Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Invasion and high-elevation acclimation of the red imported fire ant (Formicidae: Solenopsis invicta) in the southern Blue Ridge escarpment region

The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is an invasive species in the United States that has rapidly spread throughout the country since its first introduction to Mobile, Alabama, in the 1930s from South America. Within the past decade, researchers have predicted elevational and latitudinal limits on S. invicta’s distribution owing to the presumed difficulty of their coping with the severity of high-elevation winters. Building on recent reports of S. invicta colonies established at elevations in excess of 1219 meters in Macon and Jackson counties, NC, I subsequently (2016-2017) documented approximately 75 live colonies in the Highlands and Cashiers areas of Macon and Jackson Counties. The presence of these invasive ants at relatively high elevations raises the question of the likelihood of their continued persistence. In this study I explored possible physiological and behavioral adaptation of S. invicta to high elevation environments through a comparison of cold and heat tolerance, fat content, and nest-site selection collected along an elevational gradient from piedmont to montane regions in the Carolinas and north Georgia (203-1228 m). For comparison, I also collected physiological temperature tolerance data for the dominant native woodland ant Aphaenogaster picea. Solenopsis invicta occurring at higher elevations exhibited a significantly greater tolerance for cold temperature extremes as compared to lower-elevation conspecifics. This tolerance differential resembles that of the native ant A. picea, which naturally occurs along a similar elevational gradient. Whereas S. invicta had a significantly higher tolerance for heat and a wider overall tolerance range compared to the native ant A. picea, both species exhibited a similar downward shift in thermal tolerances when moving up the elevational gradient. There was no significant difference in colony lipid content along the gradient, suggesting that greater metabolic rates are not needed to sustain these ants through winter dormancy at high elevations. Finally, nest-site selection in proximity to a thermal mass (rocks, logs, concrete footers, etc.) does not seem to improve thermoregulation, and ants at high elevations do not appear to select nest sites based on proximity to a potential thermal buffer. The results are discussed in the context of future projections for the continued spread of S. invicta in montane and higher-latitude regions.
Antioxidant activities and inhibitory effect of Taraxacum officinale, Cichorium intybus and Lectuca sativa on prooxidant induced lipid peroxidation in mice liver

Article history: Received: May 6, 2016 Accepted: December 13, 2017 This study reports the antioxidant and protective properties of three dietary plants, Taraxacum officinale, Cichorium intybus and Lectuca sativa on lipid peroxidation in mice liver. Extracts showed significant (p = 0.0392) inhibition against thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) induced using the prooxidants iron (10 μM FeSO4) and sodium nitroprusside (5 μM) in liver homogenates of mice. Free radical scavenging activity was evaluated by the quenching of DPPH radical (p=0.00236). Extracts also showed metal chelating activities (p=0.00143) and high antioxidant activity in phosphomolybdenum assay (p=0.00246). The high content (p=0.000243) of phenolics and flavonoids were detected in aqueous extracts of the plants which may be responsible for antioxidant activities. Taraxacum officinale comparatively showed higher antioxidant activities followed by Cichorium intybus and Lectuca sativa. It is concluded that polyphenolic-rich extracts of studied plants are potential sources of natural antioxidants.
Incremental parsing algorithms for speech-editing mathematics and computer code

The provision of speech control for editing plain language text has existed for a long time, but does not extend to structured content such as mathematics. The requirements of a user interface for a spoken mathematics editor are explored through the lens of an intuitive natural user interface (NUI) for speech control, the desired properties of which are based on a combination of existing literature on NUIs and intuitive user interfaces. An important aspect of an intuitive NUI is timely update of display of the content in response to editing actions. This is not feasible using batch parsing alone, and this issue will be more serious for larger documents such as computer program code. The solution is an incremental parser designed to work with operator precedence (OP) grammars. The contribution to knowledge provided by this thesis is to improve the efficiency in terms of processing time, of the OP incremental parsing algorithm developed by Heeman, and extend it to handle the distfix (mixfix) operators described by Attanayake to model brackets and mathematical functions. This is implemented successfully for the TalkMaths system and shows a greatly reduced response time compared with using batch scanning and parsing alone. The author is not aware of any other incremental OP parser that handles such operators. Furthermore, a proposal is made for modifications to the data structures produced by Attanayake's parser, along with appropriate adjustments to the incremental parser, that will in the future, facilitate application of OP grammar to program code or other structured content by changing the definition of its content language.
PENGARUH INTENSITAS ASET TETAP DAN INTENSITAS PERSEDIAAN TERHADAP PENGHINDARAN PAJAK DENGAN PERTUMBUHAN PENJUALAN SEBAGAI VARIABEL MODERASI

