Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ENERGY REQUIREMENTS OF ZEBU BEEF CATTLE

Projections for beef cattle production in Brazil for the next 10 years forecast an annual increase of about 3.5%. For the same period, a 2.22% growth in the domestic intake of beef cattle and an increase of 3.07% a year in exportation is estimated. This annual increase in exportation could reach 3.4 million tons by 2019, establishing Brazil as the main beef exporting country (MAPA/AGE, 2009). This increase in exports should happen together with improvements in national beef quality and with changes that meet international demands, such as increased tenderness, lower age at slaughter and a better finishing standard, all of which will add value to national beef. With the increase in production and export will come an increase in the cattle finished in feedlot and in the use of industrial crossbreeding. Grain production and poultry, swine and milk production will also show pronounced annual increase rates, improving competitiveness in agribusiness and eliminating those producers that are less effective. Rising concern from environmentalists could limit the progress of livestock farming in new areas, thus making improvements in productivity in existing areas essential for increased production. Therefore, appropriate technologies should be developed and set in place to enable the expansion of beef cattle production. As feeding corresponds to the largest part of operating costs and is one of the main factors affecting animal performance, the search for and the adoption of more rational feed management have the potential to greatly impact both quality and economics in beef cattle production systems. The technologies being adopted in our territory in the field of livestock agriculture should be developed in Brazil, where the cattle herd composition, available feed and climate are typical of a tropical environment. Beef cattle production systems in Brazil are based on pasture covered with tropical grass. The cattle are predominantly zebuine, and the Nellore breed is the most common. More than 80% of the Brazilian herd shows some genetic composition coming from this Zebu breed (Ripamonte, 2002). According to Sainz et al. (2006), the Nellore, with more than 100 million heads spread around the country, has become the main breed due to its adaptability to tropical environments conditions, such as: hot and moist weather; the presence of endoand ectoparasites; and the irregular pattern, qualitative or quantitative, of avaliable feed, Therefore, determining the nutritional requirements of our herd means offering Brazilian society a production technology created under our conditions, which are markedly distinct from those present in countries of temperate climates. The balance of rations and supplements for determined levels of performance, as well as performance estimated from balanced diets, requires the knowledge of nutritional requirements for different functions and for different levels of performance (Boin, 1995).
Modulation of the Meridional Structures of the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool on the Response of the Hadley Circulation to Tropical SST

By decomposing the variations of the Hadley circulation (HC) and tropical zonal-mean sea surface temperature (SST) into the equatorially asymmetric (HEA for HC, SEA for SST) and symmetric (HES for HC, SES for SST) components, the varying response of the HC to different SST meridional structures under warm and cold conditions of the Indo-Pacific warm pool (IPWP) is investigated over the period 1979–2016. The response of the HC to SST evidences an asymmetric variation between warm and cold IPWP conditions; that is, the response ratio of HEA to SEA relative to that of HES to SES is ~5 under warm conditions and ~2 under cold conditions. This asymmetry is primarily due to a decrease in the HEA-to-SEA ratio under cold IPWP conditions, and is driven by changes in the meridional distribution of SST anomalies. Equatorial asymmetric (symmetric) SST anomalies are dominated by warm (cold) IPWP conditions. Thus, variations of SEA are suppressed under cold IPWP conditions, contributing to the observed weakening of the HEA-to-SEA ratio. The results presented here indicate that the HC is more sensitive to the underlying SST when the IPWP is warmer, during which the variation of SEA is enhanced, suggesting a recent strengthening of the response of the HC to SST, as the IPWP has warmed over the past several decades, and highlighting the importance of the IPWP meridional structures rather than the overall warming of the HC.
Effect of Nutrient Enriched Biochar on Yield and NPK Uptake of Maize Grown in Alfisol

In the present scenario, food security is the major challenge that is being faced by the ever expanding world population. According to the United Nations, the global population is expected to increase from 7.0 billion to 9.2 billion by 2050. To nourish another 2 billion people, food production must increase by 60% to solve the future food crisis (FAO, 2017). Commercial fertilizer is responsible for 40 to 60% of the world’s food production. But the applied fertilizers cannot be fully utilized by the plants as it prone to leaching, volatilization, immobilization and fixation as insoluble precipitates. Our responsibility is to develop and follow management practices that use fertilizer effectively and efficiently.
Relational learning in children with cochlear implants

