Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Options Decimalization

Trading liquidity in a financial market is affected by tick size: Smaller ticks allow finer resolution of valuation, but they also reduce the incentive to post large limit orders because it becomes easier to step ahead of a limit order by shading the price quote by a small amount. Most empirical evidence on liquidity comes from equity markets, but in this article, the authors review the results of a series of Penny Pilot studies at the Montreal Exchange. Option tick size was reduced from $0.05 to $0.01 for groups of stocks in five separate waves, which allows a natural identification of the effect of the tick change while controlling for other factors that occurred at the same time. The authors find that, in contrast to findings for equities, measures of option bid–ask spreads narrowed and market depth mostly increased. Return volatility and autocorrelation also showed an improvement in market efficiency. The largest effects were found for low-priced out-of-the-money contracts, for which the spread is a large fraction of the option’s price.
Chromosome diversity in neotropical fishes: NOR studies

Abstract Neotropical fishes present a high chromosome diversity showing a wide diploid number variation range, including different levels of ploidies, sex chromosomes, chromosome supernumeraries, and several cases of polymorphisms, related particularly to heterochromatin and NOR sites. Two main general trends of chromosome diversification can be observed among neotropical fishes. First, several fish groups show a chromosome evolution relatively divergent from the point of view of the karyotypic macrostructure. Sister species show conspicuous differences in karyotype structure and most often also in the number of chromosomes. On the other hand, there are fish groups in which chromosome evolution has been shown to be less divergent, and in this case whole families or even groups of families may share a common karyotype structure and equal number of chromosomes. Several fish groups appear conservative also with respect to the NOR bearing chromosomes. In this case, NOR chromosome location is invariable among .
Fermentation of Monascus purpureus on bacterial cellulose-nata and the color stability of Monascus-nata complex

Nata, a bacterial cellulose produced by Acetobacter aceti ssp. xylinum, was colored by means of fermentation with Monascus purpureus. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations showed that the Monascus mycelium could grow through the cellulose network of nata. Rice powder as a major carbon source and monosodium glutamate (MSG) as a nitrogen source gave an appealing coloration after 12 d of fermentation at 30 degrees C. Compared to dyed nata, the color of the Monascus-nata complex had better resistance to washing, heat, freezing, acidification, and alkalization. A 66.1% decolorization was found under irradiation with 366 nm ultraviolet light after 36 h. The Monascus-nata complex has the potential to be a new vegetarian foodstuff.
Distribution and conservation of Grallaria and Grallaricula antpittas (Grallariidae) in Ecuador

Summary The current ranges of many tropical species of conservation concern are poorly known, yet this information is critical for assessing their conservation status against the IUCN Red List criteria and implementing species-level management. Antpittas in the genera Grallaria and Grallaricula are elusive, ground-foraging insectivores, highly susceptible to a range of threats. For these genera, we combine environmental niche modelling with expert knowledge in order to predict species’ geographic distributions, and we use current estimates of deforestation to evaluate their conservation status in Ecuador. We use BIOCLIM to generate a ﬁrst pass geographic prediction, which was further aided by expert knowledge of their natural history. This methodology allowed us to assess the conservation status of each species, revising previous assessments at the national level and making recommendations for revision of global IUCN Red List categories. Based on inferred rates of population decline, derived from estimates of loss of suitable habitat, we suggest ranking three species as ‘Endangered’ in Ecuador, one as ’Vulnerable’, and three as ‘Near Threatened’. Predicted national ranges vary in size from 56 . 05 km 2 to 112 , 745 km 2 . Patterns of range loss were different for each Andean slope, with higher deforestation on the western slope. The combination of niche modelling and knowledge of habitat loss can be a powerful tool to aid conservation efforts in the face of a poor understanding of population demographics, as is the case for many Neotropical taxa. We hope the methodology and results provided here will increase our understanding, and focus future attention on the conservation of this poorly known avian group. Resumen
Cognitive achievements in identification skills

