Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Migratory fishes of Brazil: Life history and fish passage needs

Many of the most important commercial and recreational species of the megadiverse Brazilian freshwater fishes migrate in rivers among essential habitats during all life stages. These movements, however, have been severely blocked by hundreds of hydroelectric dams and reservoirs and they will be even more obstructed due to hundreds of new developments. Fishways have been used in many countries to allow fish to pass around dams. Fishway construction is booming in Brazil, but poor understanding of migrations by Brazilian fishes has led legislators, scientists, and the public to several misconceptions about the rules of fishways in fisheries conservation. First, is a belief that fishways are only needed to facilitate upstream spawning migrations. Also, it has been suggested that upstream passage for Neotropical migrant fishes is not useful if there is no large free‐flowing stretch upstream of a dam that contains spawning habitat and has a large natural floodplain (nursery habitat). In this paper, we discuss that, in addition to providing passage for pre‐spawning migrants, upstream fishways also provide passage for other fish migrations (e.g. foraging), and that all up‐ and downstream migrations during life history need to be addressed at dams to conserve fish resources. We also argue that an upstream fishway is important even if the upstream reach does not have spawning or nursery habitats. In addition, we discuss the need for protection of downstream migrant fish, and the importance of fish behaviourists and engineers working together on fishway design and operation to solve fish passage issues. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Time and dose-dependent antimicrobial potential of Ag nanoparticles synthesized by top-down approach

Silver nanoparticles are known to be good antibiotic agents. In this study, silver (Ag) nanoparticles (∼6 nm) were synthesized using electro-exploding wire (EEW) technique. Antibacterial action of Ag nanoparticles was studied both in liquid and solid phase using colony-forming unit (CFU) detection. Time and dose-dependent study of Ag nanoparticles shows that the effectiveness of particles increases with increasing particle dose and treatment time. This effect was dose-dependent and more pronounced against Gram-negative bacteria compared to Gram-positive bacteria. Transmission electron microscopy result shows particle binding with bacterial cell membrane. Membrane potential assay and cytoplasm diffusion assay show the effectiveness of Ag nanoparticle used in this study.
Evolution Analysis of Topics on Social Media Based on the Co-word Network

For the information in the social media, methods of topic feature selection in different time have been put forward to build the dynamic co-word network. The community discovery algorithm is applied to divide the co-word network on the basis of communities. And the co-word network community stands for the subtopics of the topics in the social media. On the basis of the comparability identification of subtopics in different time, the evolution process of subtopics is divided into three stages as the subtopic production, the subtopic diffusion and the subtopic fading. The empirical analysis shows that representing subtopics by using the co-word network community has such advantages as the intelligibility and the noise reduction; the development path and variation trend of subtopics can be clearly clarified on the basis of the co-word network community. Keywords—Co-word Network; Community; Social Media; Topic Identification; Topic Evolution
The Relationships between Weight Functions, Geometric Functions,and Compliance Functions in Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics

Linear elastic fracture mechanics is widely used in industry because it established simple and explicit relationships between the permissible loading conditions and the critical crack size that is allowed in a structure. Stress intensity factors are the above-mentioned functional expressions that relate load with crack size through geometric functions or weight functions. Compliance functions are to determine the crack/flaw size in a structure when optical inspection is inconvenient. As a result, geometric functions, weight functions and compliance functions have been intensively studied to determine the stress intensity factor expressions for different geometries. However, the relations between these functions have received less attention. This work is therefore to investigate the intrinsic relationships between these functions. Theoretical derivation was carried out and the results were verified on single-edge cracked plate under tension and bending. It is found out that the geometric function is essentially the non-dimensional weight function at the loading point. The compliance function is composed of two parts: a varying part due to crack extension and a constant part from the intact structure if no crack exists. The derivative of the compliance function at any location is the product of the geometric function and the weight function at the evaluationmore » point. Inversely, the compliance function can be acquired by the integration of the product of the geometric function and the weight function with respect to the crack size. The integral constant is just the unchanging compliance from the intact structure. Consequently, a special application of the relations is to obtain the compliance functions along a crack once the geometric function and weight functions are known. Any of the three special functions can be derived once the other two functions are known. These relations may greatly simplify the numerical process in obtaining either geometric functions, weight functions or compliance functions for new test geometries. « less
Finding Latent Neighbors for Query Recommendation: a User-Controllable Scheme

