Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-intensity short-duration grazing during spring is not an effective habitat management tool for Northern Bobwhites in Colorado

ABSTRACT Many wildlife species, like Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus), are reliant on periodic environmental disturbance to maintain heterogeneity in vegetation patterns. The Northern Bobwhite is a species of conservation concern requiring different vegetation types for nesting and brood-rearing stages, as well as for protection from predators and extreme weather. In northeastern Colorado, there are few management options to increase disturbance, other than domestic livestock grazing, to manage Northern Bobwhite habitat. As high-intensity short-duration grazing has shown promise as a mode of disturbance to manage Northern Bobwhite habitat in other regions, I used a randomized block design to test the effect of spring high-intensity short-duration grazing on Northern Bobwhites and their habitat in northeastern Colorado from 2016 to 2019. Specifically, I monitored Northern Bobwhite nest and brood survival and habitat selection in relation to grazing treatments over 3 years. I found that grazing had no effect on nest or brood survival or brood habitat selection, but Northern Bobwhites selected against grazed plots for nesting. Nest survival was negatively influenced by percent litter around the nest, and Northern Bobwhites selected nest sites with more grass cover and less bare ground. Broods selected habitat with less bare ground and more woody vegetation. Grazing affected vegetation immediately after grazing, but these effects weakened or disappeared by the end of the growing season. One exception to this overall pattern was forbs, which tended to be more abundant on grazed plots throughout the growing season. Overall, I found neutral effects of grazing on Northern Bobwhite nest and brood survival and habitat selection and neutral to positive benefits to the vegetation. Spring high-intensity short-duration grazing does not appear to be an effective tool to manage Northern Bobwhite nest or brood habitat in northeastern Colorado. LAY SUMMARY Northern Bobwhite populations have experienced range-wide declines and in Colorado, it was thought that declines were due to lack of vegetation disturbance. I tested whether grazing with a high cattle density for a short period in the spring could improve Northern Bobwhite habitat. The primary focus was on improving foraging and brood-rearing habitat by creating more bare ground and forb coverage. Grazing had no influence on brood habitat selection, brood survival, or nest survival; however, Northern Bobwhites selected ungrazed areas for nesting. Vegetation was substantially impacted directly after spring grazing, but by the end of the growing season, there was little to no difference in vegetation measurements between grazed and ungrazed areas. Overall, spring high-intensity short-duration grazing does not appear to be an effective habitat management strategy for Northern Bobwhites in northeastern Colorado because it did not result in any positive response of broods and grazed areas were avoided for nests.
Type I Collagen-Based Devices to Treat Nerve Injuries after Oral Surgery Procedures. A Systematic Review

The regeneration of nerve injuries after oral surgery procedures is a quite often attempted procedure in dental medicine. Despite several proposed technical approaches, there is still a lack of consensus on which should be considered the gold standard procedure, even-though in the last decades, the use of collagen-based devices allowing a tension-free direct neurorrhaphy has been used. A systematic search of multiple electronic databases and hand searching was conducted to assess the level of evidence behind the use of type I collagen devices to treat nerve injuries after oral surgery procedures. After screening, four articles (one case series and three retrospective studies) including overall 65 patients suffering from inferior alveolar (IAN)/lingual nerve (LN) injury after mandibular wisdom tooth extraction, met the inclusion criteria and could be included. The Oxford Centre for evidence-based medicine (OCEBM) scaling system was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. Positive clinical results in terms of sensorial improvements were recorded at least 3 months after surgery, even-though the overall level of evidence is low. The use of collagen membranes to enhance nerve regeneration in oral surgery results in promising results. Nevertheless, additional clinical comparative trials with larger sample sizes are needed.
Gentle method for removing metal and restoring function after scanning electron microscopy

