Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Review of the Current Research in Animal Individual Recognition

With the development of biological identification for human beings, it also develops such as fingerprint, facial recognition, and iris identification. Scientists and zoologists must be more content with the cumbersome ways of identifying previously existing animals. Old methods such as ear cutting, chip implantation, and nose print recognition harm animals and humans. It has to catch the animals or needed professionals for individual identification (e.g, identify sharks by taking photos of their fins). Therefore, more and more scientists and engineers are trying to develop more efficient methods for individual animal identification. Of course, there are also many very constructive cases. Thus, this literature review will provide information about three regions of the latest recognition technology: radio-frequency identification (RFID), animal facial identification, and iris recognition.
Analysis of Biological Activities of Two Novel Metal (II) Complexes of Andrographis Paniculata Crude Extract

Many diseases in nature have led to the death of many young and old. Many bacteria have developed resistance to the available antibiotics on the market. And many drugs employed in treating many diseases such as diabetes mellitus are expensive and are not locally available. Therefore, in order to search for more effective, inexpensive, and locally available drugs, this study synthesized and investigated the biological activities of Andrographis paniculata crude extract and its Co (II) and Ni (II) complexes. The crude extract and synthesized complexes were characterized using a solubility test, Infrared, and Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopic analysis. Their antibacterial potentials were investigated against two gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli,Staphylococcus aureus) and three gram-negative bacteria (Proteus, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas) while their antidiabetic activities were examined against ? -amylase and ? -glucosidase enzymes. Acarbose was employed as a standard drug. The crude extract and its metal complexes showed different degrees of solubility in the employed solvents. Infrared analysis suggested coordination of the crude extract to the metal ions through the oxygen donor atom while the formation of the complexes was affirmed through the occurrence of d-d transitions in the visible region of the metal complexes. The metal complexes were found to display more antibacterial activity than the crude extract. Co (II) and Ni (II) complexes of the crude extract were found to exhibit better activities against ? -amylase and ? -glucosidase enzymes, respectively than the crude extract and acarbose. It is concluded that the metal complexes could be considered potential antibacterial and antidiabetic agents.
From behaviour to complex communities: Resilience to anthropogenic noise in a fish-induced trophic cascade

Sound emissions from human activities represent a pervasive environmental stressor. Individual responses in terms of behaviour, physiology or anatomy are well documented but whether they propagate through nested ecological interactions to alter complex communities needs to be better understood. This is even more relevant for freshwater ecosystems that harbour a disproportionate fraction of biodiversity but receive less attention than marine and terrestrial systems. We conducted a mesocosm investigation to study the effect of chronic exposure to motorboat noise on the dynamics of a freshwater community including phytoplankton, zooplankton, and roach as a planktivorous fish. As expected under the trophic cascade hypothesis, roach predation induced structural changes in the planktonic communities. Surprisingly, although roach changed their feeding behaviour in response to noise, the dynamics of the roach-dominated planktonic communities did not differ between noisy and noiseless mesocosms. This suggests that the top-down structuring influence of roach on planktonic communities might be resilient to noise and reveals the difficulties on extrapolating impacts form individual responses to complex communities.
Approximating Gradients for Meshes and Point Clouds via Diffusion Metric

The gradient of a function defined on a manifold is perhaps one of the most important differential objects in data analysis. Most often in practice, the input function is available only at discrete points sampled from the underlying manifold, and the manifold is approximated by either a mesh or simply a point cloud. While many methods exist for computing gradients of a function defined over a mesh, computing and simplifying gradients and related quantities such as critical points, of a function from a point cloud is non‐trivial.
Eurographics Symposium on Geometry Processing 2014 Robust Region Detection via Consensus Segmentation of Deformable Shapes

