Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Natal territory size, group size, and body mass affect lifetime fitness in the cooperatively breeding Florida Scrub-Jay

ABSTRACT Early rearing conditions can have profound short- and long-term effects on survival and reproduction of vertebrates. In cooperatively breeding birds, where variable social conditions interact with other sources of environmental variation, fitness consequences of the natal environment are of particular interest. We used data from a long-term study of the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) to examine how characteristics of the natal brood, territory, and social group interacted to influence future survival and reproduction. Nestling and juvenile body mass were significant positive predictors of survival from fledging through the first year of life. The area of oak scrub in the natal territory correlated positively with nestling and juvenile body mass and had two long-term consequences: it was positively related to the probability of becoming a breeder and negatively related to age at first breeding, particularly for males. Effects of natal group size were complex and partially dependent on territory size. Although positively associated with nestling mass and postfledging survival, the presence of helpers was negatively related to juvenile body mass, but only in territories with <8 ha of oak scrub, suggesting that helpers become competitors for food as juveniles in small territories reach independence. Although early-life environmental conditions had strong effects on nestling and juvenile body mass, survival to yearling stage, and acquisition of a breeding territory, early conditions were not significant predictors of survival or reproduction once breeding status was obtained. This result suggests that low-quality jays from poor natal environments are winnowed out of the pool of potential breeders by intense intraspecific competition, ultimately leading to low heterogeneity in breeder quality. Our findings help to resolve the long-standing question of why Florida Scrub-Jays defend such unusually large territories for their body size, revealing a key selective advantage for cooperative territorial defense in the evolution of cooperative breeding.
Signals in abscission

Abscission is the term used to describe the process of natural separation of organs from the parent plant. This may be part of the highly programmed development of a plant, or in response to environmental stress. It enables temperate plants to overwinter and hence survive, but in agricultural or horticultural environments premature abscission can lead to significant crop losses. Abscission is the culmination of changes in gene expression, which result in the loosening of adjacent cell walls within the zone and subsequent cell separation. For many years it has been recognized that the balance between the plant hormones ethylene and auxin determine where, and when, separation takes place. As we begin to understand the mechanisms by which plant growth regulator signals are perceived and transduced, we can begin to understand how the process of abscission itself may be induced and regulated. This review details what we know of the signals that lead to the differentiation of zone cells; the environmental signals that promote cell separation, and the possible intracellular signalling events that culminate in organ shedding.
An Examination of Reward Probability as a Mediator of the Relationship between Trauma-Exposed Individuals and Cannabis and Alcohol Use

Trauma-exposure and Posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms are frequently comorbid with problematic cannabis and alcohol use which is high among college students. Emerging research suggests the relationship between trauma and drug and alcohol use is due to the reinforcing effects of substances like alcohol and cannabis. Researchers have looked at behavioral economic theories of reward/reinforcement to see how reward deprivation plays a role in trauma and substance use. Reward deprivation associates with a person’s ability to experience reward and availability of reward in the environment, as measured by the Reward Probability Index scales: Reward Probability and Environmental suppression (RPI; Carvalho et al., 2011). Based on these theories, substance use is connected to deficits in rewards in a substance-free environment. Research has found that low environmental rewards mediate the relationship between trauma and alcohol use problems (Acuff et al., 2018), but to the author’s knowledge, no research has examined whether low environmental rewards mediate the link between trauma and cannabis use. The present cross-sectional study tested the hypothesis that reward deprivation, measured by the RPI, mediates the relationship between trauma/PTS and alcohol/cannabis use in college students directly exposed to trauma. Environmental suppression indirectly accounted for 58% of the relationship between PTS and cannabis use. Reward probability indirectly accounted for 11% of the relationship between trauma exposure and cannabis use. Environmental suppression indirectly accounted for 39% of the relationship between trauma exposure and cannabis use. Thus the RPI scales were able to explain part of the relationship between trauma/PTS and cannabis use. Results provide support for behavioral economic models of addiction and utility of the RPI in addiction research and treatment suggesting access to and the experience of reward may be beneficial in the treatment of trauma and substance use.
Vitamin C and alcohol: a call to action

