Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anurans of the sandy coastal plains of the Lagamar Paulista, state of São Paulo, Brazil

Insular habitats are considered ideal for biogeographic studies, as they represent almost closed habitats with known formation timelines. Although Sao Paulo state in Brazil has a large number of continental and oceanic islands, few studies have examined the composition of the fauna in each locality. These studies are crucial to determine the community structure and to make biogeographic and phylogenetic inferences. From February 2007 to January 2009, we surveyed the anuran community of sandy coastal plains in four municipalities of the Lagamar Paulista: Cananeia, Ilha Comprida, Iguape and Pariquera-Acu, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil. This region is located in the Cananeia-Iguape estuary complex, comprising three continental islands: Ilha de Cananeia, Ilha Comprida, and Ilha do Cardoso, and the continental portions adjacent to these islands in the municipalities of Iguape and Pariquera-Acu. Through the use of pitfall traps and active search, we registered a total of 32 anuran species: 17 in Ilha Comprida, 21 in Ilha de Cananeia, 26 in Ilha do Cardoso, 27 in Iguape, and 23 in Pariquera-Acu. The analysis of the richness indices of the study sites revealed higher values in continental areas. This result is very common in comparative studies between islands and continents. This may be caused by an island effect and may reveal the historical process of island formation in the Lagamar. Our findings provide important information for identifying patterns of amphibian distribution in insular areas of the Sao Paulo coast, and for examining how events of marine transgression and regression have affected the local amphibian communities.
Control of a Mobile Inverted Pendulum Robot

The inverted pendulum is a classic problem in dynamics and control theory due to its inherently unstable nature. In the system tested, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are used for the implementation of control and sensor fusion algorithms in the inertial navigation system of a Mobile Inverted Pendulum (MIP) robot. Additionally, the performance of digital PID control and Kalman filter algorithms are tested in this FPGA system. The test platform for tuning Kalman filter is designed using optical encoders as a standard reference. PWM signal generation and quadrature phase decoding of encoder pulses is accomplished using hardware description language in FPGA. The values from the inertial sensors and quadrature phase decoded values are fed into MicroBlaze, a 32-bit soft-core RISC processor, within the FPGA. The overall system demonstrates the use of low cost inertial sensors to balance a two wheeled robot. The system is presently able to balance on its own and it also serves as an extremely reconfigurable FPGA based platform to facilitate future modifications, updates and enhancements with more complex control and sensor fusion techniques. Key Terms: Mobile Inverted Pendulum System, Inverted Pendulum Robot, Inertial Navigation System, FPGA, Kalman Filter, PID Control, Soft-core Processor
Broadband probe for efficient near field measurements

In this paper, we designed and fabricated the broadband probe with double ridged waveguide for broadband near-field measurements. An exponential taper ridge in the rectangular waveguide and novel waveguide transition were implemented for wideband impedance matching and compression of the higher modes. It has wideband characteristics and its measured impedance bandwidth ratio is approximately 123%(4.17:1) from 12.0 GHz to 50 GHz for SWR<3.0. And the peak radiation gain is 5.7~14.3 dBi. The performance of this probe is verified by the measured results and is in good agreement with the simulated results. It is possible that our designed broadband probe is applied to broadband near-field measurement under 50 GHz.
Resolvent-based modeling of coherent wave packets in a turbulent jet

