Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Compositional Analysis of Habitat Use From Animal Radio-Tracking Data

Analysis of habitat use based on radio-tagged animals presents difficulties inadequately addressed by current methods. Areas of concern are sampling level, data pooling across individuals, non-independence of habitat proportions, differential habitat use by groups of animals, and arbitrary definition of habitat availability. We advocate proportional habitat use by individual animals as a basis for analysis. Hypothesis testing of such nonstandard multivariate data is done by compositional analysis, which encom- passes all MANOVA/MANCOVA-type linear models. The applications to habitat use range from testing for age class effects or seasonal differences, to examining relationships with food abundance or home range size. We take as an example the comparison of habitat use and availability. The concepts are explained and demonstrated on two data sets, illustrating different methods of treating missing values. We compare utilized with available habitats in two stages, examining home range selection within the overall study area first, then habitat use within the home range. At each stage, assuming that use differs from random, habitats can be ranked according to relative use, and significant between-rank differences located. Compositional analysis is also suited to the analysis of time budgets or diets.
Observations on the role of the honey bee and bumble bee as pollinators of white clover (Trifolium repens Linn.) in the Timaru district and Mackenzie country

Abstract Observations on the role of the honey bee and the bumble bee in the pollination of white clover (Trifolium repens Linn.) were made in the Timaru District and Mackenzie Country of New Zealand over 2 seasons. Bumble bees were of no importance in the Timaru area, although they played an important part in the Mackenzie Country, where honey bee densities were frequently low, Other insects were apparently of no importance. No pollination occurred in cages which excluded bees. Abnorrnally high honey bee densities achieved in cages resulted in little or no increase in the degree of pollination over that occurring under field conditions, in the Timaru district. In this area, therefore, present bee density must be considered adequate for seed crop production.
Unintended Consequences of Prescription Monitoring: Policy-Induced Substitution to Illicit Drugs

US states have implemented many policies to lessen the severity of the opioid crisis. This study investigates two classes of policies--Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) and their usage mandates and ``Pill Mill Bills"--and their effects on illicit drug markets. PDMPs and their prescriber-usage mandates (Mandates) target opioid-abusing individuals and Pill Mill Bills target over-prescribing practitioners. The paper is novel in its focus on illicit opioid markets and use of crime data. I perform difference-in-differences analyses to study policy-induced substitution to heroin and illicit opioids as measured through rates of heroin and diverted opioid possession and dealers. There is evidence that PDMPs and Mandates increase heroin possession within counties that are opioid-dense prior to the policies, and Pill Mill Bills decrease heroin sellers in highly opioid-dense counties. I do not find evidence that the PDMP, Mandate or Pill Mill Bill influences heroin and opioid crime in counties that are less opioid-dense prior to the policies taking effect.
Root Productivity in an Amazonian Rain Forest

Average rate of root biomass accumulation in the surface root mat of an Amazonian rain forest near San Carlos de Rio Negro, Venezuela was 117 g m-2 yr-1, and total root biomass increment was 201 g m-2 yr-1. Root growth was higher in the surface root mat when fresh litter was present. Root growth rates relative to shoot growth rates at San Carlos were similar to ratios for a temperate forest near Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. However, turnover rates of roots were higher at the San Carlos site. High turnover rates result in a relatively large proportion of the roots in smaller size classes, which have a large surface area in relation to their volume and thus are efficient nutrient traps. High efficiency of nutrient trapping is important in the nutrient-poor San Carlos forest.
Effects of explant type and growth regulators on callus induction in four ecotypes of Persian shallot

