Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Remote sensing of animals

The improved accuracy and precision of animal tracking via satellites has made a significant impact on quantifying large-scale biogeographic patterns for a variety of taxa with important implications for conservation and natural resource management. This paper reviews research undertaken from 1995 to 1999 to provide an overview of advances in the remote sensing of animal movements in both terrestrial and marine environments and to identify promising trends for biogeographic research in the twenty-first century. Remote sensing of animals by satellite provides a new method to test a number of biogeographic hypotheses related to migration and can identify a number of environmental correlates associated with the distributions of species. Tracking of smaller species and increases in sample size are sure to occur as transmitter size and cost continue to decrease in the next decade. Geographers can significantly contribute to the understanding of species dispersal and distributional patterns by combining real-time and archived global and regional datasets with existing data from past studies and future research projects. Only four studies used GIS data or remote sensed imagery in this review, while the remaining studies cited used simple digital line graphs of countries, topography, land and sea boundaries.
Geographical distribution and extinction risk: lessons from Triassic–Jurassic marine benthic organisms

Aim To evaluate the influence of geographical distribution on the extinction risk of benthic marine invertebrates using data from the fossil record, both during times of background extinction and across a mass‐extinction episode. Total geographical range is contrasted with proxies of global abundance to assess the relationships between the two essential components of geographical distribution and extinction risk.
A Markovian Approach Applied to Reliability Modeling of Bidirectional DC-DC Converters Used in PHEVs and Smart Grids

: In this paper, a stochastic approach is proposed for reliability assessment of bidirectional DC-DC converters, including the fault-tolerant ones. This type of converters can be used in a smart DC grid, feeding DC loads such as home appliances and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The reliability of bidirectional DC-DC converters is of such an importance, due to the key role of the expected increasingly utilization of DC grids in modern Smart Grid. Markov processes are suggested for reliability modeling and consequently calculating the expected effective lifetime of bidirectional converters. A three-leg bidirectional interleaved converter using data of Toyota Prius 2012 hybrid electric vehicle is used as a case study. Besides, the influence of environment and ambient temperature on converter lifetime is studied. The impact of modeling the reliability of the converter and adding reliability constraints on the technical design procedure of the converter is also investigated. In order to investigate the effect of leg increase on the lifetime of the converter, single leg to five-leg interleave DC-DC converters are studied considering economical aspect and the results are extrapolated for six and seven-leg converters. The proposed method could be generalized so that the number of legs and input and output capacitors could be an arbitrary number.
Using Text-to-Speech Generated Audio Files for Learning Chemistry in Higher Education

In this paper, we describe a case study of using text-to-speech software to record audio files as complementary materials available to students of the first year chemistry course in the human nutrition and dietetics degree program at the University of Granada (Spain). We have carried out a survey about the interests of the students, assessed the usefulness of the materials for students with learning disabilities and partial visual impairment, and tested the potential to establish these materials as part of an effective mobile-learning platform. This type of survey of the final user of new learning materials is a crucial step for effective development of universally accessible contents and mobile-learning platforms.
Two Patients With KCNT1-Related Epilepsy Responding to Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide

KCNT1 encodes a sodium-activated potassium channel highly expressed in the brain, regulating hyperpolarization following repetitive firing. Mutations in KCNT1 were originally implicated in autosomal-dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy and epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures. It is now known that there is variability in phenotypic expression and incomplete penetrance. We describe 2 patients with KCNT1-related epilepsy, one with epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures and one with multifocal epilepsy. As most patients with KCNT1 variants have treatment-resistant epilepsy, drugs that specifically target the KCNT1 channel have been of great interest. Quinidine, a broad-spectrum potassium channel blocker, has shown promise; however, clinical trial results have been variable. Our patient with epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures did not respond to a trial of quinidine at 6 weeks of age—one of the earliest reported quinidine trials in the literature for KCNT1-related epilepsy. This indicates that timing of treatment and response may not be related. Both patients responded to high-dose phenobarbital. The patient with epilepsy of infancy with migrating focal seizures also had a significant reduction in seizures with potassium bromide (KBr). Our data suggest that alternative therapies to quinidine should be considered as a therapeutic option for patients with KCNT1-related epilepsy. Although improved seizure control led to parent-reported improvements in neurodevelopment, it is unknown if phenobarbital and KBr impact the overall developmental trajectory of patients with KCNT1-related epilepsy. Further multicenter longitudinal studies are required.
The carbon sequestration potential from afforestation in Ontario.

