Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new apparatus to simulate athletic field traffic: The cady traffic simulator

Realistic traffic simulation is crucial to the validity of athletic field research. Previously developed athletic field traffic simulators contain studded drums that turn at different speeds, creating shear forces at the playing surface. The Cady Traffic Simulator (CTS) (a modified walk-behind core cultivation unit) was developed at Michigan State University in 2000. The objective of this study was to compare the magnitude and direction of the forces produced by two traffic simulators: the Brinkman Traffic Simulator (BTS), a pull-behind unit, and the CTS. Both simulators were operated over an in-ground force plate, which measured the forces in three directions: front to back, side to side, and vertical. The CTS produced a higher compressive stress and net shear stress when operated in either direction than the BTS. The average peak compressive stress produced by the feet of the CTS when operated in the forward direction was approximately 30 times higher than the combined compressive stresses of both BTS drums. The average peak net shear stress produced by the feet of the CTS when operated in the forward direction was approximately 15 times higher than the combined net shear stresses of both BTS drums. Operating in the reverse direction, the average peak compressive stress produced by the feet of the CTS was greater than five times the compressive stresses of both BTS drums combined. The average peak net shear stress produced by the feet of the CTS was approximately four times higher than the combined net shear stresses of both BTS drums.
Seedling stability in waterlogged sediments: an experiment with saltmarsh plants

Saltmarsh seedlings are exposed to extreme soil conditions in combination with mechanical disturbance by waves and tides, especially at the seaward fringe. We tested whether soil waterlogging affects resistance of seedlings to physical disturbance, thereby potentially influencing the distribution of saltmarsh species. A mesocosm experiment was conducted to investigate effects of waterlogging on plant traits, in particular root growth, and tolerance of seedlings to sediment erosion. Three species, each dominating different elevations in NW European salt marshes (Salicornia europaea, Atriplex portulacoides and Elytrigia atherica), were selected for the experiments. Individual seedlings were grown under different waterlogging treatments and finally subjected to an erosion treatment. The depth of erosion at which the seedlings toppled (Ecrit) was determined and related to above- and below-ground morphological traits of the seedlings. Resistance to erosion decreased in all 3 species from drained to completely waterlogged soil conditions, with the strongest negative impact of waterlogging on the upper marsh species E. atherica. Root length and biomass, shoot biomass and the root:shoot biomass ratio were the most important traits positively affecting Ecrit. The experiment demonstrates that rapid root growth is essential for the stability of seedlings, and is presumably of great importance for their successful establishment on tidal flats where sediment erosion may be a limiting factor. Root growth is in turn affected by a species-specific response to waterlogging. Our study suggests that this species-specific effect of waterlogging on seedling stability contributes to species sorting along the inundation gradient of coastal ecosystems.
Frequency response analysis of Mosquito swarming behaviour

Mosquitoes are often called the deadliest animal on earth, responsible for spreading several diseases that result in more than a million deaths worldwide every year. Mosquito swarming is a form of collective behavior that precedes mating in the wild, thus constituting an important stage to intercept for controlling mosquito population. Understanding this behaviour can help in determining non-invasive methods to reduce mosquito population by precluding instances of swarming. This project uses methods from control systems theory and system identification to characterize the coupling between mosquito swarms and high-contrast regions called markers over which they form. A laboratory microcosm is developed to stimulate swarming in the malarial mosquito Anopheles stephensi. The microcosm is used to conduct frequency-response experiments, where the mosquito swarm is observed as the marker is moved in a sinusoidal motion. Analysis indicates that this coupling between the swarm and marker can be characterised by a second order system.
An hour in the morning is worth two in the evening: association of morning component of morningness–eveningness with single nucleotide polymorphisms in circadian clock genes

Abstract Sub-constructs of morning–evening preference might be differentially related to polymorphisms in circadian clock genes. We previously reported significant association between a single nucleotide polymorphism in PER3 (rs2640909) and Morning but not Evening Lateness scale of the Sleep–Wake Pattern Assessment Questionnaire. To further explore such a scale-specific relationship, seven single nucleotide polymorphisms in five circadian clock genes were studied using exploratory and confirmatory samples (in total, n = 698). The association of rs2640909 with Morning Lateness scale was not replicated in the confirmatory sample but remained significant in the merged sample. Moreover, we found and confirmed an association of this scale with rs1159814 in RORα. The results provided further evidence for differential relationship of polymorphisms in circadian clock genes with morning and evening components of morning–evening preference. We also suggested possibility to take into account the pattern of geographic variation in allele frequency for prioritization of circadian clock polymorphisms in candidate gene studies.
Evaluation of gas exchanges and production of genotypes of maçã banana type cultivated in the semi-arid region of Bahia

