Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TAXONOMY OF THE NEARCTIC SPECIES OF TWINNIA AND GYMNOPAIS (DIPTERA: SIMULIIDAE) AND A DISCUSSION OF THE ANCESTRY OF THE SIMULIIDAE

Abstract Three species of Twinnia, including hirticornis n. sp. , and five species of Gymnopais, including dichopticoides n. sp. , holopticoides n. sp. , and fimbriatus n. sp. , are described, keyed, and illustrated. The ancestral simuliid is portrayed as possessing cephalic fans, because several related nematocerous families, viz., the Ptychopteridae, Dixidae, and Culicidae, also have similar and presumably homologous structures in the larval stage which are used in the same fashion to ingest food particles suspended in water The peculiar Twinnia–Gymnopais larval type, which lacks cephalic fans, is considered to have arisen simply by a neotenic retention of the fanless condition found in the first instar of Prosimulium. Phylogenetically, Twinnia and Gymnopais are therefore considered to have been derived from a Prosimulium-like ancestor. Twinnia is intermediate phylogenetically between Prosimulium and Gymnopais, and the latter is believed to be the most recently derived, possibly as a response to the development of arctic–alpine conditions in Beringia during the Tertiary.
Fluctuating asymmetry and age in children: evolutionary implications for the control of developmental stability

Abstract Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is small deviations from perfect symmetry which reflect one component of fitness, i.e. developmental stability. There is accumulating evidence that low FA is important in inter- and intra-sexual selection in humans. However, there is little information on the pattern of FA in children. Data from cross-sectional studies of 680 participants from 2–18 years suggests that (1) both absolute and relative FA reduces with age until 10 years (2) there is an increase in FA in adolescents (11–15 years) with a peak at 13 years for males and 14 years for females (3) after 15 years there is reduction in FA which is maintained until 18 years. The importance of growth rate, metabolic maintenance and sex steroids on developmental stability is discussed.
Effects of Lasalocid and Energy Supplementation on Forage Intake, Energy Metabolism, and Performance of Cattle Grazing Wheat Pasture

Cattle grazing wheat pasture have the potential to gain BW exceptionally well, but excessive nitrogen intake results in increased excretion and increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Supplemental concentrates with the addition of an ionophore given to ruminants grazing wheat is a potential practice for producers to increase nitrogen efficiency while decreasing GHG emissions. Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to quantify the effects of energy (2.95 kg/d) and lasalocid (200 mg/hd/d) supplementation on nutrient intake, energy metabolism, respiratory gas fluxes, and performance of grazing cattle. Methane emissions were not affected (P = 0.58) by treatment, hence methane intensity (P = 0.07) and yield (P <0.01) were reduced for supplemented cattle. Supplemented cattle had greater CO2 emissions (P = 0.04) and O2 consumption (P = 0.03). Average daily gain tended to be greater for supplemented cattle (P=0.09) compared to Control (1.22 and 1.00 kg, respectively); but no effect (P = 0.88) was observed with the lasalocid. Fecal output was greater for supplemented cattle (P < 0.01), but forage intake was lower (P < 0.01) and nutrient intake was higher (P < 0.01) for supplemented cattle compared to Control. Supplemented cattle had lower forage intake with greater CO2 emissions and O2 consumption, but lasalocid did not affect any parameter measured. For Year 1 performance each kilogram of supplement increased (P = 0.04) ADG by 73 g/d; however, lasalocid did not increase (P = 0.73) ADG (avg ADG = 1.7 kg). Total BW gain by each steer (kg) was increased (P = 0.04) 4.7 kg for each kilogram of supplement fed daily and again, lasalocid did not increase (P = 0.73) performance (avg total BW gain = 109 kg). For Year 2 performance each kilogram of supplement increased (P = 0.001) ADG by 58 g/d; however, lasalocid did not increase (P = 0.17) ADG (avg ADG = 1.4 kg). Total BW gain by each steer (kg) was increased (P = 0.001) 3.7 kg for each kilogram of supplement fed daily and again, lasalocid did not increase (P = 0.17) performance (avg total BW gain = 88 kg).
X-ray spectroscopy of newly identified ULXs associated with M87’s globular cluster population