Coherent turbulent wavepacket structures in a jet at Reynolds number 460 000 and Mach number 0.4 are extracted from experimental measurements, and are modelled as linear fluctuations around the mean flow. The linear model is based on harmonic optimal forcing structures and their associated flow response at individual Strouhal numbers, obtained from analysis of the global linear resolvent operator. These forcing/response wavepackets ('re-solvent modes') are first discussed with regard to relevant physical mechanisms that provide energy gain of flow perturbations in the jet. Modal shear instability and the non-modal Orr mechanism are identified as dominant elements, cleanly separated between the optimal and sub-optimal forcing/response pairs. A theoretical development in the framework of spectral covariance dynamics then explicates the link between linear harmonic forcing/response structures and the cross-spectral density (CSD) of stochastic turbulent fluctuations. A low-rank model of the CSD at given Strouhal number is formulated from a truncated set of linear resolvent modes. Corresponding experimental CSD matrices are constructed from extensive two-point velocity measurements. Their eigenmodes (SPOD modes) represent coherent wavepacket structures, and these are compared to their counterparts obtained from the linear model. Close agreement is demonstrated in the range of 'preferred mode' Strouhal numbers, around a value of 0.4, between the leading coherent wavepacket structures as educed from the experiment and from the linear resolvent-based model.
HEAVY METALS AND PCBS IN EURASIAN OTTERS ( Lutra lutra ) IN SOUTH KOREA

Maturation status and reproductive cycle stage was determined in 460 female otters, including two captives, by the presence of foetuses, placental scars and/or by the histological structure of the ovaries. Reproductive organs of another 316 females were included in the search for macroscopic pathological tissues. The reproductive organs of two unmated captive females indicated that ovulation is induced in the Eurasian otter. In young, immature females the uterus was small, with straight, dorso-ventrally flattened, translucent horns. The weight of the uterus in these young females varied from 0.14 to 1.63 g, increasing with age. The weight of resting uteri (not pregnant or recently parturient) of mature females varied from 1.17 g to 10.95 g. Apparently, the uterine walls thickened and the horns lost the translucent appearance about the time of the first oestrus. Uterine horns that were circular in cross section appeared to be associated with oestrus or pregnancy. Even before implanted embryos were visible the horns lengthened. They then attained a convoluted appearance because their attachments to the mesometrium did not enlarge correspondingly. Both horns lengthened, even if foetuses were only present in one of them. Recently parturient uteri were large and distended and the placental sites showed clearly, although the dark brown or black pigment accumulated only gradually, simultaneously with the shrinkage of the horns to their resting size. The placental scars then appeared to fade gradually and more slowly, but could still be seen as white scars after the dark pigment had vanished, lasting apparently up to about one year after parturition. Most females could be classified as immature or mature from the external appearance of the uteri. Tumours connected to the reproductive organs were found in 3.5% of the 5-9 year olds and 31.0% of the 10-14 year olds.
Emerging Non-Conventional Technologies for Control of Post Harvest Diseases of Perishables

Considerable amounts of fruits and vegetables are lost to spoilage after harvest. This loss can range from 10-50% depending on the commodity and country. Presently, synthetic chemicals are the primary means of controlling post harvest diseases of fruits and vegetables. Public concern over food safety, however, enunciated interest to find out the effective alternatives to chemical pesticides to control post harvest diseases of perishables. The ultimate aim of recent research in this area has been the development and evaluation of various alternative control strategies to reduce dependency on synthetic fungicides. Currently several promising biological approaches that include the application of microbial antagonists (fungi, bacteria, yeasts), the natural plant based antimicrobial substances (volatile aromatic compounds, acetic acid, jasmonates, glucosinolates, essential oils, plant extracts and propolis), the antimicrobial substances from soil (fusapyrone and deoxyfusapyrone) and the natural animal-based antimicrobial substances like chitosan have been advanced to curb the menaces of post harvest diseases in perishables. Compounds that activate host plant defense responses potentially offer socioenvironmentally sound alternative methods for disease control. Combination of the above complementary techniques could well lead to effective control of post harvest diseases. The techniques and practice of using all these non-conventional alternatives is still in its infancy as compared to chemical treatments but the results and progress in this area during the past decade has been remarkable.
imulating 2368 temperate lakes reveals weak coherence in tratification phenology