A cochlear implant is a prosthesis that substitutes for Corti’s organ and stimulates electrically the ganglion cells and nerve fibers of the auditory nerve, enabling auditory stimulation. External components of the device comprise a microphone (usually placed behind the ear) that receives external sounds and transmits them, via cable, to a speech processor (roughly the size of a cellular phone). The processor analyzes the sound and digitizes it into coded signals that are sent, through a transmitting coil, as radio-frequency signals (FM) to the cochlear implant receiver/stimulator under the skin. Surgically implanted electrodes placed along the cochlea are connected to the receiver/stimulator through a cable of platinum-iridium wires. The receiver/stimulator delivers the appropriate amount of electrical energy to the electrodes, stimulating the remaining auditory nerve fibers in
Applications of Quantified Constraint Solving over the Reals - Bibliography

Quantified constraints over the reals appear in numerous contexts. Usually existential quantification occurs when some parameter can be chosen by the user of a system, and univeral quantification when the exact value of a parameter is either unknown, or when it occurs in infinitely many, similar versions. The following is a list of application areas and publications that contain applications for solving quantified constraints over the reals. The list is certainly not complete, but grows as the author encounters new items. Contributions are very welcome!
Randomly sampling molecules

We give the first polynomial-time algorithm for the following problem: Given a degree sequence in which each degree is bounded from above by a constant, select, uniformly at random, an unlabelled connected multigraph with the given degree sequence. We also give the first polynomial-time algorithm for the following related problem: Given a molecular formula, select, uniformly at random, a structural isomer having the giver formula.
Mixotrophic Phytoflagellate Bacterivory Field Measurements Strongly Biased by Standard Approaches: A Case Study

Bacterivory among small (≤20 μm) phytoflagellates (SP) is increasingly recognized as a globally relevant phenomenon, impacting a wide range of aspects from primary production levels to marine fisheries. However, to correctly parametrize mixotrophic SP in biogeochemical and food web models, a better understanding of the magnitude and regulation of in situ SP feeding is urgently needed. Current methods to determine SP bacterivory in the field may introduce biases by treating these organisms as equivalent to heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF). In the present case study we experimentally tested two generally employed assumptions of such studies: (A) bacterivory rates of the whole SP community and of distinct SP groups remain constant over ‘short’ time scales (hours to a day) and (B) SP community ingestion rates approximate the average ingestion rate of all feeding individuals. Food vacuole markers (acidotropic probes), were applied along the diel cycle at three stations in December 2015, and May and June 2016. In December and June, surrogate prey (fluorescently labeled bacteria) were used in parallel at one sampling station. Sampling at different times of day produced an up to fourfold difference in estimates of SP daily bacterivorous impact. In contrast, daily bacterivory estimates for HNF remained constant in almost all cases. The perceived principal SP bacterivorous groups also shifted strongly. As an example, picoeukaryotes dominated total SP bacterivory in daylight hours but completely ceased to feed at night. Finally, a large fraction of the SP community was not feeding at all time points tested. This lead to significant errors in estimated ingestion rates determined using the whole SP community, being up to 16 times lower than those determined solely for actively feeding mixotrophic SP. Overall, this case study indicates that applying the two commonly used premises outlined above can introduce significant biases and considerably alter our perception of mixotrophy in a given system.
Computational Statistics and Data Analysis Functional Data Analysis in Shape Analysis

Keywords: Form analysis Multivariate functional data analysis Curve classification Shape discrimination Principal component analysis Outlines a b s t r a c t Mid-level processes on images often return outputs in functional form. In this context the use of functional data analysis (FDA) in image analysis is considered. In particular, attention is focussed on shape analysis, where the use of FDA in the functional approach (contour functions) shows its superiority over other approaches, such as the landmark based approach or the set theory approach, on two different problems (principal component analysis and discriminant analysis) in a well-known database of bone outlines. Furthermore, a problem that has hardly ever been considered in the literature is dealt with: multivariate functional discrimination. A discriminant function based on independent component analysis for indicating where the differences between groups are and what their level of discrimination is, is proposed. The classification results obtained with the methodology are very promising. Finally, an analysis of hippocampal differences in Alzheimer's disease is carried out.
Shared Experiences in Personalized Route Planning

In this paper we discuss personalized planning (as opposed to personalized information retrieval) where instead of recommending atomic information assets to users, the goal is to construct composite plans that reflect the complex problem solving preferences of users within a particular domain. Specifically, we describe our dual approach to personalized route planning and bring together, for the first time, results to demonstrate the potential of this approach.
Counting, analysing and reporting exacerbations of COPD in randomised controlled trials

