Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Movement of Free-Ranging Koalas in Response to Male Vocalisation Playbacks

Simple Summary Conservation management is critical for threatened wildlife species and an effective conservation approach relies on good understanding of animal behaviour in natural habitat. Currently, koalas are listed as vulnerable to extinction in Australia with declining populations, but their social and breeding system remains unclear. Male koala vocalisations, known as bellows, are believed to be closely related to their breeding behaviour. Bellows incorporate callers’ body size information which can be perceived by other koalas. In this study, we tested the behavioural responses of 20 GPS-collared free ranging koalas to bellow recordings collected from small (<6 kg) and large (>8.5 kg) adult male koalas. We report evidence of intra-male competition, with adult males approaching bellow playbacks, particularly those from small-sized males. In contrast, juvenile males under three years of age showed avoidance of the playbacks. No patterns in the response of females were detected. Our results provide the strongest evidence yet that bellows are primarily a means by which males occupy and control habitat space during the breeding season. Future studies are required to see if female response to bellows depends on their reproductive status. Abstract Effective conservation strategies rely on knowledge of seasonal and social drivers of animal behaviour. Koalas are generally solitary and their social arrangement appears to rely on vocal and chemical signalling. Male koala vocalisations, known as bellows, are believed to be closely related to their breeding behaviour. Previous research suggests that oestrous female koalas use bellows to locate unique males to mate with, and that males can similarly use bellows to evaluate the physical attributes of their peers. We tested the behavioural responses of 20 free ranging koalas to bellow recordings collected from small (<6 kg) and large (>8.5 kg) adult male koalas. Individual koala movement was reported by hourly-uploaded GPS coordinates. We report evidence of intra-male competition, with adult males approaching bellow playbacks, particularly those from small-sized males. In contrast, males under three years of age were averse to the playbacks. No patterns in the response of females were detected. Our results provide the strongest evidence yet that bellows are primarily a means by which males occupy and control space during the breeding season. Future studies are required to see if female response to bellows depends on their reproductive status.
Acceptance and Preparedness to be COVID Warriors: Self Narratives of Frontline Nurses of a Tertiary Care Center

Aim Aim of this study is to gain insight into how frontline nurses accepted and prepared themselves before COVID posting. Methods : It is a qualitative and phenomenological study design. Eighteen in-depth interviews were conducted with the nurses who provided care to confirmed COVID 19 patients in a tertiary hospital of North India from September to November 2020. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological method. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) were followed in this study. Results In this study, the reported experiences were divided into five main themes: (I) Getting ready to be at the frontlines (II) Family and peer support (III) I Can Handle it! (IV) I have to be Strong! (V) Training is key to confidence. The risk of infection, fear of being a source of infection to the family, the worry of staying away from family, uncertainty, and nervousness related to personal protective equipment were the most common thoughts that disturbed the participants. However, taking a good diet, practicing yoga and meditation, having a sense of serving their country and community, faith in God, family support, faith in the organization, and good training helped the participants to prepare for the COVID posting. Conclusion : Despite facing various challenges, the nurses showed great strength and resilience. To promote a resilient health system, supportive supervision and adequate administrative support, training and workshops, peer group support, counseling cells, and spiritual support may be considered.
Genome-Wide Characterization and Expression Analysis of Pathogenesis-Related 1 (PR-1) Gene Family in Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) in Response to Blister-Blight Disease Stress

Pathogenesis-related 1 (PR-1) proteins, which are defense proteins in plant–pathogen interactions, play an important role in the resistance and defense of plants against diseases. Blister blight disease is caused by Exobasidium vexans Massee and a major leaf disease of tea plants (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze). However, the systematic characterization and analysis of the PR-1 gene family in tea plants is still lacking, and the defense mechanism of this family remains unknown. In this study, 17 CsPR-1 genes were identified from the tea plant genome and classified into five groups based on their signal peptide, isoelectric point, and C-terminus extension. Most of the CsPR-1 proteins contained an N-terminal signal peptide and a conserved PR-1 like domain. CsPR-1 genes comprised multiple cis-acting elements and were closely related to the signal-transduction pathways involving TCA, NPR1, EDS16, BGL2, PR4, and HCHIB. These characteristics imply an important role of the genes in the defense of the tea plant. In addition, the RNA-seq data and real-time PCR analysis demonstrated that the CsPR-1-2, -4, -6, -7, -8, -9, -10, -14, -15, and -17 genes were significantly upregulated under tea blister-blight stress. This study could help to increase understanding of CsPR-1 genes and their defense mechanism in response to tea blister blight.
Parenting style, social interaction anxiety, and problematic internet use among students

