Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lower Abundance of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea Than Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria Detected in the Subsurface Sediments of the Northern South China Sea

Diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) in samples of the northern South China Sea subsurface sediment were assessed by analyzing the amoA gene sequences retrieved from the samples. The microbial diversity was assessed using rarefaction and phylogenetic analyses. The deep-sea subsurface sediments harbored diverse and distinct AOA and AOB communities, but the abundance of AOA was lower than that of AOB, consistent with many other studies about bacteria and archaea in subsurface sediments. Diversity of AOA shown in the OTUs and Shannon index was correlated with the concentration of nitrite in the Pearson analysis, but no obvious relationships between the diversity or abundance of AOB and the physicochemical parameters could be identified in the present study, indicating the concentration of ammonium may not be an important factor to determine the diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes in the subsurface sediments. Additionally, Nitrosomonas-like AOB was found to be dominant in subsurface sediments of the northern South China Sea showing a different adaption strategy comparing with some Nitrosospira-like AOB lineages. Concentration of nitrite was correlated with diversity of AOA, but no correlations between diversity and abundance of AOB and the physicochemical parameters were established in the study. Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Geomicrobiology Journal to view the free supplemental files.
Quality of Life for Hospitalized Patients: The Impact of Disease Perception

Purpose: Hospitalization is a psychological trauma for a patient that reduces the results of treatment and life quality. Only a few studies evaluated the impact of hospitalization on patients' illness perceptions and on their quality of life. Methods: The effect of disease perception on quality of life was studied in an observational, cross-sectional study of 66 hospitalized patients with coronary heart disease (Group I), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Group II), osteochondrosis (Group III) aged 20 to 80, (in Russia, Orenburg, 2019). To diagnose illness perception we used PQBI Questionnaire (Bekhterev Institute), Quality of life - SF-36 Questionnaire. To study differences in patient ages the researchers used one-way analysis of variance; Quality Indicators - Pearson's Chi-square test; differences in quality of life indicators - Mann-Whitney U test; factor analysis was used to identify factors affecting the quality of life. Results: The differences in the types of illness perception in the groups were established (Chi-Square: 44.136, 16df, p=0,01). Most patients had maladaptive types of illness perception: Group I had hypochondriac, apathetic type; Group II - neurasthenic, dysphoric, paranoid; Group III - anxious, apathetic. In 15 (22.7%) patients, an illness perception type was not defined. The physical health component in patients of all groups has been reduced; mental health component has shown the average level. As the patients' quality of life, a difference was found in the following indicators - bodily pain (BP), general health status (GH), social functioning (SF). Factor analysis data: mental health of patients was determined by age (0,91); physical health and physical functioning - by gender (0,92 and 0,81); general health - by the type of illness perception (0,84); social functioning - by a disease (0,82). Conclusion: The illness perception affects the general health status of hospitalized patients, which determines the current state of health, treatment prospects and disease resistance.
Peptides as drug candidates against Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia among people aged 65 and older. In fact, nearly 50% of all people aged 85 and older are thought to have AD. It is thus of high importance to develop therapies to combat the disease and alleviate the devastating outcome. The drugs currently available treat one of the disease symptoms, the decline in acetylcholine, by way of inhibiting the acetylcholinesterase pathway that leads to acetylcholine breakdown. However, this apparently slows the disease symptomology only for a limited time period. Here, neuropeptide/peptide involvement and potential therapy in AD will be approached at several different levels including (1) neuropeptides and AD; (2) amyloid precursor protein processing and toxic beta amyloid (A‐beta) accumulation; (3) peptide vaccination against toxic A‐beta aggregation; (4) peptides in the inhibition of tau phosphorylation and the formation of toxic neurofibrillary tangles; and most emphasis will be placed on (5) neuroprotective peptides, from vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) to activity‐dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP), NAP and activity‐dependent neuroprotective factor (ADNF). Previous studies facilitated the characterization of a lead peptide termed NAP (Asn‐Ala‐Pro‐Val‐Ser‐Ile‐Pro‐Gln, single letter code, NAPVSIPQ). Preclinical experiments show that NAP protects neurons against numerous toxins and cellular stresses including the AD neurotoxin, excitotoxicity, the toxic envelope protein of HIV, electrical blockade, oxidative stress, dopamine toxicity, decreased glutathione, and tumor necrosis factor‐associated toxicity. NAP also has neuroprotective activity in a variety of animal models including the learning‐deficient apolipoprotein E knockout mice (a model related to AD), mouse paradigms of traumatic head injury (risk factor for AD) and fetal alcohol syndrome (oxidative stress), and rat models of cholinotoxicity and stroke. NAP has a short structure, is active at unprecedented low concentrations (femtomolar), is water soluble, bioavailable, easily delivered via intranasal inhalation, and is unusually stable. No NAP toxicity has been observed to date. Thus, NAP is poised to be developed as a novel Alzheimer's disease therapeutic. Drug Dev. Res. 56:475–481 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analysis of Role Switch for Cooperative Target Defense Differential Game

