Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Host range testing for risk assessment of a sexually dimorphic polyphagous invader, painted apple moth

A wide known host range in Australia and novel herbivory on native and naturalized species in New Zealand supported the decision to commence a NZ$65 million eradication programme against painted apple moth [Teia anartoides (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae)] in Auckland (1999–2007). Laboratory no‐choice tests were designed to examine the ‘host’ status of the associations seen in the field. Laboratory tests investigated 79 native and introduced plant species with 122 provenances. Forty‐two percent of plants were capable of supporting larval development to adulthood, with male bias; 30% were defined as potential hosts with female larvae developed through to the pupal stage; > 10% survival indicated probable physiological hosts. Sporadic or more frequent attack of New Zealand native broom, and introduced lemon, apple, sycamore, walnut, cherry and poplar, was likely, with a wider range of hosts supporting male emergence. A few negative laboratory results contradicted field observations of significant damage by large numbers of larvae. The present study highlights the challenge faced with respect to predicting the ecological host range of invasive polyphagous species, whose biology is little known, during the early stages of a first invasion. The implications of a wider host range found in males than females are discussed.
{2‐[(2‐Aminophenyl)iminomethyl]‐4‐bromophenolato‐κ3N,N′,O}chloridobis(dimethyl sulfoxide‐κS)ruthenium(II)

The title compound, [Ru(C13H10BrN2O)Cl(C2H6OS)2], shows a distorted octa­hedral RuII coordination with the N2O tridentate Schiff base ligand and one dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) mol­ecule bonded in the equatorial plane, and the Cl and another DMSO ligand occupying the axial positions. In the crystal structure, mol­ecules are linked by N—H⋯Cl and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into one-dimensional chains along the [100] direction. The crystal structure is further stabilized by weak C—H⋯O and C—H⋯Cl inter­actions. C—H⋯π inter­actions are also observed in the crystal structure.
Vascular Development and Sap Flow in Apple Pedicels

Abstract Xylem and phloem tissues of the pedicel of apple fruit increase in cross-sectional area throughout development. The increase in phloem is similar in the two cultivars examined (Cox's Orange Pippin and Royal Gala) and reflects a steadily increasing phloem sap flow to the fruit. The increase in xylem tissue is due to a proliferation of non-conducting, structural, components since close examination reveals no increase in the number of vessel elements from just after flowering onwards. The greater number, and the larger diameter, of the vessels in Cox's explains the initially higher xylem conductance found in this cultivar. In vitro measurements of xylem exudation reveal a decline during the growing season in the xylem conductance of both cultivars and an increasing proportion of fruit (particularly in Cox's) in which the xylem comes to be totally non-conducting. This observation is in line with previously reported measurements of xylem sap flow in vivo. The straightforward techniques used in this study offer a feasible alternative to more arduous methods of assessing xylem and phloem sap flows and their balance during growth.
Importin α mRNAs have distinct expression profiles during spermatogenesis

Importin proteins control access to the cell nucleus by mediating the nuclear transport of specific cargoes. We hypothesized that developmental regulation of gene expression may be partially effected by changes in the nuclear transport machinery complement, manifested as regulated expression of importin α family genes. We first clarified the identity of the five known mouse importin α genes relative to those for human and then determined their expression throughout postnatal rodent testis using PCR and in situ hybridization. Distinct expression patterns were observed for each. At 10 dpp, all importin α mRNAs were detected in spermatogonia. In the adult mouse testis, importins α1 and α3 were detected in spermatogonia and early pachytene spermatocytes. Importin α4 mRNA was identified in pachytene spermatocytes, α6 mRNA in round spermatids, and α2 mRNA in both of these. The distinct importin α expression patterns are consistent with their having specific roles and transport cargoes during spermatogenesis. Developmental Dynamics 235:253–262, 2006. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Family Planning and HIV Interventions among Women in Low-income Settings

