Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feeding Habits of Plio-Pleistocene Large Carnivores as Revealed by the Mandibular Geometry

ABSTRACT Extant large members of the order Carnivora show high variability in feeding adaptation. Morphology of their teeth and skull is a primer to predict diet in both extant and extinct species. Here I present a complete geometric morphometric survey of mandible of large (>7 kg) Carnivora in order to make paleoecological predictions for selected Plio-Pleistocene taxa. Mandibular size and shape data support a strong differentiation between families but also convergence due to functional adaptations to hunting prey. Linear discriminant function analyses are performed in order to obtain dietary predictions on fossil taxa with statistical accuracy. There is a high level of discrimination among dietary categories, especially when subsets of predator and non-predator carnivores are analyzed separately. New insights emerge for Plio-Pleistocene fossil taxa whose paleoecology was previously inferred. Mandibular size and shape data are accurate dietary predictors in large carnivores, with size being more relevant to clarify adaptations in killing prey of different size classes.
Banks of algal microscopic forms: hypotheses on their functioning and comparisons with seed banks

It has been proposed that a 'bank of microscopic forms' functions as a survival mechanism for benthc macroalgae, m some ways analogous to the 'seed bank' of terrestrial plants. Four aspects related to this hypothesis are examined here, namely (1) origin and morphology of the structures forming banks, (2) their specific compositions, (3) environmental conditions that allow their survival in a state of suspended growth, and conditions that trigger reinitiation of growth; and (4) losses from the banks by diverse causes Although the structures at which growth suspension occurs are of very different morphologies, and probably are also different in their capacities of temporal displacement, both types of banks are regulated by similar environmental factors and subjected to similar types of constraints. Some important differences between the 2 banks are likely to stem from the lesser longevity of the algal microscopic stages, which would limit the duration of banks of microscopic forms
Associações genéticas entre pesos e características reprodutivas em rebanhos da raça Nelore

Records from 14,918 Nellore animals born from 1991 to 2000 in 28 herds in the South and Southeast regions of Brazil were used to estimate (co)variance components and genetic parameters for weaning weight (WW), yearling weight (YW), weights at 18 month of age (WAY) and at first calving (WFC), age at first calving (AFC) and days to first calving (DC). Multivariate animal models were fitted by REML. Estimates of heritability for WW, YW, WAY, WFC, AFC and DC were 0.26; 0.30; 0.34; 0.35; 0.14 and 0.07, respectively. Genetic correlations estimates among growth traits and AFC were moderate and negative, ranging from -0.31 to -0.16. Genetic correlation estimates were also negative for DC and WW (-0.09); YW (-0.13); WAY (-0.17) and WFC (-0.16). Genetic correlation estimates between growth traits and AFC were favorable and indicate it may be possible to reduce AFC through indirect selection on pos-weaning growth traits. The genetic correlation estimate between AFC and DC was high and positive (0.73) suggesting that selection for DC may result in correlated response for age at first calving.
A 15-Channel Orthogonal Code Chopping Instrumentation Amplifier for Area-Efficient, Low-Mismatch Bio-Signal Acquisition

This article presents a 15-channel orthogonal code chopping instrumentation amplifier (OCCIA) for an area-efficient and low gain-mismatch multi-channel bio-signal acquisition. Orthogonal codes directly modulate each channel and merge into a single signal for sharing IA, while performing dynamic offset compensation with low power consumption. Digitization-before-demodulation (DBD) transmits the combined modulated data directly, which alleviates ripple noise, and completely removes the demodulation and TX encoding overhead from the ASIC. The proposed OCCIA in 0.18-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> 1P6M CMOS, when compared with the recent multi-channel instrumentation amplifiers (IAs), shows the smallest area (0.019 mm<sup>2</sup>/Ch.), low gain mismatch (0.43%), with the lowest power consumption (1.97 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{W}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>/Ch.) and low crosstalk (< −51.5 dB) at 490-Hz bandwidth.
Analysis of The Electrodermal Activity Signals for Different Stressors Using Empirical Mode Decomposition

