Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Growth and Recruitment Parameters in the Assessment and Management Variables of the Yellow Squat Lobster (Cervimunida johni)

Fitting length data in age-structured stock assessment is a common method for evaluating hard-to-age animals, such as crustaceans. Growth specification and the uncertainty in the stock recruitment relationship are key issues in length-based assessment models. We conducted sensitivity analyses to evaluate the impact of growth and recruitment parameters on the stock assessment and management variables of the yellow squat lobster (Cervimunida johni) caught off the Chilean coast. Nine different scenarios of the length at first capture ( L a = 1 ) and the coefficient of variation at age ( c v a ) were tested for six combinations of values for the steepness parameter (h) and the recruitment variance ( σ R 2 ). We also investigated the reliability of these estimates using an operating model. Our findings indicate that the parameter related to growth, L a = 1 , has the greatest impact on the assessment and management variables of this fishery resource, with c v a having a lesser effect. Recruitment and fishing mortality estimates were the main variables affected. Parameters h and σ R 2 did not profoundly impact the variables assessed. In addition, L a = 1 was the most biased estimated parameter. We discuss that the high influence of growth parameters is related to model structure, and thus implications for determination of the status of yellow squat lobster should be addressed in the future. We recommended developing simulation protocols for the selection of growth parameters when using an age-structured model with length observations, and we believe that our findings are relevant for all Chilean fisheries with a similar stock assessment framework.
Recognition of Nucleosomes by Chromatin Factors: Lessons from Data-Driven Docking-Based Structures of Nucleosome-Protein Complexes

The function of chromatin ultimately depends on the many chromatin-associated proteins and protein complexes that regulate all DNA-templated processes such as transcription, repair and replication. As the molecular docking platform for these proteins, the nucleo- some is the essential gatekeeper to the genome. As such, the nucleosome-binding activity of a myriad of proteins is essential for a healthy cell. Here, we review the molecular basis of nucleosome-protein interactions and classify the different binding modes avail able. The structural data needed for such studies not only come from traditional sources such as X-Ray crystallography but also increasingly from other sources. In particular, we highlight how partial interaction data, derived from for example NMR or mutagenesis, are used in data-driven docking to drive the modeling of the complex into an atomistic structure. This approach has opened up detailed insights for several nucleosome-protein complexes that were intractable or recalcitrant to traditional methods. These structures guide the formation of new hypotheses and advance our understanding of chromatin function at the molecular level.
Machine-Learning Based Model to Improve Insulin Bolus Calculation in Type 1 Diabetes Therapy

<italic>Objective:</italic> This paper aims at proposing a new machine-learning based model to improve the calculation of mealtime insulin boluses (MIB) in type 1 diabetes (T1D) therapy using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data. Indeed, MIB is still often computed through the standard formula (SF), which does not account for glucose rate-of-change (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta$</tex-math></inline-formula>G), causing critical hypo/hyperglycemic episodes. <italic>Methods:</italic> Four candidate models for MIB calculation, based on multiple linear regression (MLR) and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) are developed. The proposed models are assessed <italic>in silico</italic>, using the UVa/Padova T1D simulator, in different mealtime scenarios and compared to the SF and three <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta$</tex-math></inline-formula>G-accounting variants proposed in the literature. An assessment on real data, by retrospectively analyzing 218 glycemic traces, is also performed. <italic>Results:</italic> All four tested models performed better than the existing techniques. LASSO regression with extended feature-set including quadratic terms (LASSO<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_Q$</tex-math></inline-formula>) produced the best results. In silico, LASSO<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_Q$</tex-math></inline-formula> reduced the error in estimating the optimal bolus to only 0.86 U (1.45 U of SF and 1.36–1.44 U of literature methods), as well as hypoglycemia incidence (from 44.41% of SF and 44.60–45.01% of literature methods, to 35.93%). Results are confirmed by the retrospective application to real data. <italic>Conclusion:</italic> New models to improve MIB calculation accounting for CGM-<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta$</tex-math></inline-formula>G and easy-to-measure features can be developed within a machine learning framework. Particularly, in this paper, a new LASSO<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_Q$</tex-math></inline-formula> model was developed, which ensures better glycemic control than SF and other literature methods. <italic>Significance:</italic> MIB dosage with the proposed LASSO<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_Q$</tex-math></inline-formula> model can potentially reduce the risk of adverse events in T1D therapy.
Volcanic Processes in the Gassendi Region of the Moon

