Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Avian Breeding Adaptations: Hatching Asynchrony, Brood Reduction, and Nest Failure

Hatching asynchrony within a brood, produced by the parent(s) initiating incubation before all eggs are laid, varies in degree among and within bird species. Its occurrence has been explained primarily as a mechanism for brood reduction in habitats with unpredictable resources, and less often as a response to nest predation. Using a simply model of the effect of total nest failure on optimal asynchrony, we predict that, even in the absence of brood reduction, most bird species should commence incubation before the last egg is laid. Data from 87 species of altricial birds support the nest-failure model and not the brood-reduction hypothesis. Other features of bird reproductive biology (e.g., variation in egg weight), which are problematic for the brood-reduction hypothesis, are also explained by the nest-failure model.
Identification of a linkage group with a major effect on resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac endotoxin in the tobacco budworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) CrylAc toxin was subjected to genetic analysis in the YHD2 strain of Heliothis virescens (F.). Resistance in this strain allows survival at high toxin concentrations that kill all susceptible individuals, and permits rapid growth at lower sublethal concentrations that inhibit growth of susceptibles. To quantify the number and relative effects of loci contributing to rapid growth on low concentrations of toxin, a genetic linkage analysis was done with markers on 10 of the 31 chromosomes of H. virescens in a backcross design. Linkage group 9 (marker locus MPl ) contributed as much as 80% of the total resistance to CrylAc growth inhibition in YHD2. Recombination between the resistance locus or loci and the marker locus used to identify linkage group 9 occurred only when the informative hybrid parent was the father, which was expected because crossing-over does not occur in H. virescens females. Linkage group 11 (marker locus GDA ) made a smaller contribution to resistance that was only detectable when the effect of linkage group 9 was removed. In addition to the effects of these 2 linkage groups, slight but significant differences between families suggested that additional unlinked loci had minor effects on resistance. Measurements of the resistance levels conferred by a small number of genes with the largest effects may be useful in predicting the selection response of H. virescens in the field following the release of transgenic cotton expressing B. thuringiensis toxins.
Pictorial identification key for species of Sarcophagidae (Diptera) of potential forensic importance in southern Brazil

Pictorial identification key for species of Sarcophagidae (Diptera) of potential forensic importance in southern Brazil. Species of the subfamily Sarcophaginae are important to forensic entomology due to their necrophagous habits. This contribution presents a pictorial key for the identification of 22 Sarcophaginae species in 10 genera that are commonly found in southern Brazil. Photographs of the main structures used in species identification, mainly from the male terminalia, are provided.
Merging Physiological and Genetic Approaches to Improve Abiotic Stress Resistance

There is ample evidence for global warming and resulting climate change. To sustain food production in view of climate change, we need to improve resistance to abiotic stresses in commercially desired cultivars. Using potato as an example, a strategy is illustrated for such improvement by merging physiological and genetic approaches. Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is a cool-season crop, cultivated in the temperate zone in North America, Europe, and the highlands of South America, Africa, and Asia. In these areas, frost is often a major factor limiting potato production. Climate change models predict erratic weather patterns including more severe and untimely frost episodes. Cultivated potatoes are highly frost sensitive and are often killed when tissue temperatures fall below −3°C. Several wild potato species are frost tolerant. These species carry two desired traits: 1) They can survive temperatures as low as −6°C while growing under normal conditions (NAFT), and 2) they are able to acclimate in response to chilling temperatures and increase frost tolerance and survive at temperatures as low as −12°C (CAC). These two important traits are lacking in cultivated potatoes. We have demonstrated that NAFT and CAC are genetically distinct traits that must be selected for individually and combined in a desired genotype. By precise screening for both NAFT and CAC, we have been able to select frost-hardy clones of potato that also carry commercially desired traits. This progress was made possible by understanding the physiological and biochemical mechanisms of frost survival and cold acclimation. We have shown that: 1) plasma membrane ATPase is an important site of cellular response to temperature stress, and this response appears to be mediated by changes in cellular/membrane calcium and changes in membrane lipid composition; 2) specific lipid composition changes occur in the plasma membrane that allow a plant to acclimate to cold and increase freezing tolerance, and an increase in the degree of unsaturation of specific lipids is important in this acclimation process. We have further shown that these changes in lipid are associated with an increased expression of Δ9 desaturase gene during cold acclimation; 3) calcium can mitigate the impact of heat, cold, and salinity on potato. In addition to NAFT and CAC, freezing avoidance is an important trait for plant survival. We have been able develop frost-hardy carrot hybrids by combining freezing tolerance in the top with freezing avoidance in the root. Taken together, our studies provide a systematic approach to improving abiotic stress resistances of crop plants and suggest strategies for developing production practices to mitigate the impact of abiotic stresses in a changing climate scenario.
Fate of Oil Spill Droplets Exposed to Random Displacement with Turbulent Diffusion Solutions

