Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Browse History as an Indicator of Snowshoe Hare Response to Silvicultural Practices Adapted for Old-Growth Boreal Forests

Abstract: We used browse history surveys of paper birch (Betula papyrifera) to evaluate the response of snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) to harvest treatments with 0–70% tree retention in boreal forests of eastern Quebec. The proportion of different birch stem architecture types was used to assess broad changes in browsing pressure following harvesting. We also identified the years in which individual birch stems were browsed by hares to compare probability of stem use over time, from the winter preceding harvesting until 2–3 y after logging. A higher proportion of birch with released-type growth forms in logged stands suggested a reduction in browsing by hare following all types of harvest treatment. Detailed stem analysis revealed, however, that changes in browsing pressure varied considerably among treatments. Hares browsed individual stems with equal probability in all sites prior to harvesting. Probability of stem use declined rapidly in treatments with < 25% tree retention (basal area ≤ 3 m2·ha-1) relative to uncut forests in the 2–3 y following harvesting. In contrast, birch stems in selection cutting treatments with > 50% tree retention (basal area ≥ 15 m2·ha-1) remained just as likely to be browsed by hare as those in uncut forests during the same period. Browse history provided a unique opportunity to assess pre-treatment habitat use, even though surveys took place after logging. Selection cutting appears to be a promising avenue for maintaining snowshoe hare habitat that is characteristic of old-growth eastern boreal forests, even over the short term.
Sustainability Management of the VHP Sugar Supply Chain: Case Study in the Transportation Stage

Concerns about the environmental impacts of sugar production in Brazil opens up space for the development of research on Supply Chain Sustainability Management (SCSM). This work report uses Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and multi-objective optimization (MOO) methods, especially in the transport phase of very high polarization (VHP) sugar, in order to perform an environmental and economic performance evaluation, for two scenarios, using a case study involving a linear programming problem. In the first scenario, the transportation is carried out only by the road modal, in the second scenario the transportation is intermodal, where a portion of the route was a railroad. With regard to the evaluation of environmental impacts, for the case study, input data regarding the equivalent CO2 emission were used. For the economic performance indicator, primary data from a brazilian sugar mills and background data obtained through national reports, manuals and databases were used. Based on the methodology used applying MOO to minimize cost, the model provided optimal cost and CO2 emissions solutions for scenario one, of 5.72x1010 kg of CO2 and cost of USD 33,216, respectively. Scenario two shows an improvement in environmental performance, reducing CO2 emissions to 1.51x109 kg of CO2, but increasing costs to USD 98,555. The results of the scenario showed that the railroads may bring relevant environmental benefits, such as of reducing the emission of greenhouse gases, but an alternative little explored in Brazil.
School Survival for Novice Teacher in Malaysia

Teaching strategy is always considered as one of the important element in teaching and learning process, yet schools always be occupied with experienced and seniors teachers who are used to the school system and pupils preferences. This study focuses on novice teacher not only in finding suitable teaching strategies to suit the pupils but also to cope with new school culture; forming a relationship. The objectives are to understand how novice solely finds suitable teaching methods as well as how novice teacher survives in teaching world by developing trust and relationship with the senior teachers. Methods which will be used are semi structured interviews and observation; both collected data were taken down as field notes and journal writing; findings were transcribed and recheck by the participants. Result shows that by asking and interacting help novices to survive and improve them in school’s context. This study helps to understand the real challenges faced by novice teacher through their school’s lives.
Identifying novel diagnostic SNP markers for potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tuber starch and yield by association mapping

The starch of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers is a renewable resource and an important component of multiple food and non-food products. Optimized starch yield, the product of tuber starch content and tuber yield, is therefore the central selection criterion in breeding programs for starch potatoes. The aim of this work was the detection of diagnostic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for starch yield optimization by marker-assisted selection. A novel association mapping population of 282 potato genotypes formed the basis of this thesis. Within a collaborative project with breeders, this population was assembled and phenotyped in replicated field trials in Northern Spain for the starch yield determining traits tuber starch content, tuber yield, weight and number. The population was genotyped for known diagnostic PCR markers, SSR markers and novel SNPs in candidate genes, which were reported in the literature to have a function in starch or yield accumulation in potato or other organisms. In addition, three subpopulations were selected based on the highest (cases) and lowest (controls) trait values for tuber starch content, tuber yield and starch yield. Ninety varieties and breeding clones in total were genome-wide genotyped for 8,303 SNPs using the SolCAP Potato Array. SNPs with highly significantly different allele frequency between the case-control subpopulations for each trait were selected and genotyped in the entire population. Furthermore, the same case-control subpopulations were genotyped with next-generation RAD sequencing. Highly significant SNPs differing between cases and controls were analyzed for effects on the protein sequence and location in previously known candidate genes. Using a mixed linear model including population structure and kinship for association analysis, 21 diagnostic SNP markers and one insertion-deletion polymorphism were identified in candidate genes for tuber starch and yield-related traits. These associations resulted from the targeted candidate gene approach as well as from the genome wide case-control study by SolCAP Potato Array genotyping. A set of 430 novel and non-obvious candidate loci for tuber starch content, yield and starch yield was obtained from the RAD sequencing approach. Nine loci were detected in both genome-wide genotyping methods and are of special interest for further analysis. All three applied concepts resulted in the detection of novel marker-trait associations and candidate genes. This study shows the value of combining a knowledge-based association mapping approach with genome-wide discovery of polymorphisms as a tool for the detection of novel and non-obvious candidate genes and markers.
Separation of cellulose and lignin from eucalyptus wood by liquefaction in deep eutectic solvents