A target-attacker-defender (TAD) game is a fascinating differential game in both nature and the artificial world. This article considers a TAD game with a nonsuicidal faster attacker that aims to capture the target while avoiding being captured by the defender. The attacker is both a pursuer (pursues the target) and an evader (evades the defender). Naturally, one wonders when and how the attacker can chase the target and when and how the attacker can evade the defender. In this article, we first analyze the possibility of winning the game for the attacker under the framework of games of kind. Then, we present three different stages and corresponding control strategies, as well as the conditions for switching stages. In addition, the target cooperates with the defender to compose a team as the opponent of the attacker. Different capture radii also affect cooperation between the target and defender. When the capture radius of the defender is less than that of the attacker, the target and defender cooperate to avoid being captured by the attacker or to extend the time to be captured. Conversely, when the capture radius of the attacker is less than that of the defender, the target-defender team can adopt a rendezvous strategy to end the engagement. We derive the initial state under which the target can rendezvous with the defender before the target is captured by the attacker.
Geostatistical Analysis and Mitigation of the Atmospheric Phase Screens in Ku-Band Terrestrial Radar Interferometric Observations of an Alpine Glacier

Terrestrial radar interferometry (TRI) can measure displacements at high temporal resolution, potentially with high accuracy. An application of this method is the observation of the surface flow velocity of steep, fast-flowing aglaciers. For these observations, the main factor limiting the accuracy of TRI observations is the spatial and temporal variabilities in the distribution of atmospheric water vapor content, causing a phase delay [atmospheric phase screen (APS)] whose magnitude is similar to the displacement phase. This contribution presents a geostatistical analysis of the spatial and temporal behaviors of the APS in Ku-Band TRI. The analysis is based on the assumption of a separable spatiotemporal covariance structure, which is tested empirically using variogram analysis. From this analysis, spatial and temporal APS statistics are estimated and used in a two-step procedure combining regression-Kriging with generalized least squares (GLS) inversion to estimate a velocity time-series. The performance of this method is evaluated by cross-validation using phase observations on stable scatterers. This analysis shows a considerable reduction in residual phase variance compared with the standard approach of combining the linear models of APS stratification and interferogram stacking.
Performance of Low‐Profile Skimmer Trawls in the Inshore Shrimp Fishery of North Carolina

Abstract A gear development study was conducted during May–Jun 1995 comparing the catch composition of shrimp (family Penaeidae) and finfish bycatch in a standard high-profile skimmer trawl (3.7-m vertical height) and a low-profile skimmer trawl (0.9-m vertical height) in the North and Newport rivers, North Carolina. As opposed to the traditional otter trawl, a skimmer trawl is a net attached to frames and pushed rather than pulled by the vessel. The low-profile net was designed by commercial fishers in the hope of reducing finfish bycatch and the capture of floating debris. The objective of the study was to determine whether a reduced vertical height actually reduced finfish bycatch, while minimizing losses of brown shrimp Penaeus aztecus and pink shrimp P. duorarum. White shrimp P. setiferus were not present during the study period. Total shrimp catches (including discard shrimp) with the low-profile net were significantly smaller than with the high-profile net. Brown shrimp catches were smaller by 39.1.
Accuracy of genomic prediction using mixed low-density marker panels

