Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation of Lake-Migratory Brook Trout: A Perspective from Pristine Populations

Abstract Reintroduction or rehabilitation plans for fish populations in many systems (e.g., lakes) are complicated by limited data on ecological and genetic characteristics before human disturbances occurred. While no two lakes have identical physical and biological characteristics, a growing body of empirical evidence nevertheless indicates that parallel patterns of population structuring may evolve within northern temperate fish species. Examining the population structuring in undisturbed lakes of similar physical and biological characteristics may thus provide insight into the probable historical extent and causes of both population structuring and connectivity in human-impacted lakes. Here, we review research on the population structuring and evolution of migratory brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis in a relatively undisturbed, postglacial lake (Mistassini Lake, Quebec). We provide information on lake habitat use, the morphology and life history characteristics of populations, diets, lakewide genetic p.
Suitability of Using a Limited Number of Sampling Stations to Represent Benthic Habitats in Lavaca-Colorado Estuary, Texas

A common problem in environmental assessment is a lack of data at appropriate spatial and temporal scales. For example, imagine having long-term data from an adjacent area, but none in the assessment area. One approach to solving this dilemma is to identify the representativeness of the long-term study site. The purpose of the current study is to sample a salinity gradient over broad spatial scales in the Lavaca-Colorado Estuary to determine how well six long-term monitoring stations represent the spatial variability of benthic communities in order to assess the influence of the Colorado River. Samples were collected from 18 stations to measure benthic community structure as bioindicators, and hydrographic and sediment characteristics as environmental stressor indicators. In multivariate analysis, the macrobenthic communities separated into five groups, of which four were represented by long-term stations. These findings demonstrate that the long-term stations are representative of environmental change in.
The Intrinsic Rate of Natural Increase for the Human Louse, Pediculus humanus L.

Data on mortality, fecundity, and duration of life history stages were obtained for lice kept in uncrowded colonies at a temperature of approximately 30⚬ C. and at a relative humidity which varied between 30 and 55 per cent. Under these conditions the intrinsic rate of natural increase, that is, the rate of increase per head in a population which has attained a stable age distribution, was calculated to be 0.111 per day for Pediculus humanus. In this population, one female egg alive would on the average be replaced by 30.93 live daughter eggs, and 6.24 days would be required for the population to double in numbers. A comparison of vital statistics with those already published for two species of graminivorous insects and two species of rodents, all of which are assumed to have been obtained under conditions conducive to maximum rates of growth, suggests that the natural environment of the individual human louse is a remarkably safe one.
Nonionic Surfactants as Corrosion Inhibitors for Carbon Steel in Hydrochloric acid Medium

The utilization of surfactants is one of the several means for protecting a metallic surface from lectrochemical oxidation or corrosion. The amphiphilic nature of these surfactants encourages the preparation of a self-protective layer on the metallic surface, adequately reducing the area of contact between the liquids and the metal, therefore preventing corrosion. Most of the cationic surfactants like CTAB (Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide) have been utmost frequently used as a corrosion inhibitor of mild steel in acidic medium, yet since it is not eco-friendly its utilization has been depressed. As a substitute, the utilization of non-ionic surfactants like TritonX100, Tween 20, Tween 80 and Brij 35 which are considerably more eco-friendly were observed as inhibitors in this paper. It is well known that carbon steel is a usual material of construction of various mechanical vessels and equipment’s used in industrial practice which on continuous usage leads to corrosion of material. Here in this paper we investigate that by using nonionic surfactants which are ecofriendly and sustainable as corrosion inhibitors, in interaction with hydrochloric acid (HCL) to deliberate their mechanism of action and how it can be a substitute to cationic surfactants. In this study it is found that the non-ionic surfactants indicated inhibition efficiencies around 91-92%, which is extremely nearer to that of CTAB (97%) which is cationic surfactant at concentrations of 300-500 ppm with 1M HCL at 30°C. Tween 20 and Tween 80 also demonstrated closer outcomes nearer to CTAB, intently pursued by TritonX100, while Brij 35 slacked. The inhibiting effect of Tween 80 on corrosion of steel in 1M HCL is studied by weight loss technique. Meanwhile, the concentrations of the non-ionic surfactants utilized are in ppm (parts per million), and it is proven that nonionic surfactants which are more environment friendly compared to cationic surfactants pl ay a major role in coatings for carbon steel equipment and is alsoexceptionally cost-effective and hence can be a worthy substitute to CTAB which is a cationic surfactant. And, cationic surfactants are very expensive than nonionic because of the high-pressure hydrogenation reaction carried out during their synthesis hence a better substitute for corrosion inhibition is nonionic surfactant.
Locally Weighted Regression Pseudo-Rehearsal for Adaptive Model Predictive Control

