Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contrasting effects of repeated summer drought on soil carbon efflux in hydric and mesic heathland soils

Current predictions of climate change include altered rainfall patterns throughout Europe, continental USA and areas such as the Amazon. The effect of this on soil carbon efflux remains unclear although several modelling studies have highlighted the potential importance of drought for carbon storage. To test the importance of drought, and more importantly repeated drought year‐on‐year, we used automated retractable curtains to exclude rain and produce repeated summer drought in three heathlands at varying moisture conditions. This included a hydric system limited by water‐excess (in the UK) and two mesic systems with seasonal water limitation in Denmark (DK) and the Netherlands (NL). The experimental rainfall reductions were set to reflect single year droughts observed in the last decade with exclusion of rain for 2–3 months of the year resulting in a 20–26% reduction in annual rainfall and 23–38% reduction in mean soil moisture during the drought period. Unexpectedly, sustained reduction in soil moisture over winter (between drought periods) was also observed at all three sites, along with a reduction in the maximum water‐holding capacity attained. Three hypotheses are discussed which may have contributed to this lack of recovery in soil moisture: hydrophobicity of soil organic matter, increased water use by plants and increased cracking of the soil. The responses of soil respiration to this change in soil moisture varied among the sites: decreased rates were observed at the water‐limited NL and DK sites whilst they increased at the UK site. Reduced sensitivity of soil respiration to soil temperature was observed at soil moisture contents above 55% at the UK site and below 20% and 13% at the NL and DK sites, respectively. Soil respiration rates recovered to predrought levels in the NL and DK sites during the winter re‐wetting period that indicates any change in soil C storage due to changes in soil C efflux may be short lived in these mesic systems. In contrast, in the hydric UK site after 2 years of drought treatment, the persistent reduction in soil moisture throughout the year resulted in a year‐round increase in soil respiration flux, a response that accelerated over time to 40% above control levels. These findings suggest that carbon‐rich soils with high organic matter content may act as a significant source of CO2 to the atmosphere following repeated summer drought. Nonrecovery of soil moisture and a persistent increase in soil respiration may be the primary mechanism underlying the reported substantial losses of soil carbon from UK organic soils over the last 20 years. These findings indicate that the water status of an ecosystem will be a critical factor to consider in determining the impact of drought on the soil carbon fluxes and storage.
No evidence for conspecificity between two high Andes Liolaemus lizards (Squamata: Liolaemidae)

The remarkable taxonomic, ecological and geographic diversity achieved by the South American lizard genus Liolaemus has inspired persistent debate about species boundaries and the reliability of phenotypic predictors/indicators of reproductive isolation between species (i.e., signatures of speciation). Many aspects of these debates remain unsettled and part of the diversity of the genus remains under controversy. Factors such as small samples, or lack of molecular data to quantify genetic differences between species can be regarded as legitimate limitations on the ability to draw definite taxonomic conclusions. However, conclusions drawn from careless and negligent observations should be taken with high degree of caution. A recent paper offers a clear example of this latter scenario, in which it is suggested that Liolaemus filiorum Pincheira-Donoso and Ramirez, 2005 is a synonym of Liolaemus puritamensis Nunez and Fox, 1989 based on qualitative analyses of the “holotype” of the former which is, in fact, not the holotype of this taxon, but rather one of the paratypes of the latter species. Editors and referees should play a central role in preventing publication of studies of this nature.
Dynamic fault tolerant grid workflow in the water threat management project

Achieving fault tolerance is an inevitable problem in distributed systems, with it becoming more challenging in decentralized, heterogeneous, and dynamic-environment systems such as a Grid. When deploying applications requires time-criticality, how to allocate resources for jobs in a faulttolerant manner is an important issue for the delivery of the services. The Water Threat Management project is a research to find solutions for the contamination incidents problems in urban water distribution systems, and it involves the development of the cyberinfrastructure in a Grid environment. To handle such urgent events properly, the deployment of the system demands real-time processing without the failure. Our approach of integrating a fault-tolerant framework into a Water Threat Management system provides fault tolerance at the “queuing stage” rather than the “job-execution stage” by scheduling jobs in fault-tolerant ways. This includes the development of the batch queuing system in the Cyberaide Shell project. In addition, we present a dynamic workflow in the Water Threat Management system that can reduce the queue wait time in the changing environment.
Efeitos da associação de propofol - Cetamina versus propofol isolado em cães submetidos à orquiectomias

