Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A review of spatial and temporal variation in grey and common seal diet in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Knowledge about the diet of fish-eating predators is critical when evaluating conflicts with the fishing industry. Numerous primary studies have examined the diet of grey seals Halichoerus grypus and common seals Phoca vitulina in a bid to understand the ecology of these predators. However, studies of large-scale spatial and temporal variation in seal diet are limited. Therefore this review combines the results of seal diet studies published between 1980 and 2000 to examine how seal diet varies at a range of spatial and temporal scales. Our results revealed extensive spatial variation in gadiform, perciform and flatfish consumption, likely reflecting variation in prey availability. Flatfish and gadiform consumption varied between years, reflecting changes in fish assemblages as a consequence of factors such as varying fishing pressures, climate change and natural fluctuations in populations. Perciform and gadiform consumption varied seasonally: in addition there was a significant interaction between season and seal species, indicating that grey and common seals exhibited different patterns of seasonal variation in their consumption of Perciformes and Gadiformes. Multivariate analysis of grey seal diet revealed spatial variation at a much smaller scale, with different species dominating the diet in different areas. The existence of spatial and temporal variation in seal diet emphasizes that future assessments of the impact of seal populations should not be based on past or localized estimates of diet and highlights the need for up-to-date, site specific estimates of diet composition in the context of understanding and resolving seal/fisheries conflict.
On acid drops and teardrops: observer issues in computational creativity

We argue that the notion of creativity in a person or software is a secondary and essentially contested concept. Hence, in Computational Creativity research – where we aim to build software taken seriously as independently creative – understanding the roles people take as process observer and product consumer is paramount. Depending on the domain, there can be a natural bias against software created artefacts, and Computational Creativity researchers have exacerbated this situation through Turing-style comparison tests. Framing this as a modified Chinese Room experiment, We propose two remedies to the situation. These involve software accounting for its decisions, actions and products, and taking the radical step of thinking of computer generated artefacts as fundamentally different to their human-produced counterparts. We use two case studies, where people interact with an automated painter and with computer-generated videogames, to highlight the observer issues we raise, and to demonstrate partial implementations of our remedies.
Boron Monochalcogenides; Stable and Strong Two-Dimensional Wide Band-Gap Semiconductors

In this short communication, we conducted first-principles calculations to explore the stability of boron monochalcogenides (BX, X = S, Se or Te), as a new class of two-dimensional (2D) materials. We predicted BX monolayers with two different atomic stacking sequences of ABBA and ABBC, referred in this work to 2H and 1T, respectively. Analysis of phonon dispersions confirm the dynamical stability of BX nanosheets with both 2H and 1T atomic lattices. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations reveal the outstanding thermal stability of all predicted monolayers at high temperatures over 1500 K. BX structures were found to exhibit high elastic modulus and tensile strengths. It was found that BS and BTe nanosheets can show high stretchability, comparable to that of graphene. It was found that all predicted monolayers exhibit semiconducting electronic character, in which 2H structures present lower band gaps as compared with 1T lattices. The band-gap values were found to decrease from BS to BTe. According to the HSE06 results, 1T-BS and 2H-BTe show, respectively, the maximum (4.0 eV) and minimum (2.06 eV) electronic band gaps. This investigation introduces boron monochalcogenides as a class of 2D semiconductors with remarkable thermal, dynamical, and mechanical stability.
Puri fi cation and characteristics of bi fi docin A , a novel bacteriocin produced by Bi fi dobacterium animals BB 04 from centenarians ' intestine

Bacteriocin-producing strain BB04, isolated from centenarians' intestine and identified as Bifidobacterium animals, produced the maximum activity of bifidocin A (640 AU/ml) in MRS medium supplemented with 0.05% (w/v) L-cysteine hydrochloride in the mid-stationary phase of growth (i.e. after 32 h at 37 C). The bacteriocin, with a molecular mass of 1198.68 Da, was successfully purified by a four-step procedure consisting of adsorption and desorption onto/from producer cells, cation-exchange chromatography, gel filter chromatography and reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Purified bifidocin A exhibited a wide range of antimicrobial activity against many food-borne spoilage and pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, as well as some yeast. The mode of action of bifidocin A was bactericidal with concomitant cell lysis. Also, bifidocin A was heat stable, pH resistant and protease sensitive. EDTA, Tween 80, Tween 20 and urea did not decrease the activity, whereas, SDS induced 36% activity loss. This is the first report on a bacteriocin produced by B. animals. And the characterization, antimicrobial spectrum and molecular mass of bifidocin A suggested that it was a novel bacteriocin with potential research and application value in food industry. © 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Benthic polychaetes as good indicators of anthropogenic impact

