Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Summer roosting ecology of the Northern long-eared bat ( Myotis septentrionalis) at Catoosa Wildlife Management Area

The Northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), once common in the eastern U. S. , has been heavily affected by the fungal disease White-Nose Syndrome and thus has been proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Roosting habitat is critical to Myotis bats, and understanding the ecological requirements of a species is essential to developing conservation strategies. Little is known about the roosting ecology of M. septentrionalis in the southeastern U. S. , and no study has been conducted in Tennessee.
The Dynamics of Foreign Direct Investment in BRICS Countries.

Recent studies which investigated the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) in BRICS include Hsin-Hong and Shou-Ronne (2012), Nandi (2012), Jadhav (2012), Darzini and Amirmojahedi (2013), Nischith (2013), Ho et al. (2013), Kaur et al. (2013) and Priya and Archana (2014). The findings from these studies shows lack of consensus and confirm that a list of agreeable determinants of FDI in BRICS countries is still an unsettled matter. This paper was therefore initiated in order to contribute to the debate on the discourse on FDI determinants in BRICS countries.This paper deviates from earlier similar studies in five ways: (1) uses most recent data, (2) is the first to investigate whether a combination of financial development, trade openness, human capital, economic growth and inflation influence FDI in BRICS countries, (3) uses different proxies of the variables that affect FDI, (4) employed both fixed effects and pooled ordinary least squares (OLS) approaches and (5) used a stacked data approach.The results of the study showed that economic growth, trade openness and exchange rate stability positively impacted on FDI, financial development positively influenced FDI under fixed effects, FDI was positively influenced by human capital development using the pooled OLS and inflation negatively affected FDI in line with literature. Taking into account these findings, this study urges BRICS to implement policies that increase financial sector efficiency and economic growth, maintain stable exchange rates, keep inflation rates at lower levels, enhance trade openness and human capital development in order to increase FDI inflows.
Prevalence of sleep problems among those with internet gaming disorder in Singapore

Objectives: Internet gaming disorder (IGD) involves the excessive use of Internet games that can cause negative consequences like sleep problems, psychological distress, depression and anxiety. It is widely assumed that IGD is closely related with sleep problems, but studies on the topic are scant. Our study aims to explore the association between IGD and sleep problems. Methods: A total of 1085 participants, aged 13-40 years old reported playing Internet games in this self-administered, web-based survey. The instruments used for the study were socio-demographic questions, IGD Questionnaire, Life Satisfaction Scale, General Health Questionnaire-12 and Insomnia Severity Index. The cut-off point of 10 and above was used to establish the prevalence of sleep problems in this study. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the association between socio-demographic factors, IGD and sleep problems. Results: The prevalence of sleep problems among those with IGD was 28.2%. Female online gamers (adjusted odds ratio, OR=0.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.5-0.9) were more likely to have sleep problems than males. Participants with secondary education (adjusted OR=1.9, 95% CI=1.2-3.0) and post- secondary education (adjusted OR=2.7, 95% CI= 1.2-6.0) were more likely to have sleep problems than those who had completed university. Participants with DSM-5 IGD were more likely to have sleep problems. Psychological distress (adjusted OR 4.8, 95% CI=3.6-6.7) and life satisfaction ( B = -3.1, 95% CI= -4.0 to -2.2) was associated with sleep problems. Conclusion: Prevalence of sleep problems with IGD is higher among female gamers and is associated with increased psychological distress and decreased life satisfaction. Integrated health management is needed to promote good sleep hygiene among those diagnosed with IGD. ASEAN Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 17 (1): July – December 2016: XX XX.
The Adenosine System Selectively Inhibits TLR-Mediated TNF-α Production in the Human Newborn1

