Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The perception of biosecurity, management, and labour of batch management production systems among pig producers

Abstract: Nowadays, batch management systems (BMSs) are more frequently applied on a pig farm than traditional continuous production systems. But until now, little research has been identified about pig breeders’ perceptions of BMSs. Therefore, a survey was built to assess advantages and disadvantages, perceived by producers of each BMS, focusing on biosecurity, management, and labour. The survey was completed by 45 farmers. Results revealed that 4-BMS and 5-BMS farmers were more satisfied about hygiene (P=0.0060) and health conditions (P=0.0225) on their farm compared with the other farmers. This could be explained by the need for only one farrowing room and the low number of batches required in both BMSs. Possibly due to this higher satisfaction about their biosecurity, a reduced piglet vaccination coverage (P=0.0399) and more labour efficient management (P=0.0101), were indicated by those farmers. However, almost none of those farmers indicated the absence of labour peaks in the list of advantages, probably because the weekly routines differ over weeks, unlike a 1-BMS and a 3-BMS. To conclude, this research provides essential information about farmers’ perceptions concerning biosecurity, management, and labour for all BMSs, but these results need to be confirmed by quantitative biosecurity measurements.
Optimal Rate of Organic Fertilizer during the Vegetative-stage for Cannabis Grown in Two Coir-based Substrates

Cannabis producers, especially those with organic operations, lack reliable information on the fertilization requirements for their crops. To determine the optimal organic fertilizer rate for vegetative-stage cannabis ( Cannabis sativa L.), ﬁve rates that supplied 117, 234, 351, 468, and 585 mg N/L of a liquid organic fertilizer (4.0N–1.3P– 1.7K) were applied to container-grown plants with one of two coir-based organic substrates. The trial was conducted in a walk-in growth chamber and the two substrates used were ABcann UNIMIX 1-HP with lower water-holding capacity (WHC) and ABcann UNIMIX 1 with higher WHC. No differences in growth or ﬂoral dry weight (yield) were found between the two substrates. Pooled data from both substrates showed that the highest yield was achieved at a rate that supplied 389 mg N/L (interpolated from yield-fertilizer responses) which was 1.8 times higher than that of the lowest fertilizer rate. The concentration of Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in dry ﬂoral material was maximized at a rate that supplied 418 mg N/L, and no fertilizer rate effects were observed on D 9 -tetrahydrocannabidiolic acid (THCA) or cannabinol (CBN). The highest yield, cannabinoid content, and plant growth were achieved around an organic fertilizer rate that supplied 389 mg N/L during the vegetative growth stage when using the two coir-based organic substrates.
Modelling the phenological effects of environmental drivers on mosquito abundance: implications for West Nile virus transmission potential in the UK

Mosquito-borne diseases cause substantial mortality and morbidity worldwide. These impacts are widely predicted to increase as temperatures warm, since mosquito biology and disease ecology are strongly linked to temperature. However, direct evidence linking environmental change to changes in mosquito-borne disease is rare, and the ecological mechanisms that may underpin such changes are poorly understood. Environmental drivers, can have non-linear, opposing impacts on the demographic rates of different mosquito life cycle stages and on disease transmission processes. As such, model frameworks that explicitly incorporate the effects of temperature are required to predict seasonal mosquito abundance and the intensity and persistence of disease transmission under environmental fluctuations. Chapter 2 develops a variable-delay delay differential equation (DDE) model to estimate seasonal abundance of each life stage of the West Nile virus (WNV) vector mosquito species, Cx. pipiens, given temperature and photoperiod conditions experienced. The model highlights that the timing and intensity of warm periods can be more influential in shaping abundance patterns than average temperatures. Chapter 3 presents an extensive body of fieldwork, which led to a high temporal resolution seasonal abundance dataset of each life stage of Cx. pipiens. Chapter 4 challenges assumptions of the DDE model from Chapter 2 in light of the seasonal abundance data collected in Chapter 3. The importance of using appropriate, high temporal resolution input temperature datasets is displayed. Chapter 5 extends the DDE model from Chapter 4 to explicitly model WNV transmission cycles between vectors and avian hosts. The disease model predicts that the current climate in the South of England is too cold to facilitate WNV outbreaks. However, given projected warming in the UK in coming decades it is predicted that WNV infection rates in mosquitoes will be consistent with the lower range of values observed during WNV outbreaks 2080 if virus introduction coincides with warm periods. The risk of these outbreaks is predicted to increase sharply with increases in human greenhouse gas emissions.
Effect of breeder age and storage conditions of Japanese quail eggs on hatchability, quail neonate quality, and Bursa of Fabricius characteristics

