Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Costs and benefits of fruiting to future reproduction in two dormancy‐prone orchids

1 Reproduction is expected to occur at a cost to survival, growth or future reproduction. However, trade‐offs in long‐lived, clonal herbs have proven difficult to assess, particularly when they are prone to adult dormancy. 2 We assessed the costs of fruiting in a study of two species of lady's slipper orchid, Cypripedium candidum and C. parviflorum, growing sympatrically in a wet meadow in north‐eastern Illinois, USA, from 2000 to 2005. 3 First, we characterized flowering and fruiting in both populations. We found some differences between species, with 68.6 ± 5.7% (mean ± SE) and 43.5 ± 1.4% of sprouting plants flowering, while 33.6 ± 10.0% and 33.5 ± 8.1% of flowering plants fruited in C. candidum and C. parviflorum, respectively. 4 Next, we tested the survival, sprouting and flowering response to current fruiting using multistate mark–recapture statistics. The best‐fit model posited no cost of fruiting. However, according to a model parsimonious with the best‐fit model, fruiting may have resulted in a small cost to survival visible primarily in small‐sized individuals of C. parviflorum (decrease from 0.846 in non‐fruiting but flowering plants to 0.824 in fruiting plants). In all cases, fruiting resulted in an increased probability of future flowering, suggesting that reproduction may have a higher priority in resource allocation than survival. 5 Finally, we tested the effects of fruiting on future fruiting using logistic regression for two years in which fruiting was particularly high, but detected no change in the probability of fruiting after fruiting. 6 Fruiting may increase in response to internal cues, perhaps related to nutrient uptake or storage, in addition to the obvious effects of pollination. The result may be that plants with greater access to nutrients or with greater stored reserves are more likely to flower each season. We suggest a need for further research exploring the internal mechanisms governing fruiting response in long‐lived, clonal herbs.
A nontransgenic mouse model shows inducible amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide deposition and elucidates the role of apolipoprotein E in the amyloid cascade

The amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide, a major pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), undergoes a cascade of interactions resulting in the formation of soluble aggregates and their conversion in the brain to insoluble deposits and mature senile plaques. Furthermore, the apoE4 isoform of apolipoprotein E (apoE), which is the major genetic risk factor of AD, is associated with increased Aβ deposition. It is not known how the different Aβ aggregates in the amyloid cascade are formed, contribute to the pathogenesis of AD, or are affected by apoE4. To investigate the initial aggregation stages underlying the amyloid cascade in vivo and how apoE affects them, we examined the effects of prolonged inhibition and subsequent reactivation of the Aβ-degrading protease neprilysin on deposition, disaggregation, and fibrillization of Aβ in apoE-transgenic and control mice. In control mice, intracerebroventricular infusion of thiorphan, which inhibits neprilysin, induced Aβ42 and Aβ40 deposition and fibrillization. On termination of thiorphan treatment, the number of Aβ deposits decreased, whereas the fibrillar Aβ deposits were unaffected. Similar treatments in apoE-deficient mice and mice transgenic for human apoE4 or apoE3 revealed that apoE4 enhances specifically the nucleation and aggregation of immunopositive Aβ deposits and that reversible disaggregation of these deposits and their irreversible conversion to fibrillar deposits are stimulated similarly by the different apoE isoforms. Deposition of Aβ and its enhancement by apoE4 were accompanied by increased astrogliosis both far from and near the Aβ deposits, suggesting that astrogliosis might be triggered by both insoluble and soluble Aβ aggregates.
Comparison of the long-term properties of foamed concrete and geopolymer concrete in compression

