Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FLEEING DECISIONS BY DALL’S SHEEP EXPOSED TO HELICOPTER OVERFLIGHTS

I asked whether Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) disturbed by helicopter overflights made fleeing decisions that were consistent with economic models of prey fleeing from predators. Agreeing with these models, fleeing probability decreased as the helicopter’s approach became less direct, but the rate of decrease was greatest when sheep were on rocky slopes, which are a refuge from cursorial predators. Furthermore, sheep >20 m from rocky slopes always fled, even during indirect approaches, and distance fled increased with distance to rocky slopes. Approach directness affected fleeing probability only on a horizontal plane possibly because trials in which the helicopter was far above or below sheep were few. Contrary to predictions, flight initiation distance decreased with the horizontal component of approach directness. The latter, however, is geometrically correlated with the sheep’s minimum horizontal distance from the helicopter trajectory, and flight initiation distance was largely determined by animals fleeing when the helicopter reached its nearest point to them. Flight initiation distance also increased with group size and distance to obstructive cover, suggesting lower perceptual constraints in groups of greater size or farther from obstructive cover. While sheep would increase fitness if they learn that aircraft overflights are not a lethal threat and do not warrant the energetic costs of antipredator behavior, I found no evidence of habituation. Results provide preliminary parameters for models predicting energetic and fitness costs incurred as a function of overflight rates. Guidelines to mitigate disturbance could be created using logistic regression models of fleeing probability predicting the minimum distance from trajectory (a geometric correlate of approach directness that is controllable by pilots) causing acceptably low disturbance rates.
Incorporating bioclimatic and biogeographic data in the construction of species distribution models in order to prioritize searches for new populations of threatened flora

The aim of this study was to analyse the usefulness of incorporating bioclimatic and biogeographic data into digital species prediction and modelling tools in order to identify potential habitats of rare or endangered flora taxa. Species distribution models (SDMs) were obtained using the Maximum entropy algorithm. Habitat suitability maps were based on sites of known occurrence of studied species. The study showed that highly reliable habitat prediction models can be obtained through the inclusion of bioclimatic and biogeographic maps when modelling these species. The resultant SDMs are able to fit the search area more closely to the characteristics of the species, excluding the percentage of highly suitable areas that are located far from the known distribution of the taxon, where the probability of finding the plant is low. Therefore, it is possible to overcome one of the most commonly encountered problems in the construction of rare or threatened flora taxa SDMs, derived from the low number of initial citations. The resulting SDMs and the vegetation map enable prioritization of the search for new populations and optimization of the economic and human resources used in the collection of field data.
Aim: Determining the relative influence of niche-based and neutral processes in driving

22 Aim: Determining the relative influence of niche-based and neutral processes in driving the 23 spatial turnover of community composition is a central challenge in community ecology. Spatial 24 patterns of functional turnover, or functional beta diversity, may capture important signals of 25 niche-based assembly processes, but these patterns have not been quantified for communities 26 across broad geographic and environmental gradients. Here, we analyze continental-scale 27 patterns of species and functional beta diversity in relation to space and the environment to 28 assess the relative importance of niche-based and neutral community assembly mechanisms. 29 Location: Eastern North America 30 Methods: We use a continental-scale forest plot dataset and functional trait data to quantify 31 spatial patterns of species and functional beta diversity. We use RDA-based variance partitioning 32 to evaluate the influence of space, soil, and climate on beta diversity metrics. We use a null 33 model approach to test for non-random functional beta diversity given the observed patterns of 34 species turnover across spatial scales. 35 Results: Species and functional beta diversity increased with increasing geographic distance 36 (i.e., distance decay of community similarity). Results of variance partitioning analysis show that 37 species and functional beta diversity were spatially structured and significantly related to 38 environmental, particularly climatic, variation. Results of null model analysis show that 39 functional beta diversity was lower than expected based on species turnover at fine scales (< 600 40 km) and higher than expected at broad scales (> 1800 km). 41 Main conclusions: The observed patterns of functional beta diversity support a niche-based 42 model of community assembly, driven by the deterministic filtering of species across 43 environmental gradients based on their functional traits. 44
The efficacy of the plant extracts of Afrostyrax kamerunensis, monodora myristica, moringa oleifera and Azadirachta indica against the infestation of the leather beetle, Dermestes maculatus De Geer in smoked African mud catfish, Clarias gariepinus Burchell.