Vitamin C, an essential water-soluble nutrient that cannot be synthesised by humans, has a role in numerous biological reactions.1 It is necessary for enzymatic reactions and biosynthesis of hormones,2 and protects biomolecules through its antioxidant properties.1 Critical in the biosynthesis of collagen, it is crucial in preserving essential tissue structure and function, without which capillary fragility develops.1 2 While its biological function has been well proven, its therapeutic utility has been well contested over the years. The initial hope of a positive association between vitamin C status and health from several large cohort trials3–5 was quashed by results from large randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that did not find significant positive effects of vitamin C supplementation, when mortality or morbidity were set as endpoints.6–8 A review by Lykkesfeldt and Poulsen9 remarked this to be a result of a non-specific approach to examining the isolated effect of vitamin C, and lamented a lack of subpopulation definition in the trials. However, the subsequent shift in the public’s and health authorities’ interests has left a gaping hole in evidence regarding vitamin C replacement. Chronic alcoholism, on the other hand, remains a significant and widespread public health issue, whereby a recent global study found alcohol to be the seventh leading risk factor for death and disability-adjusted life-years.10 There has been no lack of case reports documenting florid scurvy in chronic alcoholics,11–17 yet the mechanistic links between hypovitaminosis C and chronic alcoholism remain postulations based on research from the early 1980s. Furthermore, replacement regimens and routes remain far from standardised, as evidenced by the varied treatment approaches in these reports (table 1). View this table: Table 1 Case reports on vitamin C deficiency and chronic alcohol intake As such, the present review examines the current and past knowledge on vitamin C …
TeachersPerformance Pay: External Incentives and E¤ort Allocations in Multi-tasking Problem

Recent education policies have proposed replacing the xed wage structure for teachers with merit pay based on studentstest scores to improve teaching quality. One of the key claims of those who oppose the policy is that such incentives might induce teachers to teach only to the test, undermining development of other higher-order learning skills among students. Another claim by opponents is that there might be an e¤ect which is best described as cross task crowding out of intrinsic incentives where nancial incentives on one task diminish intrinsic incentives for engaging in another. To address these issues we study the e¤ects of similar incentives on individual behaviors experimentally where subjects invest in two projects one of which generates more to their personal earnings while the other is more charitable. We also test to determine how adding risk to the incentives and allowing individuals to see the choices of others a¤ects behavior. Our ndings provide support for the claim that teachers might indeed shift towards teaching to the test but we do not nd that evidence of any cross task crowding out of intrinsic incentives among the experimental subjects. We also nd that providing social information does not increase the e¤ort in the charitable dimension and that making the incentive pay risky does not decrease its ability to motivate subjects to provide e¤ort along the individually incentivized dimension. JEL Classi cation: C91; D03; D86; J33 Keywords: multi-tasking, performance pay, group norm, discouragement e¤ect, experiment The authors speci cally thank Danila Serra for providing helpful suggestions and feedback and Jing Li for her assistance during running the experimental sessions. The authors also wish to thank all the seminar participants at Southern Methodist University for useful discussions and comments. This research project was approved by the Institutional Review Board at Southern Methodist University. ySouthern Methodist University, Department of Economics, 3300 Dyer Street, Suite 301, Umphrey Lee Center, Dallas TX 75275 0496: Email: sbanerjee@smu.edu zSouthern Methodist University, Department of Economics, 3300 Dyer Street, Suite 301, Umphrey Lee Center, Dallas TX 75275 0496: Email: tsalmon@smu.edu
APPLICATION OF INTELLIGENT OPTIMIZATION TOOLS IN DETERMINATION AND CONTROL OF DOSING OF FLOCCULENT IN WATER TREATMENT

This research presents an application of some intelligent tools–optimization methods in automated technological systems and processes. Case study is an existing drinking water treatment system. An important segment in the water treatment processes is determination and control of the amount of flocculation dosing. The choice of optimal dosing has a crucial role in the water treatment process both from the aspect of health safety through the consolidation of the coagulated particles and their separation from the water to a satisfactory level after the phase treatment, also from the aspect of economy, overdose– increased costs, and insufficient dosing–disorders the water treatment process. The amount of dosing determined manually through the JAR test. JAR test is a laboratory procedure that simulates a water treatment plant's coagulation/flocculation units with differing chemical doses, mix speeds, and settling times to estimate the minimum or ideal coagulant dose required to achieve certain water quality goals. The second option is using the experience of the operator. But in many cases when we use the two above mentioned options the determination is reactive and delayed. Also a problem that occurs when we determine the optimal amount of dosing flocculent is the nonlinear dependence that exists between some of the variables such as the turbidity of the raw water and the amount of dosing, and the most important of all is the dynamic characteristics of the process. In this paper models for the calculation of dosing, i.e. a program that can be used an additional module in the flocculent dosing system in the case study water treatment capacity is presented. In order to create such models, tools such as linear regression, the hybrid tool of Adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system–ANFIS, as well as the experiential knowledge from operators obtained through verbally qualitative gradation of the values of the observed historical records–measurements derived from the appropriate sensors for turbidity and flow of raw water as input variables, and presented network in subgroups and the amount of dosing of the flocculent as an output variable, are used. The purpose of this combination of the above methods is to set a linear dependence between the mentioned variables.
Impact of the introduced poeciliid Gambusia holbrooki (Girard, 1859) on the growth and reproduction of Pseudomugil signifer (Kner, 1865) in Australia