We have identified seven ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) which are coincident with globular cluster candidates (GCs) associated with M87. ULXs in the old GC environment represent a new population of ULXs, and ones likely to be black holes. In this study we perform detailed X-ray spectroscopic followup to seven GC ULXs across a wealth of archival Chandra observations and long time baseline of 16 years. This study brings the total known sample of GC ULXs to 17. Two of these sources show variability in their X-ray luminosity of an order of magnitude over many years, and one of these sources shows intra-observational variability on the scale of hours. While the X-ray spectra of the majority of globular cluster ULXs are best fit by single component models, one of the sources studied in this paper is the second GC ULX to be best fit by a two component model. We compare this new sample of GC ULXs to the previously studied sample, and compare the X-ray and optical properties counterparts across the samples. We find that the clusters that host ULXs in M87 have metallicities from g-z=1.01 to g-z=1.70. The best-fit power-law indices of the X-ray spectra range from Gamma=1.37-2.21, and the best fit inner black-body disk temperatures range from kT=0.56-1.90 keV.
DeepOPF: A Feasibility-Optimized Deep Neural Network Approach for AC Optimal Power Flow Problems

To cope with increasing uncertainty from renewable generation and flexible load, grid operators need to solve alternative current optimal power flow (AC-OPF) problems more frequently for efficient and reliable operation. In this article, we develop a deep neural network (DNN) approach, called DeepOPF, for solving AC-OPF problems in a fraction of the time used by conventional iterative solvers. A key difficulty for applying machine learning techniques for solving AC-OPF problems lies in ensuring that the obtained solutions respect the equality and inequality physical and operational constraints. Generalized a prediction-and-reconstruction procedure in our previous studies, DeepOPF first trains a DNN model to predict a set of independent operating variables and then directly compute the remaining ones by solving the power flow equations. Such an approach not only preserves the power-flow balance equality constraints but also reduces the number of variables to be predicted by the DNN, cutting down the number of neurons and training data needed. DeepOPF then employs a penalty approach with a zero-order gradient estimation technique in the training process toward guaranteeing the inequality constraints. We also drive a condition for tuning the DNN size according to the desired approximation accuracy, which measures its generalization capability. It provides theoretical justification for using DNN to solve AC-OPF problems. Simulation results for IEEE 30/118/300-bus and a synthetic 2000-bus test cases demonstrate the effectiveness of the penalty approach. They also show that DeepOPF speeds up the computing time by up to two orders of magnitude as compared to a state-of-the-art iterative solver, at the expense of $< $0.2% cost difference.
Evaluation of protein and energy quality of poultry by- product meal using poultry assays

In the present study, two experiment were conducted to evaluate three poultry by-product meal (PBM; A, B and C), that is produced in commercial rendering plants. In first experiment, true amino acids (AA) digestibility and TMEn of the PBM were determined using the precision-fed cecectomized rooster. In second experiment, 1 week old male chicks were fed from 8 to 21 days of age with a corn-SBM diet or diets containing 5 or 10% PBM C formulated to be equal in total or digestible AA to the corn-SBM diet. TMEn and true amino acid digestibility varied among PBM (P 0.05) than that of the chicks fed the corn-SBM diet. The results of this study indicated that PBM has substantial nutritional value for poultry and diets containing 10% PBM in chick diets had no detrimental effects on performance if the diets were formulated to contain adequate levels of digestible AA.
Reactions of zoo visitors to free‐ranging monkeys