Allium hirtifolium commonly known as Persian shallot is an important wild medicinal plant distributed from North West to central and South West of Iran. To establish an efficient protocol for callus induction, the effects of explant type and growth regulators on callus induction in four ecotypes of Persian shallot were evaluated. Two explants types included basal plates and young leaves were cultured on MS media supplemented with 1.5 mg l-1 of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) or 1.5 mg l-1 of 1-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) in combination with 0, 0.5 or 1 mg l-1 of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). All the cultures were maintained at 25±1°C in the dark. The results showed that basal plate was the best explant for callus induction when cultured on medium supplemented with 1.5 mg l-1 2,4-D and 0.5 mg l-1 BAP. This optimized protocol will be useful for any future breeding improvement programs of Persian shallot using biotechnological means.
THE FINE STRUCTURE OF TWO PHOTOSYNTHETIC SPECIES OF DINOPHYSIS (DINOPHYSIALES, DINOPHYCEAE) 1

Two closely related, photosynthetic species belonging to the genus Dinophysis were examined, D. acuminata Claparède et Lachmann and D. fortii Pavillard. Typical dinoflagellate features include the amphiesmal covering enclosing the cells and the structure of the nucleus and mitochondria. Many other characteristics seem to be specific to the order Dinophysiales. Many rhabdosomes are present, and complex mucocysts are found beneath the amphiesma. The thecal pores are unusual with the base of the pore occluded by a thin disc that is continuous with the main amphiesmal plate. The structure of the apical pore is also distinctive. Chloroplasts are grouped together in chromatospheres, enclosed by a double membrane, and contain paired thylakoids with electron dense contents in the lumen. The two pusules are extensive, each branching off the flagellar canal, and consisting of a large antechamber and a number of convoluted sacs. The entrance of each antechamber, and site of an emerging flagellum, is surrounded by a striated fibrous collar. Near the flagellar pore is a prominent microtubular/microbody complex which penetrates deep into the cell cytoplasm. Consideration is given to taxonomic position of the Dinophysiales and also to the nature and origins of the chloroplasts.
Determination of water‐soluble carbohydrates in grass

A simple method involving a single extraction procedure is given for the determination of water-soluble carbohydrates (sugars + fructosans) in grasses. Factors such as storage of grass samples and clarification, hydrolysis and storage of extracts are discussed. The method is likely to have a routine application in silage studies where a measure of fermentable carbohydrates is required.
Length–weight relationships of two endemic fish species in the Júcar River Basin, Iberian Peninsula

This study was partially funded by the Conselleria d'Infraestructures, Territori y Medi Ambient of the Generalitat Valenciana. The authors would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for its financial support through the project SCARCE (Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065).
Link performance evaluation of Uplink Precoded Multiuser MIMO-NOMA system for 5G Communication Networks

Non orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) is a promising candidate for future radio access. Due to the characteristic property of NOMA to multiplex users in time, frequency and power domains, it can achieve capacity gains superior to OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access). However, being a multi-carrier modulation scheme, NOMA suffers from high peak to average power ratio (PAPR) in addition to the interference at the receiver terminal due to its non-orthogonal nature. In this paper we analyses the link level performance of 2x2 MIMO (Multiple Input Multiple Output) NOMA uplink system with Hadamard Transform Precoding (HTP) over Rayleigh fading channel model. The HTP NOMA enhances the PAPR performance by 3dB over the non precoded NOMA
Genotypic influence on in vitro induction, dormancy length, advancing age and agronomical performance of potato microtubers (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Summary Microtubers of 13 cultivars, largely grown in Italy and other European countries, were induced. They were stored in the dark at 3°C for different periods (28, 56, 84 and 105 days), prior to being transferred to 20°C for between 4 and 17 weeks. Following removal to room temperature, sprouting was recorded and dormancy duration quantified. Dormancy decreased from 28.1 to 19.9, 11.1 and 7.8 days with reduced time of storage. Cvs Arsy, Nicola and Jaerla took consistently more time for dormancy release. The dormancy duration was linearly and inversely correlated with the length of storage. After sprouting, tubers were held at 20°C for various intervals and a range of physiological ages (0, 368, 720 and 1008 degree days) were accumulated. The field comparison of microtubers evidenced a plant growth response and tuber yield/plant affected by the cultivar and physiological age. In early cultivars (Jaerla), a better performance was shown by younger tubers; the opposite trend was noted in Alpha (a later cultivar) with an increase in stems/plant, tubers/plant and tuber yield/plant for tubers with greater physiological age. Like conventional seed tubers, microtubers showed differences in optimum physiological age associated with cultivar earliness. This study has provided some indications on how to enhance emergence and haulm development of plants from microtubers.
Seasonal variability of planktonic copepods (Copepoda: Crustacea) in a tropical estuarine region in Brazil

