Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphological caste differences in the neotropical swarm-founding Polistinae wasps: Agelaia m. A. multipicta and A. p. pallipes (Hymenoptera Vespidae)

Distinct size dimorphism was found between queens (inseminated egglayers) and workers (uninseminated non egg-layers) sampled from mature colonies of Agelaia pallipes and A. A. multipicta. In both species, among 22 measured body parts queens were larger than workers in 17 characters. The Mahalanobis' distance (D2) between castes was 122.74 in A. pallipes and 110.99 in A. A. multipicta, giving clear-cut evidence of caste separation, a conclusion which is strengthened by the absence of intermediate females. Comparisons with A. vicina and A. flavipennis demonstrated that morphological castes attributes are less developed in A. pallipes and A. A. multipicta.
Standardisation of scat analysis techniques for leopard (Panthera pardus) in Gir National Park, Western India

Le nombre minimal de poils qu'il est necessaire d'examiner par crotte et le nombre minimal de crottes qui permettent d'estimer le regime de la panthere dans la foret de Gir ont ete etablis. L'examen de 20 poils par crotte permet la detection de plusieurs especes proies. Un minimum de 80 crottes est necessaire pour une estimation valable du regime alimentaire de la panthere. Quarante-huit pour cent des crottes contiennent une seule espece proie. Les autres crottes renferment les restes de plusieurs especes proies
Taxonomic revision and phylogenetic analysis of the genus Tambja Burn, 1962 (Mollusca, Nudibranchia, Polyceridae)

This paper discusses the systematics and phylogeny of the genus Tambja Burn, 1962 throughout tropical and temperate areas in the Atlantic, eastern Pacific and Indo‐Pacific. The phylogenetic relationships within Tambja are unknown and a comprehensive taxonomic revision is necessary in order to construct a phylogeny of the genus. To date, Tambja comprises 28 nominal species, 22 of which have been examined morphologically based on newly collected and type material. The reproductive systems of four species (T. limaciformis (Eliot, 1908), T. sagamiana (Baba, 1955), T. amakusana, Baba, 1987 and T. olivaria, Yonow, 1993) were studied for the first time and two species previously considered as valid, Tambja morosa (Bergh, 1877) and Tambja kushimotoensis Baba, 1987, are here synonymized. Of the remaining six nominal species, no additional material has been found since their original description. The holotypes of three (T. diaphana (Bergh, 1877), T. gratiosa (Bergh, 1890) and T. marbellensis Schick & Cervera, 1998) have been re‐examined and the original descriptions improved. Tambja diaphana is regarded as nomen dubium. Tambja amitina (Eliot, 1905), T. divae (Marcus, 1958) and T. anayana Ortea, 1989 remain as valid species until further comparison with new specimens can be made. New structures are also described for several taxa. Morphological and anatomical data from 22 nominal Tambja species have been used to construct a phylogeny. The phylogenetic analysis rejects the monophyly of Tambja and shows its preliminary relationships within the subfamily Nembrothinae.
Can microbenthic photosynthesis influence below-halocline oxygen conditions in the Kattegat?

Abstract Gross benthic oxygen uptake at 20 m depth in the Laholm Bay, SE Kattegat (measured in the laboratory on darkened cores) varied between 3.5 and 6.5 ml O2 · m−2 · h−1 for the period May through September. The integrated oxygen uptake for this period was calculated to 17.6 l O2 · m−2 or 8.0 g C · m−2 if RQ = 0.85. At 14–16 and 17–18 m depth a microbenthic primary production of 15 and 3.5 g C · m−2 · yr−1, respectively, has been measured with the 14C-technique. This corresponds to 28 and 6.5 l O2 · m−2 if PQ = 1.0. At 20 m production was 1 g C · m−2 · yr−1 (1.9 l O2). Microbenthic primary production is concentrated to the period May to September. Laboratory experiments show that a light intensity of approximately 10 µE · m−2 · s−1 (16L/8D) is sufficient to make the benthic community autotrophic (P/R> 1) when the heterotrophic activity corresponds to 10 ml O2 · m−2· h−1, i.e. above the maximal benthic respiration found during summer at 20 m depth in the Laholm Bay. Light intensity in summer often exce.
A pilot study to investigate the fecal dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 virus genome in COVID-19 patients in Odisha, India

