Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Free Trade Agreements on Chinese Forestry Industry: A Context Analysis with the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road Countries

ABSTRACT Tang, L. ; Jin, C. ; Tian, Y. , and Li, L. , 2020. Effects of free trade agreements on Chinese forestry industry: A context analysis with the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road countries. In: Gong, D. ; Zhang, M. , and Liu, R. (eds.), Advances in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 106, pp. 290–294. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. With the deepening of economic globalization, signing trade agreements has become the most important way to promote trade cooperation among countries. With the implementation of the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road initiative, China is committed to continue expanding the opening and deepening of regional economic and trade cooperation in this region. Using the data of 58 countries along the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road from 2003 to 2017, this study uses the propensity score matching and difference-in-differences method to explore the free trade agreement (FTAs) impact on Chinese forestry industry. The results show that FTAs have a significantly positive impact on exports of Chinese forestry industry. After controlling for the impact of the global financial crisis in 2008 and removing the extreme values in the sample, FTAs still have a significantly positive impact on exports of Chinese forestry industry.
Anatomia foliar de Eugenia brasiliensis Lam. (Myrtaceae) proveniente de áreas de restinga e de floresta

The present paper presents the foliar anatomy of Eugenia brasiliensis Lam. The essential oils produced by this species present anti-reumathic, diuretic and anti-inflammatory properties and show activity against Tripanosoma cruzi. This study was carried out by comparison between leaves developed in restinga and forest areas, in order to register the main differences in the structure of this organ related to environmental conditions. Anatomically, the leaf of E. brasiliensis is hipostomatic, glabrous, with dorsiventral mesophyll, whit tendency towards the isobilateral type. Thickness of the cuticle and cutinized wall is noteworthy. In sub-epidermical position, there are many secretory cavities that produce essential oils, in both sides of the foliar blade. In the spongy parenchyma there are calcium oxalate druses crystals. E. brasiliensis leaves developed in restinga area present, in relation to that proceeding from forest, a larger amount of secretory structures, a higher ergastic substances concentration, thicker cuticle and foliar blade, more abundant stomata, a more compact mesophyll, sclerenchyma fibers and xilem elements with a deeper lignification and a greater development of the vascular system. The data obtained in this research suggest that the choice of the area where E. brasiliensis should be collected is important, because in restinga area it presents a greater production of essential oils and other substances associated with therapeutic effects.
Wall to wall optimal transport

Abstract The calculus of variations is employed to find steady divergence-free velocity fields that maximize transport of a tracer between two parallel walls held at fixed concentration for one of two constraints on flow strength: a fixed value of the kinetic energy (mean square velocity) or a fixed value of the enstrophy (mean square vorticity). The optimizing flows consist of an array of (convection) cells of a particular aspect ratio $\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}\varGamma $ . We solve the nonlinear Euler–Lagrange equations analytically for weak flows and numerically – as well as via matched asymptotic analysis in the fixed energy case – for strong flows. We report the results in terms of the Nusselt number ${\mathit{Nu}}$ , a dimensionless measure of the tracer transport, as a function of the Péclet number ${\mathit{Pe}}$ , a dimensionless measure of the strength of the flow. For both constraints, the maximum transport ${\mathit{Nu}}_{\mathit{MAX}}({\mathit{Pe}})$ is realized in cells of decreasing aspect ratio $\varGamma _{\mathit{opt}}({\mathit{Pe}})$ as ${\mathit{Pe}}$ increases. For the fixed energy problem, ${\mathit{Nu}}_{\mathit{MAX}} \sim {\mathit{Pe}}$ and $\varGamma _{\mathit{opt}} \sim {\mathit{Pe}}^{-1/2}$ , while for the fixed enstrophy scenario, ${\mathit{Nu}}_{\mathit{MAX}} \sim {\mathit{Pe}}^{10/17}$ and $\varGamma _{\mathit{opt}} \sim {\mathit{Pe}}^{-0.36}$ . We interpret our results in the context of buoyancy-driven Rayleigh–Bénard convection problems that satisfy the flow intensity constraints, enabling us to investigate how the transport scalings compare with upper bounds on ${\mathit{Nu}}$ expressed as a function of the Rayleigh number ${\mathit{Ra}}$ . For steady convection in porous media, corresponding to the fixed energy problem, we find ${\mathit{Nu}}_{\mathit{MAX}} \sim {\mathit{Ra}}$ and $\varGamma _{\mathit{opt}} \sim {\mathit{Ra}}^{-1/2}$ , while for steady convection in a pure fluid layer between stress-free isothermal walls, corresponding to fixed enstrophy transport, ${\mathit{Nu}}_{\mathit{MAX}} \sim {\mathit{Ra}}^{5/12}$ and $\varGamma _{\mathit{opt}} \sim {\mathit{Ra}}^{-1/4}$ .
A model for promoting poultry industry development in Togo: feeding improvement, capacity building and extension

