Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Virulence and Pathogenicity of Infectious Salmon Anemia Virus Isolated from Farmed Salmon in Atlantic Canada

Abstract Infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV) was isolated from farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar associated with an outbreak of hemorrhagic kidney syndrome in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. The virus induced cytopathic effects in salmon head kidney cell line SHK-1 from Atlantic salmon and was positively confirmed as ISAV by an indirect fluorescent antibody test and by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Atlantic salmon parr injected with ISAV from the SHK-1 line experienced significant reductions in hematocrits as early as 5 d postinfection (DPI). Mortality began 17 DPI and reached 76% by 24 DPI at a water temperature of 11°C. In a second trial, similarly high mortality occurred in salmon parr injected with 10-fold dilutions of supernatant from ISAV-infected SHK-1 cultures. The ISAV was reisolated from eight randomly selected salmon that died after experimental infection. Microscopic pathological changes among infected fish included congestion and necrosis, seen in the livers from 7 of 19 sampl.
Microsatellite and Morphological Markers Reveal Genetic Variation within a Population of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum from Oilseed Rape in the Çanakkale Province of Turkey

The genetic variation among a population of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum collected from oilseed rape fields in the Canakkale Province of Turkey was assessed using molecular and morphological markers. Seven microsatellite primer pairs (out of eight) revealed 32 clear polymorphic alleles among the 36 fungal isolates examined. An unweighted pair-group mean analysis dendrogram was generated using the genetic distance matrix with the 32 microsatellite alleles. The level of similarity was as low as 15% between some isolates indicating a high level of genetic diversity within the fungal population; 23 distinct isolates were found (at a genotypic diversity level of 63%). Among the collection of 36 isolates, 19 mycelial compatibility groups (MCGs) were identified; 10 MCGs included at least two isolates. Molecular and morphological data suggest that most of the isolates within a single MCG were identical; however, the isolates belonging to the MCG2 and MCG4 had variable microsatellite haplotypes and were morphologically dissimilar. The data suggest that there is possibly a high rate of outcrossing as well as evolutionary potential within the population of the pathogen in oilseed rape fields. This is the first report demonstrating the genetic and morphological variation within a population of S. sclerotiorum in Turkey.
The scent perception of the honeybee

By a new technique it has been shown that honeybees can perceive pure chemical scents in great dilution, and that they can distinguish between mixtures which contain only slightly different proportions of the same two scents. A honeybee was attracted to the body scent which it left behind some time previously on a glass tube on which it had landed momentarily without exposing its scent organ; this body scent may often aid bees in their foraging activities. Amputation of seven terminal segments of both antennae greatly impaired the threshold of scent perception. The scent perception of the honeybee is compared with that of other insects, and the problems which have not yet been solved are emphasized.
Noninvasive Hair Sampling and Genetic Tagging of Co-Distributed Fishers and American Martens

Abstract Estimation of abundance is important for assessing population responses to management actions. Accurate abundance estimates are particularly critical for monitoring temporal variation following reintroductions when the management goal is to attain population sizes capable of sustaining harvest. Numerous reintroductions have taken place in the Great Lakes region of North America, including efforts to restore extirpated fishers (Martes pennanti) and American martens (M. americana). We used a DNA-based noninvasive hair-snaring method based on one trap design and trapping -grid configuration, and evaluated capture–mark–recapture (CMR) analytical approaches to simultaneously estimate population size for co-distributed fishers and American martens in a 671-km2 area of the Ottawa National Forest in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA. We included harvest as a final recapture period to increase probability of recapture and to evaluate potential violations of geographic closure assumptions. We used microsatellite markers to identify target species, eliminate congener species, and provide individual identity for estimation of abundance. Population estimates for fishers and martens on the study area ranged from 35 to 60 and 8 to 28, respectively. Estimators incorporating harvest data resulted in up to a 40% increase in abundance estimates relative to estimators without harvest. We considered population estimates not including harvest data the most appropriate for the study due to timing of sampling and environmental factors, but inclusion of harvested individuals was shown to be useful as a means to detect violations of the assumption of geographic closure. We suggest improvements on future CMR sampling designs for larger landscape scales of relevance to management through incorporation of habitat or historical harvest data. Noninvasive genetic methods that simultaneously estimate the numerical abundance of co-distributed species can greatly decrease assessment costs relative to traditional methods, and increase resulting demographic and ecological information.
Lack of association between clinical and ultrasound measures of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis remission

