Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reverse Perspective Network for Perspective-Aware Object Counting

One of the critical challenges of object counting is the dramatic scale variations, which is introduced by arbitrary perspectives. We propose a reverse perspective network to solve the scale variations of input images, instead of generating perspective maps to smooth final outputs. The reverse perspective network explicitly evaluates the perspective distortions, and efficiently corrects the distortions by uniformly warping the input images. Then the proposed network delivers images with similar instance scales to the regressor. Thus the regression network doesn't need multi-scale receptive fields to match the various scales. Besides, to further solve the scale problem of more congested areas, we enhance the corresponding regions of ground-truth with the evaluation errors. Then we force the regressor to learn from the augmented ground-truth via an adversarial process. Furthermore, to verify the proposed model, we collected a vehicle counting dataset based on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The proposed dataset has fierce scale variations. Extensive experimental results on four benchmark datasets show the improvements of our method against the state-of-the-arts.
Aspects of the thermal ecology of the group-living lizard, Cordylus cataphractus : a spatial and temporal analysis

Thermal ecology is a central theme in reptilian biology because of the thermodynamic rate dependence of virtually all biological processes in these ectothermic animals. Thermoregulation includes active processes (with associated energetic costs related to altered behaviour and physiology) functioning to maintain body temperatures within a preferred temperature range, so that the majority of physiological functions occurs optimally, despite natural variation in the animal’s thermal habitat. The recent development of quantitative thermal indices now allows researchers to describe the thermal habitat and thermoregulatory functioning of an ectotherm within its environment from a cost-benefit perspective. The use of such quantitative biophysical approaches to reptile thermal ecology studies is however limited in the African context. Cordylus cataphractus is one of the best studied cordylids, and exhibits various characteristics atypical for the family, such as permanent group-living, seasonally lowered surface activity, a low resting metabolic rate and large fat bodies. These characteristics are generally thought to be associated with groupliving in a semi-arid habitat, yet, the possible links to thermal ecology remains unexplored. The objectives of the current study was: firstly, to characterize the preferred temperature range (Tp) of C. cataphractus through the use of ecologically realistic laboratory thermal gradients; secondly, to explore seasonal and geographical variation in thermal preference, by comparing Tp among individuals captured from a coastal and inland population and during different seasons (autumn and spring); thirdly, to describe the thermal habitat of a C. cataphractus population during summer, autumn, winter and spring and to then relate these findings to the seasonal activity patterns reported in literature for the species; fourthly, to describe the seasonal patterns of thermoregulation (during summer, autumn, winter and spring) in a C. cataphractus population through quantitative thermoregulatory indices; fifthly, to assess geographic variation in the thermal habitat and
Use of Scoring Rubrics in Classroom Instruction: Support from the Literature

Scoring rubrics are widely employed across content areas and grade levels, including in high school biology classes. Besides regular external use within accountability systems, educators also have advanced their instructional use inside classrooms. In recent years, a consensus appears to be emerging in the educational literature that instructional use of rubrics is beneficial for student learning, and numerous examples in the research and practitioner literature establish their importance in teachers’ planning, instruction, and assessment. We examine this assumption through close analysis of students’ use of a scoring rubric in a high school biology classroom. We explore how instructional use of a scoring rubric influences biology teaching and learning activities, what messages about knowledge and learning such use conveys to students, and what influence such use may have on students’ emergent understandings of what constitutes quality in biological thinking and practice. Our analysis suggests that instructional use of scoring rubrics can actually undermine the very learning it is intended to support. We discuss an alternative way to help students understand what constitutes high-quality work, and we draw implications for science teacher education.
PLS Modelling on Determinants of Low Pay in Taiwan?