Ambiguous queries and the large amount of unindexed information by search engines give rise to the problem of finding latent neighbors for query recommendation. In this paper, we give our definition for latent neighbors of a query, and then propose a novel two-phase algorithm to solve this problem, which takes the con- nectivity of the query-URL bipartite graph as input. In addition, due to the subjectivity of similarity measures, a user-controllable scheme is presented to bridge the gap between the determinacy of similarity values and the inde- terminacy of users' information needs. The experiment results from two mixtures of data collections demonstrate
Facial Expression Recognition Using Uniform Local Binary Pattern with Improved Firefly Feature Selection

Facial expressions are essential communication tools in our daily life. In this paper, the uniform local binary pattern is employed to extract features from the face. However, this feature representation is very high in dimensionality. The high dimensionality would not only affect the recognition accuracy but also can impose computational constraints. Hence, to reduce the dimensionality of the feature vector, the firefly algorithm is used to select the optimal subset that leads to better classification accuracy. However, the standard firefly algorithm suffers from the risk of being trapped in local optima after a certain number of generations. Hence, this limitation has been addressed by proposing an improved version of the firefly where the great deluge algorithm (GDA) has been integrated. The great deluge is a local search algorithm that helps to enhance the exploitation ability of the firefly algorithm, thus preventing being trapped in local optima. The improved firefly algorithm has been employed in a facial expression system. Experimental results using the Japanese female facial expression database show that the proposed approach yielded good classification accuracy compared to state-of-the-art methods. The best classification accuracy obtained by the proposed method is 96.7% with 1230 selected features, whereas, Gabor-SRC method achieved 97.6% with 2560 features.
MOLECULAR DOCKING STUDIES OF RICINUS COMMUNIS PHYTOCHEMICALS AGAINST BETA-LACTAMASE FROM ENTEROCOCCUS FAECALIS AND STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the antibacterial activity of Ricinus communis phytochemicals against beta-lactamase from Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus through molecular docking studies. Methods: The three-dimensional (3D) structure of beta-lactamase from E. faecalis was modeled using modeler 9v9 and validated. The 3D structure of beta-lactamase from S. aureus (PDB ID: 1 GHP) was retrieved from PDB database. The 2D structures of 29 phytochemical compounds from the methanol leaf extracts of R. communis were drawn in ACD-Chemsketch and converted into 3D structures. The 3D structure of R. communis leaf compounds and cefotaxime (control) was virtually screened in the binding pockets of β-lactamase proteins from E. faecalis and S. aureus using FlexX docking program. Results: The docking studies revealed that ferulic acid and hyperoside exhibited promising minimum binding and docking energy that is closely related to the docking score of standard antibiotic cefotaxime. Conclusion: The result of the present study indicates that ferulic acid and hyperoside are potential compounds that could be effectively used in the treatment of infections caused by E. faecalis and S. aureus. However, further clinical studies are required to ascertain the antibacterial activity and potential toxic effects of ferulic acid and hyperoside in vivo.
Pro-active Behaviour in Context of Team Climate

Employees are considered to be the main source of creativity, innovation, change and development of the enterprise, which can be considered as key success factors. However, if the company climate does not encourage employee activity, development may slow or stagnate. This article focuses on the possibility of prediction of personal initiative and employee silence based on quantification of the team climate. Relationships between constructs (1) "Team climate" and (2) "Pro-active Behaviour" are evaluated on the basis of Exploratory and Confirmatory factor analysis. All factors of the construct "Team climate:" (T1) Future olrientation, (T2) Peer support of change, (T3) Team Vision and (T4) Regular Contact, have a significant impact on the factors of the construct "Pro-active Behaviour": (P1) Initiative and a negative impact on (P2) Defence silence. No statistically significant effect in relation to the factors (P3) Loyalty and (P4) Stagnation was identified. The effects, in relation to the initiative of the employees were identified in the interval r = |0.305| − |0.488|. The factor of Defence silence of employees effects "Team climate" factors in the interval r = |0.329| − |0.550|. In both cases this concerns medium dependence. The research results can be used to quantify the quality of team climate in order to enhance the individuals' long-term initiative and organisational effectiveness. This knowledge serves managers as the basis for leadership and development of pro-active behaviour of team members.
Fish as Potential Controllers of Invasive Mollusks in a Neotropical Reservoir

We evaluated the importance of the invasive mollusks (Corbicula fluminea and Limnoperna fortunei) in the diets of the fish species through analysis of stomach contents of fish caught in the commercial fishery in the years 2005 and 2006 in the Itaipu Reservoir (Upper Parana River). The degree that these bivalves are processed in the digestive tract was used to identify potential controllers. Food items were evaluated by using the methods of occurrence, volume, and Feeding Index (IAi). Out of the 36 fish species present in the fishery landings, 24 consumed L. fortunei and 12 consumed C. fluminea. In order to evaluate the possibility that the bivalves pass through the digestive tract of the predator without any damage, their degree of digestion was evaluated. Only species with morphological pre-adaptations for a malacophagous diet, or that managed to crush the shells of these bivalves were very successful with this kind of food. In particular, Megalancistrus parananus, Leporinus obtusidens, and Leporinus macrocephalus may be regarded as potential biological control agents for these invasive populations.
Generating salt-tolerant Nicotiana tabacum and identification of stress-responsive miRNAs in transgenics