Low-density single-nucleotide polymorphism (LD-SNP) panel is one effective way to reduce the cost of genomic selection in animal breeding. The present study proposes a new type of LD-SNP panel called mixed low-density (MLD) panel, which considers SNPs with a substantial effect estimated by Bayes method B (BayesB) from many traits and evenly spaced distribution simultaneously. Simulated and real data were used to compare the imputation accuracy and genomic-selection accuracy of two types of LD-SNP panels. The result of genotyping imputation for simulated data showed that the number of quantitative trait loci (QTL) had limited influence on the imputation accuracy only for MLD panels. Evenly spaced (ELD) panel was not affected by QTL. For real data, ELD performed slightly better than did MLD when panel contained 500 and 1000 SNP. However, this advantage vanished quickly as the density increased. The result of genomic selection for simulated data using BayesB showed that MLD performed much better than did ELD when QTL was 100. For real data, MLD also outperformed ELD in growth and carcass traits when using BayesB. In conclusion, the MLD strategy is superior to ELD in genomic selection under most situations.
An ontogenetic perspective on the relationship between age and size at maturity

Summary 1 Understanding the relationship between age and size at maturity is essential because these traits are pivotal determinants of an organism's fitness. 2 The relationship between age and size is commonly addressed using optimization and quantitative genetic approaches. Here we argue that the value of such studies is often limited by an insufficient consideration of organismal ontogeny. 3 On the basis of a simple conceptual framework of hierarchical resource allocation, we identify key aspects of ontogeny that prove critical to a fuller understanding of the relationship between age and size, and which, to date, have been insufficiently explored. In particular, these include intrinsic variation in growth rate within and among populations, and the physiological nature of the maturation process that co-ordinates growth and reproductive function in an organism. 4 We also provide some guidance to the empirical investigation of these aspects, anticipating that a wider theoretical, but especially empirical appreciation of ontogenetic detail will greatly increase the explanatory and predictive power of life-history studies.
Bridging the digital divide: Reflections on using WhatsApp instant messenger interviews in youth research

ABSTRACT Although there is potential to use instant messaging interviews in youth research, it is important to understand how this method shapes the research encounter and the data produced. This article describes a researcher’s use of WhatsApp to conduct digital interviews with young people about their social media practices. Young people’s familiarity with this technology empowers them through easier access to the research interview, greater freedom to talk about sensitive issues, the ability to express themselves via text and the possibility of exercising greater control over the interview. This may result in a corresponding lack of power for the researcher. This inversion of the traditional power relation between researchers and participants might facilitate young people’s voices being heard more clearly in youth research. This medium also provides rich, multi-media insights into the world of young people, not readily accessed through other methods.
Effects of Prolamins Encoded by Chromosomes 1B and 1D on the Rheological Properties of Dough in Near‐Isogenic Lines of Bread Wheat

ABSTRACT Fourteen bread wheat near-isogenic lines (NILs) with different alleles at 1B- and 1D-chromosome loci Glu-1, Glu-3 and Gli-1 coding for high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GS), low molecular weight-GS, and gliadins, respectively, were grown in replicated plots to investigate the individual and combined effects of glutenin and gliadin components on the rheological properties of dough as determined by the Chopin alveograph. NILs did not reveal significant differences in seed yield, protein content, kernel weight, test weight, flour yield, and starch damage. On the contrary, they had a large variation in alveograph dough tenacity P (55–93 mm), swelling G (17–26 mL) and strength W (140–252 J × 10-4). The null alleles at the Gli-D1/Glu-D3 loci, and allele Glu-D1d (HMW-GS 5+10) were found to have a strong positive influence on dough tenacity and a remarkable negative influence on dough swelling (extensibility) when compared to alleles Gli-D1/Glu-D3b and Glu-D1a (HMW-GS 2+12), respectively. On t.
Modelling survival rates in the Cape Griffon Gyps coprotheres, with emphasis on the effects of supplementary feeding

