Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The health status of Irish honeybee colonies in 2006

This study assessed the health status of Irish honeybee colonies and provides a snapshot of the incidence of a number of important colony parasites/pathogens including: the mite Varroa destructor; three associated viruses (deformed wing virus (DWV), acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV) and Kashmir virus (KBV)); the tracheal mite Acarapis woodi; the microsporidian Nosema spp. , and the insect Braula coeca. During June/July 2006, 135 samples of adult bees were collected from productive colonies throughout Ireland and standard techniques were used to determine the presence and absence of the parasites and pathogens. Varroa destructor was positively identified in 72.6% of the samples and was widely distributed. Although the samples were analysed for three viruses, DWV, ABPV and KBV, only DWV was detected (frequency = 12.5%). Acarapis woodi and Nosema spp. occurred in approximately 11% and 22% of the samples, respectively, while B. coeca, a wingless dipteran that was once common in Irish honeybee colonies, was very rare (3.7%). Samples where all the pathogens/parasites were jointly absent were statistically under-represented in Leinster and DWV was statistically over-represented in Munster. In Ulster, there was over-representation of the categories where all parasites/pathogens were jointly absent and for A. woodi, and underrepresentation of V. destructor.
Are Professors Worth It? The Value-Added and Costs of Tutorial Instructors

ABSTRACT:A substantial share of university instruction happens in tutorial sessions—small group instruction given parallel to lectures. We study whether instructors with a higher academic rank teach tutorials more effectively in a setting where students are randomly assigned to tutorial groups. We find this to be largely not the case. Academic rank is unrelated to students' current and future performance and only weakly positively related to students' course evaluations. Building on these results, we discuss different staffing scenarios that show that universities can substantially reduce costs by increasingly relying on lower-ranked instructors for tutorial teaching.
Influence of salinity stress on photosynthesis and chlorophyll content in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is cultivated in the Kingdom of Saudi since pre-historic times and is the most important fruit crop of the Kingdom. High soil salinity is a major abiotic stress that is impacting on the productivity of date palm in the Arabian Peninsula. Trials conducted at the National Date Palm Research Centre, Al Hassa, Saudi Arabia to determine the effect of NaCl induced salinity on photosynthesis and chlorophyll in the three date palm cultivars viz. Khalas, Madjool and Barhy revealed that increasing soil salinity levels (0, 50, 100, 200 and 400 mM NaCl) resulted in progressive decrease of K+, K+/Na+ ratio and N content, along with increase in Na+ levels in all the three tested cultivars. Increasing salinity levels also decreased the net photosynthesis and chlorophyll levels in these cultivars. However, Saudi Arabia’s premier date cultivar ‘Khalas’ was able to withstand increasing salinity levels as compared to Majdol and Barhi. Key words: Salinity, Phoenix dactylifera L. , photosynthesis, chlorophyll content.
Variability and Correlations in Grain Sorghum Genotypes (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) Under Drought Conditions at Different Stages of Growth

