Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of the type of autonomic tone on the volume of the mucous membrane of the small intestine of laying hens

The connection between the separate structural parts of the mucous membrane of the small intestine of laying hens and the typological features of the autonomic tone were investigated. The studies were conducted on adult chickens of the cross-breed "Isa-Brown", which were divided into two groups: sympathicotonic chickens and sympathico-normotonic chickens, by the methods of electrocardiography and variation-pulsometry research. In the small intestine of the poultry of each group, the linear dimensions were determined first, and then the volume of the entire mucous membrane and its separate parts (villi, crypt, muscular plate), as well as the volume of connective tissue fibers in the crypt region. Research has shown that the villi account for ¾ of the volume of the entire mucous membrane. The volume of villi in the entire small intestine is more important in sympathico-normotonic chickens. This same poultry group has an advantage in the indicators of the volume of the muscular plate, but only in the duodenum and jejunum. In indicators of crypt volume, it turned out to be quite the opposite of the relationship with the typology of autonomous influences. In all studied intestines, the higher values of this indicator belong to the sympathotonic chickens. However, in terms of the volume of the entire mucous membrane, larger values still correspond to sympathico-normotonic chickens. Sympathicotonic chickens are inferior to them in the duodenum – at 1,005 mm3, in the jejunum – at 2,699 mm3 and in the ileum – only 78 mm3. Investigating the structure of the villi, we established that the volume of their epithelium in all three sections of the small intestine has higher values in the sympathico-normotonic chickens, and the larger volume of the lamina propria of the villi in the sympathicotonic chickens. At the same time, the connection with the type of autonomic tone is reflected in the ratio between the two layers of villi. In all three sections of the small intestine of sympathicotonic chickens, the ratio between the epithelium and the lamina propria was, on average, 65%/35%, or 2/1. In sympathico-normotonic chickens, this ratio varied and, on average, equalled 75%/25%, or 3/1. The increase in the tone of sympathetic centers contributes to the growth of volume both as the total amount of fibers of connective tissue, and also as separate elastic fibers in the area of crypt. According to the data,indicators of the sympathico-normotonic chickens are inferior to those of sympathicotonic chickens in all of the small intestine. It was also found that in both groups of poultry the volume of elastic fibers was approximately half the volume of all fibers of the connective tissue of the duodenum. In other sections of the small intestine, this figure was reduced to about ⅓. Consequently, the typological features of the autonomic tone, providing various trophic-regulatory effects on the mucous membrane of the small intestine, cause the formation of differences in its volume.
Sexual Selection Mechanisms for Male Plumage Ornaments in Japanese Barn Swallows

Abstract The Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica is a model species for studying sexual selection. After its long tail was shown to be the target of female mate choice, its plumage characteristics, including the red throat patch and the size of white tail spots in addition to tail length, have attracted the attention of many researchers. Although there have been several reviews of sexual selection in this species, these reviews have focused mostly on general patterns of sexual selection within and among subspecies, rather than on the functional differences between plumage characteristics in sexual selection. Here, I review mechanisms of sexual selection for male plumage ornaments in Japanese Barn Swallows H. r. gutturalis. In the last decade, studies of sexual selection in Japanese Barn Swallows have focussed on tail length, the size of the white tail spots, and the size and coloration of red throat patches. Each ornamental trait appears to be involved in different sexual selection mechanisms: the size of the white tail spots is important for several mechanisms of intersexual selection, including the Darwin-Fisher mechanism and differential allocation, whereas throat coloration may be intra-sexually selected, at least in part. The size of the throat patch, in contrast, is the target of an intersexual selection mechanism, differential access, indicating a partially independent evolution of the two components of the red throat patch. Multiple mechanisms of sexual selection would explain the multiple ornaments and their geographical variation, and even the probability of speciation and extinction.
PANORAMA DA LEPTOSPIROSE HUMANA NAS REGIÕES BRASILEIRA DURANTE O PERÍODO DE 2013 A 2017: CASOS CONFIRMADOS, ÓBITOS E COEFICIENTE DE LETALIDADE.

