Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The ectoparasites of brushtail possum Trichosurus vulpecula in New Zealand

Abstract The ectoparasites of the brushtail possum Trichosurus vulpecula were examined at 15 original release sites in New Zealand. Three species of fur mite—Atellana papilio Domrow, 1958, Petrogalochirus dycei (Domrow, 1960), and Murichirus anabiotus Domrow, 1992—were present in all population samples from the North, South, Stewart, and Kawau Islands. M. anabiotus was absent from the Chatham Islands. A. papilio was isolated from 82 (98%) of the 84 digested pelts, P. dycei from 78 (93%) of 84, and M. anabiotus was found in 67 (93%) of the 72 pelts digested from populations where the mites were present. The follicle mite Marsupiopus trichosuri Fain, 1968 was detected in two (7%) and one (3%) of pelts examined from Kawau Island and the Orongorongo Valley, respectively. Trichosurolaelaps crassipes Womersley, 1956 was present on 99% of possums and absent only from Kawau Island. Nymphs and larvae of the cattle tick Haemaphysalis longicornis were isolated from four (33%) of the 12 Northland pelts. The loss of e.
Arabidopsis At2g40730 encodes a cytoplasmic protein involved in nuclear tRNA export

Nuclear tRNA export plays an essential role in several key cellular processes, such as regulation of protein synthesis, cell cycle progression, response to nutrient availability and DNA damage, and development. While the overall mechanism of nuclear tRNA export is, in general, poorly understood, the details of specific steps are emerging from studies conducted in different organisms aimed at identifying and characterizing components involved in the process. Here, we report that Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh At2g40730 encodes CTEXP, a cytoplasmic protein component of the nuclear tRNA export process. CTEXP bound tRNA directly and saturably, and like the nuclear tRNA export receptor PAUSED, overexpression of CTEXP restored export of a nuclear export-defective lysine amber suppressor tRNA in tobacco cells. CTEXP was also found to associate with nucleoporins of the nuclear pore complex (NPC), PAUSED, and the GTPase Ran in vivo. CTEXP interacted directly with PAUSED in vitro and RanGTP, but not RanGDP. Furthe.
Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation of Voluntary Movement-related Cortical Activity in Humans

Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) is an emerging non-invasive brain stimulation tool for safely and reversibly modulating brain circuits. The effectiveness of tFUS on human brain has been demonstrated, but how tFUS influences the human voluntary motor processing in the brain remains unclear. We apply low-intensity tFUS to modulate the movement-related cortical potential (MRCP) originating from human subjects practicing a voluntary foot tapping task. 64-channel electroencephalograph (EEG) is recorded concurrently and further used to reconstruct the brain source activity specifically at the primary leg motor cortical area using the electrophysiological source imaging (ESI). The ESI illustrates the ultrasound modulated MRCP source dynamics with high spatiotemporal resolutions. The MRCP source is imaged and its source profile is further evaluated for assessing the tFUS neuromodulatory effects on the voluntary MRCP. Moreover, the effect of ultrasound pulse repetition frequency (UPRF) is further assessed in modulating the MRCP. ESI results show that tFUS significantly increases the MRCP source profile amplitude (MSPA) comparing to a sham ultrasound condition, and further, a high UPRF enhances the MSPA more than a low UPRF. This work provides the first evidence of tFUS enhancing the human voluntary movement-related cortical activity through excitatory modulation.
The great badgers and bovine TB debate

Progress in politics and science often happens by serendipity, and an unforeseen effect of the 2001 foot and mouth epidemic will be its impact on bovine tuberculosis in three areas. Cattle TB will be much worse, increasing the risk to public health, and ‘the highly emotive and complex issue’ of badgers and TB may be resolved after 30 years controversy. A critical reappraisal of these three areas is worthwhile.
Anatomy of the Early Cretaceous Bird Rapaxavis Pani, A New Species From Liaoning Province, China

ABSTRACT The lacustrine deposits of the Jiufotang Formation, Liaoning Province, China have yielded a diverse avifauna representing a wide spectrum of basal lineages. Here we add to this diversity by describing the longirostrine enantiornithean taxon Rapaxavis pani gen. et sp. nov. The specimen possesses the following autapomorphies: (1) caudoateral processes of the sternum with two prominent branches and a smaller third branch, (2) paired triangular thoracic elements of unknown homology, and (3) the combination of six sacral vertebrae and six free caudal vertebrae. Otherwise, this genus is closely allied with the Yixian Formation species Longirostravis hani, sharing elongate, curving rostrum with teeth restricted to the premaxilla and rostral-most dentary, and a derived manus lacking unguals. The holotype of Rapaxavis is exquisitely preserved, with such details as distal tarsals, keratinous sheaths of the pedal unguals and some three-dimensional features of the bones intact. The holotype appears to lack a fused tibiotarsus and a fused carpometacarpus. These features may indicate that the specimen is not yet fully grown, though the life stages of members of the Enantiornithes will not be clear until a complete ontogenetic series can be constructed. A comparison of the proportions of the pedal phalanges of Rapaxavis to modern birds shows Rapaxavis to be highly adapted to a grasping, arboreal lifestyle. The combination of strongly arboreal pedal adaptations and the probing adaptations in the rostrum is here confirmed in a member of the Enantiornithes for the first time in the literature, adding to their already impressive known functional diversity.
Short-term Results after Aortic Valve Replacement with Stentless Xenografts in Elderly Patients