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of fixed asset intensity and inventory intensity on tax avoidance with sales growth as moderation variable in consumer good companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange during the period of 2014-2018. This study uses profitability and leverage as control variable on relationship between independent variables and dependent variable. This study uses purposive sampling method to sort data. The sample being researched are 23 companies with 5 years observation. Data processing is done by using SPSS. The hypothesis are tested using multiple linear regression. The result showed that there is significant negative influence between Fixed Asset Intensity with tax avoidance, there is significant negative influence between inventory intensity with tax avoidance. In addition, sales growth did not effect the influence between fixed asset intensity tax avoidance, and unable to moderate the influence between inventory intensity with tax avoidance.
Climatic Parameters and Rotavirus Diarrhea Among Hospitalized Children: A Study of Eastern India

Background: Rotavirus diarrhea is often referred as “winter diarrheal disease” as it causes nearly 50% of the pediatric hospitalizations during winter season. This study was done with the objective of bringing out the epidemiological nexus of rotavirus cases with different seasonal parameters like maximum, minimum temperature, humidity, and average rainfall. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital of Eastern India from February 2016 to December 2018. Data on daily maximum and minimum temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall were collected. Result: Of 964 children admitted, 768 stool samples were collected for rotavirus assay. A total of 222 children (29%) were positive. The maximum, minimum temperature, average rainfall, and average humidity of 83.4 mm, 79.2%, 28.1, and 21.9, respectively, were significantly associated with positive rotaviral cases. Conclusions: The incidence of rotavirus positivity cases was found to be inversely associated with average temperature, humidity, and rainfall. The knowledge about the seasonal pattern in a particular geographical area would help in the reallocation of hospital services (staff and bed) to tackle the epidemic or emergency situations resulting from clustering of cases.
Rasgos de personalidad y dificultades de regulación emocional en estudiantes universitarios

La personalidad constituye uno de los principales constructos psicologicos debido a su poder explicativo y predictivo sobre el comportamiento humano. Recientemente, muchos estudios se han focalizado en la relacion entre la personalidad y la regulacion y control de las emociones. Por este motivo, el presente estudio se propuso indagar acerca de las relaciones entre los rasgos de personalidad del Modelo de los Cinco Grandes Factores y las dificultades que las personas pueden tener al momento de regular sus emociones. Se trabajo con un total de 195 participantes, estudiantes regulares de la Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata (84.1% mujeres, 15.9% hombres), con edades comprendidas entre los 18 y los 35 anos (M = 22.85; DE = 4.22). Los estudiantes que accedieron a participar voluntariamente del estudio completaron la adaptacion de la Escala de Dificultades en la Regulacion Emocional y el listado de Adjetivos para Evaluar la Personalidad. Los resultados indicaron que el rasgo con mayor efecto explicativo sobre la desregulacion emocional fue el Neuroticismo. Se observo que mientras mayor es la presencia del rasgo, mayor es la presencia de dificultades de regulacion emocional. Asimismo, los rasgos Amabilidad y Extraversion tambien aportaron a la varianza explicada, aunque de forma menor. Los rasgos Responsabilidad y Apertura a la Experiencia no resultaron significativos en el modelo de regresion para las dificultades de regulacion emocional. Este estudio supone un aporte al esclarecimiento de las relaciones entre la personalidad y los mecanismos de regulacion emocional, especificamente en poblacion estudiantil universitaria.
NEW FRESHWATER MOLLUSCS FROM CRETE, GREECE (GASTROPODA: HYDROBIIDAE, BYTHINELLIDAE, VALVATIDAE)

