by presenting the results of an empirical study addressing the uniqueness of the Malaysian packaged food retail market and how the transaction specific characteristics influence satisfaction and loyalty.
Vegetation, species diversity and floristic relations along an altitudinal gradient in south-west Saudi Arabia

Abstract Analysis of vegetation along an altitudinal gradient in south-west Saudi Arabia has disclosed some generalities in vegetation characters and species diversity. The complex interaction of different environmental factors in relation to altitude leads to variation of habitat types and different plant communities and vegetational belts. Vegetation along the altitudinal gradient showed three zones. At low altitude (0–500 m a.s.l.), the Tihamah coastal marshes, plains and foothills have discrete plant communities on discontinuous substrates and habitat types. At high altitude (above 2500 m), the Asir highlands have discrete communities determined by topographic form (slopes, ridges and crests). The intermediate altitudes (500–2500 m) have continuous plant communities. Vegetation in the intermediate altitudinal belt attains the highest species richness and diversity with relatively high evenness. The studied area is under the influence of two floristic regions: The Sudano-Zambesian (especially Afroriental and South Arabian Domain) and Irano-Turanian region, with extension to Mediterranean (mainly Eastern Mediterranean) and Saharo-Sindian region (Middle and Western).
The Single Degree of Freedom Simulation Model of Underwater Explosion Impact

The hulls of naval ships are exposed to forces and moments coming from internal and external sources. Usually, these are interactions that can be described mathematically by harmonic and polyharmonic functions. The shock of UNDEX type (underwater explosion) works completely differently and its time waveform is difficult to describe with mathematical functions as pressure vs. time. The paper presents a simplification of physical and mathematical models of 1-D kickoff pressure whose aim is performance the simulation of the external force of the detonation wave. The proposed models were verified and tuned on naval, sea trials. The main goals of the proposed models are to perform simulation calculations of the detonation pressure for different explosion charge weights from different distances of the UNDEX epicentre for the design process of machine foundation. The effects of pressure are transformed as impulses exposed on shock absorber mounted at light shock machine.
Molecular detection of Hammondia heydorni in dogs in Mosul city

Through this study 122 individual fecal samples were collected from dogs, with different ages, sexes, and breeding management (stray and pet house hold). Some dogs were with healthy appearances while others were suffered from diarrhea, anorexia, depression, dehydration. Infection was investigated by light microscope after flotation technique by using Sheather's sugar solution. if the sample gives positive to oocyst (H. heydorni or other relative group), were mixed with potassium dichromate solution a rate of 2.5% for the stimulation of sporulation. DNA extraction was done using 2% sarcosyl, pronase E followed by phenol/chloroform extraction then precipitation attempt using ethanol. DNA amplification was attempt using H. heydorni primers JS4 and JS5 n microscope examination give 78 sample positives to the presence of oocyst, while polymerase chain reaction showed total percentage of infection with H. heydorni was 34.6% (27 case give positive reaction to PCR). Dogs less than 6 months of age show high infective rate 17.9%, dogs which suffer from gastrointestinal tract troubles (diarrhea, anorexia and dehydration) gave high infective rate 24.4%. Stray dogs gave high prevalence of infection to H. heydorni 25.6% when compared with pet house hold dogs which recorded 9% percentage of infection. This study is the first recorded H. heydorni in dogs in Mosul city.
Parcelamento da adubação nitrogenada na cultura do milho e utilização do N residual pela sucessão aveia preta-milho

Com o objetivo de avaliar a eficiencia de utilizacao do N pela cultura de milho (Zea mays L.), usando-se fertilizante marcado com 15N, aplicado parceladamente (duas formas), e o efeito residual deste fertilizante nas duas culturas subsequentes em sucessao (aveia preta e milho), sob implantacao do sistema plantio direto, foi conduzido um experimento, no sudeste do Brasil, nos anos agricolas 2003/2004 e 2004/2005, sob um solo de textura areno-argilosa (Hapludox). Os tratamentos consistiram da dose de 120kg ha-1 de N, na forma de sulfato de amonio marcado (15N) e dois parcelamentos de N 30-90 e 60-60kg ha-1. Nas plantas de milho e aveia preta, avaliaram-se o N total acumulado, o N proveniente do fertilizante e a recuperacao de N-fertilizante. O incremento da dose de fertilizante nitrogenado aplicado na semeadura (60kg ha-1 de N), no ano agricola 2003/2004, proporcionou aumento no aproveitamento de N pela planta (65%) em relacao ao tratamento que recebeu 30kg ha-1 de N na semeadura (45%).