Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reproduction, Recruitment and Geographical Distribution of Fucus serratus L. in the Baltic Sea

Abstract This paper describes the large-scale geographical distribution, population structure, and reproductive season of the brown algae Fucus serratus L. in the Baltic proper. We have also experimentally tested fertilisation success and germination of F. serratus zygotes in a salinity gradient with the aim of finding out whether an adaptation to reduced salinity has occurred. Fucus serratus was found to be belt-forming along the shores of southeastern Sweden and scattered populations were found up to the middle of the Baltic proper. The ratio of non-reproductive (juvenile) plants per reproductive (adult) plant decreased significantly from 37 ± 8 S. E. in the south to 0.4 ± 0.2 in the north. Fucus serratus was reproductive during October to November on the mainland coast, while the populations on the southeast coast of Öland were reproductive during June to July. Laboratory experiments showed that successful fertilisation of Baltic F. serratus zygotes decreased drastically from 86.9 ± 1.0% S. E. at 9 psu to 5.5 ± 0.5% S. E. at 6 psu. Fucus serratus zygotes from the western coast of Sweden needed a significantly higher salinity for successful fertilisation than the Baltic gametes did, and at 8 psu, only a few eggs were fertilised (5.5 ± 0.5% S. E.). Since a relatively high proportion (35 %) of the Baltic F. serratus zygotes germinated in 7 psu, (the salinity at the northernmost populations) we discuss other factors such as ice-scraping and eutrophication as possible factors limiting the geographical and vertical distribution of the species in the Baltic Sea.
Studies on the growth of marine phytoplankton III.Prorocentrum micans Ehrenberg

The last of the organisms to be studied in this series was chosen as a representative of the Dinophyceae. The treatment of Prorocentrum micans Ehrenberg has been similar to that of Asterionellajaponica Cleve & Müler ex Gran (Kain & Fogg, 1958 a) and Isochrysis galbana Parke (Kain & Fogg, 1958 b). The present paper includes a discussion of the results for all three organisms in the light of work by previous authors.
“Who is this little girl they hired to work here?”: Women’s experiences of marginalizing communication in male-dominated workplaces

ABSTRACT Drawing from research on workplace incivility, marginalization, and socialization, this study explored the experiences of 41 women who self-identified as being in the early stages of careers in male-dominated workplaces. Analysis of interviews suggested a model that explicates the process of marginalization including (a) marginalizing communication (six categories that range from micro to macro-aggressions), (b) interpretation, (c) response, and (d) outcomes. Based on participants’ descriptions, the model explains how societal and job contexts and personal factors (constraints, previous experience, social networks) shape the process of workplace marginalization. This study offers an integrated approach to conceptualizing marginalization as a process-based and communicative phenomenon.
Investigation of iris segmentation techniques using active contours for non-cooperative iris recognition

Iris image segmentation process based on graphical user interface (GUI) to accurately localize the iris structure is presented in this paper. The major challenge confronting the precision of an iris recognition model is how to determine the accuracy of the iris segmentation and localization. There are varying parameters that introduce constraints during feature extraction and these greatly affect the matching performance during iris localization. To this end, the Integro-differential operator, which involves the detection of inner and outer regions of the iris, and the circular hough transform, which is capable of detecting the circular boundary from the edge mapping were investigated, and an active contour model was evolved. In the evolved model, an emerging curve mapped with the zeros of the data set function is experimentally exploited. To demonstrate the suitability of the model for precise iris recognition, its parameters were compared against other related models. Simulation results show that the model has higher flexibility of substitution of images, and the images could be analyzed more accurately with less false rejections (FR) and false acceptance (FA) in comparison with the integro-differential operator. This implies that images could be analyzed faster using the evolved model, and easily substituted especially in situations where the need to care for numerous eye patients occur.
E-Mentoring in Higher Education: A Structured Literature Review and Implications for Future Research

Mentoring in higher education helps learners acclimate to a new academic topic, increases the likelihood of academic success, and reduces attrition. Learners rely on the expertise and experience of mentors to help them graduate in a timely manner and advance on to their career. As online and distance education becomes more pervasive, computer-mediated mentoring allows learners to connect with their mentors in new ways. Research about mentoring in higher education includes investigations into the efficacy of virtual or e-mentoring. We conducted a literature review of research from 2009 to 2019 to identify relevant elements for implementing e-mentoring programs in higher education. Our research revealed that there is a consistent interest in the subject matter within educational research; however, there is a gap on virtual mentoring in higher education for students conducting offsite internships. Our research reviews e-mentoring programs, identifies how these programs are evaluated, identifies factors of successful programs, and establishes a research agenda in areas of e-mentoring programs for students in offsite internships and how they can be structured to achieve the same level of success.
Efficacy and Safety of Direct-Acting Oral Anticoagulants (DOACs) in the Overweight and Obese

