Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Latitudinal gradients in taxonomic overdescription rate affect macroecological inferences using species list data

Species lists for particular geographic areas are often used in macroecology and conservation; for example, they have been used to identify hotspots of biological diversity, and for the study of latitudinal species diversity gradients. However, there is uncertainty over the accuracy of species lists due to undiscovered species and synonymy of described species. This paper concentrates on taxonomic overdescription caused by the latter. Where bias in the amount of taxonomic overdescription occurs along a variable of interest (e.g. latitude or body size), inferences from macroecological studies may be affected. This form of taxonomic overdescription is likely to be most pronounced in speciose groups, where many species have relatively small geographic range sizes and have low numerical abundance. A good example of such a group is the wasp family Ichneumonidae. We first use taxonomic and region-specific species list data for the Ichneumonidae to estimate the probability of species validity. Then we use this estimated probability to statistically correct the region's species richness estimate using a Monte Carlo simulation approach, and examine the effect the correction has on three major macroecological patterns: the relative species richness of geographic regions, latitudinal species richness pattern, and body size. Our results indicate that although there is significant geographic variation in overdescription, the bias is not sufficient to qualitatively alter broad-scale macroecological conclusions such as hotspot identity, and the qualitative global patterns of diversity and mean body size.
Organism incorporation into newly forming Arctic sea ice in the Greenland Sea

New ice formation, protist incorporation and enrichment in different stages of young Arctic sea ice (grease, nilas and pancake ice) were studied in the Greenland Sea in autumn 1995. Nutrients (nitrite, nitrate, phosphate and silicate), salinity and abundance estimates of organisms were analysed from surface water and new ice samples. The abundances of bacteria, diatoms, and photo- and hetero- trophic flagellates in the ice and water column were determined using epifluorescence microscopy. An enrichment index was calculated to compare the abundance of organisms in the water column with different stages of young sea ice. The results clearly show that (i) protist incorporation already begins during the first stages of new sea ice formation, (ii) incorporation of protists is selective, showing preference for diatoms with a relatively large cell size and (iii) enrichment of organisms, in particular diatoms, takes place in young sea ice in the Greenland Sea. The selectivity of the incorpor- ation process and the evident preference for diatoms are presumably a result of the larger cell size and/or certain properties of the cell surface (e.g. stickiness) that enhance their incorporation. The calculated enrichment indices were relatively low for bacteria and flagellates.
The behavioural ecology of the Mara, Dolichotis patagonus

﻿This thesis presents the results of a 3 year field study on the behavioural ecology of the mara on the Valdes Peninsula in Argentina. The main goal was to investigate why the mara's social system incorporates both monogamy and communal denning, a combination unknown in other mammals. The research techniques used were behavioural observations and radio-tracking. Radio-tracking of 9 maras revealed that pairs were continually moving into new areas, suggesting that their ranging behaviour is adapted to an irregular pattern of resource distribution. Two maras had prevailing ranges of 35 ha and moved yearly over about 200 ha. Ranges floated around a geographic centre. One constraint on the animals' movements may be the need to stay near a den site for pupping. Maras were diurnal, and spent on average 46% of the day grazing. Ranges may overlap up to 33%, but range use between neighbouring pairs were negatively correlated suggesting that animals were avoiding each other--pairs may be occupying floating territories. Evidence that maras are monogamous in the wild is presented. The factors leading to monogamy are argued to be: (i) females are irregularly dispersed because of the distribution of food; and (ii) the brevity of the female's oestrus (1-2 hrs). A male attempting to mate polygynously would have difficulties in finding and securing a female; thus males may do best by staying with one female to ensure a successful mating. Males may enhance their reproductive success by watching for predators so that their females can spend more time feeding to meet the energetic demands of lactation and gestation. During the pupping season, August to January, groups of 1 to 22 pairs gather at single dens. Several dens may be located near each other to form denning communities. Most pairs produce only one litter a year and there is a peak of births in September and October. Pairs visit the den once a day for a period of 5-6 weeks to nurse their young. Den sites are not limited; and the reason maras den communally appears to be the increased protection from predators accruing to pups and adults in larger groups. Two possible routes are suggested in the evolution of the mara's social system: (i) from a monogamous starting point it has become advantageous to creche pups; or (ii) ancestral maras were more colonial and probably polygynous, but have been forced to space out because of changes in the distribution of food, which has led to monogamy. Finally, maras were compared with other caviomorph rodents, lagomorphs, and monogamous ruminants and were shown to be most similar to the latter in their adaptations to the environment a remarkable example of convergent evolution.
Genetic and environmental parameters and trends for milk production of Holstein cattle in Turkey

