Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The crenellate lining of the Dufour gland in the genus Aenictus: a new character for interpreting the phylogeny of Old World army ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Dorylinae)

The Dufour gland epithelium in Aenictus has a crenellate appearance, a condition previously found only in the primarily African genus Dorylus. This character, taken alone, strongly suggests that these two genera share a common ancestry, as is presently reflected in their placement in the subfamily Dorylinae, and that an independent, convergent origin for them, as has been proposed in the triphyletic hypothesis for army ant evolution, is incorrect.
Contingent wage subsidy

This paper proposes a policy aimed at tackling unemployment that arises from macroeconomic coordination failure. The policy offers firms wage subsidies payable only if the total number of new hires made across the economy is below a prespecified threshold. Subsidies provide incentives for firms to create jobs but the policy's goal is to generate a sufficiently large amount of employment spillovers to set off hiring complementarities taking employment beyond the threshold. Thus, subsidies are not distributed but the policy achieves a Pareto improvement. The market structure is important for policy design. Aggregative game techniques prove useful for the oligopsonistic case.
Use of peripheral venous catheters in two Norwegian hospitals.

BACKGROUND Most patients in Norwegian hospitals are routinely given one or more peripheral venous catheters. A peripheral venous catheter is considered to be a benign device but may entail a risk of local infection with resulting bloodstream infection and sepsis. Good practice in the insertion and care of these catheters is essential to prevent infection. MATERIAL AND METHOD This study presents Norwegian data from the 'One Million Global Catheters Study', which evaluated practice in relation to peripheral venous catheters in 419 hospitals in 51 countries. Two Norwegian hospitals collected data from medical and surgical wards on a single day in November 2014 (Levanger Hospital) and a single day in February 2015 (St Olavs Hospital). Professional development nursing specialists recorded observations of peripheral venous catheters such as insertion site, dressing, documentation and indication. RESULTS We evaluated 136 peripheral venous catheters in a total of 121 patients. We found 44 (32.4 %) catheters associated with various clinical problems such as pain, redness or swelling around the insertion site, catheter dislocation, or blood in the infusion set. Altogether 50 peripheral venous catheters (36.8 %) were not in use for either medications or fluid on the day in question. In 93 of 131 cases (71.0 %), there was no documentation of venous catheter assessment in the previous 24 hours. INTERPRETATION Care and monitoring of venous catheters could be significantly improved. There was considerable incidence of unused peripheral venous catheters, and lack of documentation was widespread.
Summer grazing by voles and lemmings upon subarctic snow-bed and tall herb meadow vegetation - an enclosure experiment

Ther hypothesis of the exploitation of ecosystems predicts that plant communities in productive habitats should experience a low grazing pressure, while communities in less productive habitats should be structured by intense grazing. Thus, if a high population density of rodents was to be established in these communities and they could graze without predation, the plant community in the productive habitat should be more affected than the community in the less productive habitat. This was tested by building enclosures for grey-sided voles Clethrionomys rufocanus and lemmings Lemmus lemmus in a productive tall herb meadow and a less productive snow-bed on Finnmarksvidda, northern Norway. The simulated rodent population densities varied from 150 to 750 ind. ha-', and the rodents were allowed to graze for 18 to 55 d. The shoot mortality of relatively abundant plant species were monitored together with plant community structure, and the above-ground biomass were harvested at the end of the experiment. The shoot mortality were generally low, the significantly grazed species were either known preferred species or species with a grazing-sensitive morphology. The community structure did not show any major changes. The aboveground biomass of woody plants was significantly lower in the enclosures on the snow-bed, but not in the tall herb meadow. The total biomass did not differ significantly. These results are somewhat ambiguous with reference to the predictions from the food chain hypothesis, and the conclusion were drawn that intense grazing by voles and lemmings during 18 to 55 d during the growing season does not seem to be sufficient to greatly influence shoot mortality and structure of the studied plant communities.
Development of a sequential tool, LMDZ-NEMO-med-V1, to conduct global-to-regional past climate simulation for the Mediterranean basin: an Early Holocene case study