Abstract Twenty-two genotypes of grain sorghum were grown under drought conditions by omitting one irrigation during stages of before flowering period, kernel filling period, and physiological maturity period at Assiut Univ. Farm in 1987 and 1988 seasons. The results obtained revealed that considerable variation existed among genotypes for all the studied traits. The most effective moisture stress treatment in reducing grain yield, panicle weight and plant height was during flowering stage. While 1000-kernel weight was much affected by moisture stress during grain filling period. The genotype X year interaction (o/y) was large compared to genotype X irrigation treatment (O2g) indicated that genotypes responded differently when they were grown from year to year. The genotypic variance (O2g) for all traits were large reflecting the importance of genetic variability. Both phenotypic and genotypic correlations among traits showed that plant height and 1000-kernel weight were highly correlated with grain yield, while leaf area index was low associated with plant height. Zusammenfassung Variabilitat und Korrelationen bei Korn-sorghum-Genotypen (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) unter Durrebedingungen zu ver-schiedenen Wachstumsstadien 22 Genotypen von Kornsorghum wurden unter Durrebedingungen angezogen, indem eine Bewasserung vor der Bluhperiode, wahrend der Fullungsperiode und der physiologischen Reife nicht angewendet wurde (Standort: As-siut University Farm in den Jahren 1987 und 1988). Die Ergebnisse zeigen, das eine erhebli-che Variation zwischen den Genotypen fur alle untersuchten Eigenschaften vorliegt. Der am starksten -wirksame Wasserstres trat wahrend der Bluhphase auf und reduzierte den Korner-trag, das Rispengewicht und die Pflanzenhohe. Das Tausendkorngewicht wurde stark durch Feuchtigkeitsstres wahrend der Kornfullungs-phase beeintrachtigt. Die Genotyp X Jahr-Interaktion (o2gy) war im Vergleich zur Genotyp X Bewasserungsbehandlung (o2gy) hoch, was auf die unterschiedlichen Reaktionen der Genotypen zwischen den Jahren hinweist. Die genotypische Varianz (o2gy) war in alien Eigenschaften ausgepragt, was auf eine erhebliche Bedeutung der genetischen Variabilitat hinweist. Phanotypische und genotypische Korrelationen zwischen den Eigenschaften zeigten, das die Pflanzenhohe und das Tausendkorngewicht straff mit dem Kornertrag korreliert wa-ren, wahrend der Blattflachenindex nur lose mit der Pflanzenhohe in Beziehung stand.
A New Blood Diluent for Counting the Erythrocytes and Leucocytes of the Chicken

Abstract INTRODUCTION HEMATOLOGICAL studies on chickens have long been hampered by the lack of a quick, readily applicable, and quantitative method for the enumeration of the leucocytes. This problem stems from the fact that the nuclei of bird erythrocytes are not destroyed in the usual procedure for mammalian blood cell enumeration and therefore cannot be distinguished from the leucocytes. LITERATURE The first method for counting leucocytes in avian blood was proposed by Warthin (1906) who suggested an indirect method for counting these cells. This method entails the use of a diluent which preserves all the blood cells. The total leucocyte count can be calculated by determining the total number of cells in a cu. mm. of blood (leucocyte and erythrocyte) and subsequently ascertaining the ratio between these cells in a stained smear. In using the indirect method, one must assume that the blood cells are equally distributed throughout the smear. This .
Towards an integrated computational tool for spatial analysis in macroecology and biogeography

Because most macroecological and biodiversity data are spatially autocorrelated, special tools for describing spatial structures and dealing with hypothesis testing are usually required. Unfortunately, most of these methods have not been available in a single statistical package. Consequently, using these tools is still a challenge for most ecologists and biogeographers. In this paper, we present sam (Spatial Analysis in Macroecology), a new, easy-to-use, freeware package for spatial analysis in macroecology and biogeography. Through an intuitive, fully graphical interface, this package allows the user to describe spatial patterns in variables and provides an explicit spatial framework for standard techniques of regression and correlation. Moran's I autocorrelation coefficient can be calculated based on a range of matrices describing spatial relationships, for original variables as well as for residuals of regression models, which can also include filtering components (obtained by standard trend surface analysis or by principal coordinates of neighbour matrices). sam also offers tools for correcting the number of degrees of freedom when calculating the significance of correlation coefficients. Explicit spatial modelling using several forms of autoregression and generalized least-squares models are also available. We believe this new tool will provide researchers with the basic statistical tools to resolve autocorrelation problems and, simultaneously, to explore spatial components in macroecological and biogeographical data. Although the program was designed primarily for the applications in macroecology and biogeography, most of sam's statistical tools will be useful for all kinds of surface pattern spatial analysis. The program is freely available at http://www.ecoevol. ufg.br/sam (permanent URL at http://purl.oclc.org/sam/).
The effect of repeated, lethal sampling on wild bee abundance and diversity

