Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mitochondrial DNA Differentiation Between Two Closely Related Species, Phlebotomus (Paraphlebotomus) chabaudi and Phlebotomus (Paraphlebotomus) riouxi (Diptera: Psychodidae), Based on Direct Sequencing and Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism

ABSTRACT Phlebotomus chabaudi Croset, Abonnenc & Rioux, 1970 and Phlebotomus riouxi Depaquit, Killick-Kendrick & Léger, 1998 (Diptera: Psychodidae) are closely related species of phlebotomine sand flies, the females of which are suspected of transmitting Leishmania killicki Rioux, Lanotte, and Pratlong 1986 in Tunisia. Although males of these species are distinguishable by the number and size of setae on the basal lobe of the coxite, morphologically differential characters between the females are blurred. A molecular study, based on 40 Algerian and Tunisian specimens, was conducted to distinguish females of these two species. Alignment of the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) sequences and their analysis by using neighbor-joining and maximum likelihood showed the separation of P. chabaudi and P. riouxi, irrespective of intraspecific variability. Both COI and cytochrome b have been tested as molecular identification tools. Single strand conformation polymorphism analysis did not distinguish these two species, whereas restriction fragment length polymorphism can be applied to identify P. chabaudi and P. riouxi for surveillance purposes.
Life on the Edge: Northern Bobwhite Ecology at the Northern Periphery of Their Range

ABSTRACT Over the past 40 years, Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations have declined range-wide. The Mid-Atlantic once held the highest densities in the country and now shows some of the worst declines. Although population parameters have been quantified throughout most of the bobwhite range, Mid-Atlantic populations have been largely unstudied. To better quantify the dynamics of this declining system, we sought to not only gather annual data on home range, movement, and habitat selection, but also examine how some of these metrics might impact survival. We captured and radio-tracked 154 bobwhites between May 2006 and April 2008 on a 125 km2 area of Cumberland County, New Jersey, USA. Seasonal daily movement ranged from 146 m to 158 m but several extreme movements were notable. Across seasons, grassland habitat was used in greater proportion to its availability, shrub-scrub and agriculture habitats were used equally with their availability and forests and other habitats were used less than their availability. Differences in second-order selection occurred between seasons with lower use of shrub-scrub and forest habitats and higher use of other habitat in breeding seasons. Pooled breeding season survival was 0.343, nonbreeding season survival was 0.183, and annual survival was 0.063. Although mortality was dominated by avian predators, house cat mortalities were noteworthy. Cox proportional hazard analysis revealed that risk of breeding season mortality risk was increased by longer daily movement, lower grassland use, and higher forest and other use. During the nonbreeding season, risk of mortality increased with shorter daily movement and proximity to occupied buildings and barns. This information could inform management decisions in the greater Mid-Atlantic as well as other areas of their range where they exist at very low abundances.
Parallel-Transmission: A New Usage of Multi-Radio Diversity in Wireless Mesh Network

To fully utilize the diversity of multi-radio, a new parallel transmission method for wireless mesh network is proposed. Compared with conventional packet transmission which follows “one flow on one radio”, it uses the radio diversity to transmit the packets on different radios simultaneously. Three components are presented to achieve parallel-transmission, which are control module, selection module and schedule module. A localized selecting algorithm selects the right radios based on the quality of wireless links. Two kinds of distributed scheduling algorithms are implemented to transmit packets on the selected radios. Finally, a parallel-adaptive routing metric is presented. Simulation results by NS2 show that this parallel-transmission scheme could enhance the average throughput of network by more than 10%.
Leak pruning

