Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental Zoogeography of Islands. A Two‐Year Record of Colonization

In 1966-1967 the entire arthropod faunas of six small mangrove islands in the Florida Keys were removed by methyl bromide fumigation. In earlier articles we described the process of recolonization through the first year, during which the numbers of species in five of the six faunas rose to what appear to be noninteractive equilibria and then slumped slightly to interactive equilibria. The sixth, that of island El, we believed to be climbing more slowly because of its greater distance from the source area. It had not reached the predefaunation (interactive) equilibrium by 1 year. Here we give the results of censuses taken at the end of the second year on the four islands in the group located in the lower Keys (El, E2, E3, ST2). The numbers of species were found to have changed little from the previous year, providing further evidence that they are in equilibrium. Species immigrations and extinctions have continued at a high rate, and the species compositions on three of the four islands appear to be moving slowly in the direction of the original, predefaunation states. In the first two articles of this series we de- scribed an experiment in which the entire arthro- pod faunas of six small mangrove islands in the Florida Keys were exterminated by methyl bro- mide fumigation and the process of recolonization was monitored thereafter by frequent censuses (Wilson and Simberloff 1969, Simberloff and Wilson 1969). The experiment was designed both to test and to extend certain aspects of spe- cies equilibrium theory (MacArthur and Wilson 1967, Simberloff 1969, Wilson 1969) and to ob- serve the actual processes of immigration and ex- tinction. At the end of the first year following defaunation, the numbers of species had reattained approximately the original (prefumigation) levels on five of the six islands. The most distant island (El) supported the fewest species, just as it had prior to defaunation; it alone had not approached the original species number. Intermediate islands (E3, ST2) reattained intermediate numbers of species. The time-colonization curves appeared to have assumed the logarithmic forms predicted by basic equilibrium theory. Moreover, higher levels of species numbers were reached prior to the buildup of the populations belonging to the constituent species. These numbers then dipped slightly as the densities of the constituent popula- tions approached the predefaunation levels. The
Transgene overexpression of αB crystallin confers simultaneous protection against cardiomyocyte apoptosis and necrosis during myocardial ischemia and reperfusion

We investigated whether enhanced expression of αB crystallin, a stress‐inducible molecular chaperone of the small heat shock family, can protect myocardial contractile apparatus against ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury. Transgenic mice overexpressing αB crystallin were generated using the 0.76 kb rat αB crystallin cDNA cloned into a pCAGGS plasmid driven by a human cytomegalovirus expression system. Southern analysis confirmed transgene integration and Northern and Western blotting characterized expression (3.1‐fold and 6.9‐fold elevations in myocardial mRNA and protein levels, respectively). Extent of functional recovery overa3hreperfusion period following a 20 min ischemic period in transgenic and wild‐type mouse hearts was assessed using an ex vivo work‐performing heart preparation. The transgenic group displayed significantly higher values of DP at R45 min (29.14±1.9mmHgvs. 17.6±0.7 mm Hg), R60 min (31.56±1.7mmHgvs. 17.8±0.8 mm Hg), and R75 min (32.5±2.2 mm Hg vs. 16.9±0.9 mm Hg), and of dLVP/dt at R45 min (1740.2±111.5 mm Hg.s−1 vs. 548.7±82.2 mm Hg.s−1) and R60 min (1199.8±104.6 mm Hg.s−1 vs. 466.9±61.1 mm Hg.s−1). The transgenic group also displayed development of less oxidative stress, decreased extent of infarction, and attenuated cardiomyocyte apoptotic cell death. Transgene overexpression of αB crystallin was therefore successful in diminishing the independent contributory effects of both necrosis and apoptosis on I/R‐induced cell death. —Ray, P. S. , Martin, J. L. , Swanson, E. A. , Otani, H. , Dillmann, W. H. , Das, D. K. Transgene overexpression of aB crystallin confers simultaneous protection against cardiomyocyte apoptosis and necrosis during myocardial ischemia and reperfusion. FASEB J. 15, 393‐402 (2001)
Withdrawal: Evaluation of beta-mannanase and NSPase inclusion separately or intermittently in reduced energy diets fed to male broilers on performance parameters and carcass yield