Human newborns are susceptible to microbial infection and mount poor vaccine responses, yet the mechanisms underlying their susceptibility are incompletely defined. We have previously reported that despite normal basal expression of TLRs and associated signaling intermediates, human neonatal cord blood monocytes demonstrate severe impairment in TNF-α production in response to triacylated (TLR 2/1) and diacylated (TLR 2/6) bacterial lipopeptides (BLPs). We now demonstrate that in marked contrast, BLP-induced synthesis of IL-6, a cytokine with anti-inflammatory and Th2-polarizing properties, is actually greater in neonates than adults. Remarkably, newborn blood plasma confers substantially reduced BLP-induced monocyte synthesis of TNF-α, while preserving IL-6 synthesis, reflecting the presence in neonatal blood plasma of a soluble, low molecular mass inhibitory factor (<10 kDa) that we identify as adenosine, an endogenous purine metabolite with immunomodulatory properties. The neonatal adenosine system also inhibits TNF-α production in response to whole microbial particles known to express TLR2 agonist activity, including Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli (that express BLPs), and zymosan particles. Selective inhibition of neonatal TNF-α production is due to the distinct neonatal adenosine system, including relatively high adenosine concentrations in neonatal blood plasma and heightened sensitivity of neonatal mononuclear cells to adenosine A3 receptor-mediated accumulation of cAMP, a second messenger that inhibits TLR-mediated TNF-α synthesis but preserves IL-6 production. We conclude that the distinct adenosine system of newborns polarizes TLR-mediated cytokine production during the perinatal period and may thereby modulate their innate and adaptive immune responses.
GUEST EDITORIAL: Hello New Zealand

Islands of the Pacific Ocean have long fascinated evolutionists. Oceanic islands, generally the products of volcanic activity, provide natural experiments as biological populations are well delimited and the age of islands can be determined using radiometric dating. ‘Continental islands’, including New Caledonia and New Zealand, provide equally valuable opportunities for evolutionary study. For students of New Zealand biogeography, the peculiar composition of the biota coupled with a limited interpretation of geology has resulted in the widespread acceptance that the flora and fauna is primarily ancient and of vicariant Gondwanan origin. There is increasing evidence from molecular data that much of this biodiversity is the product of evolution following relatively recent colonization. Such data have prompted biologists to consider geological information on New Zealand in more detail. At the heart of the issue is the question of whether modern New Zealand has a terrestrial link through time with the continent Zealandia that split from Gondwanaland some 80 Ma. Zealandia, which includes New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island and several of the subantarctic islands, is now largely submerged, and New Zealand's present terrestrial existence is the product of tectonic activity initiated around 26 Ma. We argue that for the purposes of biogeographical interpretation, New Zealand can be treated as an oceanic island.
EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE USE OF δ15N CONTENT OF THE OPPORTUNISTIC GREEN MACROALGA ENTEROMORPHA INTESTINALIS (CHLOROPHYTA) TO DETERMINE NITROGEN SOURCES TO ESTUARIES 1

One assumption underlying the use of stable nitrogen isotopes (δ15N) for determining nitrogen (N) sources is that the δ15N of primary producers reflects N sources in a predictable manner. To test this assumption, we conducted two experiments. First, we varied δ15N with constant concentration of NO3− or NH4+ to determine whether either nutrient is preferentially selected by the macroalga Enteromorpha intestinalis (L. Link) and if isotopic ratio affected selectivity. Tissue δ15N increased with δ15N supplied for both NO3− and NH4+ but sequestering of 15NH4+ was more rapid than for 15NO3−; in addition, some evidence suggested that high relative abundance of 15N may have decreased NO3− uptake. Second, we held δ15N constant and varied concentrations of either NO3− or NH4+ to determine whether fractionation is concentration dependent. Uptake of N was described by a Michaelis‐Menten equation for both NO3− and NH4+, with higher Vmax and K1/2 for NH4+ than for NO3−. There was no relationship between N concentration and tissue δ15N for either NO3− or NH4+; therefore, no selection for 14N over 15N occurred. This study demonstrated that accumulation of 15N in macroalgal tissue was predictable over a range of water δ15N values and N concentrations, suggesting that E. intestinalis may be used to assess the availability of N sources to estuarine and coastal communities. However, caution must be used when interpreting tissue δ15N depending on the primary inorganic form of N available.
Phylogenetic perspectives on diversification and character evolution in the species‐rich genus Erysimum (Erysimeae; Brassicaceae) based on a densely sampled ITS approach