A leptospirose e considerada uma zoonose de importância social, ambiental e economica, que apresenta elevada incidencia em determinadas areas com alto custo hospitalar. Alem, dos roedores sinantropicos os animais domesticos como caes, bovinos e suinos podem transmitir pela urina a leptospirose para o homem. Com a presente pesquisa objetivou-se estudar a ocorrencia da leptospirose humana nas regioes do Brasil com o intuito de divulgar os casos clinicos confirmados, numeros de obitos e o coeficiente de letalidade durante os anos de 2013 a 2017. Para tal, utilizou-se o Portal da Saude do Ministerio da Saude para levantar os referidos dados. No periodo estudado, os resultados mostram que as regioes mais acometidas em relacao aos casos confirmados foram a regiao Sul (5.913 casos), seguidos pelas regioes Sudeste (5.383 casos), Norte (4.891 casos), Nordeste (2.219 casos) e Centro-oeste (326 casos). Em relacao aos obitos, a regiao Sudeste apresenta o maior numero (645 obitos), sendo o estado de Sao Paulo responsavel por 62,3% dos obitos. A regiao Sul foi a segunda regiao em numero de obitos (344 obitos), seguidos pelas regioes Nordeste (301 obitos), Norte (149 obitos) e Centro-oeste (42 obitos). O coeficiente de letalidade para o periodo estudado foi de 11,5%. Os maiores coeficientes de letalidade ocorrem em 2014, na regiao Centro-oeste com 26,4%, seguido pela Nordeste com 22,2% e Sudeste com 12,9%. A regiao Norte no periodo estudado registrou os menores porcentuais de letalidade por leptospirose. A falta de acesso ao diagnostico preciso pode colaborar para elevar o risco de obito alem de dificultar a investigacao epidemiologica, impactando diretamente no calculo da real incidencia da leptospirose nos seres humanos.
Plant silicon effects on insect feeding dynamics are influenced by plant nitrogen availability

Although there is growing evidence that silicon (Si)‐based plant defenses effectively reduce both the palatability and digestibility of leaves, and thus impact nutrient assimilation by insect herbivores, much less is known about how this is affected by extrinsic and intrinsic factors. For example, do herbivores exhibit compensatory feeding on poor‐quality diets with Si or are Si defenses less effective in agroecosystems where high N availability increases plant quality? To investigate the interactive effects of N and Si on insect feeding, we conducted insect performance and compensatory feeding bioassays using maize, Zea mays L. (Poaceae), and the true armyworm, Pseudeletia unipuncta Haworth (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). In the performance assay, the addition of Si alone resulted in increased larval mortality compared with the controls, likely because early instars with poorly developed mandibles could not feed effectively. However, larvae fed on plants treated with both Si and N survived better than on plants treated with Si only, although pupal mass did not differ between treatments. In our compensatory assay, Si addition reduced maize consumption, but increased both armyworm approximate digestibility and N assimilation efficiency, suggesting that enhanced post‐ingestion feeding physiology, rather than compensatory food intake, could have accounted for the lack of Si effects on pupal weight. Overall, our results demonstrate that, similar to other chemical and mechanical defenses, the effectiveness of plant Si defense is influenced by plant nutrient status and consumer compensatory ability.
Depth-dependent artifacts resulting from ApRES signal clipping

