Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nesting activity and demography of an isolated population of malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata)

Nesting activity of a population of malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata), isolated within a small mallee remnant in central New South Wales, was monitored annually between the summers of 1986–87 and 1998–99. A total of 148 nesting events was recorded. Only once was a new mound constructed rather than an old one reworked. Birds began and finished work on the mound progressively later each month (October to January). Nest-site fidelity was highly variable; some pairs persisted with the same mound for up to nine years while others relocated between a cluster of two, three or four mounds. Males displayed greater nest-site fidelity than females. After the loss of a partner, males tended to continue to use mounds they had used previously whereas females often relocated to a new mound. All individuals were monogamous. Pair bonds were maintained for life but, following the death of a partner, new bonds were quickly established with another unattached individual. Established pairs occasionally failed to breed, all such failures being coincident with years of low rainfall. Pairs that did not breed generally began construction of a nest but failed to complete the task. As far as can be ascertained, unpaired birds did not construct nests. The malleefowl population was characterised by a rapid turnover of breeding individuals, a high rate of adult mortality and a lesser rate of recruitment. The maximum longevity recorded for breeding adults was 12 years; average longevity was 7.5 years. Twenty-five adults were lost from the breeding population over a period of 9 years; meanwhile, 14 birds entered the breeding population. Thus, the ratio of adult mortality to recruitment was 1.79 : 1.00. Between 1986–87 and 1997–98 the population declined from at least 32 breeding adults to 14, at an average exponential rate of decrease of 0.075. Large population decreases were coincident with years of low rainfall. This population of malleefowl is predicted to become extinct by 2008.
Wnt Signaling, Stem Cells, and Cancer

Th e Wnt proteins comprise a large family of highly conserved growth factors that are responsible for important developmental and homeostatic processes throughout the animal kingdom. Th eir implication in a wide array of developmental events and human diseases, including human cancer [1], has made Wnts and their signaling pathways the subject of intense investigation over the last two decades [2]. Th is has never been truer than in the past few years, when the association of Wnt signaling with stem cell fate has added fuel to an already active fi eld [3]. Th rough biochemical, genetic, and genomic approaches, our knowledge of Wnt proteins, their production and signaling properties, and their evolutionary history has expanded rapidly. Membership in the Wnt family is defi ned by amino acid sequence rather than functional properties. It is therefore not too surprising that Wnts have been associated with a number of diff erent activities and downstream signaling pathways.
Shade avoidance syndrome in Picea omorika seedlings: a growth‐room experiment

The adaptiveness of shade avoidance responses to density was studied in Picea omorika seedlings raised in a growth‐room. Siblings of a synthetic population comprising 117 families from six natural populations were exposed to contrasting density conditions in order to score variation in phenotypic expression of several epicotyl and bud traits included in the shade avoidance syndrome. As predicted for the adaptive plasticity to foliage shade, epicotyl elongation traits tended toward higher, while axillary bud traits toward lower values in high‐density vs. low‐density conditions. Phenotypic selection analysis revealed that the elongated plants had greater relative fitness than the suppressed ones in both density treatments which could be ascribed to the effect of direct selection on epicotyl length. There was no evidence for plasticity costs associated with the expression of the shade avoidance phenotype either under low or under high density, with only a single exception. Estimates of variance component genetic correlations across densities were significantly different from unity for the majority of the seedling traits studied, indicating the existence of heritable variation within reaction norms of these traits. However, since all these correlations were positive in sign and large in magnitude, this conclusively means that the level of the additive genetic variation for plasticity in the shade‐avoidance traits of P. omorika is rather low.
Pathological and immunological effects of sublethal experimental ochratoxicosis in broiler chickens

Twelve newly hatched broiler chicks were divided into two groups (Control-6 Nos. and 100 ppb ochratoxin A (OA) fed-6 birds) and maintained up to 28 days. On 28th day, all the birds were sacrificed. Cell mediated and humoral immunity was assessed by lymphocyte stimulation index and Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) respectively. Significant (P<0.05) decrease in the lymphocyte stimulation index and the antibody titres against IBV was observed in the OA fed group compared to the control group. Grossly, mild enlargement and paleness were observed in the liver and kidneys of the OA fed chicks. Histopathologically, in the OA fed birds major changes observed were mild vacuolar degeneration of hepatocytes, microgranuloma formation, biliary hyperplasia and periportal fibrosis in liver; congestion, tubular epithelial cell degeneration and necrosis in kidneys; mucosal hyperplasia in the crop; mucosal hyperplasia and glandular necrosis in the proventriculus; defective koilin formation, mononuclear cell infiltration and periglandular fibrosis in the gizzard; fusion and broadening of villi in the intestine; congestion, mild lymphoid cell depletion, reticular cell hyperplasia and lymphoid cell necrosis in the spleen, thinning of cortex, lymphoid cell depletion and lymphocytolysis in the bursa of Fabricius and congestion and mild lymphoid depletion in the thymus. Lymphoid organs showed presence of apoptotic bodies which indicated immunosuppressive effect of OA, evidenced by reduction in humoral and cell mediated immunity.
Lifestyle modification and hypertension: prescription patterns of Nigerian general practitioners

