Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PLEIOTROPY, NATURAL SELECTION, AND THE EVOLUTION OF SENESCENCE

A new individual entering a population may be said to have a reproductive probability distribution. The reproductive probability is zero from zygote to reproductive maturity. Later, perhaps shortly after maturity, it reaches a peak value. Then it declines because of the cumulative probability of death. There is a cumulative probability of death with or without senescence. The selective value of a gene depends on how it affects the total reproductive probability. Selection of a gene that confers an advantage at one age and a disadvantage at another will depend not only on the magnitudes of the effects themselves but also on the times of the effects. An advantage during the period of maximum reproductive probability would increase the total reproductive probability more than a proportionately similar disadvantage later on would decrease it. So natural selection will frequently maximize vigor in youth at the expense of vigor later on and thereby produce a declining vigor (senescence) during adult life. Selection, of course, will act to minimize the rate of this decline whenever possible. The rate of senescence shown by any species will reflect the balance between this direct adverse selection of senescence as an unfavorable character and the indirect favorable selection through the age-related bias in the selection of pleiotropic genes. Variations in the amount of fecundity increase after maturity, in the adult mortality rate, and in other life history features would affect the shape of the reproductive probability distribution and thereby influence the evolution of senescence. Any factor that decreases the rate of decline in reproductive probability intensifies selection against senescence. Any factor that increases the rate of this decline causes a relaxed selection against senescence and a greater advantage in increasing youthful vigor at the price of vigor later on. These considerations explain much of what is known of phylogenetic variation in rates of senescence. Other deductions from the theory are also supported by limited available evidence. These include the expectation that rapid morphogenesis should be associated with rapid senescence, that senescence should always be a generalized deterioration of many organs and systems, and that postreproductive periods be short and infrequent in any wild population. Reproduced by permission. G. C. Williams, Pleiotropy, Natural Selection, and the Evolution of Senescence. Evolution 11 , 398-411 (1957).
An Effective Multi-Keyword Ranked Search Procedure over Encrypted Cloud Data with Enhanced Protection

: Due to the increasing popularity of cloud computing, more and more data owners are motivated to outsource their data to cloud servers for great convenience and reduced cost in data management. However, sensitive data should be encrypted before outsourcing for privacy requirements, which obsoletes data utilization like keyword-based document retrieval. In this paper, we present a secure multi-keyword ranked search scheme over encrypted cloud data, which simultaneously supports dynamic update operations like deletion and insertion of documents. Specifically, the vector space model and the widely-used TF _ IDF model are combined in the index construction and query generation. We construct a special tree-based index structure and propose a “Greedy Depth-first Search” algorithm to provide efficient multi-keyword ranked search. The secure kNN algorithm is utilized to encrypt the index and query vectors, and meanwhile ensure accurate relevance score calculation between encrypted index and query vectors. In order to resist statistical attacks, phantom terms are added to the index vector for blinding search results. Due to the use of our special tree-based index structure, the proposed scheme can achieve sub-linear search time and deal with the deletion and insertion of documents flexibly. Extensive experiments are conducted to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed scheme ----------------------------------------
Employing OpenCL as a Standard Hardware Abstraction in a Distributed Embedded System: A Case Study

The open computing language (OpenCL) is a standard open source specification for parallel computing on heterogeneous architectures. OpenCL offers a set of abstract models for substantial acceleration in parallel computing and is supported by most of the leading hardware vendors. In this paper, we present a systematic approach for employing OpenCL as a hardware abstraction layer that enables the user to utilize the supported computing resources by using different scheduling and mapping schemes. We illustrate the approach by a case study of a distributed automotive embedded system. In particular, we developed an extendable set of related advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) applications under a common application setup which is mapped and executed on different OpenCL supported devices of an embedded platform. The detailed evaluations performed using different scheduling schemes in conjunction with various OpenCL mapping configurations are presented.
EVIDENCE FOR A SPECIALIZED LOCALIZATION OF THE CHLOROPLAST ATP‐SYNTHASE SUBUNITS α, β, AND γ IN THE EYESPOT APPARATUS OF CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDTII (CHLOROPHYCEAE) 1

