Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phylogeny of the Alismatales (Monocotyledons) and the relationship of Acorus (Acorales?)

A phylogenetic analysis of the early branching lineages of the monocotyledons is performed using data from two plastid genes (rbcL and matK), five mitochondrial genes (atp1, ccmB, cob, mttB and nad5) and morphology. The complete matrix includes 93 terminals representing Acorus, the 14 families currently recognized within Alismatales, and numerous lineages of monocotyledons and other angiosperms. Total evidence analysis results in an almost completely resolved strict consensus tree, but all data partitions, genomic as well as morphological, are incongruent. The effects of RNA editing and potentially processed paralogous sequences are explored and discussed. Despite a decrease in incongruence length differences after exclusion of edited sites, the major data partitions remain significantly incongruent. The 14 families of Alismatales are all found to be monophyletic, but Acorus is found to be included in Alismatales rather than being the sister group to all other monocotyledons. The placement is strongly supported by the mitochondrial data, atp1 in particular, but it cannot be explained as an artifact caused by patterns of editing or by sampling of processed paralogues.
Hepatoprotectant potential of sodium alginate coated catechin nanoparticles (SACC-NPs) in rat model

Abstract Hepatoprotective effects of many antioxidants have been attributed with its uncertain bioavailability at the target cell. Research in drug delivery today is to design a nano-carrier system to deliver drugs at target cell with desired dose and duration. In this study, sodium alginate coated catechin nanoparticle (SACC-NP) carrier system was evaluated for its in vivo anti-oxidant potential in rat model revealed improvement in hematological, biochemical parameters and oxidative stress markers on day 28th of SACC-NPs treated group of rats (Gr. V). Significant improvement in healing pattern of liver along with regenerative changes during histopathology studies was observed in the rats of Gr. V. Results of gross pathology and histopathology with the liver of rats receiving SACC-NPs has been re-confirmed again by May-Grunwald Giemsa staining which recorded prominent regenerative changes in liver. Modified scoring pattern also re-ascertained regenerative changes in the liver tissue of the rats receiving SACC-NPs.
Novel 1,3-Benzodioxole From Marine-Derived Actinomycete in East Vietnam Sea

Analysis of an antimicrobial extract from the culture broth of the marine-derived actinomycete Streptomyces sp. G261 led to the isolation of a new 1,3-benzodioxole derivative (1), together with 10 known compounds 2-11. The actinomycete strain G261 was isolated from sediment, collected at Cu Lao Cham, Quang Nam in Vietnam. The taxonomic identification of the strain G261 was achieved by analysis of 16SrRNA gene sequences. On the basis of morphological and phylogenetic evidence, the actinomycete strain G261 was assigned to the genus Streptomyces. The structures of the isolated compounds were established by their spectral data analysis, including mass spectrometry, 1-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (1D-NMR), and 2D-NMR. The structure of 1 was confirmed by comparison of the calculated with experimental 13C NMR data. Compound 1 exhibited antimicrobial activity against Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus with minimum inhibitory concentration values of 128 and 256 µg/mL, respectively. Whereas, compound 1 had a weak inhibition when tested against 4 cancer cell lines, KB, LU-1, HepG-2, and MCF-7.
First report on Noctiluca scintillans blooms in the Red Sea off the coasts of Saudi Arabia: consequences of eutrophication

Blooms of Noctiluca scintillans are reported for the first time in the Red Sea off the south-western coasts of Saudi Arabia. During the present study, surface water samples were collected weekly on the coasts of the Al Shuqayq region from February to April 2004–2006. The abundance of N. scintillans correlated negatively with most nutrients, as well as the cell densities of diatoms and dinoflagellate species. Microscopic examination of live cells from Noctiluca blooms showed the presence of some species of diatoms and dinoflagellates within the Noctiluca body – confirmation of its grazing on these microalgae. The presence of a Noctiluca bloom in the coastal waters off south-western Saudi Arabia could be linked indirectly to water eutrophication by an increase in prey abundance. The physico-chemical properties of Red Sea coastal waters should therefore be monitored regularly in order to minimize the formation of harmful algal blooms, which may affect all food web levels, including the human level. The complete text of the paper is available at http://www.iopan. gda.pl/oceanologia/ 338 Z. A. Mohamed, I. Mesaad
GEOPHAGY AT NATURAL LICKS AND MAMMAL ECOLOGY: A REVIEW

