Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
INFLUENCE OF SEA ICE DYNAMICS ON HABITAT SELECTION BY POLAR BEARS

Polar bears live in high-latitude environments characterized by cyclic variation in form and extent of sea ice. From 1991 to 1995, we used radio telemetry and monthly satellite images to compare patterns of ice selection by 110 female polar bears, relative to two geographic regions and four seasons. We hypothesized that extreme seasonal changes in ice characteristics in the Baffin Bay region, including a period of open water, may limit polar bear density despite supporting greater prey density than the Archipelago region, where ice is present year-round. Using cyclic time series analysis to model seasonal variation, we found differences in level, amplitude, and phase between sea ice characteristics and habitat selection by polar bears of the Arctic Archipelago and Baffin Bay regions. Polar bears not only followed seasonal changes, but they anticipated seasonal fluctuations, e.g., polar bears were found close to ice edges in spring in advance of the peak availability of edges. Also, seasonal selection of sea ice by polar bears was generally of a larger amplitude than cycles in ice and is best explained by intensive use of specific ice types in spring and summer, and sparse use during the remaining year. During spring and summer, Archipelago bears used landfast ice more intensively, whereas Baffin bears used moving ice, defined as thick first-year ice found in large floes. Both ice types likely represent areas where most seal pupping occurred in spring for each region. Bears from both regions selected first-year ice in winter when new ice was forming and multiyear ice in autumn when maximum ice melt had occurred. Overall, polar bear selection of ice habitat was similar between regions despite major differences in seasonal ice characteristics. Polar bear density may not directly relate to prey density, due to the limited ability of bears to track the extreme seasonal fluctuations in ice extent found in more productive environments.
Phosphonates and particulate organic phosphorus cycling in an anoxic marine basin

Total particulate phosphorus (TPP), particulate inorganic P (PIP), and particulate organic P (POP) concentrations were measured in a year‐long series of sediment trap samples collected throughout the oxic‐anoxic water column (275 m, 455 m, 930 m, and 1,255 m) of the Cariaco Basin. TPP, PIP, and POP fluxes varied seasonally and decreased significantly with depth, from 65 to 19 µmol TPP m−2 d−1, 43 to 8 µmol PIP m−2 d−1, and 22 to 11 µmol POP m−2 d−1. Significant flux relationships (p < 0.001) were found between POP and particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate organic nitrogen (PON). The lack of a relationship between POC and PIP fluxes and the large fraction of TPP associated with the PIP pool in both oxic and anoxic traps suggests that future analyses must separate PIP and POP when evaluating biological relationships between C, N, and P. The strong relationships between POC, PON, and POP also suggest that POP is not preferentially remineralized relative to PON and POC with increasing depth in this anoxic environment. P composition was also determined using solid state 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and it was found that phosphonates, chemically and thermally inert compounds, are a significant fraction of the TPP pool. Furthermore, these compounds were preferentially removed relative to more bioavailable P esters during a low flux event. Their selective removal suggests that these compounds may be an unrecognized source of bioavailable P under anoxic conditions.
Research Note: the Relationship between Television Fiction and Fear of Crime

Three hypotheses regarding the relationship between television viewing and fear of crime exist. The cultivation hypothesis states that watching television increases fear of crime. The mood management hypothesis states that frightened people will watch more crime on television to learn how to cope with their fear. The withdrawal hypothesis states that people who are afraid of crime will be afraid to leave the house. This leads to heavier television viewing, thus creating a spurious relationship between fear of crime and watching crime on television. This article compares these three models and a null model using structural equation models. Data from a representative sample of 909 respondents from Flanders, Belgium, offer support for the cultivation hypothesis, which offers a better explanation than the null model, but do not support either of the other hypotheses. In the model, direct experience of crime was not related to fear, while television viewing was.
A NEW SPECIES OF CARCHARODONTOSAURUS (DINOSAURIA: THEROPODA) FROM THE CENOMANIAN OF NIGER AND A REVISION OF THE GENUS