This study assessed the potential of two types of primate exhibit both for enhancing zoo visitors' interest, knowledge, and enjoyment and for promoting conservation education. Visitors' reactions to a free-ranging group of cotton-top tamarins were compared with their responses to caged tamarins in three ways: 1) timing how long visitors spent at each exhibit, 2) recording the comments made by visitors about the exhibits, and 3) asking visitors to respond to questionnaires about the two exhibits. The results showed that the free-ranging group of tamarins provoked wider comment from members of the public than caged groups and that visitors were willing to spend much more time looking for and watching monkeys in trees than monkeys in cages. Visitors felt that improvements in the animals' welfare were obtained from allowing them to live free in the trees, thought that they could learn more from such groups than from caged animals, and enjoyed seeing the free-ranging tamarins more than the monkeys in cages. These results suggest that developing more naturalistic zoo exhibits can have considerable benefits not only for the animals involved, but also for public education in conservation issues. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Hierarchically-Organized Latent Modules for Exploratory Search in Morphogenetic Systems

Self-organization of complex morphological patterns from local interactions is a fascinating phenomenon in many natural and artificial systems. In the artificial world, typical examples of such morphogenetic systems are cellular automata. Yet, their mechanisms are often very hard to grasp and so far scientific discoveries of novel patterns have primarily been relying on manual tuning and ad hoc exploratory search. The problem of automated diversity-driven discovery in these systems was recently introduced [26, 61], highlighting that two key ingredients are autonomous exploration and unsupervised representation learning to describe "relevant" degrees of variations in the patterns. In this paper, we motivate the need for what we call Meta-diversity search, arguing that there is not a unique ground truth interesting diversity as it strongly depends on the final observer and its motives. Using a continuous game-of-life system for experiments, we provide empirical evidences that relying on monolithic architectures for the behavioral embedding design tends to bias the final discoveries (both for hand-defined and unsupervisedly-learned features) which are unlikely to be aligned with the interest of a final end-user. To address these issues, we introduce a novel dynamic and modular architecture that enables unsupervised learning of a hierarchy of diverse representations. Combined with intrinsically motivated goal exploration algorithms, we show that this system forms a discovery assistant that can efficiently adapt its diversity search towards preferences of a user using only a very small amount of user feedback.
Assessment of listing and categorisation of animal diseases within the framework of the Animal Health Law (Regulation (EU) No 2016/429): contagious bovine pleuropneumonia

Abstract Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia has been assessed according to the criteria of the Animal Health Law (AHL), in particular criteria of Article 7 on disease profile and impacts, Article 5 on the eligibility of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia to be listed, Article 9 for the categorisation of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia according to disease prevention and control rules as in Annex IV and Article 8 on the list of animal species related to contagious bovine pleuropneumonia. The assessment has been performed following a methodology composed of information collection and compilation, expert judgement on each criterion at individual and, if no consensus was reached before, also at collective level. The output is composed of the categorical answer, and for the questions where no consensus was reached, the different supporting views are reported. Details on the methodology used for this assessment are explained in a separate opinion. According to the assessment performed, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia can be considered eligible to be listed for Union intervention as laid down in Article 5(3) of the AHL. The disease would comply with the criteria as in Sections 4 and 5 of Annex IV of the AHL, for the application of the disease prevention and control rules referred to in points (d) and (e) of Article 9(1). The animal species to be listed for contagious bovine pleuropneumonia according to Article 8(3) criteria are species of the family Bovidae as susceptible.
On a Collection of Burmese Cestodes

The following paper lists the species of cestodes, not hitherto described by the author, obtained from Burmese animals during the years 1923–5. Many of the specimens were collected by Miss I. K. Reynolds while working in the Zoological Department of University College: the writer wishes to acknowledge his indebtedness to her for the use of data, material and slides. He also wishes to express his thanks to the Trustees of the Victoria Memorial Park for permission to collect helminths from animals dying in the gardens.
Cultural Resources for Conservation Science

Human domination of Earth is evident in global climate change, biodiversity extinctions, and disruption of ecosystem functions. The fundamental goal of conservation science is to check the anthropogenic extinctions of species in order to safeguard the evolutionary prospects of the future (Kirchner 2002). Robertson and Hull (2001) suggest that we need a "philosophy and practice of conservation science that goes beyond biology and beyond the norms of modern science to construct knowledge that is useful for environmental decision making. " Such a discipline-public ecology-shall be "evaluative, contextual, multiscalar, integrative, adaptive, and accessible. " Indeed, the conservation science of tomorrow will be a set of tools drawn from the natural and social sci-
Initial response of understorey vegetation to fire severity and salvage-logging in the southern boreal forest of Québec