Introduction Implementation of lifestyle modification (LM), a cornerstone of hypertension control has been reported to be more challenging than pharmacotherapy. We studied the LM prescription patterns of general medical practitioners (GPs) in Lagos, Nigeria for blood pressure control. Methods GPs were assessed using anonymous self-administered questionnaire on the prescription of salt restriction, weight management, cessation of tobacco use, physical exercise, and consumption of DASH-like diet for blood pressure control. Chi-square, Fisher's exact and Student t-test were used to test for differences as appropriate. Logistic regression model was constructed to identify the determinants of adequate LM prescription. Results A total of 213 GPs (38% females) participated in the survey. LM prescription was over 90% for the following: salt restriction (96.7%), tobacco cessation (94.8%), weight management (94.4%). The remaining were 81.2% and 75.1% for healthy diet and physical activity respectively. The median LM prescription score (of the GPs) was 18.0 [15.0-50.0]. The single significant predictor of adequate LM prescription was total patient load of the GPs (AOR:0.98, 95% CI: 0.97-0.99, p=0.006). Eleven (5.2%), 190 (89.2%), and 12 (5.6%) GPs initiated LM prescription at blood pressure values >140/90mmHg, =140/90mmHg and <140/90mmHg respectively. LM initiation at BP <140/90mmHg was associated with female gender, shorter work experience, working in tertiary care facility and ignorance about hypertension prevention (p<0.05). Conclusion LM is widely prescribed for the treatment of hypertension, but rarely prescribed for its prevention in Nigeria. Interventions to reduce physician's patient load may engender improved LM prescription.
Fungicide efficacy trials for the control of powdery mildew (Podosphaera cerasi) on sweet cherry trees (Prunus avium)

ABSTRACT Powdery mildew is a detrimental foliar disease of sweet cherry trees. The disease is predominantly managed by spraying synthetic fungicides throughout the growing season. The emergence of resistant powdery mildew populations, to some commonly used synthetic fungicides, highlights the need for research into alternative control methods. Between 2012 and 2015, the efficacy of two different biofungicides (Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus pumilus) and electrolysed oxidised (EO) water were evaluated to determine if they could be a viable replacement for four commonly used synthetic fungicides (fluopyram/trifloxystrobin, triflumizole, quinoxyfen and myclobutanil) in a greenhouse, nursery and commercial orchard. Electrolysed oxidised water and fluopyram/trifloxystrobin significantly lowered disease severity and incidence in all of the locations tested, however, biweekly applications of EO water had little effect on the fungus and weekly applications were phytotoxic in the nursery and greenhouse. Before EO water is implemented into integrated pest management programmes, the optimal spray frequency needs to be evaluated to eliminate its phytotoxic effects. The biofungicides evaluated in this study had minimal effects on powdery mildew severity and incidence and should not be recommended for control on sweet cherry trees. Currently, synthetic fungicides are the best method for the control of powdery mildew as fluopyram/trifloxystrobin was the only fungicide that was successful in lowering disease incidence and severity over the duration of the powdery mildew epidemic in both the nursery and greenhouse. Future research should evaluate integrated pest management strategies, including additional biofungicides, that could supplement and reduce synthetic fungicide applications.
Predicting Postsecondary Enrollment With Secondary Student Engagement Data

As the economic landscape changes, a college degree has become increasingly necessary for securing employment in an information-based society. Student engagement is an important factor in predicting and preventing high school dropout, and improving student outcomes. Although the relationship between secondary school engagement and high school completion is well supported in existing research, the relationship between secondary school engagement and postsecondary enrollment and persistence is unclear. In this study, we examined whether students’ engagement in high school predicts postsecondary matriculation and persistence in the first year after accounting for demographic and school-level variables. Results indicated secondary student engagement does predict postsecondary enrollment and persistence beyond academic and behavioral variables. Consistent with research among secondary students, the Future Goals and Aspirations Scale of the Student Engagement Instrument was the strongest engagement predictor. Results have implications for early warning systems and college retention efforts.
A Budget-Based Turbulence Length Scale Diagnostic

