Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Low-Dye Taping Applied to Chronic Stroke Patients on Gat Speed

Background/Objectives: This study examines the effects of the normal biomechanical maintenance of the feet through Low-Dye taping on the gait treatment in chronic stroke patients and presents the basis of clinical intervention.Method/Statistical Analysis: In this study, 5 cm-wide elastic tapings was applied to improve gait ability in 20 chronic stroke patients. Low-Dye taping was applied for foot alignment. Gait was measured by BTS G-walk (G-walk, BTS, Italy). In this study, taping was applied after the initial assessment, and post measurement was performed after 30 min of taping to examine the immediate effects of taping on the gait parameters. The main outcome of this study is gait speed, and the secondary outcomes are cadence and stride length.Findings: The research group showed significant increases in gait speed and cadence except for the stride length at 30 min after applying the taping.Improvements/Applications: After applying the Low-Dye taping to chronic stroke patients, their gait speed and cadence showed significant differences due to the effects of ankle joint alignment and medial longitudinal arch lift and support. Therefore, Low-Dye taping was effective in improving the gait ability of chronic stroke patients.
Identification of growth genes diversity of swamp buffalo using RFLP in Kabaena Island, Bombana District, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract. Nafiu LO, Muzuni, Pagala MA, Kurniawan W, Rahadi S. 2020. Identification of growth genes diversity of swamp buffalo using RFLP in Kabaena Island, Bombana District, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 21: 1901-1907. Swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in Bombana District has been familiar in the socio-cultural life and used as a source of livelihood. Buffalo can adapt to the hard environment by utilizing a low-quality feed. However, it needs more attention from the public and the government to increase buffalo production, both from the genetic and environmental aspects. The objective of this study was to determine the diversity of swamp buffalo growth genes (GH and GHRH) in Kabaena Island, Bombana District, Southeast Sulawesi-Indonesia. The blood sample was taken from 58 heads of swamp buffaloes and analyzed using PCR technique to multiply the sequence of GH and GHRH genes with the target sizes of 327 bp and 451 bp. The Genes diversity determined using analysis of genotype frequencies and allele frequencies of each locus, Inbreeding Coefficient estimated using analysis of observed heterozygosity (Ho) and expected heterozygosity (He), while Population balance (Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium) specifically related to the presence/absence of selection determined using a chi-square analysis. The results of the study showed that the GH/MspI and GHRH/HaeIII locus were polymorphic with sizes of 327 bp and 451 bp, respectively, contain three genotypes; AA, AB, and BB. The frequency of GH/MspI locus A and B locus were 0.562 and 0.438, respectively. Meanwhile, the frequency of A and B alleles at the GHRH/HaeIII locus were0.700 and 0.300, respectively. Allele and genotype GH/ MspI - GHRH/HaeIII locus frequency of swamp buffalo in Kabaena Island, Bombana District were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and it means that mating tends to occur randomly.
Uma área de relevante interesse biológico, porém pouco conhecida: a Reserva Florestal do Morro Grande

The Morro Grande Forest Reserve (10,870 ha) is one of the biggest forest areas in the Atlantic Plateau. This region was intensively deforested for agriculture, wood and charcoal production, and more recently by the expansion of urban areas. The Reserve is located in the cristalline Plateau of Ibiuna, just above the Paranapiacaba Mountain (860 1075 m above sea level), in a transition region between the rainy climate from the Atlantic coast, and the seasonal climate from inland Sao Paulo state. As a consequence, species composition in Morro Grande Reserve combines elements from the tropical rainforest and the semideciduous forest. Despite this particularity, few studies were carried out in the forests from Morro Grande. It is only in 2000 that a group of scientist related to the BIOTA/FAPESP program began a systematic analysis of the species composition of different taxonomic groups, as well as the analysis of ecological processes related with forest regeneration. The present manuscript introduces a series of nine articles with the biological data obtained in the Reserve these last four years, and aims also to present an historical and abiotic description of the Reserve, highlighting aspects of the relief, geologic and pedological conditions, climate, hydrography, land use and land cover.
Imaging with the elliptic Radon transform in 3D from an analytical and numerical perspective