Obesity plays an essential role in the safety of pharmacologic drugs. There is paucity of data for direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in the obese, despite these agents becoming more widely used. The primary and secondary objectives of this study were to assess the safety and efficacy of DOACs in the overweight and obese populations when used for primary prophylaxis in the setting of non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and for treatment of venous thromboembolisms (VTE). We conducted a retrospective cohort study in a large tertiary care center and obtained data through review of electronic health records. Among patients with NVAF and VTE on apixaban, there were no differences in rates of major bleeding (MB) and clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding (CRNMB) in the overweight and obese populations when compared to normal weight and underweight individuals. The multivariate adjusted analysis for rivaroxaban found that the odds of CRNMB for patients with BMI <25 was 5.37 (95% CI 1.50–19.32) times higher than that of BMI ≥25. Moreover, patients on medications that had known interactions with DOACs had 6.40 times higher odds of CRNMB than patients without such interactions (95% CI 1.49–27.57), which was not accounted for by the effects of aspirin and plavix alone. Efficacy was similar between all weight groups, for both apixaban and rivaroxaban. These results support previous analyses preformed in the large phase III trials and confirm that apixaban and rivaroxaban are safe in the overweight and obese.
Seed provenance influences the wood structure of Gallesia Integrifolia

Plants from three provenances of Gallesia integrifolia were cultivated under homogeneous growth conditions to determine the effect of seed provenance on the wood density, anatomy and chemical constituents. In 1981, seeds were collected in Ribeirao Preto (RP), Campinas (CA) and Bauru (BA). Seedlings of the three provenances were planted at the Luiz Antonio Station in 1982 and trees were felled in 2008. The plants showed significant differences in their wood, possibly due to different genotypes. The relatively small vessel diameter in CA was associated with a high wood density. The provenances RP and CA did not show radial variation in density, which indicates a more homogeneous wood than BA. To obtain wood with a high density, trees of the provenance CA would be most useful, while wood from the RP and CA provenances would be suitable if a homogeneous wood with minor radial variation were desirable.
On the local measurement of electric currents and magnetic fields using Thomson scattering in Weibel-unstable plasmas

We demonstrate the capability of the Thomson Scattering (TS) diagnostic to measure locally the microscopic electron and ion currents in counter-streaming plasmas unstable to the Weibel or current-filamentation instability. Synthetic TS spectra are calculated with particle distribution functions obtained from particle-in-cell simulations and used to accurately reproduce the simulated currents. We show that this technique allows accurate local measurements of the magnetic field, thus opening the way for the complete experimental characterization of the growth rate, saturation, and nonlinear dynamics of electromagnetic instabilities in plasmas. We illustrate the application of this diagnostic to experimental TS data, which yields local measurements of the magnetic field in Weibel-unstable plasmas and indicates that the magnetic energy density reaches ∼ 1% of the kinetic energy density of the flows, in agreement with previous numerical studies.
Metabolic blocks and insulin resistance

Violation of glucose intake and oxidation in muscle tissue can occur at various stages and, according to the feedback principle, this will lead to inhibition of glucose utilization or the development of insulin resistance. In this regard, the process of violation of an excess glucose stream deposition in the form of glycogen (glycogen block) is considered. The processes of violation of glucose oxidation at various stages are considered: 1) pyruvate conversion (pyruvate block); 2) excessive accumulation of lactate (lactate block); 3) deterioration of the process of transamination of pyruvate (BCAA block); 4) impaired transport of reduced equivalents to mitochondria (aspartate block); 5) deficiency of cofactors for the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-CoA and oxaloacetate; 6) carnitine deficiency for the transfer of acetyl-CoA to mitochondria (carnitine block); 7) a decrease in the rate of acetyl CoA entry into mitochondria due to a decrease in their number (mitochondrial block); 8) a decrease in the level of coenzyme Q10 and a decrease in the rate of oxidative phosphorylation (oxidative block). These disorders (metabolic blocks) can be corrected by providing substrate for these reactions, which may be the principle for the prevention and treatment of insulin-resistant conditions.
Sensitivity comparison of free-space and waveguide Raman for bulk sensing

The sensitivity advantage of waveguide-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (WERS) over free-space Raman, measured by the signal-to-noise ratio, is well established for thin molecular layer sensing, which traditionally relies on confocal Raman setups. However, for bulk liquid or gas samples, WERS must be benchmarked against nonconfocal Raman configurations. We use ray tracing to calculate the power collection efficiency of several model free-space systems, such as microscopes and probes, encompassing both single-objective and dual-lens systems. It is shown that considering only the focal volume of the source beam or the confocal volume of the microscope significantly underestimates the collected power from free-space Raman systems. We show that waveguide-based systems can still outperform high signal collection free-space systems in terms of both the signal collection efficiency and signal-to-noise ratio.
Habitat Use by a Dense Population of Southern Fox Squirrels