: We consider the problem of online adaptation of a neural network designed to represent system dynamics. The neural network model is intended to be used by an MPC control law for autonomous control. This problem is challenging because both input and target distributions are non-stationary, and naive approaches to online adaptation result in catastrophic forgetting. We present a novel online learning method, which combines the pseudo-rehearsal method with locally weighted projection regression. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the resulting Locally Weighted Projection Regression Pseudo-Rehearsal (LW-PR 2 ) method on an autonomous vehicle in simulation and real world data collected with a 1/5 scale autonomous vehicle.
Transferability of Soybean SSR Markers in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are useful DNA markers in plant genetic research. However, they are not fully exploited in peanut because of the high cost and labor intensity involved in their development. Many studies have showed that DNA markers could be transferable among related species due to the conserved regions in their genomes. The objective of this study was to investigate the transferability of soybean SSR markers to peanut because of the availability of a large number of soybean SSRs. Four hundred thirty-two soybean SSR primer pairs were used to amplify peanut genomic DNAs extracted from four cultivated peanut lines. The result showed that 25% of soybean SSR primer pairs tested in this study could amplify peanut genomic DNA. Among these transferable SSR markers, 28% have detected polymorphism among these peanut lines. These transferable markers will benefit peanut genome research by not only providing additional DNA markers in peanut, but also allowing comparative mapping to be possible between peanut and soybean.
Fuzzy Multicriteria Decision-Making Approach for Measuring the Possibility of Cloud Adoption for Software Testing

To reduce costs and improve organizational efficiency, the adoption of innovative services such as Cloud services is the current trend in today’s highly competitive global business venture. The aim of the study is to guide the software development organization (SDO) for Cloud-based testing (CBT) adoption. To achieve the aim, this study first explores the determinants and predictors of Cloud adoption for software testing. Grounded on the collected data, this study designs a technology acceptance model using fuzzy multicriteria decision-making (FMCDM) approach. For the stated model development, this study identifies a list of predictors (main criteria) and factors (subcriteria) using systematic literature review (SLR). In the results of SLR, this study identifies seventy subcriteria also known as influential factors (IFs) from a sample of 136 papers. To provide a concise understanding of the facts, this study classifies the identified factors into ten predictors. To verify the SLR results and to rank the factors and predictors, an empirical survey was conducted with ninety-five experts from twenty different countries. The application value in the industrial field and academic achievement of the present study is the development of a general framework incorporating fuzzy set theory for improving MCDM models. The model can be applied to predict organizational Cloud adoption possibility taking various IFs and predictors as assessment criteria. The developed model can be divided into two main parts, ranking and rating. To measure the success or failure contribution of the individual IFs towards successful CBT adoption, the ranking part of the model will be used, while for a complete organizational assessment in order to identify the weak area for possible improvements, the assessment part of the model will be used. Collectively, it can be used as a decision support system to gauge SDO readiness towards successful CBT.
Identification of Uridine 5'-triphosphate Receptor mRNA in Rat Cochlear Tissues

Previous investigations have reported the presence of uridine 5'-triphosphate (UTP) and adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) receptors triggering phospholipase C (PLC) activation in the frog semicircular canal. The aim of this work was to characterize the molecular subtypes of these nucleotide receptors. Due to the lack of molecular tools for purinoceptors in amphibia, this study was performed on the rat. The stria vascularis, organ of Corti and spiral ligament were microdissected from Long Evans rat cochlea. RNA was extracted from four cochleas and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed after reverse transcription (RT) using oligonucleotides for sequences of P2Y1, P2Y2, P2Y4 and P2Y6 receptors. Various tissues were used as negative controls (testis for P2Y1 and P2Y6 receptors, brain for P2Y2 and P2Y4 receptors and liver for P2Y4 receptors). Data show the expression of the four transcripts in the stria vascularis, organ of Corti and spiral ligament. When results were normalized to the signal obtained with S14 mRNA, a ribosomal protein used as an internal standard, expressions were similar in the three structures. In conclusion, these results demonstrate the mRNA expression of the three UTP receptors (P2Y2, P2Y4 and P2Y6) and of the P2Y1 ATP receptor in both sensory and secretory structures of the rat inner ear. Their functional roles remain to be defined.
Laboratory Sprout Damage and Effect of Heat Treatment on Milling and Baking Properties of Indian Wheats

Effect of sprouting and heat treatment of wheat on physicochemical, milling, rheological and baking properties of three high yielding Indian wheat varieties were investigated. Flour recovery, diastatic activity and total sugars increased significantly in sprouted samples whereas damaged starch and gluten decreased with concomitant increase in free amino nitrogen. Poor rheological properties were exhibited by sprouted wheats which considerably improved with heat treatment. The bread baked from sprouted wheat flours had smaller loaf volume with poor crumb characteristics but cookies prepared from the same flour exhibited better spread. Heat treatment brought about considerable improvement in baked volume and crumb characteristics of breads.
Post-stroke functional limitations and changes in use of mode of transport

