Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decentralized Trust Management

Decentralized trust management is used as a referral benchmark for assisting decision making by human or intelligence machines in open collaborative systems. During any given period of time, each participant may only interact with a few other participants. Simply relying on direct trust may frequently resort to random team formation. Thus, trust aggregation becomes critical. It can leverage decentralized trust management to learn about indirect trust of every participant based on past transaction experiences. This article presents alternative designs of decentralized trust management and their efficiency and robustness from three perspectives. First, we study the risk factors and adverse effects of six common threat models. Second, we review the representative trust aggregation models and trust metrics. Third, we present an in-depth analysis and comparison of these reference trust aggregation methods with respect to effectiveness and robustness. We show our comparative study results through formal analysis and experimental evaluation. This comprehensive study advances the understanding of adverse effects of present and future threats and the robustness of different trust metrics. It may also serve as a guideline for research and development of next-generation trust aggregation algorithms and services in the anticipation of risk factors and mischievous threats.
Elevada diversidade genética interpopulacional em Oryza glumaepatula Steud. (Poaceae) avaliada com microssatélites

Microsatellite markers were used to characterize the genetic diversity within and among seven natural populations of Oryza glumaepaula. Six of these populations originated from the hydrographic basin of the Amazon and one from Rio Paraguay in the Pantanal Matogrossense. Using seven microsatellite loci, the following intrapopulation genetic diversity parameters were estimated on average: 1.98 alleles per locus, 56.2% polymorphic loci, Ho = 0.026 and He = 0.241. High interpopulational differentiation was noticed by examining Wrights fixation index and Slatkins divergence parameter (FST = 0.715 and RST = 0.595, respectively), as well as a high level of total inbreeding (FIT = 0.963), greatly influenced by the mating system (FIS = 0.858). No population was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, due to the prevailing autogamic mating behavior, as also indicated by the average apparent outcrossing rate observed: ta = 0.055. Consequently, among populations gene flow was practically absent, which has contributed to the high interpopulational genetic divergence. In general, very low or null outcrossing rates were found in the Amazonian populations. However, population PG-3 from Rio Paraguay, originated from Pantanal Matogrossense, showed a higher outcrossing rate (13.2%), indicating a mixed mating system with the predominance of self-fertilization. Since intrapopulation diversity was low, results indicate that sampling a large number of populations is the most appropriate strategy for the ex situ conservation of this species. For in situ conservation, taking in consideration the allelic richness, the following populations are indicated as priority: PG-3, TA-3, SO-17, and NE-7, from the hydrographic basins of the rivers Paraguay, Tapajos, Solimoes and Negro, respectively.
Detection of process‐related changes in plant patterns at extended spatial scales during early dryland desertification

Arid and semiarid shrublands occupy extensive land areas over the world, are susceptible to desertification by anthropic use and can contribute to regional climate change. These prompt the interest to monitor and evaluate these lands adequately in order to detect early stages of degradation. Evaluation topics must refer to biology‐relevant characteristics of these systems, while simultaneously satisfying sampling consistency over extended landscape areas. We present an analysis of process‐relevant parameters related to changes in the spatial arrangement of the plant canopy of shrublands inferred from high‐resolution panchromatic aerial photos and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar imagery. We obtained low‐altitude images systematically located along several gradients of land‐use intensity in a Patagonian Monte shrubland in Argentina. Images were digitized to spatial resolutions ranging from 0.09 to 0.72 m (pixel size) and the average values and an‐isotropic characteristics of the plant canopy patterns were quantified by means of a Fourier metric. We used radar‐derived imagery to overlay the panchromatic images on a digital elevation model in order to study the correspondence of potential runoff patterns and the spatial arrangement of plants. We related an‐isotropic features of the plant canopy images to the prevailing wind regime. Observed trends were further interpreted on the basis of a spatial‐explicit simulation model describing the dynamics of the main functional groups in the plant community. We conclude that early stages of anthropic‐driven dryland degradation in the Patagonian Monte can be characterized by the incipient un‐coupling of spatial vegetation patterns from those of runoff at a landscape scale, and a progressive coupling to the spatial pattern of the wind regime. The method and metrics we present can be used to quantify early desertification changes in other similar drylands at extended spatial scales.
Migration Patterns and Environmental Effects on Stopover of Monarch Butterflies (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae) at Peninsula Point, Michigan