Abstract We determined seasonal macro- and microhabitat preferences of radio-collared Sciurus niger niger (Southern Fox Squirrel) in a high-density population. Fox squirrels preferred hardwood, live oak, and mixed hardwood-pine macrohabitats to pine, early successional, and turf macrohabitats. During winter, early summer, and late summer, they preferred mixed hardwood-pine, live oak, and hardwood microhabitats to pine microhabitats. Fox squirrels preferred an open or moderate crown spacing to a dense crown spacing during all seasons, and during the summer, they preferred microhabitats with at least 1 cone-bearing pine tree. Preferred microhabitats had a short-open or leaf-litter understory structure. Although the hardwood and hardwood-pine habitats on our barrier island study site differed from typical pine-dominated southeastern fox squirrel habitat, our results demonstrating preference for these types indicated that they are capable of supporting an abundant fox squirrel population when managed by mowing, burning, and light timber harvesting.
Unidades térmicas e produtividade em genótipos de milheto semeados em duas épocas

The aim of this work was to evaluate the accumulation of thermal unities (TU) and biomass on pearl millet genotypes sown in rainy and dry seasons, without fertilization or irrigation, in a randomized complete block design. In the rainy season, the BRS 1501 cycle was 76 days, requiring 1,239 TU, while ENA 1 had a cycle of 82 days, with 1,325 TU, both with the same biomass and grain yield. The genotype Souna III accumulated 1,352 TU; its biomass yield was the highest. At flowering, in the rainy season, BRS 1501 accumulated 517 TU, with the lowest biomass, while ENA 1 accumulated 545 TU and higher biomass. At the dry season, BRS 1501 showed a cycle of 80 days, requiring 1,123 TU, while ENA 1 had a cycle of 76 days, with 1,074 TU, with no significant difference for biomass and grain yield. At flowering, in this season, ENA 1 and BRS 1501 accumulated 447 TU and 461 TU, respectively, and there was no significant difference for biomass. The genotype ENA 1 can be used for biomass production for minimal tillering cultivation, and BRS 1501, for biomass and grain production, especially in the dry season.
Biology and interspecific interactions of the alien crab Percnon gibbesi in the Maltese Islands

Abstract Spatial and bathymetric distribution, population density, habitat preferences, fecundity, breeding season and interspecific interactions of the alien grapsoid crab Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne-Edwards, 1853) from the Maltese Islands (Malta and Gozo) are compared among localities in the Mediterranean where established populations have been reported since 1999. In the Maltese Islands, habitat preferences and bathymetric distribution were similar to those in other Mediterranean localities. Spatial distribution was found to be limited by the availability of the boulder habitat in which this crab nearly always occurs. Fecundity was higher in the Maltese Islands than in Linosa and Lampedusa, the breeding season lasting from the end of May until September. On Maltese shores the habitat of the alien overlapped with that of the native grapsid Pachygrapsus marmoratus (Fabricius, 1787) (Crustacea: Brachyura: Grapsoidea) and, to a lesser extent, that of the native xanthid Eriphia verrucosa (Forskål, 1775). Laboratory studies to assess the possible interactions of the alien species with P. marmoratus suggest that the latter shows a competitive advantage over P. gibbesi, since 80.8% of encounters between the two species were initiated by P. marmoratus, and in 80% of the encounters it prevailed. This suggests that P. marmoratus is unlikely to be excluded from its natural habitat by the alien species, and that significant spatial resource partitioning on the part of P. marmoratus is unlikely to occur.
Effect of Marine Macroalga Enteromorpha sp. Enriched with Zn(II) and Cu(II) ions on the Digestibility, Meat Quality and Carcass Characteristics of Growing Pigs

In the present study, the effect of macroalga Enteromorpha sp. enriched with Zn(II) and Cu(II) ions on daily amounts of feces and urine excreted by growing pigs, apparent fecal nutrient digestibility and daily nitrogen balance and retention, meat quality and the slaughter value of carcasses was examined. The duration of feeding experiments was 87 days. In the control group, the requirement for zinc and copper was covered by inorganic salts, whereas in the experimental group algae enriched with these elements via biosorption were supplemented. No effect of Enteromorpha sp. on the increase in digestibility of dry matter, dry organic matter, crude protein, crude fat and nitrogen-free extractives was observed. Statistically significant differences concerned only the digestibility of crude ash. The daily amount of excreted feces and urine did not differ significantly between groups. Meat from pigs in the algal group was characterized by a lower water absorption and drip loss and contained less fat and more protein than meat from the control group. Furthermore, a slight darkening of the meat was observed. The weight of the liver was lower in pigs from the algal group. Enriched macroalga Enteromorpha sp. may be introduced into pig nutrition as a feed material as an alternative to inorganic salts.
Population genetic structure of Indo-West Pacific carcharhinid sharks: what do we know and where to from here?