The information that the leather beetle, Dermestes maculatus De Geer is globally less susceptible to chemical insecticides provided the rationale to test some cosmopolitan elite plant materials on the pest. Extracts from four plant materials (country onion, Afrostyrax kamerunensis Perkins and Gilg; African nut meg, Monodora myristica Dunal; moringa, Moringa oleifera Lam; and neem, Azadirachta indica A. Juss) at 2.5 and 5.0 mL/ 100 g fish were assessed under tropical storage conditions (temperature: 31.9oC; relative humidity: 68.3 %) to control the leather beetle, Dermestes maculatus infesting smoked African mud catfish, Clarias gariepinus Burchell. Four important indices in insect pest control were assessed using standard storage entomology procedures. Each of the plant extracts (excluding M. oleifera) at 5.0 ml/ 100 g fish caused significantly high mortality in D. maculatus adults at third and fourth day exposure periods. Adult beetle emergence was absolutely inhibited in the catfish treated with A. kamerunensis, M. myristica and A. indica at both test concentrations. Weight loss due to insect infestation was suppressed significantly, also when compared with untreated control. The test botanicals were effective in this order, A. indica > M. myristica > A. kamerunensis > M. oleifera. Dermestes maculatus adults were most sensitive to the repellent action of A. kamerunensis. Therefore, the study has identified a plant material that repels D. maculatus adults better than neem. These findings revealed that the extracts of A. indica, M. myristica and A. kamerunensis could be incorporated into post-harvest fish management strategies against D. maculates, particularly in solving the problem of the development of resistance to chemical insecticides.
FORMULATION AND EVALUTION OF SOLID DISPERSION OF LANSOPRAZOLE

*For Correspondence: Department of Pharmaceutics, Anil Alias Pintu Magdum Memorial Pharmacy College Dharangutti, Maharashtra, India. ABSTRACT Solid dispersion is one of these methods, which was most widely and successfully applied to improve the solubility, dissolution rates and consequently the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. The solid dispersions based on the concept that the drug is dispersed in an inert water-soluble carrier at solid state. Several water-soluble carriers such as methyl cellulose, urea, lactose, citric acid, polyvinyl pyrrolidone and polyethylene glycols 4000 and 6000 are used as carriers for solid dispersion. Thus, the solid dispersion technique can be successfully used for the improvement of dissolution of Lasoprazole. Various solvents, carrier materials, diluents, disintegrating agents, lubricants have been used for the preparation of solid dispersion of Lasoprazole. Lansoprazole by solid dispersion method using Mannitol, polyethylene glycol (PEG) 4000 and Polyethylene glycol 6000, ß‐ cyclodextrin as carrier in 1:1,1:2,1:3,1:4 and 1:5 ratios. Solid dispersion of Lansoprazole was prepared by solvent evaporation method. In vitro release profiles of solid dispersions in phosphate buffer pH 6.8 were comparatively evaluated and also studied against pure Lansoprazole. Faster dissolution was exhibited by LPZ -Mannitol Solid dispersion containing 1:5 ratio. The prepared Solid dispersions were subjected for Assay, saturation solubility studies in distilled water and phosphate buffer pH 6.8.
Effect of Garlic (Allium sativum) on Growth, Nutrient Utilization, Resistance and Survival of Tilapia zillii (Gervais 1852) Fingerlings