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of ultrasound (US) abnormalities and association with clinical parameters in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) clinical remission. Methods: Patients with established RA in clinical remission (DAS28-CRP < 2.4) taking conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs were recruited as part of the Biomarkers of Remission in Rheumatoid Arthritis (BioRRA) Study. In addition, patients from the Newcastle Early Arthritis Clinic (NEAC) with early active RA (DAS28-CRP > 2.4) or seronegative non-inflammatory arthralgia (NIA) were studied as positive and negative controls, respectively. The association between individual dependent variables (synovial power Doppler and greyscale, tenosynovial greyscale, and erosions) and clinical parameters was assessed by multivariate ordinal logistic regression, with adjustment for multiple testing. Results: A total of 294 patients were included: 66 RA in remission, 146 active RA, and 82 NIA. Within the active RA group, significant associations were observed between swollen joint count and higher total synovial greyscale score (OR 1.17 95% CI 1.08–1.26, p < 0.001) and higher total synovial power Doppler score (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.12–1.30, p < 0.001). No significant associations were observed for the NIA group. In the RA remission group, US abnormalities were frequently observed and comparable for both DAS28-CRP and 2011 ACR/EULAR Boolean remission, with no significant association with clinical parameters identified. Conclusion: We observed widespread subclinical US findings in RA patients in clinical remission, even when remission is defined using the stringent ACR/EULAR Boolean criteria. In contrast to active disease, synovial power Doppler failed to show significant association with any of the clinical parameters in RA remission. Our results suggest that clinical and US examinations are non-overlapping in evaluating RA remission, challenging the proposition of US-driven management strategies in this setting.
A Model of Dietary Fiber Utilization by Small Mammalian Herbivores, with Empirical Results for Neotoma

Allometric considerations have suggested that small herbivores are inefficient at or incapable of extracting energy from the microbial fermentation of structural carbohydrates. This notion is at odds with accumulating empirical evidence that demonstrates well-developed fiber digestion abilities for a number of small rodent genera. To examine the apparent inconsistency, we have constructed a model of plant fiber utilization tailored specifically for hindgut fermenters. Computer simulations provide estimates of fiber and overall dry-matter digestibilities as a function of body size, energy demand, and diet. Our calculations indicate that small mammals can obtain significant benefit from fiber fermentation, especially at moderate fiber levels. Comparisons with literature data are in general agreement, although fiber digestion abilities are still underestimated for the smallest animals. In an empirical test of the model, Neotoma obtained over 21% of their digestible energy solely from the microbial fermentation of plant fiber. We also observed an interesting pattern of allometric sorting predicted by the model. Smaller woodrats significantly reduced the fiber content of their diet, a behavior presumably reflecting energy limitations.
Knowledge and attitude on emergency contraception among adolescent students of an urban school

Introduction: Emergency contraception (EC) is used to prevent pregnancy in the first 5 days after sexual intercourse, mainly unprotected intercourse, contraceptive failure, rape or coerced unprotected sex. This study aims to identify the knowledge and attitude on EC and associated factors among adolescent students. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted to find out knowledge and attitude on EC among adolescent students of both sex, grade 11 and 12 at Advanced Academy, a private school in Kumaripati, Lalitpur, Nepal, during 19 January 2018 to 13 February 2018. Non probability convenience sampling and self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Association of demographic variables with knowledge and attitude of EC and further correlation between knowledge and attitude were analysed. The SPSS 16 was used for data analysis. Result: Out of 343 students, 211 (61.5%) had fair knowledge of EC, 125 (36.5%) poor and 7 (2%) good knowledge. Favourable attitude towards EC was found in 285 (83.1%) and unfavourable in 58 (16.9%). The mean age was 17.33 ± 0.98 years, 206 (60.1%) in 15-17 year age group (middle adolescence), female 143 (41.7%), and 160 (46.7%) from within Kathmandu valley. There was significant positive co-relation between knowledge and attitude and no significant association between demographic variables with knowledge and attitude. Conclusion: Majority of adolescence students 15-21 years of age had favourable attitude but less knowledgeable in regard to emergency contraception. Keyword: adolescents, emergency contraception, knowledge and attitude
Evaluation of Clinical Parameters in FMT-Application of a Vibrant Soundbridge® at the Short Incus Process Compared to Conventional FMT-Application

