Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Random regression models for body weight from birth to 210 days of age in partridges (Rhynchotus rufescens), using different structures of residual variances.

Rhynchotus rufescens is a native bird spread out in South America, showing traits that qualify it to be considered as an option by the poultry industry. Random regression models (RRM) allows considering heterogeneous residual variances for each age. However, this feature increases the number of parameters to be estimated in the maximization likelihood function process. Searching for more parsimonious RRM, several approaches have been suggested. One of them is the use of different structures of residual variances modelled through step function in different classes with similar variance or through variance functions. A total of 7,369 records of body weight measured from birth to 210 days of partridges born from 2000 to 2004 were used in this research. Data considered birds with at least 4 records of weight, sires with at least 4 progenies and groups of birth with at least 4 animals. The birds were raised in a commercial barn, grounded by grass hay litter. They received feed and water ad libitum. The eggs were hatched daily at 35.5 oC and 70% of humidity. The chicks were sexed when reached around 250 g. The random regression models applied to the data set considered different structures of residual variances and were performed by the restricted maximum likelihood method. The residual variances were modelled using classes of 210 (R210) and 30 (R30) ages and variance functions with orders ranging from quadratic (VF2) to nine (VF9). The R30 considered birds weighted in the same week. The random effects included were the genetic additive direct and the permanent environment effects of the animal. It was not possible to include the maternal effects in the models. All random effects were modelled by cubic regression on Legendre polynomials. The models were compared by the likelihood ratio test, the Akaike’s information criterion and the Schwarz’s Bayesian information criterion. The models R210 and VF5 showed the best results. In conclusion, the most parsimonious model was VF5 and should be applied to fit growth records of partridges.
Principles of physical biochemistry

Chapter 1. Biological Macromolecules Chapter 2. Thermodynamics and Biochemistry Chapter 3. Molecular Thermodynamics Chapter 4. Statistical Thermodynamics Chapter 5. Methods for the Separation and Characterization of Macromolecules Chapter 6. X-Ray Diffraction Chapter 7. Scattering From Solutions of Macromolecules Chapter 8. Quantum Mechanics and Spectroscopy Chapter 9. Absorption Spectroscopy Chapter 10. Linear and Circular Dichroism Chapter 11. Emission Spectroscopy Chapter 12. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Chapter 13. Macromolecules in Solution: Thermodynamics and Equilibria Chapter 14. Chemical Equilibria Involving Macromolecules Chapter 15. Mass Spectrometry of Macromolecules Chapter 16. Single-Molecule Methods Solutions to Odd-Numbered Problems Index
Recent developments on personal protection methods against vectors.

An outline of the role of, and the mechanism used by mosquitoes in transmission of the diseases dengue fever, malaria, yellow fever and West Nile encephalitis is discussed. The history of combative measures such as mass spraying and the importance of personal protection and the various products available to achieve protection is presented. The various formats of traditional personal insect repellents and mosquito coils are discussed along with the advantages/disadvantages of the formats. Identification of the major active ingredients commonly used in these products is presented. New developments such as electrical or battery operated devices, lamps, combination products along with interesting new patents or literature conclude the review of innovations and developments.
Aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region: applications of molecular population genetics.

The utility of applied molecular population genetics in aquaculture has been questioned by some quantitative geneticists. They argue that there have been few examples where research in this area has directly resulted in development of improved strains used in culture. Here I suggest that this could be a narrow view of the diversity of issues that need to be addressed when new stock improvement programs for aquatic species are initiated. My belief is that this view has arisen due to fundamental differences in the relative starting points faced when new productive strains of terrestrial vs aquatic farmed species are developed. Aquatic species in general, possess very high fecundities and as a consequence of husbandry practices are therefore prone to lose genetic diversity much more rapidly in culture than comparable terrestrial farmed species. Additionally, natural populations of most aquatic farmed species are still common in the wild, unlike their terrestrial counterparts, and so can provide important genetic resources that can be exploited in sustainable ways to improve culture lines. Taken together, this implies that genetic diversity is a much more significant issue broadly speaking, for farmed aquatic species compared with terrestrial farmed species. Thus farming of aquatic species can benefit from application of wellconducted molecular population genetic research. Thus, the narrow view that some quantitative geneticists have taken on the utility of molecular population genetics in aquaculture, in my opinion may miss the broader applications of the technologies that can assist a move to development and farming of improved breeds of aquatic species while conserving natural gene pools in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Resolved Stellar Populations Early Release Science Program

