Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Discovery of Megachile (Pseudomegachile) lanata (Fabricius, 1775) (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae) in Colombia, an adventive bee species from the Old World

We record for the first time for Colombia Megachile (Pseudomegachile) lanata (Fabricius, 1775), a bee species from Southeast Asia. This is the first record of an adventive bee species for the country besides Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758, the European honey bee. Megachile lanata appears to have arrived to the Caribbean coast of Colombia nearly half a century ago, reaching the Orinoquia region recently. We provide comments on diagnostic features to facilitate the recognition of this bee species and discuss its possible establishment in Colombia.
INTELIGÊNCIA ARTIFICIAL: REPENSANDO A MEDIAÇÃO / ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: RETHINKING MEDIATION

Coined in 1956 by John McCarthy, the term "Artificial Intelligence" (AI) has initiated a field of knowledge associated with language and intelligence, reasoning, learning and problem solving. The recent breakthrough (Deep Learning) allows machines to perform tasks traditionally performed by humans and others that surpass human capacity. It sets up an array of inputs that introduces new ways of mediation. The algorithms directly interfere in cognitive processes, in the interaction on social networks, and the redistribution of functions and power among the agents.
Use of Brewers Dried Grains as an Unconventional Feed Ingredient in the Diets of Broiler Chickens: A Review

| Dried Brewers grains (DBG), a brewery by-product that, may offer a suitable cheap replacer for traditional feedstuffs (e.g., corn and soybean meal). A variety of essential nutrients are present in BDG which are required in feed formulation for poultry. It is composed of around 20% crude proteins, 6% ether extract, 15% crude fiber and 4% ash. Besides, it is fairly rich in essential amino acids; 0.9% lysine, 0.4% methionine, 0.4% tryptophan, 1.2% phenylalanine, 1.1% threonine as well as 1.6% valine. As a result, the concentrations of protein and amino acids are greater in BDG than in maize. However, the use of BDG in poultry feeds has some constraints such as high moisture and fiber contents. The high moisture content of wet brewers’ grains (about 80%) increases its bulkiness. So, efficient sun-drying is recommended to avoid nutrient losses of the by-product. Due to presence of high fiber content in BDG, it is mainly used as a cattle feed. But, there are also many studies, which explored the use of BDG in poultry diets. The present review article highlights the nutritional value of BDG as an untraditional feedstuff in broiler diets and its impacts on
Anisotropic Conductivity Measurements by Two Kinds of Multimode Rectangular Plate-Laminated Cavities

In this article, we present anisotropic conductivity measurements by using two kinds of multimode rectangular cavities. Plate-laminated waveguides are fabricated by diffusion bonding of etched thin metal plates and their sidewalls have anisotropic conductivity characteristics. The anisotropic conductivity is measured by two multimode rectangular cavities when polarization is vertical or horizontal to the lamination direction. Transmission characteristics of the cavities are measured and the conductivity is calculated by the measured resonant frequencies and unloaded quality factors. The anisotropic conductivities are derived by solving a linear equation. As an example, aluminum alloy (A6063) E-band (60.5–91.9 GHz) rectangular cavities are fabricated and the conductivity is characterized.
A Reinforcement Learning Based Control Approach for Propofol-Induced Burst Suppression

– High-dose propofol is being investigated for its potential antidepressant effect. Propofol is titrated to induce burst suppression, a specific EEG pattern. However, propofol is difficult to dose due to uncertainty in each patient’s pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD), and the lack of a commercially available monitor of propofol concentration. Clinicians currently infer the proper drug dose after observing the EEG response to the given dose. In this report we share our development of an automated controller to optimally administer propofol-induced burst suppression. We designed a deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm, which includes two deep neural networks and relates a 2-dimensional action space with a 3-dimensional state space. Our DDPG prototype did not satisfy our minimum training criteria. However, we share our diagnosis of current limitations in training a DDPG-based RL agent to administer propofol to PK-PD-simulated in silico patients. We also discuss potential solutions to improve RL agent training and performance.
Second Harmonic Current Reduction for Two-Stage Inverter With DCX-LLC Resonant Converter in Front-End DC–DC Converter: Modeling and Control

