Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Eggshell characteristics and yolk composition in the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus: are they adapted to brood parasitism?

The developmental rate of cuckoo embryos and their hatching size is greater than that of host species, which may require more nutrient resources in the egg and more intensive gas exchange during development. In the present study, we compared various egg characteristics of a brood parasite, the common cuckoo Cuculus canorus, and its frequent host, the great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus. As maternally-derived testosterone is known to enhance growth rate of embryos and hatchlings, cuckoo eggs are expected to contain higher concentration of testosterone than host eggs. In addition, we expected higher concentration of antioxidants in cuckoo eggs to protect embryos from oxidative stress associated with accelerated growth. Our results showed that cuckoo eggs had thicker shells and higher pore density than great reed warbler eggs. Yolk was significantly heavier in cuckoo eggs and contained higher concentrations of carotenoids and vitamin E, however, yolk androgen and immunoglobulin concentrations were lower in cuckoo eggs as compared to great reed warbler eggs. We also examined whether eggshell colour was associated to egg quality, and detected a positive association between blue-green chroma and yolk antioxidant concentration in both species, suggesting that eggshell colour reflects the antioxidant investment of the female into the eggs. Our results suggest that cuckoo females increase the size, growth rate and competitive ability of their young by providing them with more nutrients and more dietary antioxidants for embryonic development, and not through elevated yolk testosterone or antibody levels. In addition, increased porosity of cuckoo eggshells may allow embryos to develop more rapidly because of a greater capacity of gas exchange.
Analysis of a Markovian queue with two heterogenous servers and a threshold assignment policy

This paper considers a parallel queuing system with two heterogeneous servers where the task is dispatched to the two servers. The threshold assignment policy dispatches the tasks according to the number of customers in server 1. Firstly, we obtain the stationary condition of the system. Secondly, we give the stationary performance indices by using a matrix-geometric solution theory. Finally, we develop the average cost function and analyze the effect of the parameters on the average cost function by using numerical examples.
Assessment of Environmental Toxic Trace Metals and Pesticides Contents in Selected Fish Species from Guiers Lake by using XRF and GC/ECD Techniques

The most used QuEChERS and gas chromatography methods were performed, to evaluate the presence of organochlorines, organophosphate, polychlorinated biphenyl and chlorobenzenes in water and in fish. According to the standard ISO IEC 17025, a recovery rate obtained ranged from 70 to 120% assessing the reliability of analysis results. The exceed rate in fish of Malathion is 22.2, and 5.2 ppm in sampling site XGL411 and XGL416 respectively, Endrin is 4 ppm in XGL415, Trifluralin and Parathion is 1.6, 1.4, 1.8 and 4.2 ppm in XGL413, XGL414, XGL415 and XGL417 respectively and Pyrimiphos-Methyl is 1ppm in XGL417. In water, the exceed rate of Trifluralin is 6.5ppb in XGL411 and Parathion and Pyrimiphos methyl is 1.1, 1.8, 1, 1, 1.5 ppb in XGL412, XGL413, XGL414, XGL415 and XGL420 respectively. The purpose of this work is to assess a chemical analysis related to screening pesticides and potentially toxic metal in water and fish samples taken from Guiers Lake. The estimating level of contamination in fish muscles has been performed using X-ray fluorescence technique and the level of Cadmium have to be monitored due to the potential effects on the fish themselves and the organism that consume them.
Radioprotective effect of an Egyptian wild herb Ambrosia maritima L. (Damsissa): biochemical study on neurotransmitters

Ionizing radiations as gamma irradiation (GI) are frequently used in the treatment of different tumors as endocrine malignancies. These radiations were accompanied by severe side effects and elevated mortalities. Of the most common deleterious consequences, are mood disturbances which are reflections of neurotransmitter disturbances. In the present study, we studied the effect of GI and tested an alcoholic extract of Ambrosia maritima L. (Damsissa), (DE) on nor adrenaline (NA), dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), histamine (HA), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na) and potassium (K) serum levels in three groups of Wistar albino rats, classified into : DE-treated, whole-body GI and DE-pre-irradiated groups, compared with a control group (n = 10). The DE-treated groups were given an alcoholic extract of leaves equivalent to 15 g leaves/kg body weight per orally (PO) as a single daily dose for 5 consecutive days. Whole-body GI was a single 5 Gy dose. All blood samples were withdrawn from fasting animals 24 hours after dosing. The results revealed a significant decrease in serum NA, DA, 5-HT and HA with increased Ca and Na levels in GI subjects. Pre-treatment with DE significantly elevated NA, decreased Ca but increased Na and K levels. Treatment with DE alone, significantly increased both NA and DA, but decreased Ca with increased Na and K levels. These results demonstrated that GI most probably decreases NA, DA, 5-HT and HA serum levels through decreasing Ca influx into cells, which probably inhibited K-channel activity.This action, presumably lowered neurotransmitter exocytosis. DE pre-treatment decreased Ca and increased both Na and K levels with a consequent elevation of NA and DA levels in relation to GI-effect. We could conclude that GI elicits its mood disturbances probably through disturbing NA, DA, 5-HT and HA release as an outcome of K-channel disturbance, with non significant impact on Na levels. DE is recommended as an economic radioprotective pre-medication.
Curbing Aftermarket Monopolization

In Eastman Kodak Company v. Image Technical Services! the United States Supreme Court held that replacement parts could be a market separate from the original equipment for which the parts were designed and that Kodak could have market power in the market for the replacement parts despite the fact that it had no market power in the market for the original equipment. The Court held, therefore, that a showing that Kodak had market power in replacement parts plus a showing that it refused to sell replacement parts except to those firms that also purchased its repair services would constitute a per se illegal tie-in. Three of the Justices, however, dissented. The majority and dissenting opinions reflect the vigorous disagreement over the broader issue of whether competition in replacement parts and repair services (the
Mining of Movie Review using Hybrid Method of Support Vector Machine and Particle Swarm Optimization

Nowadays, online social media is online discourse where people contribute to create content, share it, bookmark it, and network at an impressive rate. The faster message and ease of use in social media today is Twitter. The messages on Twitter include reviews and opinions on certain topics such as movie, book, product, politic, and so on. Based on this condition, this research attempts to use the messages of twitter to review a movie by using opinion mining or sentiment analysis. Opinion mining refers to the application of natural language processing, computational linguistics, and text mining to identify or classify whether the movie is good or not based on message opinion. Support Vector Machine (SVM) is supervised learning methods that analyze data and recognize the patterns that are used for classification. This research concerns on binary classification which is classified into two classes. Those classes are positive and negative. The positive class shows good message opinion; otherwise the negative class shows the bad message opinion of certain movies. This justification is based on the accuracy level of SVM with the validation process uses 10-Fold cross validation and confusion matrix. The hybrid Partical Swarm Optimization (PSO) is used to improve the election of best parameter in order to solve the dual optimization problem. The result shows the improvement of accuracy level from 71.87% to 77%.
Cues: How power influences behaviour in project portfolio management

Project portfolio management (PPM) is a dynamic management activity that seeks to align an organisation’s strategy with its portfolio of projects by selecting and delivering a suitable combination of projects. Though PPM processes are often adopted, outcomes vary and poor decisions are common. While there are many reasons why this might occur, we focus on the influence of power on PPM decision making, in particular the effects of indirect power. We examine models of decision making and argue that power shapes context, and provides actors with cues that encourages behaviour in frame appropriate ways. Specific behavioural cues are identified, and the need for further research is made.
Grounds states of a general class of quantum field Hamiltonians

We consider a model of a quantum mechanical system coupled to a (massless) Bose field, called the generalized spin-boson model (A. Arai and M. Hirokawa, J. Funct. Anal. 151 (1997), 455–503), without infrared regularity condition. We define a regularized Hamiltonian H (ν) with a parameter ν ≥ 0 such that H = H (0) is the Hamiltonian of the original model. We clarify a relation between ground states of H (ν) and those of H by formulating sufficient conditions under which weak limits, as ν → 0, of the ground states of H (ν)'s are those of H. We also establish existence theorems on ground states of H (ν) and H under weaker conditions than in the previous paper mentioned above.
Viral Respiratory Infections with Bocavirus in Romania

Human Bocavirus was described in 2001 by Tobias Allander et al. (Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden) in nasopharyngeal aspirates collected from children with acute respiratory infections. The technique used was a random PCR cloning sequencing, observing that there is a new DNA virus identified in 17 of 540 samples (3, 1%). Full spectrum of diseases associated with human Bocavirus (BoV), remains to be defined. Presence of the virus in respiratory secretions, serum, and stool suggests that may cause systemic diseases. Bocavirus belongs to Parvoviridae family and is a single-stranded DNA virus. Analyzed samples in our study were nasopharyngeal exudates collected from 309 patients aged 19 days-96 years, hospitalized with a diagnosis of SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Infections) in hospitals from eight counties and Bucharest in September 2011–September 2012. Diagnostic method used to detect human BoV was Multiplex RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription–Polymerase Chain Reaction) with Seeplex 15 One Step RV ACE Detection Kit. Of the 309 samples tested, 10 were positive for human Bocavirus. All 10 samples were collected from children (7 months-3.5 years) with bronchiolitis and pneumonia without gastrointestinal manifestations. The conclusions observed from the data analysis were: HumanBoV is also present in Romania, meeting at young ages children. The percent of 3, 3% is similar to that found in Sweden, but lower than in Jordan (9%), China (7%) and Taiwan (5, 6%). Symptoms of patients hospitalized and diagnosed with BoV were only respiratory (LRTI-lower respiratory tract infections) and no digestive. BoV positive cases were not associated with others viruses.
FATTY ACID PROFILING AND ANTIOXIDANT POTENTIAL OF TOTAL POLAR LIPID CONTENT OF CYANOBACTERIUM NOSTOC MUSCURUM

Objective : In recent years cyanobacteria has gained much importance due to the presence of secondary metabolites possessing several biological activities like antibacterial, antifungal, anti algal, antiprotozoal, and antiviral activities. Nostoc muscurum , a member of family Nostocaceae, known to have components with potent bioactive properties. The present investigation deals with the analysis of total polar lipids of Nostoc muscurum and its antioxidant potential. Methods : Culture of Nostoc muscurum was grown under lab conditions. Cells were harvested in earlier stationary phase and total polar lipid extracted by modified Bligh and Dyer method. Antioxidant analysis of total polar lipid was done by DPPH free radical method. Finally, total polar lipid was transesterified, and components were identified by GC-MS analysis. Results : Highest percentage inhibition of free radical (65%) was detected at concentration 500 µg/ml which might be due to the presence of bioactive principles hexadecanoic acid. Total twenty-nine compounds were identified through GC-MS analysis. GC-MS analysis revealed that Phthalic acid and 9-Octadecenoic acid, ethyl ester was found in higher concentration in the total polar lipid of Nostoc muscurum as compared to other bioactive compounds. Former is known to possess antimicrobial property while later was found to have bioactive properties like anti-inflammatory, anticancer, hypocholesterolemic, 5-alpha reductase inhibitor and anti androgenic activity . Conclusion : Identified compounds with bioactive properties were mostly organic acids. Also, higher percentage of hydrocarbon was found in the fraction which might be used in the fuel industry. The biological activities of some of the components ranged from antimicrobial, antioxidant and antitumoral activities and can be used in pharmaceutical formulations.
The spatial integration of potato wholesale markets of Uttarakhand in India

This paper analyzes the spatial integration of potato markets in Uttarakhand using monthly wholesale price for ten years. The maximum likelihood method of cointegration developed by Johansen (1988) was used in the study. The dynamics of short-run price responses were examined using vector error correction model (VECM). The results indicated that five potato markets reacted on the long-run cointegrating equations while the speed of price adjustment in the short-run was almost absent. Moreover, it was found that the longer the distance between the markets, the weaker the integration was. To increase the efficiency of potato markets in Uttarakhand, there is need to focus on building an improved market information system. This system should be able to disseminate timely market information about price, demand and supply of produce to enable producers, traders and consumers to make proper production and marketing decisions. SAARC J. Agri. , 14(2): 20-30 (2016)
Wage Differences between Men and Women in Austria: Evidence from 1983 and 1997

In most OECD countries the wage gap between men and women has declined during the past two decades. Developments of the last 20 years, e.g. increased labour market attachment of women, changes in the bargaining structure, and the introduction of equal pay laws, may have reduced the gender wage gap. We investigate the extent, persistence, and socio-economic determinants of the gender wage gap in Austria, for the years 1983 and 1997. Using wage decomposition techniques, we find that the average gender wage gap was almost as high in 1997 as it was in 1983. Not accounting for differences, the gender wage gap dropped from 25.5 to 23.3 per cent. Taking observable differences between men and women into account, we estimate that the mean gender wage gap which cannot be explained, i.e. discrimination against women, dropped from 18 to 15.5 per cent of men’s wages. The drop in discrimination is the main reason for the narrowing of the gender wage gap.
Charmonium photoproduction in ultra-peripheral p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions with ALICE at the LHC

The photoproduction of vector mesons in Ultra-Peripheral Collisions (UPC) is a powerful tool to probe the nuclear gluon distribution (Pb-Pb collisions) and the gluon structure function in the proton (p-Pb collisions). The first measurements of coherent photoproduced J/ψ and ψ (2S) in Pb-Pb collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV, performed with the ALICE detector, are described and compared to STARLIGHT and QCD based models, in order to investigate nuclear gluon shadowing. The results of the measurement of exclusive J/ψ photoproduction off protons in p-Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 TeV are also presented.
NEW MODELS FOR UNSATURATED SOIL HYDRAULIC PROPERTIES

Two relatively simple models are proposed for describing the soil water retention curve. The expressions define sigmoidal or bimodal type retention functions with four or five parameters, respectively. The sigmoidal retention model may be combined with predictive pore-size distribution theories to yield closed-form equations for the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. Parameters in the proposed hydraulic functions were estimated from observed retention data using a nonlinear least-squares optimization process. The models were tested on hydraulic data for more than 20 soils. Good agreement between predicted values and measured retention and conductivity data was found for most of the soils. The soil hydraulic models can be effectively utilized as inputs for numerical models of water flow and solute transport
A Novel Tunable Triple-Band Left-Handed Metamaterial

A novel tunable triple-band left-handed metamaterial (LHM) composed of a single-loop resonator (SLR) and a variable capacitor-loaded short wire pair (CL-SWP) printed on both sides of a substrate is presented in this paper. The CL-SWP-based metamaterial (MTM) is a novel single-sided LHM. It is theoretically analyzed capable of extracting tunable negative permeability and a wide-band negative permittivity. We ran simulations for the CL-SWP-based MTM, the SLR-based MTM, and the proposed LHM. Together with the measured results, it is identified that this novel LHM exhibits a tunable triple-band left-handed (LH) property. With the increase of the loaded capacitance, one LH band is relatively stable, while the other two are moving towards lower frequencies with their bandwidth getting wider and narrower, respectively. The surface current density distributions indicate that the first LH band is mainly decided by the SLR, one of the rest 2 LH bands is mainly decided by the CL-SWP, and the other one is decided by the SLR and CL-SWP together.
Analysis of expressed sequence tags derived from inflorescence shoot of Tectona grandis (teak)

5pfu/ml (primary) and 4.5 x 10 9 pfu/ml (amplified). EST generation and analysis were performed using the cDNA library where a total of 1384 plaques were randomly picked and their inserts PCR-amplified using T3 and T7 universal primers. Only 1125 plaques generated single amplified fragments, each which were purified and sequenced using the SK universal primer. The generated raw 5’ ESTs were filtered and clustered. A total of 674 nonredundants (69 consensus sequences and 605 singletons) were generated and their identities searched through BLASTX. Of the 674 nonredundants, 107 of them (15.9%) showed no hits or no identity. All the 567 nonredundants identified through BLASTX were categorized into their functional categories and were further analysed using InterProScan to detect their protein signatures and to assign their GO numbers. From all the sequences analysed, only 186 (32.8%) sequences were given the GO numbers and grouped into the three GO main categories namely biological process, cellular component and molecular function. Several important ESTs were highlighted based on their functional categories. There were five sequences found to be related to flowering and light induction.
The social cognitive predictors of adherence to an exercise referral scheme

Introduction: In order to add to the developing literature on adherence to exercise referral schemes the present study utilized Bandura’s (1997) social cognitive theory to examine what contributes to adherence to the schemes from a psychological perspective. Specifically, constructs of exercise planning, goal setting, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and social support were examined. Methods: One hundred and twenty-four adults who had been referred to an exercise referral scheme completed self-report measures across social cognitive variables at the start of the scheme and at four-weeks into the scheme (N=58). Logistic regression was conducted to examine predictors of adherence to the scheme with mixed-ANOVAs assessing differences between adherers and non-adherers. Results: At the start of the scheme there were no psychological variables that successfully predicted adherence to the 8-week scheme, nor were there any significant differences between adherers and non-adherers in exhibiting levels of social cognitive constructs. At four-weeks into the scheme, a logistic regression model consisting of social cognitive constructs (exercise planning, goal setting, task self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and social support from family) explained 33-45% of the variance of adherence to the scheme. Additionally, adherers exhibited significantly higher levels of these social cognitive constructs than non-adherers at this stage of the scheme. Discussion: The findings provide evidence for the usefulness of social cognitive constructs in understanding adherence to an exercise referral scheme. Social cognitive theory can provide a basis for theory-led interventions to help enhance adherence to exercise referral schemes in order to offset physical inactivity levels and any pre-existing health conditions.
Attention allocation to attachment-related and general emotional words: An event-related brain potential investigation of the effects of attachment-style and relationship status

Aims: Adult attachment style influences attention towards emotional information. The goal of this study was to evaluate the allocation of attention in the context of attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and relationship status, using the late positive potential (LPP) component of event related potentials to track attention towards words isolated by emotional valence (positive and negative) and word type (general and attachmentrelated). Methods: Thirty-three participants (M = 21.24 years; SD = 3.51) categorized emotional words while their electrophysiological responses were recorded, tracking attention with the LPP component. Behavioral, subjective, and electrophysiological measures were analyzed separately. Standardized multiple regression and hierarchical multiple regression were performed to evaluate relationships between variables. Results: Adult attachment style and relationship status combined to predicted attention allocation (LPP amplitude) to attachment-related words (∆R2 = 0.28, ∆F(2, 26) = 2.71, p = 0.008) but not Laura M. Lathrop1, Isabel A. Davis2, Michael A. Kisley3 Affiliations: 1MA student, Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; 2MA graduate, Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; 3Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. Corresponding Author: Dr. Michael A. Kisley, Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs CO 80918, USA; Ph: 719-255-4177; Fax: 719-255-4166; E-mail: mkisley@uccs.edu Received: 28 May 2015 Accepted: 07 July 2015 Published: 22 December 2015 to general emotional words (∆R2 = 0.04, ∆F(2, 26) = 0.57, p > 0.05). The interaction between attachment anxiety and relationship status was a statistically significant predictor of attention allocation to attachment-related words (β = 0.60, p = 0.003), whereas the interaction including attachment avoidance was not (β = 0.10, p > 0.05). Specifically, as attachment anxiety increased, individuals in a relationship allocated more attentional resources to the negative attachment-related words, while individuals who were not in a relationship demonstrated heightened attention to the positive attachmentrelated words. Conclusion: Relationship status (single or partnered) influences the amount of attention directed towards positive and negative attachment-related words for individuals higher in attachment anxiety.