Our study examined the roles of parenting styles and social interaction anxiety in problematic internet use (PIU) in a sample of Nigerian undergraduate students (n = 300; female = 63.3%; mean age = 19.66 years, SD = 2.64 years). The students completed the Parenting Style Inventory II (PS-II), the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, and the Generalised Problematic Internet Use Scale 2. Following regression analysis, results showed authoritative parenting to predict lower PIU among the students, while permissive parenting predicted higher PIU among the students. Social interaction anxiety predicted higher PIU and mediated the relationship between the parenting styles and PIU, decreasing PIU among female students but not for the male students. Gendered parenting style influences PIU through social anxiety. These findings suggest a need for gender sensitive PIU interventions in Nigerian patriarchal culture.
Hybrid NOMA Offloading in Multi-User MEC Networks

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) assisted mobile edge computing (MEC) has recently attracted significant attention due to its superior capability to reduce the energy consumption and the latency of MEC offloading. In this paper, a general hybrid NOMA-MEC offloading strategy is proposed, which includes conventional orthogonal multiple access (OMA) and pure NOMA based offloading as special cases. A multi-objective optimization problem is formulated to minimize the energy consumption for MEC offloading, and a low-complexity resource allocation solution is derived and shown to be Pareto-optimal. Furthermore, by analyzing the properties of the obtained resource allocation solution, important insights regarding NOMA-MEC offloading are obtained. For example, it is proved that pure NOMA-MEC offloading cannot outperform hybrid NOMA-MEC. In addition, a precise condition under which NOMA-MEC outperforms OMA-MEC is established, and shown to match the one previously developed for the two-user special case. Furthermore, the developed analytical results also establish an interesting analogy between the proposed hybrid NOMA-MEC power allocation scheme and the well-known water-filling strategy.
RADAR-PLATOON TECHNIQUE FOR EFFICIENT AND COMPLETE SPEED MEASUREMENT

A technique by which a single observer can accurately estimate speeds of all vehicles in a single lane of traffic with the use of a radar device, regardless of the volume of traffic in that lane, is described. This is accomplished by considering platoons of vehicles rather than each individual vehicle. For each platoon, the speed, platoon composition, and lead-vehicle type are recorded. The speed is measured by means of a radar unit while the platoon composition and platoon lead-vehicle type are observed visually and recorded manually. On two-lane highways, this technique can provide detailed volume counts and speed measurements for one direction of traffic flow and summarized (e.g., 5-min) vehicle counts for the opposite direction. For total two-way volumes of less than 500 vehicles/h, the sinigle observer can provide detailed volume counts and exact speed measurements for both directions. (Authors)
Study on Methods of Abnormal Alarm and Fault Diagnosis for In-Orbit Satellites

It is an important task to alarm faults encountered by an in-orbit satellite in a timely manner.This often has a significant impact on the in-orbit lifetime of a satellite.There are many methods to alarm and diagnose satellite faults when they do happen.This paper analyzes and classifies them into two types: one type based on abnormal alarms of telemetry data and the other fault diagnosis methods.The two types of methods are discussed in terms of functionality,effectiveness and software implementation complexity.The study results show that the effect of fault alarm and diagnosis depends on what method is used taking into consideration the difficulty of their implementation and management.Finally,this paper proposes a novel method to alarm faults efficiently,featuring improved performance.
In vitro Antifungal Activity of a Novel Antimicrobial Peptide AMP-17 Against Planktonic Cells and Biofilms of Cryptococcus neoformans