O propofol é um anestésico intravenoso utilizado para indução anestésica que pode ser usado também na manutenção, associado ou não. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar se o propofol associado à cetamina na indução e manutenção anestésica em orquiectomia de cães causa alterações cardiorrespiratórias, comparado a seu uso isolado. Dentre as avaliações verificou-se tempo de indução e recuperação anestésica, perfil hemodinâmico, e quantificação do percentual de redução de dose obtido com a associação proposta. Foram utilizados 20 cães machos entre um e seis anos de idade, sem distinção de raça e peso. Os animais foram distribuídos aleatoriamente em quatro grupos cada um com cinco animais, sendo os grupos: PC (propofol + cetamina), P (propofol), C (cetamina) e o grupo CTRL (controle). Os parâmetros foram avaliados por um monitor multiparamétrico, imediatamente após a medicação pré-anestésica e a cada 15 minutos até o final do procedimento. Os resultados demonstraram que nenhum dos grupos supracitados mostraram alterações estatisticamente significativas na frequência cardíaca, porém para a frequência respiratória houve diferença estatística do grupo CTRL versus o grupo P e o grupo C no qual p foi menor que 0,001 e do grupo CTRL versus PC no qual o valor de p foi menor que 0,05. A saturação periférica de oxigênio foi estatisticamente significativa entre o grupo CTRL e grupo P (p menor que 0,001) e entre o grupo CTRL e PC (p foi menor que 0,01). Para temperatura corporal houve diferença estatística significativa em relação o grupo CTRL versus P (p foi menor que 0,001), entre o grupo CTRL versus PC e entre o grupo CTRL versus C o valor de p também foi menor que 0,001. Pode-se concluir que o protocolo anestésico com maior vantagem de utilização em orquiectomia de cães foi a associação de propofol com cetamina, propiciando melhor frequência respiratória e saturação de oxigênio, diminui pela metade a dose dos anestésicos e propiciou melhor indução e recuperação anestésica.
Carbon Dioxide Exchange Rates, Transpiration, and Leaf Characters in Genetically Equivalent Ploidy Levels of Alfalfa 1

The influence of polyploidization on CO exchange, transpiration, leaf diffusion resistance, stomatal size, stomatal density, and leaf area was examined in diploid (2x = 16), tetraploid (4x = 32), and octoploid (Sx = 64) alfalfa (L.). Carbon dioxide exchange rates (CER) of intact leaves were measured with an open system by differential CO analysis. Leaf resistance to water vapor diffusion was determined by differential water vapor analysis in a flow-through leaf chamber and leaf temperature measurements. 2x plants derived by haploidy from cultivated 4x alfalfa were colchicine doubled to form 2x – 4x genetically equivalent paired sets. A different group of cultivated 4x alfalfa was chromosomally doubled to the 8x level to form 4x – 8x paired sets. The CER of 4x plants grown in a growth chamber were similar to the corresponding 2x plants, and 8x plants were similar to corresponding 4x plants even though the stomatal densities were higher for the lower ploidy level in each case. Leaf areas, leaf weights, and specific leaf weights generally were unchanged with polyploidization. In an experiment comparing parents and hybrids at respective 2x and 4x levels, hybrids at the 4x level had greater leaf areas, transpiration per leaf, and CER per leaf than their corresponding 2x hybrids, but CER and transpiration per unit leaf area were unchanged with polyploidization. In both hybrids and parents, 2x plants had greater stomatal densities and shorter guard cell lengths than corresponding 4x plants. When F progenies (both 2x and 4x) were compared to parents, hybrids generally were higher in transpiration per leaf, CER per leaf, and leaf area.
The evolutionary history of steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) along the US Pacific Coast: Developing a conservation strategy using genetic diversity

Changes in genetic variation across a species range may indicate patterns of population structure resulting from past ecological and demographic events that are otherwise diYcult to infer and thus provide insight into evolutionary development. Genetic data is used, drawn from 11 microsatellite loci amplified from anadromous steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) sampled throughout its range in the eastern Pacific Ocean, to explore population structure at the southern edge in California. Steelhead populations in this region represent less than 10% of their reported historic abundance and survive in very small populations found in fragmented habitats. Genetic data derived from three independent molecular systems (allozymes, mtDNA, and microsatellites) have shown that the southernmost populations are characterized by a relatively high genetic diversity. Two hypothetical models supporting genetic population substructure such as observed were considered: (1) range expansion with founder-flush eVects and subsequent population decline; (2) a second Pleistocene radiation from the Gulf of California. Using genetic and climatic data, a second Pleistocene refugium contributing to a southern ecotone seems more feasible. These data support strong conservation measures based on genetic diversity be developed to ensure the survival of this uniquely diverse gene pool. 1999 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea
Effect of Protein Concentrate Supplement on the Qualitative and Quantitative Parameters of Milk from Dairy Cows in Organic Farming

