Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The last surviving Thalassochelydia—A new turtle cranium from the Early Cretaceous of the Purbeck Group (Dorset, UK)

Background. The mostly Berriasian (Early Cretaceous) Purbeck Group of southern England has produced a rich turtle fauna dominated by the freshwater paracryptodires Pleurosternon bullockii and Dorsetochelys typocardium. Each of these species is known by numerous relatively complete shells and by a single cranium. The two other turtles found in the Purbeck Group (Hylaeochelys belli, a species of uncertain affinities, and the terrestrial helochelydrid "Helochelydra" anglica) are known only from shell remains.Methods. In the present contribution, we describe a new turtle cranium from the Purbeck Group of Swanage, Dorset (southern England). We also explore the phylogenetic relationships of this new cranium and of Hylaeochelys belli in the context of a recently published global turtle matrix.Results. Before complete preparation, the new Purbeck cranium was provisionally referred to Dorsetochelys typocardium, but our analysis clearly contradicts a referral to this species in particular and to paracryptodires in general. In contrast, the new cranium shares a number of features with the Late Jurassic, coastal marine Thalassochelydia, including a posterolaterally open foramen palatinum posterius, a strong ridge on the posterior surface of the processus articularis of the quadrate, a strong posterior orientation of the processus articularis in ventral view, and a processus trochlearis oticum limited to the medial part of the otic chamber and bordered by a deep recess laterally. Our phylogenetic analysis confirms a placement of the new Purbeck cranium within the clade Thalassochelydia.Discussion. In terms of morphology, the new Purbeck cranium does not correspond to any known taxon. However, we refrain from naming a new species based on it because there is a good chance that this cranium actually belongs to the shell-based species Hylaeochelys belli (also recovered as a thalassochelydian in our phylogenetic analysis). Unfortunately, we lack any objective evidence to support this conclusion for the moment. In any case, the new Purbeck cranium confirms what others have previously suggested based on Hylaeochelys belli: thalassochelydian turtles survived the Jurassic-Cretaceous transition.
Replication Research of Moody, Siponen, and Pahnila’s Unified Model of Information Security Policy Compliance

: Information security compliance behavior research has produced several theoretical models derived from different disciplines to explain or predict violations of information security policies (ISP) or related employee intentions. The application of these theories to ISP violations has led to an increasing number of information security behavioral models. Based on this observation, Moody et al. (2018) reviewed and empirically compared 11 theories that predict information system security behavior using a Finnish sample. Drawing on these findings, they derived and tested a unified model of ISP compliance (UMISPC). This study is a conceptual replication of the refined UMISPC by Moody et al (2018). For the replication, we considered the general tendency to violate policy rather than respondents considering specific behaviors according to the scenario approach that Moody et al. (2018) used to test the refined UMISPC. Further, in contrast to Moody et al. (2018), we tested the refined UMISPC with respondents from Germany. In our data, we found empirical evidence for seven of the eight proposed relationships of the refined UMISPC. Only the relationship between fear and reactance remained insignificant in our estimation. Although more research is necessary to confirm our results, we interpret them as further support for the model’s generalizability.
Estimation of sediments produced in a subbasin using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index

ABSTRACT Among the parameters considered by the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), the soil cover and management factor (C) is the main human influenced factor affecting the estimation of water erosion, and one of the most sensitive to spatiotemporal variations. Consequently, this study aims to compare the efficiency of C factor estimates obtained from the literature for each land-use class (Clit) and by calculation based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (CNDVI). We test the hypothesis that soil loss estimates based on CNDVI approach are more accurate than those based on Clit. Water erosion was estimated based on soil morphological, physical, and chemical properties in addition to climate, relief, management practices, and land use and cover. The modeling steps were realized with the help of the Geographic Information System. The results were validated using the data of total sediment transported with water discharge and daily runoff. RUSLE underestimated soil losses by 0.64 Mg ha-1 year-1 using Clit and 0.45 Mg ha-1 year-1 with CNDVI, which corresponds to errors of 21.05% and 14.80%, respectively. Therefore, the CNDVI factor results are more accurate. Both methodologies identified areas with high erosion rates where the adoption of mitigation measures should be prioritized.
An EH0-Mode Microstrip Leaky-Wave Antenna With Transversal Single Beam via Periodical Loading of Shorting Pins and U-Shaped Slots