Abstract Several autonomous phase-sensitive radio-echo sounders (ApRES) were deployed at Greenland glaciers to investigate ice deformation. Different attenuation settings were tested and it was observed that, in the presence of clipping of the deramped ApRES signal, each setting produced a different result. Specifically, higher levels of clipping associated with lower attenuation produced an apparent linear increase of diurnal vertical cumulative displacement with depth, and obscured the visibility of the basal reflector in the return amplitude. An example with a synthetic deramped signal confirmed that these types of artifacts result from the introduction of harmonics from square-wave-like features introduced by clipping. Apparent linear increase of vertical displacement with depth occurs when the vertical position of a near-surface internal reflector changes in time. Artifacts in the return amplitude may obscure returns from internal reflectors and the basal reflector, making it difficult to detect thickness evolution of the ice and to correctly estimate vertical velocities. Variations in surface melt during ApRES deployments can substantially modulate the received signal strength on short timescales, and we therefore recommend using higher attenuator settings for deployments in such locations.
Trade Impact of Reducing Time and Costs at Borders in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Region

ABSTRACT Trade facilitation, by reducing trade costs and raising the efficiency of moving goods across borders, is integral to international trade. Using novel data on bilateral time and cost measures for trade facilitation in the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program, this study estimates the trade impact of reducing time and costs at border crossing points within CAREC. The gravity model estimations show that reducing time by 10% at the inbound border increases trade among CAREC countries by 1 − 2%. Trade impact of reduction in time and costs at the inbound border is estimated to be higher than that at the outbound border. We also find that the trade impact of reducing time at the inbound border increases with the severity of time bottleneck and the trade impact is more effective in recent year since 2013.
Tribological properties of aluminium reinforced by TiCN nanosized powder

The work is aimed at investigating the tribological properties of aluminium surface modified by electron beam with TiCN nanoparticles as a reinforcing phase. In the course of study, the microstructure is observed and the surface of treated and untreated specimens are tested and compared in order to determine the influence of the reinforcing TiCN phase on the coefficient of friction, the friction force, and the linear mass wear. The tribological properties are evaluated by the pin-on-disk technique in a lubricating medium. The TiCN nanoparticles embedded in the aluminium matrix are obstacles to any dislocation motion, which improves the tribological properties of the samples’ surfaces. The acting wear mechanisms are discussed.
Eurotium cristatum, a new fungi probiotic from Fuzhuan brick tea, alleviated obesity in mice by modulating gut microbiota

Obesity is one of the major public health problems worldwide, mainly resulting from unhealthy lifestyles and diet. Gut microbiota dysbiosis may also lead to obese humans and animals. Modulating gut bacteria through fecal transplantation, the use of probiotics or certain dietary supplements, could normalize gut microbiota and subsequently alleviate obesity. Daily consumption of Fuzhuan brick tea (FBT) or its extracts have been observed to alleviate obesity in humans and experimental animals. In this study, high-fat diet-induced dysbiosis of gut microbiota in C57BL/6J mice was partially reversed by consumption of Eumtium cristatum, the dominant fungi during the manufacturing and storage of FBT. E. cristatum was able to modulate both gut fungi and bacteria composition, based on the analysis of microbiota composition of mice fecal samples. E. cristatum increased acetate and butyrate-producing bacteria in mice gut, and produced five times more butyrate than both obese and normal mice. Our results suggested that E. cristatum may be used as a fungi probiotic to beneficially modulate gut microbiota and to alleviate obesity in humans.
EFFECT OF COENZYME Q10 AND L-CARNITINE ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE, PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL BLOOD INDICES, ANTIOXIDANT STATUS AND IMMUNE RESPONSE OF NEWBORN EGYPTIAN BUFFALO CALVES

