Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plant–soil feedback effects on plant quality and performance of an aboveground herbivore interact with fertilisation

Plant–soil feedback (PSF) effects on plant performance can be influenced by the availability of nutrients in the soil. Recent studies have shown that PSF effects can also change aboveground plant–insect interactions via soil-mediated changes in plant quality, but whether this is influenced by soil nutrient availability is unknown. We examined how fertilisation influences PSF effects on aboveground plant-aphid interactions in ragwort Jacobaea vulgaris. We grew J. vulgaris in soil conditioned by conspecific plants and in unconditioned soil at two levels of fertilisation and measured soil fungal communities, plant biomass, concentrations of primary (amino acids) and secondary (pyrrolizidine alkaloids; PAs) metabolites in phloem exudates, performance of the specialist aphid Aphis jacobaeae and sequestration of PAs by the aphid. We observed a strong interaction between soil conditioning and fertilisation on amino acid and PA concentrations in phloem exudates of J. vulgaris and on aphid performance, with opposite effects of soil conditioning at the two fertilisation levels. Plant biomass was reduced by soil conditioning and increased by fertilisation. Aphids contained high PA concentrations, converted N-oxides into tertiary amines and preferentially sequestered certain PA compounds, but PA sequestration was not affected by any of the treatments. We conclude that effects of PSF and fertilisation on plant chemistry and aphid performance are interdependent. Our study highlights the need to consider the importance of abiotic soil conditions on the outcome of PSF effects on aboveground plant–insect interactions.
From ‘ecologist’ to ‘conceptual ecologist’: the utility of the conceptual ecology analogy for teachers of biology

This paper advocates the application of established teaching models to the professional development of biology teachers. This is achieved by using the analogy of conceptual ecologies, made explicit through concept mapping. The approach is designed to support teachers' developing understanding of pupils' conceptual change by using familiar terminology and biological analogies. Monitoring of students' understanding at an ecosystemic level may also help distinguish between instances of conceptual change and contextual switching (described here with reference to photosynthesis).
Effect of diatomaceous earth as an anthelmintic treatment on internal parasites and feedlot performance of beef steers

Thirty crossbreed steer calves were randomly assigned to one of three feedlot treatment groups to evaluate the effectiveness of diatomaceous earth (DE) as an anthelmintic treatment and its effect on subsequent growth performance. Steers were adapted to a cereal-based diet for 15 days on the farm of origin and given an additional 21 days to adjust to the feedlot diet. Calves had not been dewormed prior to starting the study. On day 0 (2 January 1996) the positive control group of steers (CONV; no. = 11) was given 10 mg/kg of albendazole, a second group began receiving (on day 2) 0·3 kg of diatomaceous earth (DE; no. = 9) mixed daily with their food for 46 days and the negative control group (CTRL, no. = 9) received no anthelmintic treatment. Rectal faecal samples were collected upon arrival at the feedlot and the resulting egg counts showed that all steers were positive for nematodes and coccidia. Faecal samples were collected on days 0, 15, 28 and every 28 days thereafter to determine faecal egg counts. The last sample was taken on the day of slaughter. On day 0, the average count for all calves was over 70 eggs per g faeces (epg) for trichostrongyle type eggs; counts for Nematodirus sp. , Strongyloides sp. , Trichuris sp. and Capillaria sp. were negligible. CTRL and DE steers had higher parasite levels than CONV steers during the 1st ( P P 0·05) significantly for the remainder of the study. Coccidia levels decreased over time similarly for all groups. Offering 20 g DE per kg food intake for 46 days to beef steers on a high cereal -based diet had no effect (P > 0·05) on body weight, average daily gain, dry-matter intake, food conversion or days on food compared with the untreated control steers. Cumulative food conversion during the first 2 months was better for CONV than for DE and CTRL steers ( P 0·05). Cumulative food conversion for the rest of the study remained the same for all groups (P > 0·05). CONV calves required fewer days on food than DE calves ( P 0·10). Steers in the DE group required a similar number of days on food (230·22 ± 7·86 days) to reach target end points as CTRL steers (218·75 ± 8·34 days; P > 0·05) but more days than CONV calves (201·64 ± 7·11 days; P > 0·05).
Challenges affecting quality of objective structured clinical examination: Assessment of academic staff perception and their improvement suggestions