La geophagie, c'est-a-dire l'ingestion active de terre, est un comportement commun des mammiferes en liberte qui peut etre observe dans plusieurs regions geographiquement differentes. La terre ingeree est caracterisee par une concentration elevee d'un ou plusieurs elements, ainsi que par un contenu eleve en argile. Cette revue resume les differents avantages de la geophagie suggeres par des auteurs divers, tout en les mettant en rapport avec les processus ecologiques et les conditions de l'environnement. Les mineraux des sols ingeres peuvent combattre les effets negatifs d'un deficit ou d'un desequilibre en mineraux; l'argile qu'ils contiennent peut diminuer l'influence de l'acidose et des composes secondaires des plantes, ainsi que des infections intestinales. Il n'y a pas de raison que la geophagie ait une seule fonction, meme au sein d'une meme zone d'ingestion. Cependant, les etudes de geophagie montrent une grande variation dans leurs aspects methodologiques, ce qui pose des problemes dans leur interpretation. Une solution partielle a ces problemes est proposee. Du fait que la geophagie a des effets positifs sur la sante des mammiferes, elle pourrait avoir une influence sur la densite et la structure des populations. De meme, elle pourrait influencer la capacite de charge des regions ou existent des sites d'ingestion.
Effectiveness and efficiency: Oslo police officers’ perspectives of the necessity and utility of temporarily routinely arming in response to a terrorist threat

ABSTRACT Officers from the Norwegian police were routinely armed with firearms from July 2014 to February 2016 in response to a terror threat. This paper explores the experiences of a sample of officers (N = 16) who were routinely armed during this period. The research took a mixed-methods approach using semi-structured interviews one month before the policy was rescinded. Two key themes emerged. First, officers believed that being routinely armed was advantageous for routine police activities. Officers described that tactical planning had improved as it was no longer necessary to wait for permission to respond with a firearm. The associated tactical freedom triggered an increase in self-belief in their effectiveness and efficiency. Second, officers believed that although officers had observed some behavioural changes when interacting with citizens, over time, citizens became acclimatised to the presence of firearms. These findings provide new empirical evidence relevant to the debate surrounding the implications of permanently arming a routinely unarmed police force.
TKira—A Hybrid N-Body Code

Abstract Accurately modeling the evolution of a star cluster in a strong tidal field poses unique computational challenges. We present a hybrid code that combines the strengths of two different approaches to computing gravitational forces. The internal, collisional, dynamics of the cluster is followed with a direct N-body integrator, Kira, while the galactic tidal field is modeled with a cosmological code, GADGET, that uses a Barnes-Hut tree to evaluate gravitational forces in O(N log N) time. The quadrupole moment at the center of mass of the cluster is used to compute the external potential and provides a mechanism for mass loss. This forms a robust, bidirectional interaction. The advantages of combining two highly-developed and well-established software packages at such high level are obvious and many; not the least of the these is the ability to include other physical processes, e.g., stellar evolution. One problem to which we applied this technique is the evolution of a dense star cluster near the Galactic Center. We are also using this code to explore the effects of the strong time variation in the tidal field of merging galaxies on the evolution of young star clusters forming during the merger.
ECOLOGY OF THE WORM-LIZARD AMPHISBAENA ALBA IN THE CERRADO OF CENTRAL BRAZIL

Due to their secretive habits, very little is known about the ecology of amphisbaenians. Based on a large series of specimens from the Cerrado of central Brazil, the diet composition, reproduction, and sexual dimorphism of Amphisbaena alba are described. Amphisbaena alba displayed a relatively diverse diet, even ingesting vertebrates and plant material. Beetles, ants, and spiders dominated the diet numerically, whereas ants, insect larvae, and beetles were more important volumetrically. No association was observed between prey size and body dimensions. The smallest reproductive male was 422 mm SVL (snout-vent length), and the smallest reproductive female was 457 mm SVL. Clutch size ranged from 8-16, one of the largest known for amphisbaenians, and is possibly influenced by the large body size of A. alba. Reproduction is apparently seasonal and restricted to the dry season. No intersexual differences were observed, either in morphometric or meristic characters, presumably because of functional constraints related to fossoriality.
C4 photosynthesis and the economic spectra of leaf and root traits independently influence growth rates in grasses

Photosynthetic pathway is an important cause of growth rate variation between species such that the enhanced carbon uptake of C4 species leads to faster growth than their C3 counterparts. Leaf traits that promote rapid resource acquisition may further enhance the growth capacity of C4 species. However, how root economic traits interact with leaf traits, and the different growth strategies adopted by plants with C3 and C4 photosynthetic pathways is unclear. Plant economic traits could interact with, or act independently of, photosynthetic pathway in influencing growth rate, or C3 and C4 species could segregate out along a common growth rate–trait relationship. We measured leaf and root traits on 100+ grass species grown from seeds in a controlled, common environment to compare with relative growth rates (RGR) during the initial phase of rapid growth, controlling for phylogeny and allometric effects. Photosynthetic pathway acts independently to leaf and root functional traits in causing fast growth. Using C4 photosynthesis, plants can achieve faster growth than their C3 counterparts (by an average 0.04 g g−1 day−1) for a given suite of functional trait values, with lower investments of leaf and root nitrogen. Leaf and root traits had an additive effect on RGR, with plants achieving fast growth by possessing resource‐acquisitive leaf traits (high specific leaf area and low leaf dry matter content) or root traits (high specific root length and area, and low root diameter), but having both leads to an even faster growth rate (by up to 0.06 g g−1 day−1). C4 photosynthesis can provide a greater relative increase in RGR for plants with a ‘slow’ ecological strategy than in those with fast growth. However, above‐ground and below‐ground strategies are not coordinated so that species can have any combination of ‘slow’ or ‘fast’ leaf and root traits. Synthesis. C4 photosynthesis increases growth rate for a given combination of economic traits, and significantly alters plant nitrogen economy in the leaves and roots. However, leaf and root economic traits act independently to further enhance growth. The fast growth of C4 grasses promotes a competitive advantage under hot, sunny conditions.
Boosting customer citizenship behavior through corporate social responsibility: does perceived service quality matter?