Foamed concrete has been used as a building material since early 1920. In the beginning, it was used as an insulation material with very low density. Since then there have been attempts to make this material more load-bearing and structural. In present-day foamed concrete is being used in soil reinforcement, building blocks and other sorts of building materials [1]. Geopolymer concrete has been around for more than 40 years. It is being used in all sorts of buildings such as railroads, reservoirs, and houses. As both of these materials, structural capacities and usage increases there still are questions regarding their long-term properties like creep and shrinkage. This article aims to determine the differences in the time-dependent long-term properties of these two different building materials. The size of all creep and shrinkage specimens was 46mm in the diameter and 190mm in height. The creep properties of the specimen were determined by loading them with 20% of the ultimate stress value. The compressive strength, creep and shrinkage of both materials were determined. Also, new information on geopolymer concrete and foam concrete specimen modulus of elasticity variation differences in-time were determined. Modulus of elasticity did reach 31.39 GPa on the 30th day, 36.79 GPa on the 62nd and 48.34 GPa on the 135th day since specimens were made for geopolymer concrete and 12.22 GPa on the 30th day, 12.49 GPa on the 62nd and 14.23 GPa on the 135th day since specimens were made for foam concrete. All the data regarding compressive strength, long-term properties, and modulus of elasticity of the specimens have been obtained by experimental investigation only.
Pathogenicity of Pinewood Nematode Isolates and Hybrids To Scots Pine Seedlings

Greenhouse grown Scots pine (Pinus sylaestris) seedlings were inoculated with suspensions of isolates of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus or B. mucronatus or their intra- or interspecific hybrids from North America, East Asia and Europe. Seedlings were highly susceptible to all B. xylophilus isolates and their intraspecific hybrids. Seedling mortality was moderate after inoculation with the French isolate of B. mucronatus and low following inoculation with the Chiba isolate (Japan) of B. mucronatus. However, the intraspecific hybrid of Chiba and French isolates of B. mucronatus was moderately pathogenic. Interspecific hybrids of B. mucronatus and B. xylophilus were as pathogenic as the B. xylophilus parental isolates and more pathogenic than the B. mucronatus parental isolates. The results confirm that B. xylophilus and B. mucronatus are separate species, demonstrate that there is no correlation between "M" and "R" forms and pathogenicity, and provide additional information in support of splitting B. mucronatus into two species, one indigenous in Europe and one in Japan.
Relationship of Wheat Seed Sprouting Severity, Planting Depth, and Seed Treatment to Emergence and Yield

Negative effects of preharvest sprouting on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) baking quality are well known, but limited formation is available on field performance of sprouted seed and plants grown from sprouted seed. Field trials were seeded with «Stephens» soft white winter wheat in 1989 and 1990 near Pendleton, OR, to determine the effects of sprouting severity (Trials 1 and 2), and seeding depth, and fungicide seed treatment (Trials 3 and 4) on emergence, growth, development, and yield of plants from sprouted seed. A sprouting-severity score was developed as follows: A=no visible sprouting, B=partial embryo exposure, C=full embryo exposure, and D=physically damaged embryo
Organizational level antecedents of value co-destruction in hospitality industry: an investigation of the moderating role of employee attribution

ABSTRACT The recent upsurge in theoretical advances in value co-creation in service organizations provides the credo to uncover the likely predictors of value co-destruction which may sometimes be the end point of the co-creation process. Thus, this paper aims to investigate how hotel employees’ perception of leadership support, supportive organizational climate and management’s commitment to value co-creation predicts value co-destruction in their organization. The survey was designed to solicit data that will help in answering our main research question; what organizational level factors are responsible for mitigating the deleterious effect of value co-destruction in hospitality industry? In total, 475 hotel employees from sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria) were surveyed to gather data that was subjected to SEM analysis. The findings confirm leadership support, supportive climate and management’s commitment as predictors of value co-destruction while employee attribution only moderates the relationship between management’s commitment to value co-creation and value co-destruction. This study unearths the importance of organizational involvement in militating against value co-destruction. Within the specific context of hoteling, management’s commitment to value co-creation is moderated by employee attribution style. Practical implications with industry focused best practices are recommended.
The hunting habitats of Goshawks Accipiter gentilis in boreal forests of central Sweden