Lignin and cellulose were separated from eucalyptus wood powder by partial liquefaction in deep eutectic solvents (DESs). Approximately 97.4% of the original lignin in the eucalyptus wood was separated and recovered with a choline chloride-PEG 200 mixture. Lignin purity that was as high as 99% could be achieved by this separation method. The DES that was comprised of choline chloride, PEG 200, and glycerin could be used to separate the cellulose. The purity and the crystallinity of the isolated cellulose were as high as 92% and 73%, respectively. Experimental data showed that the examined DES systems could effectively separate the constituents of eucalypt wood powder.
Interaction of calcium and sulphur in canola and soybean meal diets fed to broiler chicks.

Several studies were undertaken to investigate the interaction of calcium and sulphur when added to semi-purified diets containing either canola or soybean meal, as the only protein source. High levels of sulphur supplementation reduced the performance of birds fed diets containing both sources of protein; however, it was more severe with canola than with soybean meal diets. Sulphur coming from methionine resulted in poorer bird performance than that coming from cystine. Increasing dietary calcium levels from low to close to the requirement level partially alleviated the detrimental effects of the higher sulphur supplementation. Liver weight was not altered, as a percent of body weight, at the high sulphur levels, suggesting little or no liver involvement in the reduced performance noted. Reduced performance often reported for birds fed canola versus soybean meal diets may well be due, in part, to the higher level of sulphur in canola meal than soybean meal, in particular the inorganic sulphur fraction. H.
A Review of the BBC Local News Partnership Table of contents

1. Foreword and introduction to the review . 2 2. Executive Summary . 3 3. Context behind the Local News Partnership . 5 4. The structure and operation of the Local News Partnership . 6 5. Assessing the performance of the LNP against core objectives . 13 6. Assessing market impact and other concerns raised about the LNP. 27 7. Recommendations . 33 8. Conclusion . 34
The effect of invertebrate consumption on bacterial transport in a mountain stream

Although laboratory studies have shown that filter-feeding invertebrates consume bacteria from stream water, no study has measured bacterial consumption in the field or determined system-level removal rates of sestonic bacteria. To examine bacterial removal rates and consumption by invertebrates, we released fluorescently labeled bacteria (FLB) into a second-order stream at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, North Carolina. We performed two l-h releases during summer over bedrock habitat that supports many filterfeeders. We calculated uptake length and counted FLB in the guts of seven insect taxa. Uptake length was 78 and 83 m for the two releases, which corresponded to uptake rates of 4.03 and 3.69 x 10’ cells m-2 min-l. Simulium, a filter-feeding blackfly larva, ingested FLB at a rate of II . 4 x lo4 cells mg- * min-l, 10 times the rate of other taxa. Diplectrona and Parapsyche, hydropsychid caddisfly filter-feeders, had ingestion rates between Simulium and other taxa. Epeorus, a scraping mayily, and Tallaperla, a shredding stonefly, also ingested FLB, presumably from cells that adhered to the substrate. Invertebrate ingestion per square meter of stream bottom was 7% of total stream uptake, with Simulium responsible for 9 1% of the total invertebrate ingestion. Adhesion of FLB to the substrate from the water column seemed to be more important than invertebrate consumption in this stream, and one taxon, Simulium, was responsible for most invertebrate consumption of bacteria.
Inferring between-population differences in COVID-19 dynamics

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, formulating targeted policy interventions supported by differential SARS-CoV2 transmission dynamics will be of vital importance to national and regional governments. We develop an individual-level model for SARS-CoV2 transmission that accounts for location-dependent distributions of age, household structure, and comorbidities. We use these distributions together with age-stratified contact matrices to instantiate specific models for Hubei, China; Lombardy, Italy; and New York, United States. We then develop a Bayesian inference framework which leverages data on reported deaths to obtain a posterior distribution over unknown parameters and infer differences in the progression of the epidemic in the three locations. These findings highlight the role of between-population variation in formulating policy interventions.
Privacy preserving vertical federated learning for tree-based models