Data from 4143 Holstein cattle from three herds in Turkey were used to study the influences of genetic and environmental factors on milk production traits as well as genetic and environmental trends over 20 years from 1987 to 2006. First lactation mean values for 305-day milk yield, actual lactation milk yield, and lactation length were 6222±35.8 kg, 6651±42.6 kg, and 327±1.3 days. Second and third 305-day lactation yields were proportionately 8% and 11% greater, respectively. The effects of herd and calving year were the largest sources of variation for all traits. Heritabilities of actual lactation milk yield, 305-day milk yield, and lactation length for first lactation records were 0.24±0.007, 0.23±0.007, and 0.08±0.035. Estimates of variances and genetic parameters were consistent with estimates reported throughout the literature. Trends were inconsistent with some phenotypic increase in yields during the period between 2001 and 2005. This improvement was associated with increased environment parameter estimates during that period. No consistent genetic improvement was observed.
The effect of adaptive change in the prey on the dynamics of an exploited predator population

Mathematical models examine the relationship between harvesting effort and stock size for a predator spe- cies when the prey adapts to the risk of predation. In one set of models, the prey can increase its own reproductive rate if it increases its vulnerability to the predator. In the second set of models, each of two prey species has fixed characteristics, but changes in the average characteristics within the prey trophic level occur via shifts in the relative abundance of the two species. In both models, the equilibrium predator population can increase as harvest of that spe- cies increases. In the case of two-prey models, the predator's equilibrium population always increases with an increased harvest rate if the two prey coexist and share a single resource. The predator's equilibrium population often decreases from its maximum size to zero over a very small range of harvest rates, once those rates become high enough. Because increased stock size is often used to justify increased harvest rates, this relationship poses a risk that harvest rate will increase to the point where the stock quickly collapses. The results are relevant to understanding changes in the popu- lation size of a species experiencing declining environmental conditions. Resume : Des modeles mathematiques examinent la relation qui existe entre l'effort de recolte et la taille du stock chez une espece predatrice lorsque la proie s'adapte au risque de predation. Dans une premiere serie de modeles, la proie peut augmenter son propre taux de reproduction si sa vulnerabilite au predateur augmente. Dans une seconde serie de modeles, chacune de deux especes de proies possede des caracteristiques fixes, mais les changements dans les caracteristiques moyennes au niveau trophique des proies se font au moyen de modifications dans l'abondance relative des deux especes. Dans les deux modeles, la population d'equilibre du predateur peut croitre a mesure que la recolte de l'espece augmente. Dans le cas du modele a deux proies, la population d'equilibre du predateur augmente toujours en fonction de la recolte si les deux proies coexistent et partagent une meme et unique ressource. La population d'equilibre du predateur diminue souvent de sa taille maximale a zero sur une gamme tres restreinte de taux de recolte, une fois que les taux ont atteint une certaine valeur. Parce que l'augmentation des stocks sert souvent a justifier une augmentation de la recolte, cette relation entraine le risque que le taux de recolte augmente au point que le stock s'effondre rapidement. Ces resultats sont d'interet pour comprendre les changements dans la taille de la population chez une espece qui subit un declin des conditions de son environnement. (Traduit par la Redaction) Abrams and Matsuda 766
In-hospital mortality and complications following coronary artery bypass surgery; is it possible to predict with preoperative values?

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate short-term complications and mortality in patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass surgery with preoperative predictors commonly used in the literature. Methods: A total of 518 patients who underwent coronary artery bypass surgery using cardiopulmonary bypass pump were retrospectively investigated. Preoperative fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin, neutrophil, platelet count, erythrocyte distribution width, mean platelet volume, platelet lymphocyte ratio, neutrophil lymphocyte ratio, metabolic syndrome criteria were recorded. These preoperative data have been investigated in relation to postoperative short term complications and mortality. Results: Twenty-six (5%) out of 518 patients exited within postoperative 30 days. Mortality was associated with advanced age, presence of hypertension, fasting blood glucose and platelet lymphocyte ratio. However, in multivariate analyzes, only advanced age was seen as an independent predictor of mortality. At least one postoperative complication was seen in 66 (12.7%) patients. Age, fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin value, mean platelet volume, neutrophil lymphocyte ratio were found to be associated with the development of complications. However, in multivariate analyzes only age was seen as independent predictor of development of complications. Conclusion: It is not possible to predict mortality and complications in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery using only preoperative data.
Nuptial Coloration and Mate Guarding Affect Escape Decisions of Male Lizards Psammodromus algirus