As an export-oriented economy, the fruits of Taiwan’s economical growth do not seem to reflect higher wage levels. What determinants account for low pay (wage levels) in Taiwan? This study proposed a partial least squares (PLS) model on wage determinants, testing ten hypotheses derived from with macro-level monthly data during the period of 2000/01-2014/06. The results found that there are seven paths regarding Taiwan’s wage levels. Exports and trade is the key and direct determinant of average regular wage levels and average working hours; the number of college or university graduates is an important one regarding average first regular wage levels in Taiwan. The results provide insight for schools, enterprises and government authorities. Key-Words: wage levels, determinants, partial least square (PLS), Taiwan, low pay
Prevalence of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases producing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates in a tertiary care hospital in South India

Authors Rangnekar Aseem 1 , Mallaya Shrikara, Shenoy Shalini, Gupta Shefali* *Corresponding Author Dr Shefali Gupta Senior Research Associate, Department of Virology, PGI Chandigarh Email: shefali.g2109@gmail.com Abstract Background: Growing antimicrobial resistance is of great concern in modern antibiotic era. Infections caused by multidrug resistant organisms like Klebsiella pneumoniae are among the leading causes of sepsis and infection related deaths. Aim: This study was done to determine the prevalence of ESBL producing Klebsiella in the various clinical specimens by phenotypic methods. Material and Methods: A prospective laboratory based study was done to determine phenotypically detect the presence of Extended Spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL’s) in samples received over a period of two years. A total of 7644 gram negative bacterial isolates were recovered from a total of 16526 clinical specimens received in the microbiology laboratory, over the two year period. Among the 2497 isolates of Klebsiella, 1157 isolates were ESBL positive (46%). Conclusion: Drug resistant Klebsiella producing ESBL are hard to treat, and infections caused by them can lead to fatal outcome. Effective antibiotic policy and rational use must be strongly and promptly implemented in all healthcare setups.
SILICON DEPOSITION IN DIATOMS: CONTROL BY THE pH INSIDE THE SILICON DEPOSITION VESICLE

To test the hypothesis that silicification occurs under acid conditions in the silicon deposition vesicle (SDV), the acidity of the SDV of the pennate diatoms Navicula pelliculosa (Brébisson et Kützing) Hilse, N. salinarum (Grunow) Hustedt, and Nitzschia sigma (Kützing) Smith was determined during development of new frustule valves. Cells were incubated with the weak base 3‐(2,4‐dinitroanilino)‐3′‐amino‐N‐methylpropylamine (DAMP) followed by immunocytochemical localization in whole cells and on ultrathin sections. After resupplying silicate to cells synchronized by silicon depletion, the uptake of this nutrient from the medium was the same with or without DAMP; new valves developed without morphological aberrations that could conceivably have been caused by the probe. DAMP was found in cellular compartments known to be acidic, such as vacuoles active as lysosomes, the lumen of thylakoids, and microbodies. In the nucleus and mitochondria, which are circumneutral and basic compartments, the probe did not appear. Besides its presence in acidic compartments, DAMP was specifically accumulated within the SDV during formation of new valves; during the process of valve maturation, the SDV seemed to become increasingly acidic. In control experiments using the ionophores chloroquine, valinomycin, and nigericin, the compartmental location of DAMP was clearly disturbed, resulting in a random intracellular distribution. Accumulation of the fluorescent probe rhodamine 123, which can be translocated over membranes by a reducing potential, confirmed that the SDV can translocate weak bases. The results with DAMP suggest that the pH of the SDV is important in the silicification of diatoms: It facilitates a fast nucleation and aggregation of silica particles, thus increasing the rate of formation of the mature frustules. In addition, the acidic environment might protect the newly formed valves against dissolution before completion and coverage by the organic casing prior to their secretion.
Respiration demands increase significantly with both temperature and mass in the invasive ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi

M. K. S. LILLEY1,2,3*, D. THIBAULT-BOTHA1 AND F. LOMBARD2 1 AIX MARSEILLE UNIVERSITE, CNRS/INSU, IRD, MEDITERRANEAN INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY (MIO), UM 110, MARSEILLE 13288, FRANCE, SORBONNE UNIVERSITES, UPMC UNIV PARIS 06, UMR 7093, LOV, OBSERVATOIRE OCEANOLOGIQUE DE VILLEFRANCHE SUR MER, VILLEFRANCHE/MER F-06230, FRANCE AND 3 INSTITUT MEDITERRANEEN DE BIODIVERSITE ET D’ECOLOGIE MARINE ET CONTINENTALE (IMBE), AIX-MARSEILLE UNIVERSITE AVENUE LOUIS PHILIBERT, BP 67, AIX EN PROVENCE 13545, FRANCE
A New Species of Ichthyosaurus from the Lower Jurassic of West Dorset, England, U.K.

