Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Temporal and Spatial Abundance of Acanthaster cf. solaris (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) in a National Park in the Gulf of California, Mexico: 2005–20161

Abstract: The crown-of-thorns seastar (COTS; Acanthaster spp.) inhabits coral reefs across the Pacific Ocean. Based on studies in the Western Pacific, when densities exceed ∼15 specimens per ha, coral reef degradation due to COTS predation may occur. There is little information about the role of COTS on coral reefs in the tropical eastern Pacific, although previous studies suggested it was not a concern to coral reef conservation in México. In this study, we estimated the abundance and impact of COTS on coral reefs at Espíritu Santo Archipelago National Park (Gulf of California) over a period of 12 years (2005–2016). The mean density (pooled among sites and over time) of COTS was 70 ± 5.1 ind. ha–1 (mean ± SE), with a maximum value of 143.6 ± 30.3 ind. ha–1, recorded in 2006. Densities changed significantly over time and spatially. The highest values were observed at sites located on the west side of the islands. Density was not correlated with seawater temperature or live coral cover. The absence of evidence of major live coral cover declines associated with predation by COTS, even though high densities were observed through the years in the region, lead us to conclude that this seastar does not appear to threaten coral reefs at Espíritu Santo. However, continued monitoring of COTS is required to help understand density fluctuations and to identify threshold densities needed to cause major coral damage in the region.
Breeding System and Pollination of Thermopsis divaricarpa (Fabaceae: Papilionoideae) in the Southern Rocky Mountains

Abstract. Thermopsis divaricarpa (Fabaceae) is a common wildflower in the montane zone of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, but its reproductive ecology is still largely unknown. Montane meadows are recognized for their relatively high species richness and important ecosystem services. Thus, knowledge of the reproductive ecology of T. divaricarpa is useful when assessing community-level responses to climate change in the montane zone of the Rockies. We investigated the phenology, breeding system, and pollination of this species in the southern Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Our results suggest that T. divaricarpa flowers from early June to mid-July, exhibits a facultative xenogamous breeding system, and may be pollinated by bumble bees. Pollen grains of T. divaricarpa are singular, ellipsoidal, and tricolpate. Beetles consume floral tissue, but their role as pollinators is questionable.
Native Fish Loss in a Transition-Zone Stream Following Century-Long Habitat Alterations and Nonnative Species Introductions

Abstract. Habitat destruction, hydrologic alteration, and nonnative species introductions have greatly altered the composition of North American stream fish assemblages. In the western United States, intermediate-elevation transition-zone stream reaches––those located between higher-elevation mountain and lower-elevation plains areas––historically supported native fish assemblages that included sensitive species and peripheral or isolated populations of more widespread taxa. We compiled historical records and conducted sampling to examine changes to the fish assemblage in the transition-zone reach of South Boulder Creek, Colorado, USA. Because human development of transition zones altered stream and riparian ecosystems prior to sampling, we developed a historical timeline of human activities to formulate hypotheses regarding factors that influenced fish assemblage change through time. Native fish species richness declined by 60% from the likely historical assemblage, and we hypothesize that widespread alteration of stream and riparian habitat in the mid-1800s caused a first wave of species losses, especially taxa with specific habitat or life history requirements. The remaining coolwater native fishes dominated through the mid-1990s, but more recently, the coldwater-tolerant, nonnative Brown Trout Salmo trutta has greatly expanded and is implicated in additional native species loss. Possible management actions to restore native fish assemblages in transition-zone streams include the following: increasing habitat diversity, particularly off-channel backwaters suited to lentic-adapted native fishes; providing refuges from predators or reducing predator abundance; restoring sinuosity to straightened reaches to improve channel function; improving stream connectivity via installation of fish passages; reintroducing beaver or installing beaver dam analogs; provisioning of suitable flow; and eventually, identifying native stocks for reintroduction. Management of other western United States transition-zone stream reaches may benefit from these insights, especially if conservation of the locally distinct native fish assemblages and their scarce habitat is a priority in the face of rapid human population growth and expanding invasive species.
Diet Analysis of Hawai‘i Island's Blackburnia hawaiiensis (Coleoptera: Carabidae) using Stable Isotopes and High-Throughput Sequencing1