Bee pollinators provide a critical ecosystem service to wild and agricultural plants but are reported to be declining world‐wide due to anthropogenic change. Long‐term data on bee abundance and diversity are scarce, and the need for additional quantitative sampling using repeatable methods has been emphasized. Recently, monitoring programmes have begun using a standardized method that employs a combination of pan traps and sweep netting, resulting in lethal sampling of bees. This standardized method can remove a large number of bees from sites during each sampling day, raising concern that the sampling itself could have a negative effect on bee populations. We conducted an experiment to assess whether lethal sampling for bees using pan traps and netting affected bee abundance and diversity when done every two weeks throughout a season and over multiple years. We compared bee abundance, richness, evenness and functional group composition between sites that had been sampled every two weeks from 2009 to 2012 to similar sites not previously sampled. We found that the standardized method for sampling bees, with specimens from 132 morphospecies, did not affect bee communities in terms of abundance, rarefied richness, evenness, or functional group composition. Thus, our results indicate that the bee communities we sampled are robust to such sampling efforts, despite removing an average of 2862 bees per season. We discuss several explanations for why sampling did not affect bee abundance or community structure, including a density‐dependent response to reduced competition for resources. These results suggest that bee monitoring programmes sampling once every two weeks with pan traps and netting will not affect bee community structure. We urge researchers monitoring bees to utilize standardized protocols so that results can be compared across space and time.
γ‐GLUTAMYL TRANSPEPTIDASE OF RAT LIVER AND HEPATOMA TISSUES: AN ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY AND IMMUNOSTAINING STUDIES a

A sensitive enzyme immunoassay method for rat gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase was developed that was able to quantitate between 5 to 500 ng of the enzyme. The enzyme contents of fetal liver, adult liver, hyperplastic nodules, and various tissues including hepatoma were determined. Normal rat liver contained very little enzyme, while fetal liver and hepatoma tissue contained high levels. The gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase content of the liver was assayed during the process of 3'-methyl 4-dimethyl-aminoazobenzene-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. The content was increased at an early stage, then decreased, and again increased at the stage when hepatoma developed. The change of the enzyme content determined by an enzyme immunoassay was highly consistent with that determined by enzymatic assay. This indicates that the increased activity of the enzyme as previously reported was accompanied by an increased immunoreactive enzyme protein. Immunohistochemical studies on the hyperplastic nodule revealed the presence of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase in the hepatocyte membrane.
The clinical value of combined detection of serum angiopoietin 2 and Clara cell protein 16 in the early diagnosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome

Objective To investigate the clinical value of combined detection of serum angiopoietin 2 (Ang-2) and Clara cell protein 16 (CC16) in the early diagnosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods Two hundred critical patients, treated at the Department of Critical Care Medicine, Bao'an District People's Hospital, Shenzhen during March 2015 and September 2016,were included in the study. According to the Berlin standard, patients were divided into two groups (n=100 each group): the ARDS group and non-ARDS group.The serum levels of Ang-2 and CC16 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on the first and second day of admission for each patient, in addition to completing APACHEⅡ score, medical history, vital signs collection and other biochemical indicators detection. Finally, paired-samples t test was used to analyze the data. The multiple ROC curve was used to calculate the area under the curve of the reference index of the serum levels of Ang-2 and CC16 on the first and second day. Results On the first and second day, the serum levels of Ang-2 and CC16 were significantly higher in ARDS patients than those in non-ARDS patients, and there was a correlation between the serum levels of Ang-2 and CC16 in ARDS patients. The ROC curve showed that the combined detection of Ang-2 and CC16 on the first day achieved a highest sensitivity of 75.9% and detection of CC16 on the first day achieved a highest specificity of 70.2%. Conclusion Single-detection of serum levels of Ang-2 and CC16 could be used for early diagnosis of ARDS, and the combined detection of both has a higher sensitivity than single detection. Key words: Angiopoietin 2; Clara cell protein 16; Acute respiratory distress syndrome; Combined detection; Early diagnosis
Pendimethalin Movement Through Pine Bark Compared to Field Soil