Males of many species show conspicuous breeding colours that are important for status signalling, but that may decrease crypsis and increase predation risk. However, prey may adjust their escape response, such that the optimal distance at which an animal starts to flee (approach distance) would be the point where the costs of staying exceed the cost of fleeing. We examined in the field the escape response of Psammodromus algirus lizards, to test the hypothesis that more conspicuous old males, showing orange nuptial coloration on most of the head, which presumably have a higher probability of being detected (i.e. increased costs of staying), have longer approach distances, independent of other environmental variables. As predicted, old brightly coloured males had significantly longer approach and flight distances than young dull males, and young males had longer ones than females. In contrast, neither the distance to the nearest refuge nor the air temperature when the lizards escaped were significantly different. In addition, although male and female lizards differed in their use of microhabitats, old and young males did not differ. We also found that old males guarding a female (i.e. increased costs of fleeing) had shorter approach distances than old males that were found alone.
The Impact of Social Value Orientations on Negotiator Cognition and Behavior

Prior research using experimental games has demonstrated that social value orientations affect the ways in which individuals approach and react to interdependent others; prosocials exhibit greater cooperation than individualists and competitors. This article extends these lines of research by examining the influence of social value orientations on negotiation cognition and behavior. Consistent with predictions, prosocials, relative to individualists and competitors, exhibited lower levels of demand, exhibited greater levels of concessions, and ascribed greater levels of fairness and considerateness to the other person. Moreover, prosocials as well as individualists and competitors exhibited tendencies toward logrolling, making greater concessions on low-priority rather than high-priority issues. The discussion describes several theoretical and practical implications of these findings.
A native dasyurid predator (common planigale, Planigale maculata) rapidly learns to avoid a toxic invader.

Interactions between invasive species and native fauna afford a unique opportunity to examine inter- specific encounters as they first occur, without the complications introduced by coevolution. In northern Aus- tralia, the continuing invasion of the highly toxic cane toad Bufo marinus poses a threat to many frog-eating predators. Can predators learn to distinguish the novel toxic prey item from native prey (and thus, avoid being poisoned), or are longer-term genetically based changes to attack behaviour needed before predators can coexist with toads? To predict the short-term impact of cane toads on native predators, we need to know the proportion of individuals that will attack toads, the proportion surviving the encounter, and whether surviving predators learn to avoid toads.We quantified these traits in a dasyurid (common planigale, Planigale maculata) that inhabits tropical floodplains across northern Australia. Although 90% of naive planigales attacked cane toads, 83% of these animals survived because they either rejected the toad unharmed, or killed and consumed the prey snout- first (thereby avoiding the toxin-laden parotoid glands). Most planigales showed one-trial learning and subse- quently refused to attack cane toads for long time periods (up to 28 days). Toad-exposed planigales also avoided native frogs for up to 9 days, thereby providing an immediate benefit to native anurans. However, the predators gradually learnt to use chemical cues to discriminate between frogs and toads. Collectively, our results suggest that generalist predators can learn to distinguish and avoid novel toxic prey very rapidly - and hence, that small dasyurid predators can rapidly adapt to the cane toad invasion. Indeed, it may be feasible to teach especially vulnerable predators to avoid cane toads before the toads invade, by deploying low-toxicity baits that stimulate taste-aversion learning.
Robustness and accuracy of Maxent niche modelling for Lactuca species distributions in light of collecting expeditions

Niche modelling software can be used to assess the probability of detecting a population of a plant species at a certain location. In this study, we used the distribution of the wild relatives of lettuce (Lactuca spp.) to investigate the applicability of Maxent species distribution models for collecting missions. Geographic origin data of genebank and herbarium specimens and climatic data of the origin locations were used as input. For Lactuca saligna, we varied the input data by omitting the specimens from different parts of the known distribution area to assess the robustness of the predicted distributions. Furthermore, we examined the accuracy of the modelling by comparing the predicted probabilities of population presence against recent expedition data for the endemic Lactuca georgica and the cosmopolitan Lactuca serriola. We found Maxent to be quite robust in its predictions, although its usefulness was higher for endemic taxa than for more widespread species. The exclusion of occurrence data from the perceived range margins of the species can result in important information about local adaptation to distinct climatic conditions. We discuss the potential for enhanced use of Maxent in germplasm collecting planning.
Fishmeal can be totally replaced by plant protein blend at two protein levels in diets of juvenile Siberian sturgeon, Acipenser baerii Brandt

An 8-week growth trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of a plant protein blend (PPB, comprised of soybean meal and wheat gluten meal) as fishmeal (FM) substitute on growth, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) balance in Siberian sturgeon, Acipenser baerii Brandt. Two control diets were formulated to contain two protein levels (400 and 360 g kg−1). At each protein level, FM was totally replaced by PPB with supplement of crystalline essential amino acids and mono-calcium phosphate. Growth performance was not affected by dietary protein sources and protein levels. Fish fed the low-protein diets had higher FI than that of the high protein groups, while fish fed the FM-based diets had higher FI than that of fish fed the PPB-based diets. N/P intake of fish showed linear relationship with total N/P loss. The productive P value was significantly affected by dietary protein sources, but no significant effects were shown on productive N value. The results suggest that Siberian sturgeon fed total plant-based diets with balance of EAA could maintain normal growth performance and reduce total P excretion both at 360 and 400 g kg−1 protein levels.
Morphology and systematics of the anomalocaridid arthropod Hurdia from the Middle Cambrian of British Columbia and Utah