Shipping trade routes are seeing an influx of traffic due to the increase in American trade and the ice melt occurring in the Arctic. The global warming effect on the Arctic’s ice has peaked interest for possible trade routes and a heightened source of oil and gas development. The need for oil spill models that include variable environmental conditions, such as those in the Arctic, is significant because of this increase in marine operations and increased risk for an oil spill. The Texas A&M Oil Spill Calculator includes Lagrangian particle tracking for bubble or droplet time-average trajectory prediction through the water column that includes a combination of fate processes. These fate processes include dissolution, heat transfer, and advection equations. In this thesis, the oil spill calculator was modified to incorporate a random displacement model and empirical relationships for vertical turbulent diffusivity as a function of density gradient and free-surface wind stress to better predict oil droplet fate in shallow water. Surface wind is a proven cause of turbulent diffusivity, specifically in the uppermost layers of the ocean. Therefore, an empirical relationship for wind and turbulent diffusion is applied to the mixed layer depths and the random displacement solution for diffusion is applied throughout the model domain. To test the new model algorithms in the Texas A&M Oil Spill Calculator, we apply the model to scenarios of oil blowouts and subsea spills in Alaska with varying environmental conditions and send the nearfield output to the General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment tool which further predicts the farfield trajectory. This developed modelling method presents an accurate simulation for hazardous spill response and emergency cleanup efforts in adverse weather conditions.
Effects of hypercapnia on aspects of feeding, nutrition, and growth in the edible sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus held in culture

Land-based aquaculture facilities experience occasional hypercapnic conditions due to the accumulation of the metabolic waste product carbon dioxide. Pre-gonadal Lytechinus variegatus (horizontal diameter = 20 mm) were exposed to control (608 μatm pCO2, pH 8.1) or hypercapnic conditions (1738 μatm pCO2, pH 7.7) in synthetic seawater for 14 weeks. Sea urchins exposed to hypercapnic conditions exhibited significantly slower growth (reduced dry matter production), primarily due to reduced test production. Higher fecal production rates and lower ash absorption efficiency (%) in individuals exposed to hypercapnic conditions suggest the ability to process or retain dietary carbonates may have been affected. Significant increases in neutral lipid storage in the gut and increased soluble protein storage in the gonads of individuals exposed to hypercapnic conditions suggest alterations in nutrient metabolism and storage. Furthermore, organic production and energy allocation increased in the lantern of those individuals exposed to hypercapnic conditions. These results suggest chronic exposure to hypercapnic conditions alters nutrient allocation to organ systems and functions, leading to changes in somatic and reproductive production.
Oviposition of the Gulf Coast Tick

