Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Habitat Occupancy and Detection of the Pacific Sheath-Tailed Bat (Emballonura semicaudata) on Aguiguan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Occupancy analysis was used to quantify Pacific sheath-tailed bat (Emballonura semicaudata) foraging activity and its relationship to forest structure and proximity to cave roosts on Aguiguan Island in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Bat occurrence was most closely associated with canopy cover, vegetation stature and distance to known roosts. The metrics generated by this study can serve as a quantitative baseline for future assessments of the status of this endangered species following changes in habitat due to management activities (e.g., feral goat control) or other factors (e.g., typhoon impacts). Additionally, we provide quantitative descriptions of the echolocation calls of E. semicaudata. Search-phase calls were characterized by a relatively narrow bandwidth and short pulse duration typical of insectivores that forage within vegetative clutter. Two distinctly characteristic frequencies were recorded: 30.97 ± 1.08 kHz and 63.15 ± 2.20 kHz
Miocene Evolution of North Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature

We reconstruct sea surface temperatures (SSTs) at Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 608 (42.836°N, 23.087°), north of the Azores Front, and Ocean Drilling Program Site 982 (57.516°N, 15.866°), under the North Atlantic Current, in order to track Miocene (23.1–5.3 Ma) development of North Atlantic surface waters. Mean annual SSTs from TEX86 and UK′37 proxy estimates at both sites were 10–15 °C higher than modern through the Miocene Climatic Optimum (17–14.5 Ma). During the global cooling of the Middle Miocene Climate Transition (~14.5–12.5 Ma), SSTs at midlatitude Site 608 cooled by ~6 °C, whereas high‐latitude Site 982 cooled by only ~2 °C, resulting in an ~4 Myr collapse of the SST gradient between the two sites. This regional pattern is inconsistent with an increased latitudinal surface temperature gradient, as generally associated with global cooling episodes linked to decreasing pCO2 levels. Instead, the pattern is best explained by enhanced ocean heat transport into the high‐latitude North Atlantic superimposed on the global cooling trend, probably due to enhanced Atlantic meridional overturning circulation and/or a stronger North Atlantic Current. During global late Miocene cooling (~8–7 Ma), surface waters cooled by ~6 °C at Site 982 while minimal change occurred at Site 608, reestablishing the North Atlantic SST gradient. The collapse and reemergence of the SST gradient between the middle‐ and high‐latitude North Atlantic suggests that interaction between changes in regional ocean circulation and the global response to changes in greenhouse gas concentration was important in Miocene climate evolution.
Contextual Analysis of Models of Group Selection, Soft Selection, Hard Selection, and the Evolution of Altruism

Contextual analysis is used to examine models of group, hard, and soft selection and the evolution of altruism. We extend the methodology for measuring phenotypic selection to multiple levels in structured populations by analyzing selection acting on a trait at the individual level and its mean at the group level. With contextual analysis, we partition phenotypic selection into group and individual components using partial regressions These analyses identify the level(s) at which selection is acting and distinguish indirect from direct selection acting at other levels Contextual analysis of group selection in the absence of individual selection indicates that indirect selection is acting on individuals Under soft selection, though all groups have the same relative fitness, contextual analysis detects equal and opposite levels of group and individual selection resulting from frequency-dependent selection acting within groups. Under hard selection, groups vary in relative fitness, but there is no group selection Instead, indirect selection acts on the group mean phenotype. Thus, contextual analysis reveals that group, kin, frequency-dependent, and soft selection are related phenomena. Finally, we rederive Hamilton's rule for the evolution of altruism and determine when group selection is expected to be more powerful than individual selection
Antioxidant Capacities and Acetylcholinesterase-inhibitory Activity of Hoppea fastigiata

Antioxidant capacities of solvent extracts of Hoppea fastigiata were studied by analyzing free radical scavenging activities 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2’-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline)-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS), and ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP). The ethanolic extract showed a comparatively higher amount of total phenolics, free radical scavenging activities DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP. Qualitative antioxidant activity of ethanolic extract was tested by DNA nicking assay. The ethanolic extract showed significant acetylcholinesterase (AChE)-inhibitory activity with the IC50 value of 1.1 mg dry weight mL−1.
Religious Overclaiming and Support for Religious Aggression