Background Cryptococcus neoformans is a common human fungal pathogen in immunocompromised people, as well as a prevalent cause of meningitis in HIV-infected individuals. With the emergence of clinical fungal resistance and the shortage of antifungal drugs, it is urgent to discover novel antifungal agents. AMP-17, a novel antimicrobial peptide from Musca domestica, has antifungal activity against C. neoformans. However, its antifungal and anti-biofilm activities remain unclear. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the antifungal activity of AMP-17 against planktonic cells and biofilms of C. neoformans. Methods The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), the biofilm inhibitory and eradicating concentration (BIC and BEC) were determined by the broth microdilution assay or the 2, 3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) reduction assay, respectively. The inhibitory and killing activities of AMP-17 against C. neoformans were investigated through the time-inhibition/killing kinetic curves. The potential antifungal mechanism of AMP-17 was detected by flow cytometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The efficiency of AMP-17 against biofilm formation or preformed biofilm was evaluated by crystal violet staining and XTT reduction assays. The morphology of pre-biofilms was tested by optical microscopy (OM) and CLSM. Results AMP-17 exhibited in vitro antifungal activity against C. neoformans planktonic cells and biofilms, with MICs of 4~16 μg/ml, BIC80 and BEC80 of 16~32 μg/ml, 64~128 μg/ml, respectively. In addition, the 2× and 4× MIC of AMP-17 exhibited similar inhibition levels compared to the 2× and 4× MIC of the clinical drugs FLC and AMB in C. neoformans growth. Moreover, the time-kill results showed that AMP-17 (8× MIC) did not significantly eliminate colony forming units (CFU) after 6 h of treatment; however, there was 2.9-log reduction in CFU of C. neoformans. Furthermore, increasing of the permeability of the fungal cell membrane was observed with the treatment of AMP-17, since the vast change as fungal leakage and cell membrane disruption. However, the DNA binding assay of AMP-17 indicated that the peptide did not target DNA. Besides, AMP-17 was superior in inhibiting and eradicating biofilms of C. neoformans compared with FLC. Conclusion AMP-17 exhibited potential in vitro antifungal activity against the planktonic cells and biofilms of C. neoformans, and it may disrupt fungal cell membranes through multi-target interactions, which provides a promising therapeutic strategy and experimental basis for Cryptococcus-associated infections.
Nutritional Influences on Locomotive Syndrome

Healthy dietary habits are important to prevent locomotive syndrome (LS). We investigated the relationship between LS and nutritional intake using community health checkup data. We included 368 participants who underwent LS staging, blood sampling, and nutritional intake assessments. Participants (163 adults < 65: 205 older adults ≥ 65) were divided into normal (N; LS stage 0) and LS (L; LS stage 1–2) groups, and blood sample data and nutritional intake were compared between groups. Among adults (N group, 71; L group, 92), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was significantly lower, and Vitamin B1 intake was significantly higher in the L than in the N group; LDL-C, p = 0.033; Vitamin B1, 0.029. Among older adults (N group, 85; L group, 120), hemoglobin (Hb), albumin, and calcium levels were significantly lower, and sodium, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6 PUFA) were significantly higher in the L than the N group; Hb, p = 0.036; albumin, 0.030; calcium, 0.025; sodium; 0.029; MUFA; 0.047, n-6 PUFA; 0.0233). Logistic regression analysis indicated that sodium was the risk factor for the L group (exp (B) 1.001, 95% CI: 1–1.001, p = 0.032). In conclusion, salt intake was associated with LS.
ESTUDO COMPARATIVO DO DESEMPENHO DE CODIGOS DE DFC NA MODELACAO DE EQUIPAMENTOS DE REFRIGERACAO ABERTOS