The three-dimensional elliptic Radon transform (eRT) averages distributions over ellipsoids of revolution. It thus serves as a linear model in seismic imaging where one wants to recover the earth’s interior from reflected wave fields. As there is no inversion formula known for the eRT, approximate formulas have to be used. In this paper we suggest several of those, microlocally analyze their properties, provide and implement an adapted algorithm whose performance we test by diverse numerical experiments. Our previous results of [Inverse Problems, 34 (2018), 014002 & 114001] are thus generalized to three space dimensions.
Compound Hot-Dry and Cold-Wet Dynamical Extremes Over the Mediterranean

Abstract. The Mediterranean (MED) basin is a climate change hot-spot that has seen drying and a pronounced increase in heatwaves over the last century. At the same time, it is experiencing increasing heavy precipitation during wintertime cold spells. Understanding and quantifying the risks from compound events over the MED is paramount for present and future disaster risk reduction measures. Here, we apply a novel method to study compound events based on dynamical systems theory and analyse compound temperature and precipitation anomalies over the MED from 1979 to 2018. The dynamical systems analysis measures the strength of the coupling between different atmospheric variables over the MED. Further, we consider compound hot-dry days in summer and cold-wet days in winter. Our results show that these hot-dry and cold-wet compound days are associated with maxima in the temperature–precipitation coupling parameter of the dynamical systems analysis. This indicates that there is a strong interaction between temperature and precipitation during compound events. In summer, we find a significant upward trend in the coupling between temperature and precipitation over 1979–2018, which is likely driven by a stronger coupling during hot and dry days. Thermodynamic processes associated with long-term MED warming can best explain the trend. No such trend is found for wintertime cold-wet compound events. Our findings suggest that long-term warming strengthens the coupling of temperature and precipitation which intensifies hot-dry compound events.
Investigation of moisture distribution of ginger slices and splits during hot-air drying and rehydration procedures by NIR hyperspectral imaging

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the cutting method on the quality of the dried ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) by NIR hyperspectral imaging and computer vision systems. The cutting method of ginger was done vertically (slices) and horizontally (splits). The mean spectra were extracted from the collected NIR hyperspectral images (950-1,655 nm) for individual ginger samples and the partial least squares regression (PLSR) was employed to establish the prediction models. Determination coefficient (R2) of PLSR models based on non-pretreatment spectra for predicting moisture contents and rehydration rates of ginger samples were 0.960 and 0.957, respectively. The prediction maps of ginger slices and splits showed the same dehydration and rehydration patterns, which the moisture contents and rehydration rates in center parts were higher than edges. However, the shrinkage rates of ginger slices were higher than splits, while rehydration rates of ginger splits were higher than slices.
Kelp Geese (Chloephaga hybrida) and Flightless Steamer-Ducks (Tachyeres pteneres) in the Beagle Channel: the importance of islands in providing nesting habitat

