Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of Barn Owl (Tyto alba) Pellets as a Potential Method to Study a Rare Rodent Population in Northeastern New Mexico

Abstract. In June 2008, I discovered a single jumping mouse (Zapus) cranium in a Barn Owl (Tyto alba) pellet from below an active nest along Cerrososo Creek, Colfax County, northeastern New Mexico. Although the cranium could not be identified to species, this specimen could potentially represent a previously unknown population of the endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse (Z. hudsonius luteus). In 2009 and 2010, I collected pellets at 8 Barn Owl nesting or roosting sites along streams in my study area with the following objectives: (1) determine whether Barn Owl pellets could be used to gain information about the abundance and distribution of this Zapus population, (2) use pellets to acquire additional Zapus specimens to aid in positive identification of the jumping mouse species present, and (3) potentially document a previously unknown population of the endangered New Mexico meadow jumping mouse. Focusing only on pellets produced during the Zapus active (nonhibernation) summer period, I dissected 298 pellets containing 487 individual mammalian prey items from 12 genera but did not locate any additional Zapus remains. Examination of owl pellets appears to be a poor survey tool for Zapus, perhaps due to the jumping mouse's short summer active period, natural low population density, and preference for tall, dense riparian vegetation.
Pollen tube growth in styles of apple and almond flowers after spraying with pesticides

Summary The timing of fungicide and antibiotic applications in fruit crops often overlaps flowering and pollination. Numerous studies report detrimental effects of chemical applications on pollination, fruit set and yield. However, field results can be quite variable even when similar compounds are tested on the same crop. Problematic is that field variables unrelated to the effects of pesticides on reproductive activities can mask results. In the current study, we specifically investigated the effects of selected pesticide sprays applied to stigmas, on subsequent pollen germination and tube growth. Using two model systems, apple and almond, sprays were applied to detached emasculated flowers under constant laboratory conditions using an electronically controlled robotic apparatus which simulated a field sprayer. flowers were pollinated at specific times after spraying, and pollen tube numbers and growth assessed using fluorescence microscopy. The pesticides evaluated were for apple: captan, myclobutanil and streptomycin; and for almond: azoxystrobin, myclobutanil, iprodione and cyprodinil. In apple, captan significantly reduced pollen germination, by 20% compared with water controls when pollination was conducted 18 h after treatment. The number of tubes that reached the basal part of the style within 20 h was not affected. In contrast, myclobutanil and streptomycin had no significant effect on pollen tube growth. With almond, none of the sprays significantly affected pollen germination or tube growth.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 genes are associated with production and fertility traits in dairy cows

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 genes are associated with production and fertility traits in dairy cows C.O. Lynch, M.P Mullen, S.M. Waters, D.J. Howard, P. O'Boyle, D.P. Berry, D.A. Kenny, F. Buckley, B. Horan, M.G. Diskin Teagasc, Animal Production Research Centre, Athenry, Co. Galway, Ireland, School Of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine, UCD, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland, Teagasc, Animal Bioscience Research Centre, Athenry, Co Galway, Ireland, Teagasc, Animal Bioscience Research Centre, Grange, Co.Meath, Ireland, Teagasc, Dairy production Research Centre, Fermoy, Co Cork, Ireland Email: ciaran.lynch@teagasc.ie
BREEDING DISPERSAL IN THE COLLARED FLYCATCHER (FICEDULA ALBICOLLIS): POSSIBLE CAUSES AND REPRODUCTIVE CONSEQUENCES