Abstract. An etching process is demonstrated for removing noble metal from microstructures to restore their original function after being characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Using neither aggressive acids nor high temperatures, the etching method gently removes gold/palladium alloys from complex three-dimensional microstructures, preserving their structural form. To explore the efficacy of the etching process, polymeric photonic crystals and monolithic microstructures were fabricated, metal coated, etched, and then structurally and optically characterized. Metal coating substantially diminishes the optical functional and transmission of the microstructures. SEM imaging performed throughout a series of metal sputtering, etching, and resputtering shows that the etching process does not significantly alter the form of a microstructure. Measurements of optical transmission using a scanned-optical-fiber system confirm that the etchant removes the metal and restores the optical properties of the microstructures.
Chemical composition of essential oils of the tree Melaleuca quinquenervia (Myrtaceae) cultivated in Costa Rica

Introduction: Melaleuca is a Myrtaceous genus of flowering plants of about 290 species, distributed throughout Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, and New Caledonia. Objective: To identify the chemical composition of the essential oils from leaves, twigs and fruits of M. quinquenervia cultivated as ornamental in Costa Rica. Methods: The essential oils were obtained through the steam distillation process in a Clevenger type apparatus. The chemical composition of the oils was done by GC-FID and GC-MS, using the retention indices on a DB-5 type capillary column in addition to mass spectral fragmentation patterns. Results: The essential oils consisted mainly of terpenoids (88,2-96,6%). A total of 88 compounds were identified, accounting for 93.1-97.0% of the total amount of the oils. The major constituents from the leaf oil were 1,8-cineole (31,5%), viridiflorol (21,7%), and α-pinene (17,9%). The fruit essential oil consisted mainly of viridiflorol (42,1%), α-pinene (15,0%), limonene (6,4%), α-humulene (4,7%), β-caryophyllene (3,9%), and 1,8-cineole (3,4%). The major components of twigs oil were viridiflorol (66,0%), and 1,10-di-epi-cubenol (4,0%). Conclusion: The plants introduced in Costa Rica belong to chemotype II whose oils contain as major constituents 1,8-cineole and viridiflorol, and it suggest that the original plants were brought from southern Queensland or northern New South Wales (Australia) or from New Caledonia.
Lead-free ferroelectric materials: Prospective applications

The year of 2021 is the 100th anniversary of the first publication of ferroelectric behaviour in Rochelle salt, focussing on its piezoelectric properties. Over the past many decades, people witnessed a great impact of ferroelectricity on our everyday life, where numerous ferroelectric materials have been designed and developed to enable the advancement of diverse applications. Now the driving forces for ferroelectric studies stem from regulations on environment, human health and sustainable society development. This leads to the resurgence of lead-free ferroelectric materials for the expectation of replacing the state-of-the-art lead-based counterparts. The next wave of explorations into ferroelectric materials maybe related to the Internet-of-Things, which requires millions of self-powered sensors and memories. This will promote research on ferroelectrics for sensing, energy harvesting and storage, communication and non-volatile memories, from centimetre scale to micro and nanoscale. This review gives a brief discussion from the materials viewpoint, on the challenges and current status of lead-free ferroelectrics based on prospective applications.
Upper Ordovician Thylacocephala (Euarthropoda, Eucrustacea) from Bohemia indicate early ecological differentiation

Thylacocephala is a clade of marine bivalved euarthropods generally considered to belong to Eucrustacea, although their affinities within this group remain unsettled. Detailed thylacocephalan anatomy and tagmosis is poorly known, and the majority of taxa have been described based only on the valves of the carapace. While some thylacocephalans are considered to have been fully nektic, others probably had a nekto‐benthic mode of life. The group makes its last appearance in the Upper Cretaceous of Lebanon, while the previously oldest definite record is from the Silurian of Wisconsin, USA. This paper describes two new thylacocephalans, Pseudoprotozoea irenae gen. et sp. nov. and Bohemiacaris libori gen. et sp. nov. from the Sandbian (Upper Ordovician) Letná Formation of Bohemia (Czech Republic). Apart from the carapaces, both fossils preserve some evidence of the appendages. Remarkably, even though the newly described taxa represent the oldest unequivocal thylacocephalans, their carapaces display several characters most similar to those of Mesozoic groups. Whether these similarities reflect true close relationships and Ordovician origins for these groups or are only the result of convergent evolution is uncertain. Regardless, the new finds show that ecological differentiation between fully nektic and nekto‐benthic lifestyles was probably achieved early in the evolution of Thylacocephala.
Business Owners and Executives as Politicians: The Effect on Public Policy