Changes in water temperatures resulting from climate warming can alter the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems. Lake-specific physical characteristics may play a role in mediating individual lake responses to climate. Past mechanistic studies of lake–climate interactions have simulated generic lake classes at large spatial scales or performed detailed analyses of small numbers of real lakes. Understanding the diversity of lake responses to climate change across landscapes requires a hybrid approach that couples site-specific lake characteristics with broad-scale environmental drivers. This study provides a substantial advancement in lake ecosystem modeling by combining open-source tools with freely
Osteoradionecrosis and cholesteatoma of external auditory canal in postradiotherapy nasopharyngeal carcinoma patien

Background: Osteoradionecrosis and cholesteatoma of the external auditory canal following external-beam radiotherapy as the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a rarely found complication. Patients with external auditory canal cholesteatoma (EACC) typically present with chronic otorrhea and dull pain due to the local invasion of squamous tissue into the bony external audioty canal (EAC). Purpose: To remind ENT specialists and general practitioners about the risk osteoradionecrosis and cholesteatoma of external auditory canal in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patient after radioteraphy treatment. Case: We report a case of osteoradionecrosis and cholesteatoma of EAC in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patient with complaint of a foul-smelling discharge from her right and left ears. Two years previously she had undergone external-beam radiotherapy to the neck as the treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Management: The cholesteatoma was removed microscopicaly on local anasthesia. After the cholesteatoma had been removed the right ear result of pure tone audiometry showed mild degree conductive hearing loss (27,7 dB), while the left ear within normal hearing threshold. Conclusion: Osteoradionecrosis and cholesteatoma of external auditory canal could develop as a complication of radioteraphy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patient. Keywords: osteoradionecrosis, cholesteatoma, radiotherapy, chronic otorrhea. ABSTRAK Latar belakang: Komplikasi osteoradionekrosis dan kolesteatoma pada liang telinga luar akibat radioterapi pada pengobatan karsinoma nasofaring sangat jarang terjadi. Pasien dengan kolesteatoma liang telinga luar biasanya datang dengan keluhan otore kronis dan nyeri akibat invasi dari jaringan skuamus ke tulang liang telinga luar. Tujuan: Memberi wawasan bagi dokter umum dan spesialis THT-KL tentang adanya risiko osteoradionekrosis dan kolesteatoma pada liang telinga luar akibat radioterapi pada penderita karsinoma nasofaring. Kasus: Dilaporkan satu kasus osteoradionekrosis dan kolesteatoma di liang telinga luar pada penderita karsinoma nasofaring dengan keluhan sekret telinga berbau busuk pada liang telinga kanan dan kiri. Dua tahun sebelumnya pasien tersebut mendapat radioterapi untuk pengobatan karsinoma nasofaring. Penatalaksanaan: Kolesteatoma diangkat secara mikroskopis dengan anestesi lokal. Pemeriksaan audiometri nada murni pascatindakan didapati tuli konduktif derajat ringan (27,7dB) pada telinga kanan sedangkan telinga kiri dalam batas normal. Kesimpulan: Radionekrosis dan kolestatoma liang telinga luar merupakan komplikasi terapi radiasi pada kasus karsinoma nasofaring. Kata kunci: osteoradionekrosis, kolesteatom, radioterapi, otore kronis.
Achieving cooperation through deep multiagent reinforcement learning in sequential prisoner's dilemmas

The Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma has guided research on social dilemmas for decades. However, it distinguishes between only two atomic actions: cooperate and defect. In real-world prisoner's dilemmas, these choices are temporally extended and different strategies may correspond to sequences of actions, reflecting grades of cooperation. We introduce a Sequential Prisoner's Dilemma (SPD) game to better capture the aforementioned characteristics. In this work, we propose a deep multiagent reinforcement-learning approach that investigates the evolution of mutual cooperation in SPD games. Our approach consists of two phases. The first phase is offline: it synthesizes policies with different cooperation degrees and then trains a cooperation degree detection network. The second phase is online: an agent adaptively selects its policy based on the detected degree of opponent cooperation. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated in two representative SPD 2D games: the Apple-Pear game and the Fruit Gathering game. Experimental results show that our strategy can avoid being exploited by exploitative opponents and achieve cooperation with cooperative opponents.
Non‐Pulmonary Management of Newborns with Respiratory Distress