In infectious diseases, the routes of transmission play major roles in determining the rate and extent of disease spread. Though fomites and aerosol droplets are major sources of SARS-CoV-2 human to human transmission, studies have also reported possible involvement of other routes of transmission like fecal-oral. Multiple studies around the world have reported shedding of the SARS-CoV-2 viral genome in certain COVID-19 patient fecal samples. Hence, the major objective of this study was to get the experimental evidence whether in Indian COVID-19 patients fecal dissemination of the SARS-CoV-2 genome occurs or not. Information obtained from twelve number of patients from a COVID-19 hospital of Odisha has demonstrated that both symptomatic and asymptomatic Indian patients could be positive for the SARS-CoV-2 genome in their fecal component. The findings have also established a protocol to collect and extract viral RNA for SARS-CoV-2 detection in fecal samples. Together, the study supports the hypothesis of possible fecal-oral transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus and provides a rationale to extend this study in a larger cohort of patient samples and correlate the significance of the SARS-CoV-2 virus genome detection in fecal samples with disease severity and transmission.
COVID-19 Lockdown in a Kenyan Informal Settlement: Impacts on Household Energy and Food Security

A COVID-19 lockdown may impact household fuel use and food security for ~700 million sub-Saharan Africans who rely on polluting fuels (e.g. wood, kerosene) for household energy and typically work in the informal economy. In an informal settlement in Nairobi, surveys administered before (n=474) and after (n=194) a mandatory COVID-19-related community lockdown documented socioeconomic/household energy impacts. During lockdown, 95% of participants indicated income decline or cessation and 88% reported being food insecure. Three quarters of participants cooked less frequently and half altered their diet. One quarter (27%) of households primarily using liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking before lockdown switched to kerosene (14%) or wood (13%). These results indicate the livelihoods of urban Kenyan families were deleteriously affected by COVID-19 lockdown, with a likely rise in household air pollution from community-level increases in polluting fuel use. To safeguard public health, policies should prioritize enhancing clean fuel and food access among the urban poor.
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cancer Patients Affected by a Novel Coronavirus

Background Cancer patients with COVID-19 disease have been reported to have double the case fatality rate of the general population. Materials and methods A systematic search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central, Google Scholar, and MedRxiv was done for studies on cancer patients with COVID-19. Pooled proportions were calculated for categorical variables. Odds ratio and forest plots were constructed for both primary and secondary outcomes. The random-effects model was used to account for heterogeneity between studies. Results This systematic review of 31 studies and meta-analysis of 181,323 patients from 26 studies involving 23,736 cancer patients is the largest meta-analysis to the best of our knowledge assessing outcomes in cancer patients affected by COVID-19. Our meta-analysis shows that cancer patients with COVID-19 have a higher likelihood of death (odds ratio, OR 2.54), which was largely driven by mortality among patients in China. Cancer patients were more likely to be intubated, although ICU admission rates were not statistically significant. Among cancer subtypes, the mortality was highest in hematological malignancies (OR 2.43) followed by lung cancer (OR 1.8). There was no association between receipt of a particular type of oncologic therapy and mortality. Our study showed that cancer patients affected by COVID-19 are a decade older than the normal population and have a higher proportion of co-morbidities. There was insufficient data to assess the association of COVID-directed therapy and survival outcomes in cancer patients. Despite the heterogeneity of studies and inconsistencies in reported variables and outcomes, these data could guide clinical practice and oncologic care during this unprecedented global health pandemic. Conclusion Cancer patients with COVID-19 disease are at increased risk of mortality and morbidity. A more nuanced understanding of the interaction between cancer-directed therapies and COVID-19-directed therapies is needed. This will require uniform prospective recording of data, possibly in multi-institutional registry databases.
Greater female first author citation advantages do not associate with reduced or reducing gender disparities in academia

