Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Grazing Effects on Precipitation-Driven Associations between Sagebrush and Perennial Grasses

Abstract. While many studies have addressed the effect of individual stresses on plant—plant associations, few have addressed the effects of co-occurring stresses. We therefore investigated how associations between Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) and 2 native grasses (Poa secunda and Elymus elymoides) responded to different combinations of grazing and moisture stresses in the Great Basin, USA. Positive (i.e., facilitative) interactions between nurse plants and their beneficiaries are predicted to increase with increasing moisture limitation and grazing stress, but these interactions may break down at extreme levels of stress. We hypothesized that (1) competitive interactions and negative shrub-grass spatial associations would occur under the least stressful conditions (low grazing intensity / high precipitation); (2) positive shrub-grass spatial associations would dominate at intermediate levels of stress (high grazing intensity / high precipitation and low grazing intensity / low precipitation); and (3) negative grass-shrub relationships would dominate at extreme levels of stress (high grazing / low precipitation). We sampled 5 site pairs (high vs. low grazing intensity) that occurred over a precipitation gradient. We assessed how abundance of the 2 grasses P. secunda and E. elymoides responded to sagebrush microsite (canopy vs. interspace), grazing intensity, and precipitation. We found that both grass species were positively associated with A. tridentata canopy microsites at low annual precipitation levels. However, grazing stress appeared to weaken this effect for P. secunda, indicating, as we predicted, a potential breakdown of facilitative interactions in highly stressful conditions. Although we predicted that facilitation would dominate in moderately stressful conditions, we only found this to be true (for both grasses) in one of the 2 moderately stressful scenarios (low grazing / low precipitation). Our results provide insights into how Great Basin plant communities may respond to the separate and combined effects of grazing and drought stresses, both of which may intensify in the future.
Molecular aspects of columnar growth in apple

The dominantly inherited columnar trait of 'Wijcik' apple is caused by a somatic mutation in apple cv. 'McIntosh'. By comparing the genomic sequences of 'McIntosh' and 'Wijcik', an insertion was found in the Co region that was mapped in 'Wijcik'. This insertion was shown to be associated with increased expression of a gene, MdCo31, located more than 15 kb downstream. A discrepancy was found between the size of the insertion as described by Wolters et al. in 2013 and as described almost two months later by Otto et al. (2013). This discrepancy is solved in this chapter and the mutation that is involved in the columnar phenotype of 'Wijcik' is characterised in more detail. The 'Wijcik' insertion is classified as a nonautonomous retrotransposon of 8.2 kb, which inserted into the 5’ LTR of another retrotransposon of 4.0 kb that was already present in the 'McIntosh' genome. Using the LTR sequences of the retrotransposons, copies of both elements are identified throughout the 'Golden Delicious' genome. Elements similar to the retrotransposon that was found in 'McIntosh' show a preference for inserting in gene rich regions, while the element that was found inserted in 'Wijcik' does not show such a preference. The 'Wijcik' mutation is another example of how transposons can affect specific properties of their host, but the mechanism by which the 'Wijcik' transposon leads to increased expression of MdCo31 is still unknown. Addressing this question would be a very interesting topic for further studies. Introduction Although genome sizes vary greatly among different plant species (from the ~125-megabase genome of Arabidopsis to the largest sequenced plant genome so far, the 2.3-gigabase genome of maize) (The Arabidopsis Genome Initiative 2000; Schnable et al. 2009), the total gene number is rather constant among different plant species. Only a relatively small part of the Arabidopsis genome is formed by repetitive DNA, whereas repetitive DNA represents the major part of the maize genome (Meyers et al. 2001).
I NFORMATION - THEORETIC P ROBING E XPLAINS R E - LIANCE ON S PURIOUS H EURISTICS