SUMMARY This study consisted of 5 dietary treatments, including a positive control (PC), negative control (NC) with a reduction of 88 kcal/kg apparent metabolizable energy (AME) through the starter and grower 1 phase and 132 kcal/kg reduction in the grower 2, finisher, and withdrawal phases compared to the PC, and the NC supplemented with either β-mannanase, NSPase (referring to nonstarch polysaccharides, a cocktail carbohydrase), or β-mannanase and NSPase intermittently fed. The intermittent treatment included β-mannanase from d 1 to 21 (starter and grower 1 phases) and NSPase from d 22 to 47. Each treatment included 9 replicate pens with 35 male broilers placed per replicate (1,575 total chicks placed). The dietary program consisted of 5 dietary phases including the starter through d 10, grower 1 through d 21, grower 2 through d 32, finisher through d 40, and withdrawal through d 47. Broilers were weighed and feed consumption determined on days of dietary changes. On d4 8 following an 8hf eed withdrawal, 6 broilers from each replicate pen were removed and processed for whole bird without giblets (WOGs) and fat pad measurements. The reduction in energy in the NC diet reduced (P < 0.05) body weight (BW) and increased (P < 0.05) mortality rate. The inclusion of β-mannanase and NSPase (separately and intermittently) in the NC diet improved growth performance,andreducedmortalitytolevelsthatwerecomparabletothePC.TheNCyieldedthe highest cumulative mortality-corrected feed conversion ratio (FCR), and all enzyme inclusion treatments reduced (P < 0.05) FCR to levels comparable to the PC for the duration of the trial. TheNCdietyieldedthelowestprocessingyields,andtheinclusionof β-mannanaseandNSPase (separately and intermittently) increased multiple processing parameters to a level similar to the PC. These data confirm the ability of β-mannanase and NSPase inclusion separately and intermittently to improve performance parameters in reduced-energy broiler diets.
Determining the Effectiveness of Self-Awareness Skill Training on Reducing High-Risk Behaviors Associated with the Opposite Sex Addict

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of selfawareness skill training on the reduction of high-risk behavior in opposite sex relationship among addicted men. Method: The research method was semiexperimental with pre-test, post-test control group. The study sample was male addicts in Kermanshah. They were selected from four centers of addiction by sampling method. 40 people were selected and randomly replaced into the experimental and control group. Self-awareness skills group training on the experimental group was administered. One week after the training test was taken from them. Results: The finding represent significant mean difference between experimental group and control group high-risk behaviors. Conclusion: Results indicated that self-awareness skill training can reduce high-risk sexual behavior among the addicts.
Occurrence and Levels of Chlorinated Pesticides Residues in Cow Milk: A Human Health Risk Assessment

Background: The study determined the presence and concentration of persistent organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) residues in cow milk from Ekiti State University Agricultural farm in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. The study was investigated in order to monitor consumer’s exposure to these chemicals pesticides. Methods: Qualitative identification and quantification evaluation of the extracted pesticides after clean-up on silica gel were done with a Gas Chromatography coupled with an Electron Capture Detector (GC-ECD). Results: The results revealed the presence of 11 OCPs residues in the milk samples, with concentration range of 0.001 - 0.189 mg/l, while α-BHC, endrin, endrin aldehyde, endosulfan II, endosulfan sulphate and methoxychlor were not detected. The analysis of variance revealed no significant variation in the levels of all the analysed pesticides except dieldrin. Conclusion: The hazard indices (HIs) were significantly lower than 1 with the range of 0.00063 - 0.107, indicating no potential health risk.
Observation of high-frequency occurrence of chimeral adventitious shoots in tissue culture from the chimeral tissues of Pelargonium zonale