In a two-stage inverter, the instantaneous output power pulsates at twice the output frequency (2<italic>f</italic><sub>o</sub>), generating the second harmonic current (SHC), which will propagate into the front-end dc–dc converter. This article aims for suppressing the SHC in the front-end dc–dc converter with dc transformer (DCX)-<italic>LLC</italic> resonant converter. The small-signal model of the DCX-<italic>LLC</italic> resonant converter is proposed, and based on which, the unified small-signal model of the preregulator+<italic>LLC</italic> converter is built. Then, the basic ideas for reducing the SHC are proposed, including the determination of the filter capacitors in the preregulator+<italic>LLC</italic> converter and the control approach. After that, from a perspective of output impedance, the control schemes for reducing the SHC in the front-end preregulator+<italic>LLC</italic> converter are proposed. By inserting a notch filter in the voltage loop and/or introducing a virtual impedance in series with the output rectifier of the <italic>LLC</italic> resonant converter, the output impedance of the preregulator+<italic>LLC</italic> converter at 2<italic>f</italic><sub>o</sub> is increased and, thus, the SHC can be reduced. Finally, a 6-kVA two-stage three-phase inverter with boost+<italic>LLC</italic> converter as the front-end dc–dc converter was fabricated and tested. The experimental results are provided to verify the proposed control schemes.
Influence of temperature, pH and nutritional sources on mycelial growth and sporulation of Pyricularia grisea

Temperature, pH, carbon and nitrogen sources were tested against mycelia growth and sporulation of Pyricularia grisea causing blast diseases of rice. Among different temperatures ranges tested maximum mycelial growth and sporulation was observed at 250C (67.20 mm) with sporulation of 4.5x106 conidia/ml after 144 hrs of incubation. Out of five pH levels, maximum mycelial growth (39.50 mm) and sporulation (4.9x106 conidia/ml) observed at 7 pH. Among five carbon sources tested maltose supported good growth (32.25 mm) followed by dextrose (26.20 mm) after 144 hr of incubation. Among five nitrogen sources tested barium nitrate supported good growth (61.20 mm) followed by Ammonium nitrate(45.80 mm). None of carbon and nitrogen sources induced the sporulation of Pyricularia grisea.
Students’ Self Efficacy in Learning English: A Case Study at a Vocational High School

Students have different motivation in learning particularly in the context of learning English as a foreign language. One that motivates students in learning the target language is their self-efficacy. To optimize the English learning process, this study aims to find out the level of second-grade senior high school students' selfefficacy. The study which was conducted to a class also investigated the factors affecting their self-efficacy in learning English. To achieve the objectives, a case study design with multiple instruments was employed in this study. Data analysis showed that the students' self-efficacy levels were varied encompassing low, moderate and high level. The data also revealed that there were several factors influencing students' selfefficacy. Relevant pedagogical implications to increase students' self-efficacy in learning English are discussed in this paper.
Privacy-Preserving Protocol for Atomic Swap Between Blockchains

Atomic swap facilitates fair exchange of cryptocurrencies without the need for a trusted authority. It is regarded as one of the prominent technologies for the cryptocurrency ecosystem, helping to realize the idea of a decentralized blockchain introduced by Bitcoin. However, due to the heterogeneity of the cryptocurrency systems, developing efficient and privacy-preserving atomic swap protocols has proven challenging. In this thesis, we propose a generic framework for atomic swap, called PolySwap, that enables fair exchange of assets between two heterogeneous sets of blockchains. Our construction 1) does not require a trusted third party, 2) preserves the anonymity of the swap by preventing transactions from being linked or distinguished, and 3) does not require any scripting capability in blockchain. To achieve our goal, we introduce a novel secret sharing signature (SSSig) scheme to remove the necessity of common interfaces between blockchains in question. These secret sharing signatures allow an arbitrarily large number of signatures to be bound together such that the release of any single transaction on one blockchain opens the remaining transactions for the other party, allowing multi-chain atomic swaps while still being indistinguishable from a standard signature. We provide construction details of secret sharing signatures for ECDSA, Schnorr, and CryptoNote-style Ring signatures. Additionally, we provide an alternative contingency protocol, allowing parties to exchange to and from blockchains that do not support any form of time-locked escape transactions. A successful execution of PolySwap shows that it takes 8.3 seconds to complete an atomic swap between Bitcoin’s Testnet3 and Ethereum’s Rinkeby (excluding confirmation time).
LeafCutter vs. MAJIQ and comparing software in the fast moving field of genomics

In a recent publication, Li et al. introduced LeafCutter, a new method for detecting and quantifying differential splicing of RNA from RNASeq data. In this work, Li et al. first compared LeafCutter to existing methods, then used it for a study of splicing variations and sQTL analysis from a large set of GTEx samples. While the study was elaborate and comprehensive, we want to highlight several issues with the comparative analysis performed by Li et al. We argue these issues created an inaccurate and misleading representation of other tools, namely MAJIQ and rMATS. More broadly, we believe the points we raise regarding the comparative analysis by Li et al. are representative of general issues we all, as authors, editors, and reviewers, are faced with and must address in the current times of fast paced genomics and computational research.
Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related to Breast Cancer Screening among Women Visiting Primary Care Centers in Abu Dhabi

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in the United Arab Emirates. Screening for breast cancer can reduce morbidity and mortality and improve women’s survival rate. Low knowledge levels and poor practices related to breast cancer screening could be due to many factors; therefore, we assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to breast cancer screening of women visiting primary care centers in the Abu Dhabi region. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017 using a questionnaire to measure breast cancer screening awareness. Six primary healthcare centers within 40 km of Abu Dhabi were included. Participants were 383 women aged 40–65 years. Facilities that screen for breast cancer were underutilized by women. Although many women had a high knowledge of breast cancer (45.7%), they were not obtaining mammograms regularly (52.2%). Compared to their counterparts, women with higher education, employment, and a family history of breast cancer had significantly better knowledge (Ps < .001, .018, and .013, respectively), while women aged > 49 years followed better practice of obtaining mammograms (P < .001). Women who visited clinics inside Abu Dhabi island had better knowledge and practices than did those visiting clinics outside the island, while the opposite was true concerning attitudes. Education level, age, and region played a role in women’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to breast cancer screening. Primary care providers often have the first contact with women and should utilize this opportunity to spread awareness. Social media and public service campaigns can also be employed, and free mammograms could be offered to lowerincome women. Disseminating awareness about screening will also reduce the burden of breast cancer treatment on national healthcare systems. Research should be done on the degree of utilization of mammograms and the impact of screening on the healthcare system.
Efeito sinérgico do ácido p-metoxicinâmico (PCOC) associado ao exercício físico no tratamento do diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a non transmissible chronic disease that can be caused by a highfat diet and sedentary lifestyle. Additional medicinal plants or compounds are used empirically in treatment of various diseases, countering the available drugs that cause collaterals. The carnauba (Copernicia prunifera Mart.) is a palm native to the Northeast region of Brazil and has an important economic function in the region. The powder contains a mixture of chemical compounds such as aliphatic alcohols, hydrocarbons, pmethoxycinnamic acid, known as PCO-C. As adjuvant treatment, physical exercise is important in the prevention and control of DM. Thus, 40 animals of the C57BL / 6J race (n = 8) were used and the group of diabetic mice were induced by. intraperitoneal administration of alloxane (150 mg / kg). The animals were divided into 5 groups: Negative Control (CN) and Positive Control (CP), treated with water + tween (3%); PCO-C 200 mg / kg responsive to exercise, in addition to metformin (200 mg / kg). The PCO-C solution presented low antioxidant activity (EC50 = 133 ± 4.25 mg / mL), when compared to quercetin (5.0 ± 0.18 mg / mL). A significant hypoglycemic effect (p <0.05) was observed at time 21 of metformin at a dose of 200 mg / kg (291.3 mg / dL) and of PCO-C at a dose of 200 mg / kg isolated and subjected to to physical exercise, with results of 314.6 and 295.2 mg / dL, respectively. Thus, it can be concluded that PCO-C is a promising compound in the treatment of DM1 and that physical exercise can provide a higher quality associated with the proposed treatments.
MINDFULNESS COMO ESTRATÉGIA DE PROMOÇÃO DE SAÚDE E
REDUÇÃO DE ESTRESSE NOS CONTEXTOS ORGANIZACIONAIS