Most current NLP systems are based on a pre-train-then-fine-tune paradigm, in which a large neural network is first trained in a self-supervised way designed to encourage the network to extract broadly-useful linguistic features, and then finetuned for a specific task of interest. Recent work attempts to understand why this recipe works and explain when it fails. Currently, such analyses have produced two sets of apparently-contradictory results. Work that analyzes the representations that result from pre-training (via “probing classifiers”) finds evidence that rich features of linguistic structure can be decoded with high accuracy, but work that analyzes model behavior after fine-tuning (via “challenge sets”) indicates that decisions are often not based on such structure but rather on spurious heuristics specific to the training set. In this work, we test the hypothesis that the extent to which a feature influences a model’s decisions can be predicted using a combination of two factors: The feature’s extractability after pre-training (measured using information-theoretic probing techniques), and the evidence available during finetuning (defined as the feature’s co-occurrence rate with the label). In experiments with both synthetic and natural language data, we find strong evidence (statistically significant correlations) supporting this hypothesis.
Teaching environmental sustainability and responsibility in the Anthropocene: Overview of Tourism Studies in Spain

ABSTRACT Tourism studies are showing an increasing interest in the analysis of environmental sustainability and responsibility in the Anthropocene epoch. In the Higher Education (HE) Tourism studies, new concepts and skills are incorporated helping students to develop environmental knowledge and responsible attitudes and behaviours grounded in closer associations between the Earth systems and Humanity. The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which environmental education is incorporated in the curricula of Tourism studies at 55 Spanish universities throughout a syllabus content analysis. The results evidence that HE Tourism studies in Spain has a generalist orientation because of the holistic vision inherent to that courses, whereas matters regarding environmental issues would be necessary to organise in a more coherent way in the form of specialised training tracks devoted to environmental education including both sustainability and responsibility issues.
Coral growth-rate, an environmental indicator

Branching hermatypic corals, Acropora cervicornis (Lamarck) were transplanted into two areas of the Florida reef tract where they do not normally grow. The growth-rate of these corals and a control group on a thriving reef was measured twelve times between December 1960 and February 1962. Average growth-rate of the transplanted corals was less than one half that of the control group, which grew at 10 cm per year. Growth-rates, however, showed considerable variation. During a 2-month period one transplanted group grew as fast as the control group, but after 10 months died when the water temperature dropped to 13.3 degrees C. Seasonal fluctuations in growth at all stations could be correlated in a general way to temperature fluctuations . Growth was greatest between 28 degrees and 30 degrees C. The results suggest that the method may be used as a standard ecological tool for determining growth tolerances of other reef-building organisms.
Tetramethylpyrazine production by immobilized culture of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar. diacetilactis FC1

Acetoin and ammonia, the precursors of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) having "meaty" or "roasted" flavors, were produced by the culture of Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis biovar. diacetilactis FC1 in free and immobilized cell systems. Cells were immobilized using k-carrageenan and then were incubated at . The TMP productivity (0.34 g/l) and the conversion ratio (9.3%) of acetoin to TMP of the immobilized cell system were higher than those (0.24 g/l, 7.0%) of the free cell system. When the beads were activated for 12 h, the productivity of acetoin and TMP increased slightly.
Histochemical staining characteristics of normal horse skeletal muscle.