Bu calismada, fiziksel stres, bilissel stres ve duygusal stres arasindaki degisiklikleri degerlendirmek icin Elektrodermal Aktivite (EDA) sinyalleri analiz edilmistir. Bu amacla, EDA sinyallerinin zaman ekseninde enerji ve varyans ozellikleri, her bir durum icin analiz edilmistir. Ek olarak, EDA sinyalleri, Ampirik Kip Ayrisimi (AKA) yontemi kullanilarak alt bandlara ayristirimis ve her bir stres durumu icin alt bant sinyalleri analiz edilmistir. Kisa Zamanli Fourier Donusumu (STFT) yontemi, bu sinyallerin zaman-frekans alaninda analiz etmek icin kullanilmistir. Ayrica, elde edilen ozelliklere gore, farkli stres durumlarini belirlemek icin EDA sinyalleri siniflandirilmistir. Elde edilen sonuclar, EDA ve alt bant EDA sinyallerinin bilissel stres acisindan diger stres durumlarindan anlamli derecede farkli oldugunu gostermistir. Ayrica, AKA alt bantlarindan elde edilen ozellikler, farkli durumlar icin Destek Vektor Makineleri (DVM), K-En Yakin Komsular (KNN) ve Cok Katmanli Algilayici (CKA) yontemleri kullanilarak siniflandirilmis ve siniflandirici performanslari karsilastirilmistir. Diger durumlarla karsilastirildiginda, bilissel stres durumu ve ilk dinlenme periyodunun siniflandirilmasinda, en iyi siniflandirma performansi MLP, SVM ve KNN siniflandiricisi kullanilarak sirasiyla % 97,36, % 84,21 ve % 81,57 olarak elde edilmistir.
Cultivation of Tiger Prawns, Penaeus Monodon Fabricius, 1798 (Decapoda, Natantia) in Hainan, P. R. China

The yield as well as the occurrence of various diseases in commercial, semi-intensive, closed-system shrimp cultivation ponds in Wanning County, Hainan Province, P. R. China, has been correlated with a large number of pond, water quality, food, and water addition (fertilizer) parameters. It appears that reduced yields and the occurrence of diseases are closely associated with the age of a pond, the substrate, and the water quality (especially low salinities, low pH values, relatively low nitrate concentrations, and high ammonia-N and phosphate concentrations). To cure the diseases, the use of chemicals, various inorganic salts, and various kinds of antibiotics, appeared to be ineffective.
The conservation status of keeled plump bush-cricket, Isophya costata Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae), in Serbia

Summary An overview on distribution, ecological preferences, threat status and bioacoustics of the keeled plump bush-cricket (Isophya costata) in northern Serbia is provided. Mowing in May and June and use of pesticides in agricultural landscapes close to habitats where I. costata occurs represent the main threats to long-term survival of this species at investigated localities. Based upon the present knowledge, this species in Serbia can be qualified as Endangered (EN) at the national level.
Functional redundancy of multiple forest taxa along an elevational gradient: predicting the consequences of non‐random species loss

Climate change can substantially alter ecological communities. However, we hypothesized that, even if novel communities emerge, those communities may not be novel in terms of functional composition. To infer the processes associated with rising temperatures, we evaluated elevational taxonomic/functional turnover of plant and invertebrate communities. Because climate change interacts synergistically with other environmental factors, and therefore is not the sole driver of change in ecological communities, we also considered how the taxonomic/functional composition of the communities would be affected by mammalian overgrazing/browsing, which has become prominent in the study region.
Enhancement of Room-Temperature Effective Spin Diffusion Length in a Si-Based Spin MOSFET With an Inversion Channel