Abstract. Recently, major progress has been made in the simulation of the ocean dynamics of the Mediterranean using atmospheric and oceanic models with high spatial resolution. High resolution is essential to accurately capture the synoptic variability required to initiate intermediate- and deep-water formation, the engine of the Mediterranean thermohaline circulation (MTC). In paleoclimate studies, one major problem with the simulation of regional climate changes is that boundary conditions are not available from observations or data reconstruction to drive high-resolution regional models. One consistent way to advance paleoclimate modelling is to use a comprehensive global-to-regional approach. However, this approach needs long-term integration to reach equilibrium (hundreds of years), implying enormous computational resources. To tackle this issue, a sequential architecture of a global–regional modelling platform has been developed for the first time and is described in detail in this paper. First of all, the platform is validated for the historical period. It is then used to investigate the climate and in particular, the oceanic circulation, during the Early Holocene. This period was characterised by a large reorganisation of the MTC that strongly affected oxygen supply to the intermediate and deep waters, which ultimately led to an anoxic crisis (called sapropel). Beyond the case study shown here, this platform may be applied to a large number of paleoclimate contexts from the Quaternary to the Pliocene, as long as regional tectonics remain mostly unchanged. For example, the climate responses of the Mediterranean basin during the last interglacial period (LIG), the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the Late Pliocene all present interesting scientific challenges which may be addressed using this numerical platform.
Effects of treading by dairy cows on pasture production and botanical structure, on a Te Kowhai soil

Abstract The effect on pasture dry matter (D.M.) production and botanical composition of treading by dairy cows while grazing autumn-saved pasture in late winter was examined over three years. The silty clay soil was close to field capacity when trodden. Levels of treading were 60 and 120 cows per acre for one and two days. Plots treated in these ways were compared with controls from which the grass was cut and removed or cut and returned to the plots at the same time as the treading treatments were imposed. The effects of heavy treading on D.M. production were not great in any year, nor was there any evidence of cumulative effects when pastures were trodden for three years in succession. Differences between years in D.M. production and botanical composition were much greater than those caused by treatment effects within years. It is concluded that for this soil type a single period of severe treading when grazing off autumn-saved pasture in late winter will have little effect on animal production from su.
The Effect of Immersion of 12,5% Basil Leaves and 25% Mauli Banana Stem Mixture Extracts on Surface Hardness, Surface Roughness and Discoloration of Acrylic Resin

Background: The most used denture base is heat-cured acrylic resin. It can causes denture stomatitis. The action taken to prevent denture stomatitis is by cleaning the denture. Chemical denture cleansers can reduce surface hardness, increase the degree of surface roughness and may cause discoloration of acrylic resin surfaces. Alternative natural denture cleanser is used to minimize this effects. The natural denture cleanser is using 12,5% Basil leave and 25% Mauli banana stem extracts which are known to have antifungal effectiveness against Candida albicans. The combination of these two extracts is expected to have better effectiveness against Candida albicans without changing the nature of the acrylic resin base in surface roughness, hardness and color. Objective: This study aimed to analyze the comparison in surface hardness, surface roughness, and discoloration of a heat-cured acrylic resin which immersed in 12.5% Basil leave and 25% Mauli banana stem extracts with alkaline peroxide and distilled water. Methods: This study was a true experimental study with pre and posttest with control group design. Study on surface hardness used 24 cylindrical type heat-cured acrylic resin samples with a diameter of 30 mm and 5 mm thickness. Study on surface roughness used 24 acrylic resin rectangular 65 x 10 x 3.3 mm. Study on discoloration used 24 acrylic resin sized 15mm in diameter x 2mm thick; n=8/group. The study used 3 treatment groups: 12.5% Basil leaves and 25% Mauli banana stem extracts, alkaline peroxide, and distilled water. Hardness testing was measured using Vickers Hardness Testing and surface roughness measurement was performed using surface roughness tester. The value of discoloration was measured before and after the immersion for five days with the CIELab system using digital analysis tools. Result: The mean of the decrease in surface hardness value of heat-cured acrylic resin which was immersed in extract solution, alkaline peroxide, distilled water are 1.40, 1.38, and 0.60 respectively. The mean results of surface roughness increase in 12,5% Basil leave and 25% Mauli banana stem extracts, alkaline peroxide, and distilled water group were 0.0613 µm, 0.0663 µm, and 0.0425 µm respectively. Statistical tests on discoloration showed significant differences (p
The effect of land preparation at re-establishment on the productivity of fast growing hardwoods in South Africa