Due to the developmental immaturity of the lungs and other organs, the premature newborns are more prone to develop respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and other problems of prematurity. The prevention of heat and water loses improves survival. Intolerance to excessive fluids and electrolytes in the transitional period may affect urine and sodium excretion together with maladaptation of cardiovascular system, the development of heart failure, and deterioration of RDS due to patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and further development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Closure of PDA is frequently needed. The “trophic feeding” and intensive nutrition as soon as possible prevent weight loss and further growth restriction. Greater sensitivity to pain, short‐ and long‐term effects of inappropriately treated pain, use of opioids and sedatives are of concern in the short‐ and long‐term outcomes. Cardiovascular stability and adequate perfusion of the brain both affect the neurological outcome. Delayed cord clamping and erythropoietin help maintaining adequate levels of circulating hemoglobin which might affect later cognitive outcomes. In the following sections, detailed descriptions of non‐ pulmonary management will be presented. We conducted electronic searches of articles on supportive (non‐pulmonary) management of newborns with RDS. Consensus guidelines on newborns with respiratory distress have been reviewed.
METABOLISM OF CARBONYL SULFIDE TO HYDROGEN SULFIDE IN INSECTS IS CATALYSED BY CARBONIC ANHYDRASE

Carbonyl sulfide (COS) is a new fumigant under development as a methyl bromide replacement for fumigation of durable commodities. COS has been shown to be relatively fast acting and toxic to a broad range of stored-product pests but little is known of the mechanism of toxicity of COS to insects. In rats, COS is metabolised to hydrogen sulfide by the enzyme carbonic anhydrase, a widely distributed family of enzymes that usually catalyse the reversible hydration of carbon dioxide. The present study investigated whether hydrogen sulfide was the toxic agent of COS in insects. Firstly, adult stored-product insects Sitophilus oryzae (L.), Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) were fumigated with hydrogen sulfide for 6 h at a range of concentrations from 1-50 mg L -1 . The percentage mortality of insects was ! 84% at concentrations of 5 mg L -1 and above suggesting hydrogen sulfide is potently toxic to insects. To determine the role of metabolism in COS toxicity, 17-21 day old larvae of T. castaneum were raised on culture medium containing carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, acetazolamide or methazolamide, at concentrations up to 20 mg g -1 media. Larvae raised on inhibitors and untreated larvae were then fumigated with 60 mg L -1 COS for 5 h, a concentration - time product that had been shown to produce approximately 90% mortality in untreated larvae. The mortality of larvae raised on acetazolamide-containing medium (20 mg g -1 ) was much lower than untreated larvae (40% versus 95%) after fumigation. Similarly, mortality was reduced in insects administered methazolamide (20 mg g -1 ) resulting in 53% mortality. Administration of carbonic anhydrase inhibitors to insects protected them from the acute toxicity of COS. This work demonstrates that the acute toxicity of COS to insects is dependent on carbonic anhydrases metabolism to hydrogen sulfide, the toxic agent of COS.
Nucleic Acid Studies on Halophilic Archaebacteria