A feeding trial was conducted for 75 days to determine the effects of garlic ( Allium sativum ) on nutrient utilization and growth in T. zillii fingerling. Five isonitrogenous and isocalorific diets (35% crude protein and 18.5MJ gross energy/kg diet) were formulated containing the control, D (0g garlic kg -1 basal diet), D1 (5g garlic kg -1 basal diet), D2 (10g garlic kg -1 basal diet), D3 (15g garlic kg -1 basal diet) and D4 (20g garlic kg -1 basal diet) and fed to triplicate group of Tilapia zillii at 4% body weight. Ten (10) Tilapia zillii (11.00 + 0.01g) fingerlings were stocked in each concrete tank with three replicate per treatment making a total of 150 fingerlings in all. T. zillii fed the diet having 20g inclusion level of garlic/kg basal diet (D 4) had better growth rate (32.12 ± 0.04) and feed efficiency (1.27±0.04)than the control diet and rest of the diets (D1, D2 and D3). Also, the survival rate of T. zillii was significantly higher in all the treatments (D1, D2, D3 and D4) compared to the control (D) and it increases with increase in the inclusion level of garlic in the basal diets (71.69-100.00) %. Apparent Protein Digestibility (APD) increases with increase in the inclusion level of garlic from 71.23% in the control diet to 85.16% in diet 4, (20 g garlic / kg control diet).
Production of male flowers does not decrease with plant size in insect‐pollinated Sagittaria trifolia, contrary to predictions of size‐dependent sex allocation

Abstract It has been proposed that relative allocation to female function increases with plant size in animal‐pollinated species. Previous investigations in several monoecious Sagittaria species seem to run contrary to the prediction of size‐dependent sex allocation (SDS), throwing doubt on the generalization of SDS. Plant size, phenotypic gender, and flower production were measured in experimental populations of an aquatic, insect‐pollinated herb Sagittaria trifolia (Alismataceae) under highly different densities. The comparison of ramets produced clonally can reduce confounding effects from genetic and environmental factors. In the high‐density population, 48% of ramets were male without female flowers, but in the low‐density population all ramets were monoecious. We observed allometric growth in reproductive allocation with ramet size, as evident in biomass of reproductive structures and number of flowers. However, within both populations female and male flower production were isometric with ramet size, in contrast to an allometric growth in femaleness as predicted by SDS. Phenotypic gender was not related to ramet size in either population. The results indicated that large plants may increase both female and male function even in animal‐pollinated plants, pointing towards further studies to test the hypothesis of size‐dependent sex allocation using different allocation currencies.
Fitness-related effects of growth investment in brown trout under field and hatchery conditions

The mortality of brown trout Salmo trutta over winter in a near-natural stream was not significantly increased by growth hormone (GH) treatment, but lipid reserves were lower in GH-treated fish. As GH-treated trout grew faster than controls, GH appears to promote growth at the expense of investment in maintenance. However, the growth promoting effect of GH was much more pronounced in the hatchery than in the stream, suggesting that the pay-off associated with increased growth investment is higher under hatchery conditions with unrestricted food supply than in the wild, where food availability is limited.
NEURONAL AND BEHAVIOURAL RESPONSES OF AMERICAN SHAD ALOSA SAPIDISSIMA TO ULTRASOUND STIMULI

Johnson, C.S. (1967) Sound detection thresholds in marine mammals. In Marine BioAcoustics II (W.N. Tavolga, ed). Pergamon Press; Oxford, pp 247-260. Mann, D.A. , Higgs, D.M. , Tavolga, W.N. , Souza, M.J. & Popper, A.N. (2001) Ultrasound detection by clupeiform fishes. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 109, 3048-3054. Mann, D.A, Lu, Z. , Hastings, M.C. & Popper, A.N. (1998) Detection of ultrasonic tones and simulated dolphin echolocation clicks by a teleost fish, the American shad (Alosa sapidissima). J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 104, 562-568. Mann, D.A. , Lu, Z. & Popper, A.N. (1997) A clupeid fish can detect ultrasound. Nature 389, 341. Nestler, J.M, Ploskey, G.R. , Pickens, J., Menezes, J. & Schilt, C. (1992). Responses of blueback herring to high-frequency sound and implications for reducing entrainment at hydropower dams. N. Am. J. Fish. Man. 12, 667-683.
Application of the Muse portable EEG system to aid in rapid diagnosis of stroke