Background: Clinical trials measure exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) inconsistently. A study was undertaken to determine if different methods for ascertaining and analysing COPD exacerbations lead to biased estimates of treatment effects. Methods: Information on the methods used to count, analyse and report COPD exacerbation rates was abstracted from clinical trials of long-acting bronchodilators or long-acting bronchodilator/inhaled steroid combination products published between 2000 and 2006. Data from the Canadian Optimal Therapy of COPD Trial was used to illustrate how different analytical approaches can affect the estimate of exacerbation rates and their confidence intervals. Results: 22 trials (17 156 patients) met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. None of the trials adjudicated exacerbations or determined independence of events. 14/22 studies (64%) introduced selection bias by not analysing outcome data for subjects who prematurely stopped study medications. Only 31% of trials used time-weighted analyses to calculate the mean number of exacerbations/patient-year and only 15% accounted for between-subject variation. In the Canadian Optimal Therapy of COPD Trial the rate ratio for exacerbations/patient-year was 0.85 when all data were included in a time-weighted analysis, but was overestimated as 0.79 when data for those who prematurely stopped study medications were excluded and was further overestimated as 0.46 when a time-weighted analysis was not conducted; p values ranged from 0.03 to 0.24 depending on how exacerbations were determined and analysed. Conclusions: Clinical trials have used widely different methods to define and analyse COPD exacerbations and this can lead to biased estimates of treatment effects. Future trials should strive to include blinded adjudication and assessment of the independence of exacerbation events, and trials should report time-weighted intention-to-treat analyses with adjustments for between-subject variation in COPD exacerbations.
Algebraic Complexity of Strategy-implementing Semiautomata for Repeated-play Games

The standard measure of automaton complexity used in game theory is the number of states in the minimal automaton. This paper applies classical algebraic complexity measures, based on, but not the same as, the Krohn-Rhodes Decomposition Theorem to automata used for strategy implementation in repeated-play games. Results demonstrate that state-based complexity is insufficiently fine to distinguish between automatons with the same number of states and different algebraic complexities. More important, the state-based measure is not monotonic in algebraic complexity, viz., there are automatons with three states, that are less complex that some two-states automatons. Further, the number of states in the automaton does not reveal the important properties of the automaton, such as the ability to count or detect differences in the sequence of play. These differences are reflected in algebraic complexity. When applied to the repeatedplay prisoner’s dilemma game, algebraic complexity identifies uniquely the “grim trigger” strategy implementing automaton as the simplest Nash equilibrium supporting the cooperative outcome. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Number: C69 FIELD DESIGNATION: Game Theory
Hierarchical Control of Nitrite Respiration by Transcription Factors Encoded within Mobile Gene Clusters of Thermus thermophilus

Denitrification in Thermus thermophilus is encoded by the nitrate respiration conjugative element (NCE) and nitrite and nitric oxide respiration (nic) gene clusters. A tight coordination of each cluster’s expression is required to maximize anaerobic growth, and to avoid toxicity by intermediates, especially nitric oxides (NO). Here, we study the control of the nitrite reductases (Nir) and NO reductases (Nor) upon horizontal acquisition of the NCE and nic clusters by a formerly aerobic host. Expression of the nic promoters PnirS, PnirJ, and PnorC, depends on the oxygen sensor DnrS and on the DnrT protein, both NCE-encoded. NsrR, a nic-encoded transcription factor with an iron–sulfur cluster, is also involved in Nir and Nor control. Deletion of nsrR decreased PnorC and PnirJ transcription, and activated PnirS under denitrification conditions, exhibiting a dual regulatory role never described before for members of the NsrR family. On the basis of these results, a regulatory hierarchy is proposed, in which under anoxia, there is a pre-activation of the nic promoters by DnrS and DnrT, and then NsrR leads to Nor induction and Nir repression, likely as a second stage of regulation that would require NO detection, thus avoiding accumulation of toxic levels of NO. The whole system appears to work in remarkable coordination to function only when the relevant nitrogen species are present inside the cell.
Developments in the treatment of moderate to severe ulcerative colitis: focus on adalimumab

In selected patients with moderate to severe active ulcerative colitis who have failed to respond or are poorly responsive to standard pharmacologic forms of treatment with corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents, therapy with a biological agent may be considered. While infliximab is an established tumor necrosis factor blocker and has a longer history of clinical use, adalimumab is an alternative in the same class and may be employed as an initial biological agent, if indicated for treatment of the disease. Adalimumab may have special appeal to stable users able to self-inject in a home setting rather than a centralized infusion center. Short-term adverse effects have been limited, but long-term adverse events can be serious and remain less well defined. Recently, another agent, subcutaneous golimumab, has also been reported to induce and maintain clinical response and remission in clinical trials, but a large experience has not been accumulated to date in clinical practice. In the future, other biological agents with novel and distinct mechanisms of therapeutic action may become available.
A table tennis game for three players

