Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A compact FSS with dual passbands and wide stopband

A novel compact multi-band frequency selective surface (FSS) with dual passbands and wide upper stopband is presented. The proposed FSS was originally a double-layer structure. The grid-double square loops (G-DSLs) are located at the bottom to achieve the dual passband characteristics. In order to realize wide upper stopband, a modi ﬁ ed square ring and a Jerusalem cross (M-SR-JC) element structure at top and bottom are used. Considering the higher power engineering applications, the ﬁ nal FSS uses a multi-layer structure. The FSS provides two pass-bands centered at 3.8 and 5.8GHz with relative bandwidths of 18.4% and 13.5%, respectively. It also provides wide stopband characteristics from 10.8GHz to 14.5GHz. The simulation and measurement are in good agreement. The novel FSS with dual passbands and wide upper stopband is compact; easy to design and fabricate, and achieves relatively stable multi-band response under di ﬀ erent polarization states and di ﬀ erent incident angles. The proposed FSS can better meet the engineering requirements.
A first survey of the global population size and distribution of the Scottish Crossbill Loxia scotica

Summary A survey of Scottish Crossbills Loxia scotica was carried out in 3,506 km2 of conifer woodland in northern Scotland during January to April 2008 to provide the first estimate of the global population size for this endemic bird. Population estimates were also made for Common Crossbills L. curvirostra and Parrot Crossbills L. pytyopsittacus within this range. Crossbills were lured to systematically selected survey points for counting, sexing and recording their calls for later call-type (species) identification from sonograms. Crossbills were located at 451 of the 852 survey points, and adequate tape-recordings made at 387 of these. The Scottish Crossbill had a disjunct distribution, occurring largely within the eastern part of the study area, but also in the northwest. Common Crossbills had a mainly westerly distribution. The population size of post-juvenile Scottish Crossbills was estimated as 13,600 (95% C.I. 8,130–22,700), which will approximate to 6,800 (4,065–11,350) pairs. Common Crossbills were more abundant within this range (27,100, 95% C.I. 14,700–38,400) and Parrot Crossbills rare (about 100). The sex ratio was not significantly different from parity for Scottish Crossbills. The modal number at survey points was two but numbers were larger in January than later in the survey. The numbers and distribution of all crossbill species are likely to vary between years, depending upon the size of the cone crops of the different conifers: all were coning in 2008. Common Crossbill and Parrot Crossbill numbers will also be affected by irruptions from continental Europe. A monitoring scheme is required to detect any population trend, and further work on their habitat requirement (e.g. conifer selection at different seasons) is needed to inform habitat management of native and planted conifer forests to ensure a secure future for this endemic bird.
Combining statistical shape modeling, CFD, and meta‐modeling to approximate the patient‐specific pressure‐drop across the aortic valve in real‐time

Advances in medical imaging, segmentation techniques, and high performance computing have stimulated the use of complex, patient‐specific, three‐dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. Patient‐specific, CFD‐compatible geometries of the aortic valve are readily obtained. CFD can then be used to obtain the patient‐specific pressure‐flow relationship of the aortic valve. However, such CFD simulations are computationally expensive, and real‐time alternatives are desired.
Phylogenetic Analysis of Genetic Diversity of Hemolysins in Leptospira

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease distributed worldwide. It has now been identified as one of the emerging infectious diseases. The genomic sequences of Leptospira species have helped to identify the genetic diversity of hemolysins among different pathogenic and saprophytic Leptospira species. The phylogenetic analysis reveals that hemolysin SphH, a pore-forming protein on various mammalian cells in pathogenic Leptospira, does not show significant similarity to hemolysins in saprophytic Leptospira biflexa. The Leptospira interrogans hemolysin gene also does not show significant similarity to L. biflexa and Leptospira borgpetersenii. The genetic diversity among hemolysin genes in Leptospira suggests that the gain of more hemolysin genes during the course of their evolution may have contributed to their virulence.
Autochthonous Gnathostomiasis in Madagascar

