Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of the infestation ratio of spiny bollworm (Earias insulana) and pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) on cotton yield grown in semi‐arid region of Turkey

Abstract: Field studies were conducted in Harran Plain, Turkey, to investigate the infestation of spiny bollworm (SBW) and pink bollworm (PBW) in cotton blind bolls during the period 1999–2001. Blind bolls left on the cotton plants after the harvest were collected, and the PBW and SBW larvae, which are the causes of infection were counted in the laboratory by splitting the bolls. The statistical methods reveal that the infestation ratio variable plays an important role in reducing cotton yield. The infestation ratio variable was found to be statistically significant in all models used. Different soil types may have little effects on yield. We also estimate elasticity of yield with respect to infestation ratio variable. A 1% increase in infestation ratio would reduce about 2.5–6% of cotton yield. Although the infestation ratio of cotton yield is inelastic, which means that the yield is less responsive to the infestation ratio, the elasticity is however an economically important indication because additional cost spent on pests will increase total cost thereby increasing the level where marginal revenue equals the marginal cost.
Influence de la température ambiante sur l'utilisation métabolique de l'énergie et de l'azote alimentaires chez le rat en croissance

: Sixty-seven male rats of the Wistar CF strain were used in two trials to study the effect of ambient temperature on nitrogen and energy balances (experiment 1) and on the variations of certain biochemical parameters of metabolism (experiment 2). In both cases, the rats, housed individually in metal cages and fed ad libitum, were kept under three different temperatures : 21 degrees C (control), 3 degrees C (cold), 31 degrees C (hot). Compared to the controls, the rats at 3 degrees C showed a significant increase (P less than 0.01) in food intake and a significant decrease (P less than 0.01) in daily growth rate and feed efficiency ratio; body fat content was unchanged. Compared to the controls, the rats at 31 degrees C showed a decrease (P less than 0.01) in food intake and growth rate, a better feed efficiency ratio (P less than 0.01) and a significant increase in carcass lipid content. When compared to rats at 21 degrees C, those at 3 degrees C had a much lower nitrogen retention; at 31 degrees C this retention was only slightly lower. The urinary nitrogen excretion, increased by the cold temperature, reflected higher nitrogen catabolism, while its increase at a high temperature was probably due to a decrease in protein synthesis, and a subsequent degradation of excess ingested nitrogen. Energy retention increased (P less than 0.01) as the ambient temperature increased from 3 to 31 degrees C, and wide variations in the amounts of fixed energy in the form of proteins or lipids were observed. The balance results obtained have been discussed in relation to the variations of some biochemical parameters of metabolism such as free fatty acids, free glycerol, lipoprotein-lipase activity and in vitro utilization of labelled glucose.
Slaughtering method and dietary α‐tocopheryl acetate supplementation affect rigor mortis and fillet shelf‐life of turbot Scophthalmus maximus L.

The effects of dietary α-tocopheryl acetate supplementation and different slaughtering methods were investigated on the flesh quality of farmed market-size turbot Scophthalmus maximus (L). Turbot were divided into three groups and fed commercial diets, supplemented with different levels of α-tocopheryl acetate at the following dietary inclusion levels: 72 (100), 547 (500), 969 (1000) (mg of α-tocopheryl acetate kg−1 diet, analytical values with diet codes in brackets). After 5 months, fish (mean weight 1056 ± 19.7 g) from each dietary treatment were sampled, applying three different slaughtering methods: (A) bleeding in ice water; (B) thermal shock, no bleeding; (C) percussion followed by bleeding in ice water. The time course of rigor mortis was evaluated, using pH, rigor index and mechanical compression tests. The results showed that the three parameters corresponded very well. Percussive stunning resulted in higher initial post-mortem pH (P < 0.01) and a significantly delayed onset of rigor mortis (P < 0.05). Diet significantly affected shelf-life, with fillets from fish fed diets 500 and 1000 having lower TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) numbers from day 2 (P < 0.001) and less colour deterioration from day 7 of storage on ice onwards (P < 0.05). These results suggest that an increase in dietary α-tocopheryl acetate before slaughter as well as careful selection of the slaughtering method may greatly enhance the flesh quality of market-size turbot.
Extrusion of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) meal and its effect on oil extraction