Abstract Appropriate land preparation at re-establishment is of major importance to forest managers to ensure maximum survival and vigorous early growth of South African plantation forests. This work revisits a series of trials carried out over the last two decades in an attempt to evaluate the long-term effects of land preparation at re-establishment on the productivity of fast—growing hardwoods (Acacia mearnsii and Eucalyptus spp.). A wide range of land preparation techniques was tested: ploughing, ripping, subsoiling, ridging and complete site preparation (de-stumping, ripping and discing) inter alia. Of the eleven trials originally planted, five reached rotation age (between 9 and 11 years) and, apart from one which was destroyed by a storm at 5 years, the rest, at time of writing, were close to clearfelling. With the exception of one trial where significant growth responses were recorded, and apart from a few significant lower-order interactions, final survival, basal area and volume were not affected by land preparation when compared to a standard pitting operation. Overall, growth responses in terms of basal area and volume to various forms of surface cultivation, ripping, subsoiling and terracing ranged between +21% and—23% for all species tested. Intensive site preparation (e.g. de-stumping, ripping/subsoiling and discing) has generally not resulted in improved growth of E. grandis or A. mearnsii across a range of sites and in some cases even resulted in a reduction in site productivity. Erratic growth responses of Eucalyptus spp. and A. mearnsii to ripping were recorded. Forest management should focus efforts on less intensive and more cost-effective methods of re-establishment such as pitting, shallow ripping to mark a planting line, or surface ploughing unless a known growth limitation exists (such as a root-limiting compacted B horizon overlying a horizon with available water). It is conjectured that the lack of major growth responses to intensive site preparation is due to a combination of the good physical condition of forest soils in the summer-rainfall growing region of South Africa, and beneficial perforation effects of tree roots from previous rotations. The results imply that topsoil disturbance and mixing of soil layers caused by intensive site preparation may pose a threat to long-term site productivity.
Crop Raiding and Livestock Predation at Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan India

This article reports the results of multi-methods research at an Indian wildlife sanctuary between 1998 and 2006 to determine (a) household characteristics that influence vulnerability to crop raiding and livestock predation, (b) wildlife species most sensitive to these characteristics, and (c) conservation outcomes for species adapted to raiding and predation. The results suggest that characteristics of wild species interact with economic factors to determine nuisance conditions. Households more proximate to the forest and with larger landholdings are more vulnerable to crop raiding while livestock loss is largely a result of illegal forest grazing. Species that have succeeded under the current conservation regime are the most frequent raiders and predators while declining species cannot and do not avail themselves of domesticated resources. These results suggest considering inter-specific park boundary encounters as part of a set of mutual ecological subsidies and flows rather than solely as conflicts.
Ganab Haploinsufficiency Does Not Cause Polycystic Kidney Disease or Polycystic Liver Disease in Mice

Background Heterozygous GANAB mutations that can cause autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and polycystic liver disease (PLD) have been described previously, but their roles in ADPKD and PLD are largely unknown. With the increase in polycystic kidney disease caused by GANAB gene mutations in recent years, a suitable animal model is still needed to further explore the pathogenic role of this gene. Methods To construct a mouse model of Ganab gene deletion, we analyzed the Ganab gene structure and designed two CRISPR-/Cas9-based targeting strategies. The Cas9/sgRNA we constructed was microinjected into fertilized mouse eggs to obtain chimeric F0 mice. Mice with stable genotypes were selected from offspring born after mating F0 mice with wild-type mice. Results We found that homozygous mutation of the Ganab gene in C57BL/6 mice resulted in early embryonic lethality, and there were no cysts in the kidneys or livers of Ganab+/- mice. Additionally, Ganab protein expression was reduced by at least 50%, while the expression of ADPKD proteins (PC1 and PC2) and acetylated tubulin was not affected in the Ganab+/- kidney. However, the Ganab+/- mice did not show any abnormal clinical phenotypes after birth and failed to reveal renal tubule dilatation or any abnormalities of the glomeruli in the Ganab+/- kidney. Conclusions Homozygous Ganab mutations are lethal in the fetal stage, and Ganab haploinsufficiency does not cause kidney or liver cysts in mice, suggesting that it may not be the causative gene in polycystic kidney disease.
Breeding biology, respiration, and larval development of two introduced frogs (Litoria raniformis and L. ewingi)

Abstract Aspects of breeding biology, larval development rates and temperature tolerance, and adult respiratory physiology of the hylid frogs Litoria raniformis and L. ewingi are compared. In Canterbury, the green frog L. raniformis breeds in spring and summer and disappears in winter. Its larvae survived well in the laboratory at 23 ± 2°C but mortality was high at 15 ± 3°C. In contrast, the whistling frog L. ewingi breeds throughout the year in the South Island, and tadpoles had excellent survival at both temperatures. L. raniformis had a larval life-span of greater than 70 days at 23 ± 2°C, whereas most L. ewingi completed metamorphosis 50–64 days after hatching, at this temperature. During metamorphic climax of L. raniformis, head-plus-body length remained nearly constant whilst the tail was resorbed, contrary to a previous report. At 23°C in the laboratory, adult L. ewingi and juvenile L. raniformis of the same size remained alert and had similar rates of oxygen consumption. However, at 7°C L. ranifor.
Thromboelastography in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Purpose Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) frequently suffer from venous thromboembolic events, and the risk of thromboembolism increases along with disease activity. This study was conducted to discover novel thrombophilic markers using thromboelastography (TEG) and to evaluate the relation between the predisposing factors and the activity of disease in Chinese patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods Thirty-four patients with CD, 29 patients with UC, and 53 healthy volunteers were enrolled into this study. Blood levels of R, K, α Angle, G, maximal amplitude (MA), and LY30 with TEG were determined. Results Mean values of R, K, α Angle, G, and MA were significantly different in patients with CD and UC compared with the healthy individuals. Patients with active CD had different K, α Angle, G, and MA levels compared with patients in remission (P < 0.05, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P < 0.001). Levels of R, α Angle, G, and MA were also significantly different in active UC patients compared with those in remission (P < 0.01, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P < 0.001). Except for the G level in the CD group, differences in all TEG levels between healthy individuals and IBD patients in remission were not statistically significant. No statistical differences were observed in LY30 among patients with active phase, patients in remission, and the healthy individuals. Conclusion Thrombophilic defects are common in Chinese patients with IBD, and TEG can be considered a new direction to anticoagulant thromboprophylaxis in IBD.
Data Science Curriculum: Current Scenario