Agentic self-enhancement consists of self-protective and self-advancing tendencies that can lead to aggression, especially when challenged. Because self-enhancers often endorse aggression to defend or enhance the self-concept, religious self-enhancement should lead to endorsing aggression to defend or enhance one’s religion. We recruited three samples (N = 969) from Mechanical Turk (n = 409), Iran (n = 351), and the U.S.–Mexico border region (n = 209). We found that religious (but not secular) self-enhancement in the form of religious overclaiming predicted support for, and willingness to engage in, religious aggression. In contrast, accuracy in religious knowledge had mostly negative associations with aggression-relevant outcomes. These results emerged across two separate religions (Christianity and Islam) and across three different cultures (the United States, Iran, and the U.S.–Mexico border region). Thus, religious overclaiming is a promising new direction for studying support for religious aggression and identifying those who may become aggressive in the name of God.
Network dilution and asymmetry in an efficient brain

ABSTRACT The ultimate goal of neuroscience is to ultimately understand how the brain functions. The advancement of brain imaging shows us how the brain continuously alternates complex activity patterns and experimentally reveals how these patterns are responsible for memory, association, reasoning, and countless other tasks. Two fundamental parameters, dilution (the number of connections per node), and symmetry (the number of bidirectional connections of the same weight) characterise two fundamental features underlying the networks that connect the single neurons in the brain and generate these patterns. Mammalian brains show large variations of dilution, and mostly asymmetric connectivity, unfortunately the advantages which drove evolution to these state of network dilution and asymmetry are still unknown. Here, we studied the effects of symmetry and dilution on a discrete-time recurrent neural network with McCulloch–Pitts neurons. We use an exhaustive approach, in which we probe all possible inputs for several randomly connected neuron networks with different degrees of dilution and symmetry. We find an optimum value for the synaptic dilution and symmetry, which turns out to be in striking quantitative agreement with what previous researchers have found in the brain cortex, neocortex and hippocampus. The diluted asymmetric brain shows high memory capacity and pattern recognition speed, but most of all it is the less energy-consumptive with respect to fully connected and symmetric network topologies.
Analysis and Evaluation of the Regional Characteristics of Carbon Emission Efficiency for China

To promote economic and social development with reduced carbon dioxide emissions, the key lies in determining how to improve carbon emission efficiency (CEE). We first measured the CEE of each province by using the input-oriented three-stage Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and DEA-Malmquist model for the panel data of 30 provinces in China during 2000–2017. Then we explored the CEE differences and characteristics of different regions obtained by using hierarchical clustering of each province’s CEE. Finally, based on the regression model, we conducted an empirical analysis of the impact of each factor of total factor productivity (TFP) on CEE. The main findings of this research are as follows: (1) The industrial structure, energy structure, government regulation, technological innovation, and openness had a significant impact on CEE; (2) The variation trends of CEE and TFP in the eight regions we studied were convergent, while the variations of CEE among regions were diverse and all distributed stably in different ranges; (3) The eight regions’ efficiency basically showed a downward trend of eastern, central and western China; (4) Technological regression was the main reason for the decline in TFP. Technological progress and technological efficiency can contribute to an improvement in CEE. Based on the findings above, we provide decision-making references for comprehensively improving the efficiency of various regions and accelerating China’s energy conservation, emissions reduction, and coordinated development.
Identification of Enzymes and Their Inhibition in Ash Gourd—An Approach to Extend Shelf Life