Preemergence herbicides are commonly applied to nursery containers for control of annual weeds in the production of ornamental plants. Pine bark is a popular container growing medium because it is inexpensive, drains well, is easy to transport, and supports acceptable nursery crop growth. However, little is understood about leaching of herbicides through pine bark. The downward movement of these herbicides through container media may inhibit root growth in sensitive nursery crops and also reduce herbicidal efficacy. Four experiments were conducted at two different irrigation volumes to evaluate depth of pendimethalin movement in packed columns of pine bark and field soil. After 17.5 cm of water was applied over 7 d, pendimethalin moved downward into the 6 to 9-cm depth in 100% pine bark, whereas no movement was detected below the 0 to 3-cm depth in a Tetotum loam soil, as determined by a large crabgrass bioassay. Doubling the irrigation volume to 35 cm of water applied over 14 d did not significantly increase pendimethalin movement in pine bark or field soil. However, it did decrease pendimethalin persistence in the top 0 to 3-cm depth in pine bark. The pine bark had a higher cation exchange capacity than did the field soil. However, the physical characteristics of pine bark, a large volume of void space and low bulk density, resulted in higher hydraulic conductivity rates than in field soil. These factors may be the principal reasons that pendimethalin leached to a greater extent through pine bark than the field soil. Nomenclature: Pendimethalin; large crabgrass, Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.
Growth Performance, Bone Mineralization, and Nutrient Retention Responses of Chicks to Dietary Crude Protein and Non-phytate Phosphorus Concentrations

The objective of this study was to investigate possible interactions between dietary crude protein (CP) and phosphorus (P) in broiler chicks. Two CP levels including an adequate NRC-recommended 230 g/kg or an amino acid-supplemented reduced CP 180 g/kg and 4 level - 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, or 5.5 g of non-phytate P (NPP)/kg in a 2 X 4 factorial arrangement were fed to 6 replicate cages of 6 chicks per cage from 10 to 22 d of age. There were main effects of CP (P < 0.001) and NPP (P < 0.05) concentration on final body weight (FBW), body weight gain (BWG), and gain-to-feed ratio. There was a linear reduction (P < 0.05) in feed intake as dietary NPP level increased. Generally, FBW, BWG and FI were linearly reduced (P < 0.05) with increasing NPP. Gain-to-feed ratio was lower (P < 0.05) for chicks fed the AA-supplemented reduced CP diet than those fed the adequate protein diet. Tibia ash was increased linearly (P < 0.05) with increased dietary NPP, but was not affected by CP. There were both linear and quadratic effects (P < 0.05) of NPP on retention of dry matter and energy. At either CP level, retention of nitrogen and phosphorus was reduced (P < 0.05) with increase in dietary NPP. Retention of P was linearly reduced with increasing NPP concentration and highest in chicks fed the adequate CP diet. These results provide support for an integrated strategy for reducing manure N and P excretion by broiler chickens.
Pectolytic activity by the haustorium of the parasitic plant Orobanche L. (Orobanchaceae) in host roots.

The possible involvement of enzymes in the penetration of intrusive cells of the parasitic angiospermOrobancheinto host root tissues was studied using cytochemical and immunocytochemical methods. Pectin methyl esterase (PME) was detected, with specific antibodies, in the cytoplasm and cell walls ofOrobancheintrusive cells and in adjacent host apoplast. Depletion and chemical changes of pectins in host cell walls were shown by histochemical staining with PATAg, which detects carbohydrates that are sensitive to periodic acid, especially pectins, and with the monoclonal antibodies JIM 5 and JIM 7 that label pectins with low and high rates of esterification, respectively. Galacturonic sequences with low rates of esterification were more abundant in host cell walls adjacent to the parasite, which is consistent with pectin de-methylation by PME release from the parasite. Pectins were absent in middle lamellae and in host cell walls neighbouring mature intrusive cells of the parasite, consistent with further degradation of pectins by other enzymes. These results provide the first direct evidence for the presence and activity of a pectolytic enzyme in the infection zone of the haustorium of a parasitic angiospermin situ.
An Experimental Performance Comparison of Widely Used Face Detection Tools