Abstract The systematics and taxonomy of the large allosauroid Carcharodontosaurus are reviewed and a new species of this theropod is described from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Echkar Formation of Niger, which is roughly coeval with Cenomanian beds elsewhere in northern Africa. The type species, C. saharicus, was based originally on a pair of isolated teeth from Algeria, to which was referred a partial skull and skeleton from Egypt. All of this material was either lost or destroyed more than 50 years ago. Thus, a neotype is designated for C. saharicus, a well-preserved cranium from the Kem Kem beds in Morocco. Newly discovered material from Niger is distinct from that of C. saharicus, justifying the erection of a distinct southern species. C. iguidensis, n. sp. is represented by cranial (maxilla, braincase, dentary, lacrimal, teeth) and postcranial (vertebrae) remains and grew to the same large body size as C. saharicus. The skull displays several autapomorphies, including a laterally reduced external antorbital fossa, a maxillary anteromedial process that is broadly arched toward the midline, a prominent horizontal crest on the medial aspect of the maxilla, and a deeply invaginated fossa on the laterosphenoid. Unlike C. saharicus the ventral rim of the external antorbital fossa does not protrude laterally, the anteromedial process does not demarcate a deep ventral fossa, and the frontal-lacrimal suture is not elevated. The new material provides evidence of differentiation among Cenomanian-age faunas from the Sahara and supports a close relationship between Carcharodontosaurus, Giganotosaurus, and Acrocanthosaurus.
Influence of agricultural practices on Fusarium infection, fumonisin and deoxynivalenol contamination of maize kernels

Mycotoxins in cereals are an economic and health problem. They are mainly produced in the field and are influenced by environmental conditions during ripening and by agricultural practices. The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of combined agronomic techniques on fumonisins and deoxynivalenol contamination in maize kernels. Six experimental fields were prepared in North Italy from 2005 to 2007. Two hybrids with different maturity times and 6 different combinations of agricultural practices (sowing time, plant density, N fertilisation and European corn borer (ECB) control with insecticide) were compared for ECB incidence and severity, Fusarium ear rot incidence and severity, F. verticillioides and F. graminearum kernel infection and fumonisin and deoxynivalenol contamination. In temperate climates, where ECB attack is consistent, the production of maize kernels with a low fumonisin content can be enhanced by a correct insecticide application against second-generation ECB larvae and by an earl.
Floral diversity and the facilitation of pollination

1 Multiple‐species floral displays have been hypothesized to facilitate pollination by attracting a greater number and/or diversity of pollinators. Here I present experimental confirmation of pollination facilitation among coflowering plants that have morphologically distinct flowers. 2 Pollinator visits to Raphanus raphanistrum, a self‐incompatible herbaceous plant, increased when it occurred with one or a combination of Cirsium arvense, Hypericum perforatum and Solidago canadensis than when it occurred alone. 3 Enhanced visitation to R. raphanistrum in mixed species plots was reflected by increased seed production. 4 Facilitative effects in pollination were conditional on the density and evenness of the floral mixture and graded into competition as the relative abundance of R. raphanistrum declined in a two‐species mixture. 5 Previously proposed mechanisms for facilitative interactions cannot explain facilitation among florally distinct plant displays. An alternative mechanism of differential but complementary floral rewards is proposed to explain facilitative attraction of pollinators. 6 Facilitation of, and competition for, pollination has implications for regeneration by seed of rare or isolated plants, and of mitigating Allee effects that afflict such populations.
BACTERIAL FAUNA ASSOCIATED WITH THE BLOW FLY, Chrysomya megacephala (F.) IN UBON RATCHATHANI PROVINCE OF NORTHEAST THAILAND