We used molecular tools to identify an autochthonous case of gnathostomiasis in Madagascar. This severe ocular infection, caused by Gnathostoma spinigerum nematodes, led to vision loss in the patient’s left eye. Clinicians should be aware of this parasitosis in Madagascar and other countries in Africa.
Distribution of SARS-CoV-2 PCR Cycle Threshold Values Provide Practical Insight Into Overall and Target-Specific Sensitivity Among Symptomatic Patients

Abstract Objectives We examined the distribution of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) cycle threshold (CT) values obtained from symptomatic patients being evaluated for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to determine the proportion of specimens containing a viral load near the assay limit of detection (LoD) to gain practical insight to the risk of false-negative results. We also examined the relationship between CT value and patient age to determine any age-dependent difference in viral load or test sensitivity. Methods We collected CT values obtained from the cobas severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) assay corresponding to 1,213 combined nasopharyngeal-oropharyngeal specimens obtained from symptomatic individuals that were reported as positive or presumptive positive for SARS-CoV-2. CT values were stratified by SARS-CoV target and patient age group. Results In total, 93.3% to 98.4% of specimens demonstrated CT values greater than 3× the assay LoD, at which point false-negative results would not be expected. The mean of CT values between age groups was statistically equivalent with the exception of patients in age group 80 to 89 years, which demonstrated slightly lower CTs. Conclusions Based on the distribution of observed CT values, including the small proportion of specimens with values near the assay LoD, there is a low risk of false-negative RT-PCR results in combined nasopharyngeal-oropharyngeal specimens obtained from symptomatic individuals.
ACYL-CoA synthetase long-chain 5 polymorphism is associated with weight loss and metabolic changes in response to a partial meal-replacement hypocaloric diet.

AIMS to analyze the effects of the rs2419621 genetic variant of the ACSL5 gene on weight change and metabolic parameters after a partial meal-replacement hypocaloric diet. METHODS this was a non-randomized, single-treatment study with a formula-diet in 44 obese subjects with body mass index (BMI) greater than 35 kg/m2. Patients received nutritional education and a modified diet with two intakes of a normocaloric hyperproteic formula during 3 months. Anthropometric parameters and biochemical profile were measured at baseline and after 3 months. The rs2419621 variant of the ACSL5 gene was assessed using real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS T-allele carriers showed greater improvement in body weight (CC vs. CT + TT; -7.4 ± 2.1 kg vs. -9.3 ± 1.8 kg; p = 0.01), body mass index (-3.1 ± 0.4 kg/m2 vs. -3.4 ± 0.5 kg/m2; p = 0.02), fat mass (-5.2 ± 1.4 kg vs. -6.4 ± 1.2 kg; p = 0.01) and waist circumference (-6.1 ± 1.1 cm vs. -8.6 ± 0.8 cm; p = 0.02) than non-T-allele carriers. Only subjects with the T allele showed significant improvement in triglyceride levels (-4.6 ± 2.4 md/dL vs. -14.4 ± 2.3 mg/dL; p = 0.01). Finally, improvements in insulin (-2.0 ± 0.3 mU/L vs. -4.5 ± 0.5 mU/L; p = 0.01) and HOMA-IR (-0.4 ± 0.2 units vs. -1.3 ± 0.3 units; p = 0.02) were higher in T-allele carriers than in non-T-allele carriers. CONCLUSIONS our data suggest that the genetic variant (rs2419621) of the ACSL5 gene is associated with diet response after a partial-meal replacement intervention, with greater improvements in adiposity and biochemical parameters in subjects with the T allele.
Determination of Third Generation Synthetic Cannabinoids in Oral Fluids.

A procedure has been developed for the determination of third generation synthetic cannabinoids in oral fluid samples by using a semi-automated microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) procedure and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) determination. Five synthetic cannabinoids were employed as model compounds 5F-ADB, MMB-CHMICA, THJ-2201, CUMYL-4CN-BINACA, and MDMB-CHMCZCA. The most adequate operative conditions for MEPS were evaluated giving quantitative recoveries, from 89 to 124%, in synthetic and field saliva samples spiked with 125 and 250 μg/L of the studied cannabinoids, with the exception of MDMB-CHMCZCA in field saliva samples that provided slightly lower recoveries from 62 to 66%. A high sensitivity was obtained for the proposed MEPS-GC-MS procedure with limits of detection from 10 to 20 μg/L. The obtained results demonstrate the high potential of MEPS-GC-MS combination for semi-automated, selective, and sensitive determination of synthetic cannabinoids in oral fluid samples.
Template Engineering of CuBi2 O4 Single-Crystal Thin Film Photocathodes.

