Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The importance of the gestation period for welfare of lambs: maternal stressors and lamb vigour and wellbeing

SUMMARY The prenatal period is of critical importance in defining how individuals respond to their environment throughout life. Stress experienced by pregnant females has been shown to have detrimental effects on offspring behaviour, health and productivity. The sheep has been used extensively as a model species to inform human studies. However, in the farmed environment, the consequences for the lamb of the imposition of prenatal stresses upon the ewe have received much less attention. The stressors that pregnant ewes are most frequently exposed to include sub-optimal nutrition and those related to housing, husbandry and environment which may be either acute or chronic. A systematic review of the literature was adopted to identify material which had production-relevant maternal stressors and lamb outcomes. The current review focussed upon the lamb up to weaning around the age of 100 days and the results clearly demonstrate that stressors imposed upon the ewe have implications for offspring welfare and performance. Maternal under-nutrition (UN) in the last third of pregnancy consistently impaired lamb birth-weight and subsequent vigour and performance, while earlier UN had a variable effect on performance. Feeding the ewe above requirements did not have positive effects on lamb performance and welfare. Social and husbandry stressors such as transport, shearing, mixing and physiological treatments designed to mimic acute stress which would be considered disadvantageous for the ewe had positive or neutral effects for the lamb, highlighting a potential conflict between the welfare of the ewe and her lamb. This review also identified considerable gaps in knowledge, particularly in respect of the impact of disease upon the ewe during pregnancy and interactions between different stressors and the responses of ewe and lamb.
ART: Learning Operation Tree Patterns for Cloud Remediation

Since IT service becomes overwhelmingly large-scale and complicated, operation trees running on automated remediation systems are put forward to ooad repeated remediation o the operators. In general, all faulty scenes require dedicated operation trees. However, it’s tedious work to build all trees from scratch. In this poster, we propose ART, a scheme to learn instinct patterns from existing operation trees and automatically generate trees in demand. And we prove that it would greatly mitigate mitigate the hardness of tree setup.
Mitochondrial phylogeography of European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis, Emys trinacris) – an update

Based on more than 1100 samples of Emys orbicularis and E. trinacris, data on mtDNA diversity and distribution of haplotypes are provided, including for the first time data for Armenia, Georgia, Iran, and the Volga, Ural and Turgay River Basins of Russia and Kazakhstan. Eight mitochondrial lineages comprising 51 individual haplotypes occur in E. orbicularis, a ninth lineage with five haplotypes corresponds to E. trinacris. A high diversity of distinct mtDNA lineages and haplotypes occurs in the south, in the regions where putative glacial refuges were located. More northerly parts of Europe and adjacent Asia, which were recolonized by E. orbicularis in the Holocene, display distinctly less variation; most refuges did not contribute to northern recolonizations. Also in certain southern European lineages a decrease of haplotype diversity is observed with increasing latitude, suggestive of Holocene range expansions on a smaller scale.
The Systematic Position of Strepsiptera (Insecta)

The Strepsiptera are considered to be a monophyletic order. They show plesiomorphic characters already lost in most of the other holometabolous insects and many very peculiar autapomorphies related to their specialized endoparasitism. A series of non morphological arguments supports this point of view. Clear synapomorphies to other insect orders are absent; possibly the opisthomotorism and the resulting special structure of the metendosternite may be synapomorphies of the Coleoptera. The Strepsiptera thus are considered to be a sister-group of the Coleoptera.
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EFFECTS OF WATER CONTENT ON THE SPECTRAL REFLECTANCE OF LEAVES