Purpose Prior studies have not yet made sufficient effort to examine the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and customer citizenship behavior (CCB) in the hospitality context. The purpose of this study is to explore the role of CSR in fostering CCB in the hospitality context, as well as the mechanisms underlying the relationship. Design/methodology/approach This study obtained its empirical evidence from 422 hotel customers in North Cyprus and applied a structural equation modeling analysis. Findings The findings reveal that CSR significantly contributes to customer help, customer feedback and customer tolerance. Surprisingly, the results do not support the existence of a significant relationship between CSR and customer advocacy. Evidence indicates that perceived service quality plays a partial mediating role. Practical implications This study has shown that customers are rewarding firms involved in CSR initiatives in the form of CCB – directly and indirectly – through perceived service quality. This finding can advance managers’ understanding, enabling them to better manage their CSR initiatives to achieve the most effective outcomes. Originality/value The study advances a convergence between the research streams of CSR and CCB, which has been under-explored in the tourism context. The study also extends the CSR and customer citizenship literature through a novel mediation mechanism of perceived service quality.
More Miocene Dispersal Between Africa and Asia—the Case of Bridelia (Phyllanthaceae)

Abstract Several hundred angiosperm genera range from Africa to Asia and Australia, among them Bridelia (Phyllanthaceae), with ca. 40 species, including commercially important timber trees. We here use nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences from herbarium material, plus new collections from China, to test the monophyly of Bridelia and to infer the geologic times when it acquired its disjunct range. For the Southeast Asian mainland, within-species sampling, including material collected close to the type localities, allowed testing current species concepts. Based on a sample of 114 chloroplast matK sequences of Phyllanthaceae, Bridelia is monophyletic and sister to an Asian clade which requires resurrecting an older generic name to make the African Cleistanthus monophyletic. Within Bridelia, gene trees from the combined data (3,177 aligned nucleotides from 25 species of Bridelia plus outgroups) agree with most morphological species boundaries. Exceptions are that B. tomentosa must include B. harmandii and B. curtisii to become monophyletic and that B. fordii is distinct from B. retusa. The topology, together with relaxed clock divergence times, implies that Bridelia dispersed from tropical Asia to Africa once or twice between 10 and 1.85 million years ago (Ma). Australia was reached, probably from New Guinea, at least twice, both times ca. 2 Ma. Together with earlier studies, there are now at least eight cases of Neogene long distance dispersal between Africa and Asia (followed by speciation), with no directional bias apparent so far.
Atmospheric Trace Metal Deposition from Natural and Anthropogenic Sources in Western Australia

Aerosols from Western Australia supply micronutrient trace elements including Fe into the western shelf of Australia and further afield into the Southern and Indian Oceans. However, regional observations of atmospheric trace metal deposition are limited. Here, we applied a series of leaching experiments followed by total analysis of bulk aerosol samples to a unique time-series of aerosol samples collected in Western Australia to determine atmospheric concentrations and solubilities of Fe and V, Mn, Co, Zn, and Pb. Positive matrix factorisation analysis indicated that mineral dust, biomass burning particulates, sea salt, and industrial emissions were the major types of aerosols. Overall, natural sources dominated Fe deposition. Higher atmospheric concentrations of mineral dust (sixfold) and biomass burning emissions were observed in warmer compared to cooler months. The fraction of labile Fe (0.6–6.0%) was lower than that reported for other regions of Australia. Bushfire emissions are a temporary source of labile Fe and may cause a peak in the delivery of its more easily available forms to the ocean. Increased labile Fe deposition may result in higher ocean productivity in regions where Fe is limiting, and the effect of aerosol deposition on ocean productivity in this region requires further study.
BeetleBot: A Multi-Purpose AI-Driven Mobile Robot for Realistic Environments

