Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The roles of ants as flower visitors: experimental analysis in three alpine plant species

I investigated three co-occurring North American alpine plant species for which ants comprise at least 20% of the flower visitors. Ants of the species Formica neorufibarbis gelida pollinate gynodioecious Paronychia pulvinata, are herbivores of the gynodioecious Eritrichum aretioides and appear to have little effect on the hermaphroditic Oreoxis alpina. Given that floral nectar and lipids are important resources for alpine ants, the effect of all three plant species on the ants is positive. In E. aretioides, ants chew on the coronal ring of flowers but are unlikely to contact the stigmas, explaining their negative effects on seed production. In ant-pollinated P. pulvinata, ants affect pollination in females more than in hermaphrodites. Single ant visits to unpollinated pistillate flowers show that ants are inefficient pollinators, transferring no pollen (viable or inviable) to stigmas 55% of the time. This result is probably explained by low pollen loads and infrequent movement between plants. In contrast, single ant visits to previously unpollinated perfect flowers on hermaphrodites produce seed-set similar to that in flowers open to pollination. In O. alpina, the lack of an effect of ants on seed production is probably explained by autogamous seed-set and lack of pollen limitation. In both gynodioecious species, E. aretioides and P. pulvinata, female plants produce more seeds than hermaphrodites in the absence of ants, but this difference is magnified when ants are allowed access to plants, suggesting that ants can influence the evolutionary maintenance of breeding system dimorphism in these species.
The diversity in nutritional profile of farmed edible bird’s nests from several regions in Indonesia

Elfita L, Wientarsih I, Sajuthi D, Bachtiar I, Darusman HS. 2020. The diversity in nutritional profile of farmed edible bird’s nests from several regions in Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 2362-2368. Edible bird’s nest (EBN) is produced by certain swiftlet species mainly Aerodramus fuciphagus. This study aimed to compare the composition of proximate, nitrite, nitrate, amino acid and protein profiles of EBNs collected from different regions in Indonesia (West Sumatra, South Sumatra, West Java, West Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, and Southeast Sulawesi). The results showed that the order of proximate composition was protein (53.09-56.25%) > carbohydrate (19.57-23.04%) > moisture (17.08-21.50%) > ash (5.44-6.25%) > fat (0.07-0.57%). Nitrite and nitrate contents were 3.1118. 28 ppm and 650.11-1051.06 ppm, respectively. Amino acid analysis found that EBNs contained 18 amino acids, composed of ten essential amino acids and eight non-essential amino acids. Aspartic acid content of EBNs from West Sumatra and West Kalimantan (4.21 and 3.27%, respectively) were much higher than the one found in other regions, which was on the range of 0.32-0.37%. SDSPAGE analysis demonstrated that majority of EBNs possessed seven protein bands with molecular weight range of 19.6 to 82.7 kDa. However, EBNs from West Sumatra and West Kalimantan showed abundant of protein with molecular weight of approximately 34.0 kDa. Thus, EBNs collected from different regions in Indonesia showed different nutritional profiles.
Modelos agro-meteorológicos na estimativa da produtividade da cultura da soja na região de Ponta Grossa, Estado do Paraná

Agrometeorological models in the soybean crop productivity estimate, in Ponta Grossa region, State of Parana, Brazil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of simplified and agrometeorological models in the soybean crop productivity estimate, looking for crop season prediction and planning, in the Ponta Grossa region, Parana State, Brazil. The soil of the studied region is classified as Typic Hapludox and the climate as Cfb. The soybean crop productivity (11 seasons) and climate data were provided by the ABC Foundation and SIMEPAR, respectively. The reference evapotranspiration was estimated by the Penman-Monteith method and the daily water balances were determined using a program especially developed for this purpose. After innumerable analyses, the best results were obtained when the following were considered: (a) the temporal distribution of real productivity of soybean crop seasons in two groups, which were called 'Year 1' and 'Year 2', according to the experimental crop rotation (b) the fit of model coefficient and factors to multiple regression analyses. The Stewart et al. (1976) and Jensen (1968) models provided the best productivity estimates (R 2 > 0.73).
Hyperbolic metric and membership of conformal maps in the Bergman space

Abstract We prove that for $0<p<+\infty $ and $-1<\alpha <+\infty ,$ a conformal map defined on the unit disk belongs to the weighted Bergman space $A_{\alpha }^p$ if and only if a certain integral involving the hyperbolic distance converges.
Elective transfer of one embryo results in an acceptable pregnancy rate and eliminates the risk of multiple birth