The Caravelas River estuary and adjacent coastal region were studied during the rainy and dry seasons of 2003-2004 to assess the copepod community structure. Abiotic and biotic parameters were measured, and the total density, frequency and percentage of copepod taxa were determined for each sampling period. Copepod densities showed significant differences between sampling periods, with higher densities in the rainy seasons (Mean: 90,941.80 ind.m-3; S.D.: 26,364.79). The sampling stations located to the north and south, in the coastal region adjacent to the Caravelas River estuary presented the lowest copepod density values. The copepod assemblage was composed mainly of estuarine and estuarine/coastal copepods. The seasonal variations in temperature and salinity influenced the abundance of species during the rainy and dry seasons, with the following dominant species alternating: Paracalanus quasimodo Bowman, 1971 in the rainy season of 2003, Parvocalanus crassirostris Dahl, 1894 in the dry season of 2003 and Acartia lilljeborgii Giesbrecht, 1892 in the rainy and dry seasons of 2004. Non-parametric multidimensional scaling indicated differences in copepod assemblages between sampling periods, but not between sampling stations.
Crystallographic study of hydrothermal synthesis of Hydroxyapatite nano-rods using Brushite precursors

Introduction: Being known for an array of properties that favor hard tissue regeneration, ranging from osteoconductivity to biocompatibility to non-immunogenicity, and being the natural bone mineral phase hydroxyapatite (HA, Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) is the natural bioceramic of choice for the reinforcement phase of biocomposites. Objective: The main objective of this study is to successfully synthesize uniform one dimensional HA nano-structures using a gram-scale hydrothermal batch process. Material and Methods: Brushite used as a precursor for HA synthesis. The powders obtained after washing and drying were evaluated. The analysis performed in the sample includes inductively coupled plasma (ICP), Raman Spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM), and high-resolution TEM. Result: The results of this study showed that the initial brushite used in the hydrothermal process was dissolved, followed by the nucleation process and the growth of hydroxyapatite. The synthesized powders in this study were rod-shaped, with 35 nm in diameter and between 50 and 250 nm in length. The main direction of rod growth was , which is C axis. Conclusion: The powders synthesized in this research have the potential to be used in bone tissue engineering, implantation, and drug delivery.
Photoaffinity analog of herbicide inhibiting cellulose biosynthesis: Synthesis of [3H]-2,6-dichlorophenylazide

The compound 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile (dichlobenil, DCB) is known to be a reversible inhibitor of in vivo cellulose biosynthesis in higher plants and algae. We now report the synthesis of 2,6-dichlorophenylazide (DCPA) with a non-exchangeable tritium label of high specific activity. We have shown this compound to compete with DCB in binding to cotton fiber extracts, and to specifically label a low molecular weight protein in this extract on irradiation with UV light.
Where are the little ones: distribution and abundance of the threatened serranid Epinephelus daemelii (Günther, 1876) in intertidal habitats in New South Wales, Australia