ensemble of segmentations consensus segmentation Figure 1: The proposed framework allows to obtain robust surface segmentations in a principled way. Here, an initial ensemble of 50 segmentations (we show only 5 for visualization purposes) is generated via a clustering process on the Global Point Signature embedding of the shape. Given this ensemble, the corresponding consensus is defined as the unknown segmentation that is as close as possible to all the others. Note that the number of regions in the ensemble and in the final consensus segmentation are not necessarily the same. The detected regions are stable across non-rigid deformations of the shape. Abstract We consider the problem of stable region detection and segmentation of deformable shapes. We pursue this goal by determining a consensus segmentation from a heterogeneous ensemble of putative segmentations, which are generated by a clustering process on an intrinsic embedding of the shape. The intuition is that the consensus segmentation, which relies on aggregate statistics gathered from the segmentations in the ensemble, can reveal components in the shape that are more stable to deformations than the single baseline segmentations. Compared to the existing approaches, our solution exhibits higher robustness and repeatability throughout a wide spectrum of non-rigid transformations. It is computationally efficient, naturally extendible to point clouds, and remains semantically stable even across different object classes. A quantitative evaluation on standard datasets confirms the potentiality of our method as a valid tool for deformable shape analysis.
Noninvasive estimation of intracranial pressure using TCD

Usefulness of transcranial Doppler-derived cerebral hemodynamic parameters in the noninvasive assessment of intracranial pressure. Author Wakerley BR1, Kusuma Y, Yeo LL, Liang S, Kumar K, Sharma AK, Sharma VK. Content/Summary Abstract BACKGROUND: Transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography is a noninvasive bedside tool that can evaluate cerebral blood flow hemodynamics in major intracranial arteries. TCD-derived pulsatility index (PI) is believed to be influenced by intracranial pressure (ICP).
LinSATNet: The Positive Linear Satisfiability Neural Networks

Encoding constraints into neural networks is attractive. This paper studies how to introduce the popular positive linear satisﬁability to neural networks. We propose the ﬁrst differentiable satisﬁ-ability layer based on an extension of the classic Sinkhorn algorithm for jointly encoding multiple sets of marginal distributions. We further theoretically characterize the convergence property of the Sinkhorn algorithm for multiple marginals, and the underlying formulation is also derived. In contrast to the sequential decision e.g. reinforcement learning-based solvers, we showcase our technique in solving constrained (speciﬁcally sat-isﬁability) problems by one-shot neural networks, including i) a neural routing solver learned without supervision of optimal solutions; ii) a partial graph matching network handling graphs with un-matchable outliers on both sides; iii) a predictive network for ﬁnancial portfolios with continuous constraints. To our knowledge, there exists no one-shot neural solver for these scenarios when they are formulated as satisﬁability problems.
Machrie Moor, Arran: recent excavations at two stone circles

Excavations at stone circles 1 and 11 on Machrie Moor revealed previous use of the land on which they were situated, with features dating back to the earlier Neolithic. The exact positions occupied by both circles were found to have been preceded by timber monuments, comprising several elements in the case of circle 1. Evidence for fenced land divisions and ard ploughing between the timber and stone phases was also recovered. Both stone circles contained a single inserted cremation deposit. Stone circle 1 had been dug into in 1861 by James Bryce but circle 11 was previously untouched, having been buried in peat. The ceramic assemblage, though not extensive, produced examples of pottery traditions spanning over a millennium. A catalogue of Neolithic pottery by Audrey Henshall is on microfiche.
The Potency of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) as a Greenhouse Gas