This letter presents an improved fundamental EH0-mode microstrip leaky-wave antenna (MLWA) with a transversal single beam by periodically loading a set of shorting pins and U-shaped slots along the longitudinal direction. The original EH0-mode MLWA is constructed by periodically loading a set of shorting pins underneath the microstrip line, but it, unfortunately, radiates symmetric dual beams in the transversal plane. By etching a U-shaped slot in proximity to a shorting pin inside a periodic unit, the adjacent electric field around the shorting pin is interrupted so as to enhance the θ-polarized single beam in the longitudinal plane and weaken the dual symmetric ϕ-polarized dual beams in the transversal plane. An equivalent model is at first established to demonstrate the unique radiation principle of the proposed single-beam MLWA. Next, the effects of the size, shape, and position of a U-shaped slot on the radiation beam are analyzed under fixed pins. In final, a prototype MLWA structure with the improved transversal single-beam radiation performance is designed, fabricated, and measured. The simulated and measured results are found in good agreement with each other, thus validating that the proposed slot-loading technique is indeed useful for the single-beam design of EH0-mode pin-loaded MLWAs.
Impaired miRNA processing by DICER1 downregulation endows thyroid cancer with increased aggressiveness

The global downregulation of miRNAs (miRs) is emerging as a common hallmark of cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are not well known. We identified that the oncogenic miR-146b-5p attenuates miRNA biosynthesis by targeting DICER1 and reducing its expression. DICER1 overexpression inhibited all the miR-146b-induced aggressive phenotypes in thyroid cells. Systemic injection of an antimiR-146b in mice with orthotopic thyroid tumors suppressed tumor growth and recovered DICER1 levels. Notably, DICER1 downregulation promoted proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition through miR downregulation. Our analysis of TCGA revealed a general decrease in DICER1 expression in thyroid cancer that was associated with a worse clinical outcome. Administration of the small molecule enoxacin to promote DICER1 complex activity reduced tumor aggressiveness both in vitro and in vivo. Overall, our data establish DICER1 as a tumor suppressor and that the oncogenic miR-146b contributes to its downregulation. Moreover, this study highlights a potential therapeutic application of RNA-based therapies including miR-inhibitors and restoration of the biogenesis machinery, which may provide treatments in for thyroid and other cancers.
Aboveground Biomass and Organic Carbon of Native Araucaria Angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze

The aim of this study was to quantify the aboveground biomass and organic carbon of Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze in a Mixed Ombrophilous Montane Forest in the state of Paraná. The aboveground biomass determination was carried out according to the direct method, using 29 trees with Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) ≥ 40 cm. The trees were felled, cubed and weighed by compartments, which were sampled for determining moisture and carbon content. The average aerial biomass and carbon were 2,126.5 kg ind-1 and 935.8 kg ind-1, respectively. The moisture content resulted in a mean individual accumulation of 2,376.6 liters ind-1 of water. Age did not necessarily result in higher volume production but resulted in higher stem biomass production. Organic carbon accumulation by native A. angustifolia trees should support carbon credits as an incentive for the conservation of araucaria and Mixed Ombrophilous Forest fragments.
Innovations in Construction Waste Management: Case of Latvia