Ongoing problems attracting women into many Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects have many potential explanations. This article investigates whether the possible undercitation of women associates with lower proportions of, or increases in, women in a subject. It uses six million articles published in 1996–2012 across up to 331 fields in six mainly English-speaking countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. The proportion of female first- and last-authored articles in each year was calculated and 4,968 regressions were run to detect first-author gender advantages in field normalized article citations. The proportion of female first authors in each field correlated highly between countries and the female first-author citation advantages derived from the regressions correlated moderately to strongly between countries, so both are relatively field specific. There was a weak tendency in the United States and New Zealand for female citation advantages to be stronger in fields with fewer women, after excluding small fields, but there was no other association evidence. There was no evidence of female citation advantages or disadvantages to be a cause or effect of changes in the proportions of women in a field for any country. Inappropriate uses of career-level citations are a likelier source of gender inequities.
Feeding Stimulant for Juvenile Winter Flounders

Abstract Feeding stimulants, commonly amino acids, are incorporated into fish diets to enhance feed intake. Winter flounder Pleuronectes americanus is a finfish species new to aquaculture; determining the best feeding stimulant for this species will help the industry increase feed consumption and growth and reduce feed conversion rates (weight of food fed/weight gained). FinnStim, a commercial feeding stimulant, was tested. Over a single adaptation week and two experimental weeks, juvenile 1-year-old winter flounder were fed daily to satiation either the control diet (99% basal diet and 1% fish meal) or the experimental diet (99% basal and 1% FinnStim). Fish were weighed at the beginning and at the end of a 2-week experimental feeding period, and feed consumption was monitored daily. The FinnStim supplemented diet resulted in a significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced feed consumption and growth rate compared with fish fed the control diet. A similar positive response to FinnStim was also found for feed efficien.
The effect of phosphorus fertilizer on establishment, yield and quality of pea, lentil and faba bean

Crop production diversification in western Canada includes pulse crops, necessitating more information on fertilization of these crops. Experiments with seed placement (SP) and side banding (SB) of phosphorus (P) fertilizer were conducted at three Saskatchewan locations during a 3-yr period, using pea (Pisum sativum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.) for a total of 24 location-crop combinations. Monoammonium phosphate was applied at six rates of up to 44 kg P ha−1. Stand counts were taken at 3–4 wk after seeding; seed yield, seed P and seed protein concentration were measured. Stand count of pea was inversely proportional to rate of SP-P, with the stand count being reduced by 50% at the 44 kg P ha−1 rate. Lentil stand was reduced by SP-P at only two locations, and the effects were much less severe than for pea. Faba bean stand was not affected by P placement or rate. Seed yield of pea was higher with SB-P than with SP-P at all locations, but with lentil, SB-P gave higher se.
Reproductive aspects of a cichlid fish Tilapia zillii (Gervais) (Pisces: Cichlidae) in Opa reservoir, Ile-Ife, Nigeria

A total of 1486 specimen of the fish Tilapia zillii was collected by gillnetting and analysed for aspect of its reproductive biology in Opa reservoir, between October 1991 and February 1994. Sex ratio was approximately 1:1 (male: female). Fish total length at maturity was 15.1cm (males) and 13.2cm (females). The fecundity was 4329 ± 1153.9eggs, n = 685 with an egg diameter of 1.06mm ± 0.67mm, n = 619. The mean gonado-somatic index was 0.39±0.234. 1, n = 865 (males) and 1.05±1.011. 2, n = 619 (females). The relationship between fish length and fecundity relationship gave a statistically significant correlation (r = 0.5722, P Key Words: Fecundity, sex ratio, gonado-somatic index, substratum brooder Ife Journal of Science Vol.6(2) 2004: 119-122
Evaluation of a 254-mm Minimum Length Limit on Crappies in Delaware Reservoir, Ohio