Survival rates are crucial demographic parameters for modelling the population dynamics of the Cape Griffon vulture. Previous survival estimates based on ring recoveries are seriously flawed and have been heavily criticized. To provide better estimates, 97 nestlings were individually colour-ringed in the winterrainfall region of South Africa from 1979 to 1987 and an intensive resighting campaign was mounted for 17.5 years (1980 to mid-1997). Although survival rate is known to vary with age, particularly in the first few years of life, this study indicates that it is also a function of calendar year. Supplementary food was provided for the study population from 1984 onwards and there was a concomitant increase in the survival rate of first-year birds. Eighty generalized linear models were built to estimate survival rate as a function of age, calendar year, cohort and supplementary feeding. First-year survival rate was estimated as 42.3% per annum (95% limits: 29–56%), increasing to 68.9% (54–81%) after the.
Cobertura da pulverização e maturação de frutos do cafeeiro com ethephon em diferentes condições operacionais

The coffee tree trapezoidal design has been a serious obstacle to agrochemical use which is supposed to reach the fruits directly. Depending on the coffee variety this problem can become even greater. This experiment aimed to evaluate and compare a tracer solution distribution and deposition as well as to verify the efficacy of the ethephon growth regulator on coffee fruit ripening. Different operational conditions and sprayers were used. Water-sensitive paper and a visual grade scale used for different fluorescence levels emitted by the tracer solution have enable spraying distribution evaluation. Quantitative evaluation of tracer deposition and ethephon efficacy were carried out through spectrophotometry and relative percentage of unripe and ripe fruits, respectively. A higher deposition in lower canopy was obtained using Arbus 400 air carrier sprayer equipped with HC-02 and JA-2 hollow-cone nozzles. Better spraying distribution was observed in fruits at lower canopy and frontally toward spraying. The highest percentage was obtained using HC-02 nozzle Arbus 400 equipment under lower work pressure, although it was not enough to reduce ripe fruit to less than 20% following 59 days from ethephon application.
The influence of odour and taste on the food preferences and food intake of sheep.

The responses of sheep to the odour and/or taste of a range of naturally occurring chemical compounds were examined in five experiments. Thirty-two odours were tested as contaminants of a chaffed hay ration. Only six odours significantly influenced feeding behaviour over 72 h. There was evidence of adaptation to odour because the sheep lost an initial dislike for four odours (cedarwood oil, tannic acid, propionic acid and amyl alcohol), and developed a liking for butyric acid. The odours of five substances were disliked throughout the 72 h test period (glycine, wintergreen oil, peppermint oil, aniseed oil, 5-hexene-1-ol). The voluntary food intake of hay by normal sheep was significantly increased by the odour of butyric acid and amyl acetate, and depressed by the odour of coumarin and glycine, whilst that of anosmic sheep was unaffected. The responses to the taste of different concentrations of 13 compounds in solution was studied in two test systems. The overall ranking of substances was similar for both systems. Water was preferred to solutions of acetic, citric, quinic, malonic, succinic and aconitic acids at concentrations above 0.5% and of tannic acid above 0.05 %. Sheep appeared to show a marked liking for citric, malonic and quinic acids at certain concentrations. Odour of solutions influenced the preferences of three substances. Anosmic sheep generally had much higher solute intakes than normal or agustatory sheep. Small quantities (1.5 to 5.0 % of the dry matter) of eight chemical constituents of herbage plants were added separately to a cocksfoot hay. None of them increased food intake, and significant depressions in intake were obtained with 1 . 5 % coumarin, 1.0 % gramine and 5.0 % tannic acid, 1.5 % malonic acid and 2% glycine. Sheep that were both anosmic and agustatory were affected in the same way as normal sheep, which showed that sensory stimuli were not involved. In vitvo digestibility was drastically depressed by tannic acid and gramine, slightly by coumarin, but was unaffected by the other contaminants. The possible effects of these compounds on the rumen and general tissue metabolism of sheep are discussed. The five substances that reduced intakes in the above experiment were fed to normal, anosmic, agustatory, and asensory (both anosmic and agustatory) sheep at four concentrations. The intake of anosmic sheep was higher for all compounds but only tannic acid and gramine reduced intake in all types of sheep, increasingly so with increasing concentration.
Response of shallow soil temperature to climate change on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau

Under climate change, soil temperature change remarkably influences regional landscapes, ecosystems, hydrological processes, and other parameters. Based on daily soil temperature data from 56 stations from 1965 to 2014, the spatiotemporal variations in shallow soil temperature (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 cm) on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau (QTP) were investigated. The mean shallow soil temperature decreased obviously with altitude both annually and seasonally, except in winter. Primarily dependent on station latitude, the spatial distribution of winter soil temperature was significantly affected by the snow cover conditions. As the soil depth increased, the soil temperature showed a cooling trend in spring and summer but a warming trend in autumn and winter. In the past 50 years, the shallow soil temperature increased considerably on the QTP both annually and seasonally. The warming rate of soil temperature was greatly dependent on station altitude in winter and dependent on latitude in summer and longitude in autumn. Unlike the increasing air temperature that was contributed mainly by winter, the warming rate of soil temperature in winter at depths of 5, 10, 15, and 20 cm was obviously lower than that in other seasons and air temperature in winter. This occurrence may be caused by relatively less snow cover in winter, which produces a weak insulation effect and further makes the soils more vulnerable to cooling from cold air. For the entire region, the soil temperature variability was strongly correlated with the change in air temperature but weakly correlated with precipitation. Although the warming rate in shallow soil tended to be low (high) at stations with a high amount of precipitation (snow cover), the influence of precipitation (including snow) on shallow soil temperature was limited on the QTP in the past few decades.
Utilização de atmosfera modificada na conservação de morangos em pós-colheita

Abstract – Two experiments were conducted to test the use of three initial compositions of storageatmospheres (3 kPa O 2 + 10 kPa CO 2 , 5 kPa O 2 + 15 kPa CO 2 or ambient air) and two storage periods(7 or 14 days) at 0 o C on the quality of strawberries ( Fragaria x ananassa Duch.) cv. Oso Grande. Thefruits were originated from a grove of Farroupilha, RS, Brazil. In the first experiment, strawberries werestored in glass bottles with 1,700 mL of capacity. In the second experiment, polyethylene bags of53 cm x 90 cm and 90 µm of thickness were used. The use of atmospheres with 3 kPa O 2 + 10 kPa CO 2 or 5 kPa O 2 + 15 kPa CO 2 resulted in a good storage potential of strawberries for up to 7 days. Themodification of the atmosphere in polyethylene bags, using initial concentrations of ambient air alsoresulted in adequate fruit quality up to 7 days. The use of these atmospheres resulted in the maintenanceof the pulp firmness, good fruit color and higher contents of total sugars and of ascorbic acid.Index terms:
Where Resource‐Acquisitive Species Are Located: The Role of Habitat Heterogeneity

Rising temperatures with increased drought pose two challenges for management of future biodiversity. First, are the most vulnerable species concentrated in specific regions and habitats? Second, where can landscape heterogeneity potentially mitigate impacts? We conducted a comprehensive trait analysis of forest plots spanning the eastern United States to quantify how resource‐acquisitive species respond to moisture‐soil‐climate interactions. We found that resource‐acquisitive species, including nutrient‐acquisitive and moisture‐acquisitive species, respond disproportionately to environmental gradients, and their response is largely explained by soil variation. We showed that the strong boundary of resource‐acquisitive species occurs near the last glacial limit, highlighting one of the clearest indicators of soil controls. Although local soil moisture may reduce drought‐induced stress for moisture‐acquisitive species, nutrient‐acquisitive species remain vulnerable on wet soils in dry climates. The results suggest that theories explaining species distributions should devote close attention to the combination of local drainage and soil type.