The environmental concern has become the top trend nowadays and the ideas of environmental protection, green orientation and green innovation, highly concern from the last few decades in all research areas. The construction industry is one of those that has a very strong impact on the environment. Air, water, noise and vibration, as well as soil pollution caused during construction processes, negatively impact on the environment and its natural ecosystems, as well as on humans at a global level. Construction waste generated during the construction, renovation and demolition process occupies huge landfills due to significant volumes. It may also contain substances that are hazardous to the environment and human health. This paper summarizes the research results on the possibilities for more efficient construction waste management as well as the experience of companies operating in the construction sector with a purpose to reduce the causes of pollution. The data obtained within the framework of the survey on people’s understanding in the field of construction pollution and waste in Latvia have been analyzed. The main goal of the study is to present the main findings of the authors’ survey and to discuss the current construction waste management challenges and potential innovations in Latvia. The authors used the following research methods: literature review, analysis of statistical data; questionnaire creation and conduction a survey; interviews with waste management companies. The research was conducted during the period from October 2019 to July 2020. The obtained results showed that there was a huge potential for innovation because the current situation was far from ideal. The results of an empirical analysis demonstrated that the collection of sorted construction waste on construction sites currently was practically impossible, as the industry points to the human factor in the waste sorting process. Although the data obtained within the framework of the survey clearly indicated the interest of employees in sorting construction waste already on the construction site, waste industry companies currently consider such a practice impossible also due to the influence of other side factors related to economic considerations. It is necessary to develop a normative framework for the implementation of the construction waste certification system to promote the reuse of construction waste in construction as efficiently as possible. Keywords construction waste, management of technological innovation, environmental management, Latvia, sustainable development.
Discrete-Time Super-Twisting Fractional-Order Differentiator With Implicit Euler Method

This brief proposes a discrete-time fractional-order differentiator based on the super-twisting algorithm for second-order systems. The differentiator achieves higher performance with respect to the classical ones of integer order in terms of convergence time and robustness. It relaxes the classical boundedness condition required to be satisfied by the second-order derivatives of the functions in conventional differentiators. The numerical integration is performed by an implicit Euler discretization technique based on the Fractional Adams-Moulton method, which significantly suppresses the chattering. The significance of the proposed differentiator is demonstrated through a simulation example, comparing with the classical ones.
Interactions between Herring and Lesser Black-Backed Gulls Feeding on Refuse

--The interactions among Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls during the breeding season while feeding on a refuse dump on Walney Island, England were analyzed. Herring Gulls were found to be more aggressive than Lesser Black-backs, and they were equally aggressive toward Lesser Black-backs and Herring Gulls. It is suggested that Lesser Black-backs are more timid than Herring Gulls and avoid being pecked at by them. Most of the Herring Gulls (77%) found their own food, 95% of the Lesser Black-backs stole theirs. In contrast to Herring Gulls, Lesser Black-backs rarely dug for food and those that fed independently (5%) found less food than Herring Gulls. Lesser Black-backs were very efficient in stealing food, mostly from Herring Gulls. It is suggested that the number of Lesser Black-backs feeding on the dump is dependent on the number of Herring Gulls. Department of Zoology, Animal Behaviour Research Group, Oxford, England. Present address: Department of Biology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1S6, Canada. Accepted 5 April 1976. THE Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) and the Lesser Black-backed Gull (L. fuscus) are closely related species (Mayr 1963) that on occasion produce fertile hybrids (Tinbergen 1953). The species are very similar in body dimensions (Barth 1975). These gulls occupy different food niches (Brown 1967, Shaffer 1971) but considerable overlap occurs on certain feeding substrates (Hunt and Hunt 1973). Given this close similarity one might expect either extreme competition and aggression, or the avoidance thereof because each species uses the common substrate in a different way. This paper examines these possibilities in a situation where both species feed simultaneously on a refuse dump. The study was made on Walney Island, Cumbria, England, in 1973-74. Both species of gulls nest on the south end of the island, about 3 km from the dump. Shaffer (1971) showed that roughly three times more Herring Gulls than Lesser Black-backs frequented this dump, and he suggested that the Herring Gulls "simply drive the Lesser Black-backs away. " This implies severe competition and aggression, which the detailed observations set out in this paper do not support.
Comparative study of egg quality traits in chicken varieties for backyard farming in Jharkhand