SUMMARY (1) Correlates of breeding dispersal (between years) in the collared flycatcher were analysed using data from a population on the Swedish island of Gotland in the Baltic. (2) Females on average moved further than males. Only 8% of the males and 2% of the females reoccupied their previous nest box. Individual size or body condition were not related to breeding dispersal. (3) Among females both total failures and reduced number of fledged young were associated with long subsequent movements in yearlings, whereas dispersal of older individuals was not related to previous breeding success. The pattern of breeding dispersal was similar in males but the difference was not significant. (4) Males that remained unpaired throughout the breeding season moved further in the next year than did mated males. There were no differences in breeding dispersal patterns between polygynous and monogamous males, nor between monogamous and secondary females. (5) Occupation of previous nest boxes by breeding tits were significantly correlated with dispersal distances in 2-year-old males, but not in older males. Female breeding dispersal was not related to this factor. (6) Males breeding for the first time in their natal area subsequently moved shorter distances than males breeding in another area. Females showed no significant differences in dispersal with respect to their birth place. (7) Breeding dispersal distance was not correlated with age when breeding success, occupation of previous nest boxes by breeding tits and distance from natal area were controlled for. (8) The reproductive correlates of movements were different for different categories of individuals. There was a negative correlation between distance moved and subsequent fitness (measured as survival and number of recruits produced) among previously successful females, whereas the trend was the opposite among previously unsuccessful females. These relationships were most prominent among young females. There were no significant correlations of dispersal and subsequent reproductive performance in males. (9) The hypothesis is advanced that breeding dispersal distances (to some extent) reflect individual choices among available territories, in that individuals with little and/or bad local experience disperse more because they benefit from exploring more sites before
Classification of Korean Garden Perennial Plants according to Growth Habit, Flower Color, Plant Height, and Flowering Month

To make a list of garden perennial plants which are useful in Korea, more than 160 floricultural companies, nurseries, gardens, and arboretums which posted photographs, scientific name, Korean name, flower color, plant height, and flowering month of perennials on their websites were searched. Daehan Nursery Landscape Co., Ltd., Hantaek Botanical Garden, and Uriseed Company suit in those conditions. Whole perennials of three companies are grouped in bulbs, rock plants, grasses, ferns, water plants, and the rest of perennials by growth habits. In the list of garden herbaceous perennial plants each of 6 grouped plants are classified to 9 flower colors, blue, green, orange, pink, purple, red, silver, white, and yellow, and divided into three steps of plant height of large(120cm over), medium(60-120cm), and low(60cm below) within each flower color. Scientific name of each plant species were arranged alphabetically and flowering months were marked monthly from Jan. to Dec. Whole garden perennial species of three companies which survive in winter at the middle area of Korea were 1,091, that is perennials 839, bulbs 58, rock plants 46, grasses 70, ferns 46, and water plants 32. The percent of whole perennial species divided into 9 flower colors are blue 7.2%, green 7.5%, orange 2.8%, pink 17.0%, purple 15.9%, red 4.2%, silver 0.5%, white 24.7%, and yellow 20.0%. Species with white, yellow, pink, purple flowers were the most. Species with silver and green which mostly are the color of leaves rather than flowers are not much. Species with orange, red, and blue flowers which make garden brilliant were rare. Only 6.0% of whole perennial species have large plant height and 24.9%, medium plant height, and 69.1% of whole perennial species are low. The percent of flowering month of whole perennial species from Jan. to Dec. are 0.0, 0.2, 1.1, 5.9, 11,5, 22.8, 22.3, 20.7, 10.1, 5.1, 0.3, and 0.1% respectively. 77.3% of species were bloomed in May, June, July, and Aug.
Evaluating a single tree-based growth model for even-aged stands against the maximum size–density relationship: Some insights from balsam fir stands in Quebec, Canada

Cette etude porte sur l’evaluation de modeles lorsque les donnees de suivi a long terme ne sont pas disponibles ou sont tout simplement inadequates. Plus specifiquement, un modele de croissance base sur une approche par tiges individuelles a ete etalonne dans le but de prevoir la croissance des peuplements purs et equiennes de sapin baumier. Les previsions obtenues a partir de simulations stochastiques ont ensuite ete comparees a une droite d’auto-eclaircie existante. La croissance de placettes de densites initiales et de distributions diametrales variables a ete simulee sur un horizon de 70 ans a partir de 500 realisations pour chaque combinaison de densite initiale et de distribution diametrale. Les previsions a long terme se sont averees conformes a la droite d’auto-eclaircie existante, en plus de reproduire la phase de senescence durant laquelle les trajectoires de croissance s’eloignent de cette droite. Cette phase debutait lorsque le volume moyen par arbre atteignait 0,2 a 0,3 m3 par arbre, ce qui correspondait a des DHP (diametre a hauteur de poitrine, 1,3 m du sol) entre 19 et 23 cm. Bien qu’elle ne puisse etre generalisee, cette etude de cas demontre qu’un modele de croissance par tiges individuelles comprenant un indice de competition independant des distances et aucun indice de densite a l’echelle du peuplement peut reproduire une droite d’auto-eclaircie existante. Cette correspondance entre les previsions a long terme et la droite d’auto-eclaircie demontre que le modele possede un comportement biologique coherent. -- Mots-cles : Modelisation de la croissance, droite d’auto-eclaircie, phase de senescence, simulation Monte Carlo, sapin baumier, evaluation de modeles.
High sensitivity of Bering Sea winter sea ice to winter insolation and carbon dioxide over the last 5500 years

