Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating Post-Fire Vegetation Recovery in North American Mixed Prairie Using Remote Sensing Approaches

Research on the effects of fire on grassland ecosystems yields among the most controversial research results. This is caused by the global distribution of grasslands under different environmental conditions in addition to complex fire characteristics (time, severity, frequency, history etc.). Challenges and discrepancies arise from various temporal and spatial scales, as well as methods used. Moreover, the function of fire can be different from one grassland to another. In the large body of grassland fire literature, the Canadian northern mixed prairie is understudied, especially regarding the vegetation’s post-fire recovery. The wildfire in April 2013 provided an opportunity to study how the grassland responded to the burning, and particularly how remote sensing can provide potential solutions to grassland fire studies in this region. This research investigated the vegetation’s post-fire recovery using six years’ field survey data. Results indicate a quick overall recovery of the grassland, but with different vegetation forms recovering at various post-fire growing seasons. Green grass was the most resilient component that fully recovered one year post-fire, followed by forbs at two years post-fire, with shrubs and the soil organic crust taking longer than four years to recover. The ecosystem recovered to the unburned state roughly after four years. This conclusion agrees with the shortest fire interval of some research, probably because of the heavy fuel loading before the wildfire, due to Grasslands National Park’s long-term conservation practice. Both hyperspectral data and historical Landsat images were investigated to demonstrate their effective assessment of the post-fire grassland vegetation recovery trajectory.
Mayfly distribution along a longitudinal gradient in Serra do Cipó, southeastern Brazil.

: Mayfly distribution along a longitudinal gradient in Serra do Cipó, southeastern Brazil. The main goals of this study were to evaluate the spatial distribution of mayfly nymphs and substrate associations along a longitudinal gradient in two lotic ecosystems of the same watershed at Serra do Cipó, southeastern Brazil. The main questions addressed here were: 1) Do mayfly nymphs present longitudinal zonation? 2) Do mayfly nymphs present specific associations with the type of substrate? 3) Which are the main consequences of mayfly distribution for the conservation strategies of headwaters in the Serra do Cipó? Samplings were realized in 1 st up to 6 th order reaches of the Indaiá stream and Peixe River, during the rainy and dry periods of 2000 and 2001, totaling 234 samples. Regarding the longitudinal distribution, most of the taxa showed a gradient (clinal), or zone patterns, being restricted (or presenting higher densities) to a specific river reach or river section. The highest densities of Baetidae nymphs were found in 4 th up to 6 th order reaches while the Leptophlebiidae and Euthyplociidae were found in higher densities in the upstream reaches. The Baetidae taxa were found associated preferentially with aquatic macrophytes, while the Leptophlebiidae and Euthyplociidae with pebbles, gravel and sand deposits. The results evidenced differences in the taxonomic composition and abundance of the mayfly fauna along the longitudinal gradient. The distribution patterns and substrate associations call attention to the importance of the preservation of the natural characteristics of the altitudinal headwaters in Brazilian watersheds.
Bacterial community dominance in a sewage-driven eutrophic coastal lagoon by next generation sequencing: initial findings

Abstract: This study investigates the presence of bacterial dominance in one of the most studied sewage-driven eutrophic coastal lagoons, the Imboassica Lagoon in Macaé (RJ), Brazil, utilizing high-throughput sequencing of 16S rDNA. Water samples were collected from three sites within the lagoon. Total microbial DNA was extracted, and the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq platform. A total of 744,879 partial 16S rRNA sequences were clustered, revealing the absence of a single bacterial dominance in the sewage-driven eutrophic coastal lagoon. The prominent phyla detected in the lagoon were Cyanobacteria (27.8%), Proteobacteria (23.7%), and Actinobacteria (14.6%). Proteobacteria emerged as the most abundant phylum in the sewage-impacted lagoon site, whereas Cyanobacteria dominated the other two sampling sites. Among families, Synechococcaceae predominated with genus Synechococcus exhibited the highest prevalence. Families of potentially toxic Cyanobacteria represented less than 1% of the total families. The sewage-impacted lagoon section displayed greater bacterial diversity and richness. The dominance of bacterial communities associated with raw sewage, such as members of the Enterobacteriaceae family, was not confirmed, constituting only 0.75% of the families in the most affected site. This study presents the initial analysis of the bacterial community in the Imboassica Lagoon and suggests that dominance in the lagoon responds to the eutrophication and sewage discharge.
The Willingness to Pay / Willingness to Accept Gap , the “ Endowment Effect , ” Subject Misconceptions and Experimental Procedures for Eliciting Valuations