Abstract: Determining the diet of arthropods can be difficult due to their small size and complex food webs, especially in Hawai‘i, where knowledge of arthropod predator–prey interactions is sparse. The diet of the Hawai‘i Island-endemic carabid beetle, Blackburnia hawaiiensis Sharp (Coleoptera: Carabidae) is of particular interest because of its peculiar arboreal behavior and metathoracic flight wings. Our study objective was to determine the diet of B. hawaiiensis in replicated, geographically separated locations by using two different yet complementary laboratory techniques: natural abundance stable isotope analysis (SIA) and high-throughput sequencing (HTS). Overall, B. hawaiiensis had a greater average δ15N and similar δ13C compared to the other arthropods sampled in this study and HTS data revealed Diptera and Lepidoptera sequences in the beetle's gut contents. These results are consistent with B. hawaiiensis being classified as a generalist predator. The combination of SIA and HTS are important methods for determining the diet of species within complex food webs, particularly for species that are difficult to observe in nature.
Human neurons from Christianson syndrome iPSCs reveal mutation-specific responses to rescue strategies

Neurons from patient-derived iPSCs demonstrate mutation-specific responses to potential therapeutic strategies for Christianson syndrome. To each mutation its own treatment Mutations in the gene encoding the endosomal Na+/H+ exchanger 6 (NHE6) cause Christianson syndrome (CS), a neurological disease associated with epilepsy, reduced brain growth, and impaired cognitive abilities. To understand the mechanisms involved in disease pathophysiology and to identify potential treatments, Lizarraga et al. used five induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines from patients with CS harboring different mutations. Most of the mutations lead to loss of protein, with one exception, that which is associated with a complex loss-of-function mechanism. Gene therapy was shown to rescue cellular abnormalities in a mutation-specific fashion, whereas administration of exogenous trophic factors was effective in all the lines examined. Christianson syndrome (CS), an X-linked neurological disorder characterized by postnatal attenuation of brain growth (postnatal microcephaly), is caused by mutations in SLC9A6, the gene encoding endosomal Na+/H+ exchanger 6 (NHE6). To hasten treatment development, we established induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines from patients with CS representing a mutational spectrum, as well as biologically related and isogenic control lines. We demonstrated that pathogenic mutations lead to loss of protein function by a variety of mechanisms: The majority of mutations caused loss of mRNA due to nonsense-mediated mRNA decay; however, a recurrent, missense mutation (the G383D mutation) had both loss-of-function and dominant-negative activities. Regardless of mutation, all patient-derived neurons demonstrated reduced neurite growth and arborization, likely underlying diminished postnatal brain growth in patients. Phenotype rescue strategies showed mutation-specific responses: A gene transfer strategy was effective in nonsense mutations, but not in the G383D mutation, wherein residual protein appeared to interfere with rescue. In contrast, application of exogenous trophic factors (BDNF or IGF-1) rescued arborization phenotypes across all mutations. These results may guide treatment development in CS, including gene therapy strategies wherein our data suggest that response to treatment may be dictated by the class of mutation.
Comparing the Use of Gibbs Ensemble and Grand-Canonical Transition-Matrix Monte Carlo Methods to Determine Phase Equilibria