Mindfulness define-se por um estado de consciência de atenção plena, no qual o indivíduo praticante é capaz de orientar sua atenção para o momento presente, sem distrações e sem julgamentos a respeito do que o cerca. Os efeitos de sua prática já foram amplamente comprovados em estudos no contexto clínico, como por exemplo num estudo que utilizou o treinamento Mindfulness para a redução de sintomas residuais de depressão (Baer, 2016). No contexto organizacional, a prática Mindfulness representa uma inovação. Através da orientação do pensamento para o momento presente, a prática auxilia o trabalhador a se concentrar por mais tempo e com mais qualidade na tarefa que está realizando, resultando em menor divagação mental e maior produtividade. Além dos benefícios em termos de desempenho, que contribuem para que a empresa atinja os resultados esperados, o Mindfulness também proporciona benefícios para o bem-estar e diminuição do stress nos trabalhadores. Por se tratar de uma prática emergente, seus benefícios ainda são relativamente desconhecidos no contexto organizacional, diferentemente do contexto clínico, o que representa um obstáculo à inserção do Mindfulness nas empresas. Além disso, a cultura organizacional das empresas pode influenciar o enquadramento de práticas como essa no cotidiano, visto que muitas delas priorizam formações que estabeleçam relação direta, e a curto prazo, em detrimento de formações que promovam o trabalhador a nível pessoal (Taddei, 2016). Dessa forma, este trabalho tem por objetivo ampliar a percepção à respeito da prática do Mindfulness e dos seus benefícios, tanto no tocante a saúde e bem estar dos trabalhadores, resultando no manejo do stress laboral, quanto sobre o desempenho e produtividade, contribuindo para que a organização atinja seus resultados. Giuliana Silveira Bueno dos Santos UNESP
Molecular Identification of Isolated Fungi from Kelantan and Terengganu Using Internal Transcriber Spacer (ITS) Region

Fungi are morphologically, ecologically, metabolically and phylogenetically diverse. Fungi play important roles as one of the major decomposer in ecosystems, dominated by Saprophytic fungi. The identification of fungi is important to differentiate each fungi owing to their special ability in our ecosystem. However, the identification of fungi is become very challenging for those untrained mycologists. Essentially, the identification of fungi at the species-level is more problematic. Traditional approaches, based on the morphological or physiological features alone are unreliable because of the limited amount of morphological characters for fungi identification. Thus, a reliable molecular approach is required to identify the fungi at species-level. Here, we have successfully identified the species of 25 isolated fungi samples from the polluted areas in Kelantan and Terengganu by using the molecular identification utilizing the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 regions. Phylogenetics tree was then constructed, using MEGA v7.0 software to illustrate the inter-relationships among the isolates. Among of 25 isolated fungi samples, 23 were identified from Ascomycota division and another two were from the Zygomycota division. From our observation, the most frequent species grew for both polluted areas were from Lasiodiplodia sp.
An Agile LUT-Based All-Digital Transmitter

In all-digital transmitters (ADTs), delta-sigma modulation (DSM) is the most popular encoding method. However, implementing DSM-ADT on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) produces problems with high complexity and low carrier frequency (CF) agility. To solve these problems, an agile ADT based on a look-up table (LUT) is proposed in this paper. The encoding and upconversion are implemented using the LUT, which defines the mapping between the intermediate frequency (IF) complex signal and the radio frequency (RF) binary signal. In addition, different CFs correspond to different LUT values. In this way, the CF can be adjusted flexibly by updating the LUT values, which makes the architecture of the ADT simple and easy to implement. To enhance the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and coding efficiency(CE), the noise of the encoder is analyzed and key-parameter selection methods are presented. Simulation results show that the proposed architecture achieves better performance in terms of the SNR and CE than current state-of-the-art approaches. The proposed agile ADT is also implemented on an FPGA. For 16-QAM modulated signals with 5 MBd and 20 MBd symbol rates (SRs), most measured SNRs are better than 45 dB and 40 dB, respectively, with CF varies from 0.65 GHz to 6.85 GHz.
Hybrid Sensing Data Fusion of Cooperative Perception for Autonomous Driving With Augmented Vehicular Reality

Augmented vehicular reality (AVR) is one of the key technologies to realize intelligent transportation in the future, which can significantly improve traffic safety and transportation efficiency of autonomous driving. However, available computation and spectrum resources of vehicles are not well utilized to meet the requirements of cooperative perception of autonomous vehicles. In order to meet the needs of sharing sensing data to cooperatively perceive the surrounding environment, executing delay-sensitive and computationally intensive tasks of autonomous driving applications, we propose computation offloading and resource allocation optimization for AVR (CoroAVR) algorithm with hybrid sensing data fusion of cooperative perception to process the real-time data in fog-edge computing for maximizing system throughput and spectrum utilization on the premise of ensuring the quality of task completion. First, the minimum signal to interference plus noise ratio needed to complete the task is obtained with the given maximum computing resources. Second, the optimal power allocation is carried out by using convex optimization theory, and the throughput gain is calculated, and the offloading decision is made by comparing the throughput gain. Finally, the channel allocation problem is solved by using the maximum matching algorithm of the bipartite graph, and the computation resource allocation is studied. The simulation results show that the performance of the proposed algorithm is better than that of the contrast algorithm.
Li-Ion Battery State of Health Estimation and Remaining Useful Life Prediction Through a Model-Data-Fusion Method

The prognostics and health management of Li-ion batteries in electric vehicles are challenging due to the time-varying and nonlinear battery degradation. This article proposes a model-data-fusion method for battery state-of-health estimation and remaining useful life prediction. First, combined with metabolic gray model and multiple-output Gaussian process regression, a dynamic and data-driven battery degradation model is established to simulate battery complicated degradation behaviors, which takes the capacity degradation as the state variable and takes the internal resistance and polarization resistance from battery Thevenin model as the input variables. Second, to suppress the measurement noises of online battery information, a particle filter is utilized to track the battery capacity degradation for state-of-health estimation and extrapolate the degradation trajectory for remaining useful life prediction. Furthermore, battery ageing experiments are conducted to verify the proposed model-data-fusion method. The verification results show that the proposed method can provide an accurate and robustness state of health estimation and remaining useful life prediction at different temperatures.
Sampling and analysis of surface water in the vicinity of the F- and H- area seepage basins

Observations from the wetlands downgradient of the F-Area and H-Area Seepage Basins suggest that the water cropping out along the seep line is impacting a small area of the terrestrial/wetlands environment along Four Mile Creek. The primary source of the water in these areas, as well as dissolved constituents in this water, are the seepage basins. The seepage basins have received large volumes of dilute liquid wastewater since the late 1950's. The primary dissolved constituents in the wastewater are hydrogen ion (low pH), nitrate and sodium. The wastewater also contains relatively low concentrations of other chemical constituents (e.g., lead and mercury). The radioactive constituent with the highest activity in the wastewater is tritium; other relatively mobile radionuclides in the wastewater include /sup 90/Sr, /sup 99/Tc, /sup 129/I, and /sup 237/Np. 7 refs., 1 fig., 5 tabs.