Managed languages improve programmer productivity with type safety and garbage collection, which eliminate memory errors such as dangling pointers, double frees, and buffer overflows. However, because garbage collection uses reachability to over-approximate live objects, programs may still leak memory if programmers forget to eliminate the last reference to an object that will not be used again. Leaks slow programs by increasing collector workload and frequency. Growing leaks eventually crash programs. This paper introduces leak pruning, which keeps programs running by predicting and reclaiming leaked objects at run time. It predicts dead objects and reclaims them based on observing data structure usage patterns. Leak pruning preserves semantics because it waits for heap exhaustion before reclaiming objects and poisons references to objects it reclaims. If the program later tries to access a poisoned reference, the virtual machine (VM) throws an error. We show leak pruning has low overhead in a Java VM and evaluate it on 10 leaking programs. Leak pruning does not help two programs, executes five substantial programs 1.6-81X longer, and executes three programs, including a leak in Eclipse, for at least 24 hours. In the worst case, leak pruning defers fatal errors. In the best case, it keeps leaky programs running with preserved semantics and consistent throughput.
Inco Ltd.: Market Value, Fair Value, and Management Discretion*

We examine management discretion to decide when and how much to write down an asset, in a unique case where a tracking stock provides an observable market value for the asset. We find that, despite market evidence that Inco Ltd.'s financial statements substantially overvalued the Voisey's Bay nickel mine throughout 1997 to 2000, management chose not to write down the mine until 2002. Inco management used an independent fairness opinion to justify its December 2000 redemption of the tracking stock at 25% of its initial value, indicating almost surely that Inco management was aware of the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) impairment. This case illustrates that GAAP's reliance on undiscounted cash flows for impairment decisions allows huge unrecorded disparities between book and market value. The management discretion exercised in this case provides a concrete example of the subjectivity inherent in fair valuation.
The effect of lactating dairy ewes’ diet supplementation with ALIMET (liquid methionine)on milk yield and milk composition

Abstract The objective of this work was to study the effect of the supplementation of dairy ewes’ diet with liquid methionine (ALIMET) on milk yield and milk composition, from late pregnancy to mid lactation period. Sixty 3-4 year old Boutsiko breed lactating dairy ewes with an average initial body weight 48±1.7 kg and good body condition (3.6), were divided into three groups (treatments), balanced according to milk yield. Ewes were fed 0.8 kg alfalfa hay and 0.8 kg of concentrate daily. Ewes in Group A were fed a usual concentrate for lactating ewes (control), in Group B the control concentrate +1 g ALIMET /kg concentrate, and in Group C the control concentrate +3 g ALIMET /kg concentrate. Ewes were milked twice daily, and milk weights (yield) were recorded every 4 weeks, while milk samples were taken, on a percent basis (10%), for compositional analysis. The results showed that the inclusion of ALIMET significantly increased (p<0.05) milk yield (by 6.8% in Group B and 12% in Group C), compared to control, FCM (6% fat) yield (by 5.5% in Group B and 13.6% in Group C), and milk fat, protein and non fat solids. The growth rate of lambs was 7% and 8% higher, for the suckling period of 42 days, for the Groups B and C, respectively, compared to control, but those differences were not significant. The average daily body weight change of ewes during the experimental lactation period was +0.6, +1.0 and 0.2 kg for Groups A, B and C, respectively. Thus, supplementing the ewes’ diet with ALIMET, at a level of 3 g /kg concentrate, had a positive effect on milk yield and milk composition.
Phylogeography of the Greater Horseshoe Bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae), in Southeastern Europe and Anatolia, with a Specific Focus on Whether the Sea of Marmara is a Barrier to Gene Flow

Population differentiation during the ice ages, followed by range expansions has significantly contributed to the geographic distribution patterns of the genetic diversity in Europe. In this regard, the Iberian, Italian, Balkan peninsulas and Anatolia comprise important glacial refugia. In different parts of Anatolia, suture zones, where lineages that diverged in the different glacial refugia met again, were observed for several species. In this study, we investigated the mitochondrial genetic differentiation of the greater horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum in southeastern Europe and Anatolia. The mitochondrial DNA analyses indicated a suture zone in central Anatolia, similar to those recorded in other animal species, showing the presence of more than one refugium within the region. The time of the split of these lineages that diverged in allopatry was dated to the Pleistocene. However, the location of this suture zone did not coincide with the Sea of Marmara, not supporting a recent hypothesis, based on microsatellite data, which states that this water body might be an impediment to post glacial gene flow in this species.
A Survey of Dense Cores in the Orion A Cloud