We propose to obtain deep multi-band NIRCam and NIRISS imaging of three resolved stellar systems within 1 Mpc (NOI 104). We will use this broad science program to optimize observational setups and to develop data reduction techniques that will be common to JWST studies of resolved stellar populations. We will combine our expertise in HST resolved star studies with these observations to design, test, and release point spread function (PSF) fitting software specific to JWST. PSF photometry is at the heart of resolved stellar populations studies, but is not part of the standard JWST reduction pipeline. Our program will establish JWST-optimized methodologies in six scientific areas: star formation histories, measurement of the sub-Solar mass stellar IMF, extinction maps, evolved stars, proper motions, and globular clusters, all of which will be common pursuits for JWST in the local Universe. Our observations of globular cluster M92, ultra-faint dwarf Draco II, and star-forming dwarf WLM, will be of high archival value for other science such as calibrating stellar evolution models, measuring properties of variable stars, and searching for metal-poor stars. We will release the results of our program, including PSF fitting software, matched HST and JWST catalogs, clear documentation, and step-by-step tutorials (e.g., Jupyter notebooks) for data reduction and science application, to the community prior to the Cycle 2 Call for Proposals. We will host a workshop to help community members plan their Cycle 2 observations of resolved stars. Our program will provide blueprints for the community to efficiently reduce and analyze JWST observations of resolved stellar populations. Scientific Category: Stellar Populations Scientific
Functional Response of Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot to the Two-Spotted Spider Mite Different Stages (Acari: Tetranychidae)

The objective of this study was to determine the functional response of the predator Phytoseiu! us persimilis Athias-Henriot fed on Tetranychus urticae koch larvae, nymphs and adults at different densities. A logistic regression of the proportion of prey consumed as a function of initial prey density was conducted to identify functional response types, and used nonlin ear \east-squares regression and the random predator equation to estimate attack rates and handling times. Overall, adult females P. persimilis exhibited a type 2 functional response to T. urticae. Whereas, attack rate (a) and handling time (T11 ) of ! '. persimilis recorded 0.1722, 0.5034 and 0.4776 and 1.4699, 2.1133 and 3.051 when offering larvae, nymphs and adults of T urticae respectively.
Nonindigenous freshwater organisms : vectors, biology, and impacts

Documenting Over a Century of Aquatic Introductions in the U.S. Annotated Checklist of Introduced Invasive Fishes in Mexico, With Comments on Some Recent Introductions * Intentional Introductions * Aquarium and Watergarden Trade * Bait * Ballast Water Vector * Aquaculture Vector. Canals and Diversions * Climate Change as a Vector of Range Expansion * Why Some Introductions Succeed While Others Fail.
Purpose and Resilience: The Experience of Burmese Refugees in U.S. Higher Education

From 2005 to 2016, over 12,000 students from Burma have pursued higher education in the US, and the numbers have risen each year (Institute of International Education, 2016). Due to the ongoing civil war in Burma, many of these students come to the US as refugees. This qualitative phenomenological study examined the experiences of Burmese refugees in U.S. higher education to understand better their daily challenges and motivations. The participants in this study were six Burmese refugees enrolled in undergraduate programs at U.S. higher education institutions and one program director at a community organization that serves and empowers the local Burmese population. The researcher conducted one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with participants to gather information. Results of this study revealed four major motivations for participants to succeed in higher education: family, personal effort, educational opportunities, and faculty support. Additionally, results showed barriers to participants’ success included language, cultural insecurities, and finances. Results also indicated two themes emphasized by participants as helpful in their college experiences: first-year college orientation programs and cultural curiosity. Implications for practice include developing greater access to higher education for the Burmese population, practicing cultural curiosity, offering language support, and fostering inclusive first-year orientation programs. This research underscores for higher iv education professionals the importance of creating spaces for cultural curiosity amongst students, faculty, and staff, and how first-year programs have greatly assisted participants during their transition. If higher education professionals consider the barriers to the success of Burmese refugees as well as the students’ motivations, practitioners can better welcome, equip, challenge, and support these students.
Enzymes in organic media

Enzyme catalysis in low water containing organic solvents is finding an increasing number of applications in diverse areas. This review focuses on some aspects which have not been reviewed elsewhere. Different strategies for obtaining higher activity and stability in such media are described. In this context, the damaging role of lyophilization and the means of overcoming such effects are discussed. Ultrasonication and microwave assistance are two emerging approaches for enhancing reaction rates in low water media. Control of water activity and medium engineering are two crucial approaches in optimization of catalytic behaviour in nonaqueous enzymology. Organometallics and synthesis/modification of polymers are two areas where nonaqueous enzymology can play a greater role in the coming years. The greater understanding of enzyme behaviour in nonaqueous media is expected to lead to larger and even more diverse kinds of applications.
A genetic analysis of complexin function in neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity

Information transfer at neuronal synapses requires rapid fusion of docked synaptic vesicles in response to calcium influx during action potentials. The molecular nature of the fusion clamp machinery that prevents exocytosis of synaptic vesicles in the absence of a calcium signal is still unclear. Here we show that complexin, a small alpha-helical protein that binds fully assembled SNARE complexes, functions as the synaptic vesicle fusion clamp in vivo. Drosophila has a single complexin homolog that is abundantly expressed in presynaptic nerve terminals. Animals lacking complexin die throughout development, with adult escapers showing severe locomotion defects and a loss of visual function. Electrophysiological analysis at neuromuscular junctions in complexin null mutants reveals a dramatic increase in spontaneous synaptic vesicle fusion that is independent of nerve stimulation or extracellular calcium. High frequency stimulation at high calcium concentrations shows that the readily releasable pool in complexin mutants is severely depleted. Thus, complexin is required for maintenance of the readily releasable pool of vesicles at the synapse, and without it vesicles exocytose directly after priming. These data indicate that complexin interacts with assembled SNARE complexes to prevent premature vesicle fusion in the absence of calcium entry. In addition, a preliminary analysis of synaptotagmin 1; complexin double mutants reveals that the elevated mini frequency in complexin single mutants is dependent on synaptotagmin 1. This finding suggests that the dominant function of complexin at the synapse is to prevent synaptotagmin 1 from triggering fusion in the absence of calcium. Further analysis of synaptotagmin 1; complexin double mutants may reveal new aspects of the mechanism of the calcium-regulated vesicle fusion reaction. Minis have long been thought to represent background noise at the synapse, but there is now growing evidence that mini frequency is important in synaptic maintenance and plasticity. Complexin mutants display a substantial synaptic overgrowth phenotype. We hypothesized that the enhanced mini frequency in complexin mutants drives synaptic overgrowth and that complexin is phosphorylated by PKA to regulate mini frequency at Drosophila synapses in an activity-dependent retrograde signaling pathway that mediates a large increase in mini frequency and a concomitant induction of synaptic growth. Like complexin mutants, a syntaxin mutant with elevated mini frequency also displays enhanced synaptic growth, providing further evidence that an increase in mini frequency drives synaptic plasticity. S126 in complexin is phosphorylated by PKA in vitro. Future results may reveal that S126 is phosphorylated by PKA in vivo to regulate mini frequency in an activity-dependent manner. These results have the potential to reveal a new role for minis in local synaptic plasticity in response to neuronal activity.
Effect of climate change on the occurrence of overwintered moths of orchards in South Korea

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global mean surface temperature increased by 0.74°C between 1906 and 2005, and is expected to continue rising. In Korea, the temperature increased rapidly by 1.8°C between 1912 and 2010. The effect of global warming are expected to cause phenological changes in exothermic organisms such as insect pests which are highly dependent on temperature. In present study, we estimated the emergence time of three lepidopteran pests (Carposina sasakii, Grapholita molesta, and Phyllonorycter ringoniella) in apple orchards during 2000, 2020s, 2050s, and 2090s, by means of Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 climate change scenario. In comparison with 2000, the emergence of C. sasakii is predicted to occur 5.5 ± 0.49 days earlier in 2020s, 14.9 ± 0.40 days earlier in 2050s, and 40.0 ± 0.75 days earlier in 2090s; the emergence of G. molesta is predicted to occur 8.2 ± 0.36 days earlier in 2020s, 16.9 ± 0.40 days earlier in 2050s, and 49.7 ± 0.61 days earlier in 2090s; and the emergence of P. ringoniella is predicted to occur 9.0 ± 0.34 days earlier in 2020s, 20.5 ± 0.58 days earlier in 2050s, and 52.5 ± 0.63 days earlier in 2090s. The number of generations a year is expected to increase by 0.5–2.8 generations in 2050s, 1.3–6.7 in 2090s. Our predictions provide basic data for the development of insect pest management strategies in spring under conditions of global warming.
Natural history and evolution of paper-wasps

1. Polistes: analysis of a society 2. Phylogeny and biogeography of Polistes 3. Learning, individual programs, and higher-level rules in construction of behaviour of Polistes 4. Ecological factors influencing the colony cycle of Polistes 5. Social parsitism and its evolution in Polistes 6. Lek-like courtship in paper-wasps 'a prolonged, delicate, and troublesome affair' 7. Homing in paper wasps 8. The evolution of exocrine gland function in wasps 9. Kin recognition in social waps 10. The role of cuticular hydrocarbons in social insects: is it the same in paper wasps? 11. Selective altruism towards closer over more distant relatives in colonies of the primitively eusocial wasp, Polistes 12. Behavioural screening and the evolution of polygyny in paper wasps 13. The origin and maintenance of eusociality: the advantage of extended parental care 14. Polistes in perspective: comparative social biology and evolution in Belanogaster and Stenogastrinae 15. The evolution of eusociality, including a review of the social status of Ropalidia marignata 16. Wasps make nests: nests make conditions 17. Wasp societies as microcosms for the study of development and evolution 18. Some epistemological reflections on Polistes as a model organisms References
Environmental site assessment for abalone ranching on artificial reef

