Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patterns in the distribution, abundance and body size of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Caraboidea) in relation to dispersal ability

The effects of dispersal ability, measured as two wing size categories (brachypterous vs. macropterous), on the distribution, abundance and body size, and on the relationships between these variables were examined in eighty‐four species of carabid beetles over twenty‐two sites in the northern Iberian peninsula. Geographic ranges of species (restricted to the northern Iberian peninsula vs. widespread—European or wider range) were also taken into account in the analyses because macropterous species significantly tended to exhibit wider geographic ranges than did brachypterous species. Regional distributions were wider in brachypterous‐restricted and brachypterous‐widespread species than in macropterous‐widespread species. The three groups did not differ in abundance. Differences in regional distributions between groups may be explained by referring to a trade‐off between dispersal ability and establishment ability indicated in the literature. Macropterous species would occupy relatively few sites due to a high frequency of unsuccessful colonizations. The relationships between regional distribution and abundance were positive for all the three groups, brachypterous‐restricted, brachypterous‐widespread and macropterous‐widespread species. The regression line for the last group showed a lower elevation than those for brachypterous‐restricted and brachypterous‐widespread species. This fact was probably due to differences in regional distributions between groups. No relationship between abundance and body size was significant. Regressions of regional distribution on body size were positive in brachypterous‐restricted and brachypterous‐widespread carabids, but the relationship was not significant in macropterous‐widespread carabids. These results were interpreted in terms of differences in body size–dependency of travelling velocities between flying and running carabids.
Climate Change, Agriculture and Economic Growth in Lebanon: A VAR Approach

As agriculture is considered one of the most important economic sectors in Lebanon, the aim of this article is to study the impact of precipitation and temperature on economic growth through agriculture in Lebanon. In addition, the presence of climate change in the developing countries, in the Mediterranean region which has been considered a place of transition between two large climatic units, becomes certainty and represents an ecological, economic and social threat. This analysis is made with an autoregressive VAR model, between time series variables, based on the stationarity test. The results show the presence of two models, long and short term models that explain the direct positive effect of precipitation and the direct and indirect effect of temperature on the GDP of agriculture in Lebanon with a non-significant effect for the short term period.
Biology of Australian Seagrasses: the Genus Amphibolis C. Agardh (Cymodoceaceae)

The two species of sea nymph, Amphibolis antarctica (Labill.) Sonder & Aschers, ex Aschers. and A. grifithii (J. M. Black) Den Hartog, are endemic to Australia. They have distinctive leaf morphology, and stem and rhizome anatomy. Environmental and ecological factors that limit the distribution of both species in southern Australia are considered. Both species support a wide range of algal and other epiphytes, and a list of the common epiphytic biota is presented. Penetration of the host tissue by epiphytes is seldom observed.
Changes in Chemical Composition of Winged Bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus L.) during Seed Development

Three cultivars of winged bean were analyzed for total dry matter, crude fat, nitrogenous constituents, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper and cooking behavior at different stages of seed maturity. Accumulation of dry matter, crude fat and nitrogen occurred during seed development whereas nonprotein nitrogen and tryptophan contents decreased significantly. Reduction in poly-phenol content was observed at all the stages of seed development. There was a significant decrease in total phosphorus content with concomitant increase in the proportion of phytate phosphorus throughout the seed development. In matured seeds, phytate phosphorus accounted for 66—73% of total phosphorus. A reduction in zinc content was noticed in all the cultivars studied. In contrast, calcium, magnesium, iron and copper contents of seeds of different stages of maturity did not exhibit marked differences.
Estimating the contribution of Greenland Halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) stocks to nurseries by means of genotyping‐by‐sequencing: Sex and time matter

Identification of stocks and quantification of their relative contribution to recruitment are major objectives toward improving the management and conservation of marine exploited species. Next‐generation sequencing allows for thousands of genomic markers to be analyzed, which provides the resolution needed to address these questions in marine species with weakly differentiated populations. Greenland Halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) is one of the most important exploited demersal species throughout the North Atlantic, in particular in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. There, two nurseries are known, the St. Lawrence Estuary and the northern Anticosti Island, but their contribution to the renewal of stocks remains unknown. The goals of this study were (a) to document the genetic structure and (b) to estimate the contribution of the different identified breeding stocks to nurseries. We sampled 100 juveniles per nursery and 50 adults from seven sites ranging from Saguenay Fjord to offshore Newfoundland, with some sites sampled over two consecutive years in order to evaluate the temporal stability of the contribution. Our results show that after removing sex‐linked markers, the Estuary/Gulf of St. Lawrence represents a single stock which is genetically distinct from the Atlantic around Newfoundland (FST = 0.00146, p‐value = .001). Population assignment showed that recruitment in both nurseries is predominantly associated with the St. Lawrence stock. However, we found that the relative contribution of both stocks to the nurseries is temporally variable with 1% contribution of the Newfoundland stock one year but up to 33% for the second year, which may be caused by year‐to‐year variation in larval transport into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This study serves as a model for the identification of stocks for fisheries resources in a context where few barriers to dispersal occur, in addition to demonstrating the importance of considering sex‐linked markers and temporal replicates in studies of population genomics.
Optimal Foraging and the Size Selection of Prey by the Bluegill Sunfish (Lepomis Macrochirus)

The bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus, is known to select prey on the basis of size. We present evidence that this size selection is related to the optimal allocation of time spent searching for, and handling prey. A model relating search and handling time to energy return is constructed to determine the optimal breadth of diet. Prey are permitted to differ in size and relative abundance. All elements of the model are estimated from experiments with the bluegill feeding on populations constructed from size classes of Daphnia magna. Relative visibility of the different prey sizes markedly affects relative encounter rates or "effective" proportions. Effective proportions are determined empirically from feeding experiments and theoretically from reaction distance in order to correct for this bias. Search time is then manipulated by varying absolute abundance of prey. At low absolute abundance, prey of different size are eaten as encountered. As prey abundance is increased, size classes are dropped sequentially from the diet in accordance with the theory. Search and handling times are estimated for these experiments and quantitative comparisons with the model indicate these changes in diet maximize return with respect to time spent foraging.
Effect of prognostic nutritional index on short-term survival after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

OBJECTIVE Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is a good alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in severe aortic stenosis patients who are at intermediate or high risk, or other cases that are considered unsuitable for SAVR. TAVI is most often performed on elderly patients, and although conventional risk scores include a number of comorbidities, they do not take into account functional decline specific to elderly patients. The prognostic nutritional index (PNI), which is a simple and effective parameter for both nutritional and inflammatory status, reflects functional decline in the elderly. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the PNI on short-term survival after TAVI. METHODS The PNI values of 302 patients who underwent TAVI were analyzed. The study population was divided into 2 groups according to a PNI cut-off value: PNI >43.37 (n=213; 70%) and PNI <43.37 (n=89; 30%). RESULTS Patients with a lower PNI score had a significantly higher mortality rate in the initial 30-day period following the procedure than patients with a higher PNI score (3.3% vs. 31.5%; p<0.001). Major vascular complications and cardiac tamponade were significantly more frequent in the lower PNI group. The cut-off value of the PNI for 30-day survival was 43.37, with 94.3% specificity and 73.4% sensitivity and the negative predictive value of the PNI was 96.7%. The PNI score was found to be an independent risk factor for 30-day mortality after TAVI. CONCLUSION A higher PNI score was associated with short-term survival and fewer post-TAVI complications.
Daily variation in blood enzymes and metabolites in ewes under three levels of feed intake

Daily variations in the concentration of albumin, creatinine, non-esterified fatty acids, globulins, glucose, total lipids, total protein, triglycerides, urea, β-hydroxybutyrate, and in the activity of alkaline phosphatases, aspartate aminotransferase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glutamate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase and pyruvate kinase were evaluated in the serum or plasma of ewes fed 30, 100 and 200% of theoretical maintenance energy requirements. A daily profile was observed in almost all variables, which may be of importance when interpreting data for these blood indicators. Daily variations were found even for albumin and total protein serum concentrations, showing a significant decrease of their levels after the meal. In order to maximize the diagnostic value of these indicators, the most suitable times for blood collection seem to be 16 h after the meal and (or) just before the meal. Collection 16 h after the meal apparently allows the characterisation of a relatively steady meta.
Carotenoid Pigments in Red, Orange and Yellow Fleshed Fruits of Watermelon (Citullus vulgaris) Cultivars

The composition of carotenoids in three different flesh colored watermelon cultivars was studied. The carotenoids were separated by column and thin layer chromatography and identified by order absorption affinities on the column and by their absorption spectra. The contents and kinds of carotenoids were as follows;1. The red fleshed watermelon cultivar‘Asahiyamato’contained about 35-50μg/g lycopene as the major pigment; a small amount of xanthophylls and a slight amount of phytofluene, β-carotene, ρ-carotene and γ-carotene were present.2. The major pigment in orange fleshed watermelon cultivar‘Kaho’was β-carotene (14μ/g); phytofluene, ρ-carotene, γ-carotene, xanthophylls and lycopene were also present in small amounts.3. In the yellow fleshed watermelon cultivar‘Ogon, ’the main components was β-carotene (0.5μg/g) and xanthophylls(2μg/g); phytofluene and lycopene were detected in trace amounts.
Estimating the impact of environmental conditions on hatching results using multivariable analysis