The objective of the current study was to isolate and identify the bacterial fauna assocfated with populations of the Oriental latrine fly, Chrysomya megacephala, collected in the Muang district of Ubon Ratchathani province, an area of high diarrhoeal disease incidence. A total of 294 flies were collected from September 201 O-August 2011 using a sterilized insect sweep net at each collection site including fresh- food markets, garbage piles, restaurants, school cafeterias and paddy fields of Muang Ubon Ratchathani in the Ubon Ratchathani province. Each specimen was transferred into individual sterile glass vials for bacterial isolation using standard bacterial isolation techniques from the external surfaces of the flies of the 294 flies collected, 98.64% were found to be carrying multiple species of bacteria. A total of 15 bacterial genera were isolated, including both potentially pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria. The most common bacterium isolated from C. meg- acephala was coagulase-negative staphylococci (80.27%) followed by Streptococcus group D non-enterococci (69.05%). Among these were human pathogenic enteric bacteria including Escherichia coli 0157:H7 (EHEC) and Salmonella iyphi with the prevalence rates in flies being 3.06% and 20.88% respectively. Furthermore, other human pathogens were found such as Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeru- ginosa. The present study demonstrates the potential of C. megacephala to vector pathogenic enteric bacteria to humans.
Nontarget Effects of Ivermectin on Coprophagous Insects in Japan

Abstract Effects of the antiparasitic drug ivermectin on the dung-breeding flies and beetles Liatongus minutus (Motschulsky) were studied in laboratory and field experiments in Hokkaido, Japan. Ivermectin was detected in dung from 1 to 21 d after treatment, with a peak at the first day after treatment in two pour-on administrations (500 μg/kg). Laboratory bioassays were performed on the flies Musca bezzii Patton and Cragg and Scatophaga stercoraria L. and on the beetle Liatongus minutus. Dung from treated cattle inhibited larval development of M. bezzii from 1 to 14 d and pupation rate was reduced 21 d after treatment. In S. stercoraria, pupation and emergence rates were reduced for up to 14 and 28 d, respectively. In laboratory experiments of the dung beetle L. minutus, no significant difference was found in numbers of brood balls constructed per female between dung from treated and control cattle, whereas in field experiments, numbers of brood balls recovered in treatment were more abundant than that of control at 14 d after treatment. However, emergence rates of L. minutus were significantly reduced in dung from treated cattle for up to 14 d after treatment in both laboratory and field experiments. In a field experiment using emergence traps, numbers of flies emerged were 10,494 (18 families) in dung from untreated control cattle and 9,348 (17 families) in dung from treated cattle. Emergence of Paregle cinerella (Fallén), Neomyia cornicina (Fabricius), Ravinia striata (Fabricius), Sepsis latiforceps Duda, Sepsis duplicata Haliday, Sphaeroceridae spp. , and Empididae spp. was reduced severely in dung from treated cattle. Conversely, numbers of Ceratopogonidae and Psychodidae increased in dung from treated cattle. Total dry weights of flies emerged from 48 dung pats in field experiments was 5,849.7 mg in dung from control cattle and 1,268.2 mg in dung from treated cattle, showing a 79.3% reduction in treated dung.
Spermiogenesis without preceding meiosis in the hybrid medaka between Oryzias latipes and O. curvinotus

In the hybrid medaka between Oryzias latipes and O. curvinotus, the testicular structure, including an efferent duct, seminiferous tubules, and testicular cysts, was similar to that of the parent fishes, indicating that gonadal development during embryogenesis proceeds normally. The hybrid fish had spermatogonia, spermatocytes, and spermatid-like cells in the cyst. Sperm-like cells with a condensed nucleus and elongated flagellum were released into an efferent duct. However, measurement of DNA contents in spermatogenic cells demonstrated that no haploid cells were produced in the hybrid testis. Cytological observations revealed that the meiotic cell cycle is arrested before reaching metaphase I. The absence of protamine mRNA, of which expression starts from the later phase of meiosis, confirms the abnormality of meiosis in the hybrid testes. Direct evidence for the absence of meiotic division in the hybrid medaka was obtained from a cell culture study of primary spermatocytes. One spermatocyte isolated from the parent medaka produced 4 spermatozoa after meiotic division, whereas one spermatocyte isolated from the hybrid differentiated into one sperm-like cell without meiotic division on a similar time schedule to that of the parent medaka. These results indicate that despite the absence of normal meiosis, spermiogenesis proceeds on schedule, suggesting that spermiogenesis is intrinsically independent of the preceding meiosis. J. Exp. Zool. 279:102–112, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Developing a Benthic Index of Biological Integrity and Some Relationships to Environmental Factors in the Subtropical Xiangxi River, China