Abstract We describe the nest-site characteristics and breeding habitat use of Kelp Geese (Chloephaga hybrida) and Flightless Steamer-Ducks (Tachyeres pteneres) along 137 km of coastline on the northern shore of the Beagle Channel, Argentina, and 87 km of island coastline. We examined the importance of vegetation cover, predation, and tourism on the distribution of nests among islands. We found all nests only on islands and islets. Nesting sites for both species were strongly associated with higher proportions of high vegetation cover (shrubs). Kelp Geese were also associated with the absence of terrestrial predators. Tourist presence on islands was not associated with the occurrence of nests for either species. The northern coasts of the Beagle Channel and the islands and islets along the channel have similar habitat types. However, the islands and islets are relatively inaccessible to mammalian terrestrial predators compared to the coast of the channel where terrestrial predators are frequently recorded. Therefore, islands and islets seem to provide a relatively safe nesting habitat for Kelp Geese and Flightless Steamer-Ducks by offering refuge mainly from ground predators. Additionally, habitat changes caused by increased human disturbance along the northern shore of the Beagle Channel may also explain the presence of nests only on islands and islets, though further studies are needed to assess these effects. This study contributes new information on the breeding habitat and nesting sites of Flightless Steamer-Ducks and Kelp Geese in the Beagle Channel, to assist in the identification of priority breeding sites and habitats to protect. Also, it highlights the importance of islands and islets of the Beagle Channel as safe breeding refuge for these two ground nesting seabirds.
The effects of passage through the gut of goats and cattle, and the application of dung as a fertiliser on seedling establishment of Dichrostachys cinerea and Acacia nilotica.

Seed pods of Dichrostachys cinerea and Acacia nilotica have higher nutritive value than grasses and other browse plants during the dry season and form an important part of the diet of livestock. Seeds of Acacia may be destroyed during passage through the digestive tract of herbivores whereas seeds of other browse species can remain viable even after mechanical (chewing) and chemical (digestive) scarification. The seedling emergence, seedling establishment and recruitment of D. cinerea and A. nilotica seeds, dispersed by cattle and goats, were measured under natural conditions in the wet and dry seasons following sowing in the dry season. Seeds retrieved from goats and cattle, during the first 3 days and the last 4 days of the recovery period, and control seeds were subjected to the following planting methods: (1) seeds placed on top of the soil with no dung, (2) seeds buried to a depth of 2 cm in the soil with no dung, and (3) seeds buried to a depth of 2 cm in the soil with dung, in the wet and dry seasons. Significantly more A. nilotica and D. cinerea seeds were retrieved from cattle (40.0 ± 3.6% and 25.7 ± 3.9%, respectively), than goats (11.7 ± 3.1% and 13.2 ± 3.8%, respectively). There were significant interactions among animal species, seed-recovery day, planting and season for percentage seedling recruitment. Seedlings from seeds retrieved from goats (12.0 ± 0.06%) had a significantly higher recruitment rate than from seeds retrieved from cattle (7.6 ± 0.05%) and control seeds (i.e. no passage through the gut) (4.1 ± 0.02%). Seedling recruitment rate was higher from seeds recovered from animals in the last 4 days of the recovery period and from D. cinerea than A. nilotica. The planting method of seeds buried to a depth of 2 cm in the soil with no dung had the highest seedling recruitment rate. We conclude that both goats and cattle may facilitate woody plant encroachment by enhancing seedling emergence.
The effect of food availability on the foraging behaviour of breeding Great Skuas Catharacta skua and Arctic Skuas Stercorarius parasiticus

Seabirds’ behavioural activity budgets have been proposed as an indicator of changes in marine food supplies. Reduced recruitment and a low biomass of sandeels Ammodytes spp. around Shetland in the late 1980s were associated with a dramatic increase in the foraging effort of breeding skuas. We present data on the territorial attendance patterns of breeding Great Skuas Catharacta skua and Arctic Skuas Stercorarius parasiticus in Shetland in 1987 and examine three aspects of the recorded increase in foraging effort. Time budget studies indicate that recording territorial attendance by infrequent, daily spot observations provides an accurate measure of the time spent off-territory by both skua species. None of the pairs of Arctic Skua studied ever left their chicks unattended in 1987. The same was true of 10 out of 27 pairs of Great Skuas. Although the remaining pairs of Great Skuas frequently left their chicks unprotected, evidence of pair co-ordination to minimise this suggests that their foraging schedules were still constrained by the need to protect their offspring. During periods of high chick-demand, variation between pairs’ foraging efforts largely reflected variation in those of the females. Thus, we suggest that increased chick neglect in years of food shortage arises as females abandon their role of guardian for that of provider. By the end of the breeding season in 1987, both male and female Great Skuas foraged from 65 to 89% of daylight hours. The lack of any further increase in the foraging effort of Great Skuas in subsequent years of poorer reproductive success was almost certainly because time and energy constraints prevented either sex from doing so. We suggest that the comparatively short amount of time spent foraging by Arctic Skuas in 1987 may reflect an advantage conferred by their role as specialist kleptoparasites.
Ultrasonic Telemetry of American Eel Movements in a Tidal Creek

