Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Dense-to-Sparse Paradigm for Pruning Online Recommendation System with Non-Stationary Data

Large scale deep learning provides a tremendous opportunity to improve the quality of content recommendation systems by employing both wider and deeper models, but this comes at great infrastructural cost and carbon footprint in modern data centers. Pruning is an effective technique that reduces both memory and compute demand for model inference. However, pruning for online recommendation systems is challenging due to the continuous data distribution shift (a.k.a non-stationary data). Although incremental training on the full model is able to adapt to the non-stationary data, directly applying it on the pruned model leads to accuracy loss. This is because the sparsity pattern after pruning requires adjustment to learn new patterns. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to provide in-depth analysis and discussion of applying pruning to online recommendation systems with non-stationary data distribution. Overall, this work makes the following contributions: 1) We present an adaptive dense to sparse paradigm equipped with a novel pruning algorithm for pruning a large scale recommendation system with non-stationary data distribution; 2) We design the pruning algorithm to automatically learn the sparsity across layers to avoid repeating hand-tuning, which is critical for pruning the heterogeneous architectures of recommendation systems trained with non-stationary data.
Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Helminthes in Sheep from Bardarash District, Duhok Province

A parasitological study was conducted to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) helminth infections in sheep in different localities at Bardarash district, Duhok, Iraqi kurdistan from October 2014 to May 2015. A total of 160 faecal samples were collected for qualitative fecal examination. The study revealed that 96(60%) of examined sheep were found infested with one or more species of helminth parasites. From examined animals 11 helminth species were diagnosed, the recovered species were identified as Marshallagia marshalli , Nematodirus spp. , Haemonchus contortus , Fasciola hepatica , Moniezia benedeni , Trichuris ovis , Moniezia expanza , Chabertia ovina , Bunostomum trigonocephalum , Teladorsagia circuntcincta , and Cooperia spp. Prevalence of helminths was significantly (p 2 years (61.40%) and young sheep aged >1-2 year (43.48%),while no significant relationship found between prevalence and the reproductive conditions of sheep.
Catalytic transformations with finite-size environments: applications to cooling and thermometry

The laws of thermodynamics are usually formulated under the assumption of infinitely large environments. While this idealization facilitates theoretical treatments, real physical systems are always finite and their interaction range is limited. These constraints have consequences for important tasks such as cooling, not directly captured by the second law of thermodynamics. Here, we study catalytic transformations that cannot be achieved when a system exclusively interacts with a finite environment. Our core result consists of constructive conditions for these transformations, which include the corresponding global unitary operation and the explicit states of all the systems involved. From this result we present various findings regarding the use of catalysts for cooling. First, we show that catalytic cooling is always possible if the dimension of the catalyst is sufficiently large. In particular, the cooling of a qubit using a hot qubit can be maximized with a catalyst as small as a three-level system. We also identify catalytic enhancements for tasks whose implementation is possible without a catalyst. For example, we find that in a multiqubit setup catalytic cooling based on a three-body interaction outperforms standard (non-catalytic) cooling using higher order interactions. Another advantage is illustrated in a thermometry scenario, where a qubit is employed to probe the temperature of the environment. In this case, we show that a catalyst allows to surpass the optimal temperature estimation attained only with the probe.
The first record of the genus Myrmozercon Berlese (Acari: Mesostigmata: Laelapidae) in the Neotropical region and a description of a new species

A new species of the mite genus Myrmozercon Berlese, 1902, Myrmozercon patagonicus n. sp. , is described and illustrated based on adult females collected on ants, Camponotus sp. , in Southern Chile (Patagonia). The new species differs from all congeners by the following combination of characters: dorsal shield hypotrichous; dorsal cuticle not hypertrichous; setae st1–st5 present; anal shield with circum-anal setae only; peritremes short; ventral soft cuticle hypertrichous; fixed and movable cheliceral digits edentate; epistome smooth; leg setation not hypotrichous. This new species represents the first Myrmozercon from the Neotropical region. A key to non-Palaearctic species of Myrmozercon is provided.
Management practices of macronutrients for potato for smallholder farming system at alluvial soil (Entisols) of India