The eyespot apparatus (EA) of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii P. A. Dang. consists of two layers of carotenoid‐rich lipid globules subtended by thylakoids. The outermost globule layer is additionally associated with the chloroplast envelope membranes and the plasma membrane. In a recent proteomic approach, we identified 202 proteins from isolated EAs of C. reinhardtii via at least two peptides, including, for example, structural components, signalling‐related proteins, and photosynthetic‐related membrane proteins. Here, we have analyzed the proteins of the EA with regard to their topological distribution using thermolysin to find out whether the arrangement of globules and membranes provides protection mechanisms for some of them. From about 230 protein spots separated on two‐dimensional gels, the majority were degraded by thermolysin. Five major protein spots were protected against the action of this protease. These proteins and some that were degradable were identified by mass spectrometry. Surprisingly, the thermolysin‐resistant proteins represented the α and β subunits of the soluble CF1 complex of the chloroplast ATP synthase. Degradable proteins included typical membrane proteins like LHCs, demonstrating that thermolysin is not in general sterically prevented by the EA structure from reaching membrane‐associated proteins. A control experiment showed that the CF1 complex of thylakoids is efficiently degraded by thermolysin. Blue native PAGE of thermolysin‐treated EAs followed by SDS‐PAGE revealed that the α and β subunits are present in conjunction with the γ subunit in a thermolysin‐resistant complex. These results provide strong evidence that a significant proportion of these ATP‐synthase subunits have a specialized localization and function within the EA of C. reinhardtii.
Spinner dolphins Stenella longirostris off south-west Mauritius: abundance and residency

Spinner dolphins Stenella longirostris longirostris off the south-west coast of Mauritius are subject to ongoing anthropogenic disturbance in the form of daily dolphin tourism, which has intensified since 1998. Abundance of this species was estimated using photo-identification data and mark-recapture analysis. Between April 2008 and June 2010, identification photographs were collected from dolphins occurring along a 30 km length of the coast of south-west Mauritius. A total of 250 groups were encountered over 229 survey days. Mark-recapture analyses were performed on a photographic dataset of more than 8 000 good- and excellent-quality images and 83 animals were identified as distinctively marked individuals. The majority (85.5%) were seen more than once and resightings indicated a resident population. The compiled version of SOCPROG 2.4 was used to investigate the lagged identification rate. The fitted model supported a mostly resident population with additional animals moving in and out of the study area. The estimated abundance of the total population in the study area ranged between 138 and 399 individuals. Our results can be used for monitoring the population for fluctuations and for encouraging both the enforcement of laws regarding dolphin watching and the development of further means of management needed to ensure the long-term presence of this population.
Effects of Spices Essential Oils on the Spoilage-Related Microbiota in Chilled Pork Stored in Antimicrobial Pack

This study aims to evaluate the effects of spices essential oils (SEOs) on the microbial populations in chilled pork stored in PE film antimicrobial package. The microbiota from the pork under different storage conditions were studied by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) of the V3 variable region of the 16S rRNA, followed by sequencing of DGGE fragments. We found that SEOs resulted in an overall significant reduction of viable counts of Gram positive bacteria such as Carnobacteria, Enterococcus sp. , Staphylococcus sp. and Brochotrix thermosphacta compared to the control. A 2.5 log cycles reduction of enterobacteria was also identified compared to the control during storage, while SEOs had little effect on Pseudomonas sp. the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN)and Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance(TBARS) were affected by the use of SEO packages, but color (L*, a*, b*), shear force and cooking loss were not affected. The bacteriostatic effect of clove EO was the best among all the SEOs tested, and the number of spoilage populations decreased with the use of the SEOs, but the species diversity of spoilage microbiota was not affected.
Structure of microsclerotia of Verticillium dahliae in roots of 'Russet Burbank' potatoes