Radio-tracking was used to study the habitat utilization of hunting Goshawks Accipiter gentilis in central Swedish boreal forest. Data were collected during September-June, in 1977–1981. There was no major difference between autumn, winter or spring in any aspect of habitat preference, despite seasonal differences in prey composition. Despite the strong reversed sexual size-dimorphism, no habitat segregation between the sexes was found. It is argued that this is due to the lack of prey segregation between the sexes. Goshawks showed a strong preference for mature forest, which was chosen twice as often as would be expected from its prevalence in the environment, whereas the younger successional stages of the forest were under-used. Goshawks preferred large habitat patches, and showed no major preference with respect to tree species composition of the forest. Kills made by radio-tagged Goshawks showed the same habitat- and patch-size distribution as did Goshawk locations in general. It is argued that the profitability of different hunting habitats, and thus habitat preferences, is not only determined by prey density in the habitats, but also by other habitat features influencing the Goshawk's ability to hunt there. Winter home-ranges averaged 5700 ha, considerably larger than Goshawk ranges recorded in areas with richer prey supply.
Structure and Texture Properties of Fried Potato Products

Potatoes are the fourth most important vegetable crop in the world, and in 2003, it was a 2.7 billion dollar business in the US alone. Nearly one-third of the potato production is processed into par-fried frozen potatoes and fried chips (snacks). Frying imparts desirable taste and textural properties to these products, the latter described usually by the sensorial term crispness. Frying is reviewed as a structuring process, and methodologies to determine texture in fried potato products are discussed. It is demonstrated that the histological and microstructural heterogeneity of potato tubers have hampered clear interpretation of experimental data and a rigorous modeling of frying. Moisture uptake during post-frying is critical in the loss of crispness (limpness) of fries and in softening of potato chips. Methods to evaluate these changes and alternatives to prolong the shelf life are discussed.
Physiological and behaviour changes in common lizards parasitized by haemogregarines

SUMMARY The effect of haemoparasites on the physiology and behaviour traits of their hosts was examined using Haemogregarina sp. , a parasite of the common lizard, Lacerta vivipara, from the south of France. Infection with haemogregarines was associated with a reduced haemoglobin concentration and an increased number of immature red blood cells. Parasitized individuals also showed a reduced oxygen consumption at rest and a lower locomotor speed. We also found that the multiplication rate of the parasite depended on the temperature at which the lizard was maintained. Between 21 and 28 °C the multiplication rate of the parasite was significantly lower than between 29 and 35 °C. This suggests that the parasites may suffer reproductive costs when hosts reduce their body temperature.
Small-scale altitudinal variation in lowland wet tropical forest vegetation

(1) All trees and lianas (>10 cm dbh) on 12.4 ha of primary lowland wet tropical forest at La Selva, Costa Rica, were enumerated. (2) A total of 5530 live stems were encountered, representing 269 species. Palms comprised 25-5% of stems, lianas 2-4%, tree ferns 0-1% and true trees 72-0%. The most abundant species, Pentaclethra macroloba (Mimosaceae), accounted for 13.6% of stems. Species richness ranged from 79 to 107 species per ha. (3) Species composition varies continuously with altitude over a range of 39 m, as shown by a detrended correspondence analysis ordination of data from 0-04-ha subplots. (4) The pool of available species at any altitude is large, and floristic variation between sites at the same altitude is influenced by chance. (5) Seasonally-flooded sites are floristically distinct from sites on higher ground, and show great variation in species composition over short distances. (6) Microtopography and drainage features in a 1.8-ha swamp forest were mapped. There is a dramatic reduction of stem density and species richness with increasingly poor drainage. This lower number of species reflects the exclusion of species intolerant of waterlogged soils.
Selecting thresholds of occurrence in the prediction of species distributions