Abstract In this study we compared the effects of fire on understorey vegetation in the Québec southern boreal forest with effects of salvage-logging (clear-cutting after fire). All 61 400-m2 sampling sites were controlled for overstorey composition (Deciduous, Mixed and Coniferous) and disturbance type, which consisted of three fire impact severity (FIS) classes (Light, Moderate and Extreme) and two harvesting techniques (Stem-only and Whole-tree Harvesting). Percent-cover data of vegetation and post-disturbance environmental characteristics were recorded in the field during the first two years after fire as well as soil texture. Ordination of fire alone demonstrated that, on Coniferous sites, fire initiates a succession whereby the understorey Coniferous sites approaches that of Deciduous-Mixed sites, due to the release of the understorey from Sphagnum spp. dominance, this pattern being a function of FIS. On Deciduous-Mixed stands, increased FIS resulted in a transition from herb to shrub dominance. Ordination of all five disturbance types showed that the impact of salvage-logging on understorey composition was within the range of fire, but marginalized to the extreme end of the FIS spectrum. Variance partitioning demonstrated that overstorey and soil texture were the most important explanatory variables of fire alone, while disturbance type explained the largest independent fraction of understorey variation when salvage-logging was introduced. Salvage-logging also results in significant reductions in understorey abundance, richness and diversity, while indicator species analysis suggests that it favours meso-xerophytic to xeric species. Results are interpreted in light of shade-tolerance dynamics, forest floor disturbance and soil moisture regimes. Implications for sustainable forest management are discussed. Nomenclature: Marie-Victorin (1995). Abbreviations: CON = Coniferous site; DEC = Deciduous site: FIS = Fire impact severity; FIS-1 = Light FIS; FIS-2 = Moderate FIS; FIS-3; Extreme FIS; MIX = Mixed site; STEM = stem-harvesting; WTH = whole-tree harvesting.
Odd for an Ericad: Nocturnal Pollination of Lyonia lucida (Ericaceae)

Abstract Studies of pollination biology are largely diurnally biased, especially in plant species whose flowers conform to diurnal pollination syndromes. Though these syndromes can be useful in generating hypotheses regarding a species’ primary pollinators, they may also lead to incorrect assumptions. This study explores the relative contributions of diurnal and nocturnal pollination to fruit set in Lyonia lucida, an ericaceous shrub of the southeastern United States whose floral form suggests pollination by bumble bees. Floral visitation to L. lucida and pollen loads of visitors were quantified in a population of the species in Central Florida (U.S.A.), and the relative contributions of diurnal and nocturnal pollination tested. Mating system characteristics of L. lucida were also examined. Results show L. lucida flowers are visited mainly by nocturnal moths, who are capable of carrying large pollen loads, and nocturnal pollination is the primary driver of fruit set. In addition L. lucida at the study site shows severe barriers to selfing and strong pollen limitation. This is the first time a population of an ericaceous species has been shown to be pollinated primarily by nocturnal floral visitors and suggests pollination biologists should not be so quick to discount these potentially important pollinators.
Classiﬁcation of Laser and Visual Sensors Using Associative Markov Networks

This work presents our initial investigation toward the semantic clas-siﬁcation of objects based on sensory data acquired from 3D laser range and cameras mounted on a mobile robot. The Markov Random Field framework is a popular model for such a task, as it uses contextual information to improve over locally independent classiﬁers. We have employed a variant of this framework for which efﬁcient inference can be performed via graph-cut algorithms and dynamic programming techniques, the Associative Markov Networks (AMNs). We report in this paper the basic concepts of the AMN, its learning and inference algorithms, as well as the feature classiﬁers that serve to extract meaningful properties from sensory data. The experiments performed with a publicly available dataset indicate the value of the framework and give insights about the next steps toward the goal of empowering a mobile robot to contextually reason about its environment.
Regulation of site-specific recombination by the C-terminus of λ integrase