Anthropogenic CO2 emissions and long-term winter insolation forcing drive Bering Sea ice extent to lowest in the last 5,500 years. Anomalously low winter sea ice extent and early retreat in CE 2018 and 2019 challenge previous notions that winter sea ice in the Bering Sea has been stable over the instrumental record, although long-term records remain limited. Here, we use a record of peat cellulose oxygen isotopes from St. Matthew Island along with isotope-enabled general circulation model (IsoGSM) simulations to generate a 5500-year record of Bering Sea winter sea ice extent. Results show that over the last 5500 years, sea ice in the Bering Sea decreased in response to increasing winter insolation and atmospheric CO2, suggesting that the North Pacific is highly sensitive to small changes in radiative forcing. We find that CE 2018 sea ice conditions were the lowest of the last 5500 years, and results suggest that sea ice loss may lag changes in CO2 concentrations by several decades.
Asphalt-related emissions are a major missing nontraditional source of secondary organic aerosol precursors

Laboratory and field observations of organic compound emissions reveal a previously unknown source of reactive pollution precursors. Asphalt-based materials are abundant and a major nontraditional source of reactive organic compounds in urban areas, but their emissions are essentially absent from inventories. At typical temperature and solar conditions simulating different life cycle stages (i.e., storage, paving, and use), common road and roofing asphalts produced complex mixtures of organic compounds, including hazardous pollutants. Chemically speciated emission factors using high-resolution mass spectrometry reveal considerable oxygen and reduced sulfur content and the predominance of aromatic (~30%) and intermediate/semivolatile organic compounds (~85%), which together produce high overall secondary organic aerosol (SOA) yields. Emissions rose markedly with moderate solar exposure (e.g., 300% for road asphalt) with greater SOA yields and sustained SOA production. On urban scales, annual estimates of asphalt-related SOA precursor emissions exceed those from motor vehicles and substantially increase existing estimates from noncombustion sources. Yet, their emissions and impacts will be concentrated during the hottest, sunniest periods with greater photochemical activity and SOA production.
Structure and Morphology Properties of Nanosized La0.75K0.05Ba0.05Sr0.15MnO3 Manganite

Nanosized La0.75K0. 05Ba0.05Sr0. 15MnO3 manganite have been synthesized using sol-gel method. Afterwards, the samples were sintered at eight different temperature ranging from 650 to 1000 °C. Phase purity, crystal structure and the morphology of the sample have been examined using X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope. It has been found that different higher sintering temperature greatly affect the phase purity and crystallite size of the sample. Regardless of the sintering temperature, all the samples crystallized in rhombohedral structure with R-3c space group. The crystallite size of the samples is found to increase from 41.59 nm up to 73.42 nm as the sintering temperature increases. Further analysis from XRD result shows that sintering temperature also affect the average Mn-O bond length and Mn-O-Mn bond angle of the sample. The average Mn-O bond length is found to increase while the average Mn-O-Mn bond angle tends to decrease as sintering temperature increases. SEM measurement shows that various grain size ranging from ~100 nm up to ~ 350 nm exists in all the sample regardless the sintering temperature.
Decontamination of Heavy Metals from Wastewater Effluent Using Polypyrrole/Polyvinylpyrrolidone Nanoparticles