Female Amblyomma maculatum Koch engorged on bovines and were held in the laboratory at 27°C, 70-98% RH, and a photocycle of 12 hr light: 12 hr dark. Thirty-fIve females were disturbed daily by removal of eggs, and 50 others were allowed to oviposit without being disturbed. Weights of females and number of eggs/♀ did not differ significantly in the 2 groups. Average weight of a newly laid egg was 52 μg; that of an egg from an egg mass after oviposition was complete (but before hatching) was 50 µg. For females which were disturbed daily, the number of eggs laid (avg 9963, range 0-17,592) was highly significantly corre! ated with the weight of the female (avg 0.973)g, range 0.390-1.443 g); the regression of number of eggs on weight of females was YD = 10,804 &-548. When females were undisturbed, the number of eggs laid (avg 9130, range 0-18,218) was also highly significantly correlated with weight of the female (avg 0.919 g, range 0.360-1.439 g); the regression was YUD = 13,878 &-3621. An index of reproduction efficiency (no. eggs/wt ♀), established to relate the capacity of the females to produce eggs to their body weight, and an index of conversion efficiency (wt eggs/wt ♀), established to relate the ability of females to convert body weight into egg weight to their body weight, did not differ between the 2 groups and was not correlated with the weight of females. All females showed a highly significant negative correlation of the preoviposition period (avg 4.15 days, range 1-9 days) with the weight of the female. Peak average daily oviposition was 1059 eggs/♀ on the 6th day of oviposition; an average of > 900 eggs/♀ were laid on days 4-8 of oviposition. The length of the oviposition period (avg 18.1 days, range 0-26 days) was highly significantly correlated with the number of eggs but was not correlated with the weight of the female. The average minimum incubation period was 21.9 days (range 19-24 days), and eggs laid during the 1st 2/3 of the oviposition period had a slightly shorter minimum incubation than those laid during the final 1/3 of the oviposition period.
Effect of calcium salt of fatty acids supplementation on performance of Malpura lambs

Twenty-four Malpura lambs (28 days old) were distributed into three equal groups (four each from either sexes). They were fed ad libitum on three experimental diets containing graded levels of calcium salt of fatty acids (source: rice bran oil; Ca-FA) at 0 (T1), 20 (T2) and 40 (T3) g per kg of concentrate and dry roughage (Prosopis cineraria leaves) up to 6 months of age along with suckling of mother till weaning (3 months). Effect of Ca-FA supplementation on liveweight gain, feed and nutrient intake was not observed during pre-weaning (28–90 days), which however increased (P < 0.05) in T3 during post-weaning (90–180 days). There was an increase in organic matter intake and digestibility as well as metabolisable energy intake in Ca-FA-supplemented groups. Rumen ammonia-N and ciliate protozoa population was increased (P < 0.05) in T2 and T3 with a positive shift in rumen fermentation (increased propionate and decreased acetate). Blood biochemical analysis revealed effect of treatment and age (P < 0.05) for free fatty acids and cholesterol concentration. Ca-FA supplementation improved (P < 0.05) dressing percentage both at 2% and 4% CA-FA inclusions levels with no change in fat yield and composition. It is concluded that supplementation of Ca-FA prepared from industrial-grade rice bran oil in growing lamb rations improved gain, organic matter intake and digestibility during the post-weaning period and a linear response to the level of supplementation recommends Ca-FA at 40 g/kg for improved lamb performance.
Perceptions towards Egyptian Geese at the Steenberg Golf Estate, Cape Town, South Africa

The number of Egyptian Geese Alopochen aegyptiaca has increased in the Western Cape province, South Africa, during the past few decades and they are allegedly perceived as a problem on golf courses. However, attitudes towards the geese on golf courses in the province have not been empirically assessed. We surveyed the residents and members of the Steenberg Golf Estate, Cape Town, during April 2012 to evaluate perceptions towards Egyptian Geese on the estate. A standardised, anonymous questionnaire was sent to 548 estate residents and non-resident golfing members. Of the 112 respondents, the majority (92, or 84%) considered that geese are a problem on the estate. The ranking of the perceived problem was: 16 (15%) minimal problem, 34 (33%) moderate problem and 54 (52%) severe problem. The majority also considered that the goose population should be reduced by 50% or more (90, or 86% of all respondents). Dealing with Egyptian Geese numbers and activities on golf courses is complex. The option of designing golf courses and adjacent vegetation so that they are attractive to local bird species, while simultaneously being less attractive to Egyptian Geese, is available.
A quantitative framework for breeding and conservation of forest tree genetic resources in British Columbia