In Pelargonium, the plastid mutation in three independent cell layers L1, L2, and L3, can produce plastid chimeras with visible shoot colour difference such as GWG (green- white-green) and GGW (green-green-white). Chimera can be used to trace the relationship between the cell layers of different genotypes during shoot development and the effect of the mutated genes on shoot development. In this study, we have obtained different adventitious shoots with GGG, GWG, GGW, and WWW combinations of cell layers through tissue culture of petioles and internodes from GGW and GWG chimeras of Pelargonium zonale 'Mrs Pol- lock'. Much higher percentage (14.9%) of chimeral adventitious shoots was obtained from GGW tissues than from GWG tissues (4.2%). Of the 10.8% chimeral adventitious shoots regenerated in this experiment, 8.6% are different from the original type of explants. This result indicated that cells at least in both L2 and L3 of the explants were involved in the regeneration of the adventitious shoots. The number of shoot types regenerated is likely dependent on the number and the type of cells that were in direct contact with the culture medium. It is suggested that the mixed cells can be used to produce the chimera by tissue culture. Three possible ways to form the chimeras in vitro culture were discussed. Chemical names used: TDZ =1-phenyl-3-(1,2,3-thiadiazol-5-yl)urea (Thidiazuron); IAA = Indole-3- acetic acid; PVP = polyvinylpyrrolidone.
Impact of different beam set-up methods on quality of intensity modulated radiation therapy in nonsmall cell lung cancer

Objective To investigate whether the change of beam set-up methods will influence the dosimetric quality of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods Twenty-one stage Ⅰ-Ⅲ NSCLC patients were selected for this study.The technique of step and shoot was used and three different beam set-up methods were chosen for IMRT planning,including IMRT-7 with nine equal-spaced beams angled 0°,51°,102°,153°,204°,255°and 306°; IMRT-5 with five equal-spaced beams angled 0°,72°,144°,216°and 288°; and IMRT-5m which was created from IMRT-7 but excluded 2 fields (51°and 102° were omitted if there was lesion in the right lung,while 255°and 306° were excluded if there was lesion in the left lung). The dose constrains ofnormal lungs for IMRT were set according to V5-V60 of normal lungs obtained from the same patient's actually treated 3D-CRT dose volume histogram.The prescription dose for IMRT started from 65 Gy,and then escalated or decreased step by step by 2 Gy once a time until the best plan was obtained.Results For normal lung dose,IMRT-5m had lower V5-V25 than the other two groups; but there was no significant difference in V30-V40.IMRT-5 was the worst for V45-V60; and mean lung dose was lowest in IMRT-5m.Dose parameters of esophagus and spinal cord,target conformity index,and total monitor units were all similar among difference plans.IMRT-5m had lowest heart V40 compared to the other two groups.For target heterogeneity index,IMRT-5 was higher than IMRT-7,but there were no significant differences among IMRT-5m,IMRT-5 and IMRT-7.Compared to 3D-CRT,the prescription dose could be increased by (5.1 ±4.6) Gy for IMRT-7,(3.1 ±5.3) Gy for IMRT-5,and (5.5 ±4.8)Gy for IMRT-5m.Conclusion Fewer beams and modified beam angles could result in similar,even better plan quality. Key words: Non-small cell lung cancer; Intensity modulated radiation therapy; Dosimetry; Beam angle; Beam number
Trends of Publications' Citations and Altmetrics Based on Open Access Types

This paper analyzes trends of citation and altmetrics with respect to different OA types (e.g., gold, hybrid, green). The analysis based on Unpaywall, Altmetric, and COCI shows that articles with a green license obtain more citations than other OA types. Regarding patents, hybrid, green, and bronze articles get more mentions compared to closed and gold articles. In terms of social media (e.g., Twitter and Facebook), bronze articles receive the most mentions.
Performance analysis of amplify and forward parallel relaying free-space optical system over M distribution