Ash gourd (Benincasa hispida Cogn.) is a vegetable used in the Asian subcontinent, and believed to have medicinal value. Cut ash gourd pieces undergo severe decay within 3 days probably due to the enzymes xylanase, pectinase, amylase, and cellulase, which break the cell wall polysaccharides. Ash gourd pieces were screened for these enzymes. Though amylase and cellulase were absent, xylanase and pectinase were present. The enzymes were characterized for temperature and pH optimum, kinetic constants, and various inhibitors. The optimum temperature and pH for xylanase and pectinase were 50 and 60°C, and pH 5.0 and 4.0, respectively. One millimole of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) with 10 mM NaCl mix completely inhibited xylanase and pectinase. Pretreatment using a combination of 1 mM EDTA and 10 mM CaCl2 is recommended as a first step in preservation of cut ash gourd.
Florística e estrutura do componente epifítico vascular em floresta ombrófila mista aluvial do rio Barigüi, Paraná, Brasil

Structure and floristic composition of the vascular epiphyte component of a subtropical ombrophilous alluvial forest located along the Barigui river, Southern Brazil (25o34' S and 49o20' W) is described. The qualitative survey was carried out in an8.6 ha area while the quantitative survey was done on 110 assorted trees. The surveyed trees were divided into tree strata (low trunk, high trunk and canopy). In each stratum, scores were given (one to three) for all of the occurring epiphytic species according to its abundance. We listed 49 vascular epiphytic species (16 Pteridophyta, 23 Liliopsida and 10 Magnoliopsida) from 28 genera spread into 12 families, however only 34 species were found for the quantitative survey. The richest families were Orchidaceae, Polypodiaceae and Bromeliaceae, while Pleurothallis, Tillandsia and Oncidium made up the richest genera. Areas presenting the closest floristic similarity with this survey are located in the Curitiba County, state of Parana, Brasil. For the quantitative survey, Microgramma squamulosa (Kaulf.) de la Sota, Pleopeltis angusta Humb. & Bonpl. ex Kunth, Peperomia catharinae Miq.and Polypodium hirsutissimum Raddi were the most important species. The number of species found for single host-trees ranged from zero to 13 while scores for abundance (VA) ranged from zero to 24. The canopy presented the highest abundance with a VA equal to 622 (high trunk = 308 and low trunk = 110).
Experimental analysis of the effect of genital morphology on insemination success in the ground beetle Carabus insulicola (Coleoptera Carabidae)

The hypothesis that the elaborated genitalia of male insects serve to improve insemination success were tested using the ground beetle Carabus insulicola. To enhance variation in genital size, the genital hooks of experimental males were cut, and these males were then mated with virgin females. Logistic regression showed that the length of the male genital hook affected insemination success. Males with a shorter genital hook tended not to deposit spermatophores at the proper site, and failed to transfer sperm into the spermatheca. Therefore, the male genital hook serves to increase insemination success by depositing a spermatophore at the site where sperm are likely to be transferred. The duration of copulation and post-copulatory guarding may also be explained by these determinants. Stepwise regressions indicated that the occurrence of ejaculation, and the location of the spermatophore determined the duration of copulation and post-copulatory guarding, respectively.
Nitrogen use Rationalization and Boosting Wheat Productivity by Applying Packages ‎of Humic, Amino Acids, and Microorganisms

ABSTRACT Integrated management of soil organic matter and nutritional status of crop plants is essential to sustain the production of organic farming systems. Thus, a 2–year field experiment was conducted to examine the effects of soil additions (192 kg N ha–1, humic+192 kg N ha–1, humic+144 kg N ha–1 and humic+96 kg N ha–1) and foliar applications (amino acids, Azotobacter+yeast, and amino acids plus Azotobacter+yeast) as various fertilizer resources on growth and yield of wheat. Results showed that humic+192 kg N ha–1 × amino acids plus Azotobacter+yeast were the effective combination for producing the highest values of flag leaf area, total dry weight, tiller number m–2, spike weight m–2, and grain yield ha–1. Under foliar application of amino acids plus Azotobacter+yeast, reducing N supply from recommended rate (192 kg N ha–1) to 144 kg N ha–1+ humic achieved higher values of all yield traits, with a saving of 25% of applied mineral nitrogen as well as enhancing nitrogen use efficiency.
Experiences of Students with Disabilities in Inaccessible Built Environments: A Case Study of a Student with Mobility Impairment in a University in Ghana