Summary Antarctic krill meal as well as mixed krill meal and starches were extruded through a twin-screw extruder. The extrudates were hard and porous agglomerates. The pellets still showed intact structure without obvious disintegration in response to hexane extraction. The oil recovery rates for raw krill meal and the extrudate of single krill meal were 55.08% and 59.08%, respectively. For extrudates, oil recovery rate increased along with the increasing additive amount of starches, with a maximum of 83.13%. Oil extracted from raw krill meal contained 49.30% of triglycerides (TG), 44.16% of phospholipids (PL), 1.45% of free fatty acids (FFA) and 4.69% of cholesterols (CHO). Meanwhile, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and saturated fatty acids (SFA) account for 20.89%, 37.84% and 41.27% of the total fatty acids, respectively. By contrast, oils extracted from extrudates contained more TG but less PL and more SFA but less PUFA.
Thermal Initiators as Additives for Photopolymerization of Methacrylates upon Blue Light

Free radical polymerization is often performed by thermal initiation but also more and more by light-assisted polymerization processes. This second approach allows the polymerization to be carried out under mild conditions (under air, upon blue light exposure, under low light intensity). The aim and the originality of the present paper is to perform photopolymerization in the presence of a thermal initiator, i.e., we can take advantage of the exothermicity of the photopolymerization process to decompose the thermal initiator, leading to enhanced polymerization rates. The performance of the photoinitiating system is discussed in the present study based on real-time Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy measurements (following the C=C bond content evolution vs. time) and by thermal imaging experiments. Mechanisms of the new system proposed in this work are also fully detailed using cyclic voltammetry, electron spin resonance (ESR) spin trapping, and UV-visible absorption properties.
Integumentary Mucilage as an Oxygen Barrier During Germination of Blepharis persica (Burm.) Kuntze

The integuments of seeds of Blepharis persica (Burm.) Kuntze bear multicellular hairs whose primary walls are composed of cellulose microfibrils in a uronic gel. These primary walls swell in water, and if the seeds are placed in an excess amount of water the swollen walls fill the spaces between the hairs, forming an oxygen barrier and preventing germination. The roles of higher oxygen tensions and of CaCl2 in affecting the integumentary barrier were examined.
Sprouting of trees in Jamaican montane forests after a hurricane

1 Forests in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica were damaged by Hurricane Gilbert which passed over the island on 12 September 1988. 2 In plots between 1300-1900 m, recorded 5-41 months after the hurricane, most stems (61.4% of 4949 living stems) and most species (44 of 47 common species) had sprouts. Comparing species, percent of stems sprouting ranged from 0 to 100%. 3 Broken stems sprouted proportionately more than intact stems; completely defoliated stems sprouted proportionately more than those not completely defoliated; there was no difference between uprooted and upright stems; and stems > 10 cm d.b. h. sprouted more frequently and produced more sprouts per stem, than those 30 sprouting stems, four sprouted more from below 2.5 m, five more from above 2.5 m and five had sprouts evenly distributed. For all species combined, approximately equal numbers of stems fell into each of these three categories. 6 Survivorship up to 41 months after the hurricane was higher in stems with sprouts than those without. 7 There was no simple relationship between the frequency of sprouting of species and microenvironments where seed germination and seedling establishment have been recorded. However, eight common species which have rarely been observed to germinate or establish (in a wide range of conditions) had high frequencies of sprouting. We propose that sprouting is an important mechanism by which many species maintain their presence in these forests.
On the Possible Overestimation of Cognitive Decline: The Impact of Age-Related Hearing Loss on Cognitive-Test Performance