In an experimental trial lasted 102 days started from the age of 4 days after birth to the weaning age (105 days) conducted to compare the effect of Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and L-Carnitine (L-Ca)on growth, physical and chemical blood indices immunity, and antioxidant status of newborn Egyptian buffalo calves. Fifteen calves with 36.13±0.86Kg initial live body weight (LBW) were allocated into three groups where calves in the first group received no treatment (control group, Ctrl). The calves in the second and the third groups received 40 mg L-Ca/kg LBW and 10 mg CoQ10/kg LBW, respectively as daily oral doses. Significant differences in weight gain among treatments starting from the age of 60 days where the CoQ10 and L-Ca groups were higher than the control. Blood physical parameters of all experimental animals show no abnormal cases and no alteration in hematological indices among groups were recorded. Meanwhile, blood biochemical contents were varied significantly (P<0.05) among groups, where the control group gave the highest values of glucose, total lipids, total cholesterol, triglyceride, ALT, AST, ALP, T3, and T4compared to the other groups. Moreover, the CoQ10 group exhibited the highest significant (p<0.05) contents of TP and the lowest T3 and T4 values. Furthermore, the highest values of lysozyme and bactericidal activities were recorded in the CoQ10 group compared to the other groups. Both CoQ10 and L-Ca groups showed higher superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) contents than control. In conclusion, CoQ10 or L-Ca supplements improve growth, immunity and antioxidant contents.
Magnesium chloride in dry cow silage to prevent hypocalcaemia

Milk fever, or parturient paresis, is the second most common disease in Swedish dairy cows. The disorder is associated with the onset of lactation when some cows are unable to meet the metabolic demands of calcium to support milk production and therefore develop a state of hypocalcaemia. Clinical hypocalcaemia (milk fever) may lead to coma and death in severe cases but subclinical hypocalcaemia has also been shown to have negative effects on e.g. feed intake and production and to increase the susceptibility of the cow to develop secondary diseases. The nutritional strategy applied precalving is of great importance in preventing milk fever and e.g. manipulation of the dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) or the supply of an adequate dietary level of magnesium may affect the degree of hypocalcaemia at calving. The objective of the present study was to investigate if the degree of hypocalcaemia at parturition could be affected by feeding silage preserved with an additive containing magnesium chloride (MgCl2) to lower DCAD and to increase the amount of dietary magnesium in the prepartum ration. The purpose was also to investigate if MgCl2 would affect feed intake and if supplying magnesium above feeding recommendations would affect plasma calcium level at calving. Twelve heifers and 24 cows (all pregnant) of the Swedish Red Breed were divided into six blocks based on age and calving date. Animals within block were randomly allocated to one of three experimental diets; a control diet (C) consisting of late harvested silage, a magnesium chloride diet (MCL) with 8 g MgCl2/kg DM silage added at ensiling and a magnesium oxide diet (MO) with 22.7 g/day of magnesium oxide manually mixed in the silage at feeding. Animals began receiving the diets ~21 days before expected parturition and collection of blood and urine samples was started and continued until 7 days after parturition. Urine pH, Ca and Mg and blood Ca, Mg, parathyroid hormone (PTH) and C-terminal peptide (CTx, marker of bone resorption) were analyzed. Fresh crop and silages were analyzed for DM, energy, crude protein and minerals and DCAD was calculated using ([Na+] + [K+]) – ([Cl-] + [S-]). The results showed that the degree of hypocalcaemia at calving was not affected by a lower DCAD or an increased dietary content of magnesium. However, MgCl2 caused a significant increase in urinary excretion of calcium in the week before calving, which may imply that the feeding of MgCl2 lead to an increased activation of the mechanisms regulating calcium homeostasis and/or an increased responsiveness of these mechanisms to the secretion of PTH close to parturition. Feed intake was not affected by treatment and the plasma level of CTx was only affected by age and calving. The extra amount of magnesium supplied in the MO and MCL diets caused a higher urinary excretion of magnesium prepartum compared to control. Therefore it was concluded that the amount of magnesium provided in the control diet was sufficient to meet magnesium requirements in prepartum dairy cows.
Conversion of SLA document into Fuzzy Rule base approach and applied in MAPE-K