Afforestation involves the establishment of forests on previously non-forested lands. The Kyoto Protocol defi nes afforestation as the conversion of land that has not been forested for a period of at least 50 years to forested land through planting, seeding, and/or the active promotion of natural regeneration. Increased interest in afforestation in recent years follows the inclusion of forest carbon sequestration opportunities in Kyoto Protocol commitments. Previous studies by ArborVitae et al. (1999) and Bogdanski (2002a,b) suggest that carbon sequestration opportunities exist in Ontario. This note provides an estimate of the carbon sequestration potential from afforestation on private farmlands and non-farmlands in Ontario.
An Analysis of the Development Impacts of Establishing Kalmunai Administrative District in Sri Lanka

Decentralizing administrative powers to locally established administrative units has been the key goal of many governments in developing counties intended to boost socio-economic development at regional level. Sri Lanka has also introduced many decentralization initiatives with development motives. New administrative districts were formed in Sri Lanka with development as part of their motive, but, no new district has been formed in the last 30 years while demands have prevailed in many corners of the country. The demand calling for the establishment of the Kalmunai administrative district has been a prolonged and politically influencing demand for the last 15 years in Sri Lanka’s political-development discourse. This study attempts to examine the development impacts of establishing the Kalmunai administrative district that has been advocated by the people living in the coastal belt of the Amparai district (referred as ‘south eastern region’), a region which has been lacking in terms of development due to the severe impacts of thirty-year civil war as well as the 2004 Asian Tsunami devastation in Sri Lanka. The findings of the study reveal that the establishment of the proposed Kalmunai district will eventually contribute to multi-dimensional development in the region in the long run, however, a conducive institutional environment needs to be built in and around the district administrative machinery in order to ensure equity and justice in service delivery and resource allocation among different ethnic groups in the district which would be the pre-condition for the sustainability of any kind of development impact in the region.
EFFECTS OF REDUCING TARIFFS AND ENDOGENOUS PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH

In this study, the effects of China’s WTO commitments of reducing tariff and nontariff barriers are analysed using a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model of China. In particular, this study draws the attention of policy makers to a different regional employment outcome when trade-liberalisation induced productivity improvements are taken into account. Trade-liberalisation induced productivity improvements occur when local producers survive import competition by seeking (most likely importing) input-saving technologies and production practice. Such endogenous productivity improvements, based on empirical estimates, are endogenously represented in the model. JEL Classifications: D58, F14, O53 * Centre of Policy Studies, Monash University. E-Mail: yinhua.mai@BusEco.monash. edu.au.
P 2 0 1 0 ) 0 7 1 Black holes in N > 4 gravity

We consider geodesic equations for a black hole solution in the Randall-Sundrum II scenario presented in [1]. This solution is a generalization of the Schwarzschild one and has the mathematical form of the Reissner-Nördstrom solution, but with an additional “tidal charge” instead of the electric charge. We examine the behavior of geodesic parameters and show that the solution does not contradict the observational data and does not predict any fundamentally new effects. A more serious restriction on the “tidal charge” value can be extracted from the circular orbit equation.
Capital Structure Determinants in Family Firms: An Empirical Analysis in Context of Crisis

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the capital structure of family firms in a context of crisis. Specifically, it aims to discover whether and how the determinants of their capital structure have a different impact on firms’ leverage before and during the recent global financial crisis. Considering the pecking order theory (POT), trade-off theory (TOT), and agency theory (AT), this study analyzes 1,502 Italian medium family firms comparing the pre-crisis (2005-2007) and crisis (2008-2010) periods. This research shows that that current liquidity, asset structure, and agency costs are the most important variables in influencing medium family firms' leverage, in both the pre-crisis and crisis periods. Moreover, during the crisis, agency costs increase and have a negative influence on the short-term leverage highlighting that crisis contingencies influence the agency-based effects on family firm's leverage. Furthermore, our findings highlight that a more exhaustive understanding of family firms’ capital structure can be achieved through the combined use of different theories.
Reproductive traits of two haplotypes of the European hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778)