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate gas exchange and production of Maçã bananas type, at different times of the year and the day in semi-arid environment. Seven genotypes genotypes were used: Maçã, Caipira, BRS Tropical, BRS Princesa, YB42-03, YB42-17 and YB42-47, arranged in a completely randomized experimental design with five replicates and four useful plants per plot. For the physiological characteristics, a factorial arrangement 7x7x2 was considered (seven genotypes, seven evaluation periods, two reading times, 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.). Photosynthetic rates, carboxylation efficiency, and instantaneous water use efficiency are higher at 8:00 a.m., due to meteorological conditions, while foliar temperature and transpiration are higher at 2:00 p.m. , due to the elevation of air temperature and low humidity. Months with higher radiation and intermediate temperature provided higher rates of photosynthesis, higher efficiency of carboxylation and photochemistry of photosynthesis. In general, genotype YB42-47 was the most productive, with higher water use efficiency and photosynthesis rates.
Isolation of Biosurfactant Producing Bacteria from Garbage Soil

Biosurfactants are amphiphilic compounds secreted extra-cellularly by microorganisms. Biosurfactants contains hydrophobic and hydrophilic moieties that reduce the surface tension and interfacial tension by accumulating at the interface of hydrophobic substances and thus increase the solubility, bioavailability and subsequent biodegradation of the hydrophobic or insoluble organic compounds. The present study focused on the isolation of biosurfactant producing microorganisms from garbage soil. Isolated microorganisms were identified based on the biochemical characterization as Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus. Qualitative analysis of biosurfactant production was identified by performing assays like hemolysis on blood agar, penetration assay and C-TAB agar assay. The present study confirms that isolated microorganisms have biosurfactant property.
3D Mapping Reveals Network-specific Amyloid Progression and Subcortical Susceptibility

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, neurodegenerative condition for which there is no cure. Prominent hypotheses posit that accumulation of beta-amyloid (Aβ) peptides drives the neurodegeneration that underlies memory loss, however the spatial origins of the lesions remain elusive. Using SWITCH, we created a spatiotemporal map of Aβ deposition in a mouse model of amyloidosis. We report that structures connected by the fornix show primary susceptibility to Aβ accumulation and demonstrate that aggregates develop in increasingly complex networks with age. Notably, the densest early Aβ aggregates occur in the mammillary body coincident with electrophysiological alterations. In later stages, the fornix itself also develops overt Aβ burden. Finally, we confirm Aβ in the mammillary body of postmortem patient specimens. Together, our data suggest that subcortical memory structures are particularly vulnerable to Aβ deposition and that functional alterations within and physical propagation from these regions may underlie the affliction of increasingly complex networks. Author Contributions RGC, KC, L-HT, ID conceived of the work and planned the experiments. RGC, HC, JW, LAW, CGY, FA, SMB performed experiments and analyzed data. HC built the custom microscope. RGC, L-HT, KC, ID wrote the manuscript.
Preventing the spread of the invasive plant Lupinus polyphyllus.

Invasive species are an increasing problem worldwide, threatening indigenous communities and species. Many human-made environments promote introductions of alien species and one such habitat is road verges. The invasive plant Lupinus polyphyllus is benefiting from these habitats and is today widespread along road verges in many parts of Sweden. However, it has been shown to be a problematic species, as it supresses native plants. Many of these plants originate from semi-natural grasslands, but have found a refuge in road verges. The Swedish Transport Administration has tried to control L. polyphyllus, but it is unclear to what extent it is possible. To manage an invasive species, it is often preferable to prevent further extension by limiting its dispersal, which can be done by reducing seed production. To find out how to prevent L. polyphyllus from spreading, I investigated how resprouting capacity and seed production was affected by cutting of L. polyphyllus at different times throughout the season, and at different heights. Plants in all plots resprouted after being cut, but resprouted leaf stalks grew taller in the plants cut early at the flowering stage, compared to the later cutting treatments. These were also the only ones producing new flowers and fruits, perhaps due to stored resources in roots or the fact that they were cut before the summer solstice. Plants cut higher above the ground produced more flowers and fruits and produced taller leaf stalks and might have used photosynthesizing aboveground parts to acquire resources for regeneration. Fruits were produced but not ripe before the mid-summer cutting. These seeds were still able to germinate after maturing on cut plants. However, they were more mould-infected than seeds maturing on non-cut plants. Seeds from cut plants were also lighter. Thus, seeds produced by the mid-summer cutting might disperse and germinate but may perhaps suffer from lower survival due to more frequent mould infections. The late-cut plants had already produced mature seeds, and thus, were probably able to disperse. Also, the later cutting treatments produced more seeds over the entire season. This indicates that to hinder dispersal by limiting seed production, it is best to cut Lupinus polyphyllus as early as possible, in the flowering stage, when seeds are not produced and to cut them entirely to the ground.
Growth rate and acid-base balance in turkeys fed a silage-containing diet modified by different dietary cation-anion difference