We have demonstrated a Si-based bottom-gate-type spin metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (spin MOSFET) with an electron inversion channel at room temperature and showed the enhancement of the room-temperature effective spin diffusion length by “spin drift”. Our spin MOSFET was fabricated on a (001)-oriented silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate with a p-type ultrathin (8 nm) Si layer, in which the channel length was $1.0~\mu \text{m}$ , the spin injector/detector electrodes were ferromagnetic multilayer (from top to bottom) Fe(4nm)/Mg(1nm)/MgO(1nm) tunnel junctions, and a 200-nm-thick buried oxide layer was used for the gate dielectric. Using various gate electric fields and source-drain electron currents, two types of spin-dependent transport signals were measured: spin-valve signals with an in-plane magnetic field and Hanle signals with an out-of-plane magnetic field. Clear Hanle signals and spin-valve signals were obtained for various bias conditions. We analyzed the Hanle signals and the change of the spin-valve signals based on our original formulas that take into account the distribution of the lateral electric field along the electron transport, and revealed that the spin drift can enhance the effective spin diffusion length by the lateral electric field parallel to the electron transport in the inversion channel. The effective spin diffusion length becomes 3–13 times larger than the intrinsic spin diffusion length ${\lambda }_{\mathrm{ S}}= 0.89\mu \text{m}$ owing to the increase in the lateral electric field. It was confirmed that the spin drift is very useful to achieve larger spin-valve signals in spin MOSFETs with an electron inversion channel.
Flagellar Movements and Controlling Apparatus in Flagellates

Referee: Dr. Kenneth R. Robinson, Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1392 Crawling, sliding, and swimming are only a few of the many motile responses of microorganisms to environmental cues. However, what is commonly defined as movement is just the final, often the only, detectable step of a series of complex intracellular reactions based on sophisticated locomotory machineries that function according to well-defined locomotory strategies and patterns. A simple motion can arise by a shape change of permanently linked molecules, and a more complex one by reversible interactions the causing movement of filaments relative to each other, or by reversible assembly and disassembly of elements, etc., all of which have in common the need for energy input. Proteins can undergo these changes in response to any modification of their environment and be considered the most likely molecules serving motor functions in real systems. The analysis of microrganism motors and motor controlling devices such as flagella and their accessory components suggests that the movement of these structures can be considered an example of propagation of sensory information along lattice-like structures by means of repetitive protein conformational changes. These intracellular devices taken as a whole could represent the network condensing both the information and motor systems in aneural microorganisms.
Prevention of complement-mediated activation of xenogeneic endothelial cells in an in vitro model of xenograft hyperacute rejection by C1 inhibitor.

: The complement system plays a major role in hyperacute rejection of discordant xenografts. In an immediately vascularized xenograft of a porcine organ to a primate, natural antibodies bind to the vascular endothelium of the graft, triggering activation of complement via the classical pathway. One consequence of antibody binding and complement activation is the activation of endothelial cells leading to the loss from the cells of heparan sulfate. We explored to what extent the classical pathway regulatory protein C1 inhibitor (C1 inh) would inhibit complement-mediated cytotoxicity and activation of endothelial cells. Cultured porcine aortic endothelial cells were used as a model for a xenogeneic organ and human serum as a source of xenoreactive natural antibody and complement. Addition of purified human C1 inh to human serum inhibited deposition of C4b and iC3b and cytotoxicity after the serum was reacted with the cultured cells. C1 inh prevented, in a dose-dependent manner, activation of the endothelial cells, as manifested by release of heparan sulfate. These observations demonstrate that C1 inh added in sufficient amounts to human serum can effectively inhibit C1 activation in an antigen-antibody system. These studies extend our previous findings consistent with the concept that complement activation occurs via the classical pathway in models of hyperacute rejection in which porcine vascular endothelial cells are in contact with human serum containing xenogeneic natural antibodies against the endothelial cells. Thus, our results suggest a potential clinical use of C1 inh in conjunction with other therapies to prevent hyperacute rejection in xenogeneic combinations mediated by complement activation via the classical pathway.
Purification and Characterization of Oxopantoyl Lactone Reductase from Higher Plants: Role in Pantothenate Synthesis