De um modo progressivo os mais variados estudos no domínio da Engenharia têm vindo a apoiar-se, numa fase de pré-projecto ou de apoio ao projecto, nas previsões numéricas obtidas por códigos de Dinâmica de Fluidos Computacional (DFC). No entanto, as previsões numéricas obtidas por estes códigos têm associadas algum grau de incerteza, quer seja pela definição dos modelos físicos em causa, quer pelas especificações e posteriores simplificações dos modelos matemáticos e numéricos que traduzem os diversos fenómenos físicos. Neste artigo é genericamente avaliado e comparado o desempenho de dois modelos computacionais construídos com códigos comerciais de DFC (PHOENICS e FLUENT), mediante a confrontação das previsões numéricas das características térmicas de um equipamento refrigerado aberto com resultados experimentais obtidos pelos autores. Deste modo, pretende-se avaliar a robustez dos modelos computacionais desenvolvidos, assim como expor as vantagens e desvantagens intrínsecas de cada código, nomeadamente a facilidade de utilização, versatilidade, estrutura e metodologia de cálculo, além de evidenciar na globalidade as suas potencialidades e aplicabilidade.
Diversity and frequency of fungal genera from sorghum lines inoculated with Alternaria alternata alone and in combination with Curvularia lunata and Fusarium thapsinum in a field infected with anthracnose

Sorghum grain mold is a disease associated with number of fungal genera. In this study, mycoflora analysis of seeds obtained from 91 accessions, including those from the sorghum association panel was conducted. Accessions were inoculated with A. alternata alone, mixture of A. alternata, F. thapsinum, and C. lunata, and water-sprayed control during two growing seasons. Alternaria alternata alone treatment showed Colletotrichum sublineola was the most recovered fungal species followed by A. alternata, and Fusarium spp. Seeds from panicles inoculated with a mixture of A. alternata, F. thapsinum, and C. lunata revealed F. thapsinum, followed by C. lunata, C. sublineola and A. alternata as the most frequently isolated species. In the control treatment, A. alternata and C. sublineola were the most frequently recovered fungal species. Fusarium proliferatum, Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, F. chlamydposporum, F. verticillioides, Rhizopus spp. , and Penicillium spp. were also recovered but in low percentages. Due to the large number of fungi associated with the disease, management can be challenging. Studies like this allows for the identification of other grain mold fungi infecting or contaminating sorghum grain in a field. Thus, using those fungi species in a particular region, either individually or in combination to screen germplasm for resistance or tolerance to this disease complex is recommended. Keywords: Mycoflora, Sorghum, Grain Mold, Fungal Species, Alternaria alternata, Fusarium thapsinum, Curvularia lunata
Power-Shaping Model-based Control with Feedback Deactivation for Flexible-Joint Robot Interaction

This paper presents a novel control methodology that is based on an amalgamation of model-based, power-shaping control (PSC), and feedback deactivation. It has been hypothesised that proportional position control of flexible-joint robots can impinge on their interactional performance, since position feedback causes a stiffening of the robots joints. In order to reduce reliance upon feedback terms, this work proposes usage of feedforward, model-based control terms, whilst accounting for both the actuator and link coordinates. The introduced PSC signal enables stable tracking control, even when the proportional controllers position error term employs solely non-collocated state feedback. It is also demonstrated that the user can stably deactivate position feedback pertaining to specific joints, in a real-time manner, so as to further enhance interactional performance. However, since feedback deactivation can lead to abrupt generation of unfeasible control signals, a variable impedance control (VIC) technique is proposed to overcome this limitation. Despite VICs potential to inject undesirable amounts of energy into the closed-loop system, an amended PSC term is introduced to guarantee stability preservation. Moreover, to achieve saturation prevention in an energy efficient manner, a novel Lyapunov function is proposed that enables unconstrained modulation of the systems active impedance gains. Experimental results involving the Rethink Robotics Baxter robot corroborate the theoretical stability analyses, in addition to demonstrating that interactional and tracking performance improvements can be achieved via the proposed methodology.
A comparative prospective study of platelet rich plasma vs. corticosteroid injection in plantar fasciitis