Present study was carried out on four chicken varieties i.e. Delham Red (DR), Red Cornish (RC) one Vanaraja (VR) and Gramapriya (GP) to assess the effect of genetic groups on equality traits. A total of 87 eggs were collected from the above four genetic groups at 20 weeks of age to study the various external, internal and derived egg equality traits. The external characters like egg weight, length and width were measured. Thereafter, the egg was broken and the internal traits like weight, height and width of albumin and yolk, shell weight and their thickness were recorded using standard procedure. The derived traits egg Haugh unit, shape index, albumin index and yolk index were estimated for study. Least square analysis of variance showed significant effect genetic group on all the traits (external, internal and derived traits) under study except on shell weight and shape index. Significantly higher external egg traits were recorded in DR followed by RC, VR and GP. Exactly similar trend was noticed with albumin weight. However, there was no any definite trend with respect to other internal and derived traits. Overall egg weight, egg length and egg width were found to be 53.77±0.273 g, 5.56±0.02 cm and 4.15±0.008 cm, respectively.
A Simplified Analytical Algorithm in abc Coordinate for the Three-Level SVPWM

Given the high complexity of the conventional three-level space-vector pulsewidth modulation (3L SVPWM), simplified SVPWM algorithms are usually adopted instead. However, existing simplifications for 3L SVPWM still have a large computation burden, which limits its applications, e.g., in high-switching-frequency silicon-carbide converters with a short computation period. In this letter, based on a typical simplified algorithm known as the center-aligned 3L SVPWM, a simplified analytical algorithm in abc coordinate is proposed. The reference-voltage-vector adjustment and the calculation of modulation waves are unified based on the center-aligned SVPWM. The modulation waves can be analytically derived by only eight simple equations, without sector determination, calculation, and assignment of dwell times. Consequently, the complexity of implementing the 3L SVPWM is significantly reduced.
Causes of equine abortion, stillbirth, and perinatal mortality in Brazil

Arq. Inst. Biol., v.87, 1-9, e0092020, 2020 RESUMO: Abortamento e complicações na reprodução são importantes causas de perda econômica na equideocultura. Estudos dos agentes causais podem ajudar a identificar patógenos ou outros fatores envolvidos e definir medidas apropriadas para reduzir sua ocorrência. Esta pesquisa investigou as causas primárias de aborto, natimortalidade e mortalidade perinatal em equinos de diversas regiões do Brasil. Tecidos de fetos abortados, natimortos e potros submetidos ao Instituto Biológico de São Paulo, Brasil, no período de janeiro de 2010 a julho de 2013, foram processados por meio de técnicas de isolamento viral e bacteriano, PCR, histologia e imuno-histoquímica. Infecção bacteriana foi a causa mais detectada, encontrada em 16 de 53 amostras submetidas à análise bacteriana, seguida de causa viral em 2 de 105 amostras, e causas não infecciosas (isoeritrólise neonatal) em 2 de 105 amostras. Fungo foi encontrado em uma única amostra de 53 testadas. As bactérias isoladas mais frequentemente foram Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, E. coli associada a Streptococcus spp. , Staphylococcus spp. associado a Bacillus spp. Os seguintes agentes foram observados em uma única amostra cada: Arcanobacterium pyogenes, Streptococcus spp. , Corynebacterium spp. , Actinobacillus spp. e Rhodococcus equi. A identificação predominante de bactérias fecais e outras bactérias oportunistas, ao invés de outros patógenos comumente associados a quadros de abortamento equino, tais como Leptospira spp. e Herpesvírus equino tipo 1, sugere a necessidade de maior atenção no manejo higiênico das éguas em reprodução, a fim de prevenir infecções bacterianas que possam causar perda fetal, natimortalidade e mortalidade perinatal.
A Ground Penetrating Radar Imaging Approach for a Heterogeneous Subsoil With a Vertical Permittivity Gradient