ABSTRACT In the present study, seven fertilizer treatments [T1, 50% NPK; T2, 100% NPK (Recommended dose of fertilizer, 200–65.4–124.5 kg N-P-K ha−1); T3, 150% NPK; T4, 100% PK; T5, 100% NK; T6, 100% NP and T7, control (zero NPK)] with four replications were assessed in the new alluvial soil zone (Entisols) of West Bengal, India. The objectives of the study were to generate information on potato productivity, profitability, indigenous nutrient supply and net gain/loss of NPK in post-harvest soil. Plants grown under higher NPK supply resulted in higher tuber yield and there were significant (p ≤ 0.05) reductions in total yield with nutrient omissions. Nutrient−limited yields were 19.78, 2.83 and 1.77 t ha−1 for N, P and K, considering total tuber yield (28.24 t ha−1) obtained under 100% NPK as targeted yield. Indigenous nutrient supply of N, P and K were estimated at 24.1, 22.34 and 110.22 kg ha−1, respectively that indicates higher K−supplying capacity of experimental soil as compared to N and P. Net income (US$1349 ha−1 year−1) and B:C ratio (1.91) was highest with 100% NPK, and further addition of NPK (150%) resulted in decrease on net return (US$1193 ha−1 year−1) and B:C ratio (1.73).
Control of Cardiac Mitochondrial Fuel Selection by Calcium

Calcium ion concentration modulates the function of pyruvate dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, and α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. Previous studies have shown that despite its ability to affect the function of these dehydrogenases, [Ca2+] does not substantially alter mitochondrial ATP synthesis in vitro under physiological sub-strate conditions. We hypothesize that, rather than contributing to respiratory control, [Ca2+] governs fuel selection. Specifically, cardiac mitochondria are able to use different primary carbon substrates to synthesize ATP aerobically. To determine if and how [Ca2+] affects the relative use of carbohydrates versus fatty acids we measured oxygen consumption and tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediate concentrations in suspensions of cardiac mitochondria with different combinations of pyruvate and palmitoyl-L-carnitine in the media at various [Ca2+] and ADP infusion rates. Results reveal that when both fatty acid and carbohydrate substrates are available, fuel selection is sensitive to both calcium and ATP synthesis rate. When no Ca2+ is added under low ATP-demand conditions, β-oxidation provides roughly half of acetyl-CoA for the citrate synthase reaction with the rest coming from the pyruvate dehydrogenase reaction. Under low demand conditions with increasing [Ca2+], the fuel utilization ratio shifts to increased fractional consumption of pyruvate, with 83±10% of acetyl-CoA derived from pyruvate at the highest [Ca2+] evaluated. With high ATP demand, the majority of acetyl-CoA is derived from pyruvate, regardless of the Ca2+ level. Our results suggest that changes in work rate alone are enough to effect a switch to carbohydrate use while in vivo the rate at which this switch happens may depend on mitochondrial calcium. Key Points Despite its effects on activity of mitochondrial dehydrogenases, Ca2+ does not substantially alter mitochondrial ATP synthesis in vitro under physiological substrate conditions. Nor does is appear to play an important role in respiratory control in vivo in the myocardium. We hypothesize that Ca2+ plays a role mediating the switch in fuel selection to increasing carbohydrate oxidation and decreasing fatty acid oxidation with increasing work rate. To determine if and how Ca2+ affects the relative use of carbohydrates versus fatty acids in vitro we measured oxygen consumption and TCA cycle intermediate concentrations in suspensions of purified rat ventricular mitochondria with carbohydrate, fatty acid, and mixed substrates at various [Ca2+] and ATP demand rates. Our results suggest that changes in work rate alone are enough to effect a switch to carbohydrate use in vitro while in vivo the rate at which this switch happens may depend on mitochondrial calcium.
Antimicrobial activity of products obtained from Piper species (Piperaceae)

I Departamento de Farmácia. Universidade Estadual da Paraíba. Campina Grande (PB), Brasil. II Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas. Universidade Estadual da Paraíba, campus I. Campina Grande (PB). Brasil. III Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. Recife (PE). Brasil. IV Instituto de Pesquisa em Fármacos e Medicamentos. Universidade Federal da Paraíba. João Pessoa (PB). Brasil.
Genetic Diversity Among Korean Rice Landraces (Oryza sativa L.) Based on Characters and SSR Markers

