Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Larval cannibalism during the late developmental stages of a facultatively gregarious encyrtid endoparasitoid

1 The larvae of many gregarious parasitoid species are usually non‐aggressive when they develop in or on a host, but those of Metaphycus flavus are one of the few exceptions known. Herein we describe their aggressive behaviour and the conditions under which it occurs, using observations in which larval development and physical conflict within parasitised and superparasitised hosts were mapped daily. 2 Metaphycus flavus larvae often engaged in physical conflict that resulted in consumption of the losing larvae (= cannibalism ) in superparasitised hosts, whereas such conflict and consumption occurred rarely when a single brood developed in a host. 3 Cannibalism among M. flavus larvae only occurred after the host resources had become scarce. Typically it occurred after the sixth day of development (fourth‐instar larvae) when the larvae in a clutch had separated from their aeroscopic plate and were freed of their attachment to the host's cuticle. 4 Female larvae in the initial clutch appeared more aggressive than male larvae when a second clutch was allocated 4 h after the first clutch. The probability of a larva being attacked and consumed by a brood mate increased as the number of larvae increased in the host. This partial tolerance might allow the members of the initial brood to defend themselves from offspring of a superparasitising female (= competitors ). Such post‐ovipositional regulation of brood size might be interpreted as high‐density intolerance among female offspring.
Entropy and Choice Time: The Effect of Frequency Unbalance on Choice-Response

A human subject making a sequence of choice-responses is considered as a channel transmitting information. Earlier work suggests that the rate of transmission is limited, and so that response time is proportional to the “entropy” of the source of signals. Entropy is reduced by unbalance in the relative frequency of the possible signals according to the formula, sum (p log p). Unbalance should therefore reduce average response time This prediction is tested in a card-sorting task. The subjects sorted playing-cards into classes in various ways; times taken were proportional to calculated entropy-per-card. Departures from the expected results occurred and were found to be due to differences in perceptual difficulty of discriminations. Some incidental results are mentioned.
Survey of the Research Needs of the Potential Organic Ornamental Bedding Plant Industry in Maine

Organic and conventional greenhouse growers in Maine were surveyed to determine the research needs of growers who may produce organic ornamental bedding plants. Organic growers were also asked to identify their greatest motivator to determine whether they feel that there is a greater market for organically grown ornamental plants. The greatest percentage (75%) of organic growers indicated that they choose to grow plants organically because “it's the right thing to do. ” The second greatest percentage (36%) of organic growers choose organic production techniques for ornamental plants because they grow food crops organically and consider it convenient to use only one production technique. A relatively small number of organic growers (7%) considered the market for organic ornamental plants to be a strong motivator for growing organically. Organic growers were asked to select production issues that pose the greatest challenge for them from a list of common production problems. They considered insect and disease management and organic fertility, substrate, and pH management to be their greatest problems. Conventional growers primarily avoid organic production techniques because they consider organic fertilization or organic insect management to be too big of a challenge. Because organic and conventional growers consider insect and fertility or substrate management to be challenges facing organic growers, these topics should be top priorities for future research on organic greenhouse production.
Just Returns?

Democratic Justice and the Social Contract offered a contractarian theory of democratic justice. This article responds to criticisms that its arguments either assume premises that are not genuinely constructivist or that the premises imply untoward conclusions. It also discusses the role of deliberation in a democracy and seeks to refute some alleged shortcomings of its method.
A Plea to Redirect and Evaluate Conservation Programs for South America’s Podocnemidid River Turtles

Abstract We review the current practices of podocnemidid turtle conservation programs in South America and summarize the direct and indirect negative consequences that some of these practices may have on the populations we are attempting to manage. We argue that programs that only focus on nest transfer and head-starting as their conservation strategies would be better served by redirecting their efforts toward the protection of subadults and adults and in conducting monitoring programs designed to evaluate the impact of their management practices. Also, we make suggestions for other ways that the management of podocnemidid populations may be improved without resorting to manipulative ex situ practices that may well do more harm than good.
Foraging success of granivorous rodents : Effects of variation in seed and soil water on olfaction

The ability of yellow pine chipmunks (Tamias amoenus), deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), and other rodents to detect buried Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) and antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata) seeds using olfaction was investigated during dry and moist conditions at the Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area in Little Valley, Washoe County, Nevada, USA. Removal of cached seeds was monitored on two Jeffrey pine foraging grids (each with 100 caches of five seeds buried 5 mm deep) and on two bitterbrush foraging grids (each with 100 caches of 15 seeds buried at the same depth). Under dry conditions, soil typically contained <0.5% water, whereas Jeffrey pine and bitterbrush seeds contained 4.37 ± 1.46% water (mean ± 1 sd) and 7.45 ± 1.83% water, respectively. Under these conditions, rodents found a mean of 0.33% of available Jeffrey pine seed caches each day and 0.14% of available bitterbrush seed caches each day. After rains, soil moisture increased to as much as 8.5%, and Jeffrey pine and bitterbrush se.
Alternative approach for establishing acceptable thresholds on macroinvertebrate community metrics