Species identification tasks are generally accepted as fundamental aspects of biodiversity education. Our educational training unit, therefore, focused on identification skills by introducing stuffed specimens in combination with identification books and preparation booklets.We limited the number of bird species to six. 492 secondary school pupils (163 from 8th grade [high stratification level] and 329 from 9th grade [medium stratification level]) participated in the study. Instruction-1 pupils received a hands-on lesson about the natural history of six bird species, while Instruction-2 pupils were taught in a conventional teacher-centred manner. Pupils from the hands-on classes achieved significantly better grades in two follow-up tests. The measure of well-being was significantly enhanced by the teaching technique, while interest, anxiety and boredom were not affected. Additionally, pupils appreciated the opportunity of self-regulation. In general, a shift from the unspecific to the specific was observed: for instance, from duck and gull to mallard and black-headed gull. A reduction in the number of species presented to pupils within a lesson seems to enhance learning and retention effects.
The impact of grazing severity on perennial ryegrass/white clover swards stocked continuously with beef cattle

An experiment was carried out to examine the changes in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) populations in mixed swards, under different grazing severities over three successive grazing seasons. In year 1, three paddocks were erected on a sward with a low initial content of clover (block 1). Sward heights were measured using a rising-plate meter, and were maintained at overall mean heights of 3·0, 5·5 or 7·0 cm by variable stocking with 8-month-old steers. In year 2, a further three paddocks were erected on an adjacent area with a high initial content of clover (block 2), and were maintained at the same three heights by similar management. Botanical analyses were carded out on samples collected at four times during the season. Maintaining swards at 5·5 or 7·0 cm led to a large proportion of the area being infrequently grazed. Block I paddocks had higher initial tiller densities, which increased as sward height was reduced, while block 2 paddocks, with their lower initial tiller density, showed little effect of sward height on tiller density. Initially, clover stolon growing-point densities and stolon masses increased more rapidly in the taller swards. Later, however, large losses in the clover populations occurred on all paddocks during long wet winters and there was a general reversal in these trends for stolon growing-point densities and stolon masses, 3·0>5·5>7·0. By year 3, swards with differing
Forest Characteristics of Northern Goshawk Nest Stands and Post-Fledging Areas in Oregon

The role of old-growth forest as a component of nesting habitat for northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) and the effect of timber harvest has come under increased scrutiny in the western United States. We examined the importance of selected elements of old-growth forest as nesting habitat for goshawks by comparing forest structure around 22 nests with 2 sets of random points. Comparisons were made at 6 spatial scales, from the nest stand up to a 170-ha post-fledging area (PFA). Goshawks nested more frequently in stands with dense canopy, late forest structure (i.e., trees >53 cm dbh, canopy closure >50%), and rarely in stands with mid-aged forest structure. Despite the occasional occurrence of goshawk nests in younger, more open-canopied stands, these conditions were less preferred than dense canopy, late forest structure. Late forest structure was more abundant within circles of 12 ha and 24 ha around nests than around random points. At the PFA scale, forest structure around nests was dominated by dense-canopied forest, always contained wet openings, and nests were positively associated with dry openings. Our findings support recent management recommendations for northern goshawks in the western United States, which call for maintaining the PFA in forest conditions intermediate between the high foliage volume and canopy cover of nest stands and more open foraging habitats. These conditions would provide nest sites for goshawks and habitat for a variety of prey species that inhabit late or early seral stage forest.
A bacteriophage-typing system for surveying the diversity and distribution of strains of Erwinia carotovora in potato fields.

A bacteriophage-typing system was developed and used to survey the diversity and distribution among strains of Erwinia carotovora subsp. carotovora and E. c. subsp. atroseptica from the rhizospheres and stems of potatoes grown in the Columbia Basin of the Pacific Northwest. With a phage enrichment method and strains of E. carotovora from 25 serogroups as hosts, 13 phages displaying distinct host-range activities were isolated from potato and soil samples. In addition, a potato strain of E. chrysanthemi was used to isolate phage N (Ech-3), which did not infect strains of E. carotovora (.)
THE FOOD OF NON‐CICHLID FISHES IN THE LAKE VICTORIA BASIN, WITH REMARKS ON THEIR EVOLUTION AND ADAPTATION TO LACUSTRINE CONDITIONS