Background: The application of the Floating Mass Transducer (FMT) of a Vibrant Soundbridge? (VSB? ) to the short incus process is intended to reduce both the surgery time and the complication and revision rate compared to other forms of application. In addition to collecting these parameters, the aim of this study is to investigate the primary audiological outcome of patients with an FMT application to the short process compared to the conventional methods. Methods: The present study retrospectively examined a total of n=36 patients who received a VSB? between 01/2015 and 08/2018 at the ENT University Hospital Leipzig. In n=12 patients (group 1) the FMT was coupled to the short process, in n=24 patients (group 2) to other ear structures. The audiological results were evaluated pre- and postoperatively in the pure tone audiogram according to the recommendations of the AAO-HNS (1995) and the intelligibility (Freiburger, monosyllabic) was measured at 65 dB in the speech audiogram. In addition, the revision and complication rates as well as the surgical time were evaluated. Results: The audiological outcome of group 2 was significantly better postoperatively in both the pure tone (p<.001) and speech audiogram (p=.012). The surgery time of group 1 was significantly shorter (p=.002), but with a slightly increased revision rate (p=.519). The complication rate of group 2 was slightly higher, with no statistically significant difference to group 1 (p=.185). Conclusions: The FMT application on the short ambos process does not seem to offer any advantage in terms of audiological outcome, but at the same time is associated with a significantly shorter surgery time. There are no statistically significant differences in revision and complication rates.
Auditory Intervention in Late-Identified Children With Hearing Loss

This study examined the effects of a 9-week auditory intervention on the auditory skills of five children with hearing loss who experienced prolonged auditory deprivation before receiving hearing aids. A single-case multiple baseline design across participants was used to examine the effect of the intervention on the children’s auditory skills using a weekly probe. The analyses showed a moderate to high intervention effect for three out of five participants. Children demonstrated gains in detection, discrimination, and identification, and Participant 5 also showed gains in sentence comprehension. Findings provide preliminary support for offering auditory intervention to children with hearing loss who are late identified and aided in the presence of residual hearing.
Neural congestion prediction system for trip modelling in heterogeneous spatio-temporal patterns

ABSTRACT Until recently, urban cities have faced an increasing demand for an efficient system able to help drivers to discover the congested roads and avoid the long queues. In this paper, an Intelligent Traffic Congestion Prediction System (ITCPS) was developed to predict traffic congestion states in roads. The system embeds a Neural Network architecture able to handle the variation of traffic changes. It takes into account various traffic patterns in urban regions as well as highways during workdays and free-days. The developed system provides drivers with the fastest path and the estimated travel time to reach their destination. The performance of the developed system was tested using a big and real-world Global Positioning System (GPS) database gathered from vehicles circulating in Sfax city urban areas, Tunisia as well as the highways linking Sfax and other Tunisian cities. The results of congestion and travel time prediction provided by our system show promise when compared to other non-parametric techniques. Moreover, our model performs well even in cross-regions whose data were not used during training phase.
Oxidative stress parameters during starvation and refeeding periods in Adriatic sturgeon (Acipenser naccarii) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

This work analyses the changes in the redox balance in two fish species: Adriatic sturgeon (Acipenser naccarii) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) during starvation and refeeding period. The starvation period raised the lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric-acid-reacting substances) levels in liver and blood, while a decline occurred in the antioxidant enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and glutathione reductase (GR) in both fish species. In liver, after the refeeding period, SOD activity recovered in both species, whereas CAT activity recovered only in trout. Furthermore, in both tissues of the two species, the lipid peroxidation levels remained high after 2 months of refeeding. In white muscle and heart, the lipid peroxidation levels indicate that these tissues did not undergo oxidative stress during the 72-day period. During starvation, in the muscle of both fish the fall in the lipid peroxidation level coincided with a rise in CAT, GPX and GR. The refeeding period in this tissue raised the lipid peroxidation level, and the enzymatic activities reached the values of the first point of starvation. In heart, no oxidative damage was detected during starvation in either species. The CAT and SOD activities increased during the starvation period only in trout.
Field experiments on the resistance of cocoa to cocoa swollen-shoot virus

SUMMARY Progenies from crosses between different Upper Amazon cocoa types and between Upper Amazon and Amelonado were compared for their field resistance to infection with cocoa swollen-shoot virus (CSSV) virulent strain A. Among the intra-Amazon progenies, those from crosses of Scavina, Iquitos and Nanay groups showed most resistance. Progenies from crosses within these groups may have sufficient resistance to be of immediate practical value in reducing crop losses in areas where CSSV is widespread. Some Nanay progenies were more resistant than others and this provides scope for improvement by breeding. Progeny of crosses between Upper Amazon and Amelonado parents were less resistant than those from intra-Amazon crosses. The present results confirm those previously obtained in gauze-house tests on young plants.
A survey of the invertebrates of four streams in The Moor House National Nature Reserve in Northern England