Using the intrinsic case study approach, this study sought to find out the experiences of a female student with rare mobility challenges and how her specific needs were being met in a university in Ghana. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities stipulates that lack of the provision of reasonable accommodation is discriminatory. However, not much is known on this issue in the higher education setting in Africa regarding accessibility in the built environment. The study aimed to help fill this gap. It involved the use of semi-structured interviews in 2015 and 2016. Content analysis was used for the data. The study concluded that where there were unique accessibility challenges, it was inappropriate to leave the specific needs of a student with disability to the discretion of individuals. It recommends attitudinal change and institutionalising reasonable accommodation in the university.
The Study of the State of the World Ocean Areas Based on Modern Technologies for Processing and Analysing Data

This paper is devoted to the processing of hydrophysical data on the state of marine areas utilizing modern data processing technologies. Author uses Python programming language to process marine data. The results on the processing of the remote sensing data on the Baltic and the Black Seas surface temperature are presented in the study. Daily satellite data for the years 1982–2018 were processed using Python scripts for both water areas. The analysis of the obtained information was conducted with R programming language. This language supports a wide range of statistical and numerical methods and is convenient to use to determine the statistical characteristics of the studied quantities. Data analysis reveals statistically significant positive trend in the sea surface temperature (SST) values in the both studied water areas over the past decades. The paper has also analyzed the spatial variability of the surface temperature within considered areas. The analysis illustrates the temperature variability in certain areas of the sea and identifies areas with the highest rate of temperature increase. Conclusions are made on the usability of the programming languages for various data processing tasks.
Secondary extinctions in food webs: a Bayesian network approach

Ecological communities are composed of populations connected in tangled networks of ecological interactions. Therefore, the extinction of a species can reverberate through the network and cause other (possibly distantly connected) species to go extinct as well. The study of these secondary extinctions is a fertile area of research in ecological network theory. However, to facilitate practical applications, several improvements to the current analytical approaches are needed. In particular, we need to consider that (i) species have different ‘a priori’ probabilities of extinction, (ii) disturbances can simultaneously affect several species, and (iii) extinction risk of consumers likely grows with resource loss. All these points can be included in dynamical models, which are, however, difficult to parameterize. Here we advance the study of secondary extinctions with Bayesian networks. We show how this approach can account for different extinction responses using binary – where each resource has the same importance – and quantitative data – where resources are weighted by their importance. We simulate ecological networks using a popular dynamical model (the Allometric Trophic Network model) and use it to test our method. We find that the Bayesian network model captures the majority of the secondary extinctions produced by the dynamical model and that consumers’ responses to species loss are best modelled using a nonlinear sigmoid function. We also show that an approach based exclusively on food web structure loses power when species at higher trophic levels are preferentially lost. Because the loss of apex predators is unfortunately widespread, the results highlight a serious limitation of studies on network robustness.
Anti Marek's Disease Virus Activity of Scurrula oortiana (Tea Mistletoe) Stem Extract in Embryonated Chicken Eggs

S. oortiana extract has been previously shown to have anti-tumour and antiviral activity in vitro. This study was carried out to investigate an antiviral effect of S. oortiana stem extract against Marek’s Disease Virus (MDV) in ovo. The antiviral effect was studied in embryonated chicken eggs (n = 5 per treatment) by inoculating 0, 0.1, 0.2, or 0.4 mg extract/egg before or after infection with MDV. In the “before” treatment, the extract was administered on day 9 with MDV infection on day 12. In the “after” treatment, the extract was administered on day 12 after infection with MDV on day 9. Histopathological examinations were performed on day 20 to determine the number of inclusion bodies, pock formation, macrophage infiltration and immunohistochemistry was used to determine the frequency and intensity of viral antigen expression. Inoculation of the extract before MDV infection significantly (p<0.05) reduced the frequency and intensity of viral antigen expression. There was also a significantly lower level of epithelial destruction on chorioallantoic membrane of the groups given 0.2 and 0.4 mg extract/egg than the control group given no extract. This study provides the first evidence of anti MDV viral activity of S. oortiana extract in vivo and may provide an alternative method to prevent or alleviate Marek’s disease.
Stochastic effects in H2SO4-H2O cluster growth