Leaves of six species selected to represent a broad range in internal structure were collected in the field and studied in the laboratory to determine primary and secondary effects of water content on leaf spectral reflectance. Primary effects were those that resulted solely from the radiative properties of water. Secondary effects were those that could not be explained solely by these properties. Decreased leaf water content generally increased reflectance throughout the 400-2,500-nm wavelength range. For the aquatics Eichhornia crassippes and Nuphar luteum, the broadleaved trees Liquidambar styraciflua and Magnolia grandiflora, the cane-grass Arundinaria tecta, and the needle-leaved Pinus taeda, the sensitivity of reflectance to water content was greatest in the water absorption bands near 1,450, 1,940, and 2,500 nm. Sensitivity maxima occurred also between 400 and 720 nm, indicating secondary effects that resulted from decreased absorption by pigments. Secondary effects of water content on reflectance that were largely wavelength-independent, together with any wavelength-independenteffects of leafinternal structure, were far less significant than primary and secondary effects resulting from decreased absorption by water and pigments, respectively.
Water extractable concentrations of Fe, Mn, Ni, Co, Mo, Pb and Cd under different land uses of Danube basin in Croatia

Abstract Water extraction of trace elements can simulate the concentration of elements in the soil solution from where the plant takes up the elements. The objective of this investigation was to determine the water extractable concentration of seven trace elements (Fe, Mn, Ni, Co, Mo, Pb and Cd) and to assess their relationship with soil properties of the Danube basin in Croatia. Soil samples from the surface layer (0–25 cm) of 74 sites, having different land uses (forest and agricultural land), were collected. Samples were analysed for total and water extractable trace elements as well as for pH, DOC, SOC and CEC. The concentrations of water extractable fraction of trace elements were on average: 20.14 mg kg−1 for Fe, 3.61 mg kg−1 for Mn, 0.07 mg kg−1 for Ni, 0.016 mg kg−1 for Co, 0.01 mg kg−1 for Mo, 0.01 mg kg−1 for Pb and 0.0009 mg kg−1 for Cd. Soil properties were in the following range: pH 4.3–8 (Avg: 6.35), DOC 6.1–73 mg l−1 (Avg: 26 mg l−1), CEC 1.3–24 cmol kg−1 (Avg: 9 cmol kg−1) and SOC 0.5–5% (Avg: 1.7%). The concentration of water extractable fraction of trace elements was significantly correlated with pH (p <0.001), DOC (p <0.001 – p <0.05) and CEC (p <0.001) but their relationship with total content of trace element and SOC was rather weak, suggesting that total metal alone cannot be an indicator of toxicity or deficiency. Results show that pH, DOC and CEC are important soil quality parameters taking part in the solubility control of trace metals in the soil rather than their total concentration. The difference between land uses has been observed as well, suggesting that a change in land use can cause a change in trace element solubility.
SEPARATING SOUTHERN BLUE WHALE SUBSPECIES BASED ON LENGTH FREQUENCIES OF SEXUALLY MATURE FEMALES

When sexually mature, Antarctic (true) blue whales are substantially longer than pygmy blue whales. To estimate the proportions of these two subspecies in various regions, Bayesian mixture models were fitted to catch length frequencies of sexually mature females. The extent of rounding to 5-ft intervals was also estimated. Antarctic blue whales dominated (99.2%) pelagic catches south of 52°S, whereas pygmy blue whales dominated (99.9%) north of 52°S and in 35°-180°E. South of 60°S, only 0.7% (95% credibility interval 0.5%-1.0%) were pygmy blue whales, lower than the 7% upper bound currently assumed. Shore-based catches from SW Africa and those before 1937 from South Georgia and the South Shetlands were estimated to contain 90%-92% Antarctic blue whales. Actual proportions were probably higher, but these data show evidence of rounding (up to 19% of records), poor length-estimation methods, and other problems. The mean length of sexually mature female Chilean blue whales (77.1 ft, 23.5 m) was intermediate between pygmy (68.9 ft, 21.0 m) and Antarctic blue whales (83.4-86.3 ft, 25.4-26.6 m). A good fit to these data was obtained only by assuming that the Chilean whales are a separate subspecies or distinctive population. This finding is also consistent with their discrete distribution, and genetic and call type differences, compared to Antarctic and pygmy blue whales.
The Endurance and Decline of Single Party Dominance in African States: A Case Study of Botswana and Senegal