We conduct experiments to explore the possibility that subject misconceptions, as opposed to a particular theory of preferences referred to as the “endowment effect,” account for reported gaps between willingness to pay (“WTP”) and willingness to accept (“WTA”). Two facts are evident in the literature. First, there is no consensus regarding the nature or robustness of the WTA-WTP gap. Secondly, while experimenters are very concerned to avoid subject misconceptions, there is no consensus about their fundamental properties or how they might be avoided. Instead, experimenters have revealed different conceptions of the phenomenon through different types of experimental procedures and controls. Such controls involve the role of anonymity, elicitation mechanisms, practice, training and binding outcome experiences applied separately or in different combinations. The resulting pattern of research leaves open the possibility that the widely differing reports of a gap between WTP and WTA could be due to an incomplete science regarding subject misconceptions. The lack of a theory of misconceptions is replaced by what we will call a "revealed theory" methodology in which theories implicit in experimental procedures found in the literature are at the heart of the new experimental design. Thus, the approach reported here reflects an attempt to simultaneously control for all dimensions of concern found in the literature. To this end our procedures modify the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak mechanism used in previous studies to elicit values. In addition, our procedures supplement commonly used procedures by providing extensive training on the elicitation mechanism before subjects provide WTP and WTA responses. Experiments were conducted using both lotteries and mugs, goods frequently used in endowment effect experiments. Using the modified procedures, we find no support for the hypothesis that WTA is significantly greater than WTP. In addition, we find no support that an observed gap can be convincingly interpreted as an endowment effect and conclude that further evidence is required before convincing interpretations of any observed gap can be advanced. Do not reference without permission of the authors.
Household food insecurity in a city from southern Brazil: a population-based study

Introduction : Food insecurity (FI) is characterized by the lack of access to food in adequate quantity and quality. In recent years, there has been an upward trend in FI, and sociodemographic factors seem to influence it. Objective : To verify the prevalence of FI and its associated factors in households in a municipality in southern Santa Catarina. Methods : Population-based cross-sectional study, conducted in Criciúma-SC in 2019, with individuals aged ≥18 years. The analysis included all families in which the head of the household (individual who contributed most of the household income) participated in the research. The Brazilian food insecurity scale assessed the household FI, and sociodemographic and food characteristics were evaluated as independent variables. The study performed adjusted analyses using Poisson regression, considering a significance level of 5% to evaluate the associations between FI and the independent variables. Results: Four hundred and thirty-nine households and five hundred and sixty-two individuals participated in the study. The prevalence of FI was 25.8%, being higher in households with residents between 18 and 29 years of age (PR=1.72; 95% CI 1.08-2.76) and between 30 and 39 years of age (PR=2.02; 95% CI 1.35-3.03), mixed race (PR=1.47; 95% CI 1.01-2.13), under 18 years of age (PR=1.70; 95% CI 1.16;2.47), and who ate 1-2 meals daily (PR=2.29; 95% CI 1.15-4.60), all compared with their peers. In addition, income showed an inverse linear trend with FI, which means that as income decreases, the prevalence of home FI increases (<0.001). Conclusion : One in four households is FI, and demographic, socioeconomic, and nutritional factors influence this outcome. Given these findings, it will be possible to direct public actions and policies to ensure adequate food for the population
The oxygen deficiency index blueprint allows an economic and quick scan via baseline assessment for forecasting the risk of seasonal oxygen deficiency in the North and Baltic Seas