ABSTRACT We describe a new species of Lower Jurassic (Hettangian/Sinemurian—Pliensbachian) ichthyosaur, Ichthyosaurus anningae, sp. nov., from west Dorset, England, U.K. The holotype of I. anningae (DONMG:1983.98), at least a subadult, is from the lower Pliensbachian Stonebarrow Marl Member (Charmouth Mudstone Formation). It is the most complete ichthyosaur known from this time interval worldwide. The species is assigned to Ichthyosaurus on the basis of humerus, forefin, and pectoral girdle morphologies. Diagnostic features of the species include a short, robust humerus with prominent processes; a femur in which the proximal width is almost as large as the distal width; and a very small femur relative to the humerus (humerus/femur ratio >1.7). Four other specimens, at least three of which are juveniles, are referred to this species. The new species may display sexual dimorphism in humeral morphology, but this cannot be confirmed due to a lack of stratigraphic information. With the recognition of I. anningae, at least three and possibly as many as five ichthyosaur species, representing three genera, are known from the Pliensbachian. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A5778FB5-A116-480A-93CA-AFC932ACAB55
A Duality Approach for Regret Minimization in Average-Award Ergodic Markov Decision Processes

In light of the Bellman duality, we propose a novel value-policy gradient algorithm to explore and act in inﬁnite-horizon Average-reward Markov Decision Process (AMDP) and show that it has sublinear regret. The algorithm is motivated by the Bellman saddle point formulation. It learns the optimal state-action distribution, which encodes a randomized policy, by interacting with the environment along a single trajectory and making primal-dual updates. The key to the analysis is to establish a connection between the min-max duality gap of Bellman saddle point and the cumulative regret of the learning agent. We show that, for ergodic AMDPs with ﬁnite state space S and action space A and uniformly bounded mixing times, the algorithm’s T -time step regret is
The multidimensional nature of biodiversity and social dynamics and implications for contemporary rural livelihoods in remote Kalahari settlements, Botswana.

Despite rapid socio-economic development in Kalahari drylands, contemporary research suggests that biodiversity remains important as a component of the complex portfolio of livelihood strategies, as a real and perceived safety net in times of stress, and a key factor of cultural identity. The degree to which the spatially and temporally dynamic nature of biodiversity in drylands influences livelihoods is, however, little studied, particularly in socially complex contemporary rural settlements. Greater understanding in this area is required to allow better-informed design and implementation of rural development, poverty alleviation and conservation initiatives. This is particularly true in the light of predicted increases in environmental dynamism with climate change. An interdisciplinary approach was used in two environmentally and socially distinct dryland settlements in Botswana, to investigate the extent to which the dynamic biodiverse setting influences contemporary rural livelihoods. Results illustrate that biodiversity, particularly its dynamics, is of critical contemporary importance to rural settlement livelihoods, particularly in times of inner settlement scarcity. Entitlements to biodiversity dynamics were, however, bound up by complex settlement-specific social, economic and political factors. Unless such contextual within-settlement dynamics are understood, the relative importance of biodiversity in rural development and poverty alleviation strategies in contemporary Kalahari drylands may be undermined.
Repeatability of Foreign Egg Rejection: Testing the Assumptions of Co-Evolutionary Theory