The syntype of Pseudamnicola brachia (Westerlund, 1886), the only known Pseudamnicola sp. from Crete, is compared with a recently collected Pseudamnicola sp. which could be identified as a species new to science. Comparisons with data in the literature show us that P. brachia (Westerlund, 1886) has nothing in common with P. brachia sensu Schütt, 1980 as well as P. brachia sensu Szarowska et al., 2015, but both are possibly conspecific with the new species which is described here.In addition we describe two new Bythinella spp. from Crete which could be found in addition to B. cretensis Schütt, 1980, and a new Valvata (Tropidina) sp. from Lake Kournas.
The Association Between Leukocyte Telomere Length and Cognitive Performance Among the American Elderly

Background Age-related cognitive decline begins in middle age and persists with age. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) decreases with age and is enhanced by inflammation and oxidative stress. However, whether shorter LTL correlates with cognitive decline remains controversial. Aims We aimed to investigate the relationship between LTL and cognitive decline in the American elderly. Methods We used data from the 1999 to 2002 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We included participants aged 65–80 with available data on LTL and cognitive assessments. The cognitive function assessment used the digit symbol substitution test (DSST). We applied multivariate modeling to estimate the association between LTL and cognitive performance. Additionally, to ensure robust data analysis, we converted LTL into categorical variables through quartile and then calculated the P for trend. Results After adjusting for age, cardiovascular disease (CAD) score, gender, race, body mass index (BMI), and educational level, LTL showed a positive correlation with DSST score (odds ratio [OR] 3.47 [0.14, 6.79], P = 0.04). Additionally, to further quantify the LTL–DSST interaction, we found a similar trend when LTL was regarded as a categorical variable (quartile) (P for trend = 0.03). Conclusion LTL was associated with cognitive capabilities among the elderly, implying that LTL might be a biomarker of cognitive aging.
Gallic Acid Ameliorates Angiotensin II-Induced Atrial Fibrillation by Inhibiting Immunoproteasome- Mediated PTEN Degradation in Mice

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia and is a major cause of stroke and heart failure. We and others have found that gallic acid (GA) plays a beneficial role in cardiac hypertrophic remodeling and hypertension. However, the effect of GA on angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced AF and atrial remodeling as well as the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. AF was induced in mice by Ang II infusion (2000 ng/kg/min) for 3 weeks. Blood pressure was measured using the tail-cuff method. Atrial volume was evaluated by echocardiography. Atrial remodeling was studied using hematoxylin and eosin, Masson’s trichrome, and immunohistochemical staining. Atrial oxidative stress was assessed by dihydroethidium staining. The gene expression of fibrotic and inflammatory markers and protein levels of signaling mediators were measured by quantitative real-time PCR and western blot analysis. In mice, GA administration significantly attenuated Ang II-induced elevation of blood pressure, AF incidence and duration, atrial dilation, fibrosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress compared with the vehicle control. Furthermore, GA downregulated Ang II-induced activity and expression of immunoproteasome subunits (β2i and β5i), which reduced PTEN degradation and led to the inactivation of AKT1 and downstream signaling mediators. Importantly, blocking PTEN activity by VO-Ohpic markedly reversed the GA-mediated protective effects on Ang II-induced AF and atrial remodeling. Therefore, our results provide novel evidence that GA exerts a cardioprotective role by inhibiting immunoproteasome activity, which attenuates PTEN degradation and activation of downstream signaling, and may represent a promising candidate for treating hypertensive AF.
Relationship of Principals Academic Decision-Making Practices with Faculty Morale: A Study of Colleges in Punjab