Abstract Since 1996, the numbers of migrating monarch butterflies stopping over at Peninsula Point, Michigan, have been monitored by volunteers during the fall migration with standardized daily counts. In this study, we describe this project and examine: 1) general patterns of migration and stopover of monarchs at this site, and 2) how environmental conditions influence monarch stopover frequency. We tested for yearly, seasonal, and diurnal variation in monarch counts within each season. We further combined these data with basic weather information recorded at the time of each count to explore the effects of wind direction and speed, temperature, and cloud cover on monarch stopover abundance. A total of 22,539 monarchs was counted over 7 yr, with yearly totals ranging from 757 in 1998 to 6,638 in 1997. Over the 7-yr period, an average of 29 monarchs was recorded per count at Peninsula Point. Interestingly, in the migration season immediately following a major population decline at overwintering sites in Mexico, the total number of monarchs counted at Peninsula Point was not significantly different from long-term average counts. The timing of the peak of migration was not consistent from year to year, and there were few consistent temporal trends within seasons. More monarchs were counted with walking transects during the day than with a roost count in the early morning. Furthermore, more monarchs were counted earlier in the season than later. Of the environmental variables we examined, wind direction had a significant influence on the number of monarchs recorded on each count with higher counts during north winds. Cloud cover also influenced monarch counts, so that the number of monarchs observed increased with temperature and decreased with cloud cover. Based on the large numbers of monarchs that stop there each fall, we suggest that Peninsula Point represents an important monarch stopover site, and thus has the potential to increase our knowledge of monarch migration and stopover ecology greatly.
Additional holotype remains of Ambulocetus natans (Cetacea, Ambulocetidae), and their implications for locomotion in early whales

Abstract Continued excavation at the type locality of Ambulocetus natans led to the recovery of a majority of the axial skeleton of the holotype of this early Eocene cetacean, including both innominates, the sacrum, and most of the thoracic cage and thoracolumbar vertebral column. Additional appendicular, caudal, and cranial materials were also recovered, resulting in a specimen that is now approximately 80 percent complete. This new material allows refined interpretations of its functional morphology. Ambulocetus has a longer thoracolumbar column than that reported for later remingtonocetid and protocetid genera, suggesting that previous estimates of spinal length derived from models of mesonychid ancestry may be inaccurate. Ambulocetus also possesses a co-ossified ecto–mesocuneiform, a character found in some early and middle Eocene artiodactyls, but not mesonychids. New postcranial material provides further evidence of a systemic shift to aquatic locomotion.
EFFECT OF ELEVATION ON DISTRIBUTION OF FEMALE BATS IN THE BLACK HILLS, SOUTH DAKOTA

Abstract Presumably, reproductive female bats are more constrained by thermoregulatory and energy needs than are males and nonreproductive females. Constraints imposed on reproductive females may limit their geographic distribution relative to other bats. Such constraints likely increase with latitude and elevation. Males of 11 bat species that inhabit the Black Hills were captured more frequently than females, and reproductive females typically were encountered at low-elevational sites. To investigate the relationship between female distribution and elevation, we fitted a logistic regression model to evaluate the probability of reproductive-female capture as a function of elevation. Mist-net data from 1,197 captures of 7 species revealed that 75% of all captures were males. We found a significant inverse relationship between elevation and relative abundance of reproductive females. Relative abundance of reproductive females decreased as elevation increased. Reproductive females may be constrained from roosting and foraging in high-elevational habitats that impose thermoregulatory costs and decrease foraging efficiency. Failure to account for sex differences in distributional patterns along elevational gradients may significantly bias estimates of population size.
ANTIBACTERIAL SCREENING OF EXTRACT OF THE LEAVES OF Lantana camara