According to this study the commonly applied radiative forcing (RF) value of 3.7 Wm-2 for CO2 concentration of 560 ppm includes water feedback. The same value without water feedback is 2.16 Wm -2 which is 41.6 % smaller. Spectral analyses show that the contribution of CO2 in the greenhouse (GH) phenomenon is about 11 % and water’s strength in the present climate in comparison to CO2 is 15.2. The author has analyzed the value of the climate sensitivity (CS) and the climate sensitivity parameter () using three different calculation bases. These methods include energy balance calculations, infrared radiation absorption in the atmosphere, and the changes in outgoing longwave radiation at the top of the atmosphere. According to the analyzed results, the equilibrium CS (ECS) is at maximum 0.6 °C and the best estimate of  is 0.268 K/(Wm-2) without any feedback mechanisms. The latest warming scenarios of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for different CO2 concentrations until the year 2100 include the same feedbacks as the 2011 warming i.e. only water feedback. The ECS value of 3.0 °C would mean that other feedback mechanisms should be stronger than water feedback. So far there is no evidence about these mechanisms, even though 40 % of the change from 280 ppm to 560 ppm has already happened. The relative humidity trends since 1948 show descending development which gives no basis for using positive water feedback in any warming calculations. Cloudiness changes could explain the recent stagnation in global warming.
Summary of 2006 Atlantic Tropical Cyclone Season and Verification of Authors' Seasonal Forecasts

Summary In contrast to the hyperactive 2005 and 2004 hurricane seasons, 2006 was a relatively quiet hurricane year. Basin activity was at the 39th percentile and US landfalling activity at the 29th percentile of years between 1950 and 2005. The TSR forecasts were unsuccessful this year, predicting that activity would be in the upper tercile historically. The poor forecasts appear to be due to the suppressing effect of dry air and Saharan dust in August and to the unexpected and rapid onset of El Nino conditions in September. The Tropical Storm Risk (TSR) consortium presents a validation of their seasonal probabilistic and deterministic forecasts for North Atlantic hurricane activity in 2006. These forecasts were issued monthly from the 6th December 2005 to the 4th August 2006. They include separate predictions for tropical storms, hurricanes, intense hurricanes and the ACE (Accumulated Cyclone Energy) index, each given for the following regions: North Atlantic basin, tropical North Atlantic, US landfalling and Caribbean Lesser Antilles landfalling. All forecasts greatly overpredicted the total and US landfalling activity.
Genomic tools for comparative conservation genetics among three recently diverged stag beetles (Lucanus, Lucanidae)

1. We are witnessing a rapid decline in global biodiversity. International protocols and local conservation laws have been installed to counter such an unprecedent rate of decline. 2. However, quantitatively evaluating how much biodiversity has been lost due to climatic and anthropogenic effects and how much biodiversity has been restored due to conservation efforts remains challenging. 3. We applied a comparative conservation genomic approach to statistically and quantitatively address these questions using three geographical taxa from a stag beetle species complex. 4. We found that the three sky‐island taxa formed three independently evolving units without detectable post‐divergence gene flow; furthermore, the three taxa, which have been divergent from each other since the mid‐Pleistocene, have experienced episodes of demographic decline in the past. 5. More importantly, even though idiosyncratic anthropogenic exploitations have been hypothesised to impact the recent demographic history (<100 years) differently, we found a shared pattern of continuous decline in effective population size among the three geographical taxa. 6. We argue that future empirical studies should include more taxa, in addition to the focal species, that may or may not be affected by the focal historical events to avoid making biased conservation plans.
Development of the composition and technology of an orodispersible film with melatonin and magnesium citrate