When business owners and executives run for elected office, they claim their experience in business leaves them uniquely equipped to govern. Does electing a business owner or executive have an effect on public policy? With original data, including race, gender, political experience, and occupational backgrounds of 3,257 mayoral candidates from 263 cities, I document a striking lack of diversity in US mayoral politics and show that business owners and executives are extraordinarily well represented in American city halls. Nearly 32% of mayors have experience as a business owner or executive, making it the most common occupation across both time and geographic region. Using a regression discontinuity design, I find that business executive mayors do shape municipal fiscal policy by shifting the allocation of expenditures, investing in infrastructure while curtailing redistributive spending. Notably, my results suggest that business executive is not simply a proxy for Republican partisanship.
Field Study on Nationality Differences in Adaptive Thermal Comfort of University Students in Dormitories during Summer in Japan

A summer field study was conducted in two university dormitories in the Tokai region of Central Japan. The study aimed at understanding the correlation between subjective thermal responses as well as whether nationality was affecting the responses. It was observed that nationality significantly affected thermal sensitivity and preference. The occupants’ acceptance for thermal stress was invariably above 90%. Despite the high levels of humidity observed, the multiple regression model showed that only the indoor air temperature was significant for explaining the variability of thermal sensation for both Japanese and non-Japanese students. The highest probability of voting neutral for university students in dormitory buildings in the Tokai region of Japan was estimated within 24~26.5 °C (by probit analysis). Japanese students were more sensitive to their indoor environment as opposed to the international students. The adjusted linear regression coefficient yielded from the room-wise day-wise averages were 0.48/K and 0.35/K for Japanese sensitivity and international sensitivity, respectively. In our study, the Griffiths’ model of estimating comfort temperature (or thermal neutrality) showed weak predictability and notable differences from the actually voted comfort. The neutral and comfort temperature observed and estimated in the study remained invariably below the recommended temperature threshold for Japan in summer leading to believe that that threshold is worth reevaluating.
A thermogelling organic-inorganic hybrid hydrogel with excellent printability, shape fidelity and cytocompatibility for 3D bioprinting

Alginates are the most commonly used bioink in biofabrication, but their rheological profiles make it very challenging to perform real 3D printing. In this study, an advanced hybrid hydrogel ink was developed, a mixture of thermogelling diblock copolymer, alginate and clay i.e. Laponite XLG. The reversible thermogelling and shear thinning properties of the diblock copolymer in the ink system improves handling and 3D printability significantly. Various three-dimensional constructs, including suspended filaments, were printed successfully with high shape fidelity and excellent stackability. Subsequent ionic crosslinking of alginate fixates the printed scaffolds, while the diblock copolymer is washed out of the structure, acting as a fugitive material/porogen on the (macro)molecular level. Finally, cell-laden printing and culture over 21 d demonstrated good cytocompatibility and feasibility of the novel hybrid hydrogels for 3D bioprinting. We believe that the developed approach could be interesting for a wide range of bioprinting applications including tissue engineering and drug screening, potentially enabling also other biological bioinks such as collagen, hyaluronic acid, decellularized extracellular matrices or cellulose based bioinks.
A study of phase resetting, mutual entrainment, and modified ventricular parasystole using a model of coupled heart cells