Linn. family Verbenaceae, commonly known as wild sage, is a flowering shrub native of tropical America and is cultivated through out the world as an ornamental (Sharma and Sharma, 1989). Different parts of the plant are used in folklore remedies and traditional systems of medicine for the treatment of various human ailments. Over the last twenty-five years a large number of plant species have been evaluated for their antibacterial activity. One of the plants known for having many medicinal uses in traditional system of medicine is (Juliana et al., 2002). The leaves are used in the treatment of itches, cuts, ulcers, swellings, bilious fever, eczema and rheumatism. has received attention due to its role in economy and ecology. It is serious weed in several countries that causes toxicity in grazing animals and is rapidly disturbing the ecological balance due to its luxuriant growth (Sharma et al., 1988). Many pharmacological investigations indicated that extracts of the leaves of exhibit antibacterial properties. In the light of the medicinal properties attributed to , the present studies were to evaluate the antibacterial screening of several extracts of the leaves of against the local
Turf Species Affects Establishment and Growth of Redbud and Pecan

Establishment and growth of eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis L.) and pecan [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] were studied where soil surfaces were either covered with each of three common turfgrass species or maintained free of vegetation by the use of an herbicide or an organic mulch layer. Turf species included two cool-season grasses, tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), and the warm-season bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. ]. After two growing seasons, tree caliper of both species was 100% greater in turf-free plots compared with trees in the cool-season grass plots. Root weight of pecans increased nearly 200% when turf was eliminated, and redbud root weight increased nearly 300%. Top weight of redbuds increased 300% and pecans increased 200% when turf was eliminated. Total leaf weight of both species was 300% greater in the turf-free plots, and leaf area increased 200% in both species. Net photosynthesis of redbud trees tended to be higher in the plots without turfgrass, and cool-season grasses inhibited photosynthesis to a greater extent than the warm-season grass. Foliar tissue analysis revealed that nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) were the only elements that increased in concentration when turf was eliminated. However, nutrient concentrations in all treatments were within recommended standard ranges. The results suggest that landscape tree establishment and growth are greatly inhibited by the presence of cool-season turfgrasses and that the inhibition may be more complicated than resource competition.
CHANGES IN CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF JATROPHA CURCAS KERNEL CAKE AFTER SOLID-STATE FERMENTATION USING SOME SELECTED FUNGI

This study was conducted to compare the proximate composition and some antinutritional factors of treated and untreated Jatropha Curcas Kernel Cake(JKC). Standard procedures were employed to analyse the samples of dried seeds of Jatropha curcas purchased from open market. Results showed that after solid state fermentation with Absidia spinosa, the treated JKC contained 52.50% crude protein, Mucor rouxii treated JKC contained 52.10% crude protein. Treatment of JKC with the mixed culture of Absidia spinosa and Mucor rouxii yielded 53.20% crude protein. Tannin content of the raw, toasted, Absidia spinosa treated, Mucor rouxii treated and those treated with the mixed culture of Absidia spinosa and Mucor rouxii were 4.80g, 3.81g, 3.53g, 3.40g and 3.34g respectively. Saponin and phytate contents also decreased when treated with various methods employed in this study. This preliminary study has shown that the methods of detoxification employed in this study have potentials to improve the nutritive value of JKC and also to reduce appreciably some of the Antinutritional factors present in the raw, unprocessed cake.
THE SEASONAL ABUNDANCE OF SYNANTHROPIC FLY POPULATIONS IN TWO SELECTED FOOD OUTLETS IN PULAU PINANG, MALAYSIA

