Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transmitter-equipped darts in a protocol for chemically immobilizing free-ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Central Italy

Abstract Twenty-two free-ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus), 9 males and 13 females (7 months to 13 years old), were captured in October-November 2006 and December 2007, along the Apenninic ridge (44°06’N, 11°00’E) between the Pistoia (Tuscany) and Bologna (Emilia-Romagna) provinces, as part of a reintroduction project in Gran Sasso and Laga’s Mountains National Park (42°33’N, 13°28’E), Italy. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a red deer capture protocol, using equipped transmitter darts, in Apennine areas where other methods had not been successful. The red deer were darted (by an operative team of 5-7 operators during dark hours) with a mixture of Zoletil® (Z) and xylazine (X) and, whenever secondary dosages became necessary, a mixture of ketamine (K) and X were used. Twenty-five animals were shot, only 3 of which could not be approached to re-dart them. All animals were darted, during dark hours, from a vehicle at a distance of 10-30 m and then recovered, using 3-cc disposable Pneu-dart® transmitter darts, 50-280 m (median 80 m) from the dart site. These technical choices were forced by an uneven and wooded environment of the study area. Before the transport to the reintroduction site, the animals were kept in a lairage stable, arranged in single boxes, provided with water and food. This accommodation was necessary to collect a reasonable number of animals to arrange the transport. The immobilized animals were brought to the stable and haemoglobin saturation and heart rate were constantly monitored with a pulse oximeter. Oxygen was insufflated into a nostril at a rate of 10 litres/min for 20-35 min. Atipamezole was administered two thirds intramuscularly (IM) and one third intravenously, 45 to 120 min after the last IM narcotic injection, to revive the animals. No side effects other than different levels of meteorism, were displayed. In conclusion, the protocol applied, which proved safe for the animals and had optimal success in the recovery of darted subjects, can be considered effective to capture free-ranging deer in areas that are thickly wooded and difficult to traverse as areas of the Apennine.
Microelectromechanical flying robots - state of the art

: Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) are miniature airplanes constructed from state-of-the-art materials, designed to be small, light, and highly resilient. Current applications include surveillance, reconnaissance, and munitions. Many of the planes, because of their size, have unconventional designs with respect to the wings and control surfaces. Instability introduced by the small non-traditional aircraft designs must be addressed, to eliminate the need for an expert pilot for aircraft control and navigation. In this paper we present a state-of-the-art technology development focused on the technologies and components required to enable flight at small scales, including flight control, power and propulsion, navigation, multi-purpose structures, advanced communications and information systems, Micro-electro-mechanical Systems (MEMS), advanced sensors, and lightweight, efficient high-density power sources.
Sparse Gaussian process approximations and applications

Many tasks in machine learning require learning some kind of input-output relation (function), for example, recognising handwritten digits (from image to number) or learning the motion behaviour of a dynamical system like a pendulum (from positions and velocities now to future positions and velocities). We consider this problem using the Bayesian framework, where we use probability distributions to represent the state of uncertainty that a learning agent is in. In particular, we will investigate methods which use Gaussian processes to represent distributions over functions. Gaussian process models require approximations in order to be practically useful. This thesis focuses on understanding existing approximations and investigating new ones tailored to specific applications. We advance the understanding of existing techniques first through a thorough review. We propose desiderata for non-parametric basis function model approximations, which we use to assess the existing approximations. Following this, we perform an in-depth empirical investigation of two popular approximations (VFE and FITC). Based on the insights gained, we propose a new inter-domain Gaussian process approximation, which can be used to increase the sparsity of the approximation, in comparison to regular inducing point approximations. This allows GP models to be stored and communicated more compactly. Next, we show that inter-domain approximations can also allow the use of models which would otherwise be impractical, as opposed to improving existing approximations. We introduce an inter-domain approximation for the Convolutional Gaussian process – a model that makes Gaussian processes suitable to image inputs, and which has strong relations to convolutional neural networks. This same technique is valuable for approximating Gaussian processes with more general invariance properties. Finally, we revisit the derivation of the Gaussian process State Space Model, and discuss some subtleties relating to their approximation. We hope that this thesis illustrates some benefits of non-parametric models and their approximation in a non-parametric fashion, and that it provides models and approximations that prove to be useful for the development of more complex and performant models in the future.
Terreur et martyre, relever le défi de civilisation