<p>The most frequently used boundary-layer turbulence parameterization in numerical weather prediction (NWP) models are turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) based schemes. However, these parameterizations suffer from a potential weakness, namely the strong dependence on an ad-hoc quantity, the so-called turbulence length scale. The physical interpretation of the turbulence length scale is difficult and hence it cannot be directly related to measurements or large eddy simulation (LES) data. Consequently, formulations for the turbulence length scale in basically all TKE schemes are based on simplified assumptions and are model-dependent. A good reference for the independent evaluation of the turbulence length scale expression for NWP modeling is missing. We propose a new turbulence length scale diagnostic which can be used in the gray zone of turbulence without modifying the &#160;underlying TKE turbulence scheme. The new diagnostic is based on the TKE budget: The core idea is to encapsulate the sum of the molecular dissipation &#160;and the cross-scale TKE transfer into an effective dissipation, and associate it with the new turbulence length scale. This effective dissipation can then be calculated as a residuum in the TKE budget equation (for horizontal sub-domains of different sizes) using LES data. Estimation of the scale dependence of the diagnosed turbulence length scale using this novel method is presented for several idealized cases. </p>
A test of oscillation in the human secondary sex ratio

Abstract Background and objectives The sex ratio of human birth cohorts predicts the health and longevity of their members. Most literature invokes natural selection in support of the argument that heritable tendencies to produce male or female offspring induce oscillation in the sex ratio and its sequelae. Tests of the argument remain exceedingly rare because they require vital statistics describing many generations of a population both unaffected by migration and exposed to an exogenous stressor virulent enough to change the sex ratio at birth. We contribute to the literature by using time-series modeling to detect oscillation in the best data currently available for such a test. Methodology We apply rigorous time-series methods to data describing Sweden from 1751 through 1830, a period when the population not only aged in place without migration, but also exhibited the effects of an Icelandic volcanic eruption including a historically low secondary sex ratio. That very low sex ratio should have induced oscillation if heritable mechanisms appear in humans. Results We detected oscillation in the ratio but not that predicted by heritable tendencies to produce males or females. We found peak-to-trough oscillation at 14 rather than the approximately 32 years expected from the heritable tendencies argument. Conclusions and implications Our findings suggest that mechanisms other than perturbation of heritable tendencies to produce males or females induce oscillation in the human secondary sex ratio. These other mechanisms may include reproductive suppression and selection in utero. LAY SUMMARY The male to female ratio in human birth cohorts predicts longevity but its variation over time remains unexplained. We test the long-held theory that the ratio oscillates due to heritable tendencies to produce males or females. We find oscillation, but it appears due to social processes rather than heritable mechanisms.
Factors affecting invasion and persistence of broom Cytisus scoparius in Australia

Summary 1 The effective management of invasive plants requires an understanding of their invasiveness in contrasting environments. The effects of disturbance on recruitment of broom Cytisus scoparius , a European shrub invading parts of Australasia, was assessed in a 7-year experiment carried out in two countries, respectively, in its native and exotic ranges. This paper presents the results for Australia and their implications for the biological control of this weed. 2 Disturbance treatments involved removal (cut or cut plus cultivation) and grazing effects on broom seed banks and recruitment, in mature and immature stands and in three habitats, ranging from improved, largely exotic pasture to unimproved native grassland. 3 The time between recruitment and flowering varied between 5 and 7 years depending on habitat, the slowest being in native unimproved grassland. In cultivated plots, regeneration was faster in immature compared with mature broom stands. 4 Following broom removal, whether the ground was cultivated or not had little effect on the speed of regeneration, indicating weak suppression from the ground flora in uncultivated plots. In contrast, grazing tended to increase the rate of regeneration. 5 The timing of seedling establishment had little effect on survival to reproduction, in marked contrast to European populations. The overall rates of seedling mortality were greater in Australia compared with Europe. 6 A simulation model, parameterized from the field data, was used to explore the likely impact of biological control from pre-dispersal seed predation. 7 The simulation studies demonstrated large habitat-specific differences in seed rain requirement for broom persistence and the potential impact of seed predators. Seed rain requirements were fivefold less in improved exotic pasture vs. native grassland. Seed loss of 62% was theoretically sufficient to suppress broom in native grassland, whereas > 97% was required in exotic pasture. 8 This study suggests that successful broom control in Australia is likely to be site dependent, because while broom seed has greater opportunities for recruitment in Australia than in Europe, immature plant mortality can be very high, particularly in native grassland.
Isotopic evidence for dietary flexibility among European Late Pleistocene cave bears (Ursus spelaeus)