Abstract Four hundred and two pairs of hares belonging to the mountain and brown haplotypes of the European hare Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778 were raised in a farm located in central Italy over 4 years (from 2003 to 2006). The birth date, total number of young born, and number of surviving and weaned leverets were recorded for each pair. The start of reproduction, birth-interval, length of the reproductive season, number of birth per pair per year, number of leverets per pair, number of weaned leverets per pair and number of weaned leverets per birth were analysed in relation to the different haplotypes and years; the incidence of superfetation and pseudogestation was also considered. Results showed that the brown hare produced young at the beginning of February, whilst the mountain hare started reproduction significantly later. Brown hares showed a longer reproductive period than mountain hares (192 days vs 156 days) and a higher productivity. The most frequent gestation length was 37-41 days. The distribution of delivery intervals did not differ between the two haplotypes. Riassunto Caratteristiche riproduttive di due aplotipi della lepre ( Lepus europaeus Pallas 1778). Lepri ( Lepus europaeus Pallas 1778) appartenenti all’aplotipo di montagna e a quello bruno sono state monitorate per 4 anni (dal 2003 al 2006) in uno stesso allevamento situato in una zona dell’Italia centrale. Per ciascuna coppia di riproduttori allevata (N = 402) sono stati raccolti i dati relativi a: data del parto, numero totale di nati, numero totale di nati vivi e di leprotti svezzati. L’inizio del periodo riproduttivo, l’intervallo interparto, la durata della gestazione, la durata della stagione riproduttiva, il numero di parti per coppia per anno, il numero di nati per coppia, il numero di svezzati per coppia, il numero di svezzati per parto sono stati analizzati in relazione ai differenti aplotipi e agli anni di osservazione; e stata calcolata inoltre l’incidenza della superfetazione e della pseudogestazione. I risultati mostrano che nelle lepri appartenenti all’aplotipo bruno il primo parto si verifica agli inizi di febbraio mentre nelle lepri appartenenti all’aplotipo di montagna avviene significativamente piu tardi. Le lepri brune mostrano un periodo riproduttivo piu lungo delle lepri di montagna (192 gg vs 156 gg) e una produttivita piu elevata. La durata della gestazione e simile nei due aplotipi con valori piu frequenti compresi tra 37 e 41 giorni.
Molecular Design of Novel Self-Oscillating Polymer Chains Fuelled by Organic Acid Under Constant Condition

Stimuli-responsive polymers system, which responds to external stimuli such as temperature, pH, electric fields, etc., have been much investigated in order to apply to actuators, artificial muscle, drug delivery systems (DDS), shape-memory, molecular recognition material, separation-system and purification material, etc. [1-21] However, the conventional-type stimuli-responsive polymer system provides only one unique action to the external stimulus. On the other hand, many biological systems, such as the brain waves, autonomic heartbeat and periodic hormone secretion, show autonomous oscillations and respond to external stimuli. If we construct the autonomous polymer system like a living organism with tailor-made design, unprecedented polymer system would be realized. In this study, in order to construct the autonomous polymer system like a living organism, the Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) has been utilized as the chemical energy source of the autonomous motion for polymer systems. The BZ reaction is well known as an oscillating reaction accompanying spontaneous redox oscillations to generate a wide variety of nonlinear phenomena, e.g., target or spiral pattern in an unstirred solution, and periodicity, multi-periodicity, or chaos in a stirred solution [2230]. The overall process of the BZ reaction is the oxidization of an organic substrate by an oxidizing agent in the presence of the catalyst under strong acidic conditions. In the BZ reaction, the metal catalyst undergoes spontaneous redox oscillation. In the case of utilizing the ruthenium tris(2,2’-bipyridine) that is the metal catalyst of the BZ reaction, the Ru catalyst has the different solubility in the reduced and oxidized states, respectively: the reduced Ru catalyst has a hydrophobic property, and the oxidized one has a hydrophilic one. In order to cause the self-oscillation of the polymer system (liner-polymer chain and polymer gel), polymer main-chain covalently bonded to the (ruthenium (4-vinyl-4’-methyl2,2-bipyridine) bis(2,2’-bipyridine)bis(hexafluorophosphate)) (Ru(bpy)3) as a catalyst of the BZ reaction were synthesized [31-33]. The main-chain of the self-oscillating polymer system adopted thermoresponsive poly(Nisopropylacrylamide) (poly(NIPAAm)). As a result, the polymer system cause the autonomous and spontaneous aggregation-disaggregation selfoscillation for the linear-polymer chain and the swelling-deswelling self-oscillation for the polymer gel under the constant temperature conditions with the coexistence of the BZ substrates other than the metal catalyst. However, operating condition of the self-oscillating
THE CONTRIBUTION OF REGION-SPECIFIC SHOCKS TO AGGREGATE FLUCTUATIONS: EVIDENCE FROM THE LOCAL HOUSING MARKETS IN CANADA

This thesis investigates the contribution of productivity shocks at different aggregation levels to residential investment and relative house prices in ten local housing markets in Canada from 1986 to 2007. It has two major conclusions. First, while in BC, Ontario, and four Atlantic Provinces, residential investment is more likely to be affected by aggregate shocks, in Quebec and three Prairie Provinces, residential investment is less responsive to aggregate shocks, and more likely to be affected by region-specific shocks. Second, relative house prices are much more variable than residential investment, and largely depend on region-specific factors.
Techniques for enhancing the tolerance of industrial microbes to abiotic stresses: A review

The diversity of stress responses and survival strategies evolved by microorganism enables them to survive and reproduce in a multitude of harsh environments, whereas the discovery of the underlying resistance genes or mechanisms laid the foundation for the directional enhancement of microbial tolerance to abiotic stresses encountered in industrial applications. Many biological techniques have been developed for improving the stress resistance of industrial microorganisms, which greatly benefited the bacteria on which industrial production is based. This review introduces the main techniques for enhancing the resistance of microorganisms to abiotic stresses, including evolutionary engineering, metabolic engineering, and process engineering, developed in recent years. In addition, we also discuss problems that are still present in this area and offer directions for future research.
Cerebrospinal Fluid and Brain Tissue Penetration of Tenofovir, Lamivudine, and Efavirenz in Postmortem Tissues with Cryptococcal Meningitis

The central nervous system (CNS) is a known HIV reservoir, yet little is known about drug exposure in the brain. Our primary objective was to quantify exposure of three common antiretrovirals in brain tissue and compare exposures to plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). We also sought to identify pockets of brain most vulnerable to inadequate drug exposures and examine the role of meningitis in drug penetration into the CNS. Tenofovir, lamivudine, and efavirenz concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry in plasma and CSF from 14 individuals with HIV, 7 with cryptococcal meningitis. In four individuals (three with meningitis) drug concentrations were also measured in 13 distinct brain tissue regions. In subjects with meningitis, geometric mean ratio (95% confidence interval) of tenofovir CSF to plasma was 66% (7–598%) and 14% (6–31%) in subjects without meningitis. Lamivudine CSF penetration was 100% (25–409%) in subjects with meningitis and 30% (24–37%) in subjects without meningitis. Tenofovir brain tissue concentrations were 36% (14–124%) of plasma and 49% (1–572%) of CSF. Lamivudine brain concentrations were 37% (23–64%) of plasma and 27% (1–104%) of CSF. Efavirenz brain tissue concentrations were 128% (108–179%) of plasma. Tissues collected postmortem provide a unique opportunity to assess drug distribution in tissues difficult to sample in living subjects. CSF is a poor surrogate for drug exposure throughout the CNS. Antiretrovirals differentially penetrate into the CNS and penetration may be enhanced by meningitis.
The growing ratios of hyperbolic regular mosaics with bounded cells

In 3- and 4-dimensional hyperbolic spaces there are four, respectively five, regular mosaics with bounded cells. A belt can be created around an arbitrary base vertex of a mosaic. The construction can be iterated and a growing ratio can be determined by using the number of the cells of the considered belts. In this article we determine these growing ratios for each mosaic in a generalized way.
Field-Evolved Resistance by Western Corn Rootworm to Cry34/35Ab1 and other Bacillus thuringiensis Traits in Transgenic Maize.

BACKGROUND Transgenic crops producing insecticidal toxins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are widely planted to manage agricultural insect pests. However, widespread adoption of Bt crops has led to the evolution of Bt resistance. The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, is among the most serious pests of maize in the midwestern United States and is currently managed with Bt maize. To date, there is evidence of field-evolved resistance to all Bt toxins used to manage this pest. While western corn rootworm resistance to Cry3Bb1, and the closely related mCry3A and eCry3.1Ab traits, is widely distributed within the Midwest, fewer cases of Cry34/35Ab1 resistance have been observed, and planting of Cry34/35Ab1 maize is one of the methods used to manage Cry3-resistant rootworm. RESULTS We found that fields with high levels of root injury to Cry34/35Ab1 maize by western corn rootworm were associated with Cry34/35Ab1-resistant western corn rootworm. Additionally, a population not associated with high levels of root injury was found to be resistant to Cry34/35Ab1. In all cases, populations that were resistant to Cry34/35Ab1 also were resistant to Cry3 traits. CONCLUSIONS Western corn rootworm resistance to Cry34/35AB1 has continued to persist in the agricultural landscape and has likely increased. The presence of rootworm populations with resistance to all available Bt traits threatens the utility of current and future transgenic technologies to manage this pest. Decreased reliance on Cry34/35Ab1 and better use of integrated pest management will be essential to preserve Bt susceptibility in western corn rootworm. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
淋巴细胞/单核细胞比值在弥漫大B细胞淋巴瘤患者预后中的意义

1. 病例:回顾性选取我院2012年7月至2018年2月间初 诊的DLBCL患者 53例。 入选标准:1符合DLBCL诊断标 准[7];2采用标准剂量的CHOP/R-CHOP方案治疗。 排除标 准:1孕妇;2HIV阳性;3合并其他需治疗的肿瘤。 抽取晨 起空腹患者外周血,采用XE-2100五分类血常规分析机(德 国西门子公司产品)进行全血细胞计数。 2. 随访:随访标准参考2015欧洲肿瘤内科学会(ESMO) 临床实践指南。 无进展生存(PFS)时间定义为从疾病诊断 到进展的时间或随访截止日期。 总生存(OS)定义为从疾病 诊断到任何原因死亡的时间或随访截止日期。 3. 统计学处理:采用 SPSS 22.0 软件进行统计分析。 ROC 曲线分析得出 LMR1 的 cut off 值。 根据 LMR1 的 cut off值分组,分析对DLBCL患者的预后影响。 组间率的比较 采用卡方检验或确切概率法。 生存分析采用Kaplan-Meier 法,并进行Log-rank检验。 P<0. 05为差异有统计学意义。
A FRET sensor of C-terminal movement reveals VRAC activation by plasma membrane DAG signaling rather than ionic strength

Volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs) are central to cell volume regulation. Recently identified as hetero-hexamers formed by LRRC8 proteins, their activation mechanism remains elusive. Here, we measured Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between fluorescent proteins fused to the C-termini of LRRC8 subunits. Inter-subunit FRET from LRRC8 complexes tracked VRAC activation. With patch-clamp fluorometry, we confirmed that the cytoplasmic domains rearrange during VRAC opening. With these FRET reporters, we determined VRAC activation, non-invasively, in live cells and their subcompartments. Reduced intracellular ionic strength did not directly activate VRACs, and VRACs were not activated on endomembranes. Instead, pharmacological manipulation of diacylglycerol (DAG), and protein kinase D (PKD) activity, activated or inhibited plasma membrane-localized VRACs. Finally, we resolved previous contradictory reports concerning VRAC activation, using FRET to detect robust activation by PMA that was absent during whole-cell patch clamp. Overall, non-invasive VRAC measurement by FRET is an essential tool for unraveling its activation mechanism.