The seasonal abundance study of adult synanthropic flies in two selected food outlets was conducted from July 2003 to July 2004. The two urban locations were a cafeteria in the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) main campus and an adjacent restaurant. Four synanthropic flies were identified from both study sites and they were Musca domestica (house fly), Musca sorbens, Chrysomya megacephala and Lucilia cuprina. The off-campus restaurant had a significantly higher (p < 0.05) fly abundance than the university cafeteria and the dominant fly species at both sites was the M. domestica. The highest fly abundance recorded at both sites was in April 2004. Total fly abundance was lowest in the university cafeteria and in the off-campus restaurant in March 2004 and October 2003 respectively.
TECHNIQUES FOR STUDYING INTEGRATED IMMUNE FUNCTION IN BIRDS

EVOLUTIONARY PHYSIOLOGISTS AND ecologists seek to understand the mechanisms that underlie trade-offs involving life-history traits. These trade-offs arise when resources are limited, and allocation of resources to certain traits limits the amount of resources available for other traits (Williams 1966, Stearns 1992). Recent studies have found that maintaining or activating immune function can be resource-dependent (Tsiagbe et al. 1987; Saino et al. 1997b, 2003; Alonso-Alvarez and Tella 2001) and metabolically costly (Demas et al. 1997, Lochmiller and Deerenberg 2000, Ots et al. 2001, Martin et al. 2002) and, therefore, may compete with lifehistory traits for nutrient or energetic resources (for reviews see Sheldon and Verhulst 1996, Lochmiller and Deerenberg 2000). Therefore, the study of immunocompetence (i.e. the ability of a host to prevent or control infection by pathogens and parasites) has become the focus of many studies on fitness-related trade-offs in free-living birds (Saino et al. 1997a; Horak et al. 2000; Norris and Evans 2000; Hanssen et al. 2003, 2004). In their seminal review, Norris and Evans (2000) contrasted the techniques currently used by ecologists to measure immunocompetence with the techniques used by immunologists. Reviewing examples of trade-offs between immune-system maintenance and resource allocation to life-history traits, they concluded that future studies need to (1) assess multiple components of the immune system to make conclusions about how these components interact and
An Analytical Approach to Estimate the Effect of Surface Roughness on Particle Rebound

Atmospheric air is always contaminated by liquid or solid particles of different size, concentration and chemical composition. This leads to performance degradation during the operation of stationary or flying gas turbines. Erosion and the deposition of particles along the flow path are of particular importance. Multiple numerical studies investigated the influences of these phenomena. However, the basic challenge of modelling the particle wall interaction and its data spread with sufficient accuracy remains. In this work a model that estimates the statistical spread of rebound data due to target surface roughness through analytical considerations is presented. The model predicts the local impact angle of an individual particle by evaluating how deep a particle can theoretically penetrate the target surface with respect to its size. Based on roughness profiles which have been found to be characteristic for performance deterioration in compressor application a sensitivity study is conducted. A dimensionless roughness parameter Φ_R was found that characterizes the effect of target surface roughness on rebound spread data. The spread model is connected with a quasi-physical model, to evaluate the effect of surface roughness for a particle’s individual rebound behaviour. The synthesized data is discussed by taking into account measurement data reported in literature.
Effect of Arsenic Toxicity in Testis of Swiss Albino Mice Leading to Low Testosterone and High MDA Level

Arsenic exposure is a major health problem due to its toxic effect in human. Therefore, present study has been undertaken to observe the possible effects of arsenic on the testis of male mice. 2 mg/kg body weight of sodium arsenite was administered to different groups of Swiss albino mice for 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks respectively. After each interval mice were sacrificed and histopathological study, hormonal assessment (testosterone), sperm count and MDA assessment was done. Histopathological alterations in testis of mice were observed in the present study. Sperm count and testosterone level was significantly decreased (p< 0.0001). Further it was observed that the level of MDA in sodium arsenite treated mice was higher than the control group. Thus, the present study reveals the toxic effect of arsenic exposure on testis of Swiss albino mice.
Changes in phenols composition and activity of phenylalanine-ammonia lyase in apples after fungal infections