ABSTRACT Two experiments were conducted to evaluate combinations of different storage periods and temperature of hatching eggs of breeder quails in two stages of the production cycle (24 and 43 weeks) on hatchability, quail neonate quality, and Bursa of Fabricius characteristics. In each experiment, a total of 1.050 Japanese quail eggs were incubated in a randomized block design in a factorial arrangement of 2 × 5 × 2, with two breeder ages (24 and 43 weeks), five storage periods (one, [. ]
Abundance, Richness and Diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Associated with Different Grass Species in Semiarid Region

Among herbaceous species, grasses play an important role in livestock feeding in the arid and semi-arid region, especially in water-limited conditions. In arid and semi-arid regions, grasses are more dominated in rangelands and highly dependent on mycorrhization. Root and rhizosphere soil of fifteen grass species were collected to study at Jhansi the root colonization and AM fungal spore population structure. The potential of AM fungal root colonization varied between highest 85.5 percent in Cenchrus ciliaris to lowest 16 percent in Paspalum notatum. AM fungal spore abundance (2394.1/ 100 g rhizosphere soil) was observed with grass species C. ciliaris. A total of 9 AM fungal species isolated and identified. Genus Glomus was the most abundant genus in all selected grass species. There is no clear relationship between root colonization potential and AM fungal spore abundance. All the grass species showed higher AM fungal diversity in their rhizosphere soil. It is clear from this study that grass species are dependent on AM fungal association and had species diversity in the natural ecosystem. Diversity and evenness in AM fungi across the grass species rhizosphere had no any significant relation, however, grass species had higher AM fungi species richness showed less evenness.
Morphometry of hatchlings of Thamnodynastes pallidus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Serpentes: Dipsadidae: Xenodontinae: Tachymenini)

species distributed throughout South America from Northern Colombia to Southern Argentina (Cei et al., 1992; Franco and Ferreira, 2002; Bailey et al., 2005; Bailey and Thomas, 2007). It consists of small snakes, viviparous and opistoglyphas, with an elliptical vertical pupil that can live in a wide variety of habitats and environments (Bailey, 1967; Hamdan and Lira-DaSilva, 2012). Thamnodynastes pallidus is recorded for localities in the Guianas, Suriname, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil (Franco and Ferreira, 2002; Nóbrega et al., 2016). In Brazil T. pallidus is found in Pará (Franco and Ferreira, 2002), Rondônia (Bernarde et al., 2012), Acre (Silva et al., 2010), Mato Grosso do Sul (Silva Jr et al., 2009), Paraíba (Santana et al., 2008), Pernambuco (Franco and Ferreira 2002), Alagoas (Guedes et al., 2014), Bahia (Marques et al., 2013; Marques et al., 2017) and Sergipe (Carvalho et al., 2005) states. Previously, affirmed that T. pallidus exhibiting a disjunct distribution in northeastern Brazil. Further, Franco and Ferreira (2002) corroborate and confirm the occurrence of T. pallidus in this region (Hamdan and Lira-DaSilva, 2012). According to Nóbrega et al. (2016), in a recent study the definition of this species and its geographic limits was still unresolved. These authors also performed a distribution modelling analysis to identify potential suitable areas for T. pallidus, in order to understand definition and geographical limits of this species and was verified the regions with particularly high suitability are seen on the northeast coast of Brazil, the central Brazilian Amazon, the coast of the Guianas, northern Bolivia, eastern Peru and Colombia. Thamnodynastes pallidus is observed in ombrophilous forest remnants, this snake is nocturnal and found foraging on the ground (Cunha and Nascimento, 1981; Marques et al., 2016; Marques et al., 2017). Cunha and Nascimento (1978) report T. pallidus inhabiting the humid ground on forests and feeding on frogs and insect larvae. About reproduction, previously, the reports to this specie have been only information about ovarian Herpetology Notes, volume 10: 589-591 (2017) (published online on 25 October 2017)
Transfer functions of Streptomyces plasmid pIJ101: insights into a novel bacterial conjugation system

vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. 1 CHAPTER 2: PHYSICAL AND FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CIS-ACTING LOCUS OF TRANSFER (CLT) OF STREPTOMYCETE PLASMID pIJ101. 10 CHAPTER 3: EPITOPE MUTAGENESIS OF THE TRANSFER-ESSENTIAL Tra PROTEIN FROM STREPTOMYCETE PLASMID pIJ101: FUNCTION AND LOCALIZATION STUDIES. 55 CHAPTER 4: COMMON AND DISTINGUISHING REGULATORY AND EXPRESSION CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HIGHLY RELATED KorB PROTEINS OF STREPTOMYCETE PLASMIDS pIJ101 AND pSB24.2. 93 CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS. 119 APPENDIX A: LETTER OF PERMISSION. 131 APPENDIX B: SUPPLEMENTARY DATA. 133 VITA. 144
Ingestive behaviour and forage intake responses of young and mature steers to the vertical differentiation of sugarcane in pen and grazing studies

SUMMARY Sugarcane is an important forage resource in sub-tropical and tropical areas as it is used during the winter or dry season when the growth rate of pastures is significantly reduced. The current research study assessed the effect of four vertical sections of sugarcane in a pen trial and the level of sugarcane utilization in a grazing trial on the ingestive behaviour and forage intake of two age groups of steers (1 and 2 years old). The pen trial was comprised of two simultaneous 4 × 4 balanced Latin square designs (one for each age group of animals) of four periods, four animals and four feeding treatments, which consisted of four equal vertical sections of sugarcane. Dry matter (DM) and digestible DM (DDM) intake per kilogram of metabolic weight declined gradually from top to bottom of the sugarcane, with no significant differences between the age groups of steers. This difference in intake was associated with a decline in intake of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) as a proportion of the liveweight of the animal and an increase of total chewing time per kilogram of DM or NDF from top to bottom of the sugarcane. It was concluded that the toughness of plant material played a significant role regulating intake, which was higher for the top sections of sugarcane. In the grazing trial, steers of both age groups grazed down sugarcane in three plots over 9 days. Steers grazed up to four distinctive grazing strata. Digestible DM intake (DDM intake) was high at low levels of horizontal utilization of the top grazing stratum but DDM intake started to decline sharply when this stratum was removed in 0·92 of paddock area (i.e. equivalent to 0·08 of the pasture area remaining un-grazed). It was concluded that the proportion of un-grazed area of the pasture can be used as a grazing management strategy to control forage intake for sugarcane.
Gene Expression Assays for Early-Stage Hormone Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer: Understanding the Differences

Abstract Biomarkers are frequently used to guide decisions for treatment of early-stage estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptor–positive (ER/PR+) invasive breast cancers and have been incorporated into guidelines. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2016 guideline and a 2017 update were recently published to help clinicians use the tests available. ASCO currently recommends five tests that show evidence of clinical utility based on the parameters defined in the guideline. These include the 21-gene assay (Oncotype DX), Prediction of Analysis of Microarray-50 (PAM50), 12-gene risk score (Endopredict), Breast Cancer Index (BCI), and, most recently, the 70-gene assay (Mammaprint). However, discordance is often seen when the results of these gene assays are compared in a particular patient, for a number of reasons: the assays were initially developed to answer different questions, and the molecular makeup of each signature reflects this; the patient populations that were studied also differed and may not reflect the patient being tested; furthermore, the study design and statistical analysis varied between each test, leading to different scoring scales that may not be comparable. In this review, the background on the development and validation of these assays is discussed, and studies comparing them are reviewed. To provide guidance on which test to choose, the studies that support the level of evidence for clinical utility are presented. However, the choice of a particular test will also be influenced by socioeconomic factors, clinical factors, and patient preferences. We hope that a better understanding of the scientific and clinical rationale for each test will allow patients and providers to make optimal decisions for treatment of early-stage ER/PR+ breast cancer.
Non-neural and Neural Contributions of Androgen Receptors to Socio-sexual Behaviours in Mice