This article explores the underlying causes for the endurance and decline of single party dominance in Botswana and Senegal. The time period includes one-party dominance in Botswana under Botswana democratic party (1965-2009) and one-party dominance in Senegal under the socialist party (1978- 2000). The article uses qualitative research strategies with a comparative case study design. The investigation is based on a review of previous researches, published reports, government documents, and surveys websites. The article provides qualitative evidence that supports the argument that incumbent resource advantages are the most important underlying factors for the endurance and decline of single party dominance in Botswana and Senegal. Further research and quantitative evidence is necessary to test whether the same conclusion can be applied to other cases. This research contributes to the understanding of one-party dominance in developing countries. Keywords: democracy, ethnic cleavage, historical legacy, institutions, one party dominance, political culture
Regional spatio-temporal trends in Caribbean coral reef benthic communities.

Coral cover has declined on reefs worldwide with particularly acute losses in the Caribbean. Despite our awareness of the broad-scale patterns and timing of Caribbean coral loss, there is little published information on: (1) finer-scale, subregional patterns over the last 35 yr, (2) regional-scale trends since 2001, and (3) macroalgal cover changes. We analyzed the spatio- temporal trends of benthic coral reef communities in the Caribbean using quantitative data from 3777 coral cover surveys of 1962 reefs from 1971 to 2006 and 2247 macroalgal cover surveys of 875 reefs from 1977 to 2006. A subset of 376 reefs was surveyed more than once (monitored). The largest 1 yr decline in coral cover occurred from 1980 to 1981, corresponding with the beginning of the Caribbean-wide Acropora spp. white band disease outbreak. Our results suggest that, regionally, coral cover has been relatively stable since this event (i.e. from 1982 to 2006). The largest increase in macroalgal cover was in 1986, 3 yr after the regional die-off of the urchin grazer Diadema antillarum began. Subsequently, macroalgal cover declined in 1987 and has been stable since then. Regional mean (±1 SE) macroalgal cover from 2001 to 2005 was 15.3 ± 0.4% (n = 1821 surveys). Caribbean- wide mean (±1 SE) coral cover was 16.0 ± 0.4% (n = 1547) for this same time period. Both macroalgal and coral cover varied significantly among subregions from 2001 to 2005, with the lowest coral cover in the Florida Keys and the highest coral cover in the Gulf of Mexico. Spatio-temporal patterns from the subset of monitored reefs are concordant with the conclusions drawn from the entire database. Our results suggest that coral and macroalgal cover on Caribbean reef benthic communities has changed relatively little since the mid-1980s.
Influence of Different Hydrolysis Processes by Trypsin on the Physicochemical, Antioxidant, and Functional Properties of Collagen Hydrolysates from Sphyrna lewini, Dasyatis akjei, and Raja porosa

ABSTRACT Acid soluble collagen hydrolysates from the cartilages of Sphyrna lewini, Dasyatis akjei, and Raja porosa on different hydrolysis conditions by trypsin were prepared and named as S, D, and R, respectively. The hydrolysates (S1, D1, and R1) obtained from hydrolysis in pH 2.5, 3 h, 37°C presented wonderful foaming and emulsifying capacities, caused by their high average molecular weights (AMWs), high degree of Pro and Lys hydroxylation, and imino acid contents (17.1, 15.3, and 14.1%). At the concentration of 0.1% (w/v), the foaming capacities of S1, D1, and R1 were 104.75 ± 2.57, 63.87 ± 2.73, and 76.87 ± 2.02%; and the emulsifying activity indexes of them were 116.07 ± 1.89, 91.04 ± 1.79, and 123.85 ± 2.14 m2/g, respectively. Conversely, hydrolysates (S2, D2, and R2) obtained from hydrolysis in pH 7.8, 3 min, 37°C exhibited strong scavenging activity on 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical (EC50 0.568, 0.680, and 1.634 mg/mL), hydroxyl radical (EC50 0.253, 0.376, and 0.438 mg/mL), and moderate reducing power (0.0465–0.4702 at the concentration of 5 mg/mL), due to their low AMWs. The results indicated that S1, D1, and R1 could be used as emulsifiers and foaming agents, and S2, D2, and R2 could be used as natural antioxidants in food systems.
Basis for Selecting Soft Wheat for End‐Use Quality