We present results from a computational study investigating the use of Gibbs ensemble and grand-canonical transition-matrix Monte Carlo (GC-TMMC) methods to determine the liquid−vapor phase coexistence properties of pure molecular fluids of varying degrees of complexity. The molecules used in this study were ethane, n-octane, cyclohexane, 2,5-dimethylhexane, 1-propanol, and water. We first show that the GC-TMMC method can reproduce Gibbs ensemble results found in the literature. Given the excellent agreement for each molecule, we then compare directly the performance of Gibbs ensemble and GC-TMMC simulations at both low and high reduced temperatures by monitoring the relative uncertainties in the saturation properties as a function of computational time. In general, we found that the GC-TMMC method yielded limiting uncertainties in the saturated vapor density and pressure that were significantly smaller, by an order of magnitude in some instances, than those of the Gibbs ensemble method. Limiting Gibbs en.
Phylogenetic position of Sphincterodiplostomum Dubois, 1936 (Digenea: Diplostomoidea) with description of a second species from Pantanal, Brazil

Abstract Sphincterodiplostomum is a monotypic genus of diplostomid digeneans that parasitize fish-eating birds in the neotropics. The type species Sphincterodiplostomum musculosum has a unique, dorsal, tubular invagination in the opisthosoma with a muscular sphincter. Whereas larvae of S. musculosum are relatively commonly reported in Neotropical fish helminth surveys, adult specimens from birds are rarely collected. Prior to our study, no DNA sequence data for S. musculosum were available. Our molecular and morphological study of mature and immature adult Sphincterodiplostomum specimens from three species of birds and one species of crocodilian revealed the presence of at least two species of Sphincterodiplostomum in the neotropics. We provide the first molecular phylogeny of the Diplostomoidea that includes Sphincterodiplostomum. In addition, this is the first record of S. musculosum from caimans, along with the first record of fully mature adult S. musculosum from green kingfisher Chloroceryle americana. The new species of Sphincterodiplostomum (Sphincterodiplostomum joaopinhoi n. sp.) can be morphologically distinguished from S. musculosum based on the anterior extent of vitelline follicles, narrower prosoma, substantially smaller holdfast organ and structure of tegumental spines. Our data revealed 0.7% interspecific divergence in 28S and 10.6–11.7% divergence in cox1 sequences between the two Sphincterodiplostomum species.
Regulation of seed germination by diurnally alternating temperatures in disturbance-adapted banana crop wild relatives (Musa acuminata)

Abstract Seed conservation of banana crop wild relatives (Musa L. spp.) is limited because of lack of knowledge about their germination ecology. Musa acuminata Colla, the most important banana crop wild relative, is distributed in tropical and subtropical Asian and Pacific rainforests and colonizes disturbed sites. The role of temperature in stimulating/inhibiting germination to detect disturbance when canopy gaps are formed is not well known. We assessed seed germination thermal requirements of three subspecies of M. acuminata using nine seed accessions which had been stored in the Millennium Seed Bank. Diurnally alternating temperature cycles were almost completely essential for germination compared with constant temperatures. Germination was optimal when the upper temperature of a diurnal cycle was at 35°C; the lower temperature of the cycle was less important. Subspecies occurrence coordinates were used to extract climate temperature data which were then compared against the temperature requirements for germination from our experiment results. Maximum temperatures of the warmest month across subspecies ranges were close to but below optimal germination temperatures, as were diurnal ranges, suggesting soil-warming at the micro-climate level following gap creation is important for M. acuminata seed germination. Additionally, pre-treatment for 3 months at 60% relative humidity at constant 25°C improved germination from 14 ± 10 (mean, standard deviation) to 41 ± 29% suggesting a period in the soil seed bank under the canopy may increase sensitivity to alternating temperature cycles. Overall viability was low (49 ± 28%), and considerable variance was caused by the different accessions. Germination remained somewhat inconsistent.
Beyond the Vigilance End-Spurt with Event-Related Potentials

As task environments become more automated and operators become more passive monitors, it is important to understand the underlying mechanisms of the vigilance decrement to help inform task development and interventions. Some vigilance studies have reported an end-spurt effect, where performance increases at the end of the task. This is commonly purported to be the result of increased resources from motivation or arousal; however, self-regulation of attentional resources throughout the vigil has not been addressed. To provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the vigilance decrement, we utilize event-related potentials to examine the vigilance decrement beyond the end-spurt. Thirty-two individuals aged 18 – 36 (M = 22.60; SD = 4.08) completed a vigilance task with an unknown end time while EEG data was collected. Results revealed non-monotonic trends in N1 and P3 components, suggesting that individuals might self-regulate resources during the vigil, adapting to the constraints of the task environment.
Surgeon Postures during Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap Breast Reconstruction Procedures: A Pilot Study

Deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap is a surgical procedure using tissue harvested from the abdominal area to reconstruct the breast after a mastectomy. Primary surgical phases include the abdominal flap harvest, chest dissection, and anastomosis. In this study, inertial measurement units (IMUs) were used to measure surgeon upper body postures while performing DIEP flap procedures. Ergonomic risks of musculoskeletal disorders were evaluated using the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) based on the postures obtained from the IMUs. Joint angles were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA. The neck and back had higher joint angles during the abdominal flap (M=32°, 17°, respectively) and chest dissection (M=31°, 18°, respectively) phases than the anastomosis phase. These high-risk postures may lead to musculoskeletal disorders. Future interventions should focus on improving the postures of the neck and back during the abdominal flap and chest dissection phases of the procedure.
Safety Perception and Behaviors during Human-Robot Interaction in Virtual Environments

Virtual Reality (VR) technology is increasingly used to simulate and study human-robot interaction (HRI) because of its low cost and minimal risk to participants. The current study investigated whether perceived safety and safety-related behaviors during human-robot interaction can be adequately examined in virtual environments. Two prior studies that examined perceived safety and proxemics behavior during human-robot interaction in real environments were replicated in virtual environments using Head-Mounted Display (HMD) VR. Our results indicated that although perceived safety during virtual human-robot interaction is higher than during physical interaction in some situations, the virtual simulation of robots induced safety perception and behaviors comparable to those found in real environments and some of the findings of the previous human-robot interaction studies were replicable in a virtual environment. These findings suggest that VR simulation is a valid and useful method for research and worker training; however, it may be less sensitive than real environments.
“We Didn’t Catch That!” Using Voice Text Input on a Mixed Reality Headset in Noisy Environments

The Microsoft HoloLens, a mixed reality head-mounted display (HMD), has been demonstrated in domains such as medicine, engineering, and manufacturing. In order to interact with the device, voice input may be required. Given this range of environments, it is necessary to understand the impact of noise on voice dictation speed and accuracy. In this study, we evaluated the dictation feature of the HoloLens through speed (WPM), accuracy (WER), perceived workload, and perceived usability at three different noise levels: 40 dB, 55 dB, and 70 dB. No differences were found across noise levels in speed (67-75 WPM), or perceived workload. Accuracy and perceived usability worsened in the 70 dB noise condition. Only 37.5% of participants were able to successfully dictate in the 70 dB condition. This study shows that if the HoloLens is to be accepted in environments with high noise levels, improvements to dictation need to be made.
Investigating the Effects of Interruptions and Reliable Cueing on Change Detection within Dynamic Scenes

The goal of the present study was to examine the effects of cuing and task interruptions on change detection within dynamic scenes. Undergraduate students watched 24 brief videos (12 containing interruptions) for anomalous feature changes appearing in 8 videos. Half of the object changes occurred during a visual occlusion, while the others contained no interruption. All videos were unique and depicted various dynamic scenes. Participants were assigned at random to one of three conditions containing cues to the changes (reliable, unreliable, or no cue). The results showed that more object changes were detected during uninterrupted vs. interrupted trials. More object changes were detected with reliable vs. unreliable cues for uninterrupted trials. Providing reliable cues had no benefit over the other conditions when interruptions were present. Overall, these results suggest that visual interruptions may degrade information stored in memory, which could compromise visual monitoring tasks.
Comparing Two Decision Support Modes Using the Cognitive Shadow Online Policy-Capturing System