Abstract. We propose a parallel relaying coherent orthogonal frequency division multiplexing free-space optical (FSO) communication system model with amplify-and-forward channel-state-information-assisted relaying in an M distribution. Considering the combined effects of path loss, pointing error, and atmospheric turbulence, the closed-form expression of moment generating function, probability density function, and cumulative distribution function of the upper limit of equivalent signal-to-noise ratio are derived. Furthermore, the Meijer G closed-form expressions for outage probability and symbol error rate (SER) over M aggregated channel are obtained. The influences of turbulence intensity, the number of parallel paths, normalized beam bandwidth, normalized jitter error, and pointing error on the outage probability and SER of the proposed FSO system are analyzed by simulation. Simulation results indicate that controlling the normalized beam width to a moderate range and reducing the normalized jitter error can reduce the outage probability and improve system reliability. After the pointing error exceeds 7, the SER decline tends to be flat, which provides a theoretical reference for the precision of the pointing technology, the selection of the optical antenna transmission aperture and the receiver sensitivity index in engineering design.
The Relationship between Metabolism and the ‘Exchangeability’ of Ions in Plant Tissues2

The uptake of the rubidium ion by well-washed disks of carrot parenchyma has been determined at o a° C and 25° C. , in the presence and absence of io-4M. dinitrophenol, from solutions of rubidium chloride containing 0-5 and 5 0 meq. /l. Readily-exchangeable and non-exchangeable fractions were separately indentified. The lowering of temperature and application of DNP reduced the magnitude of both ion fractions at each of the two concentrations of rubidium chloride. Despite the fact that the uptake of ions into an exchangeable form at 5 0 meq. /l. was about 3 times greater, the combined effect of low temperature and the presence of DNP reduced this fraction by a relatively constant absolute amount. Under the same conditions the uptake of ions into a non-exchangeable form from each con centration was reduced by approximately the same percentage. Over a 6-hour period the rate of uptake of rubidium into a non-exchangeable form at 25o C. was relatively constant, whereas at 0-2° C. there was an initial rapid uptake lasting for about 60 minutes followed by a slow steady uptake. The Q10 of this latter process measured after 360 minutes was 2 3. It is concluded that an appreciable part of the capacity of the tissue to hold ions by exchange is dependent on concurrent metabolism. The significance of measurements of exchangeability in the interpretation of mechanisms of ion uptake is discussed.
Modeling latent infection transmissions through biosocial stochastic dynamics

The events of the recent SARS-CoV-02 epidemics have shown the importance of social factors, especially given the large number of asymptomatic cases that effectively spread the virus, which can cause a medical emergency to very susceptible individuals. Besides, the SARS-CoV-02 virus survives for several hours on different surfaces, where a new host can contract it with a delay. These passive modes of infection transmission remain an unexplored area for traditional mean-field epidemic models. Here, we design an agent-based model for simulations of infection transmission in an open system driven by the dynamics of social activity; the model takes into account the personal characteristics of individuals, as well as the survival time of the virus and its potential mutations. A growing bipartite graph embodies this biosocial process, consisting of active carriers (host) nodes that produce viral nodes during their infectious period. With its directed edges passing through viral nodes between two successive hosts, this graph contains complete information about the routes leading to each infected individual. We determine temporal fluctuations of the number of exposed and the number of infected individuals, the number of active carriers and active viruses at hourly resolution. The simulated processes underpin the latent infection transmissions, contributing significantly to the spread of the virus within a large time window. More precisely, being brought by social dynamics and exposed to the currently existing infection, an individual passes through the infectious state until eventually spontaneously recovers or otherwise is moves to a controlled hospital environment. Our results reveal complex feedback mechanisms that shape the dependence of the infection curve on the intensity of social dynamics and other sociobiological factors. In particular, the results show how the lockdown effectively reduces the spread of infection and how it increases again after the lockdown is removed. Furthermore, a reduced level of social activity but prolonged exposure of susceptible individuals have adverse effects. On the other hand, virus mutations that can gradually reduce the transmission rate by hopping to each new host along the infection path can significantly reduce the extent of the infection, but can not stop the spreading without additional social strategies. Our stochastic processes, based on graphs at the interface of biology and social dynamics, provide a new mathematical framework for simulations of various epidemic control strategies with high temporal resolution and virus traceability.
COVID-19 case-fatality rate and demographic and socioeconomic influencers: worldwide spatial regression analysis based on country-level data