The Altona study site had mild hydrodynamics, dense populations of predators and competitors of abalone, a low biomass of algae known to be preferred by abalone, and high seasonal sedimentation rate. Growth and mortality of hatchery juvenile abalone was found to be marginally viable for commercial abalone ranching.
T Lymphocyte Development in the Absence of CD3ε or CD3γδεζ

CD3γ, δ, ε, and ζ proteins together with the pre-TCR α-chain (pTα) and a rearranged TCR β-chain assemble to form the pre-TCR that controls the double negative (DN) to double positive (DP) stages of thymopoiesis. The CD3 proteins are expressed before pTα and TCR β-chains in prothymocytes and are expressed intracellularly in precursor NK cells, suggesting that the CD3 complex may function independent of pTα and TCRβ. In this report, both the role of CD3ε exclusively, and the role of CD3 proteins collectively, in thymocyte and NK cell development were examined. In a mouse strain termed εΔP, a neomycin cassette inserted within the CD3ε promoter abolishes CD3ε and δ expression and also abolishes CD3γ expression in all but a small minority (≤1%) of prothymocytes. These prothymocytes became deficient in CD3ε alone upon reconstitution of CD3δ expression and were severely, but not completely, arrested at the DN stage, as small numbers of double positive thymocytes were detected. In de facto CD3γδεζnull mice generated by crossing the εΔP mice with CD3ζ−/− mice, thymopoiesis were arrested at the CD44−CD25+ DN stage as observed in RAG−/− mice, DJ and VDJ recombination at the TCRβ locus was functional, and normal numbers of NK cells were detected. Together, the findings demonstrate that during thymocyte development, the CD3 complex collectively is not essential until the critical CD44−CD25+ DN stage in which pre-TCR begins to function, whereas CD3ε is critical for the assembly of pre-TCR. Moreover, CD3 proteins are dispensable for NK cell development.
The integration of digestive, metabolic and osmoregulatory processes in nectar-eating birds

Nectarivorous birds are represented by three major radiations: hummingbirds, honeyeaters, and sunbirds. These lineages share a number of convergent features in ecology, morphology, physiology, and behavior, and have served as important models in the study of foraging strategies and energetics. Because their diet is rich in water and sugar but poor in nitrogen and electrolytes, nectarivores provide a striking opportunity for evaluation of physiological constraints. My research emphasizes a novel aspect of the water-energy interaction: water overingestion in nectar-eating birds. The dual purpose of my dissertation research was to investigate the physiological mechanisms that allow nectar-eating birds to cope with exceedingly high ingestion of water and to elucidate the consequences of ingesting and processing large quantities of water for energy intake and for the maintenance of balance of important metabolites such as glucose. In nectar-eating birds, water overabundance in food has the potential effect of constraining energy procurement by overwhelming osmoregulatory processes and limiting digestive function. My research has allowed the development of an integrated quantitative description of gut and kidney function under the broad range of water loads and hydration conditions that birds can experience in the wild. Understanding limits to water processing will provide general insights into how animals are designed, on how aspects of design constrain their ecological performance, and into how aspects of design in one physiological system can impose limits on other systems. The osmoregulatory processes of nectar-eating birds highlight the relevance of understanding the impact that events taking place in the gut can have for feeding behavior, and renal and metabolic function. Adopting a broadly comparative approach to understanding the interaction between feeding behavior, digestion, and osmoregulation is pertinent because is unclear whether the many extreme physiological characteristics of hummingbirds that have traditionally been assumed to be associated with a nectar-feeding habit are shared by other nectar-eating birds. In my dissertation research I have begun to examine the similarities, and have found some important differences, in the responses of two major radiations of nectar-eating birds to their sugary and watery diets.
Ayurvedic herbs useful in gastrointestinal cancer

Cancer is one of the most dreaded disease of 20th century globally. Adaptation of western life style, excessive sun and UV exposure, radiation exposure, other carcinogens, alcohol, beverages, fast food, cold drinks, tobacco, smoking are chief causes of this life threatening disease. Gastrointestinal cancer is a term used for group of cancer that affects the digestive system. This includes cancer of esophagus, gallbladder, liver, pancreas, stomach, small intestine, anus etc. Usually stomach cancer is considered as gastrointestinal cancer. Two well-known classics Charaka and Sushruta samhita describe cancer as inflammatory or noninflammatory swelling and term them as Granthi (minor neoplasm) and Arbuda (major Neoplasm). In Ayurveda there are many medicinal herbs which has significant result in treating cancer. Some of them are Tulsi, sahadevi, Bhunimb, haldi, green tea etc. Phytochemical study and chemical composition of these herbs proves anti cancerous property of them.