Federated learning (FL) is an emerging paradigm that enables multiple organizations to jointly train a model without revealing their private data to each other. This paper studies vertical federated learning, which tackles the scenarios where (i) collaborating organizations own data of the same set of users but with disjoint features, and (ii) only one organization holds the labels. We propose Pivot, a novel solution for privacy preserving vertical decision tree training and prediction, ensuring that no intermediate information is disclosed other than those the clients have agreed to release (i.e., the final tree model and the prediction output). Pivot does not rely on any trusted third party and provides protection against a semi-honest adversary that may compromise m - 1 out of m clients. We further identify two privacy leakages when the trained decision tree model is released in plain-text and propose an enhanced protocol to mitigate them. The proposed solution can also be extended to tree ensemble models, e.g., random forest (RF) and gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) by treating single decision trees as building blocks. Theoretical and experimental analysis suggest that Pivot is efficient for the privacy achieved.
Study of anthropometric measurements to predict contracted pelvis

Background: To study the efficacy of using maternal height, foot length, external pelvic measurements, sacral rhomboid dimensions as predictors of contracted pelvis (CP) in a cohort of our population and proposed to include estimated fetal weight as an additional parameter as a predictor of cephalopelvic disproportion. Methods: In 1000 uncomplicated primigravida after 37 weeks gestation, transverse and vertical diagonal (TD and VD) of the sacral rhomboid, intertrochanteric diameter, biacromial diameter, foot length in centimeters, height in centimeters and weight in kilograms and birth weight of the baby in kilograms were recorded. Postdelivery, patients fell into two groups: Group-1: control (no CP) women having uncomplicated vertex vaginal delivery, Group-2: cases (CP) this group will include women with pelvic disproportion having: Caesarean section for disproportion detected on pelvic assessment or for nondescent/non rotation of the fetal head, Vacuum or forceps delivery for prolonged second stage, Vaginal delivery complicated by obstruction, birth trauma or unexplained intrapartum asphyxia. These two groups will be compared for their outcome. Data was analyzed using t-test, Pearson's-Chi square, Fishers exact test and multivariant logistic regression. Results: Cephalopelvic disproportion was present in 123 women. In univariate analysis, maternal height, foot length, intertrochanteric diameter and biacromial diameter were found to be associated with cephalopelvic disproportion, Rhomboid dimensions were smaller in CP group (TD of rhomboid P value < 0.001, VD of rhomboid P value 0.001). For transverse diagonal, when the 10 percentile (<9.5 cm) was taken as cut off, 219 women were identified to be at risk and 55 (25%) actually had CP. Odds ratio indicated that transverse diagonal < 9.5 cm alone increased the risk by 3.5 times (95% CI 2.33– 5.31 ). Mean vertical diagonal of sacral rhomboid (VD) was also 0.95 cm less in group 2 which also was statistically significant (p = 0.001). Both dimensions of sacral rhomboid below 10 percentile increased CP by 10 times (OR 10.9, 95% CI 5.62-21.35). Conclusion: Clinical external parameters Viz: most significant to predict the contracted pelvis were Maternal Height, Foot Length, ITD, BAD, TD and VD. Smaller dimensions of sacral rhomboid are promising screening parameter for contracted pelvis which can be used in community to pick up high risk primigravida women.
Towards new paradigms in Permo-Triassic Karoo palaeobotany (and associated faunas) through the past 50 years

Advances through the past 50 years (1945 to 1995) have shown, indisputably, that the Permo­ Triassic Karoo flora (with associated insect faunas) is as important globally as is the famous tetrapod fauna. We justifY this in regard to the three most productive horizons: the Middle Ecca (Early to Middle Permian), Estcourt Formation (Late Permian) and the Molteno Formation (Late Triassic). The Middle Ecca gained international prominence through the collections ofLe Roux from 1946 to 1955 and the publications of Plum stead from 1952 to 1962, which demonstrated for the fusttime a wide suite of fructifications found attached to Glossopteris leaves. Similar finds have subsequently been made throughout the rest of the Gondwana Permian. The Glossopteridales remain unique among fossil gymnosperm orders in yielding such a diverse range of articulated (organically attached) foliage/fruit material. The Estcourt Formation offers an unparalleled opportunity to study ecosystems of the Late Permian prior to the extinction eventterminating the period. The formation is singular in that it yields an excellent, well known flora and insect fauna (sampled primarily by van Dijk from 1957 to 1984 and Benecke, Anderson and Anderson from 1969 to 1971) in conjunction with a diverse tetrapod fauna. The Molteno Formation provides a window onto Late Triassic plant and insect communities, at around the time of origin of the mammals, dinosaurs and birds, perhaps unrivalled elsewhere in the world. The extensive/intensive collections ofthe Molteno (made by Anderson and Anderson over nearly 30 years from 1967 to the present) allow the application of a statistical projection hinting at the extraordinary possibility ofbiodiversities akin to those oftoday. The gymnosperms ofthe Late Triassic may well have been as rich in species and orders as are the extant angiosperms (flowering plants).
CD8αα-Mediated Survival and Differentiation of CD8 Memory T Cell Precursors