Abstract We demonstrated the use of statistical tolerance intervals as a method for deriving acceptable thresholds for benthic macroinvertebrate community metrics. Tolerance intervals are simply confidence intervals based on percentiles, and they allow selection of acceptable limits (referred to as tolerance limits) and a desired level of statistical confidence for a metric distribution (e.g., of a reference population). We used benthic macroinvertebrate community data from several long-term monitoring projects for streams on the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation in eastern Tennessee, USA, for the demonstration. We focused on 3 benthic macroinvertebrate community metrics: density, total taxonomic richness, and taxonomic richness of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) taxa. Tolerance intervals yielded less restrictive thresholds than those produced by simple percentiles because the former approach includes variation of the reference data, whereas percentiles are distribution-free. The less restrictive thresholds produced by tolerance intervals will decrease the frequency with which metric values from test sites will be classified as unacceptable because data variation is included, but thresholds calculated using the tolerance interval approach may be better suited for studies that require a greater level of statistical rigor than routine monitoring or general screening surveys (e.g., biocriteria, environmental impact assessments). Conversely, approaches that use simple percentiles may be more appropriate for screening studies. Greater accuracy of tolerance limits can be achieved by increasing sample size, reducing variation (e.g., removing outliers, data transformation), and including data that incorporate both spatial and temporal variation. However, alternative approaches should be used if the data are not normally distributed. Tolerance limits can be adjusted easily to achieve the level of environmental protection desired or required, while providing a level of statistical confidence in derived thresholds. For this reason, a tolerance interval approach should be considered seriously, particularly if the study objectives require a known level of statistical certainty.
Beyond Beer's Law: Spectral Mixing Rules

Based on Beer's law, it is assumed that the absorbance of a mixture is that of the neat materials weighted by their relative amounts (linear mixing rule). In this contribution, we show that this is an assumption that holds only under various approximations for which no change of the chemical interactions is just one among several. To understand these approximations, which lead incrementally to different well known mixing rules, we finally derive the linear mixing rule from the Lorentz–Lorenz relation, with the first approximation that the local electric field is correctly described in this relation. Further levels of approximation are that the local field equals the applied field (Newton–Laplace mixing rule) and that the change of the index of refraction and, equivalently, absorption is weak (Gladstone–Dale/Arago–Biot mixing rule). Even then the linear mixing rule is only strictly valid if the indices of refraction in the transparency region at higher frequency than the absorption have the same value and the mixing is homogeneous relative to the resolving power of the light (“micro-homogeneous”). Under these preconditions, linear mixing of the individual absorbances is established. We illustrate the spectral differences between the different mixing rules, all of which are based on volume and not on mass fractions, with examples. For micro-heterogeneous samples, a different linear mixing rule governs the optical properties, which refers to the experimental quantities, reflectance, and transmittance. As a result, for such samples, mixtures of already comparably high content give only weak signals due to band flattening, which are hard to distinguish from baseline effects.
A Process Evaluation Protocol for Examining the Impact of Instructions for Correct Use of Child Car Seats Designed through a Consumer-Driven Process and Evaluated in a Field-Based Randomised Controlled Trial

The incorrect use of child car seats is common, with significant negative effects on crash protection for child passengers. There is currently little evidence for effective, practical countermeasures for incorrect use. The provision of clear and comprehensible materials on correct use supplied with restraints at the point of sale could be highly cost-effective and achieve similar benefits to restraint-fitting services or hands-on training; however, routinely supplied instructions in their current form are frequently difficult to understand. We are conducting a randomised controlled trial of the consumer-driven redesign of instructional materials, consisting of an instruction sheet, swing tags and online training videos. This paper presents the protocol that will be used in an innovate process evaluation that will use the primary outcome of overall serious misuse assessed at six months, together with a survey and semi-structured interviews to determine fidelity, dose and outcomes for all intervention participants. The study will assess intervention delivery and external factors that may impact the effectiveness of the intervention, including experience, health literacy, confidence and attitudes. When it has been conducted, this process evaluation will provide enhanced understanding of the mechanisms through which the intervention works or not, aspects of the implementation process key to success of the intervention and insight into how external factors influence the success of the intervention.
Among-lake and within-lake variations of autotrophic pico- and nanoplankton biomass in six Quebec lakes