The histologic and histochemical staining characteristics of the triceps brachii (long head), extensor carpi radialis, gluteus medius, vastus lateralis, biceps femoris, semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and extensor digitorum longus muscles of 8 Thoroughbreds, 2 Quarter Horses, 1 Arabian, 1 Paso Fino, and 1 Shetland Pony are described. Muscle fiber morphology, staining distribution and intensity, amount of IM connective tissue, number of IM blood vessels and IM nerves, calcium-activated adenosine triphosphatase activity (CaATPase), percentage of fibertype population, percentage of relative fibertype area, mean fiber diameter, nonspecific esterase activity, alkaline phosphatase activity, and acid phosphatase activity were evaluated, using 10 common histochemical and histologic stains. Two fiber types (I, II) and 3 subtypes (IIA, IIB, IIC) were observed, using CaATPase-, nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide-tetrazolium reductase-, periodic acid-Schiff hematoxylin-, and nonspecific esterase-stained frozen serial muscle sections. Type I muscle fibers in general had low CaATPase activity, high oxidative capacity, low glycogen capacity, and low esterase activity. Type IIA muscle fibers had high CaATPase activity, intermediate oxidative capacity, high glycogen concentration, and high esterase activity. Type IIB fibers had high CaATPase activity, low oxidative capacity, high glycogen concentration, and a high esterase activity. Type IIC muscle fibers had high CaATPase activity, high oxidative capacity, variable glycogen concentration, and high esterase activity. Type II (IIA and IIB) muscle fibers predominated in the muscles. The percentage of muscle fiber population, mean minimal muscle fiber diameter, and percentage of relative muscle fiber area were determined for each sampled muscle. Type IIA and IIB muscle fibers predominated in the percentage of muscle fiber population and percentage of relative muscle fiber area. Type IIB muscle fibers had the greatest minimal fiber diameter, type IIA muscle fibers had intermediate minimal fiber diameter, and type I muscle fibers had the smallest minimal fiber diameter. The percentage of relative muscle fiber area was less variable (P less than or equal to 0.05) than the percentage of muscle fiber population. Mean muscle fiber diameter did not significantly differ between breeds. Alkaline and acid phosphatase activities were at low levels in all muscles biopsied and were limited to the IM connective tissue fibrocytes, macrophages, and capillaries. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The Legume Pod Motif as a Symbolic Representation of the Shamanic Hallucinogen, Vilca (Anadenanthera spp.), in Pre-Columbian Andean Cultures

This article reports on the identification and associations of the “legume pod” motif seen in pre-Columbian Andean iconography as representing the hallucinogenic vilca (Anadenanthera spp.) seeds. The earliest known occurrences of the legume pod motif appear in Paracas textiles associated with figures referred to as mythical, supernatural, or anthropomorphic, including recognizable beings as the Ecstatic Shaman and the Oculate or Masked Being. Symbolic analysis leads to a convincing interpretation of these figures as shamans in the act of transformation upon ingesting a hallucinogenic plant, specifically, vilca. Additional insight comes from individual textiles depicting the legume pod motif featured alongside culturally significant plants and shamanic snuffing paraphernalia, further indicating that this motif represents a hallucinogenic plant. Appearances of the legume pod motif continue through the Early Intermediate Period in Nazca culture, and terminate at the end of the Middle Horizon with the Tiwanaku and Wari cultures.
Is ant fauna a good bio-indicator of coastal dune ecosystems in North-East of Algeria?

Summary Ants are good bioindicators of habitats and of their quality in many ecosystems. However, their interest in the case of coastal dunes remains to be determined because the environments are instable or subject to strong constraints. The degree of preservation of the Jijel coastal dune system is variable and presents an environmental gradient (sea-land) of five habitats defined by vegetation: upper beach, embryonic, mobile, steady and wooded dune. The aim of the study is to determine if (i) these five habitats have characteristic ant assemblages; (ii) if the variation in ant richness along the gradient shows a continuous increase reflecting very strong disturbances or shows a peak reached before the most stable habitat, therefore at the level of a medium disturbance; and (iii) how environmental factors play on the different ant species. Seventeen stations spread over four sites were selected for the study of myrmecofauna by barber trap, bait, and manual collection, and of vegetation by the quadrats method. Overall, the ant richness profile along the gradient is consistent with an increase towards the most stable environments. The composition of ant communities varies according to habitats and is correlated with the composition of plant communities. The effects on ants of environmental factors deduced from the structure of the vegetation are analysed at the community and species levels. Along the habitat gradient, there is a quadratic relationship between the barycentre and the range of habitat of the species. Despite the small number of species, this group of insects gives interesting results in terms of sensitivity to disturbances.
A minimum‐impact, flexible tool to study vocal communication of small animals with precise individual‐level resolution