The Carcharhinidae is one of the most at-risk shark families in the Indo-West Pacific (IWP), which is a global priority for the conservation of elasmobranchs. Of the 57 described species of carcharhinids, 43 are known from the IWP, where many are subject to high fishing pressure. Many of these species are also found outside this bioregion. Understanding the connectivity of individual species across their ranges is paramount to successful management of their fisheries. Studies of population genetic structure have been the mainstay for assessing connectivity. Here, we review 41 studies pertaining to the population genetic structure of 20 species of carcharhinid whose ranges include the IWP and for which relevant data are available. The genetic markers used range from microsatellite loci and small mitochondrial DNA sequences (375 to 4797 bp) to genomic analyses. Overall, the population genetic structure for these carcharhinids was varied but patterns emerged according to the lifestyle of the species, with the greatest structure shown by species that are highly habitat dependent and the least structure shown by oceanic species. Experimental designs of the underlying studies have, however, often been opportunistic with small sample sizes, few locations sampled and based on analysis of single mitochondrial regions and/or few microsatellite markers. The literature provides a basis for understanding the population genetic structure of IWP carcharhinids, but future research needs to focus on the application of population genomics and more robust experimental design so that population genetic structure can be quantified with higher certainty and resolution over finer spatial scales.
Aligning Leader Behaviors With Innovation Requirements Improves Performance: An Experimental Study

In this experiment, the effect of the alignment of leader behaviors with innovation requirements was investigated. A sample of N = 245 students participated in a laboratory experiment. Participants had to address either creativity or implementation requirements within a task and received a leadership manipulation in a video message. Results showed that the alignment of leader behaviors with innovation requirements led to improved performance. These findings contribute to the literature by addressing the specific requirements within the innovation process and by showing that aligning leader behaviors with these requirements contribute to performance in the innovation process.
Profile of students’ critical thinking ability in project based learning integrated science technology engineering and mathematics

The aim of this research is to obtain a profile of students’ critical thinking ability in project based learning (PjBL) integrated STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics). The research method used is quantitative descriptive. The subjects in this research were students of 8th grade in one of Junior High School Bandung with a total of 34 students taken by purposive sampling. Students’ critical thinking ability is measured on aspects of interpretation, analysis, explanation, inference and evaluation using task and rubric instruments also peer assessment. The analysis of critical thinking ability uses the Item Response Theory Graded Response Model. The results showed that the profile of critical thinking ability was 25 % in the low category, 34 % in the medium category and 41 % in the high category. This result is supported by the results of peer assessment which showed that 12 % in the low category, 41 % in the medium category and 47 % in the high category. Based on the results of the research, it can be concluded that a profile of students’ critical thinking ability in PjBL-STEM learning is high category.
Historical biogeography of Jamaica : evidence from cave invertebrates

The Jamaican fauna of obligately subterranean invertebrates contains 25 species of terrestrial troglobitic onychophorans, arachnids, isopods, and hexapods and 16 species of freshwater - brackish water stygobites, mostly crustaceans. Cladistic analyses of the faunas are not available. In place of this, general track analysis of the cave-restricted terrestrial faunas suggests closest relationships with Jamaican forest faunas, followed by other West Indian forest or cave faunas, and lastly Central American forest faunas. Over-water dispersal best accounts for the presence of the terrestrial epigean ancestors of the fauna in Jamaica, and they must have arrived after Jamaica became emergent in the early Miocene (about 20 Ma). The terrestrial cave fauna then descended from the epigean ancestors. In contrast, the aquatic fauna invaded from the sea, but also after the Miocene emergence. There is no evidence for a macro-vicariance origin of the cave-evolved fauna from one existing in cave environments at the time .
Home Country Innovation Performance: Moderating the Local Knowledge and Inward Foreign Direct Investment

The inward foreign direct investment (FDI) has been emphasized in the literature, and although the benefits related to innovation are known, there is not much information about their effects on emerging economies. This study investigates how local domestic factors such as research and development (R&D), exports and foreign technology acquisition moderate with inward FDI to improve the innovation performance. The empirical findings from a generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator suggest, at short term, that the FDI has a positive effect in the Brazilian manufacturing industry. As a complementary effect, there is an interaction between FDI inflows and exports, increasing the innovation performance. However, improvements in R&D-related FDI is not observed. For this reason, the results suggest FDI-related exports could indicate a mere product adaptation to the foreign market. There is a predominance in import substitution of machines, equipment and software and no evidence of internal R&D investments or R&D-related FDI. Our results suggest managerial and policy implications, once it was observed the high-technology intensity industry sectors show better innovation performance than medium- and low-technology industries. Policymakers should implement better policies to encourage more R&D-related FDI to decrease import substitution and improve the local innovation performance to strengthen the local industry R&D investments.