Polypyrrole nanoparticles prepared in the presence and absence of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PPy/PVP) fine black powders have been synthesized as adsorbents for the removal of copper Cu (Ⅱ) and iron Fe (Ⅲ) ions from aqueous solution. PPy and PPy/PVP were chemically prepared by using ferric chloride as an oxidant, and distillate water as a solvent with and without polyvinylpyrrolidone as a surfactant. The prepared PPy and PPy/PVP adsorbents were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area, and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results display BET surface area equals 7.88 and 21.93 for PPy and PPy/PVP, respectively. The data also shows that PPy/PVP acts as flawless adsorbent for the removal of copper and iron ions from aqueous solution with sequestration percentage of 90% and 83% in 2 hours respectively.
Improved the Performance and Stability at High Humidity of Perovskite Solar Cells by Mixed Cesium-Metylammonium Cations

Perovskite solar cells have a great potential as competitor of silicon solar cells which have been dominated the market of solar cells since last decade, due to a tremendous improvement of their power conversion efficiency (PCE). Recently, a PCE of perovskite solar cells above 23% have been obtained. Moreover, perovskite solar cells can be fabricated using simple solution methods, therefore, the whole cost production of solar cells is less than half of silicon solar cells. However, their low stability in thermal and high humidity hinder them to be produced and commercially used to replace silicon solar cells. Many efforts have been done to improve both PCE and stability, including mixed inorganic-organic cations, mixed halide anions, improvement of perovskite morphology or crystallinity and using small molecules for passivation of defect in perovskite. In this paper, we used mixed cesium-methylammonium to improve both PCE and stability of perovskite solar cells. Cesium was used due to its smaller ionic radius than methylammonium (MA) ions, therefore, the crystal structure of perovskite is not distorted. Moreover, perovskite cesium-lead-bromide (CsPbBr3) are more stable than that of MAPbBr3 and doping cesium increased light absorption in perovskite MAPbBr3. We studied the effect of mixed cesium-MA on the PCE and stability at high humidity (>70%). The percentage of cesium was varied at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. The perovskite solar cells have monolithic hole-transport layer free (HTL-free) structure using carbon as electrode. This structure was used due simple and low cost in processing of solar cells. Our results showed that by replacing 10% of MA ions with Cs ions, both PCE and stability at high humidity are improved.
Tumor repolarization by an advanced liposomal drug delivery system provides a potent new approach for chemo-immunotherapy

Liposomal oxaliplatin remodels the tumor microenvironment and potentiate TLR-agonist–mediated immune responses in cancer. Immunosuppressive cells in the tumor microenvironment allow cancer cells to escape immune recognition and support cancer progression and dissemination. To improve therapeutic efficacy, we designed a liposomal oxaliplatin formulation (PCL8-U75) that elicits cytotoxic effects toward both cancer and immunosuppressive cells via protease-mediated, intratumoral liposome activation. The PCL8-U75 liposomes displayed superior therapeutic efficacy across all syngeneic cancer models in comparison to free-drug and liposomal controls. The PCL8-U75 depleted myeloid-derived suppressor cells and tumor-associated macrophages in the tumor microenvironment. The combination of improved cancer cell cytotoxicity and depletion of immunosuppressive populations of immune cells is attractive for combination with immune-activating therapy. Combining the PCL8-U75 liposomes with a TLR7 agonist induced immunological rejection of established tumors. This combination therapy increased intratumoral numbers of cancer antigen–specific cytotoxic T cells and Foxp3− T helper cells. These results are encouraging toward advancing liposomal drug delivery systems with anticancer and immune-modulating properties into clinical cancer therapy.
Magnetic Properties of Pyrochlore Ruthenate Nd2Ru2O7 Studied by μSr

We investigated the magnetic properties of pyrochlore ruthenates, R2Ru2O7, by using the muon spin relaxation (μSR) method. The appearance of a magnetically ordered state was confirmed below 145 K by observing the decrease in the initial asymmetry of the muon-spin polarization. This was due to a long-range ordering of Ru4+ spins. An additional anomaly in the μSR time spectrum was observed around 30 K. A part of the lost initial asymmetry was recovered and gradually decreases again with decreasing temperature below 30 K. This anomaly was supposed to be due to a magnetic ordering of Nd3+ spins which was coupled with ordered Ir moment via the 3d-4f exchange interaction.
The Effect of Interaction Weight on Dipole Field Calculations to Reconstruct the La2CuO4 μSR Spectrum