Sleep disorders are one of the most common problems among the population today. Numerous scientific publications indicate the effectiveness and safety of melatonin and magnesium use as active ingredients in medicinal products in older adults with sleep disorders. The technological development of an oromucosal preparation – an orodispersible film with melatonin and magnesium citrate is relevant in view of the possibility of increasing the patients’ compliance, those who find it difficult to take oral dosage forms (tablets, capsules) due to possible hand tremors and swallowing disorders. The aim of the study was to develop orodispersible films’ with melatonin and magnesium citrate formulations of various compositions, to conduct a comparative study of their technological parameters in order to select the optimal composition of excipients. The orodispersible films were made by solvent casting method. Melatonin and magnesium citrate were combined with representatives of 6 excipients groups (hydrophilic polymers: agar-agar, xanthan gum, sodium alginate, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose E3, plasticisers: macrogol 400, glycerol and propylene glycol, saliva stimulants: ascorbic, lactic and citric acids, disintegrant: sodium croscarmellose, sweeteners: sorbitol, erythrol and sucralose, solvent: purified water). Formulations of 9 experimental samples were formed. The prepared solutions were filled into appropriate Petri dishes and dried in several steps. The technological parameters of the dried and cut into 2×3.5 cm orodispersible films were determined: appearance and surface characteristics, average weight and it`s uniformity, area and film thickness, folding endurance, in-vitro disintegration time, and physico-chemical parameter: surface pH value. Formulation No. 5, when dried at 60 ⁰C for 3 hours and 60 ⁰C for 3 hours / 40 ⁰C for 2 hours, and left for congealing for 24 hours at 25±2 ⁰C, formed dry to the touch, durable elastic transparent orodispersible film with very close stable values of parameters (average weight 0.40±0.01 g, area 7 cm2, thickness 0.32±0.05 mm and 0.32±0.03 mm, respectively, folding endurance ˃ 300, pH 6.70±0.04 and 6.74±0.05, respectively, in-vitro disintegration time 32.00±0.67 s and 31.00±0.67 s, respectively). The technology is suitable and it is possible to obtain dry to the touch, durable, elastic transparent films with satisfactory values of the studied parameters under the specified drying conditions.
Diffusion du signal isotopique dans le névé et dans la glace : Implication pour l'échantillonnage

Un modele ameliore de diffusion du signal isotopique dans le neve est etabli apres etude de l'influence du coefficient de diffusion de la vapeur d'eau, de la variabilite de la densite, de la tortuosite, de la temperature et de son gradient. Ce nouveau modele est teste depuis la surface jusqu'a la profondeur du close-off en antarctique et au Groenland. Pour la plupart des sites du Groenland, les variations saisonnieres de la composition en isotope survivent a la diffusion dans le neve. Les resultats du modele de diffusion dans le neves sont ensuite utilises dans un modele de diffusion dans la glace pour estimer la profondeur de disparition des cycles saisonniers pour le Groenland et des cycles presents au close-off pour les sites d'Antarctique. Le couplage des modeles de diffusion dans le neve et dans la glace permet alors une interpretation des fortes variations de courtes longueurs d'ondes observees dans le neve profond de Pole Sud et dans la glace pour Dome C et Vostok. Enfin, l'etude de la diffusion de signaux synthetiques comprenant des cycles a differentes longueurs d'ondes permet d'estimer, en fonction de la profondeur, les longueurs d'ondes susceptibles de survivre a la diffusion et de determiner des consignes d'echantillonnage des carottes de glace
Problemáticas: Multi-scalar, affective and performative politics of collective action among fishing cooperatives in Mexico

The world’s fisheries face complex and high-stakes governance problems that increasingly require mobilizing diverse collectives of governance actors. How fishers and fishing organizations understand and articulate governance problems has implications for how they engage with governance institutions and the kinds of collective action they enact. In Mexico, cooperatives are a major form of organization for small-scale fishers. Fishing cooperatives form regional organizations (federations), which in turn form national organizations (confederations). These are nested or multi-scalar organizations that represent fishers’ interests and negotiate with other governance actors. Drawing on longitudinal data from assemblies of a national organization (2016–2019) – which represents more than 30,000 fishers in Mexico organized in about 300 cooperatives – as well as regional meetings involving federations and cooperatives, this study examines how cooperativist fishers in Mexico articulate problems in the governance of fisheries and to what effect. More specifically, the paper builds on scholarship about the performativity of collective action to examine the strategic discursive and affective practices through which fishers engage with major governance problems and the implications for collective action. Through the politics of multi-level cooperative institutions, specific issues are prioritized as leaders of fishers’ organizations translate diverse local-regional concerns to advance the interests of the sector at the national level. Using examples of (1) conflicts surrounding environmental conservation in the Gulf of California and (2) legacies of privatization and the decline of cooperatives in shrimp fisheries, the analysis demonstrates how discourses and affects are incorporated into specific storylines and mobilized in political spaces. Cooperativist fishers become contingently aligned along these storylines, which shapes the translation of local-regional concerns into national priorities, giving rise to a multi-scalar performative politics of collective action.
Optimizing contact patterns for robot locomotion via geometric mechanics