Purpose: To investigate the use of different modes of transport and long-term changes among stroke survivors with cognitive functional limitations (CFLs), and to study differences among sub-groups (decreased/ceased vs. unchanged and increased public transport use) regarding physical functional limitations (PFLs), CFLs, depression, and social activity outside home. Method: Survey of 79 individuals living in the community with CFLs post-stroke (mean 26 months). Well-established and study-specific instruments were used capturing the mode of transport use, CFLs (professionally assessed and self-reported), depression symptoms, and PFLs. Results: Over one third of the participants reported decreased/ceased use of bus and train, among whom more PFLs were found in comparison with those reporting unchanged use and more depression was found in comparison with those showing increased use. There were no sub-group differences concerning occurrence of CFLs and decrease in social activity. The use of own car or motorbike had largely ceased, most often replaced by Special Transportation Service or travelling by private car or taxi. Yet 27% were still frequent car drivers. Conclusion: The results indicate considerably affected use of modes of transport after stroke, and higher frequencies of PFLs and symptoms of depression among those with decreased/ceased public transport use.
Substance Use and Occupational Injuries Among High School Students in South Texas

This cross-sectional study examined the association between self-reported nonfatal occupational injuries among high school students in South Texas and their self-reported general use of substances. Data were collected using a self-administered, anonymous questionnaire (n = 3365). The independent variables included alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, inhalant, and steroid use. The dependent variable was occupational injury. Adjusting for grade, sex, ethnicity, and work intensity, odds ratios were calculated using logistic regression. Supporting an association with each substance, odds ratios consistently strengthened as use increased. Additional researchis merited given the scant number of previous studies. The associations for inhalant (OR, 5.61) and steroid (OR, 7.63) use argue for their inclusion in future research.
Risk Factors Predicting Complications in Blood Culture-proven Typhoid Fever in Adults

To create a prognostic model for complications of blood culture-proven typhoid fever in adults (]15 y old), a retrospective cohort was assembled though review of the medical records of the hospitalized patients treated for typhoid fever over a 3-y period ending January 1995. Of the 59 patients included, 21 (35.6%) developed various complications of typhoid fever. No patient included died. Four baseline variables (abdominal pain, systolic blood pressure B100 mmHg, hypoalbuminaemia B32 g/l and laboratory evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation) were independently associated with complications and were used to create a prognostic model. The prediction accuracy of the model was determined using the concordance index (c-index). The results (c-index, 0.915 [95% CI, 89.0–93.0]) showed that the model predicted complications significantly better than chance. The model stratified patients into 3 prognostic stages: low risk for complications (0%; stage I), intermediate risk (42.9%; stage II) and high risk (92.3%; stage III) (p=0.001). If validated in other settings, it will help clinicians in predicting complications in patients with blood culture-proven typhoid fever on admission.
Learning Locomotion Skills for Cassie: Iterative Design and Sim-to-Real

: Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) is a promising approach for developing legged locomotion skills. However, current work commonly describes DRL as being a one-shot process, where the state, action and reward are assumed to be well deﬁned and are directly used by an RL algorithm to obtain policies. In this paper, we describe and document an iterative design approach, which reﬂects the multiple design iterations of the reward that are often (if not always) needed in practice. Throughout the process, transfer learning is achieved via Deterministic Action Stochastic State (DASS) tuples, representing the deterministic policy actions associated with states visited by the stochastic policy. We demonstrate the transfer of policies learned in simulation to the physical robot without dynamics randomization. We also identify several key components that are critical for sim-to-real transfer in our setting.
Assessing unilateral neglect: shortcomings of standard test methods

Introduction : When investigating the incidence of unilateral neglect in a first-ever stroke population, we found that some patients showed clinical signs of neglect, but managed to pass our tests. The purpose of this paper is to describe the nature of such signs, and analyse why test instruments were insufficiently corresponding to those signs. Method : One hundred and thirty-one consecutive patients with first-ever stroke in a community-based sample were evaluated for the presence of unilateral neglect. We used a test battery consisting of tests for visuo-spatial neglect, personal neglect, and anosognosia. Twenty cases of neglect were discovered by standard methods. We asked our collaborators at the wards to report any behavioural abnormality reminiscent of neglect present in patients who had normal test results. Such patients were evaluated clinically. Results : Nine cases with neglect-like symptoms were discovered. Our clinical evaluation of the nine patients indicated several possible explanations for their behavioural abnormalities, including motor neglect, neglect for far extrapersonal space, disturbances of proprioception, and spatial disturbances other than neglect. Conclusion : Standard neglect tests do not cover all clinical forms of neglect. It is therefore important not to rely completely on test instruments when diagnosing neglect. More versatile test instruments are desired.
Physicochemical Properties and Functionality of Highly Carboxymethylated Starch