Abstract A 254-mm minimum length limit on black crappies Pomoxis nigromaculatus and white crappies P. annularus was evaluated during a 6-year trial (1991–1996) at Delaware Reservoir, Ohio. The primary objective of the length limit was to increase the size of crappies harvested without substantially reducing yield. Mean length at harvest increased up to 66 mm following implementation of the length limit. However, a 78% average decrease in total annual harvest was too great to compensate for the larger size at harvest and to compensate for annual yield (kg) reductions of 38–76% while the regulation was in effect. Annual catch-and-release rates of crappies at Delaware Reservoir increased from 35–43% to 84–97% and became the greatest in Ohio. Likewise, Delaware Reservoir had greater angler catch per effort and mean size at harvest compared with unregulated crappie fisheries in Ohio. Both crappie species maintained preregulation growth rates despite modest density increases of sublegal fish, whereas relative w.
Properties and Classification of Soils of the Swedish Long-Term Fertility Experiments: III. Sites at Västraby and S. Ugglarp

Abstract The Vastraby soil (Kattarp) was Classified as a fine, mixed, mesic Typic Endoaquoll according to the Soil Taxonomy and as a Haplic Phaeozem according to the FAO revised legend. The soil profile consisted of a very dark grey-coloured Aphorizon and a subsoil with a calcium carbonate content (0.4-21.4%) increasing with depth. The textural composition of the Vastraby profile was found to be 24% clay, 20% silt (2-60 μm) and 56% sand in the Ap-horizon and 55% clay, 42% silt (2-60 μm) and 3% sand in the subsoil, on average. The bulk density was highest between 30 and 50 cm depth (1.70 kg dm−3), average values for 0-30 cm depth and the subsoil were 1.59 kg dm−3 and 1.40 kg dm−3, respectively. Assuming a groundwater table of 1 m, the amount of plant available water was 167 mm. Amounts of carbon and nitrogen in the Ap-horizon of the Vastraby soil were 73 t C ha−1 and 5.6 t N ha−1, respectively, while the subsoil to a depth of 1 m contained 42 t C ha−1 and 5.4 t N ha−1. The cation exchange capacity (CEC) am.
Over Winter Microbial Processes in a Svalbard Snow Pack: An Experimental Approach

Snow packs cover large expanses of Earth’s land surface, making them integral components of the cryosphere in terms of past climate and atmospheric proxies, surface albedo regulators, insulators for other Arctic environments and habitats for diverse microbial communities such as algae, bacteria and fungi. Yet, most of our current understanding of snow pack environments, specifically microbial activity and community interaction, is limited to the main microbial growing season during spring ablation. At present, little is known about microbial activity and its influence on nutrient cycling during the subfreezing temperatures and 24-h darkness of the polar winter. Here, we examined microbial dynamics in a simulated cold (−5°C), dark snow pack to determine polar winter season microbial activity and its dependence on critical nutrients. Snow collected from Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard was incubated in the dark over a 5-week period with four different nutrient additions, including glacial mineral particles, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) and a combined treatment of DIN plus DIP. Data indicate a consumption of dissolved inorganic nutrients, particularly DIN, by heterotrophic communities, suggesting a potential nitrogen limitation, contradictory to phosphorus limitations found in most aquatic environments. 16S amplicon sequencing also reveal a clear difference in microbial community composition in the particulate mineral treatment compared to dissolved nutrient treatments and controls, suggesting that certain species of heterotrophs living within the snow pack are more likely to associate with particulates. Particulate phosphorus analyses indicate a potential ability of heterotrophic communities to access particulate sources of phosphorous, possibly explaining the lack of phosphorus limitation. These findings have importance for understanding microbial activity during the polar winter season and its potential influences on the abundance and bioavailability of nutrients released to surface ice and downstream environments during the ablation season.
Extraction and Detection of Avian Influenza Virus From Wetland Sediment Using Enrichment-Based Targeted Resequencing