Background: Assessment of clinical competence is an essential, mandatory requirement and critical norm for accountability of educational objectives as the traditional testing tools cannot evaluate clinical competence. But it became a tough job for nurse educator as it poses several challenges in terms of objectivity and reliability. In spite of increasing usage of OSCE in nursing and the huge number of studies published about it, it is still debatable about advantages of its using. OSCE costs remain an obstacle facing its use. The aim of this study: was to assess challenges affecting quality of OSCE and suggestions of improvement as perceived by academic nursing staff.Design: A descriptive exploratory research design was used.Setting: Faculty of Nursing, Minia University.Subjects: A purposive sample of 40 clinical instructors and assistant lecturers at medical-surgical, pediatric, obstetric, and community health nursing that using OSCE in students' clinical evaluation.Tools: I-Socio-demographic data sheet II- Self-administered questionnaire to assess the perceived challenges affects quality of OSCE among study participants and to obtain their suggestions to overcome these challenges.Results: The highest manpower related challenges perceived by participants were insufficient faculty members (83%) and OSCE is stressful for students (81%). For non-human challenges, the most prominent ones were that some procedures require longer time than others (90%), unsuitability of the available settings to the number of students (83%) and insufficient needed materials/equipment (73%). Conclusion: The founded human and non-human challenges of the current study may affect the quality of OSCE in all steps, from preparation to application and subsequent suggestions are interrelated. Staff suggested improving in labs preparation and increasing labs numbers. Also, allocating sufficient budget and increasing number of trained staff.Recommendations: Increase the number of clinical instructors, budget and the work hours of OSCE to accommodate with the increased number of students and permit periods of rest for both staff and students.
Green Consumerism: An Empirical Study of Malaysian Government-Linked University

The purpose of this study is to rank the types of green consumerism among university students. Evaluating the variables of demographic with the types of green consumerism will benefits the policymakers, green marketers and entrepreneurs in promoting green products and getting more prospects among university students. The sample in this study consists a total of 250 university students from Malaysian government-linked university. Descriptive study, reliability test, t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) using Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) 21.0 is used to analyse the data. Majority of students are being labelled as energy efficiency users. The findings proved that gender, age, race, and year of study have significanc differences with the classes of green consumerism. However, two variables of students’ demographic (i.e. hometown and study program) failed to show the differences.
Effect of the Landscape Types on Hunting Selection in Roe Deer (Capreolus Capreolus, Linnaeus 1758) Trophies in Czech Republic

Abstract Czech Republic has a long tradition of hunting, and trophy hunting is important to manage game populations. In this study data was analysed from the five last trophy exhibitions in Czech Republic. Namely, hunter selection, compensatory selection, management selection, hunting pressure selection and depletion selection was tested in different landscape types. In compensatory hunting there is a difference between the landscape types; apparent differences exist between the landscape type with respect to hunting pressure. There was no hunter selection, or depletion selection, and no differences in management between landscape types. This study suggests that the landscape composition has an effect on selective hunting in Czech Republic.
Implementação e análise de uma engine para expressões regulares em Coq via testes baseados em propriedades

ABSTRACT An interactive theorem prover (or proof assistant) is a tool that assists the development of formal evidence. This work has reviewed the literature of the mathematical foundations of these tools. He also presented the assistant of COQ evidence and how it implements some of these concepts. Alternatively, it was presented property-based testing which is an intermediate solution between tests unitary and formal evidence. This paper then used this methodology to analyze a regular expression algorithm that was published as Functional pearl.
Review: Mammary development in swine: effects of hormonal status, nutrition and management