To understand both proximate and ultimate factors shaping vocal communication, it is fundamental to obtain reliable information of participating individuals on different levels: First, it is necessary to separate and assign the individuals' vocalisations. Secondly, the precise timing of vocal events needs to be retained. Thirdly, vocal behaviour should be recorded from undisturbed animals in meaningful settings. A growing number of studies used animal‐attached microphones to tackle these issues, but the implications for the study species and the research question often receded into the background. Here, we aim to initiate a discussion about the limitations, possible applications and the broader potential of such methods. Using lightweight wireless microphone backpacks (0·75 g including customised leg‐loop harness) combined with multi‐channel recording equipment, we captured vocal behaviour of small songbirds. We evaluated the effect of the devices at various levels, including an assessment of how vocal and locomotor activities were affected by initial device attachment and battery exchange. We compared our approach to existing studies and identified suitable research examples. We acquired continuous vocalisation recordings of zebra finches, and unequivocally assigned them to interacting individuals, with system‐based synchrony, irrespective of background noise. We found effects of initial backpack attachment and of battery replacement on vocal and locomotor activity, but they were minimised through the extended recording duration (ca. 16 days) that outlasted habituation effects (ca. 3 days). This method provides the tools to integrate individual vocal communications into a group setting, while enabling animals to behave freely in undisturbed, structured and acoustically complex environments. By minimising the effects on the animals, the behaviour under study, and ultimately on the research question, this approach will revolutionise the ability to capture individual‐level vocalisations in a variety of communication contexts, opening up many new opportunities to address novel research questions.
Burning Nettle (Urtica urens) Germination and Seedbank Characteristics in Coastal California

Burning nettle is a noxious weed that commonly infests coastal California vegetable fields. Weed control programs for lettuce and fresh spinach grown in this area do not adequately control burning nettle, and escaped weeds that mature are highly problematic during hand weeding and harvesting. Information on the biology and ecology of burning nettle is limited, and work was conducted to develop information about this weed. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of temperature on burning nettle germination and to determine its base temperature value, to characterize the germination pattern of this weed and seedbanks under local California coastal conditions, and to estimate the optimal timing for burning nettle removal by herbicides and physical methods. The upper optimal temperature for burning nettle germination was 22.8 C, but there was no difference in the final germination percentage between 4 and 22.8 C. The base temperature was determined to be 3 ± 0.2 C, and this information allowed the development of temperature-based optimal control timing models. In the field, burning nettle emerged throughout the year without any seasonal pattern, and germinable seeds were also found in the seedbank throughout the year. Burning nettle was able to complete a growth cycle throughout the year in coastal California. Burning nettle has a short growth cycle that allows it to set viable seeds within 466 ± 13 growing degree days (GDD), and this timing is critical for burning nettle removal by herbicides, cultivation, or hand weeding. The optimal timing for phenmedipham application at 180 g ai ha−1 was estimated to be 205 GDD. The germination and seedbank field studies indicate why burning nettle is so well adapted to the mild climate of coastal California. However, results presented here suggest strategies to reduce the burning nettle seedbank, improve its control, and allow more efficient lettuce and fresh spinach production. Nomenclature: Phenmedipham; burning nettle, Urtica urens L. , lettuce, Lactuca sativa L. var. , spinach, Spinacia oleracea L. # SPQOL.
Using Twitter to Predict the United States Presidential Election

Social media has become an essential aspect of our life, and we are used to expressing our thoughts on these platforms. Using social media as an opinion finder has become a popular measure. For any topic that the public opinion matters, there is the potential of using social media to evaluate the problem. Presidential election definitely falls into this category. Previous researches have proven the effectiveness of using social media such as Twitter to predict the outcome of elections. Nevertheless, the composition of social media users can never be the same as the real demographic. What makes things worse is the existence of malicious users who intend to manipulate the public’s tendencies toward candidates or parties. In this paper, we aim to increase the predicting precision under the premise that the extracted tweets are noisy. By taking an individual’s trustworthiness, participation bias and the influence into account, we propose a novel method to forecast the U.S. presidential election.
Histogenesis of Burkitt's lymphoma: a B-cell tumour of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue.