To develop strategies for efficient photo-electrochemical water-splitting, it is important to understand the fundamental properties of oxide photoelectrodes by synthesizing and investigating their single-crystal thin films. However, it is challenging to synthesize high-quality single-crystal thin films from copper-based oxide photoelectrodes due to the occurrence of significant defects such as copper or oxygen vacancies and grains. Here, the CuBi2 O4 (CBO) single-crystal thin film photocathode is achieved using a NiO template layer grown on single-crystal SrTiO3 (STO) (001) substrate via pulsed laser deposition. The NiO template layer plays a role as a buffer layer of large lattice mismatch between CBO and STO (001) substrate through domain-matching epitaxy, and forms a type-II band alignment with CBO, which prohibits the transfer of photogenerated electrons toward bottom electrode. The photocurrent densities of the CBO single-crystal thin film photocathode demonstrate -0.4 and -0.7 mA cm-2 at even 0 VRHE with no severe dark current under illumination in a 0.1 m potassium phosphate buffer solution without and with H2 O2 as an electron scavenger, respectively. The successful synthesis of high-quality CBO single-crystal thin film would be a cornerstone for the in-depth understanding of the fundamental properties of CBO toward efficient photo-electrochemical water-splitting.
Novel universal primers establish identity of an enormous number of animal species for forensic application

This study describes a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based approach, which without knowing the history of a forensic sample, is able to reveal whether the source of the sample is human or animal, and, if animal, which of the 221 animal species included in the study, simply by using one set of novel primers to amplify and sequence the PCR amplicons. The primers described in this study universally amplify a specific segment of mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence from a sample of unknown origin and delineate its identity to the level of family, genus and species. Because these primers are universal, this approach can be applied to an enormous number of other species, which are not included in the study, and could be an ultimate solution for the identification of species for forensic application.
Sex At Second Sight. Pitfalls of Sexing Water Rails Rallus aquaticus and Spotted Crakes Porzana Porzana using Morphology and Molecular Techniques

Abstract. Based on plumage traits it is impossible to reliably identify the sex of Water Rail Rallus aquaticus and Spotted Crake Porzana porzana. In order to analyze their sexual size dimorphism we collected morphometric data and, for genetic control, feather pins as DNA source of 71 adult Water Rails and 31 Spotted Crakes during the breeding season 2008–2009. We determined the sex of each individual using PCR based molecular techniques taking into account the length polymorphism of the sex linked CHD1Z allele encountered in Water Rails. The polymorphism of this sex marker may have caused erroneous conclusions in previous studies using different approaches. In the present case, unawareness of the polymorphism would have lead to the misclassification of 50.8% of the individuals, which would result in problems with morphological comparison of the sexes. In general, males of both species were significantly larger than females. However, single measurements partly showed a high overlap of the sexes. Conducting a stepwise discriminant function analysis revealed bill, maximum wing chord and tarsus length as best discriminants for Water Rail. The resultant discriminant function, which allows assigning an individual to one of the sexes with a specific accuracy by its body measurements, correctly classified 98.6%. In Spotted Crakes the analysis included tarsus and wing length into the model and assigned the sex with an accuracy of 100%. The discriminant functions thus represent a simple and cost efficient way to determine the sex of these rallids for field ornithologists.
The changing risk patterns of Plasmodium vivax malaria in Greece due to climate change