: To avoid multiple pregnancies without compromising pregnancy rates (PR) is a challenge in assisted reproduction. We have compared pregnancy results among 74 elective one-embryo transfers (group 2) and 94 transfers where only one embryo was available (group 1). All the fresh embryo cycles during 1997 in two clinics in Helsinki were analysed, and cumulative PR among these couples after frozen-thawed embryo transfers up to June 1998 were counted. In group 2, where at least two embryos were available for transfer, and only one was transferred on day 2 or 3, the PR per embryo transfer was 29.7%. In group 1, the PR per embryo transfer was 20.2%. In group 2, the cumulative PR after frozen-thawed embryo transfers was 47.3% per oocyte retrieval. Over the same time, 742 two-embryo transfers were carried out. The PR per embryo transfer was 29.4% in these subjects, but 23.9% of these pregnancies were twins. The implantation rates, as well as the PR, were highest when the embryos were at the four- to five-cell stage on day 2 (35.8 versus 9.7% compared with the two- to three-cell stage, P < 0.001) or at the six- to eight-cell stage on day 3 (45.5%). The PR per embryo transfer was higher when a grade 1 or 2 embryo was transferred compared with a grade three embryo (34. 0 and 26.7% versus 8.8% respectively, P < 0.05). In women 35 years or younger, the PR per elective one-embryo transfer was 32.8%. The corresponding figure in women older than 35 years was 18.8%. On the basis of these results, elective one-embryo transfer can be highly recommended, at least in subjects who are younger than 35 years of age, and who have grade one or grade two embryos available for transfer.
Macroalgal metabolism and lateral carbon flows can create significant carbon sinks

Abstract. Macroalgal beds have drawn attention as one of the vegetated coastal ecosystems that act as atmospheric CO2 sinks. Although macroalgal metabolism as well as inorganic and organic carbon flows are important pathways for CO2 uptake by macroalgal beds, the relationships between macroalgal metabolism and associated carbon flows are still poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated carbon flows, including air–water CO2 exchange and budgets of dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), in a temperate macroalgal bed during the productive months of the year. To assess the key mechanisms responsible for atmospheric CO2 uptake by the macroalgal bed, we estimated macroalgal metabolism and lateral carbon flows (i.e., carbon exchanges between the macroalgal bed and the offshore area) by using field measurements of carbon species, a field-bag method, a degradation experiment, and mass-balance modeling in a temperate Sargassum bed over a diurnal cycle. Our results showed that macroalgal metabolism and lateral carbon flows driven by water exchange affected air–water CO2 exchange in the macroalgal bed and the surrounding waters. Macroalgal metabolism caused overlying waters to contain low concentrations of CO2 and high concentrations of DOC that were efficiently exported offshore from the macroalgal bed. These results indicate that the exported water can potentially lower CO2 concentrations in the offshore surface water and enhance atmospheric CO2 uptake. Furthermore, the Sargassum bed exported 6 %–35 % of the macroalgal net community production (NCP; 302–1378 mmol C m−2 d−1) as DOC to the offshore area. The results of degradation experiments showed that 56 %–78 % of macroalgal DOC was refractory DOC (RDOC) that persisted for 150 d; thus, the Sargassum bed exported 5 %–20 % of the macroalgal NCP as RDOC. Our findings suggest that macroalgal beds in habitats associated with high water exchange rates can create significant CO2 sinks around them and export a substantial amount of DOC to offshore areas.
Prevalence of ToxA-sensitive alleles of the wheat gene Tsn1 in Australian and Chinese wheat cultivars

A recent survey of worldwide isolates of Stagonospora nodorum showed that all Australian isolates expressed the host-specific toxin ToxA (Stukenbrock and McDonald 2007). In contrast, very few Chinese isolates did. All the Australian Pyrenophora tritici-repentis isolates that were tested expressed ToxA. We therefore postulated that the wheat gene that confers sensitivity to ToxA, Tsn1, would vary in prevalence in wheat cultivars in use in the two countries. Contrary to expectation, 10 out of 21 Chinese cultivars responded to ToxA as did 26 out of 46 Australian cultivars. The result suggests that ToxA has not had a determining effect on the survival of wheat cultivars in either country. They also suggest that despite the widespread use of Tsn1 markers in Australia, sensitive alleles are still commonplace. The removal of sensitive alleles from breeders' lines could be readily achieved and could significantly affect the resistance of wheat to both diseases.
The Influence of Temperature during the Embryonic Period on Larval Growth and Development in Carp, Cyprinus Carpio L., and Grass Carp, Ctenopharyngodon Idella (Val.): Theoretical and Practical Aspects