One of alternative foods for broiler turkeys might be inexpensive corn silage added to the typical formula. Although the addition of corn silage to the daily meal is well accepted by turkeys, the growth rate, according to our observations, is diminished. So far, very little attention has been paid to the manipulation of DCAD in growing turkeys. Since one of the causes of the growth rate suppression by silage may be a deviation in DCAD, we sought to determine whether lowering or increasing these values may improve the performance of growing young turkeys. It is known that in other species a higher DCAD stimulates the apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) of protein and dry matter, but concomitantly the maintenance energy expenditure (MEm) is also higher (20, 22). At least in some species, a lower acidic content and high potassium in the diet enhance both bone accretion and bone health. Seemingly, Kim et al. (14) discovered that, in opposition to chloride, cation supplementation alleviates the lysine-arginine antagonism in chicks. Hitherto, our attention in broilers has been focused on the specific effects of cations and anions in the diet (1, 13, 17, 23). Our aim was to determine the responses of turkeys to a corn silage diet with different values of DCAD and to draw attention to the possible usefulness of this kind of ingredient in turkey farming. Moreover, since the dietary intake has been shown to influence the acid-base balance (ABB), our studies were aimed at clarifying the response of ABB-parameters in turkeys fed a corn silage diet with different DCAD. To obtain Growth rate and acid-base balance in turkeys fed a silage-containing diet modified by different dietary cation-anion difference
Impact of Different Dietary Supplementation with (Y-MOS) Yeast on Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Broiler Chickens

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the impact of different levels of commercial Y-MOS yeast on performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of broiler chickens. The Complete Randomized Design was used. A total of 300, unsexed oneday old (Ross 308) broiler chicks were randomly divided into four dietary treatments. The treatments contain 0, 1.0, 1.5 and 2 kg Y-MOS/ton of feed. Each treatment was sub-divided into three replicates; with each having 25 experimental birds. All diets were formulated according to (NRC) to meet the nutrient requirements of the broiler chickens. The results showed that all parameters values of performance (body weight, feed intake, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio) were not affected significantly (P>0.05) by the Y-MOS yeast supplementation to diets fed to broiler chickens throughout the experimental period. The results revealed that there were no significant (P>0.05) differences in dressed carcass, muscle: bone ratio, commercial sale cuts (breast, thigh, drumstick and wing) and nonecarcass components among treatment groups of broiler chickens. However, results showed that there was significant (P<0.05) differences among all treatment groups in chemical composition and physical properties of broiler breast meat.
Multifactorial Dynamics of White Matter Connectivity During Adolescence

Studying developmental changes in white matter connectivity is critical for understanding neurobiological substrates of cognition, learning, and neuropsychiatric disorders. This becomes especially important during adolescence when a rapid expansion of the behavioral repertoire occurs. Several factors such as brain geometry, genetic expression profiles, and higher level architectural specifications such as the presence of segregated modules have been associated with the observed organization of white matter connections. However, we lack understanding of the extent to which such factors jointly describe the brain network organization, nor have insights into how their contribution changes developmentally. We constructed a multifactorial model of white matter connectivity using Bayesian network analysis and tested it with diffusion imaging data from a large community sample. We investigated contributions of multiple factors in explaining observed connectivity, including architectural specifications, which promote a modular yet integrative organization, and brain’s geometric and genetic features. Our results demonstrated that the initially dominant geometric and genetic factors become less influential with age, whereas the effect of architectural specifications increases. The identified structural modules are associated with well-known functional systems, and the level of association increases with age. This integrative analysis provides a computational characterization of the normative evolution of structural connectivity during adolescence.
The Influence of sociality on population dynamics in the Alpine Marmot

Population dynamics can be defined as the study of the forces responsible for the size and structure of a population. Several factors influencing population dynamics have already been identified. These factors can be categorized according to their level of influence. Some factors have a population-wide influence, such as climate change or population density, while others affect the individual level such as age or sex. Recently, many studies have emphasized the importance of this age structure for population dynamics.In social species, an additional level of structuring of the population is the group. However, the consequences of this social group structuring are still poorly understood.In this thesis, I try to answer this question in different ways. I first studied how the individual demographic parameters were influenced by the size and composition of the group. I was able to highlight in particular a negative effect of the number of juvenile females present during development on the probability of becoming dominant once in adulthood. In a second step, I studied the importance of interactions between groups by quantifying the impact of a change of dominant on the dispersion of subordinates. Finally, I also quantified the influence of different groups within the population showing that large groups contribute relatively less to the population growth rate. These various results are then discussed in a context of evolutionary demography and new avenues of research are proposed
Red clover silage improves milk fatty acid composition in dairy ewes