ABSTRACT It has great importance to study the potential effects of climate change on Plasmodium vivax malaria in Greece because the country can be the origin of the spread of vivax malaria to the northern areas. The potential lengths of the transmission seasons of Plasmodium vivax malaria were forecasted for 2041–2060 and 2061–2080 and were combined. The potential ranges were predicted by Climate Envelope Modelling Method. The models show moderate areal increase and altitudinal shift in the malaria-endemic areas in Greece in the future. The length of the transmission season is predicted to increase by 1 to 2 months, mainly in the mid-elevation regions and the Aegean Archipelago. The combined factors also predict the decrease of vivax malaria-free area in Greece. It can be concluded that rather the elongation of the transmission season will lead to an increase of the malaria risk in Greece than the increase in the suitability values.
Plasma-Derived Extracellular Vesicles as Potential Biomarkers in Heart Transplant Patient with Chronic Chagas Disease

Chagas disease is emerging in countries to which it is not endemic. Biomarkers for earlier therapeutic response assessment in patients with chronic Chagas disease are needed. We profiled plasma-derived extracellular vesicles from a heart transplant patient with chronic Chagas disease and showed the potential of this approach for discovering such biomarkers.
Characterizing Norovirus Transmission from Outbreak Data, United States

Norovirus is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks in the United States. We estimated the basic (R0) and effective (Re) reproduction numbers for 7,094 norovirus outbreaks reported to the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) during 2009–2017 and used regression models to assess whether transmission varied by outbreak setting. The median R0 was 2.75 (interquartile range [IQR] 2.38–3.65), and median Re was 1.29 (IQR 1.12–1.74). Long-term care and assisted living facilities had an R0 of 3.35 (95% CI 3.26–3.45), but R0 did not differ substantially for outbreaks in other settings, except for outbreaks in schools, colleges, and universities, which had an R0 of 2.92 (95% CI 2.82–3.03). Seasonally, R0 was lowest (3.11 [95% CI 2.97–3.25]) in summer and peaked in fall and winter. Overall, we saw little variability in transmission across different outbreaks settings in the United States.
Determinant Factors of Behaviour Among Lecturers in Effective Teaching

Recent major researches on quality of successful university lecturers mainly focus on their effectiveness in teaching and learning with students. The purpose of this paper is to review literatures to critically analyze factors that influence behaviour of lecturers during teaching process that results to effective teaching. This paper reviews some approaches that focus on job experience and job satisfaction as the influencing factors for effective teaching among lecturers. This study provides constructive suggestions on improving teaching effectiveness among lecturers. This concept paper also suggests other factors to be considered by Higher Learning Education administration in hiring new academic staff such as teaching experience and job satisfaction because these factors will affect teaching performance and effectiveness. The authors highlight that in order to create effective teaching style, lecturers should plan lessons in advance; diversify teaching methods to attract students; have positive attitude during the learning and teaching process; and finally gain working experience.
Online processing of microscopic images

In this paper we present the concept and prototype for online automatic processing of microscopic images. The idea behind the system is based on the needs of different scientific and professional areas for automation of image processing. There are many tasks in these areas that can take advantage of computer vision (CV) and machine learning (ML) techniques for image segmentation and classification. Advances in ML area of deep neural networks enable us to use the same models for many different recognition tasks. The problem is that image processing usually requires particular skills in CV and ML for successfully building these models. With this system, all models would be supervised by independent ML experts while other users could set up systems through simplistic wizards. Another problem is obtaining and preparing large quantities of data for training and testing CV and ML models. Manual sampling and labelling of large quantities of images is necessary for building good automatic models. This problem can be mitigated by online collaboration between interested parties through sharing image databases.
Population Dynamics of the Concho Water Snake in Rivers and Reservoirs