Over the last decade, forest tree breeders have become aware of the need for gene conservation, but have struggled with methods that would meaningfully integrate breeding and conservation populations. Gene Namkoong has provided the most guidance in this area by defining the role of in- and ex-situ populations in forest tree gene resource management and, particularly, the need for this to be dynamic in time and space. However, once conservation plans for individual species in British Columbia were considered, it became clear that more quantitative structure was needed to provide a framework for attaining practical management objectives. This paper attempts to provide such a framework and show how breeding and conservation populations can be integrated into a continuum of genetic resources. First, capturing only one copy of an allele is likely not satisfactory to meet conservation objectives, and sampling targets should be set higher (e.g., 20) so as to avoid potential problems of inbreeding at later stages.
Using a competition model to quantify the optimal trade‐off between machine vision capability and weed removal effectiveness

Summary The algorithm of an optical detection system was first investigated for its ability to correctly classify transplanted crops and weeds during the critical early stages of crop establishment and its robustness over a range of different crop species. The trade-off was then examined between increasing the sensitivity of the detection system vs. the possibility of, in doing so, misclassifying some crop plants as weeds and inadvertently removing them. This was achieved by running a competition model using parameters derived from the image analysis and assessing the outcome of scenarios in terms of yield. The optimum parameter values to maximize the detection of the crop and the optimum parameter values to maximize the detection of the weed appeared relatively insensitive to time of image capture or weed density. They also appeared insensitive for different crop species where the crop had similar growth habit. However, competition scenarios indicated that the detection system parameter settings to achieve optimum yields were sensitive to the competitive ability of the weed species. For Veronica persica, crop yield was more sensitive to accidental crop removal than from competition. In contrast, in the presence of Tripleurospermum inodorum, yield loss was more attributable to weed competition. Importantly, linking the detection system with the competition model illustrated the principle that optimum yield may not necessarily be obtained by maximizing weed removal or minimizing crop removal. This first example of combining a detection system with a competition model presents a new opportunity to quantify the sensitivity of image classification in terms of yield.
Book Reviews

This collection of papers from the second meeting of the Backpacker Research Group of ATLAS in 2005 in Bangkok, follows the much-cited first-ever volume devoted solely to backpacker studies, The Global Nomad, edited by Greg Richards and Julia Wilson (2004). The new volume demonstrates the proliferation and growing thematic variety of backpacker studies, while, as its title indicates, ironically undermining the very distinctiveness of this relatively new, burgeoning sub-field in tourism studies. For, as the Editors point out in their introduction, 'backpacking is increasingly [becoming] part and parcel of the wider mainstream tourism industry in the 21"1 century and has arguably become normalized and institutionalized . ' (p. 1). Many chapters in this volume reflect these processes in specific instances. The all-embracing thrust of the tourist industry is not only turning backpacking into a 'market segment', but is also encouraging industry-oriented researchers to take interest in the topic; some of them even contributed to the present volume.
Book Reviews

May be it is not advisable to review a publication twice, even if it is an updated second edition. There is a risk of being (unduly? ) critical of the efforts of the writer{s), more so if the first edition was the first of its kind at the time. Although most publications are assessed with a view to the existing body of knowledge on the subject matter, subsequent editions of pioneering works fall prey to their own benchmarks. This edition of Law's treatise on urban tourism in large cities is a victim of its own progenitor. Consequently, this reviewer has been plagued by the dilemma of a justified approach to comment on this second edition of Christopher Law's title, Urban Tourism.
Proprietary Costs and the Equity Financing Choice