Memory T cells are long-lived antigen-experienced T cells that are generally accepted to be direct descendants of proliferating primary effector cells. However, the factors that permit selective survival of these T cells are not well established. We show that homodimeric α chains of the CD8 molecule (CD8αα) are transiently induced on a selected subset of CD8αβ+ T cells upon antigenic stimulation. These CD8αα molecules promote the survival and differentiation of activated lymphocytes into memory CD8 T cells. Thus, memory precursors can be identified among primary effector cells and are selected for survival and differentiation by CD8αα.
The utilization of mixed sugars in continuous fermentation. I.

A strain of Klebsiella aerogenes was selected which gave marked diauxic growth in a batch system on a mixture of glucose and lactose in a simple salts medium; the diauxic lag was 15–20 hr. at 30°C. The growth of this organism on glucose and lactose was studied in a single‐stream two‐stage continuous‐stirred fermentor system over a wide range of flow rates. Glucose was metabolized instantaneously to give very low reactor concentrations at all flow rates, but the time lag before lactose was attacked, when present for the first time, was never less than 40 hr. at low feed rates, rising to 60 hr. at higher rates. The adaptation to lactose of cells in the first vessel lagged behind that in the second vessel but eventually both sugars were completely utilized in the first vessel except at very high dilution rates. At these feed rates, lactose utilization was not only prevented completely in the first vessel but also could be delayed almost indefinitely in the second vessel at the highest dilution rates; thus the lactose passed unchanged through both vessels. Once the enzymes required for lactose utilization had been induced, this ability to use lactose was retained, even in the absence of lactose, for very long periods of time under continuous conditions. Thus on presenting lactose for the second and subsequent occasions it was immediately metabolized. The significance of these results is discussed.
Spider silk: a brief review and prospectus on research linking biomechanics and ecology in draglines and orb webs

Abstract Spiders construct a wide variety of silk structures, ranging from draglines to prey capture webs. Spider silks rank among the toughest materials known to science, and these material properties are critical for understanding how silk structures, such as webs, function. However, the mechanics of spider silk are often ignored in the study of webs. This review aims to show how the material properties of silk proteins, the structural properties of silk threads, and the architectures of webs ultimately interact to determine the function of orb webs during prey capture. I first provide a brief introduction into spider silk and how to characterize its material and structural properties. I then examine the function of draglines as “lifelines” to provide a well-understood example of the interaction of material and structural properties in silk function. Next, I examine how orb webs function in prey capture by first intercepting insects, then stopping their kinetic energy of flight, and finally retaining the insects long enough to be subdued by spiders. I show how variation in the material and structural properties of silk acts synergistically to facilitate the stopping and retention potentials of orb webs, and why this can occur in opposition to how orb webs intercept prey. Finally, I summarize why information on the material properties and structures of silk threads needs to be better incorporated into future investigations of spider webs in general.
A Structural Health Monitoring System Research for Special Vehicles Based on Ultrasonic Guided Waves

During the service life of special vehicles, complicated working conditions and lack of maintenance might cause damage to their structures, and then the decline of dynamic performance, fuel economy and security reliability. So it is crucial, to this effect, to successfully detect the status of the key parts of special vehicles. Structural health monitoring technology has been widely applied in aeronautics, civil engineering, special equipment, etc. This paper applies this technology to the structural inspection of special vehicles and proposes a monitoring method based on ultrasonic guided waves. The ultrasonic guided waves are generated in the structure by the stimulus module and the echoes are received by the high-speed acquisition module. The ultrasonic echo signal is then processed by computer and the synthetic time reversal algorithm calculates and shows the position of the damage at the screen. Experimental results show that the algorithm has clear imaging effect and small computational complexity in experimental structural parts. The system successfully detects and displays the damage to key parts of special vehicles. The test results can provide intuitive and accurate information for users and engineers in vehicles’ daily inspection and maintenance.