This study examines the relationship between principals academic decision-making practices and faculty morale. A descriptive survey study has been adopted. The population of the study comprised all the faculty members working in public sector colleges of Punjab, province of Pakistan. Two questionnaires based on five-point Likert Scale, namely Academic Decision-Making Practices (ADMP) questionnaire to measure practices was adopted by the principals and Faculty Morale Scale (FMS) to measure morale of teaching faculty. The collected data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, correlation coefficient and linear regression model. A positive significant relationship between principals academic decision making practices and morale of faculty members was found. Some academic decision-making practices like decisions based on policy matter, promote academic development, power delegation, employees participation collect information and planning are significantly correlated with morale of faculty. While, some practices such as diplomacy and use rules to suit themselves do not correlate with morale.
Transport of dissolved black carbon from the Prydz Bay Shelf, Antarctica to the deep Southern Ocean

Dissolved black carbon (DBC) is one of the largest pools of molecularly identifiable carbon in the ocean. In the deep ocean, DBC appears to persist for millennia, whereas it can be rapidly degraded by sunlight in surface waters. In Antarctica, the downward transport of dense shelf water (DSW) exports a massive volume of water to the deep Southern Ocean each year. If this sinking DSW is enriched in DBC, it may allow a route for DBC to escape degradation by sunlight in the surface ocean and become sequestered in the deep waters of the global ocean. To investigate this possibility, we quantified dissolved organic carbon (DOC), DBC, and ancillary properties in the waters of an Antarctic shelf sea (Prydz Bay) and adjacent waters. DBC concentrations in Prydz Bay DSW (1.2 ± 0.3 μmol L−1) were elevated compared to those in circumpolar deep water (0.49 ± 0.07 μmol L−1). The water column distribution of DBC in Prydz Bay suggested that sediments were the main source of DBC in DSW. A mixing model incorporating seawater oxygen isotopes (H2δ18O) indicated that Prydz Bay DSW transported DBC and DOC into the deep Southern Ocean. We estimate that the downward transport of DSW from Prydz Bay could contribute 4–9% (66–150 Gg yr−1) and 2–4% (3700–8500 Gg yr−1) to the DBC and DOC concentrations in Antarctic Bottom Water, respectively. Thus, the downward transport of DBC along the Antarctic shelf/slope is likely a significant source of DBC to the deep waters of the Southern and Global Ocean.
Female reproductive structures define the novel genus, Nesoia (Halymeniaceae, Rhodophyta)

ABSTRACT Female reproductive structures, especially ampullae, play a significant role in defining generic boundaries in the family Halymeniaceae, despite recent advances in phylogenetic analyses aided by molecular data. Surveys of red algae from the Korean subtidal zone have revealed new evolutionary lineages within this family. We here propose a new genus in the Halymeniaceae, Nesoia H.W. Lee & M.S.Kim, gen. nov., with a description of N. delicatula sp. nov., N. pulchella sp. nov. and N. latifolia (P. Crouan & H. Crouan ex Kützing) comb. nov., based on Halymenia latifolia. Nesoia, which constitutes a distinct lineage of the Halymeniaceae in rbcL phylogenetic trees, has a foliose thallus with a single-layered cortex and medulla of anticlinal filaments. Carpogonial ampullae bear two-celled carpogonial branches and auxiliary cell ampullae have multiple orders of branching, mostly up to three or four. The auxiliary cell ampullary system of Nesoia is a unique type previously undescribed in the Halymeniaceae: each cell of the first-order ampullary filament produces bilateral second-order filaments, and the auxiliary cell is the basal cell of one of the two second-order filaments borne on the second or third cell of the first-order filament. Discovery of the new genus Nesoia suggests the need for more careful and systematic exploration of species diversity in this group of red algae.
Combined Effects of MAP and Postharvest Salicylic Acid Treatment on Quality Attributes of Dill (Anethum graveolens L.) Bunches during Storage