Objective To investigate the influence of demographic and socioeconomic factors on the COVID-19 case-fatality rate (CFR) globally. Design Publicly available register-based ecological study. Setting Two hundred and nine countries/territories in the world. Participants Aggregated data including 10 445 656 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Primary and secondary outcome measures COVID-19 CFR and crude cause-specific death rate were calculated using country-level data from the Our World in Data website. Results The average of country/territory-specific COVID-19 CFR is about 2%–3% worldwide and higher than previously reported at 0.7%–1.3%. A doubling in size of a population is associated with a 0.48% (95% CI 0.25% to 0.70%) increase in COVID-19 CFR, and a doubling in the proportion of female smokers is associated with a 0.55% (95% CI 0.09% to 1.02%) increase in COVID-19 CFR. The open testing policies are associated with a 2.23% (95% CI 0.21% to 4.25%) decrease in CFR. The strictness of anti-COVID-19 measures was not statistically significantly associated with CFR overall, but the higher Stringency Index was associated with higher CFR in higher-income countries with active testing policies (regression coefficient beta=0.14, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.27). Inverse associations were found between cardiovascular disease death rate and diabetes prevalence and CFR. Conclusion The association between population size and COVID-19 CFR may imply the healthcare strain and lower treatment efficiency in countries with large populations. The observed association between smoking in women and COVID-19 CFR might be due to the finding that the proportion of female smokers reflected broadly the income level of a country. When testing is warranted and healthcare resources are sufficient, strict quarantine and/or lockdown measures might result in excess deaths in underprivileged populations. Spatial dependence and temporal trends in the data should be taken into account in global joint strategy and/or policy making against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Preliminary assessment of the flagship species concept at a small scale

Flagship species are charismatic species that serve as a symbol and rallying point to stimulate conservation awareness and action but are often used synonymously as de facto umbrella species to delineate reserve boundaries. We tested the extent to which the presence of a flagship species would protect other ‘background species’ at the local scale at which practical decisions about small reserves are often made. Using long term sightings, we identified four 1 km2 sites that are frequently visited by jaguars and by tapirs (flagship species), and by white‐lipped peccaries and spider monkeys (non‐flagship species) in neotropical rainforest in Belize. We then made inventories of five vertebrate taxonomic groups at each site. We found no consistent differences in species richness or abundances of frogs, phyllostomid bats, terrestrial mammals, scansorial mammals or birds across the four sites, except that frog diversity and abundance was higher close to a river at the flagship site where tapirs were found. Since these classic Latin American flagship species fail to encompass particularly high numbers or abundances of vertebrate species at a local scale, they appear to be a poor conservation tool when co‐opted as umbrella species for delineating the location of very small reserves in the neotropics.
Forecasting COVID-19: Using SEIR-D quantitative modelling for healthcare demand and capacity

Rapid evidence-based decision-making and public policy based on quantitative modelling and forecasting by local and regional National Health Service (NHS-UK) managers and planners in response to the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2), a virus causing COVID-19, has largely been missing. In this pilot study, we present a data-driven epidemiological modelling framework that allows to integrate quantitative modelling, validation and forecasting based on current available local and regional datasets to investigate and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on local NHS hospitals in terms of healthcare demand and capacity as well as allowing for a systematic evaluation of the predictive accuracy of the modelling framework for long-term forecasting. We present an epidemiological model tailored and designed to meet the needs of the local health authorities, formulated to be fitted naturally to datasets which incorporate regional and local demographics. The model yields quantitative information on the healthcare demand and capacity required to manage and mitigate the COVID pandemic at the regional level. Furthermore, the model is rigorously validated using partial historical datasets, which is then used to demonstrate the forecasting power of the model and also to quantify the risk associated with the decision taken by healthcare managers and planners. Model parameters are fully justified, these are derived purely based on the time series data available at the regional level, with minimal assumptions. Using these inferred parameters, the model is able to make predictions under which secondary waves and re-infection scenarios could occur. Hence, our modelling approach addresses one of the major criticisms associated with the lack of transparency and precision of current COVID-19 models. Our approach offers a robust quantitative modelling framework where the probability of the model giving a wrong or correct prediction can be quantified.