In order to estimate genetic diversity of Korean rice landraces, rice characters and SSR markers of 76 rice germplasms were analyzed. Of 12 rice characters, amylose content (AC) showed as largest variance (4.9 to 28.9%), whereas grain length (GL) showed as the lowest variance (4.4 to 5.9 mm). In principal component analyses (PCA), the first principal component explained 60.3% of total variance, in which culm length (CL) and growth period (GP) showed as positive variance and AC showed as negative variance. The second principal component explained an additional 22.4% of the total variance, in which GP and AC showed highly positive variables and CL showed a negative variable. Forty nine SSR markers produced a total of 473 alleles with an average of 9.65 alleles. Polymorphism information content (PIC) was in the range of 0.11 to 0.93. Average observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.12 to 0.39, with an average value of 0.61. As a result of STRUCTURE analysis, 76 Korean rice landraces showed two subpopulations. In clustering analysis, rice characters and SSR markers were clustered into four groups and three groups, respectively. However, they were not significant different from each other. These results provided insight into the characteristics of Korean rice landraces, thus improving our knowledge on rice breeding.
Low nutrient levels reduce the fitness cost of MexCD-OprJ efflux pump overexpression in ciprofloxacin-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The long-term persistence of antibiotic resistance in the environment is a public health concern. Expression of an efflux pump, an important mechanism of resistance to antibiotics, is usually associated with a fitness cost in bacteria. In this study, we aimed to determine why antibiotic resistance conferred by overexpression of an efflux pump persists in environments such as drinking and source water in which antibiotic selective pressure may be very low or even absent. Competition experiments between wild-type Pseudomonas aeruginosa and ciprofloxacin-resistant mutants revealed that the fitness cost of ciprofloxacin resistance (strains cip_1, cip_2, and cip_3) significantly decreased (P < 0.05) under low-nutrient (0.5 mg/l total organic carbon (TOC)) relative to high-nutrient (500 mg/l TOC) conditions. Mechanisms underlying this fitness cost were analyzed. MexD gene expression in resistant bacteria (cip_3 strain) was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in low-nutrient conditions, with 10 mg/l TOC (8.01 ± 0.82-fold), than in high-nutrient conditions, with 500 mg/l TOC (48.89 ± 4.16-fold). Moreover, rpoS gene expression in resistant bacteria (1.36 ± 0.13-fold) was significantly lower (P < 0.05) than that in the wild-type strain (2.78 ± 0.29-fold) under low-nutrient conditions (10 mg/l TOC), suggesting a growth advantage. Furthermore, the difference in metabolic activity between the two competing strains was significantly smaller (P < 0.05) in low-nutrient conditions (5 and 0.5 mg/l TOC). These results suggest that nutrient levels are a key factor in determining the persistence and spread of antibiotic resistance conferred by efflux pumps in the natural environment with trace amounts or no antibiotics. Importance The widespread of antibiotic resistance has led to an increasing concern about the environmental and public health risks. Mechanisms associated with antibiotic resistance including efflux pumps often increase bacterial fitness cost. Our study showed that the fitness cost of ciprofloxacin resistance conferred by overexpression of MexCD-OprJ efflux pump significantly decreased under low-nutrient relative to high-nutrient conditions. The significance of our research is to reveal that nutrient levels are key factor in determining the persistence of antibiotic resistance conferred by efflux pumps under conditions with trace amounts or no antibiotics, which can be mediated by some mechanisms including MexD gene expression, SOURs differences, and rpoS gene regulation.
Opportunity and taxon pulse: the central influence of coastal geomorphology on genetic diversification and endemism of strict estuarine species