Although being the main bottlenecks for commercial poultry development in Togo, feeding and management practices retain little attention. Indeed, there is no proficient feed miller unit which can provide high quality feed according to the needs of the farmers. This is due to a lack of information on nutrition and relevant management tools or people trained as poultry farm managers. With the aim to alleviate poverty and hunger in Togo, an inter-university project [Catholic University of Leuven (KUL) and University of Lome (UL)] as a model for poultry development was being run from June 2006 to May 2012. Specific objectives of the project are 1) to provide insights and disseminate guidelines and information on adapted methods to improve poultry production and 2) to focus on development of new technologies in poultry production and implementation of research on better poultry nutrition, feeding and management practices.
Experiments on selection by predators against spatial oddity of their prey

In a predator-prey system of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) and water fleas (Daphnia magna) it is investigated whether stray prey individuals are preferred as compared to a school. Characteristics of the swarm such as its density, volume, and/or number, the conspicuousness of the prey, the distance between stray individuals and swarm, and the hunger state of the predator, can all influence the selection against straying from the swarm in prey. Zusammenfassung 1. Unter nachgeahmten Freilandbedingungen wird gezeigt, das Dreistachlige Stichlinge (Gasterosteus aculeatus) vom Schwarm raumlich vereinzelte Daphnien (Daphnia magna) bevorzugt schnappen (Fig. 2). 2. In Zweierwahlsituationen mit vereinzelten Daphnien und mit Schwarmen definierter Dichte, Ausdehnung und Individuenzahl schnappen Stichlinge mit steigender Dichte des Beuteschwarms immer haufiger nach den vereinzelten Beutetieren; dies wird durch zwei verschiedene Mase belegt, den Prozentsatz der Erstwahlen der vereinzelten Daphnien und den aller Bisse gegen die vereinzelten (Fig. 5, 7). Auser der Dichte des Schwarms scheinen auch seine Ausdehnung und/oder Kopfzahl die Gefahrdung vereinzelter Beute zu beeinflussen. 3. Die Frequenz der Bisse gegen vereinzelte Beute ist hoher als die gegen einen Schwarm (Fig. 6); dies wird auf einen Konfusionseffekt des Schwarms zuruckgefuhrt. 4. Mit groserem Abstand vom Schwarm werden vereinzelte Daphnien seltener entdeckt, dann jedoch heftiger angegriffen als der Schwarm (Fig. 8). 5. Dies gilt auch bei geringem Abstand der Vereinzelten vom Schwarm, entweder wenn alle Beutetiere weniger auffallig gefarbt sind (Fig. 9), oder wenn der Stichling hungriger ist als in den oben genannten Versuchen (Fig. 10). 6. Es werden die Auswirkungen dieser Ergebnisse auf bestehende Modelle zur Evolution des Schwarmverhaltens diskutiert.
Early versus late surgical decompression for traumatic thoracic/thoracolumbar (T1-L1) spinal cord injured patients