Oxopantoyl lactone reductase has been purified to homogeneity from a crude extract of spinach leaves (Spinacia oleracea L.) using affinity chromatography on Red-Agarose and several subsequent ion exchange steps. The enzyme is monomeric with a relative molecular mass between 33,000 to 36,000. Affinity-purified antibodies directed against the homogenous enzyme have been used to determine the amount of oxopantoyl lactone reductase in the crude leaf extract as well as the chloroplast stroma. The overall purification factor has been determined to be 22,000. The subcellular location of the enzyme is chloroplastic. The final specific activity (strictly NADPH-dependent) is 4.5 μmole . min−1 . mg−1. The enzyme is also able to reduce isatin, bornanedione and acenaphthenequinone. The enzyme activity is strongly and uncompetitively inhibited by 2-keto-4-hydroxybutyrolactone and substituted 4,5-dioxopyrrolidines. An oxopantoate reductase associated with acetohydroxy acid isomeroreductase could be detected in the plant extract. Using a specific inhibitor of this latter enzyme or oxopyrrolidines, complementation studies with branched chain amino-acids and pantothenate have shown that oxopantoyl lactone reductase is likely to be involved in pantothenate biosynthesis. Furthermore, pantoyl lactone, the putative product of the reaction, together with β-alanine and ATP, has been shown to be the substrate of pantothenate synthase using a novel assay for pantothenate.
Lytic bacteriophages in Veterinary Medicine: a therapeutic option against bacterial pathogens?

La elevada prevalencia de ciertas infecciones en los animales y su impacto economico a nivel productivo y en salud publica, han orientado los esfuerzos hacia la busqueda de nuevos metodos de control y prevencion, alternativos o complementarios, que logren mitigar sus efectos nocivos. Este escenario se ha complicado mas aun con la aparicion, permanente y ascendente, de bacterias patogenas multi resistentes a diversos antimicrobianos, que han limitado las posibilidades de control. En la continua busqueda de nuevos elementos terapeuticos, ha renacido el interes por estudiar la aplicacion de bacteriofagos, virus que matan bacterias, como potenciales agentes antimicrobianos. En medicina veterinaria desde hace poco mas de tres decadas que se analiza la fagoterapia en animales de produccion, de compania y experimentales como modelos de infeccion humana, siendo sus resultados alentadores en terminos de disminuir la mortalidad, la severidad del cuadro clinico y el recuento bacteriano a nivel tisular. Estos beneficios se han logrado gracias al mayor conocimiento de la biologia de los fagos, la avanzada tecnologia que ha permitido mejorar la purificacion de este tipo de virus y a sus ventajas inherentes como su inocuidad para los animales y para el ser humano. Actualmente, la investigacion continua abriendo sus horizontes hacia la industria alimentaria, considerando la aplicacion de fagos en las etapas desde la "granja a la mesa", existiendo promisorios resultados al usarlo como una intervencion en animales a su entrada a la planta de procesamiento
Ribosomal RNA gene sequence diversity in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomeromycota)

1 The existence of multiple rRNA sequences within AMF single spores and the high levels of variability found in these symbionts for highly conserved genes with low copy numbers have provoked intense controversy over the genetic structure of the Glomeromycota. Lately, two hypotheses have been proposed to explain the source of such a variation, mainly either at internuclear (multigenomic) or intranuclear (polyploidy) levels. 2 Evidence reported by numerous authors suggests that the magnitude of sequence variation, and the presence in single spores of sequences from apparently unrelated taxa within the Glomeromycota, makes the use of one, or very few sequences, from only one or two isolates of AMF insufficient for taxonomic purposes in some species groups. 3 A large‐scale, collaborative study on genetic variation in AMF across different genes could help to address fundamental questions on the biology and genetic structure of these important symbionts.
Anatomical structure and surface micromorphology of tomatillo leaf and flower (Physalis ixocarpa Brot., Solanaceae)

Tomatillo ( Physalis ixocarpa Brot.) is a newly introduced cultivated plant in Poland. Its anatomy was investigated in light and scanning electron microscopes. Tomatillo adult leaf had one layer of palisade parenchyma. The 1-2 cell layers of spongy parenchyma situated just below the palisade parenchyma showed large, tightly packed cells with great druses. The remaining spongy parenchyma was built of cells showing several extensions. Peculiarity of the sepals were the stomata situated on columns or hills formed of many cells. The petals had a very loose mesophyl. Their adaxial epidermis was composed of papillate cells. Such structure of the petal epidermis probably contributes to light dispersion and prevents glittering. There were several types of trichomes on the leaves, sepals and petals, some of them glandular and some simple. The large, very ramified, dendritic trichomes situated on the petals at the entry to the ovary might eventually protect it against excessive drying. The pollen grain was spherical, three-colpate. The style had a hollow channel inside. The stigma was of a wet, pa-pillate type. Sometimes thorny trichomes were found among papillae.
Immunological Aspects of Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma (ATLL), a Possible Neoplasm of Regulatory T-Cells