Early virus detection and characterization is key to successful avian influenza virus (AIV) surveillance for the health of humans as well as domestic poultry. We explored a novel sampling approach and molecular strategy using sediment from wetlands and outdoor waterbodies on poultry farms as a population-level proxy of AIV activity in waterfowls. RNA was extracted using the MoBio RNA PowerSoil Total RNA isolation kit with additional chloroform extraction steps to reduce PCR inhibition. AIV matrix protein (MP) gene was detected in 42/345 (12.2%) samples by RT-qPCR; an additional 64 (18.6%) samples showed evidence of amplification below the threshold and were categorized as “suspect positive. ” Enrichment-based targeted resequencing (TR) identified AIV sequences in 79/345 (22.9%) samples. TR probes were designed for MP, hemagglutinin (HA), and neuraminidase (NA), however PB2 and PA were also identified. Although RT-qPCR and TR only had fair-moderate agreement, RT-qPCR positivity was predictive of TR-positivity both when using only strictly positive RT-qPCR samples (OR = 11.29) and when coding suspect positives as positive (OR = 7.56). This indicates that RT-qPCR could be used as a screening tool to select samples for virus characterization by TR and that future studies should consider RT-qPCR suspect positives to be positive samples for subsequent resequencing when avoiding false negatives is the priority, for instance in a diagnostic test, and to consider suspect positives to be negative samples when cost efficiency over a large number of samples is the priority, for instance in a surveillance program. A total of 13 HA (H1-7, H9-13, H16) and 9 NA (N1-9) subtypes were identified, with a maximum of 8 HA and 8 NA subtypes detected in a single sample. The optimized RNA extraction and targeted resequencing methods provided increased virus detection and subtyping characterization that could be implemented in an AIV surveillance system.
One Social Media Company to Rule Them All: Associations Between Use of Facebook-Owned Social Media Platforms, Sociodemographic Characteristics, and the Big Five Personality Traits

Currently, 2.7 billion people use at least one of the Facebook-owned social media platforms – Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Previous research investigating individual differences between users and non-users of these platforms has typically focused on one platform. However, individuals typically use a combination of Facebook-owned platforms. Therefore, we aim (1) to identify the relative prevalence of different patterns of social media use, and (2) to evaluate potential between-group differences in the distributions of age, gender, education, and Big Five personality traits. Data collection was performed using a cross-sectional design. Specifically, we administered a survey assessing participants’ demographic variables, current use of Facebook-owned platforms, and Big Five personality traits. In N = 3003 participants from the general population (60.67% females; mean age = 35.53 years, SD = 13.53), WhatsApp emerged as the most widely used application in the sample, and hence, has the strongest reach. A pattern consisting of a combined use of WhatsApp and Instagram appeared to be most prevalent among the youngest participants. Further, individuals using at least one social media platform were generally younger, more often female, and more extraverted than non-users. Small differences in Conscientiousness and Neuroticism also emerged across groups reporting different combinations of social media use. Interestingly, when examined as control variables, we found demographic characteristics partially accounted for differences in broad personality factors and facets across different patterns of social media use. Our findings are relevant to researchers carrying out their studies via social media platforms, as sample characteristics appear to be different depending on the platform used.
Characteristics of Effective Self-Regulated Learning Interventions in Mathematics Classrooms: A Systematic Review

Several meta-analyses suggest that identifiable characteristics of self-regulated learning interventions result in improvement in students' academic performance and self-regulatory competence across content areas. Nevertheless, little is known about recent interventions and about specific characteristics of interventions that may be domain specific. In this systematic review, we targeted mathematics and reviewed 36 self-regulated learning intervention studies conducted with school-aged learners. We examined patterns of effective interventions with identified characteristics, such as theoretical guidance, type of strategies instructed, type of outcome assessments, and targeted outcomes. Findings revealed that those interventions grounded in metacognition-oriented theories and those interventions that targeted multiple strategies including cognitive, metacognitive, and motivational, tended to yield effective increases in both mathematics achievement and self-regulated learning. The review also examined patterns within interventions conducted from 1992 to 2020. Findings indicate recent interventions tend to adopt a social-cognitive SRL model and employ standardized knowledge assessments. Implications for practice and future self-regulated learning interventions in mathematics are discussed.