Abstract Movements and distribution of eight immature American eels Anguilla rostrata were monitored periodically with location-only ultrasonic transmitters for 5 days in Fridaycap Creek, a Georgia estuarine stream. Fish were concentrated within 25 m of the mouths of feeder creeks. Movements were usually with tidal currents and were restricted to 400 m of the 1,000-m study section. Moves greater than 50 m usually involved round trips from and to a point of origin. Limited movements and regions of concentrated activity may be evidence of home ranges within the creek. Daytime movements were restricted to the main creek channel, shorelines being preferred during high tides and the midchannel during low tides. At night, fish were generally near mouths of feeder creeks during low tides; they often moved up feeder creeks and even onto the marsh with a flood tide, returning to the feeder mouth as the tide ebbed. Tendency to move with tidal currents, activity region sizes, and types of habitats frequented were al.
Correlation Analysis between Ocular Surface Parameters with Subjective Symptom Severity in Dry Eye Disease

Purpose To evaluate the clinical symptoms of patients with dry eyes, based on the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) and analyze the relationship between OSDI and various ocular surface parameters. Methods This was a retrospective study that included 45 eyes of 45 dry eye patients who visited the Seoul Nune Eye Hospital from August 2017 to December 2017. The patients were assessed by non-invasive keratography for the first break-up time, lipid layer thickness (LLT), tear osmolarity, tear matrix metalloproteinase-9 immunoassay as well as with the conventional Schirmer I test and fluorescein break-up time. The patient's symptoms were evaluated by the OSDI questionnaires and correlations were analyzed based on the parameters described above. Results There were significant negative correlations between OSDI and non-invasive keratography for the first break-up time (p = 0.038, r = −0.330), and LLT (p = 0.005, r = −0.426). However, there were no significant correlations between OSDI and fluorescein break-up time, Schirmer I score, and tear osmolarity (p = 0.173, 0.575, and 0.844 respectively). OSDI was not significantly different between matrix metalloproteinase-9 positive and negative groups (p = 0.768). Conclusions Non-invasive examinations such as non-invasive keratograph break-up time and interferometry of LLT can be efficient tools for evaluating dry eye symptoms.
Two-dimensional metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes): preparation, property, and applications in cancer therapy

Abstract Transition metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes), which comprise a rapidly growing family of two-dimensional materials, have attracted extensive attention of the scientific community, owing to its unique characteristics of high specific surface area, remarkable biocompatibility, and versatile applications. Exploring different methods to tune the size and morphology of MXenes plays a critical role in their practical applications. In recent years, MXenes have been demonstrated as promising nanomaterials for cancer therapy with substantial performances, which not only are helpful to clarify the mechanism between properties and morphologies but also bridge the gap between MXene nanotechnology and forward-looking applications. In this review, recent progress on the preparation and properties of MXenes are summarized. Further applications in cancer therapy are also discussed. Finally, the current opportunities and future perspective of MXenes are described.
Demography and dispersal : life table response experiments for invasion speed

Long-distance dispersal has many consequences. One of these is the speed with which a population can invade a new habitat. This invasion wave speed can be calculated from information on demography (in the form of a stage-structured matrix population model) and dispersal (in the form of a distribution of stage-specific dispersal distances). Wave speed complements population growth rate (λ) as an index of population performance in conservation biology. Here we present a new way to calculate the sensitivity of wave speed to changes in short- and long-distance dispersal—indeed, to dispersal at any distance—using the order statistics of the dispersal distribution. This makes it possible to examine the effects of changing the distance dispersed by the longest-dispersing individual, the shortest, the median individual, etc. We apply the method to data on the Pied Flycatcher in the Netherlands, the Starling in the United States, and the Sparrowhawk in England and the Netherlands. We find that wave speed is vastly.
Growth Rate Projection and Life History Sensitivity for Annual Plants with a Seed Bank