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is the legal catalyst to monitor any contract violation between end users and ISPs and is embedded within a Quality of Service (QoS) framework. It strengthens and advances the quality of control over the user’s application and network resources and can be further stretched to fulfill the QoS terms through negotiation and re-negotiation. Moreover, the present literature does not focus on the combination of rule-based approaches and adaptation together to update the established learning repository. Therefore, this mainstream of this research in the context of SLAs is to fill in this gap by addressing the combination of rule-base uncertainties. The key to this exercise is the conversion of signed SLA document into set of rules in the rule base approach.
Diferencias interespecíficas y polimórficas en la actividad y modulación a través de inhibidores del transportador ABCG2/BCRP = Interspecific and polymorphic differences in the activity and modulation mediated by inhibitors of the ABCG2/BCRP transporter

Los transportadores ABC (ATP-binding cassette) estan presentes en la mayoria de los organismos y son responsables de la multirresistencia a farmacos antitumorales (Noguchi et al., 2009). Por otro lado, ejercen una funcion protectora al limitar el transporte de diferentes compuestos a traves de las barreras entre la circulacion sistemica y diversos organos (Sarkadi et al., 2006). Teniendo en cuenta el contexto terapeutico, los transportadores ABC afectan directamente a la biodisponibilidad de farmacos (incluyendo la excrecion a la leche), la distribucion tisular y la eficacia de la accion del farmaco. Ademas, la fisiologia del organismo puede verse afectada cuando los sustratos son vitaminas o compuestos endogenos.
Enhancing indoor location fingerprinting using channel state information

With expeditious development of wireless communications, Location Fingerprinting (LF) has nurtured considerable indoor location based services in the field of Internet of Things. In this thesis, we first proposed EntLoc system, which adopts Autoregressive (AR) modeling entropy of the Channel State Information (CSI) amplitude as location fingerprint. It shares the structural simplicity of the Received Signal Strength (RSS) while reserving the most location-specific statistical channel information. Moreover, an upgraded AngLoc system is further designed, whose additional angle of arrival (AoA) fingerprint can be accurately retrieved from CSI phase through an enhanced subspace based algorithm, which serves to further eliminate the error-prone Reference Point (RP) candidates. In the LF online phase, by exploiting both CSI amplitude and phase information, a novel bivariate kernel regression scheme is proposed to precisely infer the target’s location. Results from extensive indoor experiments validate the superior localization performance of our proposed system over previous approaches.
Female-female aggression is linked to food defence in a poison frog

Habitat occupancy by territorial animals is expected to depend on the distribution of critical 27 resources. Knowledge on female territoriality is scarce but it has been suggested as a 28 mechanism to defend limited resources for reproduction. A previous study showed female 29 intrasexual aggression to be connected to territorial behaviour in the strawberry poison frog 30 Oophaga pumilio, a diurnal aposematic species with complex maternal care. Here we 31 investigate the link between spatial distribution of resources important for reproduction and 32 female distribution and behaviour. We observed focal females in their natural habitat in 33 Costa Rica, and recorded the distribution of ecological predictor variables in a grid system. 34 The data were used for calculating home range and territory sizes and for connecting female 35 habitat use to the distribution of potential resources by computing spatial habitat occupancy 36 models. Even though we found females to occupy large home ranges, they were highly 37 aggressive towards other females only inside a small part of their home range, here termed 38 core area. Among the ecological factors the sustained abundance of ants (as the main food 39 item of the frogs), the presence of leaf litter, and suitable rearing sites for tadpoles predicted 40 female site occupancy patterns. The number of ants was twice as high in the core areas 41 compared to the rest of the female home ranges. Our results suggest that female spacing 42 behaviour is principally driven by the spatial distribution of its main food resource, but that 43 hiding places (leaf litter) and tadpole rearing sites also play a role. The defence of places with 44 high sustained abundance of ants could be relevant for this prolonged-breeding species as 45 egg production and maternal care are energetically highly demanding. Regarding the link 46 between resource defence and maternal care, the reproductive strategy of female 47 strawberry poison frogs resembles that of the females of small mammals comprising same- 48 sex-competition for food and high investment in producing and rearing young.