Objective In this pilot study, we investigated using portable electroencephalography (EEG) as a potential prehospital stroke diagnostic method. Methods We used a portable EEG system to record data from 25 participants, 16 had acute ischemic stroke events, and compared the results of age-matched controls that included stroke mimics. Delta/alpha ratio (DAR), (delta+theta)/(alpha+beta) ratio (DBATR) and pairwise-derived Brain Symmetry Index (pdBSI) were investigated, as well as accelerometer and gyroscope trends. We then made classification trees using TreeBagger to distinguish between different subgroups. Results DAR and DBATR showed an increase in ischemic stroke patients that correlates with stroke severity (p<0.01). pdBSI decreased in low frequencies and increased in high frequencies in patients who had a stroke (p<0.05). All quantitative EEG measures were significant between stroke patients and controls. Using classification trees, we were able to distinguish between subgroups of stroke patients and controls. Conclusions There are significant differences in DAR, DBATR, and pdBSI between patients with ischemic stroke when compared to controls; results relate to severity. Significance With significant differences between patients with strokes and controls, we have shown the feasibility and utility for the Muse EEG system to aid in patient triage and diagnosis as an early detection tool.
CLASSIFYING RESONANT FREQUENCIES AND DAMPING VALUES OF AN OFFSHORE WIND TURBINE ON A MONOPILE FOUNDATION FOR DIFFERENT OPERATIONAL CONDITIONS

This paper shows the most recent results in the ongoing long-term monitoring campaign on an offshore wind turbine in the Belgian North Sea. Main focus will be on the behavior of the resonant frequencies and damping values of the fundamental modes over a full year, during which all relevant ambient and operational conditions have occurred. The latest results show that the damping values and resonance frequencies of the support structure are greatly influenced by the operating conditions of the turbine. We will therefore classify the dynamics of the turbine and provide the statistics for resonance frequencies and damping ratios for each operating condition.
Determinants of Tax Compliance: A Case of Nekemte Town Category ‘C’ Business Profit Tax Payers

This study is designed to investigate the determinants of tax compliance in a case of category “C” business profit taxpayers in Nekemte town. To achieve the designed objectives the study employed a quantitative approach. Necessary data for the study were gathered via questionnaire and reviewing necessary documents. To do this the researcher took out 346 samples from the total 2580 population size of category “c” taxpayers and analyzed the returned 240 questions. The sample size of the study was determined by using simple random sampling technique. Responses of respondents were presented by using the data presentation tools and analyzed via STATA 10 software application and descriptive analytical methods using tables and charts. The study found that, family size and length of tax payment period has a significant negative influence on tax compliance. On the other hand, tax knowledge and awareness and tax penalty and fines has a significant positive influence over the level of tax compliance. The assessed amount of tax, probability of auditing and attitudes towards equity and fairness are insignificant factors in determining the compliance behavior of taxpayer. Finally the researcher recommended that different job opportunities and incentives should be provided by the authorized body to increase earning of large size family members. ERCA should be follow up taxpayers and control their activities to easily prevent evasion by taxpayers; and sufficient and adequate training, awareness creation and education should be offered to taxpayers to enhance their knowledge regarding to tax. Besides ERCA should take measures and penalties on those taxpayers who are not willing to pay their tax liability within a specified time period for the purpose of generating more revenues.
Local Aromatase Activity Alterations In Breast Cancer Tissues: A Potential Way Of Decision Support For Clinicians