Hatching results are directly related to environmental and biological surroundings. This research study aimed at evaluating the influence of incubation environmental conditions on hatchability and one-day-old chickling quality of five production flocks using multivariable analysis tool. The experiment was carried out in a commercial hatchery located in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Environmental variables such as dry bulb temperature, relative humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, and number of colony forming units of fungi were recorded inside a broiler multi-stage setter, a hatcher after eggs transference, and a chick-processing room. The homogeneity of parameter distribution among quadrants inside the setter, the hatcher, and the chick room was tested using the non-parametric test of Kruskal-Wallis, and the fit analysis was applied. The multivariate analysis was applied using the Main Component Technique in order to identify possible correlations between environmental and production parameters. Three different groups were identified: the first group is represented by temperature, which was positively correlated both with good hatchability and good chick quality; the second group indicates that poor chick quality was positively correlated with air velocity and relative humidity increase. The third group, represented by carbon dioxide concentration and fungi colonies forming units, presented strong positive association with embryo mortality increase.
Identification of microsatellite polymorphisms in an expressed portion of the rye genome

For the purposes of genetics and application the number of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers in rye has to be increased significantly to cover the entire genome. To this end, more than 8000 publicly accessible rye cDNA sequences from anthers, cold-stressed leaves, and aluminium-stressed and unstressed roots were exploited as a resource for SSR marker development. A total of 157 Secale cereale micro-satellite (SCM) loci out of 528 SSRs comprising di-, tri- and tetra-nucleotide motifs could be assayed on automated sequencers. One-hundred expressed sequence tag (EST)-derived SCM loci displayed a length polymorphism among a sample of 15 rye accessions. Of the SCM, 45% could be associated with proteins of known or unknown function. Recently published ESTs from different rye tissues proved to be a valuable resource for SSR marker development in rye.
Identifying the Optimum Network Architecture and WLAN Technology for Video Conferencing Application

- Handling Video Conferencing (VC) services is currently a vast challenge in the communication industry. Wireless networks have been designed to provide provision for real-time applications such as VC. VC QoS metrics should be evaluated for different IEEE 802.11 technologies in order to identify the optimum technology standard across different infrastructure and network architectures.In this paper, an algorithm scheme is proposed to evaluate VCservices of different IEEE 802.11 technologies in order to identify the optimum network architecture among Basic Service Set (BSS), Extended Service Set (ESS), and the Independent Basic Service Set (IBSS). Hence, the algorithm considers and evaluates multi-criteria access network selection such as spatial distribution and number of nodesto facilitate the provision ofthe best overall network performance and high-quality services.
Summer Distribution and Condition of Striped Bass within Albemarle Sound, North Carolina

Abstract During 1993–1994, 78 adult striped bass Morone saxatilis captured in the Albemarle Sound–Roanoke River (AR) system were tagged with ultrasonic transmitters to examine summer patterns of distribution, migration, and habitat selection. Additionally, 626 striped bass were collected by electrofishing during 1993 to assess summer condition. Water temperatures within Albemarle Sound rose well above suitable levels for striped bass, but dissolved oxygen remained within tolerance limits. No stratification of temperature or dissolved oxygen occurred and no substantial thermal refuges were located. Telemetered striped bass were found throughout the Albemarle Sound system, selecting for deep water or structure. No evidence of migration to the Atlantic Ocean was found. During summer AR striped bass 325 mm total length or longer were in relatively poor condition, as evidenced by the extensive occurrence of red dermal lesions and ectoparasites. Relative weight (condition based on a standard weight at length) o.
Estadísticos vitales de Steatoda retorta González, 1987, y anílisis comparativo con los de Latrodectus mirabilis (Holmberg), Latrodectus antheratus (Badcock), Latrodectus corallinus Abalos, Latrodectus diaguita Carcavallo y Tidarren sisyphoides (Walckenaer) (Araneae, Theridiidae)∗

This paper completes the study of the life cycle of Steatoda retorta, which was published before (Gonzalez, 1987). The dates given in this paper were obtained from specimens reared in laboratory. Variations of mortality, survivorship and mean life expectation were studied. The survivorship curve indicates that the experimental population was affected by mortality since age 4 to 9 being this a critical period because the nymphs moult from I to II and from II to III instars. The curve shows another critical period when the population moults to adult stage. The mean life time of the cohort was 37.09 weeks. These results were compared with the data recorded for L. mirabilis, L. antheratus, L. corallinus, L. diaguita and Tidarren sisyphiodes. This analysis showed differences as: a) The survivorship curve of Steatoda retorta is more convex than the others because there is no differential mortality between males and females, b) The higher value of the mean life expectation in Steatoda retorta occurs when the fir.
Correlation of phenotype with genotype in inherited retinal degeneration