A modified dipole field equation proposed to reconstruct the μSR spectrum theoretically. Gaussian interaction weight added in dipole field calculation to investigate the effective interaction range between muon and its surrounding spin. The width of Gaussian interaction weight traced until the theoretical spectrum fit the data. The theoretical spectrum limited only to minima within the unit cell. By using the interaction weight the main peak spectrum can be reproduced without having a contradiction with the magnetic moment measured from neutron. Effective interaction between muon and surrounding spin estimated to be around which is relatively small.
An innovative approach to rainwater harvesting for irrigation based on El Niño Southern Oscillation forecasts

The southeastern United States observed a widespread expansion in area under irrigation over the past half century, primarily due to inadequate rainfall during crop growing season. In this region, El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a seasonal-to-interannual climate-variability phenomena, may result in bringing suitable precipitation in any year while generating extremes of too much or too little precipitation in others. Therefore, this climate variability phenomena results in uncertainties over the availability of stream water for withdrawals to meet irrigation needs. The overall goal of this study was to quantify the impact of ENSO on the amount of water that can be sustainably withdrawn from streams for irrigation. The specific objectives of this study were to (1) quantify the relationship between ENSO and precipitation, and ENSO and simulated streamflow; (2) develop surface water withdrawal prescription for irrigation without disturbing the ecological integrity of streamflow; (3) quantify the area of watershed that can be irrigated via surface water withdrawals from different order streams; and (4) determine pond size for the storage of withdrawn water from streams for irrigation. The study was conducted in the Swan Creek watershed located in Limestone County of north Alabama, United States. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was used to simulate streamflows and develop water withdrawal prescriptions. The La Niña phase of ENSO generated more rainfall from January to March, and the El Niño phase generated more rainfall from May to December (except October). The results of this study indicate that as a function of year, during a La Niña phase 14% to 55% more water can be sustainably withdrawn from streams in the winter months (January to March) than the El Niño phase. Furthermore, irrespective of the ENSO phase, about 42% more water could be withdrawn during the noncrop growing months than the crop growing months. Based on the water withdrawal criteria, about 16% of the watershed cropland area can be irrigated if the withdrawals are made throughout the year, 9% if stream water is withdrawn in noncrop growing season months, and 5% if stream water is withdrawn in the crop growing season. If farmers plan water withdrawal in accordance with the ENSO phase, it would not only provide them ample volume of water for irrigation during the crop growing season but would also help to maintain stream water quality and aquatic biota.
Soil aggregation and potential carbon and nitrogen mineralization with cover crops under tropical no-till

Sustainability of agriculture with no-tillage (NT) production requires appropriate cover cropping and not a simple and random approach of any cover crop species. However, relatively little is known of the long-term soil surface impacts of different cover crops in rotation with soybean (Glycine max) under NT in the tropics. We evaluated the impacts of different cover crops on soil aggregation, soil organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fractions, and soil microbial activity of a Typic Rhodudalf at the end of 12 years under NT in São Paulo state of Brazil. Treatments included main plots during the winter dry season (triticale [× Triticosecale] and sunflower [Helianthus annuus]) and subplots during the spring cover crop season (pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum], sunn hemp [Crotolaria juncea], forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor], and fallow with occasional chiseling). All eight of these treatments followed soybean in summer. Winter crop treatments had no effect on soil aggregation, but total organic C and N concentrations were greater (p < 0.05) with triticale than with sunflower. Across depths, soil aggregation and soil C and N fractions were generally enhanced when sunn hemp was cover crop than with fallow in the spring. Triticale followed by sunn hemp provided soil cover and fresh mineralizable residue for improving soil quality in this unfertilized (N) soybean-based cropping system. Our results suggest that maintaining soil cover is important to improve soil aggregation and soil C and N fractions, but also the quality of organic inputs determined by cover crop species is an important factor controlling the dynamics of these soil responses.