Schovankova J., Opatova H. , 2011. Changes in phenols composition and activity of phenylalanine-ammonia lyase in apples after fungal infections. Hort. Sci. (Prague), 38: 1–10. Th e defensive reaction of apple cultivar Idared (Malus domestica Borkh.) was studied after inoculation with three diff erent pathogens (Penicillium expansum, Monilinia fructigena, and Gloeosporium spp.). Changes in phenolic content and activity of phenylalanine-ammonia lyase were determined after 7, 14, and 21 days after the inoculation. Th e signifi cant diff erences were discovered in the progress of rotting after the inoculation. Th e increase in phenols concentration and in phenylalanine-ammonia lyase activity varied in the place of fungal attack, in the tissues around rotten zone and in the healthy part. Th e response to the infection was diff erent in the fruit peel and fl esh. Very good correlation was found between the activity of phenylalanine-ammonia lyase and total phenol content (r = 0.76–0.98).
TWO NEW DEEP-BODIED PALAEONISCOID ACTINOPTERYGIANS FROM BEAR GULCH (MONTANA, USA, LOWER CARBONIFEROUS)

Abstract Two new species of deep-bodied Paleozoic actinopterygians, Aesopichthys erinaceus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Proceramala montanensis gen. nov., sp. nov., are described from the Upper Chesterian, Upper Mississippian (Namurian E2b, Lower Carboniferous) Bear Gulch Limestone of Montana, USA, and the new family Aesopichthyidae is erected for them. These two fishes share features usually associated with deep body and deep head specializations, particularly in Palaeoniscimorpha, such as a shortened gape, tall maxilla, vertical suspensorium, deepened flank scales and an elongate dorsal fin. Aesopichthys in particular, for which more complete information is known, also possessed a suite of very specialized adaptations in feeding mechanism, ganoine sculpturing, fin form, and cranial defensive structures that have strong ethological implications. These features include small mobile premaxillae, a spinous and apparently rotatable posteroventral infraorbital, lobed pectoral base, and partially webbed pectoral, dorsal, anal and caudal fins. Within a general scheme of interrelationships of primitive actinopterygians, these two new taxa pertain to Palaeoniscimorpha, i.e., basal Actinopteri. Then, from a cladistic analysis limited, beside these two new taxa, to Wendyichthys and Cyranorhis (two other already described actinopterygians from Bear Gulch), Platysomus, and Cheirolepis, it appears that the Aesopichthyidae display no close relationship to the Platysomidae but should be the sister group of the Rhadinichthyid-group i.e., [Cyranorhis + [Rhadinichthyidae + Wendyichthys]].
Lumpers, Splitters, and Other Variations in Nage Animal Classification

Abstract Variation in folk knowledge of biological kinds among members of a single ethno-linguistic community has long been a focus of ethnobiological attention and interest. Concentrating on variable local understandings of animal names, this paper discusses three forms of binary names applied to animal categories among the Nage of Flores Island, eastern Indonesia. It is shown that while some people, the "lumpers," regard such names as unproductive binomials designating terminal taxa (folk-generics or folk-specifics), others, the "splitters," construe the same names as composite terms comprising separate names of two distinct subtaxa. In two of the three cases evidence from the animal nomenclatures of related languages supports the splitters. Also discussed are factors possibly accounting for this variation, including age, gender, and variable familiarity with local fauna bound up with ecological change.
Morphometric, Karyotypic and Electrophoretic Analysis of the Genus Apodemus Kaup, 1826 (Mammalia: Rodentia) in Thrace

Thirty-two specimens of Apodemus in Thrace were evaluated. Ten specimens of A. flavicollis and A. sylvaticus were karyotyped. Eighteen specimens were electrophoresed to determine patterns of the esterase enzyme system. Morphometric analysis showed that A. flavicollis and A. sylvaticus were the closest species in a comparison between A. agrarius. A. flavicollis and A. sylvaticus with the same karyotypic values of 2n = 48, Nfa = 46, and NF = 48. Patterns of the esterase enzyme system clearly separated A. flavicollis, A. sylvaticus and A. agrarius.