The effects of combinations of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) with salicylic acid (SA) treatment on storage and shelf life quality of dill (Anethum graveolens L. cv. Asder) leaves were investigated. After harvest, dill leaves were dipped into an aqueous solution containing different concentrations of salicylic acid (1, 2 and 4 mM) for 2 minutes. The control group was immersed in distilled water only for 2 minutes. Treated samples were dried with blotting paper and placed in modified atmosphere package and stored at 0 oC and 90±5% relative humidity (RH) conditions for 25 days. After cold storage, dill leaves were kept at 10 oC and 55-60% RH for 2 days to simulate commercial practice (shelf life), and analyzed for same quality parameters performed during cold storage. Weight loss, color, respiration rate, gas composition in package, soluble solids content (SSC) and ascorbic acid content were determined initially and at 5 dayintervals. The dill bunches were also evaluated for visual quality during storage period. According to the results, SA treatment allowed dill leaves to stay green longer than those of control group. 1 mM concentration of SA was the best treatment for prolonging the storage life of dill leaves with keeping the quality.
Restoration strategies for a native perennial: Germination and seedling physiology of Sphaeralcea munroana

The Great Basin region of the western United States has undergone significant disturbance and fragmentation because of overgrazing for livestock production, disruption of the natural fire regimes, and the introduction of non-native species. At present, habitat loss greatly surpasses the rate of system recovery, making restoration integral to ecosystem function and resilience. To date, restoration research and practice have focused largely on keystone plant species, however, to be effective, restoration must include myriad plant forms and guilds. Munro’s globemallow (Sphaeralcea munroana (Douglas) Spach) is a perennial, cool-season forb, endemic to the Great Basin that serves as an important host for native pollinators, provides soil stabilization, and is a source of food for numerous mammals. For these reasons, as well as its ability to tolerate disturbance, temperature extremes, and drought, it is an important candidate for broad scale ecosystem restoration across its native range. Little information regarding seed germination and seedling establishment is available for Munro’s globemallow, and what does exist is synthesized in the first chapter of this thesis. The second chapter is a detailed examination of the seed dormancy mechanisms. The results of 4 experiments identified physical dormancy, which inhibits water imbibition, to be responsible for poor germination. Seed coat scarification is essential for germination and can be achieved through mechanical or boiling water scarification. The third chapter of this thesis describes an experiment conducted to evaluate a suite of morphological and physiological responses of Munro’s globemallow to a range of temperature and moisture conditions during seedling establishment. Results indicate that seedlings are able to tolerate drought and relative high temperature conditions early in their establishment, however, low temperatures substantially limited seedling development; thus, a later sowing date may optimize plant establishment. Overall, nursery production, seed increase projects, and outplanting success of Munro’s globemallow should be improved through the incorporation of the results of this thesis.
Usnea viktoriana (Ascomycota, Parmeliaceae), a new European taxon of the Usnea barbata-dasopoga group, with a key to the shrubby-subpendulous sorediate Usnea species in Europe

Abstract Usnea viktoriana P. Clerc & Otte is described as new. It is characterized by the presence of alectorialic acid as major secondary compound mainly present in the aggregated efflorescent soralia with long isidiofibrils. Usnea parafloridana K. Mark, Will-Wolf & Randlane is synonymized with U. praetervisa (Asahina) P. Clerc. Both U. viktoriana and U. praetervisa are supported by molecular analysis. A key to the shrubby-subpendulous sorediate Usnea species in Europe is provided.
Evapotranspiration, water use efficiency and crop coefficient of three lettuce varieties grown in a tropical region

Three field experiments were carried out in a tropical environment in Brazil in order to evaluate the effect of planting date on crop evapotranspiration (ETc), crop coefficient (Kc) and water use efficiency (WUE) of three lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivars grown in different seasons (autumn, winter and summer) under tropical climate. ETcvalues were obtained through the soil water balance method and reference evapotranspiration (ETo) through the Penman-Monteith method, using data collected in an automatic weather station located close to the experimental area. The results of the research showed that the mean values of ETc and Kc for lettuce were 3.5 mm day-1 and 0.82, respectively. The curly cultivar showed the highest yield (40.8 kg ha-1) during the autumn transplanting date. Results also showed that the three lettuce varieties have different responses to the climatic conditions. The greatest WUE was observed for the three lettuce varieties when they were grown during the autumn growing season, and the lowest values occurred during the winter growing season.