The impact of the presence of the introduced poeciliid Gambusia holbrooki on the Australian pseudomugilid Pseudomugil signifer was examined in open-air tank experiments. G. holbrooki profoundly affected the breeding of P. signifer. In the presence of G. holbrooki, P. signifer did not gain weight or grow in total length, ovarian weight and fecundity were greatly reduced, and the ovaries were morphologically undeveloped. No eggs of P. signifer were observed in tanks that also housed G. holbrooki. The results indicate that, at least in a captive situation, the presence of the exotic species had a very deleterious effect on the breeding and hence possible survival of the native species. These results are discussed with reference to the conservation of Australian pseudomugilid species, especially those inhabiting confined habitats.
EXPERIENCE OF LORA LOW POWER WIDE AREA NETWORK

Long Range is an Low Power Wide Area Network technology designed for the Internet of Things. It has gained signiﬁcant momentum amongst both industrial and research communities in recent years. Patented by Semtech, Long Range makes use of chirp spread spectrum modulation to deliver data with promises of long battery life, far-reaching communication distances, and a high node density at the cost of data rate. A series of experiments were conducted to verify the claims made by Semtech on Long Range technology. Results show that Long Range is capable of communicating over 10 km under line-of-sight environments. However, under non-line-of-sight environments, Long Range’s performance is severely affected by obstructions such as buildings and vegetations. Moreover, the promise of prolonged battery life requires extreme tuning of parameters. Lastly, a Long Range gateway supports up to 6,000 nodes with Packet Reception Rate requirement of > 70%. This dissertation also explores the relationship between Long Range transmission parameters and proposes an algorithm to determine optimal settings in terms of coverage and power consumption under non-line-of-sight environments. It further investigates the impact of Long Range Wide Area Network on energy consumption and network capacity along with implementation of a LoRa medium access mechanism and possible gains brought forth by implementing such a mechanism.
Study on Improvement of Sub Grade Soil using Soil-Reinforcement Technique

A pavement constructed over a weak subgrade soil needs greater crust thickness due to low sub grade strength and such pavements which are laid directly on the weak clayey soils also fail early due to a non-uniform settlement resulting from the volume changes of the weak sub grade soil in the presence of moisture. Using geogrid a geo-synthetic material as reinforcement in the soil is also another technique for improving the sub grade strength. The choice of stabilizer depends on the type of sub grade soil, type of soil improvement required and accessibility of stabilizer. Improvement in the strength characteristics of the sub grade soil was evaluated using the CBR test. In the present study, use of geogrid at the different position of the CBR mould did not show good improvements in the strength of the black cotton soil. This may be due to lack of friction between the geogrid material placed and the black cotton soil. In case of the Sandy gravel soil, the CBR strength increased in the range of 6.8% to 10.2%, which is comparatively a better improvement compared to the strength gain in the Black cotton soil. This is because of good friction between the geogrid material and the sandy gravel soil.
Complexity and stability: another look at MacArthur's original hypothesis

Stuart L. Pimm Pimm, S. L. 1979. Complexity and stability: another look at MacArthur's original hypothesis. - Oikos 33: 351-357. Most species persist at fairly constant levels despite perturbations from a variety of abiotic and biotic factors that may affect their numbers. To model this persistence, most studies impose the constraint that species densities, when slightly perturbed from equilibrium, will return to that equilibrium. This is the condition of local sta- bility. This paper examines a different condition involving a more severe perturbation. I define a system to be species deletion stable if, when a species is removed from system, all the remaining species remain at a stable equilibrium involving only posi- tive densities. Species in the real world might be deleted through emigration, disease, or the effects of a predator - including man. The condition of species deletion stability seems closer to the concept of 'stability' used by MacArthur. He argued that increased model complexity should lead to greater resistance to perturbation but this idea has generally not been supported by studies on local stability. This paper shows that increasing model complexity does not result in increased species deletion stability. Indeed, species deletion stability varies widely with slight changes in model structure and the characteristics of the species deleted. Species deletion stable models do not differ in any recognizable structural properties from models that are sensitive to species deletion. I conclude that natural ecosystems have not been significantly modified in their structures to maximize their resistance to species deletion. This is in contrast to the condition of local stability. Locally stable models, differ in many structural properties from those that are unstable. Analyses of the structure of real food webs shows that these possess the structures that lead to local stability. S. L. Pimm, Dept of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock, TX 79409, USA. Accepted 11 January 1979
Schwann cell reprogramming into repair cells increases exosome-loaded miRNA-21 promoting axonal growth.