The aim of this study is to develop a benthic index of biotic integrity (B-IBI) to help understand how the increasing anthropogenic pressure may impact the subtropical Xiangxi River in China. Benthic macroinvertebrate and environmental surveys were conducted at 77 sites in early summer 2004. Each collection site was categorized as reference or impaired based on physical, chemical, biological, and land-use information. Six non-redundant metrics from 35 metrics were used to differentiate between reference and impaired sites. We selected six metrics for the final IBI. The scoring criteria of each metric were normalized based on the quadrisection and 0-10 scaling systems. Both scaling methods were used to assess the aquatic health of each site in the Xiangxi River watershed. The results showed that most sites were in fairly poor condition. Furthermore, we identified the relationship between B-IBI metrics, water-quality, and land-use variables with a principal component analysis. A composite of nutrients and land-use intensity explained most variances. These results suggest that the B-IBI may be a suitable method for assessing river conditions within the subtropical Xiangxi River in central China.
The Destiny of Postoperative Residual Ventricular Septal Defects After Surgical Repair in Infants and Children

Purpose: Residual ventricular septal defects (rVSDs) of small size are commonly seen on transesophageal echocardiography after surgical repair. This study aimed to determine the destiny of rVSD found on intraoperative echocardiogram. Methods: Patients undergoing surgical repair of VSD as the primary procedure with available intraoperative and discharge echocardiograms between 2007 and 2017 were reviewed. Presence of an rVSD on intraoperative echo triggered review of discharge echo and of subsequent follow-up echocardiograms. Results: One hundred four patients were analyzed. The mean age and weight for the entire cohort were 1.4 ± 2.9 years (median, 5.4 months; range, 29 days to 14 years) and 8.8 ± 9.9 kg (median, 5.1 kg; range, 2.7-58 kg), respectively. Sixty (57%) patients had rVSD at discharge, with mean size of residual VSD of 1.38 ± 0.92 mm (mode, 0.6; median, 2.2 mm; range, 0.5-3.9 mm). The mean follow-up time was 3.7 ± 3.1 years (range, 1 month to 9.3 years). Among those with rVSD at discharge, a residual shunt persisted in 73% at one-month follow-up. On follow-up at three years postdischarge, of the 60 patients with early rVSD, 6 had a persistent rVSD (10%) with a mean diameter of 3.0 ± 0.8 mm (range, 2.4-3.9 mm). Conclusions: Residual VSD after surgical repair is detected frequently on postoperative echocardiogram. The presence of rVSD was not associated with any preoperative, intraoperative, or postoperative factors. By three years of follow-up, only six patients continued to demonstrate rVSD with a mean diameter of 3 mm, suggesting that defects 3 mm or greater may be less likely to close spontaneously after three years.
Autonomous Learning Strategy and Academic Performance of Senior Secondary Two Students in Agricultural Science in Uyo Local Government Area, Nigeria

The study examined the effect of autonomous learning strategy on the academic performance of Agricultural science students in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State-Nigeria. Three research questions and three null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study was guided by Bruner (1966) Constructivist theory and adopted the pre-test-post-test non randomised quasi experimental design. A sample of 220 senior secondary two students offering Agricultural science during the 2017/2018 academic session from two schools in two intact classes were purposively sampled from a population of 2,492 students in 13 public secondary schools in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. The subjects in their intact classes were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. The experimental group was treated with Autonomous Learning Strategy while the control group was taught using expository method. The two groups were pre-tested before treatment and post-tested after the treatment. Data were collected using Agricultural Science Performance Test (AGSPT). The instrument was validated by experts in the faculty of Education, University of Uyo. The instrument had reliability co-efficient of o . 81. The data from the respondents were analysed using descriptive statistics of Mean and Standard Deviation to answer the research questions, ANCOVA was used to test hypothesis one while independent t-test was used in testing hypotheses two and three. The results of the analysis showed a significant difference in performance of students using Autonomous learning strategy and those taught with expository method. There was also a significant difference between male and female students using autonomous learning strategy and also a significant difference in the performance of urban and rural agricultural science students using autonomous learning strategy for instruction. Some recommendations were made to enhance the use of autonomous learning that schools should have well equipped libraries and that government should provide technological devices for students to access learning materials when need arises among other recommendations.
Effect of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus on the yield, growth and nutrient status of Ixodia daisy (Ixodia achillaeioides ssp. alata)