Microsclerotia of Verticillium dahliae in potato (Solatium tuberosum) roots were examined, primarily with the transmission electron microscope. These resting structures were found in all tissues except the xylem, even though the tracheary elements of some microsclerotium-containing roots were infected. Microsclerotia were occasionally present within 9 days of inoculation, but they became more numerous with time. Usually, the microsclerotia consisted of a peripheral region composed of degenerate cells and cells with cytoplasmic contents of moderate electron density and an inner region of cells with very electron-dense cytoplasm. Melanin coated all cells but was more abundant over cytoplasm-containing cells. Roots containing large microsclerotia were moribund. Several living roots contained small microsclerotia, some of which produced penetration hyphae. Living host cells responded to attempted penetrations by producing lignitubers which ensheathed the penetration hyphae, as was previously described by the .
W8-Scope: Fine-Grained, Practical Monitoring of Weight Stack-based Exercises

Fine-grained, unobtrusive monitoring of gym exercises can help users track their own exercise routines and also provide corrective feedback. We propose W8-Scope, a system that uses a simple magnetic-cum-accelerometer sensor, mounted on the weight stack of gym exercise machines, to infer various attributes of gym exercise behavior. More specifically, using multiple machine learning models, W8-Scope helps identify who is exercising, what exercise she is doing, how much weight she is lifting, and whether she is committing any common mistakes. Real world studies, conducted with 50 subjects performing 14 different exercises over 103 distinct sessions in two gyms, show that W8-Scope can achieve high accuracy-e.g., identify the weight used with an accuracy of 97.5%, detect commonplace mistakes with 96.7% accuracy and identify the user with 98.7% accuracy. Moreover, by adopting incremental learning techniques, W8- Scope can also accurately track these various facets of exercise over longitudinal periods, in spite of the inherent natural changes in a user’s exercising behavior.
Higher β‐ and γ‐diversity at species and genetic levels in headwaters than in mid‐order streams in Hydropsyche (Trichoptera)

Summary The influence of local habitat characteristics and landscape barriers on the distribution of species and genetic diversity remains poorly known. We tested for differences in turnover and total diversity in aquatic insect assemblages among headwater and mid-order reaches, two habitats presumably differing in their connectivity between catchments. The genus Hydropsyche (Trichoptera) includes 17 species in the eastern Iberian Peninsula and northern Morocco. Cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene was sequenced for Hydropsyche assemblages at 38 headwater sites and 12 mid-order sites. Local species and intraspecific genetic diversity and differentiation among populations were measured. A total of 231 cox1 sequences resulted in 83 unique haplotypes that clustered into 19 genetic species entities. We find that α-diversity did not differ between headwater and mid-order habitats at species and genetic levels, but total species numbers and intraspecific genetic diversity (γ-diversity) were higher for headwater than for mid-order or lowland clades, due to greater turnover among sites (β-diversity). The study revealed lineage-specific evolutionary responses to different river zones, presumably because of differences in the strength of landscape barriers. The multispecies community genetic approach provides a comprehensive picture of diversity patterns in Hydropsyche, as it links habitat heterogeneity and dispersal limitations to genetic structure and lineage diversification.
Rodent cycles in relation to biomass and productivity of ground vegetation and predation in the Palearctic.

Authors have synthesized the data on population dynamics and densites of rodents in seven biomes of the Palearctic (mainly western parts), and related them to the data on standing crop of biomass and the net productivity of ground vegetation (as rough indicators of food availability to rodents). Analysis of 44 long-term (≥ 5 years) series of rodent trapping showed that there was a continuum from highly cyclic to non-cyclic populations. Rodents inhabiting tundra, taiga, steppe, and farmlands (wintercrops) in the temperate zone have highest cyclicity indices. Definetely non-cyclic are rodents in the temperate forests (mixed and deciduous forests, steppe woodland) and desert.
Antimicrobial Activity of Extracts from the Leaves of Marrubium vulgare