Contact planning is crucial to the locomotion performance of robots: to properly self-propel forward, it is not only important to determine the sequence of internal shape changes (e.g., body bending and limb shoulder joint oscillation) but also the sequence by which contact is made and broken between the mechanism and its environment. Prior work observed that properly coupling contact patterns and shape changes allows for computationally tractable gait design and efficient gait performance. The state of the art, however, made assumptions, albeit motivated by biological observation, as to how contact and shape changes can be coupled. In this paper, we extend the geometric mechanics (GM) framework to design contact patterns. Specifically, we introduce the concept of “contact space” to the GM framework. By establishing the connection between velocities in shape and position spaces, we can estimate the benefits of each contact pattern change and therefore optimize the sequence of contact patterns. In doing so, we can also analyze how a contact pattern sequence will respond to perturbations. We apply our framework to sidewinding robots and enable (1) effective locomotion direction control and (2) robust locomotion performance as the spatial resolution decreases. We also apply our framework to a hexapod robot with two back-bending joints and show that we can simplify existing hexapod gaits by properly reducing the number of contact state switches (during a gait cycle) without significant loss of locomotion speed. We test our designed gaits with robophysical experiments, and we obtain good agreement between theory and experiments.
Social housing improves dairy calves' performance in a competition test

Graphical Abstract Summary: We investigated the effect of early social housing on dairy calves' competitive skills. Calves (3 weeks old) who had been individually or pair housed were subjected to a competition test for milk against a group-reared calf for 5 days. During these tests, pair-housed calves spent, on average, more time drinking from the bottle and were faster to approach the reward than individually housed calves. Two personality tests measuring boldness were also conducted before and after competition tests. Bolder calves tended, on average, to show reduced latencies to the bottle. This work supports early social housing as beneficial for dairy calves.
Evaluación lisimétrica de la evapotranspiración de referencia semihoraria calculada con el método FAO Penman-Monteith

En este trabajo se efectúa una evaluación del método FAO Penman-Monteith para la estima de valores semihorarios de evapotranspiración de referencia (ET0) bajo las condiciones semiáridas del Valle del Ebro, mediante su comparación con valores medidos en un lisímetro de pesada. Se han calculado valores de ET0 con cuatro variantes de dicho método. En tres de ellas (ETPM1, ETPM2, ETPM3), la radiación neta (Rnet) y el flujo de calor hacia el suelo (G) se han estimado como indica la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO) (Allen et al., 1998) y en la cuarta (ETPM4) se han utilizado valores medidos de Rnet y G. En el caso de ETPM1, se han utilizado valores medidos de radiación solar (Rs) y un factor de turbidez ktb = 1.0 para estimar la radiación solar en días despejados (Rso). En el caso de ETPM2, se ha usado un factor ktb = 0.85, mientras que en el caso de ETPM3, los valores medidos de Rs se han multiplicado por la pendiente de regresión entre Rs medida en días despejados y Rso. Los resultados indican que no existen diferencias significativas entre las variantes ETPM1 y ETPM2. Se han observado diferencias significativas con la variante ETPM3, pero probablemente dichas diferencias se reducirían fuertemente si los valores medidos de Rs sólo se hubiesen modificado para valores superiores a 700 W m. Los resultados de la variante ETPM4 fueron diferentes a los de los otros casos, y sugieren que el procedimiento de la FAO sobrestima Rnet. Los resultados de este trabajo apuntan a que la advección fue la principal causa de la infraestimación observada: hasta un 15 % en el verano y un 4-5 % en el otoño.