This dissertation examines the effectiveness of interventions related to family planning and the uptake of HIV-related preventive services among women in low-income settings. Women in low-income settings and living with HIV face many barriers to care, including limited access to services for family planning and HIV-related preventive care. At the same time, national, regional, and global efforts are looking for interventions to help control rapid population growth, create an HIV-free generation, and provide adequate preventive care for those living with HIV. This dissertation cuts across these issues and can help to inform debate and policies to address these issues. This dissertation comprises three discrete papers. Paper 1 (chapter 1) examines the effectiveness of a national scale-up of community-based distribution of family planning services on contraceptive use in Malawi’s rural areas during the period 2005-2016. The national-scale up of the intervention followed the success of a pilot of a similar intervention implemented in the period 1999-2004. As in the pilot, the scaled-up program distributed condoms and oral contraceptives and provided family planning education. Further, because education and income are important determinants of individual contraceptive use, the paper also examines whether the effectiveness of the national scale CBDs varies over these dimensions. The paper uses the Malawi Demographic and Health Surveys. The study finds that the intervention increased contraceptive use by 6.8 percentage points and the effects were greater among uneducated and low-income women. Paper 2 (chapter 2) conducts a cost-effectiveness analysis of a trial of cash incentives aimed at increasing the uptake of services for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of
Proposal and Evaluation of End-to-End Available Bandwidth Estimation Scheme by using Correlation of One-way Delay of Probes in Packet Train Method

As the Internet has been developing and various types of traffic have been transmitted, the Internet should satisfy Quality of Service (QoS) of each traffic by applying some traffic control. In the QoS-aware Internet, performance measurement becomes important technique to estimate network condition such as End-to-End available bandwidth. Active measurement would be suitable for estimating End-to-End available bandwidth and there are some estimation schemes by applying active measurement. However, in this measurement, some amount of probe packet is required to improve the accuracy of the estimation, so that this may disturb the original condition of the network. In this paper, we will focus on the packet train method for sending probe packets, and propose new End-to-End available bandwidth estimation scheme by using the incremental behavior of one-way delay (OWD) of successive prove packets to moderate the inference of the disturbance with high precision. Furthermore, we preliminary investigate the effectiveness of this scheme in the single-hop network environment.
Growth and Ionic Content of Quinoa Under Saline Irrigation

Drought and salinity are the most important abiotic stresses that affect plant’s growth and productivity. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the effect of salt and water deficit on water relations, growth parameters and capacity to accumulate inorganic solutes in quinoa plants. An irrigation experiment was carried out in 2009 and 2010 in the Volturno river plain. Three treatments irrigated with fresh water (Q100, Q50 and Q25) and three irrigated with saline water (Q100S, Q50S and Q25S) were tested. For saline irrigation, water with an electrical conductivity of 22 dS m � 1 was used. Actual evapotranspiration (ETa), water productivity (WP), biomass allocation, relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), specific leaf area, leaf area ratio and ions accumulation of quinoa plants were evaluated. WP and plant growth were not influenced by saline irrigation, as quinoa plants incorporated salt ions in the tissues (stems, roots, leaves) preserving seed quality. Treatment with a reduction in the irrigation water to 25 % of full irrigated treatment (Q25) caused an increase in WP and a reduced dry matter accumulation in the leaves. Quinoa plants (Q25) were initially negatively affected by severe drought with RGR and NAR reduction, and then, they adapted to it. Quinoa could be considered a drought tolerant crop that adapt photosynthetic rate to compensate for a reduced growth.
Genome downsizing in polyploid plants

All else being equal, polyploids are expected to have larger C-values (amount of DNA in the unreplicated gametic nucleus) than their diploid progenitors, increasing in direct proportion with ploidy. This expectation is observed in some polyploid series, especially those newly formed, but there are examples suggesting that C-values in particular polyploids are less than expected. The availability of the Angiosperm DNA C-values database (http:// www.rbgkew.org.uk/cvavhomepage.html) has allowed this question to be addressed across a broad range of angiosperms and has revealed striking results deviating from expectation: (i) mean 1C DNA amount did not increase in direct proportion with ploidy, and (ii) mean DNA amount per basic genome (calculated by dividing the 2C value by ploidy) tended to decrease with increasing ploidy. These results suggest that loss of DNA following polyploid formation, or genome downsizing, may be a widespread phenomenon of considerable biological significance. Recent advances in our understanding of the molecular events that take place following polyploid formation together with new data on how DNA amounts can both increase and decrease provide some insights into how genome downsizing may take place. The nature of the evolutionary forces that may be driving DNA loss are also discussed.
A novel one-dimensional polymeric complex of a tetra­aza-macrocycle–copper(II) unit with a [Cu(C2O4)2(CH3CN)]2– bridging anion