Farmer, C. 2013. Review: Mammary development in swine: effects of hormonal status, nutrition and management. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 93: 1-7. There are three phases of rapid mammary accretion in swine, namely, from 90 d of age until puberty, during the last third of gestation and throughout lactation. Nutrition, endocrine status and management of gilts or sows during those periods can affect mammary development. More specifically, in growing gilts, feed restriction as of 90 d of age hinders mammary development and either supplying the phytoestrogen genistein or increasing circulating concentrations of prolactin stimulates mammogenesis. In late gestation, inhibition of relaxin or prolactin drastically diminishes mammary development and overly increasing dietary energy has a detrimental effect on mammogenesis. It also appears that feeding of the gestating sow can affect the mammary development of her offspring once it reaches puberty. Various management factors such as litter size, nursing intensity and use or non-use of a teat in the previous lactation will affect the amount of mammary tissue present at the end of lactation. Mammary development is followed by the essential process of involution whereby a rapid and drastic regression in parenchymal tissue takes place. It can occur either after weaning or in early lactation when teats are not being regularly suckled. Despite our current knowledge, much remains to be learned in order to develop the best management strategies for replacement gilts, and gestating and lactating sows that will maximize their milk production.
Morphological indicators and the time of transition to flower in Ptilotus nobilis (Amaranthaceae)

Floral initiation of Ptilotus nobilis (Lindl.) F.Muell. was investigated by both scanning electron and light microscopy to develop a template for the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth. Four developmental stages were identified, including two vegetative and two reproductive stages. Bract initiation was accompanied by a significant increase in meristem area and diameter, and was defined as the onset of flowering. At the transition, meristem diameters and areas increased 1.5 and 2.3 times, respectively. Most morphological traits, including leaf number, mean leaf area and total leaf area, increased gradually at the time of transition and were further investigated in a subsequent glasshouse trial. Floral initiation occurred very early and at 25 days after sowing all plants had entered the reproductive phase. At the onset of flowering leaf and node number increased significantly with 3.6 and 4.2, respectively. Branching and leaf area expansion were identified as post-initiation processes, and increased by 2.8 (total foliage area), 3.3 (total leaf area) and 1.8 (mean leaf area). During the vegetative phase a discolouration of the shoot apical meristem was noted and underlying reasons are discussed.
The interplay between habitat availability and population differentiation : a case study on genetic and morphological structure in an inland wader (Charadriiformes)

Long-distance migrant waders breeding in the Arctic often have globally structured populations, largely because they were isolated in glacial or interstadial refugia or were restricted to fragmented coastal wetlands in winter. Conversely, inland species using continentally distributed wetlands appear to be less structured (more often panmictic), presumably because they are less likely to have been isolated by multiple refugia or by current events. We analyzed genetic variation in a widely distributed inland species, the ruff (Philomachus pugnax), sampled from seven Eurasian breeding localities, and from migration routes and wintering areas in Europe and Africa. One mitochondrial marker (N = 118) and eight nuclear microsatellites (N = 170) showed: (1) high genetic variation; (2) large genetic distances among mitochondrial (private) haplotypes within breeding populations; (3) the absence of a signature of isolation-by-distance; and (4) a distribution of private microsatellite alleles indicating dispersal between Scandinavia and Siberia but not between western and eastern Siberia. These results were consistent with a large refugial population during the Last Glacial Maximum, and postglacial long range expansions spreading ancestral polymorphisms, and not with a stepping-stone model of gene flow. The divergence between breeding populations in Europe and Siberia was dated to approximately 12 000 years ago. Although genetic population structure is presently statistically non-existent, support for evolving population structure came from analyses of geographical variation in two relevant phenotypic traits: wing length and the timing of migration. Analysis of 6077 individuals sampled on migration in 2002-08 revealed that, in each year, shorter-winged birds migrated through significantly later than longer-winged birds. The late-passing birds were associated with more westerly breeding localities. In conclusion, the lack of genetic structuring in ruffs (and other inland species we examined) contrasts with strong structuring in many coastal species. This suggests that the ability to use more widely available inland habitat influences the evolution of genetic structure and the maintenance of genetic variation in waders. (C) 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 106, 641656.
Indoleacetic acid production by the rhizosphere bacterium Azospirillum brasilense Cd under in vitro conditions