Seven stations were sampled within the Mormugao harbour area for benthos and environmental variables from September 2003 to July 2004. A total of 71 polychaete taxa were identified from the area. Polychaete abundance, biomass and species number was highest during post monsoon, mainly due to new recruitment. Pre monsoon is the most stable period for community development when, the fauna was dominated by opportunistic deposit feeding polychaete species. Average abundance ranged from 652-4096 ind m
Biofuel cells as a possible power source for implantable electronic devices

A biofuel cell was designed to investigate electricity production from Escherichia coli (E. Coli) and as a preliminary investigation into the possible future use of biofuel cells as power sources for implantable electronic devices. A plexiglass container was fabricated to house the biofuel cell components. Current densities of 24.9 /spl mu/Acm/sup -2/ were obtained, which decreased to 3.58 /spl mu/Acm/sup -2/ over a two hour period.
Comparison of the Growth and Production of Carps in Polyculture Ponds with Supplemental Feed using Rice Straw and Kanchi as Substrates

An experiment was carried to compare the performance of rice straw and kanchi in carp polyculture ponds with supplemental feed. The experiment included two treatments in triplicates: a) rice straw substrate (3x625 kgha -1 ) with supplemental feeding and b) kanchi substrate (390 kanchi pond -1 ) with supplemental feeding. Fingerlings (n=40) of rohu, Labeo rohita (23.3±0.5 g), catla, Catla catla (26.0±0.6 g), mrigal, Cirrhinus mrigala (25.4±0.7 g), common carp, Cyprinus carpio (28.5±1.9 g) and silver carp, Hypophthalmychthys molitrix (32.1±1.3 g) were stocked at 3:2:2:2:1 ratio. Fish growth and weight gains did not vary between the rice straw and the kanchi treatment except in catla (P>0.05). Daily and total weight gains of catla was 48 and 32% higher in the kanchi treatment than in the rice straw treatment (P<0.05). However, the rice straw treatment gave more profit than the kanchi treatment. Based on fish production and gross margin, the rice straw treatment seems better for resource-poor farmers. DOI: 10.3126/on.v8i1. 4316
Evidence Brief : Dental caries prevention in school-aged children : effectiveness of dental / oral hygiene program delivery models

According to the Canadian Health Measures Survey conducted from 2007-2009, over half of Canadian children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years old are affected by dental caries. Dental caries are preventable and can theoretically be controlled by altering bacterial flora in the mouth, modifying diet, increasing acid resistance of teeth, or reversing demineralization. However, in practice, only fluorides and sealants have been effective in reducing dental caries for populations.
Master in Innovation and Research in Informatics High Performance Computing Specialisation On the Analysis of the Timing Behaviour of Time Randomised Caches

Time Randomised caches (TRc), which can be implemented at hardware level or with software means on conventional deterministic cache designs, have been proposed for real-time systems as key enablers for Probabilistic Timing Analysis (PTA) and in particular its measurement-based variant: Measurement-Based Probabilistic Timing Analysis (MBPTA). A key parameter of MBPTA is the number of runs required to ensure representativity of the execution time measurements taken at analysis time with respect to execution times that can occur during system deployment, so that MBPTA can trustworthily be applied. In this thesis, we propose several methods to determine whether the number of observations taken at analysis, as part of the normal MBPTA application process, capture the cache events significantly impacting execution time and Worst-Case Execution Time (WCET). If this is not the case, our techniques provide the user with the number of extra runs required so that cache events are captured ensuring trustworthiness on MBPTA provided WCET estimates. Our techniques have been evaluated using a set of synthetic benchmarks and a real avionics application.
Semantic associations do not modulate the visual awareness of objects

When observers adopt a category-level attentional set, objects that belong to the same category as this attentional set are more likely to enter awareness. For example, a driver who is monitoring the road for cars may be more likely to notice an oncoming car than a pedestrian who is crossing the road. Semantic associations between categories are also known to influence the deployment of attention, but it is unclear whether these associative relationships can influence the visual awareness of objects. To address this issue, we conducted four experiments using an inattentional blindness task. Participants tracked moving images of animals (e.g., monkeys or rabbits). On the last trial, an unexpected object that could belong to the same category as the tracked objects (i.e., a monkey or rabbit) or a semantically associated category (i.e., a banana or carrot) moved across the display. Participants were more likely to notice this object when it was visually salient or belonged to the same category as the tracked objects. However, they were no more likely to notice objects that shared a semantic association with the tracked objects. Thus, although categorical relationships play an important role in the visual awareness of objects, this effect does not extend to associative relationships among objects.
The wildlife hosts of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in the Czech Republic during the years 2002-2007