Natural products have served as powerful therapeutics against pathogenic bacteria since the golden age of antibiotics of the mid‐20th century. In the United States, antibiotics are a key component of modern medicine and are one of the top written prescriptions every year. However, overuse and misuse of antibiotics has led to an increasing frequency of antibiotic‐resistant infections. These infections are difficult and expensive to treat, often resulting in increased length of illness, hospital stays, and mortality rates. This clearly demonstrates that new antibiotics are critical for modern medicine. Murrubium vulgare (White Horehound) is a shrub found in the Appalachia region that has been used in herbal medicine to treat many pulmonary aliments as an expectorant, tonic, and emmenagogue. Previous studies of this plant and its commercial products have indicated that it may contain antioxidant and antibacterial properties. The aim of this study is to determine if whole leaf extracts of M. vulgare contain antimicrobial properties. Five different plants were sampled for this project. The leaves were dried and then underwent extract in 95% ethanol in a 1:10 (m/v) ratio. The solvent was removed using a rotavapor at 60°C and hot plate evaporation. The crude product was left in a desiccator until constant weight was achieved. The crude samples were analyzed to characterize the different classes of natural products present. The crude extracts were dissolved in 5% DMSO at different ratios. The disk diffusion method was applied to determine the antimicrobial activity.
FORM AND FUNCTION IN MARINE PHYTOPLANKTON

What is presented here is a tentative synthesis of morphological, cytological, physiological and ecological data on planktonic algae, which I hope will help in the understanding of mutual relationships. Emphasis is put on the marine phytoplankton although effort has been made to include the more significant limnological information.
Polyphenol Profile and Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activities of Natural Mentha × piperita and Mentha longifolia Populations in Northern Saudi Arabia

New sources of polyphenols with anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties in arid environments are critical for the development of alternative medicines and natural remedies. This study explored the polyphenol profiles and biological activities of methanolic leaf extracts from natural Mentha × piperita and Mentha longifolia populations in northern Saudi Arabia. Chromatographic analyses identified several polyphenols in M. × piperita including phenolic acids: rosmarinic acid (1547.6 mg/100 g DW (dry weight)), cryptochlorogenic acid (91.7 mg/100 g DW), and chlorogenic acid (69.4 mg/100 g DW), as well as flavonoids: naringin (328.8 mg/100 g DW) and cynaroside (162.8 mg/100 g DW). The major polyphenols in M. longifolia were: rosmarinic acid (781.6 mg/100 g DW), cryptochlorogenic acid (191.1 mg/100 g DW), p-coumaric acid (113.0 mg/100 g DW), m-coumaric acid (112.2 mg/100 g DW), and chlorogenic acid (63.8 mg/100 g DW). M. × piperita and M. longifolia leaf extracts had high antioxidant activities due to the major polyphenols (cynaroside, rosmarinic and cryptochlorogenic acids). M. × piperita had higher activities against different cancer cells than M. longifolia. Naringin, cryptochlorogenic acid, and rosmarinic acid had the highest activities against cancer cells. The leaf extracts had antibacterial effects against most bacteria species (Pseudomonas aeruginosa was most sensitive), which was attributed to the polyphenols. Antifungal activities were similarly broad (Aspergillus flavus was most sensitive) and attributed to naringin, cryptochlorogenic acid, and caffeic acid. Populations of M. × piperita and M. longifolia in Northern Riyadh may be a valuable source of natural biologically active compounds.
The Development of Startle Responses in Herring Larvae

In common with many teleosts, herring show marked ‘fast startle’ responses when subjected to sound stimuli from a vibrating source (Blaxter, Gray & Denton, 1981). These comprise a sharp C-shaped contortion of the body; the fish respond to transients of as little as half a cycle of sound with a latency of about 25 ms and the turn is usually away from the sound source. There is good evidence that the Mauthner cells are implicated in other species (see Eaton & Hackett, 1984) but this has not been established in the herring, although they are known to be present.
Functional Community Organization of Macroinvertebrates in Lotic Habitats of the Plitvice Lakes Funktionelle Organisation der Makroinvertebraten‐Gemeinschaft in den lotischen Habitaten der Seen von Plitvice