We have shown analytically that for the typical annual with a seed bank there exists differential sensitivity of λ to changes in the life history parameters used to project population growth, whether age structure is considered or not. In models with and without age structure λ is more sensitive to fecundity and plant (juvenile) survivorship than to germination fraction. This implies that there could exist greater genetic variation in germination fraction than in fecundity or plant survivorship. To the extent that this variation is additive the parameters with the least sensitivity on λ should have the highest heritability. We have shown that the classic comparisons between annuals and perennials, which ignore the invariable seed banks known to exist for annual plants, under-estimate the required fecundity differential between these two life cycles. The presence of a seed bank in the annual requires an even greater fecundity to outcompete a related perennial.
SOLVENT-EXTRACTED RAPESEED OIL MEAL AS A PROTEIN SOURCE FOR PIGS AND RATS: I. GROWTH, CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS AND REPRODUCTION

Solvent-extracted rapeseed oil meal (R.O.M.) was substituted on an equivalent protein basis for 0 to 100 per cent of the soybean oil meal (S.O.M.) in diets for pigs and rats from weaning through reproduction. R.O. M. and/or S.O. M. represented 66 to 76 per cent of the total supplemental protein and R.O. M. accounted for up to 15.6 per cent of the total diet.Replacement of 25 per cent of the S.O. M. by R.O. M. did not influence rate of gain or efficiency of food utilization in rats between 3 and 12 weeks of age or in pigs from 16 to 210 pounds liveweight. Rate of gain and efficiency of food utilization up to 8 weeks of age for rats or 110 pounds in weight for pigs were poorer when 50 or 100 per cent of the S.O. M. in the diet was replaced by R.O. M. Ad libitum-fed pigs were more severely affected by R.O. M. in the ration than were those fed at a restricted level. There were no sex × ration interactions in either species.Carcass quality of pigs was not significantly influenced by R.O. M. in the ration. Conception ra.
Forward Selection Technique to Choose the Best Features in Prediction of Student Academic Performance Based on Naïve Bayes

Supervision of academic performance is very important to ensure that students can complete their education on time. There have been many proposed applications of machine learning algorithms to predict students’ academic performance. Prediction is done by analyzing a dataset of historical academic of the student’s grade. The dataset which analyzed has many variables (features), this can increase complexity and decrease model performance because maybe not all features are relevant. We propose to implement the forward selection algorithm to select features that can improve model performance. The result shows that the performance of predictive models of students academic scores can improve with the application of feature selection.
Degradation of natural lignins and lignocellulosic substrates by soil-inhabiting fungi imperfecti

Abstract The most powerful lignin-degraders among the 82 microbial strains isolated during a screening of ligninolytic microorganisms from forest soil were identified as Penicillium chrysogenum, Fusarium oxysporum and Fusarium solani . These fungi imperfecti mineralized 27.4%, 23.5% and 22.6% of 14 C-labelled milled wood lignin (MWL) from wheat straw after 28 days of incubation in liquid media. Degradation of MWL from pine by P. chrysogenum was 8% and 19% when it was evaluated by spectrophotometry and Klason lignin, respectively, but this substrate was hardly mineralized. All fungi were able to attack the hemicellulosic, cellulosic and also lignin fractions of wheat straw during solid-state fermentation, F. solani being capable of degrading about 25% of both carbohydrates and lignin. When the selected fungi were tested for dye decolourization, they all readily attacked the polymeric dye Remazol brilliant blue R (RBBR) and also poly R-478 to a minor extent.