The food of twenty-six species of non-cichlid fishes in the Lake Victoria basin is described. Most species, for which data were sufficient to show this, are facultative feeders, their food being determined by their size, their feeding grounds, and the age of the moon. The size of an organism and its position in the aquatic environment usually determine its importance as prey, and this is considered a reason why so many fishes in the lake are insectivorous. Only three species of non-cichlid are extensively piscivorous: these feed heavily on Haplochromis, slightly on Engraulicypris, and hardly at all on Tilapia. Several birds and fishes feed on Engraulicypris, but otherwise there are few natural predators of non-cichlids. Ontogenetic changes in feeding behaviour of Mormyrus kannume and Bagrus docmac support the hypothesis (recently confirmed for B. docmac) that in the lake juveniles of these two species live on rocky shores. The evolutionary stages involved in the colonization of lakes from rivers are discussed, with particular reference to breeding habits and food. The non-cichlids in Lake Victoria are considered not to have progressed far towards becoming adapted to a lacustrine environment.
Electrophoretic studies of cockroaches of the Australian endemic subfamily Geoscapheinae

Abstract Protein electrophoresis was used to investigate the systematics of cockroaches of the Australian endemic subfamily Geoscapheinae. All morphologically-recognized taxa are genetically distinguishable. Indeed, the electrophoretic data suggest that several species ( M. rhinoceros, G. dilatatus and, possibly, M. monteithi ) comprise more than one genetic taxon. Some species ( M. heppleorum and G. robustus ) have high levels of intra-specific variation, possibly reflecting regional differentiation in broad distributions. Conversely, there are low levels of variation over large areas of some species» distributions, notably in the Murray-Darling basin ( G. robustus and G. dilatatus ). Genetic distances between taxa conflict with the current assignment of species to genera based on the morphological characteristics of tergite margins. Where this is the case, the genetic data are in accord with expectations based on geographical proximity and other morphological characters. For instance, the members of the genetic sister groups Neogeoscapheus dahmsi Roth and Parapanesthia pearsoni Walker, Rugg and Rose, and P. gigantea (Tepper) and M. saxicola Walker, Rugg and Rose are geographically very near neighbours. The Northern and inland species of Macropanesthia are found in a Geoscapheus cluster comprising their nearest geographical neighbours rather than with the central and southern Queensland Macropanesthia . Genetic distances are concordant with the presence or absence of an oothecal membrane and the degree of elaboration of male genitalia in geoscapheine species. The level of genetic and taxonomic diversity among the Geoscapheinae near the borders of the subfamily's range in south-eastern Queensland is striking. A Nei unbiased distance of almost 0.80 is required to encompass all 13 morphospecies in the area within a cluster, whereas the most divergent species in the entire Geoscapheinae are separated by a distance of about 1.05.
Effect of Environmental Temperature During Development of Rice Plants on Some Properties of Endosperm Starch

Starch granules were isolated from polished grains of rice plants (Oriza sativa L.) grown under controlled temperature conditions. Distribution of isoamylase-debranched starch materials and unit chain-length of amylopectin were examined by gel-filtration on columns. Higher environment temperature decreases amylose concentration in endosperm starches of Japanese rice cultivars. The amylose concentration in the endosperm starch is determined by the environment temperature 5 – 15 days after heading. Interestingly, the higher environment temperature seemed to increase the amount of long B chains and decrease that of short chains of amylopectin. The effect of environment temperature on pasting characteristics of starch by DSC, starch-granule digestibility by amylases and X-ray diffractograms of starch was also investigated. Der Einflus der Umgebungstemperatur wahrend der Entwicklung der Reispflanze auf einige Eigenschaften der Endosperm-Starke. Aus geschliffenen Kornern von unter kontrollierten Temperaturbedingungen gewachsenen Reispflanzen (Oryza sativa L.) wurden Starkekorner isoliert. Die Verteilung des isoamylase-verzweigten Starkematerials sowie die Einheits-Kettenlange des Amylopektins wurden durch Gelfiltration auf Saulen untersucht. Hohere Umgebungstemperatur vermindert die Amylosekonzentration in den Endosperm Starken japanischer Reissorten. Die Amylosekonzentration in den Endosperm Starke wird durch die Umgebungstemperatur 5 bis 15 Tage nach der Keimung beeinflust. Interessanterweise scheint die hohere Umgebungstemperatur die Anzahl langer B-Ketten zu erhohen und die Zahl kurzer Ketten des Amylopektins zu verringern. Die Wirkung der Umgebungstemperatur auf das Verkleisterungsverhalten der Starke, die amylolytische Abbaubarkeit der Starkekorner und die Rontgen-Beugungsdiagramme der Starke wurden ebenfalls untersucht.
Blue light effects on the growth of Lolium multiflorum Lam. leaves under natural radiation