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a distinct disease caused by the first discovered human oncogenic retrovirus, human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1). The peculiarity of this disease is not only in its causative agent HTLV-1 but also in the character of leukemia cells. ATLL cells express the mature helper/inducer T-cell antigens, CD2, CD3, CD4 and CD5 but usually lacking CD8. Despite of CD4 expression, it has long been known that ATLL cells exhibit strong immunosuppressive activity in vitro. Notably, ATLL patients are in severely immunosuppressed conditions and this causes higher incidences of opportunistic infections than other types of leukemia and lymphoma. Since ATLL cells constitutively express CD25, this prompted investigators to study ATLL cells from the viewpoint of regulatory T cells (Treg cells). ATLL cells satisfy all the criteria of Treg cells, as they express Foxp3, the master gene of Treg lineage, the glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor (GITR), and the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated molecul-4 (CTLA-4). Moreover, other profiles including chemokine receptor expression also support that ATLL is a neoplasm of Treg cell origin. Here we review the immunological aspects of ATLL cells and discuss this cell origin.
Fine-Scale Phylogeography of a Putative Secondary Contact Zone of the Land Snail Cornu aspersum (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Helicidae) Along the Croatian Coast and Islands

Abstract: Several morphological and molecular studies support the north African origin of the brown snail Cornu aspersum aspersum (Müller, 1774) and evidence suggests the presence of two morphologically and genetically different haplogroups in this area. However, all investigations were confined mainly to the western Mediterranean region, whereas the genetic structure and geographical distribution of eastern Mediterranean populations remained largely unknown. The present study attempted to elucidate the fine-scale phylogeography of C. a. aspersum along the Croatian coast and islands. Both Bayesian phylogenetic inference and network-based approaches showed a strong genetic splitting of Croatian 16S rRNA, COI and cyt b sequences into two well-defined groups consistent with previous eastern and western lineages. The eastern haplotypes were more frequent and distributed over a wider geographic area than western haplotypes. The genetic admixture of eastern and western gene pools observed in three Croatian populations would signify a new secondary contact zone in Croatia between both previously defined lineages. Our results suggest that: 1) the eastern lineage, which disappeared in most Mediterranean regions, persisted in the Adriatic area probably through several climatic cycles accumulating genetic differences and 2) two or, more likely, several independent post-glaciation colonization routes crossed at this contact zone, bringing two distinct C. a. aspersum haplogroups together.
Developing a Model for Measuring Project Performance with Software Life Cycle Process Metrics and Calculating Project Success Score

Despite the developments in the process and tool infrastructure in the software world, project success has not significantly improved. In software projects, the definition of project success means to produce products that the customer desires in the planned effort, time and budget. To achieve this goal, planning, analysis, design, coding, integration, testing and delivery processes are operated interactively from the beginning to the end of a software project. Metrics of these processes are used to measure the performance of software projects. Since the literature review shows that project management process metrics such as budget, effort, schedule, customer satisfaction, product quality are used in measuring project performance, more comprehensive and effective criteria are needed to be defined and applied in measuring project performances. Due to the importance of the project performance evaluation, a general evaluation model was created in this study. The proposed model is designed for use in the software industry. In terms of project performance, a model has been developed that focuses on management of project, requirement, risk, quality and configuration, development, verification and validation processes. The purpose of this article is to present a model that evaluates the performance of software projects and expresses project success with a numerical value. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was used to calculate the relative importance of each process metric criterion and sub-criteria that provide input to the performance evaluation. Statistical process control method was used in the evaluation of project performance and calculation of the project success score. It was operated in an R&D organization to verify the proposed model and the performance of a project in delivery phase to the customer was measured. It is thought that the model presented in this study will help the managers, who monitor the project status, to evaluate project performance, as well as provide the numerical comparison of performance between projects.