The lunar floor‐fractured crater Gassendi and surrounding area were examined with high‐resolution Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imagery and other remote sensing data to characterize and understand the volcanic processes in the southwestern region of the Moon. This study was selected because the Gassendi region exhibits a variety of volcanic features (e.g., cryptomaria deposits, pyroclastic deposits, maria, and lava lakes) and team participants have studied this region for 30 years (Hawke et al., 1991, https://doi.org/10.1029/92GL02921). This study confirms the existence of a previously identified cryptomare deposit and identifies an additional cryptomare deposit west of Gassendi crater and a pyroclastic northeast of Gassendi. Spectral and geochemical anomalies associated with dark‐haloed impact craters reveal cryptomaria deposits in the western Gassendi crater floor and previously unmapped mare basalt within northeastern Gassendi. We identified three separate lava lakes on the northeast, northwest, and southwest floor of Gassendi crater based on morphology analogous to terrestrial lava lakes, geochemical signatures, and digital terrain data. Crater count (model) age data suggest that the lava lakes were active at ~3.6 Ga (300 Ma after floor emplacement). Criteria used to identify lava lakes in Gassendi were applied globally to locate candidate lava lakes within floor‐fractured craters. With the identification of lava lake morphology, both in Gassendi crater and in other floor‐fractured craters, the current ascent and eruption models should be revised to allow for at least short‐term connection between magma supply at depth and surface lava lakes. Hence, this integration of multiple perspectives afforded by recent remote data sets reveals new views about lunar volcanic processes.
A Qualitative Study on Small Firms’ Competitive Advantage Competencies in Laos Tourism Industry

Companies can create core competencies or competitive advantages by adopting the marketing strategies. It can result in creating profitable relationship with customers, differentiation themselves to gain superior customer value than others. This study emphasizes on investigating how small tourism firms create their competitive advantage by investigating business environment of PEST analysis, and Porter’s Five Forces Analysis and by using marketing analytic tools such as Segmentation-Targeting-Positioning (STP), service marketing of 7Ps. This research is conducted in qualitative study applying an in-depth interview with seven small business owners in tourism industry in Laos. The results show that motivation arises from being involving or experiencing in the business at young age, customer’s satisfaction can be captured by differentiation and the well uses of 7Ps, supportive external environment enhance the competitive advantage.
New Validated Stability-Indicating Reverse-phase High-performance Liquid Chromatography Method for the Simultaneous Estimation of Prazosin and Polythiazide in their Formulations in Human Plasma

Objective: A new simple and precise stability-indicating bioanalytical reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method was developed and validated for the simultaneous estimation of prazosin and polythiazide in their formulation and in human plasma. Materials and Methods: The developed method was successfully used for assaying drug contents in plasma. Isocratic elution mode was carried at Agilent C18 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm particle size) using 0.01 N disodium hydrogen phosphate pH 5.0:acetonitrile (55:45) as mobile phase at flow rate 1.0 ml min at detection wavelength 265 nm. Celecoxib was taken as an internal standard. The method was validated as per ICH guidelines. Results and Discussion: The present validated method can be successfully applied for the estimation of prazosin and polythiazide in human plasma over the concentration range of 12.5–500 ng/m of prazosin and 6.25–250 ng/ml of polythiazide. The method for the determination of prazosin and polythiazide in human plasma using HPLC detection met the acceptance criteria with respect to selectivity, precision, accuracy, linearity, and recovery. Conclusion: The proposed method is simple, rapid, accurate, precise, and appropriate for pharmacokinetic and therapeutic drug monitoring in the clinical laboratories.
Breeding biology of Crimson Finches (Neochmia phaeton) in the eastern Kimberley, Western Australia