Summary A survey of intertidal habitats, including coastal rock pools, was undertaken across New South Wales (NSW), Australia, February to May 2012, to test the hypothesis that the distribution and abundance of threatened juvenile black cod Epinephelus daemelii (Gunther, 1876) does not differ across marine bioregions. An assessment was also provided on their habitat use and site fidelity. Various methods were trialled to determine the best method for detecting juvenile E. daemelii, with the most suitable method being the deployment of small baited underwater high definition video cameras for a period of 30 min. Using these baited video cameras, sampling occurred across four bioregions in NSW, covering approximately 800 km of coastline. Within each bioregion, a minimum of nine locations was selected, and at each location a minimum of six intertidal habitats was surveyed for the presence of E. daemelii. Of 412 sites surveyed, a total of 20 juveniles (mean size = 16.7 cm ± 1.1 cm SE) were found in intertidal habitats along approx. 420 km of coastline. The smallest juvenile was LT 3 cm and the largest fish was stereo measured at LT 26.5 cm. E. daemelii were found to tolerate a large range of water quality parameters, particularly temperature (mean 21.7°C ± 0.7 SE, min = 16.8°C and max = 31.2°C) and dissolved oxygen (mean 11.2 mg L−1 ± 1.3 SE, min = 5.7 mg L−1 and max = 19.2 mg L−1). E. daemelii were found in habitats dominated by boulders and overhangs, indicating a preference for structural features that provide solid cover. No E. daemelii were recorded at sites that had algae as the dominant habitat type. Juvenile E. daemelii were found to display site fidelity to rock pool habitats, with two individuals recorded as remaining at their same sites for a period of 471 days, even though the rock pools were open to the ocean at high tides. This study indicates that the abundance of juvenile E. daemelii is low, especially north of Port Stephens where adults are most abundant. Use of the small baited video cameras proved to be a successful sampling method to confirm that juvenile E. daemelii utilise rock pool and shallow reef intertidal habitats in the early stages of their life cycle.
The guidance theorem of de Broglie

We review some aspects of the double solution theory proposed by de Broglie at the beginning of the quantum era (i.e., in the period 1924-28). We specifically analyze and rederive the so called guidance theorem which is a key element of the full theory. We compare the double solution approach to the most known pilot-wave interpretation, also known as de Broglie-Bohm or Bohmian mechanics. We explain why de Broglie rejected the pilot wave interpretation and advocated the double solution. We also discuss some philosophical issues related to difference of strategies between de Broglie on the one side and Bohm on the other side.
Tracking Social Media Discourse About the COVID-19 Pandemic: Development of a Public Coronavirus Twitter Data Set

Background At the time of this writing, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak has already put tremendous strain on many countries' citizens, resources, and economies around the world. Social distancing measures, travel bans, self-quarantines, and business closures are changing the very fabric of societies worldwide. With people forced out of public spaces, much of the conversation about these phenomena now occurs online on social media platforms like Twitter. Objective In this paper, we describe a multilingual COVID-19 Twitter data set that we are making available to the research community via our COVID-19-TweetIDs GitHub repository. Methods We started this ongoing data collection on January 28, 2020, leveraging Twitter’s streaming application programming interface (API) and Tweepy to follow certain keywords and accounts that were trending at the time data collection began. We used Twitter’s search API to query for past tweets, resulting in the earliest tweets in our collection dating back to January 21, 2020. Results Since the inception of our collection, we have actively maintained and updated our GitHub repository on a weekly basis. We have published over 123 million tweets, with over 60% of the tweets in English. This paper also presents basic statistics that show that Twitter activity responds and reacts to COVID-19-related events. Conclusions It is our hope that our contribution will enable the study of online conversation dynamics in the context of a planetary-scale epidemic outbreak of unprecedented proportions and implications. This data set could also help track COVID-19-related misinformation and unverified rumors or enable the understanding of fear and panic—and undoubtedly more.
Fractional isolation and structural characterization of lignins from oil palm trunk and empty fruit bunch fibers

Abstract The lignins from dewaxed oil palm trunk and empty fruit bunch (EFB) fibers were fractionated into 95% ethanol soluble, cold and hot water soluble, and 1% NaOH soluble lignins, respectively. The chemical and structural composition of the lignin preparations was determined by using UV, GPC, FT-IR, 13C-NMR spectroscopy and nitrobenzene oxidation. The alkali soluble and 95% ethanol soluble lignin fractions were found to contain low amounts of chemically linked polysaccharides, 2.9-3.9% and 7.5-8.0%, respectively, while the water soluble lignin fractions showed significant amounts of bound polysaccharides (16.2-23.3%). All of the lignin fractions contained a high proportion of non-condensed syringyl units, together with small amounts of non-condensed guaiacyl and fewer p-hydroxyphenyl units. The lignin from oil palm EFB fiber contained a significant amount of esterified p-hydroxybenzoic acid and a minor quantity of esterified glucuronic acid. Trace of ferulic acids was both esterified and etherified t.
The Convolution Exponential and Generalized Sylvester Flows