In the title compound, catena-poly­[(5,12-di­methyl-7,14-di­phenyl-1,4,8,11-tetra­cyclo­tetra­decane)copper(II) bis­[[(5,12-di­methyl-7,14-di­phenyl-1,4,8,11-tetra­cyclo­tetra­decane)copper(II)]-μ-oxalato-[(aceto­nitrile)copper(II)]-μ-oxalato] diperchlorate], [Cu(C24N4H36)][Cu4(C2O4)4(C24N4H36)2(CH3CN)2](ClO4)2, the {(CuC24N4H36)-μ-[Cu(C2O4)2(CH3CN)]}2n component is a one-dimensional chain polymeric complex of copper(II) bridged by [Cu(C2O4)2(CH3CN)]2−. In the structure, there are three types of copper(II) coordination environment. The coordination environment around the CuII atom in (CuL)2+ of the polymer (L is 5,12-di­methyl-7,14-di­phenyl-1,4,8,11-tetra­cyclo­tetra­decane) is an elongated octahedron, the CuII atom in [Cu(C2O4)2(CH3CN)]2− exhibits a square-based pyramidal geometry, while the CuII atom in the (CuL)2+ counter-cation exhibits a square-planar geometry. The Cu atoms coordinated by L lie on inversion centers. The Cu⋯Cu distances are 6.092 (4) and 5.551 (4) A.
Predicting the Risk of Extinction through Hybridization

Abstract: Natural hybridization threatens a substantial number of plant and animal species with extinction, but extinction risk has been difficult to evaluate in the absence of a quantitative assessment of risk factors. We investigated a number of ecological parameters likely to affect extinction risk, through an individual‐based model simulating the life cycle of two hybridizing annual plant species. All parameters tested, ranging from population size to variance in pollen‐tube growth rates, affected extinction risk. The sensitivity of each parameter varied dramatically across parameter sets, but, overall, the competitive ability, initial frequency, and selfing rate of the native taxon had the strongest effect on extinction. In addition, prezygotic reproductive barriers had a stronger influence on extinction rates than did postzygotic barriers. A stable hybrid zone was possible only when habitat differentiation was included in the model. When there was no habitat differentiation, either one of the parental species or the hybrids eventually displaced the other two taxa. The simulations demonstrated that hybridization is perhaps the most rapidly acting genetic threat to endangered species, with extinction often taking place in less than five generations. The simulation model was also applied to naturally hybridizing species pairs for which considerable genetic and ecological information is available. The predictions from these “worked examples” are in close agreement with observed outcomes and further suggest that an endemic cordgrass species is threatened by hybridization. These simulations provide guidance concerning the kinds of data required to evaluate extinction risk and possible conservation strategies.
On the Digital Psychopharmacology of Valproic Acid in Mice