Face detection is the task of detecting faces on photos, videos as well as the streaming data such as a webcam. Face detection, which is a specific type of general-purpose object detection, is a key prerequisite for many other artificial intelligence tasks such as face verification, face tagging and retrieval, and face tracking. In addition to that, nowadays, face detection is commonly used in daily routines such as social media, and camera software of smartphones. As a result of this necessity, several face detection tools have been proposed. In this study, an experimental performance comparison of well-known face detection tools in terms of (1) accuracy, and (2) elapsed time of detection, which has become even more critical criteria especially when the face detection mechanism is utilized for a real-time system, is proposed. As a result of this experimental study, it is aimed that shed light on the much-concerned query “which face detection tool provides the best performance? ”. In addition to that, this study succeeds in showing that convolutional neural networks achieve great accuracy for face detection.
Asymmetric Synthesis of (S)‐2‐Indolinecarboxylic Acid by Combining Biocatalysis and Homogeneous Catalysis

(S)-2-Indolinecarboxylic acid, an intermediate for ACE inhibitors, was until recently produced by Fischer indole synthesis and classical resolution in seven steps. However, Perkin condensation to form ortho-chlorocinnamic acid, which is converted to (S)-ortho-chlorophenylalanine using the enzyme phenylalanine ammonia lyase prior to copper-catalyzed ring closure thereof delivers the enantiopure product in just three steps.
Higher Soil Water Availability after Removal of a Dominant, Nonnative Tree (Casuarina equisetifolia Forst.) from a Subtropical Forest1

Abstract: The eradication of dominant, nonnative trees can alter soil conditions in forest ecosystems by changing the forest's water balance. To test this idea, we measured water in surface soil in forests dominated by an invasive nonnative tree (Casuarina equisetifolia Forst.) on Nishijima Island, a subtropical island in the Ogasawara Islands group, northwestern Pacific Ocean. The volumetric water content of surface soils at sites where all trees of C. equisetifolia were killed by herbicide was compared with adjacent invaded control sites, and effects of time since tree removal (up to 3 yr) were assessed. Dry weights of accumulated litter, total canopy openness of the forest canopy, maximum heights, and total plant cover of herbaceous vegetation were also compared between treatment and control plots. Volumetric soil water content in quadrats where C. equisetifolia trees were removed (removal area) was significantly higher than at control quadrats. We found that the effect of C. equisetifolia removal on soil water content slightly decreased 3 yr after removal. In addition, the dry weights of accumulated litter in removal quadrats decreased with time after removal, and maximum heights and total plant cover increased. We observed higher values of total canopy openness at removal sites regardless of time after removal. These results suggested that the death of these dominant, nonnative trees could increase the available water in soils of invaded forests, and that increases may be related to changes in the water balance of the ecosystem, which can in turn affect restoration of forest ecosystems.
Use of Nuclear DNA Data to Estimate Genetic Diversity and Population Size in Pacific Bluefin and Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus orientalis and T. albacares)

Abstract This study presents nuclear DNA datasets of nine microsatellites for a new sample of Pacific Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus orientalis) from its common spawning grounds and ten loci for an additional collection of Yellowfin Tuna (T. albacares) from a locale of possible admixture in the western Pacific. Population genetic analyses of these nuclear DNA datasets support within-sample diversities that are similar to each other and to other tuna, multiple cases of heterozygote deficit or excess, and no instances of linkage disequilibrium. Bayesian estimates of effective population size are exceeded by those of census population size (as obtained from fisheries catch data) by a factor of >500. Further Bayesian inferences indicate that the individuals of the sample of T. orientalis belong to a single population, whereas those of the collection of T. albacares may derive from two or more. We now call for more critical testing of these preliminary results with additional geographic samples and automated microsatellite genotyping.