Abstract In our experiment, we studied the effects of protein concentrate addition on the qualitative and quantitative composition of milk in organically farmed dairy cows. A total number of 40 Holstein cows were divided into two groups. Live weight of dairy cows was around 625±25 kg. Average production efficiency of animals was 7600±50 kg milk for the lactation period. Animals of both groups received identical basal feed ration. The first experimental group of cows (n=20) received in the feed ration a protein concentrate from organic production (soybean cake 60%, sunflower cake 20%, linseed cake 20%) at 1 kg per head and day. The second group served as a control (n=20) without the addition of protein concentrate. The experiment lasted 30 days. The goal of the experiment was to investigate whether the addition of protein concentrate can affect individual milk components. The measured values show that the experimental group of dairy cows with the addition of protein concentrate exhibited increases in fat content by 7.4% (P≤0.05), in urea content by 83.1% (P≤0.001) and in citric acid content by 18.6% (P≤0.01), and decreases in free fatty acids by 54.9% (P≤0.001), in ECM by 5.5% (P≤0.05) and in FCM by 6.1% (P≤0.05). The control group of cows exhibited the citric acid content in milk increased by 20.0% (P≤0.05). The results indicate that the protein concentrate composed of soybean, sunflower and linseed cakes can affect the composition of milk from organically farmed dairy cows
FUTURE TRENDS IN RED MEAT PROCESSING—AN OVERVIEW

The major trend that has taken place in the meat industry is the increased availability of lean carcasses. Leaner carcasses result in improved processing productivity through lower energy costs for chilling and less labor to remove excess fat in the preparation of wholesale cuts. The introduction of new growth or efficiency promoting agents (beta-agonists, porcine somatotropin) will have major effects on livestock production with existing data showing potential gains in efficiency between 10 and 20% and a reduction in carcass fatness of 10–30%. Within the meat processing industry, a major change has been the closure of multispecies plants in favor of more specialized high throughput single species plants. Automation on the slaughter floor and in the cutting room are key areas for improving plant productivity. Hot processing of cuts on the slaughter floor offers major advantages in improving slaughter plant productivity. Research studies indicate that hot processing compared to traditional processing would.
Documented and Potential Biological Impacts of Recreational Fishing: Insights for Management and Conservation

While the impacts of high exploitation on fish populations and aquatic ecosystems are well-documented for commercial fishing, particularly in the marine environment, the potential biological impacts of angling received less attention. This paper discusses angling patterns within a framework of basic ecological and evolutionary literature and examines potential biological impacts of angling by focusing on study results associated with high exploitation rates and pronounced selective exploitation. The impacts range from impacts occurring directly on the exploited species (truncation of the natural age and size structure, depensatory mechanisms, loss of genetic variability, evolutionary changes), to those that occur on the aquatic ecosystem (changes in trophic cascades, trait-mediated effects). As a third category, impacts related to the angling activity per se are distinguished (habitat modifications, wildlife disturbance, nutrient inputs, loss of fishing gear). Although the main threats to fish often are localized outside recreational fisheries, there is growing evidence that angling and angling associated activities can lead to a decline of fish populations and affect aquatic ecosystems in various ways provided that the degree of the fishing mortality is high and the selective exploitation is intensive. In conclusion, management implications for sustainable recreational fisheries and areas for future research are outlined.
Editor’s Introduction

I t is impossible to count the studies in which researchers try to use statistics to isolate factors that supposedly contribute to organizational success. Some fields, especially marketing and strategic management, virtually derive their identities from performance studies: As Ghemawat (1991) observed, “The search for success factors is what the enterprise of strategy has largely been about” (p. 2). Journals such as Strategic Management Journal sometimes draw more than 40% of the content from performance studies. Success factors or best practices have become part of the rhetoric used by management researchers and consultants alike, even when there have been no serious efforts to isolate success factors through systematic empirical research. However, the popularity of success-factor research is not because of its success in producing useful advice for practitioners. I have been unable to find any studies showing that practitioners take interest in performance studies, let alone saying how practitioners interpret them or how they apply them. It seems that performance researchers are not really interested in whether practitioners see any usefulness in the success factors. A considerable number of authors have rendered harsh judgments of performance studies (Camerer & Fahey, 1988; Daft & Buenger, 1990; Ghemawat, 1991; Mintzberg, 1994; Vanderwerf & Mahon, 1997). Probably the most provocative article is March and Sutton’s (1997) Organizational Performance as a Dependent Variable. This article argues that attempts to identify factors that cause organizational success have not lived up to their promises. More provocatively, March and Sutton stated that management researchers pursue performance research despite their knowing that these studies have no value: “Even though almost everyone knows that the emperor has no clothes, few people talk about that fact, and many of the
Chitosan/tripolyphosphate‐nanoliposomes core‐shell nanocomplexes as vitamin E carriers: shelf‐life and thermal properties