Les variations de la biomasse du picoplancton autotrophe (APP) et du nanoplancton autotrophe (ANP) ont ete examinees dans six lacs des Laurentides et des Cantons de l'Est (Quebec) dont le statut trophique, la geologie du bassin versant et la physico-chimie de l'eau etaient differentes. Les variations de la biomasse des deux composantes du phytoplancton ont ete evaluees en fonction des changements dans les caracteristiques limnologiques. Dans chaque lac, l'echantillonnage a ete realise a trois profondeurs correspondant aux strates epi-, meta- et hypolimnetique et a cinq periodes au cours de l'ete. La biomasse de APP et sa contribution a la biomasse totale des algues de taille 1) etait d'environ 20-30 μg. L -1 . Les valeurs moyennes des biomasses de APP (75-365 μg L -1 ou 16-80 μg C.L -1 ) et ANP (46-249 μg.L -1 ou 7-37 μg C. L -1 ) notees dans les lacs du Quebec le long de notre plage de niveau trophique (TP: 7-73 μg.L -1 ) etaient du meme ordre de grandeur que celles rapportees pour d'autres ecosystemes d'eau douce. La majeure partie de la variation dans la biomasse de APP et ANP etait reliee aux variations inter-lacs dans les elements nutritifs (NO 3 , TP, TDP), la conductivite ou le pH.
Multilineage Differentiation for Formation of Innervated Skeletal Muscle Fibers from Healthy and Diseased Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) obtained by reprogramming primary somatic cells have revolutionized the fields of cell biology and disease modeling. However, the number protocols for generating mature muscle fibers with sarcolemmal organization using iPSCs remain limited, and partly mimic the complexity of mature skeletal muscle. Methods: We used a novel combination of small molecules added in a precise sequence for the simultaneous codifferentiation of human iPSCs into skeletal muscle cells and motor neurons. Results: We show that the presence of both cell types reduces the production time for millimeter-long multinucleated muscle fibers with sarcolemmal organization. Muscle fiber contractions are visible in 19–21 days, and can be maintained over long period thanks to the production of innervated multinucleated mature skeletal muscle fibers with autonomous cell regeneration of PAX7-positive cells and extracellular matrix synthesis. The sequential addition of specific molecules recapitulates key steps of human peripheral neurogenesis and myogenesis. Furthermore, this organoid-like culture can be used for functional evaluation and drug screening. Conclusion: Our protocol, which is applicable to hiPSCs from healthy individuals, was validated in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Myotonic Dystrophy, Facio-Scapulo-Humeral Dystrophy and type 2A Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, opening new paths for the exploration of muscle differentiation, disease modeling and drug discovery.
Primary Care Practice Finances In The United States Amid The COVID-19 Pandemic.

Due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), virtually all in-person outpatient visits were cancelled in many parts of the country between February and May 2020. We sought to estimate the potential impact of COVID-19 on operating expenses and revenues of primary care practices.Using a microsimulation model incorporating national data on primary care utilization, staffing, expenditures, and reimbursements, including telemedicine visits, we estimated that primary care practices over the course of calendar year 2020 would be expected to lose $67,774 in gross revenue per full time physician (the difference between 2020 gross revenue with COVID-19 and the anticipated gross revenue if COVID-19 had not occurred, interquartile range: -$80,557, -$54,990). We further estimated that the cost would be $15.1 billion at a national level to neutralize the revenue losses caused by COVID-19 among primary care practices. This could more than double if COVID-19 telemedicine payment policies are not sustained. [Editor's Note: This Fast Track Ahead Of Print article is the accepted version of the peer-reviewed manuscript. The final edited version will appear in an upcoming issue of Health Affairs. ].
Voltage-Induced Rearrangements in Atomic-Size Contacts.

We study voltage-induced conductance changes of Pb, Au, Al, Cu atomic contacts. The experiments are performed in vacuum at low temperature using mechanically controllable break junctions. We determine switching histograms, i.e. distribution functions of switching voltages and switching currents, as function of the conductance. We observe a clear material dependence: Au reveals the highest and almost conductanceindependent switching voltage, while Al has the lowest with a pronounced dependence on the conductance. The theoretical study uses density functional theory and a generalized Langevin equation considering the pumping of particular phonon modes. We identify a runaway voltage as the threshold at which the pumping destabilizes the atomic arrangement. We nd qualitative agreement between the average switching voltage and the runaway voltage regarding the material and conductance dependence and contact-to-contact variation of the average characteristic voltages, suggesting that the phonon pumping is a relevant mechanism driving the rearrangements in the experimental contacts.
Do managers forecast asymmetric cost behaviour?