The article presents an imaging approach for ground penetrating radar prospecting over a heterogeneous background soil characterized by a dielectric permittivity variation along depth. The proposed approach is based on a linear model of the electromagnetic scattering phenomenon, where the soil inhomogeneity in the reference scenario is accounted for by introducing an equivalent permittivity function. Such a function notably simplifies the computation of the kernel of the relevant linear integral equation to be inverted. Then, the data inversion is carried out in a regularized way by resorting to the truncated singular value decomposition scheme. A procedure for estimating the equivalent permittivity function, typically unknown in practical situations, is also proposed. Reconstruction results achieved from full-wave simulated data and real data collected in a controlled test site are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and the reliability of the proposed imaging approach.
Molecular Epidemiology and Mechanisms of Antibiotic Resistance in Gram-positive Bacteria in Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis from a One Health Perspective

A systematic review and meta-analysis of antibiotic-resistant Gram-positive bacteria in Africa, showing the molecular epidemiology of resistant species from animal, human and environmental sources, is lacking. Thus, the current burden, type, and sources of Gram-positive bacterial resistance and their dissemination routes from farm to fork is absent. To fill this One Health information gap, we systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science and African Journals Online for English research articles reporting on the resistance mechanisms and clonality of resistant Gram-positive bacteria in Africa within 2007 to 2018. The review and all statistical analysis were undertaken with 130 included articles. From our analyses, the same resistant Gram-positive bacterial clones, resistance genes, and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) are circulating in humans, animals and the environment. The resistance genes, mecA, erm(B), erm(C), tet(M), tet(K), tet(L), vanB, vanA, vanC, and tet(O), were found in isolates from humans, animals and the environment. Commonest clones and mobile genetic elements identified from all three sample sources included Staphylococcus aureus ST5 (n=208 isolates), ST 8 (n=116 isolates), ST 80 (n=123 isolates) and ST 88 (n=105 isolates), and IS16 (n=18 isolates), Tn916 (n=60 isolates) and SCCmec (n=202 isolates). Resistance to penicillin (n=4 224 isolates, 76.2%), erythromycin (n=3 552 isolates, 62.6%), ampicillin (n=1 507 isolates, 54.0%), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (n=2 261 isolates, 46.0%), tetracycline (n=3 054 isolates, 42.1%), vancomycin (n=1 281 isolates, 41.2%), streptomycin (n=1 198 isolates, 37.0%), rifampicin (n=2 645 isolates, 33.1%), ciprofloxacin (n=1 394 isolates, 30.5%), clindamycin (n=1 256 isolates, 29.9%) and gentamicin (n=1 502 isolates, 27.3%) (p-value <0.0001) were commonest. Mean resistance rates of 14.2% to 98.5% were recorded in 20 countries within the study period, which were mediated by clonal, polyclonal and horizontal transmission of resistance genes. A One Health approach to research, surveillance, molecular epidemiology, and antibiotic stewardship to contain ABR should be prioritized.
Effect of acute whole-body vibration exercise with blood flow restriction on vascular endothelial growth factor response

This study aimed to investigate the effects of the whole-body vibration (WBV) exercise with and without blood flow restriction (BFR) on heart rate (HR), oxygen saturation (SpO2), and circulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) response. Ten physically inactive male adults participated in this study and completed WBV (frequency: 26 Hz; amplitude: 4 mm; 10 sets for 1 min, with 1-2 min of rest between sets) and WBV + BFR sessions in a repeated measures crossover design, with a 1-week interval separating the sessions. In the WBV + BFR session, participants wore a BFR device inflated to 140 mmHg on the proximal portion of the thigh muscle. Results indicated that WBV + BFR caused a greater HR response than WBV alone (p .05). Only the WBV + BFR session caused a significant increase in the VEGF response (p<.05), and WBV + BFR elicited a significantly higher VEGF response than did WBV after exercise (p<.05). In conclusion, an acute bout of WBV + BFR exercise magnifies the HR response relative to WBV exercise and induces an increase in circulating VEGF values. These alterations seem unrelated to systematic SpO2.Key words: oxygen saturation, heart rate, physically inactive male adults