Erysimum includes 150–350 species distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, with Eurasia being the centre of greatest diversity. It is well known for its taxonomic complexity as a result of overlapping morphological characters. We present the first densely sampled phylogenetic analysis of Erysimum using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) DNA sequences from c. 85% of the species (117 for the first time), representing the full range of morphological variation and geographical distribution. We used several approaches to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships, dating of diversification and patterns of evolution of morphological characters in the genus. Ancestral-state reconstructions of four morphological diagnostic characters were performed using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. Our phylogenetic framework strongly supports the monophyly of Erysimum and recovers some well-supported clades that are geographically, rather than morphologically, correlated. Our study confirms the placement of Erysimum in lineage I and reveals two Malcolmia spp. (M. maritima and M. orsiniana) as its sister taxa. The results suggest that the biennial duration and caespitose habit (vs. annual or perennial duration and herbaceous or woody habit) and large, yellow, glabrous (vs. small, non-yellow, pubescent) petals are ancestral in Erysimum. The ancestral-state reconstruction results show that annual vs. perennial and woody vs. herbaceous features have been independently derived several times. The dating analyses suggest an early radiation of Erysimum during the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 175, 497–522.
AppCon: Mitigating Evasion Attacks to ML Cyber Detectors

Adversarial attacks represent a critical issue that prevents the reliable integration of machine learning methods into cyber defense systems. Past work has shown that even proficient detectors are highly affected just by small perturbations to malicious samples, and that existing countermeasures are immature. We address this problem by presenting AppCon, an original approach to harden intrusion detectors against adversarial evasion attacks. Our proposal leverages the integration of ensemble learning to realistic network environments, by combining layers of detectors devoted to monitor the behavior of the applications employed by the organization. Our proposal is validated through extensive experiments performed in heterogeneous network settings simulating botnet detection scenarios, and consider detectors based on distinct machine- and deep-learning algorithms. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of AppCon in mitigating the dangerous threat of adversarial attacks in over 75% of the considered evasion attempts, while not being affected by the limitations of existing countermeasures, such as performance degradation in non-adversarial settings. For these reasons, our proposal represents a valuable contribution to the development of more secure cyber defense platforms.
Seasonal variations in chromatophore index in fish Puntius sophore from Jammu water bodies, Jammu and Kashmir (India)

The paper deals with the seasonal changes in colour/chromatophores in Puntius sophore. In the present studies chromatophore index has been calculated throughout different seasons for different size groups from the scales of the fish Puntius sophore and observations are recorded. Table 1 shows the average chromatophore index in all size groups in the month from June to August, the chromatophore index for A, B and C size groups in the month from June to August (Monsoon) is 49.33±3.21 to 51.04±2.64; 54.43±1.96 to 60.13±1.34 & 59.16±1.52 to 62.39±1.42 respectively. September onwards, the chromatophore index follows a decline trend, the values being 27.49±1.15 to 38.53±2.01; 28.36±2.03 to 47.23±1.03 & 31.46±2.03 to 48.61±1.33 for A, B & C size groups respectively. This indicates that chromatophores are concentrated in the monsoon and in post monsoon the chromatophore index decreases i.e. the chromatophores are dispersed in the post-monsoon. Colour changes result from dispersion and/or concentration of pigment granule with in epithelial chromatphores. In muddy water the chromatophore index is higher than that of the clean water. The results clearly show that during the monsoon period when there is a plenty of floods and water becomes muddy in the streams and rivers, the chromatophores begin to concentrate in the scales of the fish and density of chromatophores increases and develop dark black colours so as to become visible.
USO DE HIDROGEL NA SOBREVIVÊNCIA DE MUDAS DE Eucalyptus urograndis PRODUZIDAS COM DIFERENTES SUBSTRATOS E MANEJOS HÍDRICOS