Within the United States, end-use quality of soft wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is determined by several genetically controlled components: milling yield, fl our particle size, and baking characteristics related to fl our water absorption. In 2007 and 2008, we measured the soft wheat quality of 187 soft winter wheat cultivars, released from 1801 to 2005, for the eastern United States. Wheat cultivars were grown in nine eastern United States environments. Quality traits included test weight, fl our yield, softness equivalent (an estimator of break fl our yield), fl our protein concentration, solvent retention capacity (SRC) of fl our, and sugarsnap cookie quality. All of the traits had large variance components due to genotype. Flour milling characteristics had the largest ratio of genotype variance to genotype × environment interaction variance. Based on multivariate analysis of the trait correlation structure, breeders should focus on milling yield, fl our softness equivalent, and sucrose SRC, as they predict long-fl ow fl our milling performance and have value for commercial milling and baking. These traits also have large genetic variance relative to genotype × environment interactions and represent distinct aspects of quality. Although some improvement in soft wheat milling and baking quality has been observed over the past 200 yr, the dominant effect of selection appears to be a stable standard of quality that is associated with the soft wheat classes of the eastern United States. E.J. Souza and A. Sturbaum, USDA-ARS, Soft Wheat Quality Laboratory, Wooster, OH 44691; C. Sneller and M.J. Guttieri, The Ohio State Univ., Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, Wooster, OH 44691; C. Griff ey, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences Dep. , Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061; M. Sorrells, Dep. of Plant Breeding, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY 14861; H. Ohm, Dep. of Agronomy, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN 47907; D. Van Sanford, Dep. of Plant & Soil Sciences, Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40540. Received 18 Feb. 2011. *Corresponding author (edward.souza@Bayer.com). Abbreviations: AACC, American Association of Cereal Chemists; ARS, Agricultural Research Service; ESI, endosperm separation index; PC, principal component; QTL, quantitative trait locus; SRC, solvent retention capacity; SWQL, Soft Wheat Quality Laboratory. Published in Crop Sci. 52:21–31 (2012). doi: 10.2135/cropsci2011.02. 0090 Published online 4 Oct. 2011. © Crop Science Society of America | 5585 Guilford Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Permission for printing and for reprinting the material contained herein has been obtained by the publisher.
Interference Expression at Levels of the Transcript and Protein among Group 1, 2, and 3 Sigma Factor Genes in a Cyanobacterium

The sigma (σ) factor is a subunit for the RNA polymerase (RNAP) holoenzyme and can confer promoter selectivity at a target gene. On the inactivation of all group 2 and 3 σ factor genes, expression at the level of the transcript and protein was examined under continuous white light at an exponential phase in a unicellular cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803. It was found that interference expression exists among group 1, 2, and 3 σ factor genes. Authentic echoes of the expression did not always reflect correlations between the transcript and protein levels. Linkages for the expression network of the σ factors were summarized and unique properties discussed.
Common Biases in Density Estimation Based on Home Range Overlap with Reference to Pumas in Patagonia

Density estimates are critical to proper population management and conservation, yet difficult to obtain for many wide-ranging or cryptic species. One proven method used to quantify carnivore density, especially species difficult to individually identify from photos taken by camera traps, utilizes overlapping home ranges of individual animals in the study area. This method, however, may be particularly prone to residency and extrapolation biases. Residency bias occurs when the reference area for the density estimate is incorrect, and extrapolation bias occurs when scaling a density to a different spatial extent than that of the study area upon which the estimate was based. We used a simulation approach based on GPS locations to diagnose potential biases in published densities of pumas Puma concolor from Patagonia, where Franklin et al. 1999 (Biol. Conserv. 90: 33–40) reported ‘minimum’ densities of 6 and 30 pumas per 100 km2, and Elbroch and Wittmer 2012a (Mammal. Biol. 77: 377–384) reported densities of 3.4 pumas per 100 km2. Using GPS data from the latter study we tested methods described in Franklin et al. (1999) and compared their outcomes. Our results showed that density estimates that do not account for residency bias resulted in severely inflated density estimates. Our findings also indicated that actual densities from Franklin et al. (1999) might have been an order of magnitude lower than reported, and therefore consistent with puma densities reported across the range of the species. Both studies introduced extrapolation bias by translating linearly their estimates to new spatial extents, although the magnitude of this bias was much less than that of residency bias. Our results underscore the need for rigorous accounting of residential space in estimating population density, and highlight the scale-dependency of density estimates.
A study on the epidermal structure and mucosubstance histochemistry of spotty belly, devil stinger, stone fish, cubed Snailfish, and Japanese bluefish