We have carried out an H13CO+(J = 1-0) core survey in a large area of 1.5° × 0.5°, covering the whole region of the Orion A molecular cloud, using the Nobeyama 45 m radio telescope with the 25 Beam Array Receiver System (BEARS). This survey is unique in that a large area (~48 pc2) of the cloud was covered with a high spatial resolution of 21'' (0.05 pc) and with a deep integration (1 σ ~ 0.1 K in T), resulting in a core mass detection of 1.6 M☉. The morphology of the H13CO+(J = 1-0) emission is very similar to that of the 850 μm continuum emission. We identified 236 dense cores from our data with the clumpfind algorithm. The cores are close to virial equilibrium, independent of whether they are thermal or turbulent. We predict an initial mass function (IMF) from the core mass function, considering binary formation and confusion along the line of sight, and find that this IMF agrees well with the Orion Nebula cluster IMF for a star formation efficiency of ~40%. Therefore, we suggest that the IMF is determined at the time of the dense core formation. Furthermore, we discovered three cores with large velocity widths, significantly wider than those of the other cores, only toward the M42 H II region, suggesting that the energy input from the H II region increases the velocity width. Since the three cores can produce the most massive stars, owing to their large mass accretion rates, massive star formation in the next generation in the Orion A cloud is likely to be caused by nearby stellar activity.
The structure and dynamics of internal waves in Baldeggersee1

Analysis of long records of temperature/depth distribution determined at lo- or 20-min intervals at several stations and extending over three stratification seasons, provides a detailed picture of the characteristics, dynamics, and seasonal variation in activity of internal waves in a small lake (Baldeggersee, Switzerland). Wind stress in general was low, with occasional bursts of higher energy. The ensuing, slightly damped internal seiches govern the dynamics of the stratified lake. The vertical structure displays a dominant response of the first vertical mode. Responses in the second vertical mode, hitherto rarely recorded, are also demonstrated with the help of spectral analysis and models. The horizontal structure of the seiches motion displays dominance and persistence of the fundamental basin mode. Spectral analysis also discloses responses of the second and third basin modes. Multiplying of the spectra with the local buoyancy frequency leads to a collapse of all spectra into a narrow band, pointing toward the possibility of a universal spectrum. New light is shed on apparently common examples of waveform asymmetry and on their interpretation. It is concluded that, in this small-basin, low-energy example, internal waves provide motions at all levels, but little vertical mixing.
Habitats of Suburban Barred Owls (Strix varia) and Red-Shouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus) in Southwestern Ohio1

Abstract Little is known about the habitat and ecology of suburban Barred Owls (Strix varia), a species sometimes considered the nocturnal equivalent of Red-shouldered Hawks (Buteo lineatus). We compared nesting habitat of Barred Owls to that of Red-shouldered Hawks nesting in suburban and urban areas, in and near the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, to determine whether any features distinguished owl nest sites from hawk nest sites. We characterized habitat and land-cover metrics in circular plots of 100 ha and 15 ha, centered on the owl and hawk nests, using ATtiILa software operating within a GIS environment. For the 100-ha plots, the primary cover type in the plots surrounding nests of both species was forest, 41.4 ± 3.4% for Barred Owl plots and 45.9 ± 3.4% for Red-shouldered Hawk plots, followed by low-density residential land: 29.8 ± 4.8% of the Barred Owl plots and 29.3 ± 3.7% of the Red-shouldered Hawk plots. Pasture composed <15% of the plot area for both species and the remainder of the cover types contributed even less. Values of land-cover percentages and metrics did not differ between the species (P > 0.05), for either the large plots or the small (15-ha) plots. Using stepwise binary logit regression analysis, we found that no variables discriminated owl plots from hawk plots. We concluded, based on our methodology, that habitat of suburban Barred Owls differed little from habitat of suburban Red-shouldered Hawks in southwestern Ohio.
Crown releasing of red maple poles to shorten high-quality sawlog rotations

