Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A revision of the distribution of sea kraits (Reptilia, Laticauda) with an updated occurrence dataset for ecological and conservation research

Abstract The genus Laticauda (Reptilia: Elapidae), commonly known as sea kraits, comprises eight species of marine amphibious snakes distributed along the shores of the Western Pacific Ocean and the Eastern Indian Ocean. We review the information available on the geographic range of sea kraits and analyze their distribution patterns. Generally, we found that south and south-west of Japan, Philippines Archipelago, parts of Indonesia, and Vanuatu have the highest diversity of sea krait species. Further, we compiled the information available on sea kraits’ occurrences from a variety of sources, including museum records, field surveys, and the scientific literature. The final database comprises 694 occurrence records, with Laticauda colubrina having the highest number of records and Laticauda schistorhyncha the lowest. The occurrence records were georeferenced and compiled as a database for each sea krait species. This database can be freely used for future studies.
A study of normalization and embedding in MongoDB

With the advancement in the database technology NoSQL databases are becoming more and more popular now a days. The cloud-based NoSQL database MongoDB is one of them. As one can know the data modeling strategies for relational and non-relational databases differ drastically. Modeling of data in MongoDB database depends on the data and characteristics of MongoDB. Due to variation in data models MongoDB based application performance gets affected. In the present paper we have applied two different modeling styles as embedding of documents and normalization on collections. With the embedding feature we may face situation where documents grow in size after creation which may degrade the performance of database. The maximum document size allowed in MongoDB is limited. With references we get maximum flexibility than embedding but client-side applications must issue follow-up queries to resolve the references. The joins in this case cannot be effectively used. Hence there is need for defining the strategy of extent of normalization and embedding to get better performance in the mixed situation. The paper discussed here shows the variation in the performance along with the change in the modeling style with reference to normalization and embedding and it gives the base to find the extent of normalization and embedding for reducing query execution time.
Temporal views as abstract relations

Many natural languages use prepositions to mark relations between entities of various kinds-between physical entities and their spatial locations, between temporal entities and their temporal locations, between abstract entities of various kinds (e.g. between ideas and their 'mental locations'). I show that the consequences of using prepositions to relate temporal entities emerge naturally from the basic interpretations of the prepositions themselves together with a very weak logic of events, where I take it that prepositions denote abstract relations whose significance only emerges when properties of the related items are taken into consideration.
COMPLEXES OF COBALT(II), NICKEL(II) AND ZINC(II) WITH SCHIFF BASES DERIVED FROM 4-ANISALDEHYDE

Co(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II) complexes of Schiff bases derived from condensation of 4-anisaldehyde with anisidine, (AAN) or 2,4 dinitrophenylhydrazine ,(ADN) have been prepared in 1:2 molar ratio (metal:ligand). The compounds have been characterized using elemental analysis, electronic spectra, infrared and molar conductance measurements. The infrared data revealed that the ligand, AAN behaved as a tridentate ligand. It coordinated to the metal ions via the N and two O atoms of the ligand. ADN behaved as a bidentate ligand coordinating through the O and N atoms of the ligand. The electronic spectral data indicates that the compounds are six coordinate. The molar conductance values showed that the complexes are non-electrolytes. The compounds were screened in vitro for antibacterial activity against some pathogenic bacteria: Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus using the agar-well diffusion method. The synthesized Schiff base complexes exhibit higher antibacterial activity against the tested pathogens compared to the free Schiff base because of chelation. INTRODUCTION: Literature survey has indicated that Schiff bases are excellent coordinating ligands 1, . They form stable complexes with different transition metal ions. Schiff bases and their metal complexes are well known for their pronounced biological activities . They have many antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer properties. Transition metal complexes have been the subject of discussion for the past many decades.Many workers have reported that activity have been found to be highly dependent on the nature of the metal ion and the donor atoms of the ligands since different ligands show different biological properties, though they may vary slightly in their molecular structures . It has been reported that 2,4 dinitrophenylhydrazine is an analogue of hydrazine and an important class of drugs . Some workers have also reported that Schiff bases derived from acetlyacetone and p-anisidine showed great activity against some bacteria like Staphylococus aureus, Bacillus sublitis, Escheriachia coli and Fungi, Aspergillus niger . In view of the above facts, we have previously reported the synthesis and antibacterial properties of some Schiff base metal(II) complexes . In continuation of our research work, we have reported in this study, the synthesis, characterization and antibacterial properties of two Schiff bases derived from 4-anisaldehyde and their transition metal(II) complexes.
From Teacher Education to the Classroom: Reflections of Teachers upon Their Teacher Education Experiences in Global Education.