summary Plants of Lolium multiflorum Lam. were grown under natural radiation supplemented with blue light during the photoperiod. The blue light treatment reduced final length of the leaf sheath but did not modify lamina length compared with control non-irradiated plants. Leaf sheath length was linearly and inversely related to the log-fluence rate of supplementary blue light. The rate of leaf elongation was unaffected until the target leaf reached 35–70% of its final length. Red light had no effect at fluence rates that were inhibitory in the case of blue light and promoted leaf growth at high fluence rates. Plants grown under natural canopies also responded to supplementary blue light. Fully de-etiolated L. multiflorum plants respond to different fluence rates of blue light within a range found in natural canopies. The possible photoreceptor and ecological implications are discussed.
Mass loss in incubating Eurasian dotterel: adaptation or constraint?

Body mass loss is frequently observed in breeding birds: whether this is an adaptive response to a change in the relative value of body stores and locomotion performance or a consequence of energetic constraint is still in debate. The male alone cares for most nests of the Eurasian dotterel Charadrius morinellus, although females assist at a proportion of nests. Energetic costs are probably high in the dotterel's arctic-alpine environment and uniparental care restricts the foraging time available to meet these costs, so that incubating dotterel may have to fuel themselves partly using body stores. Nesting male dotterel lost 7.8% of their mass through the incubation period but were 6.8% heavier during periods of high food abundance. Males that were assisted in incubation by a female were 6.7% heavier than uniparental males. We conclude that, since dotterel were heavier when energetic constraints were lifted, mass loss through incubation was principally a consequence of energetic constraint, rather than adaptive mass optimisation.
Relation of ration composition to rumen development in early-weaned dairy calves with observations on ruminal parakeratosis.

Summary A calf starter containing VFA salts was compared with a control starter in terms of growth, health, ruminating activity, and rumen development of dairy calves. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) between the respective starters regarding weight gain and rumen development of calves to 39 days of age. The amount of feed consumed was closely associated with rumen development as indicated by statistically significant regressions (P All of the calves ruminated at 11 days of age; however, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between groups of calves in the amount of time spent ruminating at either 11 or 25 days of age. Five out of eight calves receiving the starter containing the VFA salts had some degree of ruminal parakeratosis as compared to one out of eight calves receiving the control starter. The cause of this condition was not determined.
Reply:

We would like to thank Dr Bhatia and colleagues for their interest in our article and their comments. Indeed, we did not separately analyze the pediatric population in our cohort, and we acknowledge it would be interesting to further evaluate this group and compare our findings with theirs. Therefore, we further investigated our subpopulation of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome cases and updated our data base to include additional pediatric patients to evaluate the importance of contrast enhancement. In total, we identified 30 contrast-enhanced MR imaging cases of pediatric patients with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. Of these, 26 (87%) patients were immunosuppressed. Our cohort’s characteristics substantially differ from the authors’ own cohort (62.5% with renal disease); hence, there is a limitation in comparing findings between both studies. Within this group, 60% (n 18) of patients demonstrated evidence of contrast enhancement, a rate higher than our earlier findings of 43.7% in the general population. Similarly, we found no correlation between presence/pattern of contrast enhancement and any of the outcome scores of tested variables. However, and interestingly, we no longer found an association between MR imaging severity and outcome scores in the new pediatric cohort (P .05). This contrasts with our earlier findings in the general population, but this new cohort suffers considerably from its much smaller size and diminished statistical power. We find the authors’ observations regarding the frequency of atypical MR imaging features and how that could limit our proposed MR severity index scale interesting. However, we believe that in both our current study and a previous study from 1 of the authors (A.M.M), these atypical findings would be appropriately covered in this scale. In particular, Casey et al and Covarrubias et al previously suggested high severity in posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome when basal ganglia or brain stem involvement was found, which was taken into account when grading MR imaging severity. Atypical features in posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome previously were shown to be relatively frequent, with frontal involvement seen in up to 78.9% of patients, thalamic involvement in up to 30.3%, and cerebellar involvement in up to 34.2%.
Prévision de la dégradabilité in sacco des céréales à partir de leur composition chimique

Summary &mdash; Prediction of the rumen degradability of cereals, measured in sacco, from their chemical composition. Ruminal degradation kinetics of dry matter and nitrogen were studied in 20 samples of 8 cereals. The effective degradability of dry matter and nitrogen was negatively correlated with the nitrogen content of acid detergent fiber (N-ADF), (R 2 = 0.80) (P < 0.01 ) and N-ADF and ether extract (RZ = 0.83) (P < 0.01 ).
The testicular main ducts and the spermatic ducts in some cyprinid fishes—II. Composition of the seminal fluid

The composition of the organic compounds of the seminal fluid, pH values and osmolalities were investigated in three cyprinid species, the bleak (Alburnus alburnus), the chub (Leuciscus cephalus) and the zaehrte (Vimba vimba). The seminal fluid contains monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, galactose, xylose), lipids (cholesterol, fatty acids, phosphatidylcholine, glycolipids) and proteins, and exhibits activities of acid phosphatase, β-glucuronidase, proteases and to some extent of alkaline phosphatase. The composition of free amino acids reveals species specific differences.
Reproductive biology in Anagyris foetida L. (Leguminosae), an autumn–winter flowering and ornithophilous Mediterranean shrub

As most plants of the Mediterranean region bloom in spring, there have been few studies of the reproductive biology of species with autumn–winter flowering. In this study, we investigate the breeding system of Anagyris foetida, one of the few shrubs that blooms at this time. The floral, phenological, and reproductive aspects of two populations of this Mediterranean legume from south-west Spain were studied via field and laboratory experiments. The variability of fruit and seeds was studied in another 12 Iberian populations with respect to certain meteorological parameters (temperature and rainfall). Anagyris foetida shows cauliflory, marked floral longevity, and adichogamy. The peak of flowering is in January–February. It is self-compatible, with no clear advantage of cross- over self-pollination, and with virtually no autonomous self-pollination. This is because the stigma, like some other legumes, prevents the germination of pollen if its surface is not ruptured by pollinators. The number of seeds per fruit under natural pollination was positively correlated with the total rainfall during the fruiting period (from January to May), and significantly influenced the percentage of fruit weight represented by the pericarp, in the sense that the smaller the number of viable seeds in the fruit, the greater the percentage of pericarp weight. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 157, 519–532.
Porphyra aeodis sp. nov. (Bangiales, Rhodophyta), an epiphyte of Aeodes orbitosa from South Africa

A new species of Porphyra is described from the south western Cape, South Africa. The gametophyte of Porphyra aeodis sp. nov. grows epiphytically on Aeodes orbitosa (Suhr) Schmitz, and has a seasonal life history that matches that of its host. Although P. aeodis has been confused with P. capensis Kutzing in the past, P. aeodis is more similar to the sympatric but epilithic P. saldanhae Stegenga, Bolton et Anderson. There is considerable morphological overlap between P. aeodis and P. saldanhae, although they may be distinguished using a combination of morphological and ecological characters. The taxonomic separation of P. aeodis and P. saldanhae was confirmed using isozyme electrophoresis.