Après de nombreux ouvrages de référence sur l’islamisme contemporain (dont les derniers, Jihad 1 en 2000 et Fitna 2 en 2004), Gilles Kepel nous offre une chronique complète et analytique de l’affrontement auquel continuent de se livrer depuis le 11 septembre 2001, non sans une certaine complicité tacite, deux adversaires qui se mettent en scène et se sont choisis : les ÉtatsUnis de George W. Bush d’une part, le djihadisme mondial issu des trajectoires complexes d’Al-Qaida d’autre part. On connaît désormais, même si elle évolue toujours, la recette qui fait le succès des livres de cet auteur : une grille de lecture forte, un tableau précis à la fois dense et pédagogique des faits et des acteurs, et au final une suggestion prospective tirant les enseignements des éléments ainsi mis en lumière.
Leadership sharing in maternity emergency teams: a retrospective cohort study in simulation

Background Shared leadership is associated with improved team performance in many domains, but little is understood about how leadership is shared spontaneously in maternity emergency teams, and if it is associated with improved team performance. Methods A video analysis study of multidisciplinary teams attending a maternity emergency management course was performed at a simulation centre colocated with a tertiary maternity hospital. Sixteen teams responding to a simulated postpartum haemorrhage were analysed between November 2016 and November 2017. Videos were transcribed, and utterances coded for leadership type using a coding system developed a priori. Distribution of leadership utterances between team members was calculated using the Gini coefficient. Teamwork was assessed using validated tools and clinical performance was assessed by time to perform a critical intervention and a checklist of required tasks. Results There was a significant sharing of leadership functions across the team despite the traditional recommendation for a singular leader, with the dominant leader only accounting for 58% of leadership utterances. There was no significant difference in Auckland Team Assessment Tool scores between high and low leadership sharing teams (5.02 vs 4.96, p=0.574). Time to critical intervention was shorter in low leadership sharing teams (193 s vs 312 s, p=0.018) but checklist completion did not differ significantly. Teams with better clinical performance had fewer leadership utterances beyond the dominant two leaders compared with poorer performing teams. Conclusions Leadership is spontaneously shared in maternity emergency teams despite the recommendation for singular leadership. Spontaneous leadership emerging from multiple team members does not appear to be associated with the improvements in team performance seen in other domains.
Mesowear Analysis on Finnish Medieval Horses

Mesowear analysis is a powerful tool for paleodiet reconstruction in ungulates. In this study, we apply this method to archeological data. We conduct mesowear analysis on cheek teeth of medieval horses from the Levänluhta site in Ostrobothnia, western Finland and, for comparison, we study medieval and post-medieval horse teeth from Viljandi and Tallinn, Estonia. Our results show attrition-dominated mesowear indicating browsing diet for the medieval Levänluhta horses, while the Viljandi horses have mesowear indicating more mixed diet. Mesowear on teeth from Tallinn horses suggest primarily grazing-like abrasive diet. Differences maybe due to different diet of horses in Finland and Estonia, or may point to seasonal differences in diet and thus indicate different times of death for these horses.
Dorsal pattern polymorphism in female Iberian wall lizards: differences in morphology, dorsal coloration, immune response, and reproductive investment

Sex-specific colour polymorphisms have been extensively documented in many different taxa. When polymorphism in colour pattern is restricted to females, the condition is known as female-limited pattern polymorphism (FPP), which has been less commonly addressed in vertebrates. FPP is present in several lizard species, although most research on lizards has focused on carotenoid- and pteridine-based coloration and not on melanin-based polymorphisms. In the present study, we focus on Iberian wall lizards, Podarcis hispanicus, where two female melanin-based dorsal patterns can be clearly distinguished: striped and reticulated-blotched. We indirectly tested the hypothesis that selection acts differentially among P. hispanicus female morphs to create alternative morph-specific phenotypic optima at different levels by investigating whether morphs differ in fitness proxies. We specifically examined whether the two female dorsal pattern morphs differed in adult morphology, dorsal coloration, immune response, reproductive investment, and growth. We did not find a relationship between melanin-based coloration and hatchling growth and immune response, despite a correlation between these traits possibly being expected as a result of pleiotropy in the melanocortin system. However, our results show that female dorsal morphs in P. hispanicus differ in terms of adult morphology, dorsal coloration, and reproductive investment. Reticulated-blotched P. hispanicus females had deeper heads and longer femora, less melanin, and more brownish coloration, and also had larger and heavier hatchlings than striped females. © 2015 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2015, 00, 000–000. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: common garden ‐ female-limited ‐ growth ‐ Lacertidae ‐ melanin-based coloration.
EuroSCORE e os pacientes submetidos a revascularização do miocárdio na Santa Casa de São Paulo EuroSCORE and the patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery at Santa Casa de São Paulo