Background and aims: It is becoming evident that local estrogen exposure is important in postmenopausal breast cancer patients. The microenvironment is established by breast stromal cells based on communication with tumor cells that is essential to cancer development, invasion, and metastasis. Here we investigated aromatase activity levels in both tumor and matched stromal tissues by showing their impact on the manufacturing of local estrogen and tumor progression in cases of invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). Methods: Tumor (T) and tumor-associated stroma (TAS) neighboring tissues were acquired from each postmenopausal patient, diagnosed with IDC, and categorized as luminal A (n=20). The control group was formed from tumor-free breast tissue samples (N, n=12). A microsomal-based technique was created to compare breast tissue aromatase activities using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Findings: We observed that the TAS tissues have the highest aromatase activities (p< 0.05). High progesterone receptor (PR) intensity levels were found to be decreasing the activity level in these tissues significantly (p<0.05). Tumor tissue specific aromatase activity levels of postmenopausal patients' were tend to be lower compared to healthy premenopausal subjects' (3 fold, p<0.001). In addition, low activity in tumor tissues were associated with low grade and late-stage cancers. Conclusions: Early detection and personalized therapy is essential for postmenopausal breast cancer patients. Together, our in-house tandem mass spectrometry technique has the potential for further development and standardization for the measurement of aromatase activity and may assist clinicians to decide on therapy policies for postmenopausal IDC patients which could be an invaluable asset for a precise and specific evaluation.
Home range and movements of radio-tracked estuarine crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) within a non-tidal waterhole

We radio-tracked five male and eight female estuarine crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) in a non-tidal waterhole in Lakefield National Park in northern Queensland during the late dry/mid-wet season (2003-04) and the following dry season (2004). Individual crocodiles occupied larger home ranges (River Channel Areas (RCA) during the late dry/mid-wet season (10.64 ± 2.86 ha) than in the dry season (3.20 ± 1.02 ha), and males occupied larger home ranges (23.89 ± 2.36 ha) than females (5.94 ± 1.34 ha) during the late dry/mid-wet season. There were no obvious differences in home range between sexes during the dry season. During the late dry/mid-wet season, adult males often travelled long distances along the waterhole while females moved less. During the dry season, movement patterns were quite variable, with no clear difference between sexes. All crocodiles were most active from late afternoon (1500-1800 hours) until midnight. Individual home ranges (RCA) overlapped considerably during the late dry/mid-wet season. The extent of home-range overlap between three adult males and the number of times they either passed each other or were located near each other was particularly striking. Previous research has come to conflicting conclusions about the extent of territoriality in wild estuarine crocodiles, although it has been widely believed that males are highly territorial. The findings imply that large adult male estuarine crocodiles are not highly territorial in non-tidal freshwater systems that are geographically confined.
Circulating tumor cells

The hypothesis of the “liquid biopsy” using circulating tumor cells (CTCs) emerged as a minimally invasive alternative to traditional tissue biopsy to determine cancer therapy. Discordance for biomarkers expression between primary tumor tissue and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) has been widely reported, thus rendering the biological characterization of CTCs an attractive tool for biomarkers assessment and treatment selection. Studies performed in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients using CellSearch, the only FDA-cleared test for CTCs assessment, demonstrated a much lower yield of CTCs in this tumor type compared with breast and prostate cancer, both at baseline and during the course of treatment. Thus, although attractive, the possibility to use CTCs as therapy-related biomarker for colorectal cancer patients is still limited by a number of technical issues mainly due to the low sensitivity of the CellSearch method. In the present study we found a significant discordance between CellSearch and AdnaTest in the detection of CTCs from mCRC patients. We then investigated KRAS pathway activating mutations in CTCs and determined the degree of heterogeneity for KRAS oncogenic mutations between CTCs and tumor tissues. Whether KRAS gene amplification may represent an alternative pathway responsible for KRAS activation was further explored. KRAS gene amplification emerged as a functionally equivalent and mutually exclusive mechanism of KRAS pathway activation in CTCs, possibly related to transcriptional activation. The serial assessment of CTCs may represent an early biomarker of treatment response, able to overcome the intrinsic limit of current molecular biomarkers represented by intratumor heterogeneity.