Objective: To assess the efficacy of surgical decompression <24 (early) versus 24-72 hours (late) in thoracic/thoracolumbar traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI). Methods: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) of 35 T1-L1 TSCI patients including early (n=16) and late (n=19) surgical decompression was conducted in the neurosurgery department of Shahid Rajaee Hospital from September 2010. Pre- and postoperative American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale (AIS), ASIA motor/sensory scores, length of hospitalization, complications, postoperative vertebral height restoration/rebuilding and angle reduction, and 12-month loss of height restoration/rebuilding and angle reduction were evaluated. Results: Sixteen patients (46%) had complete TSCI. No AIS change was seen in 17 (52%) patients. Complete TSCI patients had no motor improvement. The AIS change in this group was solely due to increased sensory scores. For incomplete TSCI, the mean motor score improved from 77 (±22) to 92 (±12) in early, and from 68 (±22) to 82 (±16) in late surgery. One deep vein thrombosis was observed in each group. There were 2 wound infections, one CSF leak, one case of meningitis, and one decubitus ulcer in the late surgery group. Six screw revisions were required. Conclusion: Our primary results show overall AIS and motor score improvement in both groups. Motor improvement was only observed in incomplete TSCI. Two-grade improvements in AIS were seen in 3 early, and one late surgery patient.
Compiling for a multithreaded dataflow architecture : algorithms, tools, and experience. (Compilation pour une architecture multi-thread à flot de données : algorithmes, outils et retour d'expérience)

Across the wide range of multiprocessor architectures, all seem to share one common problem: they are hard to program. It is a general belief that parallelism is a software problem, and that perhaps we need more sophisticated compilation techniques to partition the application into concurrent threads. Many experts also make the point that the underlining architecture plays an equally important architecture before one may expect significant progress in the programmability of multiprocessors. Our approach favors a convergence of these viewpoints. The convergence of dataflow and von Neumann architecture promises latency tolerance, the exploitation of a high degree of parallelism, and light thread switching cost. Multithreaded dataflow architectures require a high degree of parallelism to tolerate latency. On the other hand, it is error-prone for programmers to partition the program into large number of fine grain threads. To reconcile these facts, we aim to advance the state of the art in automatic thread partitioning, in combination with programming language support for coarse-grain, functionally deterministic concurrency. This thesis presents a general thread partitioning algorithm for transforming sequential code into a parallel data-flow program targeting a multithreaded dataflow architecture. Our algorithm operates on the program dependence graph and on the static single assignment form, extracting task, pipeline, and data parallelism from arbitrary control flow, and coarsening its granularity using a generalized form of typed fusion. We design a new intermediate representation to ease code generation for an explicit token match dataflow execution model. We also implement a GCC-based prototype. We also evaluate coarse-grain dataflow extensions of OpenMP in the context of a large-scale 1024-core, simulated multithreaded dataflow architecture. These extension and simulated architecture allow the exploration of innovative memory models for dataflow computing. We evaluate these tools and models on realistic applications.
Prevention of bone loss and improvement of pain-related behavior in hind limb-unloaded mice by administration of teriparatide and bisphosphonate