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the European System of Cardiac Operation Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) model to predict mortality of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery in the Cardiovascular Surgery Division of Santa Casa de Sao Paulo Medical School. Methods: From May 2005 to November 2006, 100 consecutive patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery were retrospectively analyzed. The records of these patients were reviewed in order to retrieve the variables included in the EuroSCORE method. The correlation of predicted and observed mortality was compared. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test for univariate analysis and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test for logistic regression. Results: Hospital mortality was 5%. The EuroSCORE univariate analysis findings were as follows: score 0-2 predicted mortality 0.40%, observed 0.00%; score 3-5 predicted mortality 1.45%, observed 0.00%; score greater than 6 predicted mortality 3.15%, observed 7.94%. In spite of these differences the p-value was 0.213 demonstrating no statistical significance. The p-value for the HosmerLemeshow test was < 0.001 indicating poor calibration of the model for this sample. Conclusion: The EuroSCORE model is a simple,
Parâmetros genéticos e tendências genética e fenotípica para características de crescimento em uma população da raça Brangus

This study aimed to estimate the genetic parameters and genetic and phenotypic trends for weight at weaning (PD), yearling weight (PS), average daily gain from birth to weaning (GMDND), average daily gain from weaning to yearling (GMDDS), days to reach 160 kg at the pre weaning phase (D160) and days to reach 240 kg at post weaning phase (D240) of Brangus cattle raised in 37 farms in South, Southern and Mid Western Regions of Brazil, from 1987 to 2001. Records on 9,573 Brangus animals, sired by 415 bulls and 7,297 dams, were used to estimate (co)variance components by REML.The model included the genetic group of bull and dam and of contemporary group, age of cow at deliver, age at weaning weight and age at yearling weight covariate (linear and quadratic componentes) as fixed effects and the direct additive genetic, maternal and residual as random effects. The averages observed for PD, PS, GMDND, GMDDS, D160 and D240 were 171.62 kg, 306.2 kg, 0.701 kg, 0.395 kg, 234.97 days and 720.52 days, respectively. The direct heritabilities ranged from 0.15 (D240) to 0.45 (GMDND) and the maternal from 0.20 (PD) to 0.28 (GMDND). The genetic and phenotypic trends were 7.59 g/year and 0.864 kg/year; 5.16 g/year and 2.274 kg/year; 0.036 g/year and 0.007 kg/year; 0.011 g/year and 0.012 kg/year; -0.11 days/year and -1.59 days/year; -0.78 days/year and -9.79 days/year, respectively, for PD, PS, GMDND, GMDDS, D160 and D240.
Prevalence of parasitic infections in buffaloes in and around district Ludhiana (Punjab, India)

A total of 598 samples comprising 388 blood and 210 faecal samples were examined from buffaloes presented at Large Animal Clinics, GADVASU, Ludhiana (Punjab, India). Examination of Giemsa stained peripheral blood smears revealed an overall prevalence of haemoprotozoan infections as 4.90 percent that comprised Trypanosoma evansi , Babesia bigemina, Theileria annulata and Anaplasma marginale as 1.80, 0.26, 2.32 and 0.77 percent, respectively. Age wise the prevalence of trypanosomosis was significantly higher in older animals while haemoprotozoan infections were not recorded from male buffaloes. Faecal examination revealed that the overall prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) parasitic infections was 23.33 per cent. The prevalence of strongyle, amphistomes, Fasciola sp. , Eimeria sp. and Balantidium coli was 15.71, 4.29, 3.30, 0.95 and 2.86 percent, respectively. The prevalence of parasitic infections in female and male buffaloes was almost comparable except in case of coccidiosis which was significantly higher in male animals. Trematodal infections were encountered only from the animals > 6 months of age and strongylosis was recorded as predominant GI parasitic infection in buffaloes of Punjab state.
Genetic Genealogy Testing and the Pursuit of African Ancestry

This paper considers the extent to which the geneticization of 'race' and ethnicity is the prevailing outcome of genetic testing for genealogical purposes. The decoding of the human genome precipitated a change of paradigms in genetics research, from an emphasis on genetic similarity to a focus on molecular-level differences among individuals and groups. This shift from lumping to splitting spurred ongoing disagreements among scholars about the significance of 'race' and ethnicity in the genetics era. I characterize these divergent perspectives as 'pragmatism' and 'naturalism'. Drawing upon ethnographic fieldwork and interviews, I argue that neither position fully accounts for how understandings of 'race' and ethnicity are being transformed with genetic genealogy testing. While there is some acquiescence to genetic thinking about ancestry, and by implication, 'race', among African- American and black British consumers of genetic genealogy testing, test-takers also adjudicate between sources of genealogical information and from these construct meaningful biographical narratives. Consumers engage in highly situated 'objective' and 'affiliative' self-fashioning, interpreting genetic test results in the context of their 'genealogical aspirations'. I conclude that issues of site, scale, and subjectification must be attended to if scholars are to understand whether and to what extent social identities are being transformed by recent developments in genetic science.
Disentangled polyethylene with sharp molar mass distribution : implications for sintering