This study aimed to evaluate the use of hydrogel in the survival of cuttings of Eucalyptus urograndis produced with different types of substrate and water management. The experiment was carried out using cuttings of the same clone, produced up to 50 days after the cutting, in two different nurseries (“C” and “E"). Then, all the cuttings were allocated to the same nursery for 80 days, where they received irrigation at different frequencies. After this period, the cuttings were transplanted into polyethylene pots, in clay soil, with and without hydrogel. The results obtained were subjected to the variance technique for totally randomized experiments. Data analysis revealed that the plants with hydrogel displayed delayed symptoms of water deficit. Regardless of the cutting's origin (“C” or “E”), the hydrogel influenced survival, guaranteeing 37 days without additional irrigation. The nursery water management only influenced the plants from nursery "E", and the plants adapted to the lack of water (water management with one daily irrigation) took more time to present symptoms of water deficit.
Population genetics of the eastern oyster in Chesapeake Bay

Title of Document: POPULATION GENETICS OF THE EASTERN OYSTER IN CHESAPEAKE BAY Colin Rose, Doctor of Philosophy, 2008 Directed By: Professor Matthew P. Hare Department of Biology The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, plays an important role in the ecology of Chesapeake Bay. Its large population size, long larval dispersal stage and potential for high variance in reproductive success is representative of many marine invertebrates. Nevertheless, many important aspects of the oyster’s biology remain unclear. I investigated how migration, natural selection, and effective population size have shaped the evolution of Chesapeake oysters. First, I examined aspects of genetic connectivity among oysters from rivers throughout the Bay. A correlation between geographic and genetic distance indicated that oyster larval dispersal tends to be local and that migration between Bay tributaries is rare over an ecological time scale. This result contributes to a growing body of literature indicating that larval dispersal is not passive. Next, I showed that a pattern of non-neutral mitochondrial evolution previously observed in different oyster populations also existed in Chesapeake Bay C. virginica. Tests of selection indicated that the pattern, in which there is an excess of high frequency and low frequency haplotypes and a deficit of intermediate frequency haplotypes, was the result of positive selection on the genome. Demographic explanations appear unlikely to account for the mitochondrial haplotype pattern because nuclear loci exhibited neutral patterns of sequence evolution. Estimates of effective population size were several orders of magnitude smaller than census size, indicating that there was variance in reproductive success (sweepstakes reproduction). Nevertheless sweepstakes reproduction was not so severe that individual cohorts of juvenile oysters exhibited reduced levels of variation compared to the adult population. Finally I evaluated the risks associated with a supplementation program in which hatchery-raised oysters bred for disease tolerance were released into wild oyster populations. The results indicated that following supplementation, the wild effective population size remained large despite the danger of severe genetic bottlenecks. Increased hatchery effective population is suggested to prevent future harm to the wild population. POPULATION GENETICS OF THE EASTERN OYSTER IN CHESAPEAKE BAY
Crop photosynthesis, respiration and dry matter production of maize.

Above-ground net photosynthesis and respiration of a maize crop (Zea mays L.) was deter­ mined in the field during the growing season (mid June-end of October) at regular intervals (1 à 2 weeks) at two temperatures (12.5 and 22.5 °C) by measuring the C02 uptake or release in mobile crop enclosures. The actual growth rate of the crop was determined from fortnightly harvests. Temperature dependence of photosynthesis was highest in the early (till mid July) and very late (begin October) stages of crop growth, showing a reduction of about 50 % at the higher irradiances (> 400 W m~2). In the period of major dry matter produc­ tion (mid July-September) the reduction was only 12-15 %. Assuming maintenance respira­ tion to become constant for cobs and grain exceeding a yield of 1000 kg ha 1 and for stems exceeding 2500 kg ha1, the measured and calculated dark respiration at 22.5 °C matched fairly well. At 12.5 °C the calculation, using the same assumtions, overestimated significantly dark respiration during the first part of the growing period. The carbon balance sheet showed t h a t f r o m t h e t o t a l a m o u n t o f C 0 2 a b s o r b e d b y t h e c r o p ( e q u i v a l e n t t o 3 0 . 7 t D M h a 1 ) , 30 <% was lost by above-ground respiration and 50 % was invested in above-ground harvestable material. The remaining 20 % is assumed to be transported to plant parts under the ground. Substantial losses of dry matter at the end of the growing season did not occur.
DYSLIPIDEMIA AMONG SMOKERS