Factors influencing indoleacetic acid release from Azospirillum brasilense Cd (ATCC 29729) were investigated under batch culture conditions. In the presence of ammonium in the liquid culture solution, indoleacetic acid release from bacterial cells was considerably higher than in the corresponding N-free medium that was slightly solidified with agar to provide conditions for N2 fixation. In the solution culture, the concentration of indoleacetic acid was low during the logarithmic growth phase and increased rapidly with the beginning of the stationary phase. A similar time course was found for the indoleacetic acid content (dry weight basis) of the bacterial cells. Addition of tryptophan strongly stimulated the release of indoleacetic acid, which again showed a steep rise in the early stationary phase. The pH of the nutrient solution increased from 6.8 to 9.3 during incubation but this was not responsible for the steep rise in indoleacetic acid levels. The sole carbon source in the substrate (DL-malic acid.
Introduction, Systematic Paleontology, and Geological Context of Vintana Sertichi (Mammalia, Gondwanatheria) from the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar

ABSTRACT—Vintana sertichi is a sudamericid gondwanatherian mammal known only from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) Maevarano Formation in the Mahajanga Basin of northwestern Madagascar. It is based on a single specimen, a well-preserved and virtually complete cranium discovered in 2010 near Lac Kinkony. The cranium is superficially bizarre and constitutes the only cranial remains of the poorly known, phylogenetically enigmatic Gondwanatheria, which are otherwise known only from isolated teeth and fragmentary dentaries. Gondwanatheria are represented by seven other monotypic genera assigned to two families (Ferugliotheriidae and Sudamericidae). Historically, this clade was assigned to Xenarthra, Paratheria (as a sister group to Xenarthra), Multituberculata, Allotheria (as a sister group to Multituberculata), Mammalia incertae sedis, and, most recently, back to Multituberculata or a close relative of Multituberculata. The craniodental evidence provided by Vintana supports inclusion in Sudamericidae, the monophyly of Gondwanatheria, and the position of Gondwanatheria as nested within or sister to Multituberculata. In addition to briefly reviewing the taxonomic composition and phylogenetic history of Gondwanatheria, this introductory chapter sets the stage for the other chapters in the volume by (1) briefly summarizing the inferred life habits of gondwanatherians; (2) reviewing the systematic paleontology of V. sertichi; and (3) providing overviews of the discovery of the holotypic specimen, its preservation, its preparation, and the imaging and measurement techniques used to study it. The chapter closes with an overview of the geological context of V. sertichi, which indicates that the species lived in a coastal floodplain environment and in a highly seasonal, semiarid climate.
Structural acclimation and radiation regime of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) shoots along a light gradient

Shoot architecture has been investigated using the ratio of mean shoot silhouette area to total needle area (S s ) as a structural index of needle clumping in shoot space, and as the effective extinction coefficient of needle area. Although S s can be used effectively for the prediction of canopy gap fraction, it does not provide information about the within-shoot radiative regime. For this purpose, the estimation of three architectural properties of the shoots is required: needle area density, angular distribution and spatial aggregation. To estimate these features, we developed a method based on the inversion of a Markov three-dimensional interception model. This approach is based on the turbid medium approximation for needle area in the shoot volume, and assumes an ellipsoidal angular distribution of the normals to the needle area. Observed shoot dimensions and silhouette areas for different vertical and azimuth angles (As) are used as model inputs. The shape coefficient of the ellipsoidal distribution (c) and the Markov clumping index (λ 0 ) are estimated by a least square procedure, in order to minimize the differences between model prediction and measurements of As. This methodology was applied to silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) shoots collected in a mixed fir-beech-spruce forest in the Italian Alps. The model worked effectively over the entire range of shoot morphologies: c ranged from 1 to 8 and λ 0 from 0.3 to 1 moving from the top to the base of the canopy. Finally, the shoot model was applied to reconstruct the within-shoot light regime, and the potential of this technique in upscaling photosynthesis to the canopy level is discussed.
Fire, Global Warming, and the Carbon Balance of Boreal Forests