The effect of annual applications of nitrogen (N), potassium (K) and phosphorus (P) on the yield, growth and nutrient status of Ixodia daisy (Ixodia achillaeioides ssp. alata) grown on a silty loam, was investigated in field experiments conducted during 1989-91 in the Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia. The experimental design was a randomised block with 3 replications. The N and K treatments, at annual rates up to 200 kg N/ha and 150 kg K/ha, were applied as 2 equal side-dressings. The P treatments, at rates up to 200 kg/ha, were broadcast as 1 annual application. To assess plant nutrient status we sampled the fifth leaf below the growing terminal of 50 stems in October and whole stems at harvest. As rate of applied N increased, there was a significant (P 0.05) affect yield or plant growth. First and second order interactions between N, K and year were not significant. Plant growth and yield responses to P applied as superphosphate were inconsistent and the interaction between P and year was not significant (P>0.05). Coefficients of determination (r2) for relationships between N, K and P concentrations in the fifth leaf samples v. total biomass yield and total stem number, were in the range 0.13-0.52 for the combined 1990 and 1991 data. Based on sensitivity, reproducibility and occurrence of the Piper-Steenbjerg effect, we concluded that N, K or P concentrations in the fifth leaf sampled in October, or in whole stems at harvest, were not reliable indicators of the nutrient status of Ixodia daisy. The application of N and P did not affect the concentration of minor or micronutrients in the fifth leaf. In contrast, the application of K increased calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and sulfur (S) concentrations by 14.3, 33.3 and 12.2%, respectively. For a high density planting (13,000 plants) we estimated that for N, P and K, 69.4, 6.2 and 83.2 kg/ha, respectively, are removed in marketable stems. The application of P increased extractable-P concentrations in the surface (0-15 cm) soil from 22 to 73 mg/kg. We suggest that for surface (0-15 cm) soils, extractable-P and extractable-K concentrations in the ranges 15-95 and 210-260 mg/kg, respectively, are adequate and indicate that a yield response to the application of these nutrients in fertiliser may not occur.
Interactions between White Perch (Morone amerićana) and Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) in Lake Erie as Determined from Feeding and Growth

Since the mid-1970's, white perch Morone americana have expanded rapidly, resulting in possible major interactions with the native yellow perch Perca flavescens. We compared the food consumption rates, diet overlap, and growth of white perch and yellow perch from field data collected during 1983–85 and 1987. Food consumption rates were as much as 27% greater in white perch than in yellow perch, and were higher for both species in the central basin than in the western basin. Seasonal diet composition was most alike in summer and less so in spring and fall, when yellow perch ate more benthos or fish than did white perch. Of 48 Schoener index comparisons of diet overlap during a 3-yr period, 52% were significant (> 0.6). Although yellow perch grew faster in the central basin, reflecting the greater consumption rates, white perch did not show the similar large interbasin growth differences.
Forage quality of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) as influenced by irrigation, nitrogen levels and harvesting stage

The field experiment was carried out at Forage Research Farm, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana during summer 2008 to study the effect of scheduling of last irrigation, levels of nitrogen and harvesting stage on the quality of forage sorghum. The application of last irrigation at 7 days before harvest recorded significantly higher dry matter, crude protein, crude fat, mineral matter and NFE production over last irrigation at 14 and 21 days before harvest. Moreover, quality of sorghum was significantly improved with the application of nitrogen up to 125% of the recommended doses. The study revealed that significantly higher dry matter, crude protein, crude fat, mineral matter and NFE productions were obtained with the harvesting of crop at 100 days after sowing.