Objective Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) require daily ingestion for maximal seizure prophylaxis. Adverse psychiatric consequences of AEDs present as: (i) reversible changes in mood, anger, anxiety and/or irritability that often necessitate drug discontinuation, and (ii) autism and/or cognitive/psychomotor developmental delays following fetal exposure. Technical advances in quantifying naturalistic rodent behaviors may provide sensitive preclinical estimates of AED psychiatric tolerability and neuropsychiatric teratogenicity. Methods Using instrumented home-cage monitoring, we assessed how valproic acid (VPA, dissolved in sweetened drinking water) alters home-cage behavior in adult C57BL/6J mice and in the adult offspring of VPA-exposed breeder pairs. By utilizing a pup open field assay, we also examined how prenatal VPA exposure impacts early spontaneous exploratory behavior. Results At 500-600mg/kg/d, chronic VPA produced hyperphagia and increased wheel-running without impacting sleep, activity and measures of risk aversion. When applied chronically to breeder pairs of mice, VPA prolonged the latency to viable litters without affecting litter size. Two-week old VPA-exposed pups displayed open field hypoactivity without alterations in thigmotaxis. As adults, prenatal VPA-exposed mice displayed active state fragmentation, hypophagia and increased wheel running, together with subtle alterations in home-cage dyadic behavior. Interpretation Through automated home-cage assessments of C57BL/6J mice, we capture an ethologically centered psychopharmacological profile of enterally administered VPA that is aligned with human clinical experience. By characterizing the effects of pangestational VPA exposure, we discover novel murine expressions of pervasive neurodevelopment. Incorporating rigorous comprehensive assessments of neuropsychiatric tolerability may inform the design of future AEDs with improved neuropsychiatric safety profiles, both for patients and their offspring.
Persistence Analysis and Prediction of Low-Visibility Events at Valladolid Airport, Spain

This work presents an analysis of low-visibility event persistence and prediction at Villanubla Airport (Valladolid, Spain), considering Runway Visual Range (RVR) time series in winter. The analysis covers long- and short-term persistence and prediction of the series, with different approaches. In the case of long-term analysis, a Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA) approach is applied in order to estimate large-scale RVR time series similarities. The short-term persistence analysis of low-visibility events is evaluated by means of a Markov chain analysis of the binary time series associated with low-visibility events. We finally discuss an hourly short-term prediction of low-visibility events, using different approaches, some of them coming from the persistence analysis through Markov chain models, and others based on Machine Learning (ML) techniques. We show that a Mixture of Experts approach involving persistence-based methods and Machine Learning techniques provides the best results in this prediction problem.
Coral‐reef sounds enable nocturnal navigation by some reef‐fish larvae in some places and at some times

At Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, catches of fish larvae by light traps that broadcast nocturnal reef sounds (noisy traps) were compared with catches by quiet traps over two 2.5 week new-moon periods in November (XI) 2000 and January (I) 2001. Three areas were sampled: near-reef (NR, 500 m from the shore) in I, middle (M, 650 m) in I and XI and offshore (O, >1000 m) in XI. The most abundant taxa captured were Apogonidae, Blenniidae, Chaetodontidae, Lethrinidae, Mullidae and Pomacentridae. Significant differences in catch were found between areas, and a position effect was found at the O and M areas. At the NR and M areas, no taxa had significantly greater catches in quiet traps, but larvae of five taxa had significantly greater catches in noisy traps. These were (areas and times of greater catches): Apogonidae (NR; M XI), Mullidae (M I & XI), Pomacentridae (NR; M I & XI), Serranidae (M I) and Sphyraenidae (NR). At the offshore area, five taxa (Apogonidae, Blenniidae, Chaetodontidae, Mullidae and Pomacentridae) had significantly greater catches in quiet traps and only Lethrinidae had significantly greater catches in noisy traps. Thus some taxa (particularly apogonids and pomacentrids which had catches up to 155% greater in noisy traps, but also lethrinids and mullids, and perhaps others), were attracted to reef sounds at night, but this apparently varied with location and time. The sound-enhanced catches imply a radius of attraction of the sound 1.02-1.6 times that of the light. More than 65 m from the speaker,the broadcast sound levels at frequencies typical of fish hearing were equivalent to background levels, providing a maximum radius of sound attraction in this experiment.
The Input-Output Relation of Primary Nociceptive Neurons is Determined by the Morphology of the Peripheral Nociceptive Terminals