Sexual differentiation of the nervous system occurs via the interplay of genetics, endocrinology and social experience through development. Much of the research into mechanisms of sexual differentiation has been driven by an implicit theoretical framework in which these causal factors act primarily and directly on sexually dimorphic neural populations within the central nervous system. This review will examine an alternative explanation by describing what is known about the role of peripheral structures and mechanisms (both neural and non-neural) in producing sex differences in the central nervous system. The focus of the review will be on experimental evidence obtained from studies of androgenic masculinization of the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus, but other systems will also be considered.
An Empirical Study on Selecting Partially Equivalent (PE) Benchmarks for Mutual Funds Categories in Pakistan: ANOVA Approach

In this study, we propose a new concept of partially equivalent (PE) benchmarks for evaluation different mutual funds categories in Pakistan. We constructed separate benchmarks for all major categories of funds after carefully considering the asset composites of classes. For the validity of proposed benchmarks, we conducted unit root test, kernel density distribution and ANOVA analysis. Our results prove that money market and aggressive income non-sharia benchmarks and most of Sharia benchmarks indices have shown indifference of distribution against the conventional benchmark i.e. KSE 100 and KMI 30. This encourage the fund managers and scholars alike to use the proposed benchmark indices against the conventional ones to analyze the management style, market variations, market timing and behavioral aspects with some precision and accuracy.
Optimizing the fermentation condition of low salted squid Jeotgal by lactic acid bacteria with enhanced antioxidant activity

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are widely used as starter culture in food fermentation due to their harmless entity and health beneficial properties along with the ability to change texture, aroma, flavor and acidity of food products. In this study, five different LAB (FB003, FB058, FB077, FB081, and FB111) isolated from different Korean traditional fermented foods, assigned to Lactobacillus plantarum, Pediococcus pentosaceus, Weissella viridescens, Lactobacillus sakei, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides, respectively, on the basis of their physiological properties and 16S rRNA sequence analysis, to use as fermentation starter and check their ability to fasten the ripening time as well as the overall optimization in the fermentation condition. To check their suitability as starters, their safety, acid and bile tolerance, NaCl and temperature resistance, susceptibility to common antibiotics, and antimicrobial activities were determined. Squid jeotgal samples were prepared by adding 10 CFU/g of each strain in different samples, which were then kept for fermentation at 4 °C and checked for their antioxidant activities at 0, 7, 15, and 21-day intervals. The samples fermented with FB003 and FB077 displayed the highest antioxidant activity. This study revealed two effective starter cultures (FB003, FB077) for squid jeotgal fermentation, which presented increased functionalities. The results of this study will lead to the development of novel industrial-scale production avenues for jeotgal preparation, and offer new insights into the prevention and control of chronic diseases.
A Mixture of Thyme, Quillaja, and Anise at Different Nutrient Density on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, Meat Quality, Organ Weight, Cecal Bacteria, Excreta Moisture, and Bone Contents in Broiler Chicks