Highly carboxymethylated potato starches (HCMS) with various degrees of substitution ranging 0.48-0.60 were produced and their physicochemical and functional properties were examined. The degree of substitution could be increased by prior treatment of starch with acid, although the longer the treatment the percentage of low molecular weight starches increased slightly. HCMS showed a pseudoplastic flow having the power law index less than 1.0. HCMS swelled readily in cold water (15°C), formed a clear solution, and were resistant to retrogradation. The viscosity of HCMS prepared without or with 15min acid treatment was similar or higher than that of native starch at the beginning of amylography, however, it decreased gradually from the rest of the stage. HCMS prepared with longer acid treatments exhibited extremely low viscosity throughout the test period. The digestibility of HCMS by α-amylase decreased greatly in proportional to the degree of substitution. Scanning electron microscopic observation revealed fine fissures and grooves on the surface of HCMS granules, suggesting part of amylose has been leached by the acid treatment.
The effects of vascular intrauterine growth retardation on cortical astrocytes

Objective. We sought to determine the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental impairments in survivors of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). Methods. We used an experimental rabbit vascular IUGR model. We ligated 25% of uteroplacental vessels (partial ischemia) of one-half of the fetuses on day 25 at the end of the third trimester. We then determined hemispheral DNA and protein levels, and used glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) staining to count the labeled astrocytes at the superficial cortical layers. Results. Ischemic fetuses were significantly smaller than control fetuses and presented a disproportionately small body and a relatively larger head compared with the normal body/head ratio, confirming the study model as that of asymmetric IUGR. Hemispheral DNA was unchanged in IUGR fetuses, but they had decreased brain weight, hemispheral protein content, and a reduced number of mature (GFAP-positive) cortical astrocytes compared with control fetuses. Conclusion. Vascular IUGR, as demonstrated in our asymmetric IUGR model, adversely affected brain growth, cell size, and cortical astrocytes maturation. In view of the neurotrophic and neuroprotective functions of astrocytes, a reduced number of mature astrocytes during this critical period of development may be implicated in the pathogenesis of the neurodevelopmental impairments observed in IUGR.
Occurrence and Resistance of Pathogenic Bacteria Along the Tietê River Downstream of São Paulo in Brazil

The load of pathogenic bacteria, their fate and their dangerousness in the Tiete River were assessed along 100 km starting from the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The data were compared with those from two German rivers. High loads of pathogens were found in the Tiete River near the city of Sao Paulo (Escherichia coli 0157:H7, Shigella flexneri, and Shigella boydii), which were absent 30 km downstream of Sao Paulo. The antibiotic resistances observed in the Tiete river were rather low and decreased after the major input in Sao Paulo to significantly lower levels about 30 km downstream. While the Brazilian isolates were more susceptible for ampicillin than the German ones, the reverse was observed for gentamycin. For optimal control of infections in humans critical areas where these bacteria survived longer and their elimination mechanisms should be identified as well as the extent and the origin of antibiotic resistance should be determined.
A towed-diver survey method for mesoscale fishery-independent assessment of large-bodied reef fishes

Coral reef fishes are ecologically and economically important, particularly the largest species and individuals, which often include top predators, as they show disproportionate fecundity and generally make up the basis of nearshore fisheries. Large-bodied coral reef fishes can be difficult to sample using conventional survey methods, because they are often relatively rare, have comparatively large home ranges, and can exhibit behaviors that influence their "sightability. " We describe a towed-diver survey that can be used to assess populations of these fishes in which a pair of SCUBA divers maneuver "towboard" dive planes and record the abundance and size of large-bodied (> 50 cm TL) reef fishes while being towed at slow speed behind a small boat for 50 min. The resulting biological data are georeferenced, allowing for location-based comparison with habitat and environmental data. Comparisons with conventional belt transect surveys within the same reef and habitats reveal similar archipelagic patterns, but show some key differences. Encounter rates and statistical power are generally higher using the towed-diver method, and taxa that show behavioral responses to SCUBA divers exhibit different abundance and distribution patterns with each method. The scale of the towed-diver survey allows for more complete and representative coverage of the shallow-water reef environment, resulting in improved large-scale estimates of the density and spatial distribution of large-bodied reef fishes. As a result, the towed-diver method provides managers and scientists with an additional tool for assessing the distribution and status of large-bodied reef fish stocks.