ABSTRACT Many species show pronounced differences in life-history traits, from the individual level to divergences between distinct populations. Understanding the variation in these traits provides not only an insight into individual fitness but also essential information for the management of wild populations. Despite their popularity in aviculture and importance for captive research, our knowledge of many Estrildid finches in the wild is limited. Here we detail the breeding behaviour of 12 discrete colonies of Crimson Finch (Neochmia phaeton) in the east Kimberley region of Western Australia over two breeding seasons, and contrast our findings with studies on populations occupying different habitats. We found that many aspects of Crimson Finch breeding biology were consistent across site and studies. However, in our populations, adult survival was lower and group sizes were larger than has been reported elsewhere. We also examined age and sex differences in nestling care and found weak support for age or sex differences in feeding rates. We briefly discuss these findings in relation to theories of colony formation. These findings may help explain the evolution of colonial breeding in this species, as well as having implications for long-term ecosystem management.
The Dynamics Between Dividends, Financing and Investments: Evidence From Jordanian Companies

Dividend decisions, Financing decisions and Investment decisions are three very imperative decisions taken by a firm. The effect of these decisions is on the performance of the firm which subsequently effects the valuation of the firm. These decisions in a firm are also influenced by the growth and status of the respective economy. The current research attempts to analyze the dynamics between these three major decision areas and also assess their relationship with the market value of the firm. These dynamics are further tested against the economic growth of the respective economy. Annual data for 50 companies from Jordanian economy for the time period 2007-2018 is used to achieve the objective. Basic and advanced statistical techniques such as regression analysis and Vector Auto Regression (VAR) have been used in the study. The sample involved 50 Jordanian companies. The study found that the value of the firm is affected by three key decisions (value drivers) of dividend, investment and financing and this effect is best measured at a lag of two years. Also the combined effect of the three value drivers is more than standalone effect.
Classifying Asian Rice Cultivars (Oryza sativa L.) into Indica and Japonica Using Logistic Regression Model with Publicly Available Phenotypic Data

This article introduces how to implement the logistic regression model (LRM) with phenotypic variables for classifying Asian rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars into two pivotal subpopulations, indica and japonica. This study took advantage of publicly available data attached to a previous paper. The classification accuracy was assessed using an area under curve (AUC) of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Given 24 phenotypic variables for 280 indica/japonica accessions, the LRMs were fitted with up to six phenotypic variables of all possible combinations; the highest AUC accounts for 0.9977, obtained with six variables including panicle number per plant, seed number per panicle, florets per panicle, panicle fertility, straighthead susceptibility and blast resistance. Overall, the more variables there are, the higher the resulting AUCs are. The ultimate purpose of this study is to demonstrate the indica/japonica prediction ability of the LRM when applied to unclassified Asian rice cultivars. To estimate the indica/japonica prediction accuracy, ten-fold cross-validations were conducted 100 times with the 280 indica/japonica accessions using the LRM with parameters that yielded the highest AUC. The resulting prediction accuracy accounted for 0.9779. This suggests that the LRM promises to be a highly effective indica/japonica prediction tool using phenotypic variables in Asian cultivated rice.
Investigation of Physicochemical Composition of Sceliphron caementarium (black and yellow mud dauber) Nest

Nests of Sceliphron caementarium (black and yellow mud dauber) were collected from Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University (SGBAU), Amravati campus and analysed for their physicochemical composition. The investigation gave results for the nest as - pH 6.57, porosity 0.87mg/g, bulk density1.02g/mL, moisture content 1.01%, total surface area 5.55g/mgI2 and total surface charge 1.11mmolH+eq/g. Values obtained for the ordinary soil from the campus were pH 7.82, porosity 0.75mg/g, bulk density1.48g/mL, moisture content 2.27%, total surface area 4.76g/mgI2 and total surface charge 0.98mmolH+eq/g. Higher content of calcium and magnesium were found in nest clay samples as compared to the normal soil, whereas the iodine adsorption number and phosphorus were lower than normal soil.
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Promoter of CYP19 Gene in Cattle Bred in Iraq