Archaebacteria exhibit considerable phylogenetic diversity despite the relatively restricted range of archaebacterial phenotypes. The methanogens comprise three orders (Balch et a/., 1979; Wildgruber et al., 1982) and the thermoacidophilic bacteria have been shown to include several major groups probably equivalent to orders (Tu et al., 1982). However, until recently only two major groups of extreme halophiles have been recognized, the rod-shaped or pleomorphic isolates (the halobacteria) and the coccoid isolates (the halococci). The thorough taxonomic studies of Kocur & Hodgkiss (1973) indicated that all strains of halococci formed a tightly clustered group comprising a monospecific genus with Halococcus morrhuae as the sole species. The halobacteria presently include ten species (Skerman et a/., 1980; Soliman & Triiper, 1982; Rodriguez-Valera et al., 1983; Oren, 1983) and in addition Javor et ul. (1982) have suggested the creation of a new genus, Haloarcula, for certain pleomorphic isolates. However, this genus has never been formally proposed and its validity would be in question in view of the similarity of the isolates to certain other halobacteria (Nicholson & Fox, 1983). A recent indication of considerable diversity within the halophile phenotype has come with the discovery of the haloalkaliphiles (Tindall et al., 1980, 1984; Ross et a/., 1981; Soliman & Triiper, 1982). This group constitutes a clear, phenotypically distinct group within the general halophile phenotype in that these isolates have an obligate requirement for high pH, and have a very low Mg2+ tolerance (Tindall et al., 1980, 1984; Soliman & Triiper, 1982). All haloalkaliphilic bacteria isolated to date have ether-linked lipids based both on the universal archaebacterial C20C20 diether isopranoid core and an asymmetric C20C25 diether isopranoid core that is not universally present in ‘classical’ halobacteria (Ross et al., 198 1 , 1984; De Rosa et al., 1982; Tindall et al., 1984). One isolate has an additional C25C25 diether isopranoid core lipid (De Rosa et al., 1983). The haloalkaliphilic group includes both rod-shaped and coccoid isolates. Nucleic acid hybridization studies and polar lipid analyses have indicated that the rod-shaped isolates are as distinct from the coccoid isolates as ‘classical’ halobacteria are from ‘ classical’ halococci, leading Tindall et al. (1984) to propose the new genera Natronobacteriurn and Natronococcus for the rods and cocci, respectively. In the course of this work it was noted that the ‘classical’ halobacteria Hb. colcanii and Hb. halobium appeared as unrelated to each other as each was unrelated to He. rnorrhuae. Earlier, 16s rRNA sequence comparisons of these halobacteria had led Fox et al. (1980) to the same conclusions. The polar lipids from a small number of halobacterial isolates have been compared and shown to have some value as taxonomic markers (Evans et al., 1980; Kushwaha et al., 1982) and a more comprehensive investigation of the value of polar lipid analyses in halophile
The relationship between cognitive ability, emotional intelligence and negative career thoughts : a study of career-exploring adults : original research

Orientation : Career exploration can be a stressful experience, often manifested by negative career thoughts. In this article, the factors which influence the ability to cope with negative thinking are investigated. Research purpose : This study investigated the relationship between cognitive ability, emotional intelligence and negative thoughts pertaining to career in a sample of unemployed, non-student adults. Motivation for study : There is a need for research which investigates the psychological factors that contribute to successful career exploration and decision-making. Cognitive ability is one such factor, whilst emotional intelligence is another whose validity is not yet well established. Research design, approach and method : A survey design and quantitative procedures were used in gathering and analysing data gathered from 193 non-student, middle-aged adults attending a community-based career exploration programme in British Columbia, Canada. Cognitive ability, emotional intelligence and negative career thoughts before and after a career exploration programme were measured. Main findings : Neither cognitive ability nor any aspect of emotional intelligence predicted negative career thinking change. Cognitive ability predicted overall negative career thoughts as well as decision-making confusion, but only after the programme. The ability to manage emotions, however, predicted negative career thoughts both before and after the career decision-making programme. Practical/managerial implications : The managing emotions component of emotional intelligence is significantly associated with negative career thoughts. These findings suggest that career counselling requires that the role of emotions and their influence on behaviours must be given more consideration. Industrial and organisational (IO) psychologists would benefit from engaging in programmes that train them to assist clients in becoming more aware of, and increasing, their own emotional intelligence. Contribution/value-add : The study added insights to the field of career psychology regarding the ability of emotional intelligence to predict important outcomes regarding the dimensions of emotional intelligence (EI) as measured by a performance-based test predicting negative career thoughts amongst the non-student, adult population.
Second-generation bioethanol from industrial wood waste of South American species

Fil: Vallejos, Maria Evangelina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Quimicas y Naturales. Instituto de Materiales de Misiones; Argentina