Individual differences and age-related normal and pathological changes in mental abilities require the use of cognitive screening and assessment tools. However, simultaneously occurring deficits in sensory processing, whose prevalence increases especially in old age, may negatively impact cognitive-test performance and thus result in an overestimation of cognitive decline. This hypothesis was tested using an impairment-simulation approach. Young normal-hearing university students performed three memory tasks, using auditorily presented speech stimuli that were either unprocessed or processed to mimic some of the perceptual consequences of age-related hearing loss (ARHL). Both short-term-memory and working-memory capacities were significantly lower in the simulated-hearing-loss condition, despite good intelligibility of the test stimuli. The findings are consistent with the notion that, in case of ARHL, the perceptual processing of auditory stimuli used in cognitive assessments requires additional (cognitive) resources that cannot be used toward the execution of the cognitive task itself. Researchers and clinicians would be well advised to consider sensory impairments as a confounding variable when administering cognitive tasks and interpreting their results.
The role of replication studies in ecology

Abstract Recent large‐scale projects in other disciplines have shown that results often fail to replicate when studies are repeated. The conditions contributing to this problem are also present in ecology, but there have not been any equivalent replication projects. Here, we survey ecologists' understanding of and opinions about replication studies. The majority of ecologists in our sample considered replication studies to be important (97%), not prevalent enough (91%), worth funding even given limited resources (61%), and suitable for publication in all journals (62%). However, there is a disconnect between this enthusiasm and the prevalence of direct replication studies in the literature which is much lower (0.023%: Kelly 2019) than our participants' median estimate of 10%. This may be explained by the obstacles our participants identified including the difficulty of conducting replication studies and of funding and publishing them. We conclude by offering suggestions for how replications could be better integrated into ecological research.
Genetic differences in physiology, growth hormone levels and migratory behaviour of Atlantic salmon smolts

Out of five strains of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar of 1 + years released upstream of a fyke net in the River Gudenaa in 1996, three, Lagan, Atran and Corrib, migrated immediately, 50% of the recaptured fish reaching the net in 3-6 days. Burrishoole and Conon fish migrated with a 15-19 day delay. Smolt development in 1997 at the hatchery showed a spring surge in gill Na + ,K + -ATPase activity in all strains which was correlated with increased seawater tolerance. Differences in the timing of gill enzyme development matched the observed migration pattern well. Lagan, Atran and Corrib strains reached high enzyme activity earlier than the Burrishoole and Conon strains, and strains with delayed enzyme development and migration showed a delayed regression of seawater tolerance compared with the early strains. Inter-strain differences in plasma growth hormone profiles could not be related to the observed patterns of Na + ,K + -ATPase and seawater tolerance development. The study gives evidence of genetic influence on the timing and intensity of smolting and subsequent migration in Atlantic salmon.
Capacidade antioxidante de frutas

Aqueous and acetone extracts from 15 fruits have been screened for antioxidant activity using DPPH method and s-carotene/linoleic acid model. All fruits studied showed antioxidant activity, but in different extent. Acerola, cashew-apple, papaya "formosa", papaya "solo", orange and guava showed the higher antioxidant activity (>;70%) in DPPH method, followed by pineapple, bergamont, mango "rosa", melon "reticulares", melon "inodorus", melon "orange flesh" and sugar-apple aqueous extract (moderate, 60-70%) and mango "espada" and watermelon aqueous extract, the lowest activity. Acerola, cashew-apple, sugar-apple and guava acetone extracts exhibited higher scavenging activity toward DPPH radicals (>;70%). β-carotene/linoleic acid model index of sugar-apple aqueous extract and guava acetone extract demonstrated moderate antioxidant activity (60-70%), meanwhile acerola aqueous extract and papaya "formosa" acetone extract the lower. According to antioxidant activity, fruits can be indicated as natural antioxidants sources, pointing out acerola, cashew-apple, papaya "solo", papaya "formosa", guava, orange and sugar-apple as the highest in antioxidant capacity.
Adsorption Study of Methylene Blue and Methyl Orange Using Green Shell (Perna Viridis)