Abstract: The present study was undertaken to characterize the genetic diversity of the aromatase cytochrome P450 (CYP19) gene in 34 cows (15 local, 14 Holstein, and 5 Crosses) in Iraq. The objectives of the present study are to detect SNPs (mutations) in promoter p1.1 of the CYP19 gene in cattle bred in Iraq using sequencing techniques. We identified five singlenucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) loci of the CYP19 gene that were detected, namely G933T, G994C, A1044G, A1062T, and C1468A. The results showed the presence of 3, 4, and 2 polymorphic sites leading to the construction of 4, 5, and 3 different haplotypes for Holstein, local, and crosses respectively. Haplotype diversity were 0.791, 0.752, and 0.700 respectively. While nucleotide diversity was 0.0017, 0.0022, and 0.0013 respectively. Besides, we carried out a phylogenetic analysis of these sequences to address the evolutionary relationship between the animal species. These fragments were assigned in the GenBank database under the accession numbers: LC490756, LC490757, LC491437, LC491438, LC491439, LC491588, and LC491589.
Conhecimento ecológico tradicional da ictiofauna pelos quilombolas no Alto Guaporé, Mato Grosso, Amazônia meridional, Brasil

Resumo O objetivo desta pesquisa foi estudar o conhecimento ecológico tradicional (CET) relacionado à pesca feita por grupo étnico autoidentificado como quilombola, por meio da análise de fatores que influenciam o consenso cultural e as técnicas da pesca artesanal. Participaram 24 homens e sete mulheres dos quilombos Retiro, Boqueirão, Casalvasco e Manga. Os métodos de amostragem utilizados foram: bola de neve, lista livre e observação participante. Os resultados incluem 47 etnoespécies (46 peixes e um réptil). O consenso cultural é composto por: Hoplias malabaricus, Cichla sp. , Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum, Astronotus ocellatus, Satanoperca pappaterra, Brycon cephalus, Piaractus mesopotamicus, P. corruscans, Pimelodus sp. , Colossoma macropomum, Pygocentrus nattereri, Mylossoma aureum, Astyanax sp. e Leporinus freiderici. Embora tenha sido maior a riqueza do conhecimento entre pessoas que residiram temporariamente em outros estados brasileiros, este aspecto não esteve relacionado à idade dos entrevistados. A manutenção e a transmissão de CET é propiciada por contato diário com peixes e com o rio desde criança, bem como por observação das práticas de pesca em grupo. O CET é parte da identidade e representa uma herança cultural que deve ser valorizada. É necessária a participação desses atores sociais nos planos de decisão e de gerenciamento de áreas protegidas.
Assessing Components of Ghana’s Comprehensive Sexuality Education on the Timing of Sexual Debut Among In-School Youth

Although Ghana’s comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) program has been lauded, no study has examined its association with the sexual health outcomes of Ghanaian youth. Using data collected from 2,982 in-school youth (male = 1,820 and female = 1,162) aged 15 to 17 years in three administrative regions of the country, we applied discrete-time hazard models to examine associations between components of Ghana’s CSE on the timing of sexual debut among male and female youth. Results indicate significant relationships between components on HIV prevention and timing of sexual debut for male youth. Male youth who learned about HIV prevention delayed sexual debut; however, male youth who endorsed myths about HIV transmission started sex early. Females who learned about values and interpersonal skills delayed their sexual debut, but the influence of this variable was attenuated by respondents’ demographic characteristics. Female respondents residing in the Greater Accra and Northern regions delayed sex, compared with those in the Brong Ahafo region.
Complete plastome sequences of H. paniculiflorum, H. stenophyllum and Homalium ceylanicum (Salicaceae): Three valuable forest tree species