Abstract Objectives There are few reports on the comparison between teriparatide (PTH) and bisphosphonate (BP) in terms of osteoporosis pain-related behavior and immunohistochemical findings. The aims of this study were to evaluate skeletal pain associated with osteoporosis and to examine the inhibitory effect of PTH and BP on pain and bone loss in hind limb-unloaded (HU) mice. The mechanism of osteoporotic pain in HU mice was evaluated by examining pain-related behavior and immunohistochemical findings. The effects of PTH and alendronate (ALN), a potent osteoclast inhibitor, on these parameters were also assessed. Methods Eight-week-old male ddY mice were tail-suspended for 2 weeks and assigned to four groups: hind limb-loaded (HL) mice with only tail suspension treated with vehicle; HU mice with tail suspension treated with vehicle; HU mice treated with PTH; and HU mice treated with ALN. Starting immediately after reloading, vehicle, PTH, or ALN was injected subcutaneously. After a 2-week treatment, mechanical sensitivity was examined using von Frey filaments. Bilateral hind limbs were removed for micro-computed tomography, immunohistochemical analysis, and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression analysis. Results HU mice with tail suspension developed bone loss and mechanical hyperalgesia in the hind limbs. The HU mice showed an increased osteoclasts and sclerostin-positive cells in the hind limb bone. Furthermore, PTH and ALN both prevented HU-induced bone loss and mechanical hyperalgesia in the osteoporotic animal models. Histological examination of the hind limb bone revealed that, similar to ALN, PTH inhibited the osteoclasts and sclerostin-positive cells. The mRNA levels of TNFα and IL-6 tended to decrease with ALN or PTH treatment compared with those without any treatment. Conclusions Treatment with PTH as well as BP prevented bone loss, mechanical hyperalgesia, osteoclast increase, and osteocyte increase. Similar to BP, the inhibitory effect of PTH on osteoclasts might contribute to the improvement of skeletal pain.
Quantitative and Qualitative Studies of Bacteria Isolated from Sea Water Used in the Laboratory Culture of the American Oyster, Crassostrea virginica

Quantitative and qualitative bacteriological studies were conducted on sea water utilized in laboratory culture of American oyster larvae (Crassostrea virginica). The generic diversity of bacteria isolated from a laboratory seawater storage tank did not change during a 15-day sampling period, although bacterial numbers increased substantially. The mean number of bacteria in ultraviolet light-irradiated sea water was less than that in nonirradiated sea water, although individual samples varied considerably. Over a 10-day sampling period during which oyster larval cultures were sampled repetitively, bacteria were more numerous at 24 h and 48 h than at 0 h.Pseudomonas was the dominant genus present in stored sea water, irradiated sea water, and sea water from oyster larval cultures.
Comparison of Student Pharmacists’ Clinical Interventions by Semester During APPE Internal Medicine and Critical Care Rotations

Background: Students contribute to health care through clinical interventions made during rotations. Previous studies assessed student interventions through cost savings instead of student progression throughout the year. Objective: The purpose of this project is to assess clinical interventions made by student pharmacists completing internal medicine and critical care rotations during their Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) year to determine whether there is a difference in the number and type of interventions between three 3-block rotations, rotation type, and participation in a concentrated learning experience. Methods: Student clinical interventions from 2013 to 2018 were collected. Interventions were organized into categories and subcategories. The primary end point was the difference in the number of interventions between rotation blocks 1 to 3, 4 to 6, and 7 to 9. Secondary objectives compared interventions based on rotation type and participation in a concentrated learning experience. Descriptive statistics and Fisher’s exact tests were conducted. Results: A total of 848 interventions were analyzed. Average student interventions were 39 in blocks 1 to 3, 18 in blocks 4 to 6, and 62 in blocks 7 to 9. Interventions were significantly above the median for students in blocks 1 to 3 and blocks 7 to 9 compared to blocks 4 to 6 (P = .048 and P = .036), respectively. Interventions were significantly above the median for students completing critical care rotations (P = .03). No significant difference was noted in the number of interventions above the median based on participation in a concentrated learning experience (P = .34). Conclusions: Although a difference exists in the number of interventions made during 3 semesters, more research is needed to assess the relationship of rotation block, student program, and rotation type to intervention number.
Seed germination responses of Cereus jamacaru DC. ssp. jamacaru (Cactaceae) to environmental factors.