Green shell is generally disposed of and become environmental contaminants. In this study, the green shell was used as material to adsorb dyes residue: methylene blue and methyl oranges. Green shell waste from seafood was prepared by removing the dirt then dried at room temperature. It was followed by roughly crushing before being placed in the furnace at temperatures of 300, 500, 700 and 900 °C. The selected adsorbents were sieved at 200 mesh. The adsorbents were characterized by FTIR and SEM-EDX to evaluate their functional groups and morphology. Furthermore, the adsorption process was evaluated by determining the kinetic adsorption models. The results of the FTIR characterization showed the vibration of Ca(OH) 2 bone at a wave number of 3400 cm -1 and morphological analysis by SEM showed a homogeneous surface. Adsorption kinetics results obtained from the variation of time with the initial adsorbate concentration showed the kinetic model of both methylene blue and methyl orange adsorption onto the adsorbent followed a pseudo-second order.
Microbial Community Analysis of Opalinus Clay Drill Core Samples from the Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory, Switzerland

Opalinus Clay is a candidate host rock for a high-level radioactive waste repository in Switzerland. Microbial metabolism and its by-products could affect the physical and (geo)chemical conditions in such a repository. This study investigated the occurrence of indigenous microbes, their community size and-structure in an Opalinus Clay core from the Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory, Switzerland, drilled with aseptic techniques. Core sub-samples were distributed to five laboratories, where they were analysed with microscopy, culture-and molecular biology techniques. Evidence supporting a viable microbial community in Opalinus Clay included: five positive culture results (including for sulphate-reducing bacteria, SRB) out of 20 culture attempts; extraction of 64 ng phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) per g clay, suggesting the presence of viable cells; detection of PLFA biomarkers for anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria and SRB; and the presence of sufficient nutrients to support growth of indigenous and non-indigenous microorganisms for two months. Evidence against a thriving microbial community in Opalinus Clay included: 15 negative culture results out of 20 attempts; lack of cells by application of microscope techniques (phase contrast, AODC, CARD-FISH); consistent failure to extract PCR-amplifiable DNA from the core; the presence of 14 times higher amounts of lipids indicative of cell debris than those indicative of viable cells (PFLA); very small pore sizes; and very low water content. The combined results of this study (and evidence from other studies in comparable environments) suggest that unperturbed Opalinus Clay appears to contain only a small viable microbial community, which is probably metabolically almost inactive (dormant), due to space and water restrictions. However, any disturbances that would provide space, water and nutrients, as would be the case during repository excavation and construction, could revive the dormant organisms, unless the host rock was kept intact.
Upregulation of Estrogen Receptor- (cid:97) Expression in Rabbit Cardiac Allograft

—Estrogen receptor (ER) expression has been detected in different tissues, and estradiol-17 (cid:98) treatment protects against experimental transplant arteriosclerosis. In this study, ER- (cid:97) expression in the rabbit hearts and attached aortas before and after cardiac-aorta allograft transplantation was examined. Ten male New Zealand White rabbits were transplanted with cardiac-aorta allografts from male Dutch Belted rabbits. This transplant arteriosclerosis model uses a 0.5% cholesterol diet and immunosuppression with cyclosporin A (10 mg (cid:122) kg (cid:50) 1 (cid:122) d (cid:50) 1 ) until euthanatization 42 days later. The cardiac grafts with the attached aorta were harvested. Strong staining of ER- (cid:97) protein was shown in the coronary arteries of the cardiac allografts by immunohistochemistry with the use of a mouse anti-human ER- (cid:97) monoclonal antibody (ID5). In contrast, both the nongrafted hearts of the recipients and donor hearts expressed only weak staining. RNase protection assay with the use of a 32 P–labeled ER- (cid:97) antisense riboprobe (pOR 300) proved that the basal expression of ER- (cid:97) mRNA is similar in the nongrafted aorta of both recipients and donors. A marked increase of ER- (cid:97) mRNA was observed in the allograft aorta compared with the nongrafted aorta (289 (cid:54) 69%, P (cid:44) 0.02) by reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction. The DNA sequence analysis confirmed that the polymerase chain reaction–amplified fragment corresponded to ER- (cid:97) . This is the first observation of ER- (cid:97) upregulation in the allograft vasculature and may relate to the allograft cardiovascular protective effects of estrogen.
Safety and efficacy of extended release ketamine tablets in patients with treatment-resistant depression and anxiety: open label pilot study