Abstract The Concho Water Snake (Nerodia harteri paucimaculata) is confined to the Concho–Colorado River valley of central Texas, thereby occupying one of the smallest geographic ranges of any North American snake. In 1986, N. h. paucimaculata was designated as a federally threatened species, in large part because of reservoir projects that were perceived to adversely affect the amount of habitat available to the snake. During a ten-year period (1987–1996), we conducted capture–recapture field studies to assess dynamics of five subpopulations of snakes in both natural (river) and man-made (reservoir) habitats. Because of differential sampling of subpopulations, we present separate results for all five subpopulations combined (including large reservoirs) and three of the five subpopulations (excluding large reservoirs). We used multistate capture–recapture models to deal with stochastic transitions between pre-reproductive and reproductive size classes and to allow for the possibility of different survival and capture probabilities for the two classes. We also estimated both the finite rate of increase (λ) for a deterministic, stage-based, female-only matrix model using the average litter size, and the average rate of adult population change, λ ˆ, which describes changes in numbers of adult snakes, using a direct capture–recapture approach to estimation. Average annual adult survival was about 0.23 and similar for males and females. Average annual survival for subadults was about 0.14. The parameter estimates from the stage-based projection matrix analysis all yielded asymptotic values of λ < 1, suggesting populations that are not viable. However, the direct estimates of average adult λ for the three subpopulations excluding major reservoirs were λ ˆ = 1.26, SE ˆ(λ ˆ) = 0.18 and λ ˆ = 0.99, SE ˆ(λ ˆ) = 0.79, based on two different models. Thus, the direct estimation approach did not provide strong evidence of population declines of the riverine subpopulations, but the estimates are characterized by substantial uncertainty.
Cloning, purification, and characterization of a thermophilic ribulokinase from Anoxybacillus kestanbolensis AC26Sari

The gene encoding ribulokinase araB from Anoxybacillus kestanbolensis AC26Sari was cloned and sequenced. The recombinant protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 under the control of isopropyl-b-D-thiogalactopyranoside-inducible T7 promoter. The enzyme, designated as AC26RK, was purified with the MagneHis Protein Purification System. The molecular mass of the native protein, as determined by SDS-PAGE, was about 61 kDa. AC26RK was active throughout a broad pH (pH 5.0-10.0) and temperature (50-75 °C) range, and it had an optimum pH of 9.0 and optimum temperature of 60 °C. The enzyme displayed about 90%-100% of its original activities after a 30-min incubation at a pH interval of 5.0-10.0. The enzyme exhibited a high level of D-ribulose activity with apparent Km, Vmax, and Kcat values of 0.94 mM, 3.197 U/mg, and 3.31 s-1, respectively. AC26RK activity was strongly inhibited by Zn2+ but increased by Mg2+. The effects of some chemicals on the ribulokinase activity revealed that Anoxybacillus kestanbolensis AC26Sari does not need metallic cations for its activity. In this paper, we describe for the first time the cloning and characterization of a thermophilic ribulokinase from thermophilic bacteria.
The behavioural ecology of the Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) in Iceland

﻿During the last 20 years studies of various mammals and birds have shown that social organization is highly variable between and within species, and that such variation can frequently be explained on the basis of variation in food habits and food dispersion. This study is an attempt to discover the major ecological pressures affecting social organization and reproductive fitness of Arctic foxes in Iceland. Foxes were both studied at an individual level, by monitoring movements of radio-tagged foxes and observation of fox behaviour in demarcated study areas, and at the population level, by analysis of available foxhunting records, as well as material and information provided by foxhunters. The most common form of social organization was found to be a breeding pair, while social groups of 3-4 individuals also occur, particularly in coastal habitat, which is more productive and spatially more heterogenous with respect to food dispersion, than inland habitat. The Arctic foxes were found to occupy well defined, but fairly flexible group territories, whose borders were advertised by olfactory, auditory and visual signals. In one coastal region, three such territories ranged in size from 8.6 km2 to 18.5 km2, while there was an indication that territories were larger in inland habitats. In coastal habitats, foxes feed mainly on oceanic prey and do not show cycles in abundance. In inland habitat, foxes show a functional response to the 10 year population cycle of ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus), their main prey in winter. Litter sizes remain stable, however, due to little interannual variation in the foxes' summer diet, which consists mostly of migrant birds. Mean litter size at birth is 5-3 ± 1.7 S.D. and mortality from factors other than foxhunting is about 15% up to the age of weaning. Annual mortality in adults is about 50%, mostly due to foxhunting. Most vixens breed already as yearlings, while dog-foxes are more likely to show delayed breeding. In inland habitats there is balanced polymorphism with regard to colour morph, but in coastal habitats blue foxes have an overall selective advantage. Inland foxes are smaller than coastal foxes. Both size and colour affect reproductive fitness.