This article examines cost behaviour in a municipal (local government) setting and finds evidence of cost stickiness. We also find that costs are super-sticky as they increase even when revenues decrease. Municipals in New Zealand are required to produce forecasts, which allow us to investigate whether asymmetric cost behaviour is incorporated into forecasts. Forecast cost behaviour is found to be statistically indistinguishable from actual behaviour. In our tests, we control for asset intensity, employee intensity, expected demand, operating slack and past cost structure. The finding that the asymmetric relation between costs and revenues is incorporated into managerial forecasts suggests that cost stickiness is understood by managers rather than being merely a mechanistic outcome of cost structure. JEL Classification: M41, D24, H72
Aclimatização de um híbrido de Cattleya em substratos de origem vegetal sob dois sistemas de irrigação - DOI: 10.4025/actasciagron.v27i1.2134

The greatest difficulty in the process of propagation through orchid tissue culture lies on the acclimatization phase. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of different vegetal substrates under two irrigation systems, during the acclimatization phase of the Cattleya chocolate drop x ( Cattleya guttatax Laelia tenebrosa ). Orchid seedlings in vitro cultivated were transplanted to the following substrates (treatments): S1: coconut powder; S2: coconut fiber; S3: defibered xaxim (tree fern fiber) and S4: sphagnum. Next, they were acclimatized in two irrigation systems: IM: hand-operated and II: intermittent. The following variables were assessed ninety days after transplanting: number of roots, aerial part height, fresh weight, number of plants with shoots, pH substrate and seedling survival rate. The coconut powder substrate and intermittent irrigation system were the most indicated for the acclimatization of the Cattleya chocolate drop x ( C. guttata x L. tenebrosa ) orchid.
Atopic dermatitis severity during exposure to air pollutants and weather changes with an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) analysis

Epidemiological studies have shown an association between global warming, air pollution, and allergic diseases. Several air pollutants, including volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, toluene, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and particulate matter, act as risk factors for the development or aggravation of atopic dermatitis (AD). We evaluated the impact of air pollutants and weather changes on AD patients.
Extending rituximab dosing intervals in patients with MS during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond?

Objective To evaluate disease activity in patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) receiving rituximab with an extended dosing interval. Methods In the context of COVID-19 pandemic, this was an interim analysis of an ongoing prospective observational study of patients who were stable on rituximab for at least 6 months and who had a planned extended dosing interval of 24 months. Only data for patients with active RRMS before rituximab were analyzed. Results Among 177 patients receiving rituximab, 33 had RRMS and MRI activity before rituximab and at least 8 months of follow-up after the last infusion. The mean (SD) age was 40 (14) years, 25 were females, the mean disease duration was 10 (6.8) years, the mean annual relapse rate (ARR) before rituximab was 1.7 (1.3), and the median Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score before rituximab was 4.5 (1–7). Before extended dosing, when rituximab was infused every 6 months, the mean (SD) ARR decreased to 0.04 (0.1) (p < 0.0001) and the EDSS score to 4 (0–7) (p = 0.04). At the time of this analysis, the median follow-up since the last infusion was 11 (8–31) months. No patient showed relapse or disability progression. In total, 30 patients had at least 1 MRI performed since the last infusion (median time between the last MRI and the last infusion 10 [8–31] months). No MRI showed activity. The CD19+ cell proportion was >1% for 10 of 25 patients at the last count (median time 8 [6–25] months). Conclusions An extended dosing interval for rituximab for patients with stable MS during the COVID-19 pandemic may be associated with a low risk of disease activity.
Effects of solar radiation on grape (Vitis vinifera L.) composition and dried fruit colour

SummaryMost sun-exposed fruit (Vitis vinifera L.) produced dark brown berries with low L-values, whereas most dried berries from shade fruit were acceptable in lightness although some had a green tinge. Fruit shaded by the natural vine canopy or exposed to direct solar radiation had similar drying ratios. However, berry weights were significantly higher in the shade than in the sun for both cultivars. The difference in berry weight between the two positions was less pronounced in the heat affected year. Solar radiation changed the composition of fresh berries and the colour of the dried fruit. The soluble-solid concentration was higher in fresh fruit exposed to direct solar radiation than in fruit grown in shaded conditions within the canopy. In the heat affected year the berries from both positions had the same soluble-solid concentrations, possibly due to dehydration of the fruit. No significant difference was found between the pH of sun fruit and shade fruit, but the titratable acidity was higher in sh.