In the present study, we assessed the seed germination responses of Cereus jamacaru DC. ssp. jamacaru (Cactaceae) to environmental factors. The seeds were collected from an area within Caatinga, a semiarid vegetation area located in north-eastern Brazil. We determined the optimal temperature for germination of C. jamacaru seeds and evaluated the effect of temperature, light intensity, light quality, water and saline stress on seed germination. Cereus jamacaru was classified as a positive photoblastic species. Maximum germination (95.8 2.6%) was found under white light, and seed germination was not observed in darkness in any of the temperature, water or saline stress treatments. The optimum temperature for seed germination was 30°C because this temperature favored most of the parameters evaluated. Seed germinability responded positively to a wide range of temperatures, but was affected neither by light intensity nor by light quality. A reduction in water availability and an increase in saline concentration affected germinability and promoted slower, unsynchronized germination. The positive response of C. jamacaru seed germination to the environmental factors investigated may account for the abundant occurrence and wide distribution of the species in the Caatinga area.
Effects of a Whole-grain Paddy Rice Diet on the pH Distribution in the Gizzard and Retention Time of Digesta in the Crop of Broiler Chicks

We previously reported that a diet containing 65% paddy rice suppressed the colonization of Campylobacter jejuni in the cecum of broiler chicks, suggesting that this type of diet has positive effects on upper gastrointestinal tract function in broilers. To reveal the possible mechanisms involved in this antibacterial effect of the whole-grain paddy rice diet, we performed experiments comparing the digesta passage rate in the crop and gizzard, the development of gizzard, and the pH distribution in the gizzard between groups of chicks fed two different diets, such as ground corn and whole-grain paddy rice. During these experiments, we made the following observations: the chicks in the group fed the whole-grain paddy rice diet had more developed gizzards and significantly larger crop content than the chicks in the group fed the ground corn diet. The chicks fed the whole-grain paddy rice diet retained the digesta in the crop for much longer and had less variation in the pH values in the gizzard than those fed ground corn. On the basis of these observations, we concluded that the hardness of the rice hull in whole-grain paddy rice leads to a larger amount and longer retention of content in the crop, as well as the uniformity of the internal pH of the gizzard, by promoting gizzard activity. We speculate that the hardness of the rice hulls promoted the grinding activity of the gizzard, resulting in the long retention time of the digesta in the crop and uniformity of the internal pH of the gizzard, which may sterilize or suppress Campylobacter growth in the gastrointestinal tract of broiler chicks.
A genetic framework for flowering-time pathways in Citrus spp.

Floral transition is one the most drastic changes occurring during the life cycle of a plant. The shoot apical meristem switches from the production of leaves with associated secondary shoot meristems to the production of flower meristems. This transition is abrupt and generally irreversible, suggesting it is regulated by a robust gene regulatory network capable of driving sharp transitions. The moment at which this transition occurs is precisely determined by environmental and endogenous signals. A large number of genes acting within these pathways have been cloned in model herbaceous plants such as Arabidopsis thaliana. In this paper, we report the results of our search in the Citrus expressed sequence tag (CitEST) database for expressed sequence tags (ESTs) showing sequence homology with known elements of flowering-time pathways. We have searched all sequence clusters in the CitEST database and identified more than one hundred Citrus spp sequences that codify putative conserved elements of the autonomous, vernalization, photoperiod response and gibberelic acid-controlled flowering-time pathways. Additionally, we have characterized in silico putative members of the Citrus spp homologs to the Arabidopsis CONSTANS family of transcription factors.
Food Preferences of Squirrels

Gray and fox squirrels show similar preferences for various types of natural foods. Their preferences are based on a combination of two factors; the speed with which they can ingest food energy and the digestibility of the food eaten. The two species of squirrels have essentially the same ability to digest their natural foods. However, five species of nuts differ in their digestibility, ranging in percentage of energy assimilated from about 78% for white oak to 95% in shagbark hickory. The squirrels' efficiency in digesting the kernels of different species of nuts is correlated with the lipid content of the kernels. The niche differences between gray and fox squirrels are not based on food preference or feeding efficiency. Instead, they are probably related to differences in foraging behavior and predator escape behavior which adapt fox squirrels to open forests and forest edges and gray squirrels to dense forests. The annual activity pattern of gray and fox squirrels make the hard—shelled nuts of hickory and walnut the most efficient food in fall and spring and acorns the most efficient food in winter. This change in the relative efficiency of foods results in the squirrels acting as dispersing agents for the seeds of both oaks and hickories in mixed stands of trees.