Objective: To compare the relative effectiveness of intralesional Steroid versus Platelet- Rich Plasma injection among 80 patients in plantar fasciitis. Methods: A total number of 80 patients with plantar fasciitis were divided into 2 groups (Group A and B). Group A with 30 patients received intralesional Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Group B received intralesional methyl prednisolone acetate injection. Pre and post intervention Visual Analogue Score (VAS), Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) score and PF (plantar fascia) thickness for assessment of pain relief in two groups were recorded at 6 months. Results: The mean VAS scores for heel pain measured after 6 months of treatment were 1.460+0.6911in PRP group and 3.024+0.9572in steroid group. The decrease in mean VAS score in both the groups was statistically significant when compared with pre-treatment values (8.38+0.6820in PRP group and 8.44+0.6021in steroid group). The mean FAAM score measured after 6 months of treatment increased in both the groups (83.43±5.661in PRP group and 69.12±5.795 in steroid group)when compared with pretreatment value (29.97 ± 5.997in PRP group and 31.68±6.297 in steroid group)and it was statistically significant. There was 35.90% reduction in mean plantar fascia thickness in PRP group and 28.67% reduction in Steroid groupas compared to baseline values after 6 month of injection. Conclusion: Intralesional injection of both the PRP and steroid are effective and safe modalities of treatment for plantar fasciitis. Steroid is better for short term treatment of plantar fasciitis but in long term follow up platelet rich plasma therapy is better than steroid. Both the treatment methods have caused significant reduction in PF(Plantar fascia) thickness.
Endogenous and seasonal factors influencing circulating thyrotropin concentration in Red Sokoto and Sahel goats

Through regulating thyroid physiology, thyrotropin influences the activities of thyroid hormones, including thermogenesis and adaptation to ambient thermal challenges. This study aimed at evaluating the influences of some endogenous factors (breed, sex, age and body mass index; BMI) and season on circulating thyrotropin concentration in Red Sokoto and Sahel goats. A total of 120 goats were sampled, comprising Red Sokoto (n = 20) and Sahel (n = 20) goats in each season during the peak of the cold-dry (CDS), hot-dry (HDS) and rainy (RAS) seasons in a tropical Savannah climate. Results revealed that among Red Sokoto goats, bucks had significantly higher (P<0.05) circulating thyrotropin concentration than does during the HDS, while adults had significantly higher values than kids during the RAS. Significant (P<0.05) breed difference was only observed during the HDS, with the Red Sokoto goats having higher values among adult bucks and doelings but lower values than Sahel goats among buck-kids and adult does. Significant (P<0.05) seasonal variation was observed only in male Sahel goats with buck-kids having lower values during RAS as compared with CDS and HDS, while adult bucks had higher values during the RAS as compared with the HDS. A significant positive correlation (r = 0.29; P<0.001) was observed between thyrotropin concentration and BMI in the overall population. It was concluded that circulating thyrotropin concentration was higher in male and adult goats, and the effects of season and breed were sex and age-dependent. Moreover, the direct relationship between thyrotropin concentration and BMI may reflect the role of thyrotropin in the accumulation of body energy reserve in the savannah goats.
Cooperative Friendly Jamming Techniques for Drone-Based Mobile Secure Zone

Threats of eavesdropping and information leakages have increased sharply owing to advancements in wireless communication technology. In particular, the Internet of Things (IoT) has become vulnerable to sniffing or jamming attacks because broadcast communication is usually conducted in open-network environments. Although improved security protocols have been proposed to overcome the limitations of wireless-communication technology and to secure safe communication channels, they are difficult to apply to mobile communication networks and IoT because complex hardware is required. Hence, a novel security model with a lighter weight and greater mobility is needed. In this paper, we propose a security model applying cooperative friendly jamming using artificial noise and drone mobility, which are autonomous moving objects, and we demonstrate the prevention of eavesdropping and improved security through simulations and field tests. The Cooperative Friendly Jamming Techniques for Drone-based Mobile Secure Zone (CFJ-DMZ) can set a secure zone in a target area to support a safe wireless mobile communication network through friendly jamming, which can effectively reduce eavesdropping threats. According to the experimental results, the average information leakage rate of the eavesdroppers in CFJ-DMZ-applied scenarios was less than or equal to 3%, an average improvement of 92% over conventional methods.