Most theoretical models of coevolution between brood parasites, whether interspecific or conspecific, and their hosts explicitly assume consistent individual behaviour in host egg-rejection responses. Accordingly, hosts cast as acceptors always accept, whereas ejectors always reject parasitic eggs when exposed to stable ecological conditions. To date, only few studies have attempted to test this critical assumption of individual repeatability in egg-rejection responses of hosts. Here, we studied the repeatability of egg rejection in blackbirds (Turdus merula) and song thrush (T. philomelos), species in which females are reported to reject simulated, non-mimetic foreign eggs at intermediate frequencies at the population level. However, intermediate rates of acceptance and rejection can be consistent with either or both intra- and interindividual variability in rejection behaviours. Our experiments revealed generally high individual consistency in these hosts’ responses to experimentally introduced non-mimetic and mimetic model foreign eggs. Individuals also responded faster on average to second than to first trials within the same breeding attempts, but the difference was statistically significant only in blackbirds. These results are consistent with the critical assumption of co-evolutionary models, that statistically egg rejection is mostly individually repeatable, but also reveal that some individuals in both species change their responses even within the short time-window of one breeding attempt. The data suggest that individuals reject foreign eggs faster when perceived parasitism risk is greater because of repeated
Changes of the Arctic marginal ice zone during the satellite era

Abstract. Many studies have shown a decrease in Arctic sea ice extent. It does not logically follow, however, that the extent of the marginal ice zone (MIZ), here defined as the area of the ocean with ice concentrations from 15 % to 80 %, is also changing. Changes in the MIZ extent has implications for the level of atmospheric and ocean heat and gas exchange in the area of partially ice-covered ocean and for the extent of habitat for organisms that rely on the MIZ, from primary producers like sea ice algae to seals and birds. Here, we present, for the first time, an analysis of satellite observations of pan-Arctic averaged MIZ extent. We find no trend in the MIZ extent over the last 40 years from observations. Our results indicate that the constancy of the MIZ extent is the result of an observed increase in width of the MIZ being compensated for by a decrease in the perimeter of the MIZ as it moves further north. We present simulations from a coupled sea ice–ocean mixed layer model using a prognostic floe size distribution, which we find is consistent with, but poorly constrained by, existing satellite observations of pan-Arctic MIZ extent. We provide seasonal upper and lower bounds on MIZ extent based on the four satellite-derived sea ice concentration datasets used. We find a large and significant increase (>50 %) in the August and September MIZ fraction (MIZ extent divided by sea ice extent) for the Bootstrap and OSI-450 observational datasets, which can be attributed to the reduction in total sea ice extent. Given the results of this study, we suggest that references to “rapid changes” in the MIZ should remain cautious and provide a specific and clear definition of both the MIZ itself and also the property of the MIZ that is changing.
Endemism and ecological islands: the ostracods from Jamaican bromeliads

1. The inhabitants of ecological islands, such as the phytolemata of bromeliad plants, provide an opportunity to examine the genetic patterns resulting from island radiations and draw inferences about modes of speciation. 2. Allozyme electrophoresis, as well as mitochondrial DNA and morphological analyses, were employed to delimit species boundaries and assess the population genetic structure of the ostracods from bromeliads on the island of Jamaica. 3. Nine species from the genus Elpidium were both sexually reproducing and endemic to the island. The other commonly encountered ostracod genus, Candonopsis, was represented by at least two sexually reproducing species. 4. Most Elpidium species showed very restricted distributions, low heterozygosity, and marked gene pool fragmentation, suggesting that population bottlenecks have occurred frequently. Whether founder events played a causal role in the diversification of these ostracods remains uncertain, but bromeliad habitats seem to be a source of high biodiversity, and may represent an ideal setting for extensive allopatric speciation.
Paradoxal Trends in Azole-Resistant Aspergillus fumigatus in a National Multicenter Surveillance Program, the Netherlands, 2013–2018