Diseases causing inherited retinal degeneration in humans, such as retinitis pigmentosa and macular dystrophy, are genetically heterogeneous and clinically diverse. More than 40 genes causing retinal degeneration have been mapped to specific chromosomal sites ; of these, at least 10 have been cloned and characterized. Mutations in two proteins, rhodopsin and peripherin/RDS, account for approximately 35% of all cases of autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa and a lesser fraction of other retinal conditions. This target article reviews the genes and mutations causing retinal degeneration and proposes mechanisms whereby specific mutations lead to particular clinical consequences, that is, the relationship between genotype and phenotype. Retinitis pigmentosa and macular dystrophy are genetically heterogeneous diseases that cause retinal degeneration in humans and often result in severe visual impairment or blindness. Although many of the genes causing these diseases have not been identified, three photoreceptor-specific proteins have been implicated : rhodopsin, peripherin/RDS, and the β-subunit of rod phosphodiesterase. Mutations in the genes for these three proteins can cause either dominant retinitis pigmentosa, recessive retinitis pigmentosa, dominant congenital stationary night blindness, or dominant macular degeneration. Why this multiplicity of clinical phenotypes ? Our target article summarizes the genetic and biochemical background to this question and proposes a number of possible explanations. Discussion focuses mainly on 73 distinct disease-causing mutations of rhodopsin. We feel that rhodopsin and other photoreceptor proteins can serve as model systems for unraveling the connection between genotype and phenotype, not only for inherited retinal diseases but for other degenerative disorders as well.
Revised Calculation of Kalinowski’s Ancestral and New Inbreeding Coefficients

To test for the presence of purging in populations, the classical pedigree-based inbreeding coefficient (F) can be decomposed into Kalinowski’s ancestral (FANC) and new (FNEW) inbreeding coefficients. The FANC and FNEW can be calculated by a stochastic approach known as gene dropping. However, the only publicly available algorithm for the calculation of FANC and FNEW, implemented in GRain v 2.1 (and also incorporated in the PEDIG software package), has produced biased estimates. The FANC was systematically underestimated and consequently, FNEW was overestimated. To illustrate this bias, we calculated FANC and FNEW by hand for simple example pedigrees. We revised the GRain program so that it now provides unbiased estimates. Correlations between the biased and unbiased estimates of FANC and FNEW, obtained for example data sets of Hungarian Pannon White rabbits (22,781 individuals) and Dutch Holstein Friesian cattle (37,061 individuals), were high, i.e., >0.96. Although the magnitude of bias appeared to be small, results from studies based on biased estimates should be interpreted with caution. The revised GRain program (v 2.2) is now available online and can be used to calculate unbiased estimates of FANC and FNEW.
Generalized Spatially Varying Coefficient Models

Abstract In this article, we introduce a new class of nonparametric regression models, called generalized spatially varying coefficient models (GSVCMs), for data distributed over complex domains. For model estimation, we propose a nonparametric quasi-likelihood approach using the bivariate penalized spline approximation technique. We show that our estimation procedure is able to handle irregularly-shaped spatial domains with complex boundaries. Under some regularity conditions, the estimator for the coefficient function is proved to be consistent in the L 2 sense and its convergence rate is established. We develop a numerically stable algorithm using penalized iteratively reweighted least squares method to estimate the coefficient functions in GSVCMs. To gain efficiency in the computation for large-scale data, we further propose a QR decomposition-based algorithm, which requires only sub-blocks of the design matrix to be computed at a time, so that it allows efficient estimation of GSVCMs for large datasets with modest computer hardware. The finite sample performance of the GSVCM and its estimation method is examined by simulations studies. The proposed method is also illustrated by an analysis of the crash data in Florida. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
Genetic variations in dry matter production and physiological nitrogen use efficiency in rice (Oryza sativa L.) varieties

The objective of this study was to investigate varietal differences in dry matter production and physiological nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) using a wide range of rice (Oryza sative L.) varieties at an early growth stage. The results provide useful information for breeding suitable varieties for cultivation under conditions of low soil fertility or with reduced fertilizer use for sustainable agriculture. Thirty-one rice varieties were used, and seedlings were grown under 8 nitrogen treatment conditions. The effects of natural variations in embryo and/or endosperm size on initial growth were controlled for by comparing the relative dry weight (RDW) of nitrogen-treated samples and controls. The rice varieties were classified into 5 groups by cluster analysis. Overall, the present study found that there are wide variations in PNUE among varieties with similar levels of RDW under varying nitrogen conditions. Variations in PNUE were greater under lower nitrogen conditions; in contrast, variations in RDW were greater under higher nitrogen conditions. These data, along with those of other studies, indicate differences in nitrogen use efficiency between Indica- and Japonica-types, upland and lowland varieties, and landraces and improved types.