Summary The Moor House Nature Reserve, Westmorland, is situated in typical north Pennine moorland and experiences a rigorous climate. Three of the streams arise between 700 and 750 m O.D. and the fourth at 590 m O.D. The sampling sites lie between 570 and 540 m O.D. and conditions in the streams range from slow-flowing peaty-bottomed reaches to typical fast-flowing stony streams. Samples were taken in riffles and pools in May, August and October using the kick method. 111 taxa were recorded from the four streams, 90 of which were identified to the species level. The most abundant and widespread taxa were Leuctra inermis, L. fusca, Rhithrogena semicolorata, Elmis aenea and Chironomidae. Seasonal and annual variation in abundance of several species was marked with L. inermis most numerous in May, E. aenea and Chironomidae in August and R. semicolorata most abundant in October. The total number of animals caught was generally higher in riffles than in pools and the mean number per 60-sec kick for riffles and pools, based on May, August and October samples between 1967 and 1970, ranged from 110 to 128 in the four streams. Capnia bifrons, Paraleptophlebia submarginata, P. cincta, Leptophlebia marginata, Centroptilum pennulatum, Plectrocnemia geniculata, Cyrnus trimaculatus, Lepidostoma hirtum, Hydropsychidae (larvae indet.) and Philopotamidae (larvae indet.), are all additions to the lists of previously studied groups on the Reserve. All the species of Tricladida, Annelida, Coleoptera, Hydrachnellae and Pisidium are here recorded for the first time for the Reserve. Great Dodgen Pot Sike supported the largest number of species and species groups (88) and was characterized by having water with the lowest pH (6.75) of all the streams and by having the most gentle gradient and a relatively stable bottom. The fauna is discussed and compared with that of the adjacent Cow Green area. Some of the differences between these areas may be attributable to the slightly greater variation in flow-conditions and water chemistry in the Cow Green basin. Comparison with other areas in the British Isles are made briefly and it is suggested that habitat diversity may account for the species richness of the Moor House streams.
Heavy metal content and localization in mycorrhizal Euphorbia cyparissias from zinc wastes in Southern Poland

Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) development, heavy metal uptake by the plant and localization of heavy metals within plant and AM fungal structures, has been investigated in Euphorbia cyparissias collected from zinc wastes in Poland and from two other stands differing in soil parameters. The plant was selected on the basis of preliminary research on mycorrhiza of plants colonizing zinc wastes. E. cyparissias was strongly mycorrhizal and arbuscules were abundant except at the very beginning of the vegetation period. Light microscopy after rhodizoniate staining and SEM equiped with an EDS system have been used to localize heavy metals within the fungal mycelium and mycorrhizal roots. About 80% of the total intraradical mycelium show an increased content of heavy metals in comparison to the remaining 20% where heavy metals were under detection limit. At the same time the number of arbuscules formed by mycelium stained by rhodizoniate is slightly lower than in mycelium containing a low level of these elements. Using the rhodizoniate staining lead was found in epidermal cell walls, root hairs, in mycorrhizal mycelium and in crystaloids deposited within latex and inside cortical cells, around fungal hyphae. SEM observations with EDS system confirmed that these crystaloid depositions contained higher concentrations of Zn than root cell wall and fungal structures.
Effects of eel restocking on the distribution of the swimbladder nematode Anguillicola crassus in Flanders, Belgium

Summary Data on the distribution in 1986 of the parasitic nematode in the swimbladder of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) in Flanders (Belgium) are reported. In stations where imported eels have been used for restocking, samplings generally show high infection rates thus enhancing the spread of Anguillicola crassus in Flanders.
Territorial Behaviour of Juvenile Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar L.)

1. The territorial behaviour of young Atlantic salmon is described from observations made in the field and the laboratory. Six agonistic activities occur during the defence of territories; these are charging, nipping, chasing, frontal display, lateral display and fleeing. Certain colour changes of the fish are associated with extremes of aggression and submission. 2. The causation of the six agonistic acts is discussed. Charging, nipping and chasing result from high attack tendencies; fleeing is a result of high escape tendencies. Frontal and lateral displays occur as a result of conflict between attack and escape and are most common during fights between two aggressive fish when conflict is presumed to be high. Frontal display indicates relatively high levels of the tendency to attack; lateral display of the tendency to escape. 3. Agonistic behaviour among aquarium-held fish fluctuates with several factors. Territories are not defended actively until after a period of adaptation to new surroundings, particularly if the fish have been kept in crowded holding tanks for some time. Agonistic encounters increase with more frequent feeding, due probably to better condition and greater activity of the fish, resulting in more frequent infringements of territories. Gradual increase in numbers of fish in an aquarium leads first to an increase, then to a falling off in agonistic activity, as the non-territory-holding fish, which are moderately active with small numbers of fish present, form a closely-knit, stabilized group as the aquarium becomes crowded. 4. The territories of young salmon appear to be primarily feeding territories. The behaviour associated with their maintenance is important for optimum growth and survival and for maintaining position for long periods in fast flowing streams. The fate of hatchery-reared fish planted in rivers may be related to their ability to secure and maintain territories in competition with wild fish.