Abstract The nucleation of sulfuric acid-water clusters plays a significant role in the formation of aerosols. Based on a recently developed particle Monte Carlo (MC) Code, we analyze how the growth of sulfuric acid-water clusters is influenced by stochastic fluctuations. We here consider samples of H2SO4-H2O clusters at T = 200 K with a relative humidity of 50%, with particle concentrations between 105 and 107 cm–3 in volumes between 10–6 and 10–2 cm3. We present the temporal evolution of the formation rate and of the size distribution as well as growth rates and the onset time of the nucleation above a given cluster size with and without constant production of new monomers. Clear evidence is revealed by the MC code that fluctuations result in a faster growth rate of the smallest clusters compared to deterministic continuum models that do not contain the stochastic effects. The faster growth of small clusters in turn influences the growth of larger clusters. Depending on the volume size, the onset time for clusters larger than 0.85 nm varies between 1000 s and 20,000 s for cm–3 and between 10 s and 100 s for cm–3. Copyright © 2020 American Association for Aerosol Research
Optimization the Ultrasonic Assisted Extraction of Chlorogenic Acid from the Artichoke (Cynara Scolymus) Leaf with Response Surface Methodology and Total Phenolic Contents

Artichoke leaf ( Cynara Scolymus ) extracts widely used in medicine. Chlorogenic Acids have antioxidant, antibacterial and antiviral properties is an compound. In this study, after the artichoke ( Cynara scolymus ) leaves had dried, powdered portions were extracted to with water. The results had expressed as ppm after extracts were analyzed by HPLC. It were determined that optimum conditions of extracting chlorogenic acid from Cynara Scolymu s leaves with the ultrasonic assisted extraction with Response Surface Method (RSM) based on Box-Behnken design. The experimental conditions for this extraction efficiency were determined as extraction time (15-45 minutes), temperature (30-70 0 C) and ultrasound power (25-75%). The optimum conditions were determined as 47.65% ultrasound power, 35.18 minutes, 53.40 0 C temperature. The maximum yield of chlorogenic acid was determined to 10.05 ppm. Also the total phenolic content was measured by UV -Vis spectrometry in order to see antioxidant activity. Absorbance values of samples which are took from each sample were measured at 765 nm in UV spectrometer. Optimum conditions were determined as 47.29% ultrasound power, 29.67 minutes, 55.33% ethanol concentration. Total phenolic content were determined as 70.24 ppm. According the to results ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) showed can be an effective method for the extraction of chlorogenic acid active ingredient.
Study of Current- and Wave-Induced Sediment Transport in the Nowshahr Port Entrance Channel by Using Numerical Modeling and Field Measurements

The Nowshahr port in the southern coastlines of the Caspian Sea is among the oldest northern ports of Iran, first commissioned in the year 1939. In recent years, this port has been faced with severe sedimentation issues in and around its entrance that has had negative impacts on the operability of the port. The present study aims at identifying major reasons for severe sedimentation in the port entrance. First, field measurements were evaluated to gain an in-depth view of the hydrodynamics of the study area. Numerical models then were calibrated and validated against existing field measurements. Results of numerical modeling indicated that wind-induced current is dominant in the Caspian Sea. The numerical results also indicated that in the case of an eastward current direction, the interaction between current and the western breakwater arm would lead to the formation of a separation zone and a recirculation zone to the east of the port entrance region. This eddying circulation could transport suspend settled sediments from eastern shoreline towards the port entrance and its access channel. The results of this paper are mostly based on the study of current patterns around the port in the storm conditions incorporate with the identification of sediment sources.