The effects of six crown-release treatments on growth and bole quality development of 54-year-old dominant, codominant, and intermediate red maples (Acer rubrum L.) were evaluated on a good red maple site (site index = 19.3 mat 50 years) in upper Michigan. Results showed that crown release stimulated the growth of dominants, codominants, and strong intermediates without appreciably degrading log quality. The heavier 1.5- to 4.6-m crown-release treatments resulted in 7-year average DBH growth increases over the unreleased controls of 70% for dominants, 96% for codominants, and 108% for intermediates. Crown release had no effect on 8-year height growth, 3-year epicormic branching, or bole quality. Three years after treatment, unreleased trees had almost as many epicormic branches as released trees. The number of epicormic branches on individual trees was a function of dominance, log position, or height above ground, but was not related to residual stand density. Epicormic branching was also strongly correlated with the number of pretreatment epicormic branches on boles of intermediate trees, but not on dominant or codominant trees.
Phylogeny of the Pyretophorus Series of Anopheles subgenus Cellia (Diptera: Culicidae)

A cladistic analysis based on morphological characters is presented for the Pyretophorus Series of subgenus Cellia of Anopheles. The cibarial armature was investigated for the first time since the pioneering work of Christophers (1933) , which is still used to define taxonomic series within Cellia, and for the first time ever using scanning electron microscopy. Christophers’ observations of characters of the cibarial armature were corroborated and several novel characters discovered. Despite difficulties in delimiting and encoding morphological characters at the species level, the analysis provided insights into relationships within the Pyretophorus Series. The data support the monophyly of the Series and establish the Oriental species as a monophyletic group. The Afrotropical species are basal and paraphyletic relative to the Oriental species, with Anopheles christyi placed in the most basal position. The pattern of relationships suggests that the capacity to transmit malaria is an ancestral condition subsequently lost independently in several lineages.
Multi‐taxon and forest structure sampling for identification of indicators and monitoring of old‐growth forest

Abstract The most commonly used old‐growth forest indicators are structural attributes; nevertheless, they do not necessarily represent the biodiversity value of old‐growth forests. The aim of this study is to analyse the relationships between species richness data of different taxa and structural indicators of old‐growth and to identify taxonomic/functional groups, species and structural attributes that may be used as indicators of old‐growth. To achieve this goal we sampled forest structure, vascular plants, lichens, bryophytes, fungi, saproxylic beetles and birds in mature and old‐growth stands in southern Italy. We calculated Spearman’s correlation coefficients between species richness data and structural attributes. Analyses of indicator species, co‐occurrences and two‐way clusters were performed on the multi‐taxonomic list. The group of vascular plants most significantly correlated with other groups in terms of species richness; furthermore, it displays the highest proportion of between‐group co‐occurrences. The resulting multi‐taxonomic list of potential indicators may serve as an effective means of detecting and monitoring forest ecosystems; however, for this goal, structure‐based indicators, such as forest structural attributes and vascular plant species composition, are of primary importance.
A model separating leaf structural and physiological effects on carbon gain along light gradients for the shade‐tolerant species Acer saccharum

A process-based leaf gas exchange model for C3 plants was developed which specifically describes the effects observed along light gradients of shifting nitrogen investment in carboxylation and bioenergetics and modified leaf thickness due to altered stacking of photosynthetic units. The model was parametrized for the late-successional, shadetolerant deciduous species Acer saccharum Marsh. The specific activity of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (Rubisco) and the maximum photosynthetic electron transport rate per unit cytochrome f (cyt f) were used as indices that vary proportionally with nitrogen investment in the capacities for carboxylation and electron transport. Rubisco and cyt f per unit leaf area are related in the model to leaf dry mass per area (MA), leaf nitrogen content per unit leaf dry mass (Nm), and partitioning coefficients for leaf nitrogen in Rubisco (PR) and in bioenergetics (PB). These partitioning coefficients are estimated from characteristic response curves of photosynthesis along with information on leaf structure and composition. While PR and PB determine the light-saturated value of photosynthesis, the fraction of leaf nitrogen in thylakoid light-harvesting components (PL) and the ratio of leaf chlorophyll to leaf nitrogen invested in light harvesting ( CB), which is dependent on thylakoid stoichiometry, determine the initial photosynthetic light utilization efficiency in the model. Carbon loss due to mitochondrial respiration, which also changes along light gradients, was considered to vary in proportion with carboxylation capacity. Key model parameters ‐ Nm, PR, PB, PL, CB and stomatal sensitivity with respect to changes in net photosynthesis ( Gf) ‐ were examined as a function of MA, which is linearly related to irradiance during growth of the leaves. The results of the analysis applied to A. saccharum indicate that PB and PR increase, and Gf, PL and CB decrease with increasing MA. As a result of these effects of irradiance on nitrogen partitioning, the slope of the light-saturated net photosynthesis rate per unit leaf dry mass (A m max ) versus Nm relationship
Stock Market Prediction using Machine Learning

A stock (also known as equity) is a security that represents the ownership of a fraction of a corporation. This entitles the owner of the stock to a proportion of the corporation's assets and profits equal to how much stock they own. Units of stock are called "shares. " In today's finance world stock trading is one of the most significant exercises. Stock market prediction is a demonstration of attempting to decide the future estimation of the stock price and other monetary characteristics related to stock trading. This paper clarifies the forecast of a stock making use of Machine Learning. The technical and central or the time series analysis is utilized by the a large portion of the stockbrokers while making the stock forecasts. Primarily, only numerical data was being used for stock prediction. A much better and accurate way is to use of fundamental analysis i.e. to factor in the real economy into the predictions. Using news articles to predict the stock movement on a daily basis is much more reliable. Naive Bayes, Random Forests, Perceptrons and Linear Support Vector Machines are the Machine Learning methods which have been used for prediction. Linear support vector machines are highly regarded as one of the better text classification machine learning techniques.
Determinants of Investment Cash Flow Sensitivity

"I classify firms into groups of high, low, and negative sensitivity. I find that investment-cash flow sensitivity is nonmonotonic with respect to financial constraints, cash flows, and growth opportunities. Firms classified as negative cash flow sensitive have the lowest cash flows, highest growth opportunities, and appear the most financially constrained. Cash flow insensitive firms have the highest cash flows, lowest growth opportunities, and appear the least financially constrained. To a large extent, the negative relationship between cash flow and investment is driven by the opposite trends followed by investment and cash flow, as firms grow through stages of their life cycle. " Copyright (c) 2009 Financial Management Association International.
Maintenance treatment effectiveness of seven antipsychotic drugs in schizophrenic patients: a 1-year follow-up study

Objective To compare the effectiveness of seven antipsychotie agents including chlorpromazine, sulpiride, clozapine, risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, and aripiprazole to schizophrenia after 1 year maintenance treatment. Methods A total of 1227 patients suffering from schizophrenia for less than 5 years who took one of the seven medications as maintenance treatment were recruited at 10 China sites, and followed up to 1 year. The subjects were assessed at baseline and once every 3 months. The rates of treatment discontinuation and time to discontinuation combined with ehnical efficacy evaluation were as the outcome measurement. The self-reported adverse events and lab tests were administered to evaluate side effects. Results At the end of the study, 44.1% patients discontinued their treatment; and 40.3% patients completed the 1-year follow-up and attained clinical remission. There were no significant differences in the rate of discontinuation and time to discontinuation among the seven groups. There was no significant difference in the total rate of side effects among the seven treatment groups, with significantly different profiles in sedation, extrapyramidal symptoms, weight gain and menstrual irregularities. Conclusion The results indicate the clinical effectiveness of 1 year maintenance treatment of the 7 antipsychotic drugs are similar, with some difference in side effect profiles. Key words: Schizophrenia; Antipsychotic agents; Outcome assessment (health care); Rate of discontinuation of treatment; Time to the discontinuation of treatment; Side effects