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of two isoproteic total mixed rations containing either red clover (Trifolium pratense L.; RC diet) or lucerne (Medicago sativa L.; LU diet) silage as the major forage source on milk yield, milk composition, and milk fatty acid (FA) profile in dairy ewes. Sixteen dairy ewes were housed individually to receive the drawn diet (eight ewes eating each diet) and milked twice a day (0700 and 1500). Total dry matter intake, milk yield, milk composition, and nitrogen use efficiency were unaffected by treatments. The n-6/n-3 FA ratio tended to decrease, whereas the total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and PUFAs/saturated fatty acids ratio increased in the milk fat of ewes fed the RC diet compared with ewes fed the LU diet. The presence of α-linolenic (C18:3n-3) and linoleic (C18:2n-6) acids in the milk fat was 22% higher in ewes fed the RC diet than in those fed the LU diet. Compared with the LU diet, the RC diet had no effect on milk yield and composition, but improved the milk FA profile in dairy ewes due to an increased proportion of PUFAs (in particular C18:3n-3 and, to a lesser extent, C18:2n-6) and a decreased n-6/n-3 FA ratio.
Oolong Tea Polyphenols–Phospholipids Complex Reduces Obesity in High Fat Diet‐Induced Mice Model

In this study, the anti-obesity effect of oolong tea polyphenols-phospholipids complex (OTC) was investigated. OTC was prepared with oolong tea polyphenols (OTP) and phospholipids, and exhibited higher stability than OTP in vitro. Then high fat diet-induced obesity human flora-associated (HFA) mice model were obtained, and the administration of both OTP and OTC alleviated the changes of the serum and liver levels induced by high fat diet dramatically. The numbers (log10 cell/mL) of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus/Enterococcus spp. , Bacteroides-Prevotella and Clostridium histolyticum in obesity models fed with OTC after 8 weeks were 8.28 ± 0.03, 8.21 ± 0.01, 7.23 ± 0.02, and 7.05 ± 0.03 compared with 8.21 ± 0.02, 8.07 ± 0.02, 7.31 ± 0.02, and 7.10 ± 0.01, respectively, in the control. Together, it confirmed the potential of phospholipids in the promotion of intestinal transport of polyphenols, suggesting OTC may have prebiotic-like activity to prevent obesity-related metabolic disorders. Practical applications: For good bioavailability, tea polyphenols should have a balance between hydrophilicity and lipophilicity. The preparation of oolong tea polyphenols-phospholipids complex may effectively improve the overall absorption of oolong tea polyphenols. This study could provide information about the potential of phospholipids in the promotion of bioavailability and obesity prevention effect of oolong tea polyphenols, and our investigation may be fascinated in manufacturing functional foods that support improved tea polyphenols absorption.
Theory of reinforcement learning and motivation in the basal ganglia

This paper proposes how the neural circuits in vertebrates select actions on the basis of past experience and the current motivational state. According to the presented theory, the basal ganglia evaluate the utility of considered actions by combining the positive consequences (e.g. nutrition) scaled by the motivational state (e.g. hunger) with the negative consequences (e.g. effort). The theory suggests how the basal ganglia compute utility by combining the positive and negative consequences encoded in the synaptic weights of striatal Go and No-Go neurons, and the motivational state carried by neuromodulators including dopamine. Furthermore, the theory suggests how the striatal neurons to learn separately about consequences of actions, and how the dopaminergic neurons themselves learn what level of activity they need to produce to optimize behaviour. The theory accounts for the effects of dopaminergic modulation on behaviour, patterns of synaptic plasticity in striatum, and responses of dopaminergic neurons in diverse situations.
Thought Control Failure: Sensory Determinants and Functional Effects

The ability to control one’s thoughts is important for mental wellbeing, attention, focus, future planning and ideation. While there is a long history of research into thought control, the inherent subjectivity of thoughts has made objective investigation, and thus mechanistic understanding difficult. Here, we report a novel method to empirically investigate thought control success and failure by objectively measuring the sensory strength of visual thoughts. We use the perceptual illusion binocular rivalry to assess emergent images in mind during two common thought control strategies: thought suppression and thought substitution. Thought suppression was ineffective, suppressed thoughts primed subsequent rivalry dominance at the same level as intentionally imagined thoughts. This priming effect was disrupted by concurrent uniform luminance and changes in retinotopic location, suggesting early visual representations/traces. While individuals showed some metacognition of thought suppression, strikingly, the perceptual effects remained even when thoughts were reported as successfully suppressed, indicating these thoughts may exist outside of reportable awareness. In contrast, thought substitution was more effective in controlling the perceptual effects and showed good metacognition. A thought control index predicted greater levels of trait mindfulness, while high levels of anxiety and schizotypy were related to poor thought control. Overall, our findings offer a novel method to track thoughts before and after they emerge into awareness and suggest that non-reportable and involuntary thoughts form visual representations pivotal to thought control failure.