Background: Ketamine’s defining side effects are dissociation and increased blood pressure/heart rate. An oral formulation with delayed absorption could minimize these effects. We recently reported safety and tolerability data for an extended release ketamine tablet in healthy volunteers. Methods: To assess safety, tolerability, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of an extended release oral ketamine tablet in patients with treatment-resistant depression/anxiety. This was a multiple dose open-label flexible dose uncontrolled study in seven patients with treatment-resistant depression/anxiety, who had all previously demonstrated mood improvement to subcutaneous ketamine. Assessments included ratings of anxiety, depression and dissociation, safety and tolerability, and blood samples for ketamine pharmacokinetics and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentrations. Results: Improvements in anxiety and depression ratings occurred gradually over 96 h; all patients had >50% improvements in mood ratings. Ketamine was safe and well tolerated, with no changes in vital signs, and a single brief report of dissociation. Ketamine may induce its own metabolism, as the ratio of norketamine to ketamine increased out to 96 h. Serum BDNF concentrations did not change during the study. Conclusion: Ketamine’s safety/tolerability may be improved with an extended release oral formulation. Onset of mood improvement is slightly delayed compared with parenteral dosing. These data support the further development of extended release ketamine tablets for treatment of resistant depression and anxiety disorders.
Non-Standard Analysis for Regularization of Geometric-Zeno Behaviour in Hybrid Systems

Geometric-Zeno behaviour is a highly challenging problem in the analysis (including simulation) of hybrid systems. Geometric-Zeno can be defined as an infinite number of discrete mode switches in a finite time interval. Typically, for hybrid models exhibiting geometric-Zeno, the numerical simulation either halts or produces false results, because an infinite number of discrete events occur in a given simulation time-step. In this paper, we provide formal methods for regularization of geometric-Zeno behaviour by using a non-standard analysis. In particular, we provide formal conditions for the existence of geometric-Zeno in hybrid systems, and we propose methods to allow geometric-Zeno executions to be continued beyond geometric-Zeno limit points. The concepts are illustrated with a case study throughout the paper.
Progesterona plasmática e fertilidade de fêmeas caprinas submetidas à sincronização do estro com prostaglandina F2α

Plasmatic progesterone concentrations were evaluated during the synchronization protocol with two doses of 22. 5µg of Prostaglandin F2α, 10-day interval, and the conception rate of females in accordance to the reply to the protocol. Twenty-three female goats and two sexually mature Toggenburg bucks were used. Blood was sampled on day 0 (1st PGF2α injection), and on the following days 5, 10 (2nd PGF2α injection), 15, 20, and 33. The positive reply to the PGF2α was determined when the progesterone concentrations fell to values below 1.5ng/mL at days 5 and 15. The females were divided in three groups: Group I: females that responded to the two PGF2α applications; Group II: females that responded only to the second application; Group III: females that responded the first application, did not respond to the second application, were inseminated but did not conceive. The presence of a functional corpus luteum at the moment of the applications determined the reply to the protocol. There was no difference in the conception rates between females that responded to the two PGF2α applications or responded only to the second application.