Oxygen deficiency zones (ODZs) in coastal seas can become hazardous to organisms and may have severe ecological and 10 economic consequences for the environment, the fisheries, and the tourism industries. A tight interaction between ventilation and respiration governs marine oxygen levels. Regions with high primary production and a thin water column below the seasonal mixed layer are particularly prone to the formation of oxygen deficiency. In the study of Große et al. (2016) the critical parameters of the oxygen deficiency index (ODI) were identified as stratification and primary production during the formation of oxygen deficiency in the seasonally stratified regions of the North Sea. In order to approach realistic spatio-15 temporal distributions of ODZs, Große et al. (2016) formulated a depth index serving as a proxy for the thickness of the water column below the mixed layer depth (MLD). Here we propose the further developed ODI to represent two differing hydrographic regimes, the North and the Baltic Seas, by using a density-based criterion of the MLD and the vertical extension of the water column between the seafloor and the bottom layer of the MLD. Moreover, we define the stratification status of the water column using continuous stratification periods of 30 days as our reference period for higher risks of developing 20 ODZs. Different to Große et al. (2016), net primary production is not cumulated over the entire growing season but only over this reference period. With these modifications, the revised ODI offers intuitive, short-term forecasts on the areas at risk of developing oxygen deficiency in high spatio-temporal resolution for the coastal zone of the North and Baltic Seas. This allows an operational forecasting of ODZs to inform responsible authorities and civil services in advance. We propose an economic solution to assess oxygen conditions of the past, the present and test for the risk to developing
The Value Expectation Bias in Test Anxiety Individuals: Test Speciﬁcity or Threat Generality?

The value expectation (reward or punishment) of outcomes based on experience and current information decides whether to do and how much eﬀort to put into executing the current task. Individuals with test anxiety have diﬃculty inhibiting test-related and test-unrelated threat stimuli. We suggested that the excessive negative value expectation for threat stimuli played an important role. Thus, the current study investigated the value expectation towards test-related and test-unrelated threat stimuli in test anxiety individuals. The ERP results showed that, in the high test anxiety (HTA) group, compared to neutral stimuli, test-related and unrelated threat stimuli induced more negative FRN amplitudes following negative feedback and more positive FRN amplitudes following positive feedback. Moreover, the FRN amplitudes induced by negative feedback following test-related and test-unrelated threat stimuli were signiﬁcantly more negative in the HTA group than in the LTA group. In the FRN diﬀerence wave (d-FRN) results, test-related and unrelated threat stimuli induced more negative d-FRN than neutral stimuli. Additionally, the HTA group showed a more negative d-FRN than the LTA group under the test-related threat condition. No diﬀerences were found in the LTA group. In the ERD results of the beta band, the ERD power induced by negative feedback following test-related threat stimuli was signiﬁcantly stronger than those following test-unrelated threat stimuli in the HTA group. However, no signiﬁcant diﬀerences were found in the average P3 amplitude and ERS results in the theta band. These ﬁndings suggested that individuals with HTA had a negative value expectation for threat stimuli.
Bioarchaeology of the medieval population of central Europe : relationships among health status, social context and nutrition

Le travail s'est concentre sur la mesure des valeurs des isotopes stables du carbone (δ13C) et de l'azote (δ15N) dans un groupe de 189 adultes des deux sexes et 74 animaux. Le groupe etudie etait represente par differents ensembles de populations (les centres du pouvoir vs. l’arriere-pays) et periodes : la Grande-Moravie (IXe – Xe siecles) et la periode de « late Hillfort » (XIe siecle). L'analyse a egalement concerne un groupe d’immatures âges de moins de six ans. Les donnees isotopiques du groupe des adultes indiquent que l'alimentation de la population de la Grande-Moravie etait basee sur les ressources terrestres riches en plantes dites en C4. Des differences dans la proportion des proteines animales ont ete observees au niveau de l'alimentation des habitants des centres et de leur arriere-pays. Des modifications diachroniques ont ete observees au niveau de l'alimentation – l'alimentation du groupe de la periode de late Hillfort etait caracterisee par une consommation significative de plantes en C4. Les donnees isotopiques du groupe des immatures indiquent que la population de la Grande-Moravie ne connaissait aucune norme obligatoire pour la duree de l'allaitement maternel. Les resultats de cette etude demontrent que la societe de la Grande-Moravie presentait un taux eleve de stratification socio-economique. Les changements diachroniques observes indiquent que malgre le developpement apparent de la population au XIe siecle, la qualite des conditions de vie accuse une aggravation par rapport a la periode de la Grande-Moravie. Les statistiques ont demontre l'impact de la qualite de l'alimentation sur l'etat de la dentition de la population de la Grande-Moravie.
Recommendation