Identification of vacuolar Na+/H+ antiporters facilitates the basis of salt stress tolerance mechanisms. Na+ accumulation into the vacuole is crucial for the avoidance of cytoplasmic Na+ toxicity. In this study, we show that the introduction of AtNHX1 into tobacco generated more tolerant plants when compared to wild-type plants. Transgenic tobacco plants exhibited higher germination rates in the presence of increasing salt concentrations compared to wild-type plants. In addition, proline levels were higher under salt stress conditions in both the shoots and the roots of transgenics compared to wild-type plants. Increase in malondialdehyde production during lipid peroxidation by salinity was lower in transgenic plants compared to the controls. Being important and newly discovered determiners of plant stress responses, microRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding small RNAs and essential indicators of plant stress response mechanisms. For further identification of stress responses, the expression levels of growth and abiotic stress-related miRNAs (miR319a, miR319b, miR159b, miR398a, and miR398b) were quantified. miR319a, miR319b, and miR159b expression levels were higher in wild-type plants, and miR319a and miR159b expression was restored in transgenic plants. There was a slight decrease in the expression levels of miR398a and miR398b of wild-type plants. However, the recovery of the miR398a and miR398b expressions was especially significant in transgenic plants. Furthermore, an investigation of miRNAs in transgenic plants can help to understand the stress tolerance mechanisms of the plants.
Fully relativistic calculation of magnetic properties of Fe, Co, and Ni adclusters on Ag(100)

We present first-principles calculations of the magnetic moments and magnetic anisotropy energies of small Fe, Co, and Ni clusters on top of a Ag(100) surface as well as the exchange-coupling energy between two single adatoms of Fe or Co on Ag(100). The calculations are performed fully relativistically using the embedding technique within the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method. The magnetic anisotropy and the exchange-coupling energies are calculated by means of the force theorem. In the case of adatoms and dimers of iron and cobalt we obtain enhanced spin moments and, especially, unusually large orbital moments, while for nickel our calculations predict a complete absence of magnetism. For larger clusters, the magnitudes of the local moments of the atoms in the center of the cluster are very close to those calculated for the corresponding monolayers. Similar to the orbital moments, the contributions of the individual atoms to the magnetic anisotropy energy strongly depend on the position, hence, on the local environment of a particular atom within a given cluster. We find strong ferromagnetic coupling between two neighboring Fe or Co atoms and a rapid, oscillatory decay of the exchange-coupling energy with increasing distance between these two adatoms.
Title Agroecological pest management in the city : Experiences from California and Chiapas Permalink

Urban gardens are a prominent part of agricultural systems, providing food security and access within cities; however, we still lack sufficient knowledge and general principles about how to manage pests in urban agroecosystems in distinct regions. We surveyed natural enemies (ladybeetles and parasitoids) and conducted sentinel pest removal experiments to explore local management factors and landscape characteristics that influence the provisioning of pest control services in California, USA, and Chiapas, Mexico. We worked in 29 gardens across the two locations. In each location, we collected data on garden vegetation, floral availability, ground cover management, and the percentage of natural, urban, and agricultural land cover in the surrounding landscape. We sampled ladybeetles, Chalcidoidea, and Ichneumonoidea parasitoids with sticky traps, and monitored the removal of three different pest species. Ladybeetle abundance did not differ between locations; abundance decreased with garden size and with tree cover and increased with herbaceous richness, floral abundance, and barren land cover. Chalcicoidea and Ichneumonoidea parasitoids were more abundant in Chiapas. Chalcicoidea abundance decreased with herbaceous richness and with urban cover. Ichneumonoidea abundance increased with mulch and bare ground cover, garden size, garden age, and with agriculture land cover but decreased with tree richness and urban cover. Predators removed between 15–100% of sentinel prey within 24 h but prey removal was greater in California. Generally, prey removal increased with vegetation diversity, floral abundance, mulch cover, and urban land cover, but declined with vegetation cover and bare ground. Although some factors had consistent effects on natural enemies and pest control in the two locations, many did not; thus, we still need more comparative work to further develop our understanding of general principles governing conservation biological control in urban settings.
Quality perception of organically grown tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) in Vienna, Austria.