Objective—Our aim was to chart the short-term results of the first 75 of our patients who had undergone first-time aortic valve replacement (AVR) with stentless xenografts. Design—Our study included a complete follow-up (mean/max. 1.5/3.7 years) of the first 75 patients (42 males, 33 females; mean age 74, range 61–84 years) who underwent a first AVR with stentless xenografts. Results—Forty-three percent of patients were in functional class II and 57% in classes III–IV preoperatively. Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was performed in 33 patients. Early mortality ( 30 days) was 6.7%, with no significant relation to CABG or age. Crude survival was 81% (95% confidence interval, CI: 71–91%) at 3 years. Using a multivariate analysis, we identified a low left ventricular ejection fraction as a predictor of early and late mortality. Late survival (early mortality excluded) was comparable with the survival of a matched Danish background population. There were six embolic events (all cerebral: 3 minor, 1 major, 2 fatal), while two patients underwent redoAVR because of either endocarditis (fatal) or aortic regurgitation caused by malaligned commissures. There were no other valve-related complications. Cumulative freedom was 89% (95% CI: 79–99%) for embolism and 86% (95% CI: 76–96 %) for all complications at 3 years. At the end of the study, 64% of the survivors were in functional class I, 34% were in class II and 2% in class III. Conclusions—Considering the age composition of our patients, and compared with international results, our early mortality rates were acceptable. The absence of late excess mortality compared with the background population and the functional status at end-of-study may indicate the potential haemodynamic advantages of stentless aortic valves, at least in the short term.
QUANTIFICATION OF ELASTIN FROM THE MOUSE LUNG DURING POSTNATAL DEVELOPMENT

Elastic fibers play a vital role in secondary septal development during the process of lung alveolization. The authors present a quantitative study by image analysis and by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of the mouse lungs'elastic fibers throughout postnatal development. Five mice from birth up to the 21st day of postnatal development and on the 30th day of life were used daily. Their left lungs were collected and processed for observation under light microscopy. The staining was carried by a modification of the Gomori technique. The right lung of each animal was processed for elastin quantification by HPLC. Analysis by linear regression of the two methods' results showed there was a significant positive linear correlation. With this methodology of staining and image analysis we evaluated the normal establishment of the elastic network of the respiratory portion of the lung from birth to adult life. We now have a good model for studying the variations induced by exogenous agents in the synthesis and degradation of the pulmonary elastic fibers.
Dominance is not necessary for heterosis: a two-locus model

Under a two-locus model with additive genes which combine multiplicatively to determine a quantitative trait, heterosis is generally observed in the F 1 It is positive only if both frequencies of the best allele at each locus are not higher in the same parental population. In the F 2 , heterosis depends on the rate of recombination between the two loci. If linkage is tight, F 1 superiority is nearly halved in the F 2 . But if the two genes are independent, heterosis is maintained in the F 2 at the same level as in the F 1 .
HOW DO AQUARIA AND POND NOISE AFFECT HEARING IN DIFFERENT FISH SPECIES?

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A Sudden Mortality of Fishes Accompanying a Supersaturation of Oxygen in Lake Waubesa, Wisconsin

Abstract A heavy loss of fish occurred during April 1940, in the south end of Lake Waubesa, Wisconsin, and in the Yahara River below the lake. The fish affected were mainly black crappies, although bluegills, northern pike, yellow pikeperch, common suckers, and carp, were killed to a lesser extent. A heavy algal bloom composed principally of Chlamydomonas was concentrated in the area of fish loss and was accompanied by an extremely high (30–32 p.p.m.) oxygen content in the surface water. Characteristic lesions were present in the fish and consisted primarily of gas emboli in the gill capillaries and gas bubbles in the subcutaneous tissues. Death of the fish was attributed to the blocking of the circulation through the gills by the gas bubbles with consequent respiratory failure. A suggestion is made that oxygen was the gas forming the bubbles.
ACUTE TOXICITY STUDY OF GNIDIA GLAUCA IN FISH