The experiment was carried out on 648 Ross 308 broilers (40.4±0.2 g; 1 d) chickens. It lasted for 28 days to evaluate the effects of phytogenic feed additive (PFA) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, cecum microbiota, bone minerals contents, meat quality and internal organ weights. The chickens were haphazardly divided into any 1 of 6 dietary treatments (6 replicate pens/treatment; 18 broilers/pen). The experimental diets were: CON, control; T1, CON + 150 ppm PFA; T2, CP 0.5% reduced from basal diet; T3, T2 + 150 ppm PFA; T4, Ca 0.07% reduced + available P (aP) 0.065% reduced from basal diet; T5, T4 + 150 ppm PFA. Overall, broilers fed with T3 diet tended to have higher (P=0.08) body weight gain (BWG), and lower (P=0.05) feed conversion ratio (FCR) than T2 diet. The apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of P was lower (P=0.03) in T2 as compared to CON and it was higher (P=0.02) in T3 as compared to T2. There were no differences in meat quality, relative organ weight, and cecum microbiota (P>0.05). The supplementation of PFA showed trends in improvement in ash content in the bone of birds fed T1, T2 and T4 diets compared with CON. Likewise, the supplementation of PFA tended to increase (P=0.07) Ca content in the bone of birds fed T1 diet compared to CON. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 150 ppm PFA could improve BWG in birds fed protein reduced diet, improve apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of P, and the bone Ca contents in broilers. (
Metabolic evaluation in overweight and obese cats and association with blood pressure

EnglishObesity has been increasing in cats andis associated with metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. The association of these alterations can trigger the onset of metabolic syndrome (MS). Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the serum levels of glucose, fructosamine, cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), andalanine aminotransferase of cats and to identify the possibility of MS,as well as to evaluate changes in arterial pressure. Thirty-seven cats were classified by ECC and morphometric measurements, namely, 15 obese, 12 overweight, and 10 controls. Nocat manifested MS. Only VLDL had a statistically significant difference (P Key words: obesity,cats; hypertension; dyslipidemia portuguesNos ultimos anos, tem sido observado um aumento na incidencia de obesidade em gatos, sendo associado a doencas metabolicas e cardiovasculares e a associacao dessas alteracoes pode desencadear o surgimento de sindrome metabolica. Diante disto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar os niveis sericos de glicose, frutosamina, colesterol, triglicerideos, HDL, LDL, VLDL e ALT dos gatos e identificar uma possivel presenca de sindrome metabolica nos mesmos, alem de avaliar a ocorrencia de alteracoes na pressao arterial. Utilizaram-se 37 gatos, classificados atraves de ECC e medidas morfometricas em 15 obesos, 12 sobrepesos e 10 controles. Nenhum gato do estudo manifestou sindrome metabolica. Apenas o VLDL obteve diferenca estatisticamente significativa (P Palavras-chave: obesidade; gatos; hipertensao; dislipidemia
Impact of Aquatic Salinity on Mangrove Seedlings: A Case Study on Heritiera fomes (Common Name: Sundari)

Mangroves are the characteristic littoral plant formation of tropical and subtropical sheltered coastlines [1]. Being on the land sea interface, they are always associated with and subjected to saline seawater. However saline condition is not a prerequisite for their development, rather mangroves choose saline condition to avoid the competition with the more vigorous terrestrial plants. Based on the physiological studies, Bowman [2] and Davis [3] concluded that mangroves are not salt lovers, rather salt tolerants. But excessive saline conditions retard seed germination, impede growth and development of mangroves. Indian Sundarbans, the famous mangrove chunk of the tropics is gradually losing Heritiera fomes (commonly known as Sundari) owing to increase of salinity in the central sector of the delta complex around the Matla River. Reports of alteration of growth in mangroves due to difference in salinity between western and central sectors of Indian Sundarbans are available [4]. However no study has yet been carried on the effect of salinity fluctuation on the photosynthetic pigments and carotenoid level of mangroves under culture conditions from this part of the Indian sub-continent. The effects of salinity on mangroves have been studied in relation to antioxidative enzymes [5,6], leaf structure, rates of transpiration, stomatal conductance and rates of photosynthesis [7,8] and changes in chloroplast structure and function [5,9]. Reported that Na+/H+ antiport catalyzed exchange of Na+ for H+ across the vacuolar membrane of the cells of Bruguiera sexangula offered tolerance to ionic stress imposed by NaCl and this mechanism was important for cellular salinity adjustments. Also, the mechanism of acclimation to salt in mangroves was suggested to be linked to the changes in the vacuolar size in B. sexangula [10]. Further, one of the biochemical mechanisms by which mangroves counter the high osmolarity of salt was accumulation of compatible solutes [5].