In Cambrian fossil Lagerstätten like the Burgess Shale, exceptionally preserved arthropods constitute a large part of the taxonomic diversity, providing opportunities to study the early evolution of this phylum in detail. The anomalocaridids, large presumed pelagic predators, are particularly relevant owing to their unique combination of morphological characters and basal position in the arthropod stem lineage. Although isolated elements and fragmented specimens were first discovered over 100 years ago, subsequent findings of more complete bodies of Anomalocaris and Peytoia, especially in the 1980s, allowed for a better understanding of these enigmatic forms. Their evolutionary significance as stem group arthropods was further clarified by the recent discovery of a third anomalocaridid taxon, Hurdia. Here, examination of hundreds of Hurdia specimens from different stratigraphical layers within the Burgess Shale and Stephen Formation, combined with statistical analyses, provides a detailed description of the taphonomy, morphology and diversity of the genus and further elucidates anomalocaridid systematics. Hurdia is distinguished from other anomalocaridids in having mouthparts with extra rows of teeth, a large frontal carapace complex and diminutive swimming flaps with prominent setal structures. The two original species, H. victoria Walcott, 1912 and H. triangulata Walcott, 1912, are confirmed based on morphometric outline analyses of the frontal carapace components combined with stratigraphical evidence; a third species, Hurdia dentata Simonetta & Delle Cave, 1975, is synonymized with H. victoria. Morphology, preservation and stratigraphical distribution suggest that H. victoria and H. triangulata share the same type of frontal appendage; a second type of appendage, previously assigned to Hurdia (Morph A), belongs to Peytoia nathorsti. These and other morphological differences between the anomalocaridids may reflect different feeding strategies. Appendages and mouthparts of Hurdia indet. sp. are also identified from the Spence Shale Member of Utah, making Hurdia and Anomalocaris the most common and globally distributed anomalocaridid taxa.
Derived ECC for Protection of On-Demand Data

Traditional error correction coding (ECC) methodologies store data parity bits along with data they protect. Subsequently, upon accessing the combined data and parity bits it is possible discover and correct faults in either the data or correction bits. In domain-wall memories (DWMs), a type of sequential access non-volatile memory related to spin-transfer torque magnetic memory (STT-MRAM), it is not convenient or efficient to store data to protect access errors data shifting during sequential access. To solve this problem, we propose a new technique called derived error correction (DEC) for such cases where it is intractable to record metadata for error correction. Instead, we rebuild the metadata on-demand and store only the parity bits that protect the metadata. The DWM metadata is constructed using a novel transverse read (TR). TR reads in an orthogonal direction of a traditional DWM access point and can be used to calculate number of ones in a DWM. Faults in the metadata correspond to shift-errors in the DWM. Using ECC, we can correct these faults in the metadata and use these corrections to repair the shifting state of the DWM to ensure correct operation. Through these techniques, we propose a shift-aware error correction code that provides a lifetime over 10 years while reducing area by 2.6 and 3.7 times against state of the art technique.
Thinning effects on forest productivity: consequences of preserving old forests and mitigating impacts of fire and drought

Background: Management strategies have been proposed to minimise the effects of climate change on forest resilience. Aims: We investigated the Pacific Northwest US region forest carbon balance under current practices, and changes that may result from management practices proposed for the region's 34 million ha of forests to mitigate climate change effects. Methods: We examined the relationship between net primary production (NPP) and biomass, using plot data, and estimated the effects of proposed clear-cut harvest of young mesic forests for wood products and bioenergy while preserving mesic mature/old forests for biodiversity (Sparing), thinning all forests (Sharing) and a combination of sparing mesic mature and old, clearing mesic young and thinning dry forests (Sparing/Sharing). Results: The forests of the region were found highly productive (NPP 163 Tg C year−1) and a strong carbon sink with net ecosystem production of 45 Tg C year−1. Observations indicated the relationship between NPP and biomass was not significantly different for thinned versus unthinned stands, after accounting for site quality and precipitation effects. After simulating proposed management to mitigate climate change, regional NPP was reduced by 35% (Sparing), 9% (Sharing) and 29% (Sparing/Sharing) compared with current practices. Conclusions: Applying management practices appropriate for current forest conditions to mitigate future climate change impacts can be accomplished, but at a cost of reducing NPP. Sparing all forests >50 years old resulted in the largest NPP reduction, but the impact could be reduced by clearing only a subset of young forests.