Companies desires for making productive discoveries from big data have motivated academic institutions offering variety of different data science (DS) programs, in order to increases their graduates' ability to be data scientists who are capable to face the challenges of the new age. These data science programs represent a combination of subject areas from several disciplines. There are few studies have examined data science programs within a particular discipline, such as Business (e.g. Chen et al.). However, there are very few empirical studies that investigate DS programs and explore its curriculum structure across disciplines. Therefore, this study examines data science programs offered by American universities. The study aims to depict the current state of data science education in the U.S. to explore what discipline DS programs covers at the graduate level. The current study conducted an exploratory content analysis of 30 DS programs in the United States from a variety of disciplines. The analysis was conducted on course titles and course descriptions level. The study results indicate that DS programs required varying numbers of credit hours, including practicum and capstone. Management schools seem to take the lead and the initiative in lunching and hosting DS programs. In addition, all DS programs requires the basic knowledge of database design, representation, extraction and management. Furthermore, DS programs delivered information skills through their core courses. Moreover, the study results show that almost 40 percent of required courses in DS programs is involved information representations, retrieval and programming. Additionally, DS programs required courses also addressed communication visualization and mathematics skills.
Comparação da estrutura populacional das espécies de Uca (Crustacea: Decapoda: Ocypodidae) no Manguezal de Itacuruçá, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

This study was conducted in the Itacuruca mangrove, in the Sepetiba Bay, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the objective of investigating the population structure of the species of Uca Leach, 1814. Sampling was carried out monthly from June, 2005 to May, 2006, during low tides. Crabs were captured manually by two people for a period of 15 min each. A total of 2580 crabs were obtained, of which 1465 were males and 1115 were females. The size of the fiddler crabs in the mangrove of Itacuruca were the smallest reported so far in Brazilian mangroves. However, males attained a larger size than females. The size frequency distribution was unimodal for most of species, with the exception of U. thayeri Rathbun, 1900 and U. vocator (Herbst, 1804), which did not show a clearly-defined pattern. Males were most abundant among the largest size classes. The sex ratio differed significantly from 1:1 (male: female), most often with a higher frequency of males, except for U. thayeri and U. victoriana von Hagen, 1987, in which females were predominant.
Desiccation resistance among clones in the invading parthenogenetic cockroach, Pycnoscelus surinamensis: A search for the general‐purpose genotype

Clones of the parthenogenetic cockroach, Pycnoscelus surinamensis, repeatedly have invaded tropical and sub-tropical habitats on all continents. Their sexual ancestor, P. indicus, native to Indo-Malaysia, has only colonized Hawaii (Roth and Willis, 1961). In this way, Pycnoscelus conforms to the general pattern of geographic parthenogenesis (Vandel, 1928) in that the parthenogenetic forms are distributed more widely than their sexual ancestors. Here we ask whether the different successful colonizing clones of P. surinamensis are characterized by high desiccation resistance as compared to their sexual ancestor. Our motivation for this experiment comes from an attempt to understand the causes of the different invasion histories of the sexual and parthenogenetic forms of Pycnoscelus. In particular, we would like to know if the colonizing clones of P. surinamensis represent “general-purpose” genotypes (GPG’s, Baker, 1965) which have been selected during tychoparthenogenesis in P. indicus to have enhanced tolerance to abiotic extremes, enabling them to survive colonization dispersal events (Parker et al., 1977). Despite the wide use of the GPG concept in sharpening current understanding of the evolution of parthenogenesis and as one explanation for geographical parthenogenesis (review in Lynch, 1984), there have been few direct tests of its validity in parthenogenetic-sexual complexes. We have previously shown that two of six clones of P. surinamensis showed high mean longevity and female fecundity when subjected to temperature extremes, although females of the sexual species had