Site-specific recombination catalyzed by bacteriophage lambda integrase (Int) is essential for establishment and termination of the viral lysogenic life cycle. Int is the archetype of the tyrosine recombinase family whose members are responsible for DNA rearrangement in prokaryotes, eukaryotes and viruses. The mechanism regulating catalytic activity during recombination is incompletely understood. Studies of tyrosine recombinases bound to their target substrates suggest that the C-termini of the proteins are involved in protein-protein contacts that control the timing of DNA cleavage events during recombination. We investigated an Int truncation mutant (W350) that possesses enhanced topoisomerase activity but greater than 100-fold reduced recombination activity. Alanine scanning mutagenesis of the C-terminus indicates that two mutants, W350A and I353A, cannot perform site-specific recombination although their DNA binding, cleavage and ligation activities are at wild-type levels. Two other mutants, R346A and R348A, are deficient solely in the ability to cleave DNA. To explain these results, we have constructed a homology-threaded model of the Int structure using a Cre crystal structure. We propose that residues R346 and R348 are involved in orientation of the catalytic tyrosine that cleaves DNA, whereas W350 and I353 control and make intermolecular contacts with other Int proteins in the higher order recombination structures known as intasomes. These results suggest that Int and the other tyrosine recombinases have evolved regulatory contacts that coordinate site-specific recombination at the C-terminus.
Myeloid Cells in Circulation and Tumor Microenvironment of Colorectal Cancer Patients with Early and Advanced Disease Stages

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogenous population of cells that have been implicated in the development of an immunosuppressive environment, which promotes tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Numerous studies have reported expansion of MDSCs in circulation and the tumor microenvironment (TME) of cancer patients. However, due to the heterogenic nature of MDSCs and the different approaches for their identification, their detailed characterization and impact on disease progression in cancer patients are warranted. In this study, we investigated the levels of different myeloid cell subsets and antigen-presenting cells (APCs) using flow cytometry in unfractionated whole blood (WB), peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), tumor tissue (TT), and adjacent normal tissue (NT) of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. We found high levels of granulocytic myeloid cells (GMCs) in whole blood, but their levels were significantly lower in PBMCs. Importantly, we found significantly higher levels of GMCs in the TME compared to NT. In addition, monocytic myeloid cells (MMCs) showed significantly higher levels in PBMCs of CRC patients, compared to healthy donors (HDs). Notably, patients with advanced disease stages showed significantly higher levels of GMCs compared to early stages in whole blood, but PBMCs and tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells did not show any significant differences. Lastly, we found that levels of GMCs decreased, while IMCs increased in the TME with tumor budding. Our results highlight the importance of investigating the levels of different myeloid cell subsets in PBMCs versus whole blood of cancer patients and improve current knowledge on the potential prognostic significance of myeloid cells in CRC patients.
Is Gametophyte Sexuality in the Laboratory a Good Predictor of Sexuality in Nature?

Abstract A previous study examined the sexual expression of cultured gametophytes of the Hawaiian endemics Sadleria cyatheoides and S. pallida grown on mineral-enriched agar. In the present work, we conducted field studies on the sexual expression of natural populations of Sadleria spp. gametophytes. Our primary goal was to compare field-collected data to the laboratory-based data of the earlier study to assess if the laboratory data were an accurate reflection of what is occurring in nature. Our results suggested that for generally inferring mating systems operating in nature, agar-based laboratory studies of gametophytes lead to the same conclusions as would observations of field-collected gametophytes. For detailed studies of gametophyte sexuality and development, however, an agar-based medium produces significantly different results than what is found among natural populations, although this may be true for any lab-based study regardless of growth medium. Thus, we suggest caution in the use of agar as a growth medium, and the use of laboratory conditions in general, for studies of fern gametophyte sexual development.