The Influence of Temperature during the Embryonic Period on Larval Growth and Development in Carp, Cyprinus Carpio L. , and Grass Carp, Ctenopharyngodon Idella (Val.): Theoretical and Practical Aspects This work proposes modifications to the existing system for identifying the steps of embryonic and larval development in fish. The term "compensatory phase of development" is proposed for the phase from hatching to the first intake of food. Both the new designations of these steps and the new name of this phase do not require a declaration of whether the hatched individual is considered to be an embryo or a larva, something that has been, to date, a matter of dispute. Unification will allow for the wider use of the new nomenclature, and make easier the comparison of results. This work examines the influence of the thermal history during the embryonic period (temperatures of 20, 24, 28, and 32°C) on later development, growth, and survival of common carp, Cyprinus carpio L. , and grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella (Val.) larvae, at a constant temperature of 23°C. It was confirmed that the optimal temperature ranges for the embryonic development of common carp and grass carp are higher than those currently applied widely in practice of 18-22°C and 21-26°C, respectively. Based on the evaluation of the development, growth, and survival of the larvae, it was determined that the optimal temperature for embryonic development is 26-28°C for the common carp and 32°C for the grass carp. It was confirmed that even a short-term increase in temperature from 20°C to 24°C during the compensatory phase has a positive influence on subsequent common carp larvae growth.
Diversity-productivity relations at a northern prairie site: An investigation using spectral data

The impact of decreasing plant diversity on terrestrial ecosystem productivity remains controversial. Recent studies generally suggest that diverse plant communities are more productive than depauperate versions. However, there is less agreement as to whether this is caused by the number of species present, the identities of the species present, the number of functional groups that these species make up, or by which functional groups are represented. This study evaluates whether relationships between plant diversity and productivity in northern mixed grass prairie are dependent on (a) the diversity measure used (species richness vs. functional richness), (b) the productivity measure utilized, or (c) the scale of observation. We collected plant diversity and productivity information over circular plots of 0.5 m diameter during the summer of 1998, then used a spatially nested sampling design to scale each property and their relationships to 2.5 m, 10 m and 50 m sampling resolutions. Observed diversity-productivity relationships were dependent on all of the above factors. Richness-productivity relationships were found to be mostly asymptotic at all observational scales. The presence of particular species, and functional groups, alone or in combination all had significant effects on productivity at the plot (0.5m) level, but not at coarser resolutions. These results were consistent with those of other studies, and suggest that the higher productivities of diverse grassland plots in our grassland site might result from the effects of diversity and the presence of productive species. The lack of species effects at coarser resolutions suggest other mechanisms are responsible for such relationships at these scales.
Reasons for culling, culling due to lameness, and economic losses in dairy cows.

The review presents reasons for the culling of dairy cows, focusing on clinical lameness and production losses in cows affected by lameness. The culling of cows is a technique that may lead to herd improvement and increased profits or reduced costs by replacing sick or non-pregnant cows. The reasons for culling are generally voluntary, for example poor production, or involuntary, including mastitis, extreme lameness or poor reproduction, and/or death. Culling rates in dairy herds vary, ranging from 20% to 35% per year. The most common reasons for culling dairy cows in herds are diseases, such as mastitis, reproductive diseases, and clinical lameness. Many other factors, such as parity, lactation stage, reproductive performance, health, calving season, milk yield and cow welfare, also influence the decision to cull a cow. Effects of lameness reduce milk yield, negatively affect fertility, and increase the risk of culling. Milk loss contributes 40% to the cost of lameness, followed by treatment costs (34%) and decreased fertility (26%). Many studies report an increased risk of culling for lame cows with hoof diseases, especially sole ulcers. Some studies, however, indicate that the effect of lameness on culling is unclear because the literature provides little information on the reasons for culling and, in particular, on the relation between reproductive performance and the incidence of mastitis or lameness. Hence, the decision to cull a cow is complicated and often depends on the parity, milk production, fertility, and health of cows.
Research on the controllable degradation of N-methylamido and dialkylamino substituted at the 5th position of the benzene ring in chlorsulfuron in acidic soil

Owing to the lengthy residual problems associated with chlorsulfuron, metsulfuron-methyl, and ethametsulfuron, which prevents them from being used in the “annual multi-crop planting system”, the application of these sulfonylurea herbicides (SU) has regrettably been terminated in China since 2014. In this field, we were the first to discover that the 5th position of the benzene ring in chlorsulfuron is a key point for influencing its degradation rate and the amino moiety at this position showed faster degradation rates and maintained their original potent bioactivity. In this study, we further elaborated on N-methylamido and dialkylamino substituents at the same position in chlorsulfuron to obtain 18 novel structures as M and N series. Their half-life degradation (DT50) values were faster, to varying degrees, than chlorsulfuron in acidic soil. It was found that most of the titled structures also retained their potent herbicidal activity and the crop safety of the M series towards corn greatly increased. Based on these data, a comprehensive graph describing the structure/degradation relationship was established first. Relating to the new molecules, their herbicidal activity (A), degradation rates (D), and crop safety (S) relationship were correlated and we used this approach to predict and explore the most preferable molecule, which coincided to the corresponding experimental data. The new concept of controllable degradation will provide us with more insight when searching for new ecological bioactive molecules in the future.
A Study Comparing Antibacterial Activity of Ageratum Conyzoides L. Extract and Piper Betle L. Extract in Gel Dosage Forms Against Staphylococcus Aureus

Microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses often infect humans in their living environments. The antibiotic-resistant microorganisms are on the increase, thereby affecting health-care costs. Many researchers have developed new effective antimicrobial agents that overcome resistance from microorganisms and are cost-effective.1-3 Interest in natural products or herbs as an alternative medicine has increased in recent years due to the discovery that they reduce microbial resistance in a cost effective way. In recent years. extracts and essential oils from medicinal plants have became a focus of research especially regarding antimicrobial properties.4
Faecal microbiota transplantation: is it the future for pig production?

Piglet mortality is a major issue for the pork industry globally and until recently, the main method for improving growth performance and reducing disease in commercial practice is centred on anti-microbial use. Antibiotic resistance is a global concern and, as such, animal production industries are seeking alternatives to antibiotics. Different approaches under investigation include but are not limited to management of the intestinal microbial environment. The gastrointestinal microbiota is involved in a myriad of processes that impact host health and well-being. Recently, interest in maintaining a healthy microbiome in order to improve herd health is increasing. In this article, we focus on faecal microbiota transplantation as a method for manipulating and improving the gastrointestinal microbiota in pigs in order to improve health and performance.
3-D Receiver Operating Characteristic Analysis for Hyperspectral Image Classification

Hyperspectral image classification (HSIC) faces three major challenging issues, which are generally overlooked. One is how to address the background (BKG) issue due to its unknown complexity. Another is how to deal with imbalanced classes since various classes have different levels of significance, particularly, small classes. A third one is fractional class membership assignment (FCMA) resulting from a soft-decision classifier. Unfortunately, the commonly used classification measures, overall accuracy (OA), average accuracy (AA), or kappa coefficient are generally not designed to cope with these issues. This article develops a 3-D receiver operating characteristic (3-D ROC) analysis from a detection point of view to explore how these three issues can be resolved for HSIC. Specifically, it first develops one-class classifier in BKG (OCCB), called constrained energy minimization (CEM), and multiclass classifier in BKG (MCCB), called linearly constrained minimum variance (LCMV) in conjunction with 3-D ROC analysis to address the BKG issue. Then, by considering a small class as a signal to be detected, its class accuracy can be interpreted as signal detection power/probability so that the 3-D ROC analysis can be used to address the imbalanced class issue. Finally, FCMA can be treated as a detector by converting a soft-decision classifier to a hard-decision classifier in such a manner that the 3-D ROC analysis is also readily applied. The experimental results demonstrate that 3-D ROC analysis provides a very useful evaluation tool to analyze the classification performance.
Vascular Complications from Coronary Angiography/Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Comparing Day Case Patients and Inpatients in a Tertiary Hospital in Thailand: A Retrospective Cohort Stud

Objective: To compare the incidence along with risk factors of vascular complications between patients having undergone Coronary angiography/Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (CAG/PCIs); as day cases and those as inpatients. Material and Methods: Our study is a retrospective cohort study. We performed a retrospective chart review of the patients, visiting a heart center of the hospital from October, 2014 to September, 2018. We included patients of a minimum 18 years of age, who had undergone CAG/PCIs. Excluded patients were those who had been referred from other hospitals. The main outcomes were vascular complications defined as: (1) bleeding with significant blood loss during the procedure. (2) Hematoma within 1 month after the procedure. Wilcoxon’s rank sum and chi-squared test were used to assess the risk factors. Results: Of all 784 patients having undergone CAG/PCI, 387 were day cases and 397 were inpatients. Only 12 cases developed vascular complications. The incidence of vascular complications was not significantly different between either day case; whose incidence was 1.3% (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.72-1.87), and inpatients; whose incidence was 1.8% (95% CI, 1.10-2.42). We found that the risk factors of vascular complications were percutaneous coronary intervention, and using a vascular closure device to remove the introducer sheath. Conclusion: Performing CAG/PCI as day cases did not increase the risks of complications post-procedure, as compare to the inpatients. However, due to the small numbers of patients with complications future studies with more patients are needed to ensure the safety of day case CAG/PCI. Patients undergoing PCI, or patients with vascular closure devices used should be closely observed before discharge.