Summary The aim of this study was to prepare the new core-shell nanocomplexes as vitamin E (VE) carriers through chitosan (CS) coating onto the liposomal membrane surface in combination with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) cross-linking, and investigated their storage and thermal properties by dynamic light scattering, ζ potential and fluorescence. Results showed that no obvious aggregation of nanocomplexes particles appeared and the VE retention rate was over 80% during the 30-day storage. Thermal experiments demonstrated that the modification of polymers enhanced the stability of liposomes against temperature, including suppressing particle aggregation, ζ potential inversion and membrane fluidity. Compared with the great leakage of VE from uncovered liposomes, the retention rate of VE loaded into nanocomplexes remained around 92% and 97% after heated at 65 °C for 30 min and 80 °C for 16 s, respectively. The findings proved that these nanocomplexes can be employed to protect VE for extending shelf-life and enhancing thermostability, and provide feasibility for commercial usage.
An integrative framework for computational modelling of cardiac electromechanics in the mouse

This thesis describes the development of a framework for computational modelling of electromechanics in the mouse, with the purpose of being able to integrate cellular and tissue scale observations in the mouse and investigate physiological hypotheses. Specifically, the framework is applied to interpret electromechanical coupling mechanisms and the progression of heart failure in genetically modified mice. Chapter 1 introduces the field of computational biology and provides context for the topics to be investigated. Chapter 2 reviews the biological background and mathematical bases for electromechanical models, as well as their limitations. In Chapter 3, a set of efficient computational methods for coupled cardiac electromechanics was developed. Among these are a modified Newton method combined with a solution predictor which achieves a 98% reduction in computational time for mechanics problems. In Chapter 4, this computational framework is extended to a multiscale electromechanical model of the mouse. This electromechanical model includes our novel cardiac cellular contraction model for mice, which is able to reproduce murine contraction dynamics at body temperature and high pacing frequencies, and provides a novel explanation for the biphasic force-calcium relation seen in cardiac myocytes. Furthermore, our electromechanical model of the left ventricle of the mouse makes novel predictions on the importance of strong velocity-dependent coupling mechanisms in generating a plateau phase of ventricular pressure transients during ejection. In Chapter 5, the framework was applied to investigate the progression of heart failure in genetically modified 'Serca2 knockout' mice, which have a major disruption in mechanisms governing calcium regulation in cardiac myocytes. Our modelling framework was instrumental in showing for the first time the incompatibility between previously measured cellular calcium transients and ventricular ejection. We were then able to integrate new experimental data collected in response to these observations to show the importance of beta-adrenergic stimulation in the progression of heart failure in these knockout mice. Chapter 6 presents the conclusions and discusses possibilities for future work.
New records of some dipterans (Diptera: Cecidomyidae, Tephritidae) in north-eastern Lithuania

In recent years, a new alien species, Rhagoletis batava, a potentially important pest of the cultivated sea buckthorn, has been observed in Belarus, Latvia and Lithuania. In Lithuania, the distribution of fruit-feeding tephritid flies was insufficiently studied and more comprehensive studies were needed. The aim of this study was to obtain new data on the fruit fly distribution in the north-eastern part of Lithuania, with the focus on Rhagoletis batava, a newly arrived species in the Baltic countries. The flies were observed on their host plants in parks, greeneries and plantations in north-eastern Lithuania during a two-day period in August 2013. In total, three species of fruit-feeding flies were recorded: Anomoia purmunda, Rhagoletis alternata and Rhagoletis batava; A. purmunda was the most widespread. During the data collection, the alien species black locust gall midge, Obolodiplosis robiniae was also observed. O. robiniae is a new species for Lithuania and its only known host plant is Robinia pseuda.
Evaluation of herbicidal potential of fungal metabolites against Phalaris minor

In the present study, herbicidal activity of metabolites of four fungi namely Drechslera hawaiiensis M.B. Ellis, D. biseptata (Sacc. and Roum.) Richardson and Fraser, D. holmii (Luttr.) Subramanian and Jain, and D. australiensis (Bugnicourt) Subramanian and Jain. , was evaluated against Phalaris minor Retz. , a problematic monocotyledonous weed of wheat. Fungal metabolites were prepared by incubating the fungal species in M-1-D medium for 28 days at 25°C. In laboratory bioassays, the effect of original (100%) and diluted (50%) fungal metabolites was studied on germination and seedling growth of the target weed species. All the four fungal metabolites significantly reduced seed germination, and shoot and root growth of seedlings of the test weed species. The highest activity against seed germination was exhibited by metabolites of D. australiensis resulting in up to 94% reduction in the studied parameter. Similarly the best herbicidal activity against shoot growth was due to metabolites of D. hawaiiensis where 65% and 64% reduction in length and dry biomass of shoot was recorded. In foliar spray pot bioassays, fungal metabolites were sprayed on 1-week and 2-week old weed plants four times with 4 days intervals. In general, the effect of the fungal metabolites on various shoot and root growth parameters was insignificant. The present study concludes that metabolites of D. australiensis can be used as potent pre-emergence herbicides for the management of P. minor.