Several aspects of cardiac electrophysiology including phase-resetting and entrainment are investigated through the dynamic interactions of coupled mathematical models of cardiac cells. Unlike previous studies of cell interaction which have used simplified models of a general cardiac cell or oscillators characterized only by their phase transition curves the present work incorporates the more physiologically realistic cell models of the Hodgkin-Huxley type. Furthermore, this caricature of the heart includes models representing cells from each of the major components of the heart's electrical conduction system, the SA node, AV node, Purkinje fibre network, and ventricular myocardium. Since there does not exist a model for an AV node cell, a new model is created by modifying the SA node cell equations. Because spontaneously firing cardiac cells exhibit a wide range of oscillation frequencies, certain physiologically based parameters in the model equations were altered to produce a similar range of intrinsic frequencies in the model cells. These model cells are coupled by assuming that direction-dependent and purely resistive coupling currents flow between them. Furthermore, these coupling currents incorporate a time delay representing the intercell impulse propagation time which is significant between different regions of the heart. Each of the conduction components, the SA and AV nodes, Purkinje fibre network, and ventricular myocardium, can be modelled with either one or several of their model cells. These model components can then be coupled with appropriate conductances and propagation time delays to model the spread of waves of excitation from one region of the heart to another. When cells interact, their intrinsic cycles may be perturbed. These alterations or
Canopy interception estimates in a Norway spruce forest and their importance for hydrological modelling

ABSTRACT This study presents a comparison of several interception modelling approaches and their impact on the simulation of discharge, soil moisture content and groundwater level using the Hydrologiska Byråns Vattenbalansavdelning (HBV)-light model. The study was based on 10-year measurements of interception loss in a mature Norway spruce forest. The interception modelled by the subtraction of the constant value from each individual rainfall event was proved to be the most efficient. The root mean square error (RMSE) between observed and simulated discharge increased by 5–6% compared to the reference model run, no differences in the soil moisture were observed and an increase in RMSE of 11% was observed concerning the groundwater level. The transpiration rate was overestimated by 3–5% on average. The study proved that even simple interception models can serve efficiently for hydrological modelling tasks focused on the simulation of particular water fluxes in forested catchments.
Discovery of Small Anti‐ACE2 Peptides to Inhibit SARS‐CoV‐2 Infectivity

COVID‐19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), which infects host cells by binding its viral spike protein receptor‐binding domain (RBD) to the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) on host cells. Blocking the SARS‐CoV‐2‐RBD/ACE2 interaction is, therefore, a potential strategy to inhibit viral infections. Using a novel biopanning strategy, a small anti‐ACE2 peptide is discovered, which shows high affinity and specificity to human ACE2. It blocks not only the SARS‐CoV‐2‐RBD/ACE2 interaction but also the SARS‐CoV‐1‐RBD/ACE2 interaction. Moreover, it inhibits SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in Vero‐E6 cells. The peptide shows negligible cytotoxicity in Vero‐E6 cells and Huh7 cells. In vivo short‐term lung toxicity study also demonstrates a good safety of the peptide after intratracheal administration. The anti‐ACE2 peptide can be potentially used as a prophylactic or therapeutic agent for SARS‐CoV‐2 or other ACE2‐mediated viruses. The strategy used in this study also provides a fast‐track platform to discover other antiviral peptides, which will prepare the world for future pandemics.
Supplementation of Microbial and Fungal Phytases to Low Protein and Energy Diets: Effects on Productive Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, and Blood Profiles of Broilers