Fresh leaves of plant Gnidia glauca were evaluated for its toxicity in fish. The LC50 for fresh crushed leaves of Gnidia glauca in juvenile Zebra-fish was derived as per the bioassay method for evaluating acute toxicity of industrial effluents and waste water and it was 95.5 mg/L. Cyanide and nitrate were negative in the plant leaf extract where as the petroleum ether extract of Gnidia glauca showed the presence of steroids and terpenes. Thus fresh crushed leaves of Gnidia glauca were toxic to fish and it can be utilized for controlling predatory fish in shrimp and pisciculture.
The life cycle, population dynamics and productivity of Melanoides tuberculata (Muller, 1774) (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia: Thiaridae) in Hong Kong

An investigation of the life cycle, population dynamics and secondary productivity of the viviparous snail Melanoides tuberculuta inhabiting flooded furrows and irrigation ditches at Ping Long, New Territories, Hong Kong, was undertaken between March 1982 and March 1983. There was a single peak in juvenile recruitment coinciding with the warmer months; hatchlings grew quickly and were sexually mature before the next breeding season. Large animals experienced high mortality and few individuals survived until a second breeding season. Secondary productivity and the production: biomass (P:B) ratio of the population (13.43 g shell–free dry weight m−2 yr−1 and 4.81, respectively) were high and exceeded values of these parameters recorded for freshwater prosobranch populations in temperate regions. Ping Long M. tuberculata were exclusively female, as is typical of most populations of this species. Animals > 3.0 mm shell width (90–120 days old) had eggs and developing larvae in the brood pouch, and fully–developed larvae were recorded from brood pouches throughout the study although release of hatchlings was distinctly seasonal. A comparison of life cycle parameters of Malaysian M. turberculata with those of the Ping Long population revealed a marked similarity. The significance of such similarity and the importance of parthenogenicity in the life cycle of this widely distributed snail is discussed. Melanoides tuberculata exhibits the characteristics of an opportunist or ‘fugitive’ species and, by virtue of its reproductive strategies and high productivity, is able to colonize rapidly and temporarily dominate vacant habitats.
A NOVEL LEADER ELECTION ALGORITHM FOR HONEYCOMB MESH NETWORKS

Leader election is an important issue in distributed systems and communication networks. Many protocols and algorithms that are running on distributed systems need a leader to ensure smooth execution; the leader has the responsibility to synchronize and coordinate the system processes. The absence of the leader makes the system inconsistent, and therefore unreliable. Such problem, however, can be solved by leader election algorithms. In this paper, we propose –for the first time-a new leader election algorithm to solve the leader failure in honeycomb mesh network. The honeycomb mesh network desired due to its low network cost, regularity, and scalability. The proposed algorithm aims to select exactly one node among all active nodes in the network to be a new leader, the node, which is elected as the new leader, has more priority over other nodes. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated by computing the number of messages and time steps required to elect a new leader and complete the algorithm mission. The mathematical evaluation shows that the proposed algorithm requires O(n) messages in O( ) time steps in the best case to complete, as well as O(n 1.5 ) messages in O( ) time steps in the worst case.
Computational characterization of the mutation impact on domain C5 of Myosin Binding Protein C

Three mutations of domain C5 of Myosin Binding Protein C are involved in Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. We assess their impact through Molecular Dynamics simulations within the framework of a native-centric coarse-grained model. We characterize the clinical relevance of a mutation by: the extent of temperature shift it induces in the unfolding transition, the increase of the kinetic unfolding rates with respect to the wild type, and by &Fgr;-value analysis. Further analysis of folding stages based on the evolution of native contact probabilities reveals an entropy-driven pathway originating in the protein region close to Res115 and ending up in the area of Res28. The mutation of the former residue thus appears to be responsible for an early interruption of the folding process, leaving the protein largely unstructured and yielding a serious impairment of cardiac function. Mut28, on the contrary, thwarts a late stage of folding when the protein is almost completely native-like, leading to a mild phenotype. A bio-informatic analisys of the long and destabilizing CD loop finally shows an excess of negative charge and a low hydrophobicity indicating a possible classification as a natively unfolded sequence. Accordingly, the folding mechanism is suggested to be coupled with binding with a specific ligand.
Phylogeny and classification of Colocasiomyia (Diptera, Drosophilidae), and its evolution of pollination mutualism with aroid plants