The proposed dietary pattern of extinct Late Pleistocene cave bears (Ursus spelaeus Rosenmuller, 1794) has become controversial, as some authors have suggested that they were strictly vegetarian, whereas others maintain they were omnivores that at times ate large amounts of animal protein. We evaluated these alternatives by compiling stable isotope data of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) from the bone collagen of adult European cave bears from the Late Pleistocene (Marine Isotopic Stage 3). The data include previously published analyses and additional data from the southeastern European (Carpathian) sites of Cioclovina, Muierii, Oase, and Ursilor. The cave bear isotopic values from bone collagen were compared with those from hair keratin occurring in grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis Ord, 1815) collected from 1989 to 2009 in the western United States (Yellowstone National Park). The Yellowstone bears have access to a wide diversity of plants and animals, such that their diets can range from vegetar.
Insects on trees : population and individual response to fertilization

We review the literature dealing with the effect of soil fertilization on phytophagous insects and mites on trees. Most published studies focus on nitrogen fertilization. The results of different experiments are often contradictory. In this review we attempt to facilitate the interpretation of the experimental results by distinguishing between direct effects on insect individuals and population level effects, and by grouping insects according to their feeding mode. By making these distinctions it is possible to explain at least some of the ostensibly contradictory results, such as where a fertilization-induced improvement in food quality from an individual point of view does not positively affect population growth. Enhanced nitrogen availability usually benefits individual herbivores by improving the nutritional quality of the host plant. However, except for aphids where a positive response to nitrogen fertilization is usually found, the effects of nitrogen fertilization on insects at the population level are often nonsignificant or even negative. The reason for this might be that fertilization also affects higher trophic levels in the ecosystem, i.e. predators and parasitoids, which control herbivore populations, and the effects mediated by community structure override the effects mediated by the improved quality of the host tree.
Linking Leaders’ Voluntary Workplace Green Behavior and Team Green Innovation: The Mediation Role of Team Green Efficacy

Given the increasing significance of green innovation, scholars have identified environment-oriented leader behavior as a key antecedent of green innovation in firms. However, despite the fact that previous studies highlight all kinds of benefits of environment-oriented leaders’ voluntary workplace green behavior (VWGB) in and for firms, little is known about how these leaders’ VWGB could affect a firm team’s green product innovation as well as their process innovation. To narrow this research gap, this study theorizes and tests the effect of leaders’ VWGB on their team’s green innovation, as well as the mediation effect of team green efficacy belief on this relationship. Using a time-lagged research design, we collected data from 497 employees and 80 leaders in Chinese manufacturing firms. The results show that leaders’ VWGB directly affects both their team’s green product and process innovation, and facilitates the development of team green efficacy, which in turn stimulates team green innovation. This present study extends the multilevel phenomena by reinforcing the importance of leaders’ VWGB and team green efficacy on team-level green innovation, and provides practical implications on developing leadership for environmentally sustainable innovation.
How Does the COVID-19 Outbreak Affect People’s Expectation about the Macroeconomy?

We conduct an incentivized online experiment to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on people’s expectation about the macroeconomy including economic growth rate, inflation rate, house price, and personal consumption, saving, and investment. We elicit subject’s risk attitudes, ambiguity attitudes, time preference, and investigate their correlations with expectations about the macroeconomy. We find that ambiguity averse subjects are more likely to hold the belief that COVID-19 will lower the economic growth rate. Expectation on inflation is positively correlated with expected money supply growth. Ambiguity averse subjects are more likely to reduce their consumption and save more due to the COVID-19 outbreak. We document heterogeneity in expectations following the outbreak. We propose a simple model to account for how the outbreak affects expectation of economic growth through the channel of ambiguity aversion. Implications for monetary policy are discussed.
In Vitro Antibacterial, Antimutagenic and Anti-Influenza Virus Activity of Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Esters

We assayed in vitro the biological activities of caffeic acid phenethyl esters that had been enzymatically synthesized from 5-chlorogenic acid and phenethyl alcohol. Caffeic acid phenethyl esters showed antioxidant and hyaluronidase-inhibitory activities similar to those of chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid, and markedly higher antibacterial, antimutagenic, and antiviral activities than chlorogenic acid. The antimicrobial activities of caffeic acid phenylethyl esters against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtiiis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MIC; 0.22-0.44, 0.44-0.88, and 0.44-0.88 mM, respectively) were higher than those of 5-chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. 2-caffeic acid phenylethyl ester showed potent antimutagenic activity against quinoline compounds, aromatic amines, and heterocyclic compounds. In addition, 2-caffeic acid phenylethyl ester at concentrations of less than 35 μM promoted the proliferation of normal human pulmonary fibroblasts (WI-38 cells) in culture, but inhibited the proliferation of virus-transformed fibroblasts (WI-38 VA cells; IC50 of 60 μM). 1-and 2-Caffeic acid phenylethyl esters at a concentration of 8.8 μM inhibited the growth of type A influenza virus by 95% and 96%, respectively, and that of type B influenza virus by 92% and 94%, respectively. These results indicate that caffeic acid phenylethyl esters have higher antimutagenic and anti-influenza virus activities than chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid.