Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Population Size and Territories of Wilkins' Finches Nesospiza wilkinsi on Nightingale Island, Tristan da Cunha

Nesospiza finches are endemic to two small islands in the Tristan da Cunha Archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean. The finches have radiated into two ecologically distinct forms at both islands: an abundant, small-billed dietary generalist, and a scarce, large-billed specialist. On Nightingale Island (area 2.6 km2), the endangered large-billed Wilkins' Finches N. wilkinsi use their strong bills to crack open the hard, nut-like fruits of Island Cape Myrtle Phylica arborea trees to access the seeds. Although Phylica fruits are available year-round, the finch population is constrained by the limited area of fruit bearing Phylica trees (c. 12 ha), which makes Wilkins' Finch one of the world's naturally rarest bird species. Prior to this study, rough estimates ranged from 30–85 pairs, but there has been no dedicated survey of the population size. Over the austral summers of 2012, 2016 and 2017 we systematically caught and colour ringed birds to better estimate the population size. Pairs were present wherever there are Phylica trees across the island, utilising even small, isolated Phylica copses. Mean territory size for 117 pairs in 2017 was 0.215 ± 0.094 ha (±SD, range 0.043–0.718) with a mean density of 9.8 pairs/ha in Phylica woodland. The total population was estimated to be 120 breeding pairs (c. 280–300 mature birds). The most pressing threat to the Wilkins' Finch population is the recent arrival of an invasive insect, the Brown Soft Scale Coccus hesperidum, and its associated sooty mould Seiridium phylicae, which reduces Phylica fruit loads and kills large trees. The potential use of a biological agent to control Brown Soft Scale infestations is being investigated, since without swift and effective mitigation, we predict the health of these woodlands will rapidly degrade with serious implications for the persistence of Wilkins' Finch. Until effective mitigation is taken, we recommend up-listing the species to Critically Endangered based on IUCN Red List Criterion B2.
Testosterone Increase in Free-Living Young Blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla and Wood Warblers Phylloscopus sibilatrix During Post-Juvenile Molt with Possible Implications for Juvenile Dispersal

Abstract. Testosterone may affect many aspects of passerine maturation including the expression of plumage coloration and spring migration in adult birds. However, how the testosterone level changes during bird development is not well known. We compared the testosterone profile during juvenile development of a sexually dimorphic species, the Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla, and a monomorphic species, the Wood Warbler Phylloscopus sibilatrix. We first tested whether testosterone influences plumage coloration and increases at the onset of molt in males of the dimorphic but not the monomorphic species. We found that a testosterone level increase occurred in both sexes and species during later stages of molt, and thus was not related to male plumage coloration. We also investigated whether the increase in testosterone level coincides with juvenile dispersal. If testosterone affects dispersal behavior in these species, both sexes should show an elevated testosterone level during dispersal, but this increase should occur earlier in the Wood Warbler, which disperses earlier than the Blackcap. In juvenile Blackcaps, the increase in testosterone level occurred on the 43–68th day after hatching, while in Wood Warblers it occurred on the 32–36th day (i.e. 11–32 days earlier). The increase in testosterone level coincided with the onset of the post-juvenile dispersal in both species. This study provides the first direct evidence of a testosterone level increase during juvenile development in two free-living migratory birds. While not correlated with species plumage coloration, this increase might affect other aspects of behavior, e.g. juvenile dispersal.
Observations of Wild Turkey Nesting in Invasive Cogongrass

Abstract Invasive plant species commonly have negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functions but may also provide suitable nesting habitat for wildlife. Imperata cylindrica (Cogongrass) is a widespread invasive plant in the southeastern US that creates dense stands with heights that can exceed 1.5 m. During a long-term project monitoring tick hosts in native and Cogongrass-invaded mixed pine–hardwood forests in Florida, we incidentally observed nests of Meleagris gallopavo (Wild Turkey) in Cogongrass-invaded but not uninvaded areas. Invaded areas exhibited significantly taller understory vegetation, greater herbaceous plant cover and biomass, and lower daily maximum temperatures (∼3 °C cooler) at ground level. Research on nest success and the commonness of this phenomenon is needed, but our observations suggest that the structure of Cogongrass-invaded plant communities may provide an alternative nesting substrate for Wild Turkeys.
Comprehensive Evaluation of Survival and Population Growth for Common Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops Truncatus) in the Mississippi Sound, Usa, Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Abstract Estimating population parameters such as survival and population growth is critical for the monitoring of at-risk populations of marine mammals. We conducted monthly boat-based photo-identification surveys in the Mississippi Sound and eastern Louisiana waters during January 2011–June 2015 to assess the status of the Mississippi Sound, Lake Borgne, and Bay Boudreau Tursiops truncatus (Common Bottlenose Dolphin) stock. Using the resulting mark–recapture data, we estimated the survival and population growth rates using a reverse capture–recapture method. The estimated monthly survival probability over this period of time was 0.969 (95% CI: 0.964–0.974). The final monthly population growth rate was then estimated to be 1.005 (95% CI: 0.998–1.013), which suggests a relatively stable population.
Evaluation of triacid and dry ashing procedures for determining potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, manganese, and copper in plant materials