While societal events often impact people worldwide, a significant fraction of events has a local focus that primarily affects specific language communities. Examples include national elections, the development of the Coronavirus pandemic in different countries, and local film festivals such as the César Awards in France and the Moscow International Film Festival in Russia. However, existing entity recommendation approaches do not sufficiently address the language context of recommendation. This article introduces the novel task of language-specific event recommendation, which aims to recommend events relevant to the user query in the language-specific context. This task can support essential information retrieval activities, including web navigation and exploratory search, considering the language context of user information needs. We propose LaSER , a novel approach toward language-specific event recommendation. LaSER blends the language-specific latent representations (embeddings) of entities and events and spatio-temporal event features in a learning to rank model. This model is trained on publicly available Wikipedia Clickstream data. The results of our user study demonstrate that LaSER outperforms state-of-the-art recommendation baselines by up to 33 percentage points in MAP@5 concerning the language-specific relevance of recommended events.
Pristine nocturnal convective initiation: a climatology and preliminary examination of predictability

iv CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background and Overview 1 1.2 Thesis Organization 3 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 5 CHAPTER 3. PRISTINE NOCTURNAL CONVECTIVE 8 INITIATION: A CLIMATOLOGY AND PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF PREDICTABILITY 3.1 Abstract 8 3.2 Introduction 9 3.3 Data and Methodology 12 3.3.1 Classification of CI Events 12 3.3.2 Model Analysis 17 3.4 Results and Analysis 20 3.4. 1 Climatology Analysis 20 3.4. 2 Analysis of High Resolution Models 27 Available During PECAN 3.4. 3 Analysis of WRF Simulated CI Events 29 a. 24 June – Type 1 30 b. 6 July – Type 2 31 c. 22 June – Type 3 32 d. 26 June – Type 4 33 3.5 Conclusions and Discussion 34 3.6 Acknowledgements 38 3.7 Tables 38 3.8 Figures 41 CHAPTER 4. GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 60
Interaction between genetic predisposition to adiposity and dietary protein in relation to subsequent change in body weight and waist circumference

Background: Genetic predisposition to adiposity may interact with dietary protein in relation to changes of anthropometry. Objective: To investigate the interaction between genetic predisposition to higher body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) or waist-hip ratio adjusted for BMI (WHR BMI ) and dietary protein in relation to subsequent change in body weight ( D BW) or change in WC ( D WC)
METHODOLOGY Development and evaluation of a duplex TaqMan qPCR assay for detection and quantification of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in domestic and sylvatic reservoir hosts

Background: A question of epidemiological relevance in Chagas disease studies is to understand Trypanosoma cruzi transmission cycles and trace the origins of (re)emerging cases in areas under vector or disease surveillance. Con‑ ventional parasitological methods lack sensitivity whereas molecular approaches can fill in this gap, provided that an adequate sample can be collected and processed and a nucleic acid amplification method can be developed and standardized. We developed a duplex qPCR assay for accurate detection and quantification of T. cruzi satellite DNA (satDNA) sequence in samples from domestic and sylvatic mammalian reservoirs. The method incorporates ampli‑ fication of the gene encoding for the interphotoreceptor retinoid‑binding protein (IRBP), highly conserved among mammalian species, as endogenous internal amplification control (eIAC), allowing distinction of false negative PCR findings due to inadequate sample conditions, DNA degradation and/or PCR interfering substances. Results: The novel TaqMan probe and corresponding primers employed in this study improved the analytical sen‑ sitivity of the assay to 0.01 par.eq/ml, greater than that attained by previous assays for Tc I and Tc IV strains. The assay was tested in 152 specimens, 35 from 15 different wild reservoir species and 117 from 7 domestic reservoir species, captured in endemic regions of Argentina, Colombia and Mexico and thus potentially infected with different parasite discrete typing units. The eIACs amplified in all samples from domestic reservoirs from Argentina and Mexico, such as Canis familiaris , Felis catus , Sus scrofa , Ovis aries , Equus
Length-weight relationships for zooplanktonic species of a tropical Brazilian lake: Lake Monte Alegre.