The community and trophic structure of benthic macroinvertebrates were studied in different types of habitats in the karstic Plitvice Lake system located in the NW Dinarid mountains (Croatia). The spatial distribution of functional macroconsumer groups shows that longitudinal community functional organization doesn't correspond with the River Continuum Concept (RCC) hypothesis. Collector guilds were the most abundant functional feeding groups at all the sites analyzed. The domination of shredders was found only in habitats in the source areas of the supply streams. The disturbed longitudinal community functional organization is caused by a discontinuum in the gradient of physical factors which is a result of the geomorphological origin of travertine barriers along the hydrosystem. Untersucht werden die Lebensgemeinschaft und die trophische Struktur der benthischen Makroinvertebraten in verschiedenen Typen von Habitaten im System der Karstseen von Plitvice im Nordwest-Dinarischen Gebirge (Kroatien). Die raumliche Verbreitung der verschiedenen Ernahrungstypen der Makrokonsumenten zeigt keine Ubereinstimmung mit dem River Continuum Concept. Sammler sind der haufigste Ernahrungstyp an allen untersuchten Stationen. Shredder dominieren nur in den Quellgebieten der zufliesenden Gewasser. Die gestorte longitudinale funktionelle Organisation der Biozonose wird verursacht durch das Diskontinuum im Gradienten physikalischer Faktoren. Die Situation ist das Ergebnis der durch den Flus selbst geschaffenen Geomorphologie der Travertinbarrieren innerhalb des Gewassersystems.
THE TIMING OF LIFE HISTORY EVENTS

Abstract We investigate the evolutionarily stable seasonal timing of life-history events, such as the start of breeding, when the risk of physical disturbance and advantages of growth or competitive advantage are in conflict. In our model, disturbance is assumed to cause failure of all breeding (or other life history) attempts made before it. For a given probability distribution of the timing of last date of environmental disturbance, individuals starting breeding earlier face a higher risk of being disturbed. On the other hand, the clutch laid earlier has an advantage over those laid later, either having more time to grow or to pre-empt the nest sites, suitable habitat or foraging sites. The evolutionarily stable population is determined to have a single optimal date on which all individuals start breeding (synchronous breeding), provided the benefit of the earlier start of breeding is given purely by the excess time for growth, not by the competitive advantage, and provided offspring produced from many subpopulations, each having a different date of disturbance, are pooled to form a population over which population regulation occurs. In contrast, an ESS population may include a period of breeding over which some individuals start breeding every day (asynchronous breeding), if (i) early breeding is accompanied by competitive advantage within the local population; (ii) population regulation occurs within the local population before being mixed with offspring produced from other local populations; or (iii) disturbance occurs synchronously over the whole population. In short, synchronous breeding should evolve if the spatial scale over which disturbance dates are strongly correlated (denoted by S disturbance ) is much smaller than the spatial scale of the population in which population regulation occurs (denoted by S regulation ). Asynchronous breeding is expected to evolve if S disturbance is similar to or larger than S regulation .
MAVEN ROSE Observations of the Response of the Martian Ionosphere to Dust Storms

During a Martian dust storm, the lower atmosphere is heated locally. Due to dynamical effects, the upper atmosphere and ionosphere can be lifted upward on a global scale by approximately 10 km. The connections between lower atmospheric dust events and associated ionospheric responses are poorly understood due to limited observations. Here, we present MAVEN Radio Occultation Science Experiment (ROSE) observations of ionospheric peak altitude during dust events in 2018 and 2016. In June 2018, a planet‐encircling dust event arose from the Acidalia storm track in the northern hemisphere. Ionospheric peak altitudes at around 20°S were normal in ROSE egress observations on 19 June and 22 June and then 10–15 km higher on 26 June and thereafter. Ionospheric peak altitudes at around 50°N were also elevated in ROSE ingress observations, which began on 17 June. This suggests that the ionospheric peak altitude was affected by the dust event in the northern hemisphere before the southern hemisphere. We also observe evidence that smaller dust storms can trigger ionospheric responses: In July–October 2016, ionospheric peak altitudes at solar zenith angles of 54–70° and latitudes of 50–80°S were 20 km higher than expected. These observations were acquired during a modest “A storm” during a year without a global dust storm.