Abstract Homalium (Salicaceae) is mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions. Here we report and characterize the complete plastid genome sequences of Homalium paniculiflorum, H. stenophyllum, and H. ceylanicum in an effort to provide genomic resources useful for promoting its systematics research. The plastomes of H. paniculiflorum, H. stenophyllum, and H. ceylanicum were found to possess a total length 157,206 bp, 156,395 bp, and 156,551 bp, respectively. They all have typical quadripartite structure of angiosperms, containing two Inverted Repeats (IRs) of 27,796 bp in H. paniculiflorum, 27,669 in H. stenophyllum and 27,639 bp in H. ceylanicum, a Large Single-Copy (LSC) region of 85,031 bp (H. paniculiflorum), 84,458 bp (H. stenophyllum) and 84,627 bp (H. ceylanicum), a Small Single-Copy (SSC) region of 16,584 bp (H. paniculiflorum), 16,599 bp (H. stenophyllum), and 16,646 bp (H. ceylanicum). The all plastome contains 111 genes, consisting of consisting of 77 unique protein-coding genes (seven of which are duplicated in the IR), 30 unique tRNA genes (seven of which are duplicated in the IR) and 4 unique rRNA genes. The overall A/T content in the plastomes of H. paniculiflorum, H. stenophyllum, and H. ceylanicum are 63.30, 63.20, and 63.20%. The complete plastome sequences of H. paniculiflorum, H. stenophyllum, and H. ceylanicum will provide a useful resource for the conservation genetics of the three species as well as for the phylogenetic studies of Homalium.
Online Rain/Snow Removal From Surveillance Videos

Video rain/snow removal from surveillance videos is an important task in the computer vision community since rain/snow existed in videos can severely degenerate the performance of many surveillance system. Various methods have been investigated extensively, but most only consider consistent rain/snow under stable background scenes. Rain/snow captured from practical surveillance camera, however, is always highly dynamic in time, and those videos also include occasionally transformed background scenes and background motions caused by waving leaves or water surfaces. To this issue, this paper proposes a novel rain/snow removal approach, which fully considers dynamic statistics of both rain/snow and background scenes taken from a video sequence. Specifically, the rain/snow is encoded as an online multi-scale convolutional sparse coding (OMS-CSC) model, which not only finely delivers the sparse scattering and multi-scale shapes of real rain/snow, but also well distinguish the components of background motion from rain/snow layer. The real-time ameliorated parameters in the model well encodes their temporally dynamic configurations. Furthermore, a transformation operator imposed on the background scenes is further embedded into the proposed model, which finely conveys the background transformations, such as rotations, scalings and distortions, inevitably existed in a real video sequence. The approach so constructed can naturally better adapt to the dynamic rain/snow as well as background changes, and also suitable to deal with the streaming video attributed its online learning mode. The proposed model is formulated in a concise maximum a posterior (MAP) framework and is readily solved by the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). Compared with the state-of-the-art online and offline video rain/snow removal methods, the proposed method achieves best performance on synthetic and real videos datasets both visually and quantitatively. Specifically, our method can be implemented in relatively high efficiency, showing its potential to real-time video rain/snow removal. The code page is at: https://github.com/MinghanLi/OTMSCSC_matlab_2020.
Forced torsional vibration of nanobeam via nonlocal strain gradient theory and surface energy effects under moving harmonic torque

The forced torsional vibration of a nanobeam by using the nonlocal strain gradient theory and incorporating the surface effects is investigated in the current work. The aim of this paper was to analyze the surface effect on the forced torsional vibration of a nanobeam. The simulated nanobeam is under the distributed external torque and moving external harmonic torque. The governing equations are derived by employing the Hamilton principle. The extracted partial differential equation is converted to ordinary differential equation by deploying the Assumed Modes method. The dynamic torsion of clamped–clamped end supports of nanobeam is determined by using the Convolution integral. The effect of nondimensional material length scale parameter, the nondimensional nonlocal parameter, the velocity parameter and the nondimensional moment, on the maximum nondimensional dynamic torsion of nanobeam are studied. Eventually, the effect of residual surface torsion and surface shear modulus on the maximum nondimensional dynamic torsion of nanobeam, which is obtained from the nonlocal strain gradient theory under the distributed torsional and moving harmonic dynamic moments, is studied.