Abstract Structure and mucosubstance histochemistry in the epidermis of five teleostean species, i. e. , spotty belly, Agrammus agrammus, devil stinger, Inimicus japonicus, stone fish, Erosa erosa, cubed snailfish, Liparis tessellatus, and Japanese bluefish, Scombrops boops were investigated. The epidermis of five species studied is composed of three layers: superficial, middle, and basal layer. The superficial layer is comprised of rather flattened cells. Mucous cells, the type commonly found in fishes are completely lacking in the epidermis of devil stinger, stone fish, and cubed snailfish. The epidermis of devil stinger and stone fish have multicellular glands which do not have mucosubstances. The skin surface of them is covered with mucous layer. The superficial cells in the epidermis of devil stinger, stone fish, and cubed snailfish are mucus‐secreting cells. The composition and the amount of the mucosubstances vary in species and body regions. The mucous layer on the skin surface and superficial epidermal cells of devil stinger contain a mixture of neutral and acidic (sulfated and non‐sulfated) mucosubstances. In stone fish, the mucous layer has acidic (sulfated and non‐sulfated) mucin and the superficial epidermal cells contain neutral mucin. In cubed snailfish, the type of epidermal mucosubstances is identified as a mixture of neutral and acidic (non‐sulfated) mucin. The mucous cells of the epidermis in spotty belly and Japanese bluefish contain neutral mucin.
The Incidence of Aspergillus Parasiticus in the Indoor and Outdoor Environments of Calcutta, India

Abstract The occurrence of Aspergillus parasiticus in the airspora of ten different indoor and outdoor environments in Calcutta (West Bengal) has been studied, using the culture plate method. The highest frequency was observed in the indoor environments which showed a gradual decrease with a gradual fall in temperature. Of the indoor sites, market place and godown, storing cereal grains, showed very high concentration of the spores of A. parasiticus, which produces aflatoxin causing health hazards.
Efeito da densidade e da distância de caruru-de-mancha e amendoim-bravo na cultura do feijoeiro

The aim of this study was to evaluate the interference caused by Slender amaranth (Amaranthus viridis) and Milkweed (Euphorbia heterophylla) at different densities and distances in the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) cv. Perola. The experiment was carried out using asbestos cement boxes, with 50 liters of capacity, filled with dark red Latosol. Seeds were put to germinate in a board of 128 cells filled with horticultural substratum. When the seedlings reached the V2 stage, they were transplanted to the boxes at densities of 8, 16, and 32 plant m-2, distanced 0, 12, and 24 cm from the bean plants and equally among themselves. Growth and yield characteristics of the plants and weeds were evaluated. The data obtained were submitted to analysis of variance using the F test and the means were compared by the Tukey test. Weeds were found to present a greater development when far from the culture. Slender amaranth caused reductions in the number of pods and in the estimated yield of the bean plants . Increase in density only intensified the competition and reduction in crop yield when the bean plants were distant at least 12 cm, in the slender amaranth case. At 0 cm, the bean plants became more competitive and did not suffer competition from the weeds, regardless of their density.
The effect of burning-off tussock grassland on the population density of common skinks

Abstract The density of a population of common skinks, Leiolopisma nigriplantare maccanni, in tussock grassland was measured before and after the vegetation was burnt. Population density declined 28%, from 1 lizard per 24 m2 before the fire, to 1 lizard per 33 m2 after the fire. Skink survival is attributed to the low heat of the fire and to the possible use of crevices for shelter.