Table tennis is a game that can provide healthy exercise and is also a social pastime for players of all ages across the world. However, players have to be collocated to play, and three players cannot usually play at the same time in fair or equitable manner. We have developed a networked table tennis like game called Table Tennis for Three (TTT). TTT is a game played with bat and ball by three people on three physically separated table tennis tables. The players of TTT can interact with one another through the use of augmented virtuality - the augmentation of virtual systems with elements of physical game play. TTT uses the physicality of table tennis combined with the communicative media typically associated with videoconferencing. TTT has been developed with the aim of achieving similar benefits to those of co-located table tennis such as exercise, enjoyment and bringing people together to socialize.
Torque Ripple Reduction of the Torque Predictive Control Scheme for Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Motors

The direct torque control (DTC) technique of permanent-magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) receives increasing attention due to its advantages in eliminating the current controllers and quicker dynamic response, compared with other motor control algorithms. However, high torque and stator flux ripples remain in the system when using DTC technologies. This means large stator voltage and current harmonic contents exist in the PM motors. Since the variation of motor electromagnetic torque is related to the voltages that are applied to the motor, by analyzing the relationships between stator flux, torque, and voltages, a PMSM torque predictive control scheme is proposed in this paper. In each digital signal processor cycle, the optimized voltage is utilized to reduce torque ripple, and the voltage vector angle is determined by the output of torque and flux hysteresis controllers. The proposed scheme is simulated and experimentally verified. Both simulation and experimental results have shown that low torque ripple and reduced stator current harmonics are achieved by using the proposed scheme.
Endogenous Nitric Oxide Is a Key Promoting Factor for Initiation of Seizure-Like Events in Hippocampal and Entorhinal Cortex Slices

Nitric oxide (NO) modulates synaptic transmission, and its level is elevated during epileptic activity in animal models of epilepsy. However, the role of NO for development and maintenance of epileptic activity is controversial. We studied this aspect in rat organotypic hippocampal slice cultures and acute hippocampal–entorhinal cortex slices from wild-type and neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) knock-out mice combining electrophysiological and fluorescence imaging techniques. Slice cultures contained nNOS-positive neurons and an elaborated network of nNOS-positive fibers. Lowering of extracellular Mg2+ concentration led to development of epileptiform activity and increased NO formation as revealed by NO-selective probes, 4-amino-5-methylamino-2′,7′-difluorofluorescein and 1,2-diaminoanthraquinone sulfate. NO deprivation by NOS inhibitors and NO scavengers caused depression of both EPSCs and IPSCs and prevented initiation of seizure-like events (SLEs) in 75% of slice cultures and 100% of hippocampal–entorhinal cortex slices. This effect was independent of the guanylyl cyclase/cGMP pathway. Suppression of SLE initiation in acute slices from mice was achieved by both the broad-spectrum NOS inhibitor N-methyl-l-arginine acetate and the nNOS-selective inhibitor 7-nitroindazole, whereas inhibition of inducible NOS by aminoguanidine was ineffective, suggesting that nNOS activity was crucial for SLE initiation. Additional evidence was obtained from knock-out animals because SLEs developed in a significantly lower percentage of slices from nNOS−/− mice and showed different characteristics, such as prolongation of onset latency and higher variability of SLE intervals. We conclude that enhancement of synaptic transmission by NO under epileptic conditions represents a positive feedback mechanism for the initiation of seizure-like events.
An interpersonal analysis of adult attachment style: circumplex descriptions, recoiled developmental experiences, self-representations, and interpersonal functioning in adulthood.

Previous research suggests that the structure of adult attachment is dimensional, but the specific dimensions remain unclear. Given its relational nature, studies should examine attachment structure in association with conceptually related interpersonal constructs. The interpersonal model (Kiesler, 1996) provides an integrative framework to examine this structure and associations between dimensions of attachment security (i.e., Anxiety and Avoidance) and: 1) the dimensions of the interpersonal circumplex, 2) the five-factor model of personality, 3) recollections of mothers and fathers, and 4) current self-processes and adult social functioning. In two samples of undergraduates, the Anxiety and Avoidance dimensions were associated with a hostile-submissive interpersonal style. Canonical correlation analyses revealed that dimensions representing combinations of Anxiety and Avoidance, and roughly corresponding to the dimensions from Secure (i.e., low Anxiety and Avoidance) to Fearful (i.e., high Anxiety and Avoidance) attachment and from Preoccupied (i.e., high Anxiety and low Avoidance) to Dismissive (i.e., low Anxiety and high Avoidance) attachment related to the interpersonal constructs. The Secure to Fearful dimension (i.e., overall attachment security) seemed to share relatively more variance with the interpersonal constructs. These dimensions were associated with theoretically consistent characteristics, recollections of early experiences with parents, self-representations, and social functioning.