ABSTRACT Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate lipid profile among cigarette smokers and compare it with non-smokers. Methods: About 125 subjects aged between 20 and 40 years including 100 smokers as case group and 25 non-smokers as control were taken into study. They did not having any history of any disease (i.e., diabetes, hypertension, liver diseases, renal diseases, or obesity) or alcohol intake. They were not taking any drug such as B-blockers, lipid lowering drugs, or thiazide diuretics. Results: The mean serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very LDL-C (VLDL-C) were significantly raised (p<0.05) in all three groups of mild, moderate, and heavy smokers as compared to non-smokers control while mean serum high--density lipoproteins cholesterol (HDL-C) was significantly lower in all three above said groups. Conclusion: Cigarette/beedi smoking is associated with lower level of god cholesterol, i.e., HDL, and higher level of cholesterol, triglycerides, and serum LDL and VLDL. Keywords: Dyslipidemia, smokers
Genetic variability and correlation studies for yield and related characters in single cross hybrids of maize (Zea mays L.).

Maize (Zea mays L.) is native to South America an important cereal crop belongs to the tribe Maydeae, of the grass family, Poaceae. The suitability of maize to diverse environments is unmatched by any crop as the expansion of maize to new areas and environment still continues, as it has a range of plasticity. With this knowledge, Ten experimental and five released maize genotypes were evaluated in RCBD with three replication during kharif 2007 at three diverse environments (Dharwad, Arabvhavi and Bheemarayanagudi) for eleven characters to asses the genetic variability and correlation analysis. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed highly significant differences between genotypes for all the characters studied. Moderate phenotypic and genotypic coefficient of variation coupled with high heritability and genetic advance were recorded for number of kernel rows per ear, cob girth, fodder yield per hectare, and grain yield per plant. The association of grain yield was found to be positive and significant for fodder yield under different environments.
Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier): Economic Importance, Biology, Biogeography and Integrated Pest Management

The Red Palm Weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier), (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Rhynchophorinae), is an invasive species that is originated from Southeast Asia. It has invaded Middle East and several countries of the Mediterranean Basin during the last three decades where it attacks palm trees. During the last three decades, multiple introductions of RPW to the Middle East, Europe and Caribbean (Island of Curacao, Netherland Antilles), Lebanon and United States of America (Laguna Beach, Orange County, California) (USA) have occurred and the RPW is now a serious pest of many palm species. Duration of all life parameters varies significantly where the entire life cycle takes about 45 to 298 days. Different artificial diets were developed and were tested for mass rearing of RPW. Control of RPW is difficult due to the concealed nature of the life cycle of the pest. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy has been applied successfully to deal with RPW problem. The IPM strategy consists of various preventive and curative methods; those methods were categorized in nine categories in this review. The main objective of this work was to review the existing knowledge on RPW's different aspects, with an ultimate aim of revealing the actual situation of the research on RPW.
Pair-formation displays of the great blue heron

The Great Blue Heron (Ardea hero&s) offers many advantages for the study of communication. It is large-bodied, conspicuous, fairly slow-moving, and geographically widespread across North America. Like many other herons it is rather solitary in habits through much of the year so its social behavior is concentrated into the breeding season. At that time herons aggregate in large nesting colonies where, with due caution, they can be observed at close range. Despite these advantages the published literature on Great Blue Heron social behavior consists of only 3 general accounts (Cottrille and Cottrille 1958, Meyerriecks 1960, Meyerriecks 1962). By contrast, the Old World Grey Heron, A. cinerea, has been extensively studied (Huxley 1924, Selous 1927, Holstein 1927, Verwey 1930, Strijbos 1935, Percy 1951, Lowe 1954, Owen 1959, Baerends and Baerends-van Roon 1960, Baerends and van der Cingel 1962, Hudson 1965, Milstein et al. 1970). This paper presents descriptions and illustrations of the social signals used by Great Blue Herons in the colony, including 6 displays previously undescribed for this species.