The Cognitive Shadow is a prototype tool intended to support decision making by autonomously modeling human operators’ response pattern and providing online notifications to the operators about the decision they are expected to make in new situations. Since the system can be configured either in a reactive “shadowing” or a proactive “recommendation” mode, this study aimed to determine its most effective mode in terms of human and model accuracy, workload, and trust. Subjects participated in an aircraft threat evaluation simulation without decision support or while using either mode of the Cognitive Shadow. Whereas the recommendation mode had no advantage over the control condition, the shadowing mode led to higher human and model accuracy. These benefits were maintained even when the tool was unexpectedly removed. Neither mode influenced workload, and the initial lower trust rating in the shadowing mode faded quickly, making it the best overall configuration for the cognitive assistant.
Modelling cation exchange in columns of disturbed and undisturbed subsoil

Cation exchange is often studied with disturbed and dried soils, but the applicability of the results to undisturbed soils is not straightforward. We investigated the value of exchange coefficients obtained from standard procedures for predicting cation exchange in soil. Columns of undisturbed and disturbed subsoil of a Luvisol (SBt horizon) were leached under saturated conditions with 0.4, 4, 20, 41, 102 and 205 mm BaCl2 at a Darcy velocity of 1400 mm day−1. The model PHREEQC was used to calculate one‐dimensional transport, inorganic complexation and multiple cation exchange. Two model variants were tested: m1 (exchangeable cations obtained by percolation with NH4Cl) and m2 (exchangeable cations obtained by shaking the soil with BaCl2). The exchange coefficients (Gaines–Thomas formalism) were calculated from the ion activities in solution and exchangeable cations obtained by NH4Cl percolation (m1) or shaking with BaCl2 (m2). Variant m1 predicted cation exchange of the disturbed (homogenized) soil for the entire BaCl2 concentration range, whereas variant m2 resulted in a two‐fold overestimation of desorbed K for all experiments, which was related to large amounts of K released from the soil by shaking with BaCl2. In experiments with undisturbed soil, variant m1 predicted the concentrations of Mg, Ca, K, and Na in the solution phase and the sum of cations released from exchange sites. However, variant m2 predicted changes in ion concentrations and exchangeable cations somewhat less well. This study suggests that the amounts of exchangeable cations and exchange coefficients obtained from experiments with homogenized soil by percolation are useful to predict cation concentrations in column experiments with undisturbed soils.
Provider Burnout as it relates to the Electronic Health Record and Clinical Workflow

Provider burnout has reached epidemic levels, especially with primary care-oriented specialties such as Family Medicine. Guided by a sociotechnical systems perspective, we investigated contributing burnout factors that relate to the electronic health record (EHR) and clinical workflow in an academic healthcare institution. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 family medicine and geriatrics providers and administered EHR usability and workflow integration surveys. Findings are organized around recurrent, overarching themes: (1) Clinic Workflow, (2) Documentation, (3) EHR Workflow and Usability, (4) Patient Complexity, (5) Staffing, and (6) Technical Issues. The most consistent finding across all provider interviews was poor EHR usability as a contributing factor to burnout; especially the number of clicks needed to complete EHR tasks. This finding is supported by low usability and workflow integration survey ratings. Using a sociotechnical systems framework, we demonstrate social, technological, and environmental contributors to burnout and discuss potential interventions to mitigate these contributing factors.
Optimal Placement of Anti-Counterfeiting Indicators

With the expansion of the internet, counterfeiting and the purchase of counterfeit goods has exploded. In spite of this, little to no research has been completed on whether or not anti-counterfeiting technologies on packages are noticed by consumers. This was an exploratory research study that examined where participants inspected product packages when specifically asked to look for authenticity cues. Participants were also asked to state what parts of the package made them feel confident in the genuineness of the product. The results found suggested that the participants in this study focused more on the words on the package. The participants did comment that they were specifically looking for spelling errors in the text. Further research is needed to continue to investigate if overt anti-counterfeit indicators are a good investment to help prevent consumers from accidentally purchasing counterfeit products.