To evaluate in possible use of phytases for improving the utilization of low protein and energy diets, 420, one-day-old chicks were distributed among 7 groups (5 replicates of 12 chicks/group). During the starter (1–35 day), grower (37–56 day), and finisher (57–64 day) periods, the control group fed diets containing 21.2% crude protein (CP)-2947 Kcal/kg metabolizable energy (ME), 19.6 CP-3023 ME and 18.0 CP-3100 ME, respectively. The three low-CP groups received diets isocaloric but with −1% CP than the control, while the three low-CPME groups fed diets with −1% CP and −100 Kcal than the control. In addition, the low-CP and low-CPME groups were supplemented with 0 (low-CP_uns and low-CPME_uns), 500 U/kg of an Aspergillus niger (low-CP_AP and low-CPME_AP) or 500 FTU/kg of an Escherichia coli phytase (low-CP_EP and low-CPME_EP), respectively. Low-CP and low-CPME diets decreased (p < 0.01) the intake of feed as well as the protein and metabolizable energy conversion ratios in comparison to the control group. In general, phytases lowered (p < 0.01) the intake of feed, protein, and energy, but bacterial phytase showed a higher (p < 0.01) effect than A. niger one. The diets with low-CP and low-CPME levels decreased (p < 0.01) the amount of the excreta nitrogen. The supplementation of phytases had similar effects on digestibility of nutrients, carcass traits, bone mineralization and blood biochemistry. The supplementation of A. niger increased abdominal fat deposition of compared low-CPME diet compared to low-CPME_uns diet. All diets showed similar production index allowing the use of low-CPME diet when phytases was supplemented.
Observation of an Intriguing Equatorial Plasma Bubble Event Over Indian Sector

We report an interesting Equatorial Plasma Bubbles (EPBs) event during the night of March 22–23, 2017. To investigate the dynamics of observed EPBs, we utilize multi‐instrument data obtained with all‐sky imager (ASI) from Panhala (16.48°N, 74.6°E, 11.1°N Dip. Lat.), Canadian Advanced Digital Ionosonde (CADI) from Tirunelveli (8.73°N, 77.7°E, 1.6°N Dip. Lat.) and ionospheric backscatter echoes data of Gadanki Ionospheric Radar Interferometer (GIRI) radar from Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E, 6.5°N Dip. Lat.) over Indian regions. The optical observations from Panhala reveal clear signatures of EPBs from ∼1600 UT onwards and corresponding ESF occurrence is noted in CADI at Tirunelveli as well. Backscatter echoes are also recorded in Range time intensity map obtained by GIRI after ∼17:45 UT. On this night, two EPBs (EPB1 and EPB2) are observed with inter‐depletion distance of ∼600 km. The EPB1 drifts eastward throughout the night and evolves with time as bifurcated structures while the trailing EPB2 drifts eastward initially and eventually drifts westward. We believe that this is the first evidence of differential drifts of EPBs imaged through ASI over a narrow longitudinal zone over the Indian region.
Synthesis of 4,4-Difluoro-1H-pyrazole Derivatives

Abstract Fluorination of 3,5-diarylpyrazole substrates by SelectfluorTM in acetonitrile gave 4,4-difluoro-1H-pyrazoles in addition to 4-fluoropyrazole derivatives. The structure of this new class of fluorinated heterocycle was established by X-ray crystallography.
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Molecular Screening to Identify Lynch Syndrome in the Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Background: Identifying Lynch syndrome (LS) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and monitoring their relatives can increase the life expectancy of these patients. Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the cost-effectiveness of 5 molecular testing strategies to screen LS among patients with newly diagnosed CRC and to conduct preventive surveillance in their first-degree relatives. Methods: A decision tree model was designed to identify the number of LS mutations and the related costs in the CRC patients. Five strategies were modeled, i.e., Amsterdam II criteria, microsatellite instability (MSI) testing, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and next-generation sequencing (NGS). A Marko model was also used to estimate the long-term outcome of monitoring (including colonoscopy and taking aspirin) among relatives of those patients with CRC who carried LS. Results: All strategies were cost-effective compared with no testing condition. The 2 most cost-effective strategies were strategy 2 (IHC testing followed by NGS testing) and strategy 4 (MSI testing followed by NGS testing), with the ICER of 4,604$ and 4,748$ per quality-adjusted life year (QALY), respectively. Based on one-way sensitivity analysis of IHC sensitivity, the Cost of colonoscopy, MSI sensitivity, and the number of families who inherited LS had the most effect on the results. Conclusions: The findings suggested that from an Iranian health care system perspective, IHC testing followed by NGS testing could be regarded as the most cost-effective strategy compared to the other strategies. These results can be useful in offering to screen LS in newly diagnosed CRC patients.