Dry ashing and wet ashing techniques are routinely used for preparing plant materials for elemental analysis. The two techniques generally give similar results for the analysis of plant materials but differences have been observed in results using the two methods for elements such as calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn). We made a study to compare the dry ashing and triacid digestion procedures for determining potassium (K), Ca, magnesium (Mg), Fe, manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), and Zn in sorghum and rice plant samples having a range in concentration of these elements. For sorghum, the two procedures gave similar results for the determination of K, Mg, Mn, and Zn, the dry ashing procedure gave higher values for Ca, Fe, and Cu than those obtained using the triacid digestion procedure. For rice, the two procedures gave similar results for all nutrient elements except Ca for which the values were higher by the dry ashing procedure than with the triacid digestion procedure. Our results suggest that dry ashing technique provides more reliable results for the analysis of sorghum and rice plant materials for Ca and may be preferred over the triacid digestion procedure. Also, for sorghum plant samples dry ashing seemed more reliable for determination of Fe and Cu. Both dry ashing and triacid digestion methods appeared satisfactory for the determination of K, Mg, Mn, and Zn.
Spatial tuning of electrophysiological responses to multisensory stimuli reveals a primitive coding of the body boundaries in newborns

The ability to identify our own body and its boundaries is crucial for survival. Ideally, the sooner we learn to discriminate external stimuli occurring close to our body from those occurring far from it, the better (and safer) we may interact with the sensory environment. However, when this mechanism emerges within ontogeny is unknown. Is it something acquired throughout infancy, or is it already present soon after birth? The presence of a spatial modulation of multisensory integration (MSI) is considered a hallmark of a functioning representation of the body position in space. Here, we investigated whether MSI is present and spatially organized in 18- to 92-h-old newborns. We compared electrophysiological responses to tactile stimulation when concurrent auditory events were delivered close to, as opposed to far from, the body in healthy newborns and in a control group of adult participants. In accordance with previous studies, adult controls showed a clear spatial modulation of MSI, with greater superadditive responses for multisensory stimuli close to the body. In newborns, we demonstrated the presence of a genuine electrophysiological pattern of MSI, with older newborns showing a larger MSI effect. Importantly, as for adults, multisensory superadditive responses were modulated by the proximity to the body. This finding may represent the electrophysiological mechanism responsible for a primitive coding of bodily self boundaries, thus suggesting that even just a few hours after birth, human newborns identify their own body as a distinct entity from the environment.
Bleeding Borders and Enemies Within: How Newsmagazine Covers Portrayed Drugs of Abuse, 1979–2019

This study examined how the covers of three newsmagazines, Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News & World Report, portrayed drugs of abuse between 1979 and 2019. Findings showed consistency with extant research suggesting that a rigid focus on supply has resulted in a vilification of Latino traffickers from Central and South America. We also saw differences in how newsmagazines portrayed powder cocaine and crack cocaine and observed patterns of “White washing” opioid abuse. Implications and recommendations for future research are provided.
Who Moved My Culture?: Expanding Anthropological Perspectives in ACI

In this position paper, we discuss the potential for cross-fertilization between the disciplines of animal-computer interaction (ACI) and cultural anthropology. Through an analysis of the animal-technology-human triad in the Western familial and domestic context, we argue for a more systematic grounding of ACI in anthropology and in particular, inclusion of anthropological perspectives in ACI's multidisciplinary discourse. This can lead to new insights into how culture affects animal-human-technology interactions and relationships, as well as how it can be shaped by them.
Research on the Influence of Organizational Learning Culture on the Engagement of Cross-departmental team Members: Taking a chronic disease management team of an integrated medical service organization in Beijing as an example

Since the deepening of the medical reform, the construction of the Beijing Medical Consortium has not been effective, and even large hospitals have suffered from resource shortages, "staking of the land", and "siphon" grassroots resources. Among the 58 medical consortia in Beijing, a medical consortium has Since the establishment of the body, the participation of medical staff, the satisfaction of doctors and patients, the degree of professionalism and the number of referrals have been relatively high, showing a relatively prominent effect. This phenomenon has attracted our attention. This paper analyzes the relationship between the learning culture and professionalism of the cross-departmental medical team organization through interviews and literature analysis. The analysis process is mainly based on the theory of resource preservation, and uses correlation analysis and regression analysis to analyze the relationship between the two. The theoretical relationship between the two was verified, and the study found that there is a significant positive correlation between organizational learning culture and professional engagement. Organizational learning culture provides resource support for team members and enhances their professional engagement. It is also suggested that the medical consortium needs to strengthen the long-term and stability of teamwork in the reform process, and establish a systematic learning support and reward mechanism in the team; clarify the rights and responsibilities, increase authorization; establish a team knowledge sharing system and other measures. Improve member engagement and promote the deepening of medical reform.
Predictive models for colorectal cancer recurrence using multi-modal healthcare data

Colorectal cancer recurrence is a major clinical problem - around 30-40% of patients who are treated with curative intent surgery will experience cancer relapse. Proactive prognostication is critical for early detection and treatment of recurrence. However, the common clinical approach to monitoring recurrence through testing for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) does not possess a strong prognostic performance. In our paper, we study a series of machine and deep learning architectures that exploit heterogeneous healthcare data to predict colorectal cancer recurrence. In particular, we demonstrate three different approaches to extract and integrate features from multiple modalities including longitudinal as well as tabular clinical data. Our best model employs a hybrid architecture that takes in multi-modal inputs and comprises: 1) a Transformer model carefully modified to extract high-quality features from time-series data, and 2) a Multi-Layered Perceptron (MLP) that learns tabular data features, followed by feature integration and classification for prediction of recurrence. It achieves an AUROC score of 0.95, as well as precision, sensitivity and specificity scores of 0.83, 0.80 and 0.96 respectively, surpassing the performance of all-known published results based on CEA, as well as most commercially available diagnostic assays. Our results could lead to better post-operative management and follow-up of colorectal cancer patients.
Strategies to Understand the Weight‐Reduced State: Genetics and Brain Imaging

Most individuals with obesity or overweight have difficulty maintaining weight loss. The weight‐reduced state induces changes in many physiological processes that appear to drive weight regain. Here, we review the use of cell biology, genetics, and imaging techniques that are being used to begin understanding why weight regain is the normal response to dieting. As with obesity itself, weight regain has both genetic and environmental drivers. Genetic drivers for “thinness” and “obesity” largely overlap, but there is evidence for specific genetic loci that are different for each of these weight states. There is only limited information regarding the genetics of weight regain. Currently, most genetic loci related to weight point to the central nervous system as the organ responsible for determining the weight set point. Neuroimaging tools have proved useful in studying the contribution of the central nervous system to the weight‐reduced state in humans. Neuroimaging technologies fall into three broad categories: functional, connectivity, and structural neuroimaging. Connectivity and structural imaging techniques offer unique opportunities for testing mechanistic hypotheses about changes in brain function or tissue structure in the weight‐reduced state.
Heterogeneous Catalytic Epoxidation: High Limonene Oxide Yields by Surface Silylation of Ti-MCM-41

Limonene oxide is an intermediate getting growing attention in industrial chemistry. A series of Ti-MCM-41 heterogeneous catalysts with different hydrophilic/hydrophobic character, prepared by post-synthesis silylation with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), were studied in the liquid-phase epoxidation of limonene with tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP). A maximum yield of 84 % in limonene oxide was obtained over a partially silylated catalyst with a surface coverage of 55 %.
Forest cover assessment using remote-sensing techniques in Crete Island, Greece

Abstract Remote-sensing satellite images provided rapid and continuous spectral and spatial information of the land surface in the Sougia River catchment by identifying the major changes that have taken place over 20 years (1995–2015). Vegetation indices (VIs) of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and leaf area index were derived for monitoring and mapping variations in vegetation cover. The quantified decrease in NDVI was found to be 4% between 1995 and 2005, and further decreased by 77.1% between 2005 and 2015; it declined back to almost the initial status of 1995. EVI results were inconsistent suggesting that seasonal crops influence the temporal distribution of vegetation cover. The temporal variations in the VIs were important input parameters for the modelling and management of the catchment’s hydrological behaviour. Image classification found that the 4- and the 6-class classifications between 1995 and 2005 were unstable and produced, respectively, a 13.8% and 16.2% total change between classes. Meanwhile, the 8-, 10- and the 12-class showed an almost horizontal line with a minor fluctuation of less than 0.05%. The results of the post-classification change detection analysis indicated a land degradation in terms of natural vegetation losses with sparser or even with no natural vegetation cover.
Decreased synthesis and variable gene transcripts of oxytocin in a domesticated avian species

The Bengalese finch was domesticated more than 250 years ago from the wild white-rumped munia. Similar to other domesticated species, Bengalese finches show a reduced fear response and have lower corticosterone levels, compared to white-rumped munias. Bengalese finches and munias also have different song types. Since oxytocin (OT) has been found to be involved in stress coping and auditory processing, we tested whether the OT sequence and brain expression pattern and content differ in wild munias and domesticated Bengalese finches. We identified intra-strain variability in the untranslated regions of the OT sequence in Bengalese finches in comparison to the munia OT. Several of these changes fall in specific transcription factor binding sites, which show either a conserved or a relaxed evolutionary trend in the avian lineage, and in vertebrates in general. Although in situ hybridization in several hypothalamic nuclei did not reveal significant differences in the number of cells expressing OT between the two strains, real-time quantitative PCR showed significantly lower OT mRNA expression in the diencephalon of the Bengalese finches relative to munias. Our study thus points to a decreased OT synthesis in the domestic strain compared with the wild strain in birds. This is an opposite pattern from that found in some domesticated mammals, suggesting that different processes of OT function might have occurred in mammals and birds under domestication.
Mitochondrial fission is required for proper nucleoid distribution within mitochondrial networks

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) maintenance is essential to sustain a functionally healthy population of mitochondria within cells. Proper mtDNA replication and distribution within mitochondrial networks are essential to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis. However, the fundamental basis of mtDNA segregation and distribution within mitochondrial networks is still unclear. To address these questions, we developed an algorithm, Mitomate tracker to unravel the global distribution of nucleoids within mitochondria. Using this tool, we decipher the semi-regular spacing of nucleoids across mitochondrial networks. Furthermore, we show that mitochondrial fission actively regulates mtDNA distribution by controlling the distribution of nucleoids within mitochondrial networks. Specifically, we found that primary cells bearing disease-associated mutations in the fission proteins DRP1 and MYH14 show altered nucleoid distribution, and acute enrichment of enlarged nucleoids near the nucleus. Further analysis suggests that the altered nucleoid distribution observed in the fission mutants is the result of both changes in network structure and nucleoid density. Thus, our study provides novel insights into the role of mitochondria fission in nucleoid distribution and the understanding of diseases caused by fission defects. Significance statement Mutation or deletion of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is associated with a large number of human diseases. However, the mechanisms controlling mtDNA replication and segregation are still poorly understood. Here, we have developed a new computational method to quantify the distribution of nucleoids (mtDNA with associated proteins) and define how nucleoid distribution is affected by changes in mitochondrial network structure. We demonstrate that mitochondrial fission is required for the proper distribution of nucleoids across mitochondrial networks, cells from patients with fission defects showing irregular nucleoid distribution and perinuclear accumulation. Nonetheless, each fission mutant behaved in a distinct manner, indicating a complex relationship between mitochondrial dynamics and nucleoid distribution.
Curtobacterium glycinis sp. nov. from Glycine max, Curtobacterium gossypii sp. nov. from Gossypium hirsutum and Curtobacterium oryzae sp. nov. from Oryza sativa, three new Curtobacterium species and endophytes from agricultural crops

Three new Curtobacterium species from healthy tissues of agricultural crop plants in the United States are reported. They are Curtobacterium glycinis sp. nov. from soybean in Missouri, Curtobacterium gossypii from cotton in Puerto Rico and corn in Missouri, and Curtobacterium oryzae sp. nov. from rice in Texas.
Systematic review of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax polyclonal infections: Impact of prevalence, study population characteristics, and laboratory procedures

Multiple infections of genetically distinct clones of the same Plasmodium species are common in many malaria endemic settings. Mean multiplicity of infection (MOI) and the proportion of polyclonal infections are often reported as surrogate marker of transmission intensity, yet the relationship with traditional measures such as parasite prevalence is not well understood. We have searched Pubmed for articles on P. falciparum and P. vivax multiplicity, and compared the proportion of polyclonal infections and mean MOI to population prevalence. The impact of the genotyping method, number of genotyping markers, method for diagnosis (microscopy/RDT vs. PCR), presence of clinical symptoms, age, geographic region, and year of sample collection on multiplicity indices were assessed. For P. falciparum, 153 studies met inclusion criteria, yielding 275 individual data points and 33526 genotyped individuals. The proportion of polyclonal infections ranged from 0-96%, and mean MOI from 1-6.1. For P. vivax, 54 studies met inclusion criteria, yielding 115 data points and 13325 genotyped individuals. The proportion of polyclonal infections ranged from 0-100%, and mean MOI from 1-3.8. For both species, the proportion of polyclonal infections ranged from very low to close to 100% at low prevalence, while at high prevalence it was always high. Each percentage point increase in prevalence resulted in a 0.34% increase in the proportion of polyclonal P. falciparum infections (P<0.001), and a 0.78% increase in the proportion of polyclonal P. vivax infections (P<0.001). In multivariable analysis, higher prevalence, typing multiple markers, diagnosis of infections by PCR, and sampling in Africa were found to result in a higher proportion of P. falciparum polyclonal infections. For P. vivax, prevalence, year of study, typing multiple markers, and geographic region were significant predictors. In conclusion, polyclonal infections are frequently present in all settings, but the association between multiplicity and prevalence is weak.