This paper introduces a new method to build linear flows, by taking the exponential of a linear transformation. This linear transformation does not need to be invertible itself, and the exponential has the following desirable properties: it is guaranteed to be invertible, its inverse is straightforward to compute and the log Jacobian determinant is equal to the trace of the linear transformation. An important insight is that the exponential can be computed implicitly, which allows the use of convolutional layers. Using this insight, we develop new invertible transformations named convolution exponentials and graph convolution exponentials, which retain the equivariance of their underlying transformations. In addition, we generalize Sylvester Flows and propose Convolutional Sylvester Flows which are based on the generalization and the convolution exponential as basis change. Empirically, we show that the convolution exponential outperforms other linear transformations in generative flows on CIFAR10 and the graph convolution exponential improves the performance of graph normalizing flows. In addition, we show that Convolutional Sylvester Flows improve performance over residual flows as a generative flow model measured in log-likelihood.
Risk Assessment, Microbial Communities, and Pollution-Induced Community Tolerance

Until recently, parameters from microorganisms were generally not included in risk assessment at a comparable level to animals and plants. However, the major part of global biomass, biodiversity, and ecosystem processes is present in the microbial world and microbiological techniques applicable to risk assessment are becoming available. Two microbial indicators are described based on the usage of multiwell plates with different substrates and a redox indicator for monitoring mineralisation. With both techniques autochthonous microbial communities are analysed. Producing functional fingerprints of the microbial community gives insights into the composition of different functions. This is equivalent to observations of ecological abundance and species composition. When lack of reference sites or reference data renders risk assessment difficult, measurement of the pollution-induced community tolerance (PICT) can provide useful information.
Bat wing airfoil and planform structures relating to aerodynamic cleanliness

In this paper we examine 12 species of Western Australian bat for anatomical and morphometric attributes related to wing lift and drag characteristics. We present values for bat wing camber (typically 6.5–9%) and its location, measurements of wing planform and tip shape (typically elliptical but with two different tip designs), dimensions of wing leading-edge flaps (typically 8–10.5% of hand wing chord but with some species having much larger flaps up to 18%) and then discuss several features related to airflow separation control. All species assessed had thin, low-camber airfoil sections, an optimisation appropriate to the range of Reynolds Numbers in which bats fly. Wing relative cleanliness was consistent with, and functionally appropriate to, species foraging strategy. The interceptors had the point of maximum camber well forward and no trailing edge wing fences, optimisations for minimum drag generation. The air-superiority bats had leading-edge fences optimised for maximum lift generation while maintaining low drag. Surface bats were characterised by their low-aspect-ratio wingtips and the absence of optimisations for either low section drag or high lift. The frugivore and the carnivore appear to be discrete optimisations while the emballinurid had a long and broad leading edge flap in combination with a high-aspect-ratio tip. We propose a range of lift and drag coefficient values for use in models of metabolic power output.
Non-Stationary Bandits with Intermediate Observations

Online recommender systems often face long delays in receiving feedback, especially when optimizing for some long-term metrics. While mitigating the effects of delays in learning is well-understood in stationary environments, the problem becomes much more challenging when the environment changes. In fact, if the timescale of the change is comparable to the delay, it is impossible to learn about the environment, since the available observations are already obsolete. However, the arising issues can be addressed if intermediate signals are available without delay, such that given those signals, the long-term behavior of the system is stationary. To model this situation, we introduce the problem of stochastic, non-stationary, delayed bandits with intermediate observations. We develop a computationally efficient algorithm based on UCRL, and prove sublinear regret guarantees for its performance. Experimental results demonstrate that our method is able to learn in non-stationary delayed environments where existing methods fail.