Abstract Colocasiomyia, a moderate‐sized genus in the subfamily Drosophilinae, comprises seventy (twenty‐six described and forty‐four undescribed) species. Several Colocasiomyia species have evolved intimate mutualisms with specific host plants, especially of the family Araceae: the flies depend throughout the entire life cycle, oviposition, larval growth, pupation, and adult feeding and mating, on inflorescences of their host plants, and in turn act as species‐specific pollinators for their host plants. To understand the evolution of this mutualism between Colocasiomyia flies and their host plants, the phylogenetic relationships of this genus and some possibly related taxa are inferred from a cladistic analysis based on sixty‐two characters of adult morphology. We conclude that Colocasiomyia is polyphyletic, with the C. arenga species group clearly separate. Colocasiomyia without the arenga group (Colocasiomyia proper) is sister to all other studied drosophilines, whereas the arenga group is relatively derived within the Drosophilinae. Within Colocasiomyia proper, four clades are recognized, three of which correspond to previously proposed species groups: the cristata, toshiokai and baechlii groups. The other clade, C. sp.1 aff. nepalensis+C. sp.2 aff. nepalensis, is defined as a new species group. Relationships amongst the four clades and three independent species (C. micheliae, C. gigantea and C. sp.K1) remain almost unresolved, except for a sister group relationship between the toshiokai and baechlii groups. The classification of species groups in Colocasiomyia is revised by erecting two new species groups (crassipes and zeylanica groups) in addition to the three known (baechlii, cristata and toshiokai) groups. Revision of the arenga group, which should be removed from Colocasiomyia, is left for future studies. The evolution of host plant selection in Colocasiomyia is discussed by mapping host plant taxa (families, subfamilies and tribes) on the phylogenetic tree deduced from the cladistic analysis. Cohabitation in the same host inflorescence by a pair of species with microallopatric niche separation on the spadix is hypothesized to have evolved independently at least more than twice in Colocasiomyia.
Can severe Acquired Brain Injury users control a communication application operated through a P300-based brain computer interface?

In this study a P300 based prototype for communication and control was evaluated by three Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) users. The prototype was developed by merging an already existing assistive technology commercial solution (Qualiworld) with a BCI system and it allows the user to access to text entry and internet applications. The three ABI users were challenged with four complex tasks and the results revealed good performance levels in standard communication and internet tasks (mean=73.79%, SD=9.4). Two end-users completed the four tasks and reached a performance of respectively 69% and 76% on average. One of the end-users did not finish one of the tasks (internet task) and the mean of accuracy for the three completed tasks was 73%.
Red blood cell distribution width is associated with neuronal damage in acute ischemic stroke

Elevated red blood cell distribution width (RDW) has been found to be associated with the occurrence of ischemic stroke. However, there is no defined relationship between RDW and neuronal damage in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This study was designed to determine the relationship between RDW and neuronal damage in AIS patients. A total of 442 consecutive AIS patients from January 2018 to June 2019 were evaluated for neuronal damage, which was estimated by serum neuron-specific enolase (NSE) levels. Red blood cell distribution width-standard deviation (RDW-SD), a parameter that reflects the heterogeneity of red blood cell volume, was also assessed. We evaluated the association between the RDW-SD and serum NSE level through multivariate-adjusted linear regression analysis. Both the serum NSE level and the incidence of high NSE increased according to the increased RDW-SD tertile in AIS patients (p<0.01). There was a positive correlation between RDW-SD and serum NSE levels (r=0.275, 95% CI: 0.187-0.359, p<0.001). The beta coefficients (95% CI) between RDW-SD and serum NSE levels were 0.32 (0.21-0.42, p<0.001) and 0.26 (0.15-0.38, p<0.001), respectively, in AIS patients before and after adjusting for potential confounders. In conclusion, we found a significant positive association between RDW-SD and neuronal damage in AIS patients.
The Use of Mindfulness and Art-Based Interventions for Competitive Athletes in Treatment of Sports-Related Injury, A Literature Review

This thesis investigates the experience of sports-related injury in elite competitive athletes, and the roles and impact of traditional psychological coping and prevention strategies, compared to the approaches of mindfulness and various art-based interventions in the treatment of sports-related injury for competitive athletes. Literature revealed that current treatments for injured athletes in elite sport and competition more often incorporate aspects of goal-setting, guided imagery, and relaxation rather than mindfulness or artbased interventions. However, research is lacking significantly with regards to the use of mindfulness and art-based intervention as a combined methodology in helping athletes cope with a sports injury and the rehabilitation process. The aim of this research is to use the findings gathered from the review of literature to improve and increase awareness concerning the use of mindfulness and art-based interventions together in the treatment of this population, and with the intention that more research and interventions will be conducted in the future.
Business Education a Panacea for Growth of Small and Medium Enterprise and National Development in Nigeria

This paper examined the business education as a panacea for growth of SMEs and national development. The study basically assessed the relationship between SMEs and employment creation as a driving tool for national development as well as the role of business education in national growth and development. The study found that SMEs proffer solution to the lingering problem of poverty and unemployment, while business education plays a vital role in national development in areas of employment generation, industrial development, entrepreneurship strategy, and poverty reduction, promotion of the Nigeria economy, culture and value. The study identified unqualified teachers, obsolete technologies, the size of business classes and poor funding as main challenges of business education and recommended that government should properly and adequately fund business education through increased budgetary allocation and made compulsory at all levels of education with the use of appropriate technologies.