Functional recovery after peripheral nerve damage is dependent on the reprogramming of differentiated Schwann cells (dSC) into repair Schwann cell (rSC), which promotes axonal regeneration and tissue homeostasis. Transition into a repair phenotype requires expression of c-Jun and Sox2, which transcriptionally mediates inhibition of the dSC program of myelination and activate a non-cell autonomous repair program, characterized by the secretion of neuronal survival and regenerative molecules, formation of a cellular scaffold to guide regenerating axons, and activation of an innate immune response. Also, rSC release exosomes that are internalized by peripheral neurons, promoting axonal regeneration. Here, we demonstrate that SC reprogramming is accompanied by a shift in the capacity of their secreted exosomes to promote neurite growth, which is dependent on the rSC expression of c-Jun and Sox2. Furthermore, increased expression of miRNA-21 is responsible for the pro-regenerative capacity of rSC exosomes, which is associated to PTEN downregulation and PI3-kinase activation in neurons. We propose that modification of exosomal cargo constitutes another important feature of the repair program of SC, contributing to axonal regeneration and functional recovery after nerve injury.
Determinants of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV Among Infants Born from HIV Positive Women in North Wollo Zone, North East Ethiopia: 2018, Case Control Study

Methods: Unmatched case-control study was conducted using record review of DNA PCR HIV virology test and confirmatory test results determined during follow up in selected health facilities of North wollo zone, Amhara, North east Ethiopia. The data collection period was from March 03, 2018 – April 25, 2018. A case was defined as a child who tested HIV positive by DNA PCR or rapid antibody test born to a mother who had been on PMTCT program. A control was an HIV negative child born to a mother who had been on PMTCT program. Total of 415 charts of HIV-exposed infant – mother pairs (83 cases and 332 controls) from each of the health facilities were included using stratified random sampling method and proportional allocation. Descriptive statistics, bi-variate and multivariable logistic regression analysis were performed to identify determinants. P value <0.05 and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was considered for statistical significance.
Biocomposites from Polypropylene and Corn Cob: Effect Maleic Anhydride Polypropylene

The rising concern toward environmental issue, the need for more versatile polymer based materials has led to increasing interest about polymer biocomposites filled with natural organic filler from renewable and biodegradable. Biocomposites from polypropylene (PP) and corn cob (CC) were investigated. The effect corn cob content and maleic anhydride polypropylene (MAPP) as compatibilizer were studied. Results showed that addition corn cob (CC) in PP have decreased the tensile strength and elongation at break, whereas modulus of elasticity of biocomposites increased. The biocomposites with the MAPP as compatibilizer exhibited higher tensile strength and modulus of elasticity compared biocomposites without MAPP. The morphology study of biocomposites indicates that enhanced the interfacial interaction and adhesion between filler and matrix with the presence of MAPP.
Thermo-economic analysis and optimization of cogeneration systems by considering economic parameters fluctuations

A successful cogeneration system design project needs an estimation of the economical parameters of the project, including capital investment, costs of fuel, expenses in maintenance and operating, and the proper cost for the products. This study describes the economic consideration of the benchmark cogeneration systems, called CGAM system located in the United States. To evaluate the profitability of alternative investments, cost estimation of the capital investment, calculation of the main product cost under the realistic assumption of fuel inflation, electricity inflation, and discount rate are required. Probabilistic analysis of lifetime discounted costs, including fuel and electricity cost changes, are defined by using the Monte-Carlo method for the next 20 years. Also, the total Revenue Requirement (TRR) method is selected as the main evaluation method for the economic model. As the result of calculations, the range of optimized value for inlet and outlet temperature of the combustion chamber, the efficiency of the gas turbine, efficiency and pressure ratio of air compressor in which the plant is economically and functionally in the best operation for the minimum cost of products of the cycle are achieved.
Interaction Between Patch Loading, Bending, and Shear in Steel Girder Bridges Erected with the Incremental Launching Method

In the incremental launching method (ILM), a bridge structure is assembled behind one of the end supports and moved longitudinally, passing by intermediate piers until it reaches the other end support. As the structure moves forward, the cantilever length increases until the launching nose reaches the next pier or abutment. In this process, at the cantilever support, the steel girders are subject to a combination of stresses due to the reaction force (or patch loading), major-axis bending