—We present BeetleBot, a new mobile robot that has been developed to operate in realistic environments. Different from previous state-of-the-art mobile robots, BeetleBot is designed based on the most recent advancements of actuator, mechanical design, and artiﬁcial intelligence. These advantages allow the robot to have powerful features including ultra-mobility, accurate localization, intensive AI ecosystem, and autonomous navigation in normal as well as complex and rough terrain environments. Based on its novel design, BeetleBot can be used in a variety of tasks including but not limited to autonomous delivery, exploration and surveillance, or human-robot interaction. Besides the development of the robot, we also build large-scale open-source simulation models that are fully integrated with ROS and can be used for rapid testing and deployment of any robots. Finally, we show the capability of BeetleBot and the performance of each individual AI module in various tasks and real-world scenarios.
Temporal variation of the effects of landscape composition on lacewings (Chrysopidae: Neuroptera) in vineyards

Increasing landscape heterogeneity, both in terms of composition and configuration, can promote natural enemies and biological control in agricultural landscapes. However, relatively poor information exists about the effects of landscape heterogeneity on lacewings, which are a major group of predators. Furthermore, temporal changes of landscape effects on natural enemy dynamics remain largely unexplored. Here, we investigated how landscape composition and configuration affect lacewings and their biological control potential on leafhoppers. Lacewings and leafhoppers were sampled from April to July in 10 vineyards located in southwestern France. The vineyards were selected along a gradient of a proportion of semi‐natural habitats in the landscape. The proportion of semi‐natural habitats positively affected the abundance of adults and eggs, as well as species richness, of lacewings, alone or in interaction with the sampling month. Landscape configuration was never found to enhance abundance or species richness of lacewings. Finally, the predator–prey ratio increased through time but did not respond to landscape composition or configuration. Our study highlights that the proportion of semi‐natural habitats increases both abundance and diversity of lacewings in vineyard landscapes but that this effect varies over time. This result indicates the need to assess the variability of landscape effects over time to maximize biological pest control services in agricultural landscapes.
Relationships between land use and stream invertebrate community structure in a South Island, New Zealand, coastal stream catchment

Abstract Macroinvertebrate community composition was compared across streams draining catchments dominated by either native bush, agricultural or urban land uses within the Water of Leith stream catchment near Dunedin, New Zealand. Land use was associated with differences in taxon richness and faunal composition of communities present in each stream. The mean abundance levels of Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera were highest in native bush catchments, and lowest in urban catchments. In contrast, the mean abundance of Oligochaeta exhibited the opposite pattern. Increasing dominance of the urban and agricultural streams by pollution tolerant taxa was reflected in the Macroinvertebrate Community Index and Quantitative Macroinvertebrate Community Index scores.
Habitat type and macroinvertebrate assemblages in low order Patagonian streams

Benthic macroinvertebrate community structure was studied with respect to stream habitat type in four low-order Patagonian streams (Argentina). Seven habitat types were sampled during high and low water periods in each river. Boulders cobbles, pebbles and gravels were sampled in run/riffle sections, whereas sand, leaf packs and macrophytes were sampled in pools. Run-riffles supported higher densities and biomasses of invertebrates than sand in pools but had densities similar to those in macrophytes. Benthic organic matter was highest in leaf packs in pools (4.21 g DM/ 0.1 m 2 ) and was composed of leaf fragments, wood and entire leaves. The dry weight of organic matter among boulders, cobbles and pebbles in riffles areas ranged from 0.69 to 0.85 g DM/0.1 m 2 . Detrended correspondence analysis showed that species assemblages differed seasonally, and that species associations differed markedly among substrata and rivers. Proportions of five functional feeding groups differed among habitats, although gatherers were dominant in most habitat types. Shredders and collector-gatherers co-dominated numerically in leaf packs but shredder bioglass was highest among boulders and gravels. Filterers were numerically dominant on macrophytes and gravels, whereas scrapers were common on all riffle substrata. At the habitat scale, current velocity, water temperature and organic matter availability appear to be major factors affecting the distribution and abundance of Patagonian stream invertebrates. Our results provide baseline data on poorly studied rivet systems whose integrity is threatened by sediment inputs from forestry and agriculture.
Phosphate solubilizing ability of two Arctic Aspergillus niger strains

Many filamentous fungi were isolated from the soils of Ny-Ålesund, Spitsbergen, Svalbard, and were screened in vitro for their phosphate solubilizing ability. Two strains of Aspergillus niger showed good tricalcium phosphate (TCP) solubilizing ability in Pikovskaya's medium. The TCP solubilization index was calculated at varying levels of pH and temperatures. The ability of Aspergillus niger strain-1 to solubilize and release inorganic-P was 285 µg ml–1, while Aspergillus niger strain-2 solubilized 262 µg ml–1 from 0.5% TCP after seven days. This is the first report of TCP solubilization by Arctic strains that may serve as very good phosphate solubilizers in the form of biofertilizer.