Austria is one of the major organic tomato producing countries for local and export marketing. These tomatoes are produced in parts of Austria especially around Vienna where their production system has to meet stringent organic quality standards in both local and international markets. These quality standards may put considerable strain on farmers and are normally formulated without famers’ participation so may not be wholly representative of the farmers’ quality interpretation. The aim of this paper is therefore to determine the Austrian organic tomatoes growers’ perception and practice of quality and challenges. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were carried out among 28 organic tomatoes farmers in Vienna, Austria. Findings suggest that quality of organic tomatoes is mainly perceived in terms of both informal values (big fruit size, long shelf life, food security and amount of income received from tomato sales) as well as formal norms (non- application of chemicals, human health, damage free, sweet taste, red colour, and juiciness). There were no gendered differences in quality perception among the growers. High costs of production inputs were identified as the main challenge to attaining quality in organic tomatoes. Following these findings, there is need for effective participation of growers in formulation of standards as well as subsidizing of production inputs by the government. The Austrian tomato growers as well as local and international retailers should work closely to increase the price received by the Austrian organic tomato growers so that it more adequately covers their production costs. Int. J. Agril. Res. Innov. & Tech. 5 (2): 16-20, December, 2015
Physicochemical variability and nutritional and functional characteristics of xoconostles (Opuntia spp.) accessions from Mexico

Introduction. The genus Opuntia generally produces fruits with abundant pulp and sweet taste, but also acidic fruits known as xoconostles, which may have a high potential for use and consumption. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical, nutritional and functional characteristics of 10 xoconostle genotypes produced in Mexico. Materials and methods. The xoconostle genotypes were collected from Hidalgo, Zacatecas and State of Mexico in Mexico. The pH, soluble solids, and titratable acidity, as well as the proximate composition and content of total phenolic compounds, betalains and antioxidant capacity (Trolox) were determined. Results were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures and the Tukey test at a significance level of 0.05. Results and discussion. It was observed a high variability in weight (44.5–84.3 g FW), soluble solids (4.2–6.12 °Brix), titratable acidity (0.10–0.19 g 100 g-1 FW), and pH (2.74–3.54) among the 10 genotypes of Opuntia spp. studied. The protein content varied from 0.60 to 0.87 g 100 g-1 FW. Xoconostle genotypes with high calcium content of 1.008 mg 100 g-1 FW were identified. Some xoconostle genotypes can be a good source of pigments due to their high content of betacyanins (0.76–5.06 mg 100 g-1 FW) and vulgaxanthins (1.83–4.76 mg 100 g-1 FW). The antioxidant capacity of some xoconostle genotypes was higher than that of other common fruits. Conclusion. The xoconostle genotypes evaluated have a potential to be exploited as a suitable source of pigments and antioxidant compounds.
Information Flow Interpretation of Heteroskedasticity for Capital Asset Pricing: An Expectation-Based View of Risk

The Heteroskedastic Mixture Model (HMM) of Lamoureux, and Lastrapes (1990) is extended, relaxing the restriction imposed on the mean i.e. μt-1=0 . Instead, an exogenous variable rm, along with its vector βm, that predicts return rt is introduced to examine the hypothesis that the volume is a measure of speed of evolution in the price change process in capital asset pricing. The empirical findings are documented for the hypothesis that ARCH is a manifestation of time dependence in the rate of information arrival, in line with the observations of Lamoureux, and Lastrapes (1990). The linkage between this time dependence and the expectations of market participants is investigated and the symmetric behavioural response is documented. Accordingly, the tendency of revision of expectation in the presence of new information flow whose frequency as measured by ‘volume clock’ is observed. In the absence of new information arrival at the market, investors tend to follow the market on average. When new information is available, the expectations of investors are revised in the same direction as a symmetric response to the flow of new information arrival at the market.
On Classifying Insects from their Wing-Beat: New Results

Insects variously affect many kinds of cultivations that are vital for rural economy, local heritage and environment: it is well known that insects pollinate a large number of plant species, while certain kinds of insects are pests that have a detrimental effect on cultivations. On top of the hazard list, mosquitoes can transmit serious diseases to humans and livestock. Pests can be controlled with aerial and ground bait pesticide sprays, the efficiency of which depends on knowing the time and location of insect infestations as early as possible. Automatic monitoring traps can enhance efficient monitoring of flying pests by identifying and counting targeted pests. This work deals with novel advanced feature extraction and classification techniques as applied to the task of classifying insects from their wing-beat. It reports the most accurate results in the literature on two different datasets coming from a large number of flying insect species.