We investigated the prevalence of azole resistance of Aspergillus fumigatus isolates in the Netherlands by screening clinical A. fumigatus isolates for azole resistance during 2013–2018. We analyzed azole-resistant isolates phenotypically by in vitro susceptibility testing and for the presence of resistance mutations in the Cyp51A gene. Over the 6-year period, 508 (11%) of 4,496 culture-positive patients harbored an azole-resistant isolate. Resistance frequency increased from 7.6% (95% CI 5.9%–9.8%) in 2013 (58/760 patients) to 14.7% (95% CI 12.3%–17.4%) in 2018 (112/764 patients) (p = 0.0001). TR34/L98H (69%) and TR46/Y121F/T289A (17%) accounted for 86% of Cyp51A mutations. However, the mean voriconazole MIC of TR34/L98H isolates decreased from 8 mg/L (2013) to 2 mg/L (2018), and the voriconazole-resistance frequency was 34% lower in 2018 than in 2013 (p = 0.0001). Our survey showed changing azole phenotypes in TR34/L98H isolates, which hampers the use of current PCR-based resistance tests.
A note on seasonal and age changes in the calcium, phosphorus and magnesium content of the blood of Scottish Blackface ewes, as influenced by calcium and phosphorus supplementation

In the course of an experiment designed to study the effects of calcium and phosphorus supplementation on the performance of Scottish Blackface hill ewes, with particular reference to the premature loss of permanent incisor teeth (Gunn, 1969), blood samples were taken from 40 ewes on ten occasions per year over a 4-year period. These were drawn equally from a control and three treatment groups. The control group followed the existing pattern of ewe management on the farm in question by utilizing improved pastures in the spring and early summer, and the treatment groups were a calcium dosed group (12 g calcium carbonate) and a phosphorus dosed group (13 g monosodium phosphate), both of which received the same management, and an undosed group run permanently on the hill. Details of the management and feeding are given in a previous paper (Gunn, 1969). It is sufficient to say here that mineral dosing took place three times per week between mid-February and the end of May and no minerals except salt were added to the concentrated ration fed to all groups at the rate of 10 oz (283 g)/head/day from mid-February to early May. Lambing commenced at about the end of the first week in April.
Impact of cover crop in pre-plant of apple orchards: relationship between crop health, root inhabiting fungi and rhizospheric bacteria

Manici, L. M. , Kelderer, M. , Caputo, F. , Nicoletti, F. , De Luca Picione, F. and Topp A. R. 2015. Impact of cover crop in pre-plant of apple orchards: relationship between crop health, root inhabiting fungi and rhizospheric bacteria. Can. J. Plant Sci. 95: 947-958. Replant disease of fruit tree orchards has a multifactorial etiology, mainly due to the decline in soil biodiversity along with an increase in root rot pathogens, which can be principally countered with appropriate cropping practices. Therefore, a study on the impact of cover crops on plant health of young fruit trees in long-term orchards was performed. Bioassays were performed over two consecutive growing cycles using soil from a multigeneration apple orchard affected by replant disease. First, a cycle was performed with three cover crops (alfalfa, barley, marigold) and apple rootstock plantlets; at the end, the above-ground part of the plant was removed and root residues left in the soil. In the second cycle, an apple orchard planting was simulated upon the first experimental design. Changes of diversity and composition of root inhabiting fungi and rhizospheric bacteria were evaluated as well as apple plant growth response to the pre-plant treatments. Results suggest that one cycle with alternate plants was sufficient to induce changes at the rhizosphere level, despite soil microbial resilience caused by the same long-term soil management. Rhizospheric bacteria were generally affected by plant genotype. Findings suggest that all three different cover crops can harbor almost all fungal species that colonize apple in replanted orchards (Fusarium spp., Pythum spp., binucleate Rhizoctonia sp., Cylindrocarpon-like-fungi and a several nonpathogenic saprophytic fungi named “other”), but their infection frequency varied according to the host plant. A single pre-plant break treatment did not overall differ significantly in plant growth of subsequent apple tree; however, break with marigold, which increased abundance of nonpathogenic root inhabiting fungi more than other cover crops, gave significantly higher plant growth than obtained after barley. This study provides evidence about cover-crop potential to increase soil diversity in long-term permanent cropping systems and to manipulate root colonizing fungi involved in crop health.