Transforming the results of species distribution modelling from probabilities of or suitabilities for species occurrence to presences/absences needs a specific threshold. Even though there are many approaches to determining thresholds, there is no comparative study. In this paper, twelve approaches were compared using two species in Europe and artificial neural networks, and the modelling results were assessed using four indices: sensitivity, specificity, overall prediction success and Cohen's kappa statistic. The results show that prevalence approach, average predicted probability/suitability approach, and three sensitivity-specificity-combined approaches, including sensitivity-specificity sum maximization approach, sensitivity-specificity equality approach and the approach based on the shortest distance to the top-left corner (0,1) in ROC plot, are the good ones. The commonly used kappa maximization approach is not as good as the afore-mentioned ones, and the fixed threshold approach is the worst one. We also recommend using datasets with prevalence of 50% to build models if possible since most optimization criteria might be satisfied or nearly satisfied at the same time, and therefore it's easier to find optimal thresholds in this situation.
The effects of land use change on carbon content in the aerial biomass of an Abies religiosa (Kunth Schltdl. et Cham.) forest in central Veracruz, Mexico.

Aim of study. ) Were analyzed patterns and dynamics of forest cover change and land use for the period 1995-2005, and estimated carbon content in biomass in a forest of fir ( Abies religiosa ). Area of study. Ejido El Conejo in the Cofre de Perote National Park, Veracruz, Mexico. Material and Methods. Spatial data (maps, orthophotographs) were used: (UTM); GRS 80 spheroid; zone 14, datum ITRF92; units: metres. Maps for 1995 and 2005 were constructed and compared. Carbon content in the aboveground biomass of fir ( Abies religiosa ) was estimated using an equation specific to species. Main results. After one decade, the forested area had increased slightly (0.25%). The main type of land cover change was from shrubland to forest (probability of change 0.41); the change from forestland to shrubland with trees was 0.05%, and from forest to agriculture was 0.02%. Data from 2008 confirmed that the A. religiosa forest located in the ejido is distributed in largely unconnected fragments, of which some have a high density of young trees. Estimated carbon content in the aboveground biomass (163.51 Mg ha -1 ) was higher than that estimated for other forests of the same species in Mexico. Research highlights. It is recommended that ecological corridors be established throughout the reforested area, in order to connect these fragments (and increase carbon sequestration) and favour faunal and floral conservation. Finally, recognition should be given to the high vulnerability of A. religiosa forests to climate change, given their high degree of fragmentation and critical altitudinal limit. Key words: Aboveground biomass; carbon storage; ecological corridors; fir forest.
Improving Learning Outcomes on the Subject of Planning and Antenna Installation of Transceiver Systems at Vocational High School

This research aims at evaluating the effect of the use of Antenna simulator software on the subject of Planning and Antenna Installation of Transceiver systems. A quasi experimental, non-equivalent control group design was utilized. The subjects in this study were students of 2 classes of XII-Elkom (first one is an experiment using CST Microwave Studio and another one is control class using Power Point slides) at vocational high School 1 Cimahi, Bandung, West Java. The results showed that a significant increase in learning outcomes for the experimental class, that is 79.43 or N-Gain 72% and found differences in both classes. As innovative and low-cost media, the use of our media may significantly improve student learning outcomes in the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains on subject we focused.
The Day‐Night Difference and Geomagnetic Activity Variation of Energetic Electron Fluxes in Region of South Atlantic Anomaly

Utilizing the DEMETER observations at 670 km, we examined the day‐night difference of energetic electrons (100–800 keV) in the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) region and their dependence on geomagnetic activities in different seasons. Under geomagnetically quiet conditions, the fluxes of higher‐energy electrons (>200 keV) in the dusk and midnight (MLT ~ 19–24 hr) are usually larger than those in the morning (MLT ~ 8–12 hr) in the core region of the SAA (−50 ≤ λ ≤ − 20deg) during the northern and southern summers (21 March 2007 to 23 September 2007 and 23 September 2007 to 21 March 2008). The day‐night difference of energetic electrons in SAA region depends not only on the electron energy but also on the geomagnetic activity levels. Enhanced geomagnetic activities increase the energetic electrons in morning and hence weaken their day‐night difference in the SAA region.
Development and Validation of a Core Set of Dolichos Bean Germplasm