Sea‐level changes and coastal geomorphology (extension of continental shelves) have affected the pattern of diversification of brackish/freshwater fish populations due to the confluence of basins/estuaries during low sea‐level periods (opportunity) and isolation during high sea‐level periods. It is hypothesized that populations from estuaries in extensive continental shelves, which have greater potential for confluence, should have more opportunities for gene exchange than those in narrow continental shelves. To test this, we assessed the distribution of the genetic diversity and the patterns of diversification of the estuarine silverside, Atherinella brasiliensis, from the Brazilian coast.
Herbage production, botanical composition and survival of perennial ryegrass- and tall fescue-based swards in simple and diverse species mixtures in a dryland environment

Species diversity in grazed swards can improve sward DM production and stability when compared with traditional, simple binary perennial grass–clover combinations. In dairying regions faced with frequent seasonal soil moisture deficit, and environmental and economic incentives to lessen reliance on inputs (nitrogen fertiliser and irrigation) to overcome this, DM production from the traditional perennial ryegrass–clover swards can be reduced. Mitigating reduced DM production and feed deficits in the absence of inputs could potentially be achieved through increasing sward species diversity through the inclusion of additional forage species that are more productive at key times of the season when perennial ryegrass–clover swards commonly have reduced growth (i.e. summer). A 4-year, grazed small-plot experiment was conducted to evaluate sward DM production, species composition and sward survival of perennial ryegrass- and tall fescue-based swards with varying species compositions. The experimental design was a 2 × 6 factorial of two grasses, perennial ryegrass (PR) or tall fescue (TF), sown with white clover in six species combinations, as follows: no additional species (Control); with red clover (RedCl); lucerne (Luc); chicory and plantain (Herb); timothy and prairie grass (Grass); or a mix of all additional species (Mix). Mean annual DM production over the 4 years was greater (P < 0.05) from PR than from TF swards (13.4 vs. 12.9 t DM/ha/year), owing to superior DM production in 2 of the 4 years, largely during winter and autumn. The addition of other species to tall fescue-based swards did not improve annual or seasonal DM production. Increases in DM production (P < 0.05) were observed from PR-based swards sown with Grass, Herb or Mix in Year 3, when summer rainfall was 37% below the average (0.8–1.3 t DM/ha/year), but this effect was not seen in the following year when rainfall was even lower. Total sown-species content varied over the study period and was greater in PR-based than in TF-based swards (83 vs 70%, P < 0.01). Including additional species had varied effects on sown-species content; when differences were observed, it was greater sown-species content in the Herb and Mix than in the Control swards. However, by the end of the study, there was no observed improvement of sward survival with increased diversity. The findings of the present study suggested that there was no consistent advantage to increasing species diversity in PR- or TF-based swards on DM production or sward survival in dryland grazed dairy swards.
Documentation of Overwintering Bat Species Presence and Hibernacula Use In the Badlands of North Dakota

Abstract Little work has focused on species presence, distributions, and habitat use of bats in the Great Plains of North America. In particular, no previous study has attempted to determine if bats are utilizing hibernacula during the winter months in North Dakota. The current lack of information regarding bat species presence during the winter months in North Dakota can have great conservation implications. Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungal pathogen responsible for white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats across the United States and Canada, has led to great concern for wildlife managers. For many of the areas where WNS is present, information about the presence and location of hibernacula are known, allowing for close monitoring of the spread of the disease. However, some locations within the predicted path of WNS still lack information as to bat species presence during the winter months. Due to mortality rates sometimes reaching upwards of 100% as a result of WNS infection, filling in these information gaps is critical for conservation research. The purpose of this study was to determine if the badlands region of North Dakota supports over-wintering bat communities, document both utilized and potential hibernacula, and develop a Geographic Information Systems model in the program MaxEnt to be used for future studies and wildlife managers. Six species were positively identified in the badlands region of North Dakota during the pre-hibernation and winter hibernation periods: Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus), Silver-haired Bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans), Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus), Long-eared Myotis (Myotis evotis), Townsend's Big-eared Bat (Corynorhinus townsendii), and Western Small-footed Myotis (Myotis ciliolabrum). Habitat suitability modeling was employed to model potential hibernacula in the study area. Knowledge of these potential hibernacula could be of great importance to wildlife managers, and results from this study may be used by regional wildlife managers to develop strategies for curtailing the spread of this disease into North Dakota.
Comparison of experimental measurements and model predictions for radio‐frequency Ar and SF6 discharges