The objective of this study was to determine the wildlife hosts of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) in the Czech Republic. A total of 8 796 wildlife animals were examined by culture of faecal or tissue samples during the years 2002-2007. MAP was isolated from 12 (0.5%) out of 2 296 red deer ( Cervus elaphus), two (0.2%) out of 835 roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus), 78 (5.7%) out of 1 381 fallow deer (Dama dama), 28 (3.2%)out of 866 mouflons ( Ovis musimon), four (2.5%) out of 162 chamois ( Rupicapra rupicapra) and from one (0.1%) out of 805 wild boar ( Sus scrofa). MAP was not cultured from 82 badgers ( Meles meles), 55 martens ( Martes foina), one pine marten ( Martes martes), 25 brown hares (Lepus europaeus), five rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus),
Monitoring of cellular biomarkers expression in stimulated peripheral T lymphocytes and liver transplant outcome

1Immunology Service, Clinical University Hospital ́Virgen de la Arrixaca ́ IMIB (Murcian Institute of Biomedical Investigation), Murcia, Spain 2Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Spain 3Pathology Service, Clinical University Hospital ́Virgen de la Arrixaca ́, Murcia, Spain 4Nephrology Service, Clinical University Hospital ́Virgen de la Arrixaca ́, Murcia, Spain
Assessment of amniotic fluid volume - UpToDate

One study involving 63 pregnancies compared the qualitative assessment of AFV with semi-quantitative methods (amniotic fluid index, single deepest pocket, and two-diameter pocket) and used dye-determined AFV as the standard [8]. Qualitative assessment of AFV by an experienced examiner had similar sensitivity as the semi-quantitative techniques. Both qualitative and semi-quantitative ultrasound methods identified normal volumes well, but concordance with low and high AFV by dye dilution was poor [8].
Paediatric burn injuries in Cape Town, South Africa : Context, circumstances, and prevention barriers

Despite concerns about the impact of childhood burns, there remains a paucity of systematic descriptions of its epidemiology, contexts of occurrence, and preventability. This information is essential for the development of prevention interventions in Cape Town, South Africa. The thesis sought to identify the individual patterns and circumstances of the burn injury, neighbourhood determinants of risk, caregiver accounts of these injury events and their mechanisms, and the barriers and enablers to prevention. It comprises four studies, two of which use currently available register data, one of these in combination with South African census data, while two utilise interviews as a basis for qualitative studies into the burn event and counter-measure barriers and enablers. The first study describes the epidemiology and patterns of moderate to severe childhood burn injuries in the surrounding Western Cape province. Burn injury incidence is particularly high for toddlers and infants, for boys, and for African children. There are four burn injury patterns of occurrence: “infant scalding”, “toddler scalding”, “injuries among older children with an over-representation of flame-related burns” and “other causes of burns sustained to the head and neck region”. The second study is an ecological investigation into the impact of local circumstances of living in Cape Town on childhood burn injury levels. The main dimensions of contextual exposure were defined as housing conditions, socio-economic barriers and child dependency. All have associations, and the first two even graded relationships with injury level. The third study reports on the testimonies of caregivers whose children have recently been hospitalised with burn injuries. They highlighted the multi-factorial nature of the injury event; contexts of extensive exposure to adverse environmental, domestic and personal conditions; and environmental, spatial and supervision strategies for future prevention. The fourth study identifies caregiver and stakeholder representations of scalding countermeasures, and barriers and enablers to its implementation, in response to depictions of typical scalding scenarios. Counter-measures included: changes to home practices, safety enhancements to the home environment, and improvements of individual competence. Barriers to these focused on limitations in the physical environment, product limitations, executive hinderers, and hardship, most of which are not easily modifiable. The proposed enablers involved the reversal or alleviation of the identified barriers. In conclusion, the thesis highlights the need for burn injury prevention efforts that address the physical aspects of the home environment, such as spatial layout, storage and working facilities, and heating appliances that incorporate safety technology. This may require concerted efforts and advocacy given the various needs of impoverished and marginalized communities.
Neurochemical characteristics of paracervical ganglion in the pig

A study on the presence of the selected biologically active substances in nerve structures of the paracervical ganglion in the pig was performed with the use of immunofluorescence and RT-PCR. Immunohisto - chemical methods revealed that 23% of paracervical ganglion (PCG) neurons contain both tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine β-hydroxylase (DβH) and that the remaining 77% contain choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT). 73% of TH/DβH neurons contained neuropeptide Y (NPY) and 8% contained somatostatin (Som). All ChAT/VAChT positive neurons contained vasoactive intestinal polypep - tide (VIP), 87% of them contained Som, 76% contained NPY and 32% contained neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). Galanin (Gal) was found only in small cells, which were thought to be SIF cells. No pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP)- or substance P (SP)-positive neurons were found in PCG. Some areas of PCG contained dense plexuses of ChAT- and VAChT-positive nerve fibres. In the ganglion small number of TH-, nNOS-, NPY-, VIP-, Gal-, PACAP-, Som- and SP-positive nerve fibres was also visible. RT-PCR detected the presence of mRNA for TH, ChAT, nNOS, NPY, VIP, Gal and Som, which were visualised as clearly discernible bands on a gel. In cases of PACAP and SP only weak bands were observed.
Relationships of Podarcis wall lizards from Algeria based on mtDNA data