• A submitted manuscript is the author's version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers.
Validity of a Calcium Intake List to Estimate Calcium Intake in Patients with Osteoporosis

Background : Calcium supplements are widely used for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Literature suggests an association between a too high calcium supplementation and cardiovascular events. Objectives : The aim of this study was to validate an existing calcium intake list which is used as a basis for prescription of calcium supplementation in patients with osteoporosis. We hypothesized that the calcium intake list is not a valid method to estimate dietary calcium intake. Methods : The calcium intake list estimates calcium by portions of milk, yoghurt, cheese (180 mg, 180 mg, and 155 mg per portion respectively), and 250 mg calcium from other products. A dietary history (DH) with specific focus on calcium products provided the reference method. A difference of ≥250 mg calcium between both methods was formulated as clinically relevant. Results : Sixty-six subjects with osteoporosis were included. Mean dietary calcium intake calculated via the calcium intake list (825±259mg) was lower than via DH (1113±424mg) (p<0.001). Mean difference between both methods was 289±346mg calcium. In 56% of the patients (n=37) the calcium intake list scored ≥250mg lower than DH, and in 6% of the patients (n=4) ≥250mg higher, resulting in a clinically relevant difference in 62% of the patients. Conclusions : The calcium intake list is not a valid method to estimate calcium intake.
Analysis of bacterial communities in the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) with emphasis on Vibrio vulnificus dynamics under refrigeration

ii Acknowledgments. iv List of Tables . vii List of Figures . viii I. Literature Review.1 II. Objectives . 26 III. Microbial community dynamics in the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) under refrigeration . 28 Abstract . 29 Introduction . 31 Materials and Methods . 33 Results . 36 Discussion . 41 IV. Dynamics of Vibrio vulnificus genotypes in oysters (Crassostrea virginica) under refrigeration.54 Abstract . 55 Introduction . 56 Materials and Methods . 58 Results . 60 Discussion . 63
Granular Cell Ameloblastoma: Retrospective Clinical and Histopathological Findings of Case Series and Review of Literature

Granular Cell Ameloblastoma (GCA) is classified as an unusual histological subtype of solid/multicystic ameloblastoma, characterized by granular changes of stellate-like cells located within the inner portion of epithelial follicles. Studies have revealed that cytoplasmatic granularity is caused by lysosomal overload; however, the mechanism involved remains poorly understood. Here we report eight cases of granular cell ameloblastoma, in the posterior region of the mandible. The age of the patients included in this case series ranges between 35 -64 years old, and 87.5% occurred in non-Caucasians, with a slight gender predilection for men (62.5%). There was no evidence of recurrence and the majority of the cases were treated with surgical resection (87.5%). All tumors displayed histopathological features consistent with the diagnosis of granular cell tumor.
A simple tool for detecting undiagnosed diabetes and pre-diabetes

undiagnosed diabetes are 88%, 75%, 14%, 99.3%, and 0.85, respectively. For pre-diabetes or undiagnosed diabetes, the results are 75%, 65%, 49%, 85%, and 0.75, respectively. We validated the tool using v-fold cross-validation and performed an independent validation against NHANES 1999 –2004 data. CONCLUSIONS — The Diabetes Risk Calculator is the only currently available noninvasive screening tool designed and validated to detect both pre-diabetes and undiagnosed diabetes in the U.S. population. Diabetes Care 31:1040–1045, 2008
Effects of Lake Erie Habitat Variation and Digestion Rate on Feeding in Freshwater Fishes

My research was designed to evaluate predator-prey relationships in Lake Erie and the effects of watersheds, through river inputs, on prey consumption. I analyzed stomach contents of fishes collected from two distinct river plumes in Lake Erie's western basin to see if elevated turbidity in one river plume reduced predation mortality of larval fishes. I found that quantifying larval fish predation mortality is a difficult task; only 16 of 3,467 stomachs analyzed contained larval prey. I used laboratory experiments to evaluate digestion rates of larval fishes and found that both the complete breakdown of larvae in predator stomachs and the loss of morphological characters needed to identify larvae occurred rapidly, suggesting that conventional diet analyses are inadequate for quantifying larval predation mortality. My diet analyses did reveal spatial and temporal differences in prey consumption between river plumes, which are likely being driven by bottom-up and top-down effects associated with inputs of nutrients and sediments from tributary streams. Collectively, my results will allow managers to quantify the likelihood of detecting larval fishes during stomach content analyses and to better understand how tributary inputs influence predator-prey interactions.