Fire strongly influences carbon cycling and storage in boreal forests. In the near-term, if global warming occurs, the frequency and intensity of fires in boreal forests are likely to increase significantly. A sensitivity analysis on the relationship between fire and carbon storage in the living-biomass and ground-layer compartments of boreal forests was performed to determine how the carbon stocks would be expected to change as a result of global warming. A model was developed to study this sensitivity. The model shows if the annual area burned in boreal forests increases by 50%, as predicted by some studies, then the amount of carbon stored in the ground layer would decrease between 3.5 and 5.6 kg/M2, and the amount of carbon stored in the living biomass would increase by 1.2 kg/M2. There would be a net loss of carbon in boreal forests between 2.3 and 4.4 kg/M2, or 27.1- 51.9 Pg on a global scale. Because the carbon in the ground layer is lost more quickly than carbon is accumulated in living biomass, this could lead to a short-term release of carbon over the next 50-100 yr at a rate of 0.33-0.8 Pg/yr, dependent on the distribution of carbon between organic and mineral soil in the ground layer (which is presently not well-under- stood) and the increase in fire frequency caused by global warming.
Use of a multivariate model using allele frequency distributions to analyse patterns of genetic differentiation among populations

Abstract Very few studies have attempted to relate the properties of some ordination techniques to classical tools of population genetics as F -statistics. A multivariate model to analyse population genetics data based on the properties of ‘joint scaling’ of populations and loci is developed. The design of population genetics data means that this model deals with a modified version of the classical Multiple Correspondence Analysis which is called Constant Row Total-Multiple Correspondence Analysis (CRT-MCA) and is an original tool in population genetics. Such a model allows estimates of the degree of population differentiation by studying the variability of the distribution of allele frequencies in different samples. Some clear relationships exist between some model parameters and the classical F st statistics. The CRT-MCA also allows all the studied loci to be considered simultaneously and the role of each locus in patterns of population differentiation to be expressed. Such a multivariate approach prevents the use of any pooling strategy as is classically used in studies of hierarchical F -statistics. The relevance of the CRT-MCA model is illustrated by the analysis of population structure of 15 dogwhelk ( Nucella lapillus ) populations in south-west England. The advantages and limitations of CRT-MCA are presented.
Oryctolagus cuniculus European Rabbit

The IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM is produced and managed by the IUCN Global Species Programme, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and The IUCN Red List Partnership. The IUCN Red List Partners are: Arizona State University; BirdLife International; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; Conservation International; NatureServe; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Sapienza University of Rome; Texas A&M University; and Zoological Society of London.
Application of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the diagnosis and treatment of alcohol addicts

Alcohol dependence as a chronic disease with high relapse rates, seriously affects individual health and causes related social problems. However, the treatment of alcohol addiction currently lacks effective interventions to reduce craving and prevent relapse. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an emerging intervention in the field of addiction. This paper reviews the researches to introduce the working principle of TMS and its effects on brain functions and neurotransmitters of alcohol dependent patients. Studies have shown that rTMS has a certain effect on reducing alcohol craving, but the existing research protocols and their results are not exactly same, and the best parameters need to be clarified. Future research can try to explore optimized treatment options, and find biological efficacy indicators to provide more evidence for further clinical application. Key words: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation; Alcohol addiction; Intervention