Recent molecular studies indicate that Podarcis wall lizards occurring in the southern region of the Iberian Peninsula and in North Africa, from south Morocco to eastern Tunisia, constitute a monophyletic group composed of several highly differentiated forms that appear to be incipient species. However, Algerian populations, which are geographically intermediate, have not been investigated so far. In this study we determine the levels of genetic variability between Algerian populations and other North African populations, using a more extensive sampling scheme covering most of the distribution range in this area. Our results show that North African Podarcis present high genetic diversity, comprising at least five highly divergent lineages. Two of these lineages were only detected in Algeria, which harbours most of the genetic diversity found within Podarcis from North Africa.
Retrieving information or answering questions ?

There is no doubt that automation has had a profound influence on information management, especially indexing and retrieval, through simple but powerful techniques depending on incidence and speed: counting, reordering, and comparing arbitrary strings. Automation in these forms is essential in coping with the scale of the information world we now have. But it is hard to see much application in operational contexts of the more sophisticated methods developed in the research of the last twenty five years, like statistical weighting and feedback.
"Electron Microscopic Study On The Effect Of Urocortin-1 And Selective Endothelin Type A Receptor Blockade On kidney Cortex Of Preeclamptic Pregnant Rats."

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disorder that complicates approximately 5% of all pregnancies, making it perhaps the most common glomerular disease in the world. The current study was carried out on 125 female Wistar rats divided into five equal groups. Group I included virgin non-pregnant rats. Group II included pregnant rats that were received saline solution (0.5 ml/100 g body weight) from day 7 to day 20 of gestation. Group III included pregnant rats that were treated with L-NAME dissolved in sterile saline solution in a dose of 10 mg/0.5 ml/100 g body weights subcutaneously and daily starting from the same day of gestation and for the same duration as mentioned for group II. Group IV included pregnant rats that were treated by both L-NAME (the same dose and for the same duration as mentioned for group III) and urocortin-1, in a dose of 5 µg/kg body weight/ day subcutaneously starting from day 14 to day 20 of gestation. Group V included pregnant rats that were treated by both L-NAME (the same dose and for the same duration as mentioned for group III) and ABT-627, 5 mg/kg / day subcutaneously starting from day 14 to day 20 of gestation. Ultrathin sections from the kidney were processed for electron microscopic examination. The ultrastructural examination of group III showed damage of the parietal epithelium of Bowman's capsules, thickening of the capillary endothelial wall and fusion of the foot process of the podocytes. Mesangial cells and matrix were greatly increased. Moreover, the cells of the proximal convoluted tubules (PCTs) showed degeneration of the brush border and its lumina appeared with hyaline casts. The distal convoluted tubules (DCTs) were affected also as represented by destruction of the basal infoldings, mitochondria and the apical microvilli. The electron microscopic results revealed that the treatment of preeclamptic rats with urocortin-1 lead to apparent repair of the injured renal tissues rather than ABT-627 that might suggest its use as helpful therapeutic line for alleviation nephrotoxicity in preeclampsia . (Manar E.Selim. Electron Microscopic Study On The Effect Of Urocortin-1 And Selective Endothein Type A Receptor Blockade On kidney Cortex Of Preeclamptic Pregnant Rats. Journal of American Science 2011; 7(12): 1005-1015). (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.americanscience. org .
The Robust Beauty of APA Presidential Elections : An Empty-Handed Hunt for the Social Choice Conundrum . ∗

Social choice theory in Economics and Political Science has highlighted that competing notions of rational social choice are irreconcilable. This established wisdom is based on hypothetical thought experiments, mathematical impossibility theorems, and computer simulations. We provide new empirical evidence that challenges the practicality of these discouraging predictions. We analyze the ballots from thirteen presidential elections of the American Psychological Association. We report on an empirical comparison of the Condorcet, the Borda, the Plurality, the Anti-Plurality, the Single Transferable Vote, the Coombs, and the Plurality Runoff rules. We find that these rules frequently agree both on the winner and on the social order. Bootstrapping reveals that the coherence among competing rules is a property of the empirical distribution of voters’ choices, and it is not specific to a particular sample. Our findings are highly robust to changes in the modeling assumptions that enter our analysis. These findings suggest many interesting open research questions for the emerging paradigm of behavioral social choice: Why do competing social choice procedures agree in real-world electorates? How broadly does the accumulated evidence against the social choice conundrum generalize to other electorates and other candidate choice sets?