The output from the peripheral terminals of primary nociceptive neurons, which detect and encode the information regarding noxious stimuli, is crucial in determining pain sensation. The nociceptive terminal endings are morphologically complex structures assembled from multiple branches of different geometry, which converge in a variety of forms to create the terminal tree. The output of a single terminal is defined by the properties of the transducer channels producing the generation potentials and voltage-gated channels, translating the generation potentials into action potential (AP) firing. However, in the majority of cases, noxious stimuli activate multiple terminals; thus, the output of the nociceptive neuron is defined by the integration and computation of the inputs of the individual terminals. Here, we used a computational model of nociceptive terminal tree to study how the architecture of the terminal tree affects the input-output relation of the primary nociceptive neurons. We show that the input-output properties of the nociceptive neurons depend on the length, the axial resistance (Ra), and location of individual terminals. Moreover, we show that activation of multiple terminals by a capsaicin-like current allows summation of the responses from individual terminals, thus leading to increased nociceptive output. Stimulation of the terminals in simulated models of inflammatory or neuropathic hyperexcitability led to a change in the temporal pattern of AP firing, emphasizing the role of temporal code in conveying key information about changes in nociceptive output in pathologic conditions, leading to pain hypersensitivity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Noxious stimuli are detected by terminal endings of primary nociceptive neurons, which are organized into morphologically complex terminal trees. The information from multiple terminals is integrated along the terminal tree, computing the neuronal output, which propagates toward the CNS, thus shaping the pain sensation. Here, we revealed that the structure of the nociceptive terminal tree determines the output of nociceptive neurons. We show that the integration of noxious information depends on the morphology of the terminal trees and how this integration and, consequently, the neuronal output change under pathologic conditions. Our findings help to predict how nociceptive neurons encode noxious stimuli and how this encoding changes in pathologic conditions, leading to pain.
Particulate organic carbon export from a subtropical mountainous river (Lanyang Hsi) in Taiwan

Small mountainous rivers have received increasing attention in recent years because of their high yield of sediments and particulate organic matter. A one-year (1993-l 994) study of the fluxes of the total suspended matter (TSM) and particulate organic carbon (POC) in different parts of Lanyang Hsi, a typical small mountainous river in subtropical northeastern Taiwan indicated that the mean TSM and POC yields of the whole drainage area were high (3,600 and 23 g m-2 yr-I, respectively) but that the yields of less disturbed (control) tributaries were only l&, of the mean yields of the whole area. Radiocarbon analysis by accelerator mass spectrometry gave very old apparent ages (> 10,000 yr) to the POC in the main channel, indicating that > 70% of the POC produced in the drainage basin was probably derived from kcrogen in the bedrock. TSM yields for 1970-1991, calculated from historical records of runoffs and TSM concentrations, showed large fluctuations from year to year; howcvcr, the average yield after 1976 (8,335 g m-2 yr-I) was higher than that before 1976 (3,127 g m-2 yr-l) by a factor of 2.7, suggesting a significant increase in sediment production related to massive road construction in 1975-1980. The average POC yield For 1977-1994 was calculated to be 53 g m-2 yr- I. The very high yields of TSM and POC in recent years arc attributable to human disturbances.
Creating Invasion Resistant Soils via Nitrogen Management

Abstract Invasion by annual grasses, such as cheatgrass, into the western U.S. sagebrush-steppe is a major concern of ecologists and resource managers. Maintaining or improving ecosystem health depends on our ability to protect or re-establish functioning, desired plant communities. In frequently disturbed ecosystems, nutrient status and the relative ability of species to acquire nutrients are important drivers of invasion, retrogression, and succession. Thus, these processes can potentially be modified to direct plant community dynamics toward a desired plant community. The overall objective of this review paper is to provide the ecological background of invasion by exotic plants and propose a concept to facilitate the use of soil nitrogen (N) management to achieve desired plant communities that resist invasion. Based on the literature, we propose a model that predicts the outcome of community dynamics based on N availability. The model predicts that at low N levels, native mid- and late-seral species are able to successfully out-compete early-seral and invasive annual species up to some optimal level. However, at some increased level of N, early-seral species and invasive annual grasses are able to grow and reproduce more successfully than native mid- and late-seral species. At the high end of N availability to plants, the community is most susceptible to invasion and ultimately, increased fire frequency. Soil N level can be managed by altering microbial communities, grazing, mowing, and using cover crops and bridge species during restoration. In these cases, management may be more sustainable since the underlying cause of invasion and succession is modified in the management process. Nomenclature: Cheatgrass, Bromus tectorum L. BROTE.