: The designation Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) has proved to be of great convenience but has left undetermined the histogenesis of the tumour and its relationship to other B-cell lymphomas. One definition proposed for BL has been based on its relationship to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The EBV negativity of some BLs and the association of EBV with other non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, however, makes this definition unsatisfactory. Cytogenetic changes involving the translocations of part of chromosome 8 also are not specific for BL. In the Kiel classification, BL appears as a lymphoblastic lymphoma. However, lymphoblastic lymphomas and leukaemias arise from pre-B and early T cells, whereas BL shows characteristics of a more mature B cell. Mann et al. (1976) considered BL to be related to follicle centre-cell lymphomas. The morphology and immunological phenotype of BL are consistent with this hypothesis, although it would appear that BL is more restricted in its capabilities of further differentiation than other follicle centre-cell lymphomas. This lack of differentiation may be related to EBV infection. The characteristic anatomical distribution of BL is quite unlike that of most follicle centre-cell lymphomas and should be considered in the search for its histogenesis. BL involves the jaws during the period of maximum dental development, and also the salivary glands, thyroid, abdominal viscera and abdominal lymph nodes. Massive involvement of the breasts during pregnancy and lactation is characteristic. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Soy Bioactive Components in Functional Perspective: A Review

Functional foods are the focus of attraction for well-being. The healthy living of Asians may be attributed to a diet enriched with soy isoflavones viz. genistein and daidzein which fills the gap of proteinaceous diet in vegetarians. Several factors, such as administration, dosage, metabolism, ingestion of other pharmacological substances, type of estrogen receptors, and presence or absence of endogenous estrogen, affect the activities and bioavailability of isoflavones. The mode of therapeutic action could be either through the stimulation of estrogen receptors or by the non-involvement of estrogen receptors. Soy, due to its isoflavones content, serves as a balanced and remedial substitute in combating various lifestyle disorders, like cancer prevention, by interruption of the breakdown of extracellular matrix that surrounds growing vessels and tumors, lowering of lipid and blood insulin levels by regulating lipid and glucose metabolism, alleviation of menopausal symptoms, and osteoprotective effects by modulating estrogen receptors, thus acting as a safer switch to hormone replacement therapy, anti-hypertensive effect which may also contribute to cardioprotective, anti-oxidative effect, regulation of cognitive functions, and many others. Therefore, it could be regarded as a valuable therapeutics. However, since soy isoflavones also act as endocrine disruptors, they also possess some negative effects. Concerns have been raised in relation to thyroid function abnormality. In view of the previously mentioned facts an attempt has been made to review the literature available on both beneficial as well as deleterious role of isoflavones, soy derived bioactive compounds.
Synthesis and Pesticidal Activities of Some 3-Aryloxymethyl-6-(2-Arylyloxymethyl)-1,2,4-Triazolo [3,4-b] [1,3,4]Thiadiazoles and 3-Aryl-8-Nitro-1,2,4-Triazolo [3,4-b] [1,3,4] Benzothiadiazepines

Severa l o f 3-aryloxymethyl6-(2-to lylox ymethyl)1 ,2,4-triazolo-[3,4-b] [1,3,4] thi adiazo les (II ) have bee n sy nthesised by cycloconde nsa ti on of 4-amino-5-aryloxymethyl-3-mercapto-1 ,2,4-tri azoles and 2-tolyloxyaceti c acid wi th DCC in CH? CI ,. The 3-aryloxymeth yl-8-nitro1 ,2,4-t ri azo lo[3,4-b J[ 1.3,4lbenzothi adiazepnes (IV) have been synthes ised by cycli s3ti;n -of 5aryloxy-met hyl4--(2chloro5 nitro benzylidene amine)-3-mercapto1 ,2,4triazo les wi th pyridi ne. Compou nds (II and IV) have been screened for their herbicidal activities aga inst Ech in och loa oryzico la, Eehinoch loa crus-galli , Oryza sativa and fungicidal activ iti es aga in st Sapro/egnia parasitica and Achlv{/ orion.