Length-weight relationships for zooplanktonic species of a tropical Brazilian lake: Lake Monte Alegre. Equations on length-weight relationships are presented, in dry weight and carbon, for zooplankton species, the cladocerans Daphnia gessneri and D. ambigua, the cyclopoid copepod Tropocyclops prasinus, and the larval instars of the dipteran Chaoborus brasiliensis of a tropical Brazilian lake, Lake Monte Alegre. Zooplankton samples were collected with a 60 µ m mesh net. Organisms were measured for identification of size classes, and then were dried and weighed on a microbalance. Carbon content of the organisms was measured on a Carlo Erba elemental analyzer. Regression equations for length-weight relationship, in dry weight and carbon, were obtained for each species. High correlation coefficients (R 2 ) have been obtained for all species.
Convergent evolution on oceanic islands: comparative genomics reveals species-speciﬁc processes in birds

Understanding the factors driving phenotypic and genomic diﬀerentiation of insular populations is of major interest to gain insight into the speciation process. Comparing patterns across diﬀerent insular taxa subjected to similar selective pressures upon colonizing oceanic islands provides the opportunity to study parallel evolution and identify shared patterns in their genomic land-scapes of diﬀerentiation. We selected four species of passerine birds (common chaﬃnch Fringilla coelebs/canariensis , red-billed chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax , house ﬁnch Haemorhous mexicanus and dark-eyed/island junco Junco hyemalis/insularis ) that have both mainland and insular populations. For each species, we sequenced whole genomes from mainland and insular individuals to infer their demographic history, characterize their genomic diﬀerentiation, and identify the factors shaping them. We estimated the relative (F ST ) and absolute (d xy ) diﬀerentiation, nucleotide diversity ( π ), Tajima’s D, gene density and recombination rate. We also searched for selective sweeps and chromosomal inversions along the genome. Changes in body size between island and mainland were consistent with the island rule. All species shared a marked reduction in eﬀective population size (N e ) upon island colonization. We found highly diﬀerentiated genomic regions in all four species, suggesting the role of selection in island-mainland diﬀerentiation, yet the lack of congruence in the location of these regions indicates that each species adapted to insular environments diﬀerently. Our results suggest that the genomic mechanisms involved, which include selective sweeps, chromosomal inversions, and historical factors like recurrent selection, diﬀer in each species despite the highly conserved structure of avian genomes and the similar selective factors involved.
Discourse-pragmatic variation in Paris French and London English: Insights from general extenders

This paper examines the use of general extenders (GEs), such as and stuff in English and et tout in French, in Paris French and London English. We aim to compare the social and the linguistic conditioning of extender use in the two languages, discuss the different kinds of spread in the two cities and reflect on the specificity of discourse-pragmatic variation. The study shows that GE forms as well as frequencies vary across factors such as gender, age and ethnicity, while some variants also appear to be grammaticalising and acquiring new pragmatic functions. The analysis includes a comparison of different age groups, and finds that different types of generational change may be occurring in both languages. In London, forms such as and stuff and and that diverge along ethnic lines, whereas in Paris et tout is becoming the dominant variant across the board. While different variants in both languages are indirectly associated with different social categories, they perform similar pragmatic functions such as hedging, marking solidarity and appealing to common knowledge between the speaker and the interlocutor(s).