Using a continuum model based on dc field data, the discharge physics of Ar and SF6 has been simulated for 13.5‐MHz excitation. In Ar, the ionization primarily occurs at the bulk–sheath interfaces and is temporally modulated with its maximum corresponding to the cathodic phase of the rf cycle. In SF6, the ionization is distributed throughout the bulk with a maximum occurring at the bulk–sheath interface and a temporal maximum occurring during the anodic phase. The plasma induced emission (PIE), which correlates with the predicted ionization rate, has been experimentally measured as a function of position and time and agrees well with the model predictions. These results explain the phase shift of the PIE between electronegative and electropositive discharges.
Study on storage stability of grapes juice preserved with sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulphite

This study was carried out to find the effect of potassium metabisulphite, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate on the preservation and overall quality of grapes juice. Total seven samples were made with this juice which were named as J0, J1, J2, J3, J4, J5, J6. They were kept in plastic bottles and stored at room temperature. All samples were analyzed at fifteen days interval physiochemically (pH, total soluble solids, % acidity, ascorbic acid, reducing and non-reducing sugar) and organoleptically (color, flavor, taste and overall acceptability) for a total period of 90 days. Results obtained from statistical analysis (α< 0.05) showed that storage interval and preservation had significant effect on physiochemical and organoleptic characteristics. Total soluble solids increased maximum in J0 (7.46%) and minimum in J4 (2.79%). Ascorbic acid reduced maximum in J0 (70.40%) and minimum in J2 (29.14%). pH reduced maximum in J0 (17.23%) and minimum in J4 (4.06%). Acidity increased maximum in J0 (41.00%) and minimum in J4 (11.18%). Reducing sugars increased maximum in J0 (69.51%) and minimum in J4 (8.81%). Non-reducing sugars decreased maximum in J4 (83.33 %) and minimum in J2 (36.22 %). Color score decreased maximum for J1 (53.30%) and minimum for J4 (8.00%). Flavor score decreased maximum for J2 (50 %) and minimum for J6 (12.43%). Taste score decreased maximum for J2 (62.66%) and minimum for J4 (8.00%). Overall acceptability score decreased maximum for J2 (54.35%) and minimum for J4 (10.26%). J4 [(grapesjuice + potassium metabisulphite (0.05%) + potassium sorbate(0.05%)] remained very acceptable during storage while J0 [grapes juice + no preservative] was found very bad. Future study is recommonded on microflora assesment, micronutrients assesment, flavonoids and polyphenols extraction which can be added to other food products to prevent cancer in population.
Influence of habitat quantity, quality and isolation on the distribution and abundance of two epiphytic lichens

1 We assessed the relative importance of habitat quantity, quality and isolation for the distribution and local abundance of two epiphytic lichens, Parmelina tiliacea, which is red‐listed in Sweden, and the common Pleurosticta acetabulum. We predicted that habitat isolation should constrain the distribution of the mainly vegetatively dispersed P. tiliacea more than the sexually dispersed P. acetabulum. 2 All patches of habitat containing suitable host trees for the study species were mapped from aerial, infra‐red photographs. Presence and abundance of the lichens were recorded for a total of 3237 trees in 94 patches. 3 Patch identity had strong influence on presence of both species on individual trees. Within patches, presence was positively correlated with tree size and was also influenced by tree species. 4 At patch‐level, species presence was positively correlated with tree number and negatively correlated with the proportion of the boundary that bordered coniferous forest and with isolation. Abundance was mostly correlated with tree size or with the number of large trees at tree‐ and patch‐levels, respectively. For P. acetabulum, within‐patch abundance was also influenced by isolation from other patches. 5 Presence at patch‐level was affected by isolation for both species, but this effect differed between the three isolation measures used. There was no clear evidence that the distribution of P. tiliacea was more constrained by isolation than that of P. acetabulum. 6 Whilst this study emphasizes the importance of habitat quantity for species occupancy and local abundance, it shows that explanations of species occurrence in fragmented landscapes must also involve variables describing habitat quality and spatial configuration. Moreover it illustrates the difficulties in predicting species’ occupancy from general knowledge about their dispersal traits.