We examine how disclosure considerations affect a firm’s equity financing choice between public and private equity markets. While firms can potentially avoid incurring proprietary costs associated with public dissemination of proprietary information by approaching private equity markets (via PIPEs), such a choice would involve raising capital at higher cost than in public equity markets (via SEOs). To evaluate this trade-off that is inherently firm-specific, we use three firm-level proxies for proprietary costs: information redactions in 10-K filings, references to trade secrecy in 10-K filings, and a multi-dimensional private-information based index (FPI) we propose in this paper. FPI captures the notion that the disclosure of sensitive private information gives rise to proprietary costs. Our tests using FPI provide strong support for the hypothesis that a firm wanting to avoid dissemination of proprietary information prefers a PIPE over an SEO. This result is robust to alternate index specifications and other factors that influence equity financing choice.
A Role for Protein Kinase Cε in the Inhibitory Effect of Epidermal Growth Factor on Calcium-stimulated Chloride Secretion in Human Colonic Epithelial Cells*

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) inhibits carbachol-induced chloride secretion in T84 colonic epithelial cells and has been shown to activate phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase, leading to inhibition of a basolateral potassium conductance. We asked whether the inhibitory effect of EGF on secretion is due to activation of specific isoforms of protein kinase C (PKC) by PI 3-kinase. Western analysis revealed that PKCα, γ, ε, η, μ, λ/ι, and ζ were expressed in T84 cells. Ro318220 (an inhibitor active against PKCε, 10 μm) but not Gö6983 (an inhibitor active against PKCζ, 10 μm) reversed the inhibitory effect of EGF (100 ng/ml) on carbachol-stimulated chloride secretion. EGF induced the rapid translocation of PKCε from the cytoplasm to the membrane. Wortmannin (50 μm) and LY294002 (20 nm), which are PI 3-kinase inhibitors that by themselves had no effect on PKCε activity, significantly suppressed PKCε translocation activated by EGF. LY294002 also reversed the inhibitory action of EGF on chloride secretion. PI (3,4)P2 increased membrane-associated PKCε and reduced carbachol-induced 86Rb+ efflux. Antisense oligonucleotides against PKCε decreased PKCε mass and prevented the inhibitory effect of EGF on carbachol-induced86Rb+ efflux. Thus, the inhibitory effect of EGF on carbachol-induced chloride secretion involves the activation of PKCε mediated by PI 3-kinase. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the cellular mechanisms that control chloride secretion.
Evidence for proctolin-like and RFamide-like neuropeptides associated with the hindgut of the crayfish Procambarus clarkii

Immunohistochemical staining revealed proctolin-like immunoreactivity in nerve endings associated with the hindgut of the crayfish Procambarus clarkii. Proctolin-like bioactivity, detected using both locust oviducts and crayfish hindguts for bioassays, co-eluted with authentic proctolin through five consecutive reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) systems. This strongly suggests that proctolin (or a peptide very similar to it) is contained in nerve endings on the crayfish hindgut. RFamide-like immunoreactivity (RFLI) was extracted from the hindguts and intestinal nerves of crayfish and separated using RP-HPLC. Initial separation on a C18 column gave a broad peak of RFLI, and these fractions were bioactive on the crayfish hindgut. Subsequently, RFLI was separated on two additional RP-HPLC systems. The predominant peak could be distinguished from FMRFamide and several known FMRFamide-like peptides on the basis of elution times. Partial sequence analysis indicated the presence of a decapeptide having some sequence homology with leucomyosuppressin and SchistoFLRFamide. These results support earlier evidence that extended RFamide peptides may function as neurotransmitters or neuromodulators on the crayfish hindgut,
Evolution of selfing and lifespan 2.0

A recommendation – based on reviews by two anonymous reviewers – of the article: Lesaffre, T. , and Billiard, S. (2018). The joint evolution of lifespan and self-fertilisation. BioRxiv, 420877 ver. 3 recommended and peer-reviewed by PCI Evolutionary Biology. doi: 10.1101/420877