Increased use of genetic resources is necessary to sustain crop improvement. Large numbers of germplasm entries and possible existence of duplicate/redundant accessions are impediments to effective management, evaluation, and utilization. A core collection is a limited set of accessions chosen to represent the maximum genetic spectrum with minimum redundancy of the existing germplasm collection. Six hundred forty-four indigenous and exotic germplasm accessions of Dolichos bean [Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet] and four check entries were characterized for 21 qualitative traits and evaluated for 20 quantitative traits at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India, during the 2012 rainy season. A core set of size 10% (n = 64 accessions) was developed using software that applies advanced M-strategy with a heuristic search. The core set was examined for its representativeness of the base collection for both qualitative and quantitative traits using univariate and multivariate statistics. The core set retained more than 90% of quantitative traits variability and polymorphism of qualitative traits. The core set is suggested for evaluation across target production environments and years to identify widely/specifically adapted and stable accessions to foster enhanced access and use of Dolichos bean germplasm.
Trophic trickles and cascades in a complex food web: impacts of a keystone predator on stream community structure and ecosystem processes

Chalk streams are among the most species-rich and productive of all temperate ecosystems. Despite this, a few keystone species have the potential to exert disproportionately powerful effects on community structure and ecosystem processes. Two of these are the bullhead Cottus gobio, a small benthic fish that is an extremely abundant, voracious predator, and the freshwater shrimp Gammaruspulex, which dominates the prey assemblage and is the principal detritivore. Field experiments detected a bullhead–Gammarus–detritus trophic cascade, with detrital processing rates slowed dramatically in the presence of the predator. In addition, survey data also revealed strong negative density-dependence between bullhead and brown trout, adding a further link in the cascade. However, although bullhead also depressed the abundance of a dominant grazer, the snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum, there was no cascading effect upon algal production, suggesting that autochthonous inputs were not controlled by top–down effects. This skewed effect of the predator upon autochthonous versus allochthonous basal resources stresses the need to consider both pathways of energy flux into the food web, whereas many previous studies have potentially overemphasized the importance of predator–herbivore–primary producer cascades. The wider community food web contained 142 species and 1383 feeding links. This complex network exhibited “small world” properties, such as high clustering (unlike many other food webs) and shortest path lengths between species were small (in common with many other food webs). In particular, each of the four members of the detrital cascade could be connected to any other species by three links or fewer. Our data revealed that powerful cascading effects can be imbedded within even very complex ecological networks.
Life-history Aspects of Stereochilus marginatus, with a Comparison of Larval Development in Syntopic S. marginatus and Pseudotriton montanus (Amphibia: Plethodontidae)

Abstract The plethodontid salamanders Stereochilus marginatus (Many-lined Salamander) and Pseudotriton montanus (Mud Salamander) have overlapping distributions in the southeastern Atlantic Coastal Plain, where they often co-occur in low, swampy habitats. The main objective of this study was to document life-history traits of S. marginatus at Cool Springs in eastern North Carolina, and compare these findings with life-history parameters of a population surveyed in the late 1960s at a nearby locality (Croatan Forest). A second objective was to compare larval development of S. marginatus and P. montanus at Cool Springs. I found that S. marginatus has a larval period of 13–14 months, hatching in early spring and undergoing metamorphosis late in the second spring. Males may breed initially as early as the autumn following metamorphosis, at 19–21 months of age; females probably require an additional year to attain maturity, ovipositing initially at 3 years. Clutch sizes, based on counts of yolked ovarian follicles of dissected females, ranged from 42 to 60. Compared to S. marginatus, the larval period of P. montanus is slightly longer (14–17 months), extending from hatching in winter to metamorphosis in the second spring. Although larval body sizes of S. marginatus and P. montanus overlap considerably, larvae of the latter species tend to grow larger and metamorphose at slightly larger sizes. The phenologies of the life cycles of both species corroborate earlier studies, both across years and across southeastern localities. However, growth and developmental rates of S. marginatus at Cool Springs appear to be accelerated relative to those reported previously for the Croatan Forest population.