This study describes global education as one of the current trends in teacher education in the United States. In this study, preservice and inservice teachers who attended six outstanding teacher education programs in global education were atked to reflect upon: (I) what they valued in their program's content and experiences; (2) their processes of applying what they had learned to their own classroom instruction; and (3) the constraints that hindered their abilities to use what they had gained in the teacher education program. Overall, the teachers valued content related to the topics of culture, global interconnections, and the environment. They found working with new instructional materials and interacting with other teachers, teams, and people from other cultures as the most useful experiences. The teachers applied what they had learned by extending or revising what they already were teaching, adding a comparative dimension or multiple perspectives, or initiating interdisciplinary approaches to mandated topics. Major constraints on the teachers' abilities to apply their new knowledge in their own classioom instruction included their students' abilities (such as reading level or developmental age), the conservatism of the comminity, and their own personal experiences. (EH) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. * ****************A;:**::*i,AA*1%*i.A. AAAA************************************ ***************:,A:. :. :. A:. ****A****************************** From Teacher Education to the Classrocm: Reflections of Teachers Upon their Teacher Education Experiences in Global Education
How to Lengthen the Long-Term Stability of Enzyme Membranes: Trends and Strategies

In this review, factors that contribute to enhancing the stability of immobilized enzyme membranes have been indicated, and the solutions to each factor, based on examples, are discussed. The factors are divided into two categories: one is dependent on the improvement of enzyme properties, and the other, on the development of supporting materials. Improvement of an enzyme itself would effectively improve its properties. However, some novel materials or novel preparation methods are required for improving the properties of supporting materials. Examples have been provided principally aimed at improvements in membrane stability.
Playful Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Apps: Design Concepts and Tactics for Engaging Young Patients

As smart solutions for healthcare (eHealth) are becoming increasingly widespread, apps and other digital devices may effectively complement various forms of psychotherapy. We point at children and adolescents in psychological therapy as a yet-underserved public for similar solutions. Moreover, a shared design sensibility between interaction designers, game designers, and therapists is still lacking. The Games 4 Therapy initiative was launched to address this problem space through practical design explorations. We illustrate its design research agenda, we call for more attention to children and adolescents as important recipients of digitally-mediated psychological therapies, and we offer actionable concepts and game design tactics for interaction designers and psychotherapists. Finally, we discuss our findings by "thinking through" a selection of conceptual design explorations, pointing at the characteristics and tactics we identified in our sketches.
Enumeration of Lozenge Tilings of Halved Hexagons with a Boundary Defect

We generalize a special case of a theorem of Proctor on the enumeration of lozenge tilings of a hexagon with a maximal staircase removed, using Kuo's graphical condensation method. Additionally, we prove a formula for a weighted version of the given region. The result also extends work of Ciucu and Fischer. By applying the factorization theorem of Ciucu, we are also able to generalize a special case of MacMahon's boxed plane partition formula.
Properties of dusty tori in active galactic nuclei – II. Type 2 AGN

This paper is the second part of a work investigating the properties of dusty tori in active galactic nuclei (AGN) by means of multicomponent spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting. It focuses on low-luminosity, low-redshift (z ≤ 0.25) AGN selected among emission line galaxies in the overlapping regions between Spitzer Wide-area Infrared Extragalactic Survey (SWIRE) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 4 as well as X-ray, radio and mid-infrared selected type 2 AGN samples from the literature. The available multiband photometry covers the spectral range from the u band up to 160 μm. Using a standard χ^2 minimization, the observed SED of each object is fit to a set of multicomponent models comprising a stellar component, a high optical depth (τ_(9.7) ≥ 1.0) torus and cold emission from a starburst (SB). The torus components assigned to the majority of the objects were those of the highest optical depth of our grid of models (τ_(9.7) = 10.0). The contribution of the various components (stars, torus, SB) is reflected in the position of the objects on the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) colour diagram, with star-, torus- and SB-dominated objects occupying specific areas of the diagrams and composite objects lying in between. The comparison of type 1 (as derived from Hatziminaoglou et al.) and type 2 AGN properties is broadly consistent with the unified scheme. The estimated ratio between type 2 and 1 objects is about 2–2.5:1. The AGN accretion-to-infrared luminosity ratio is an indicator of the obscuration of the AGN since it scales down with the covering factor. We find evidence supporting the receding torus paradigm, with the estimated fraction of obscured AGN, derived from the distribution of the covering factor, decreasing with increasing optical luminosity (λL_(5100)) over four orders of magnitude. The average star formation rates (SFRs) are of ~10 M_⊙ yr^(−1) for the low-z sample, ~40 M_⊙ yr^(−1) for the other type 2 AGN and ~115 M_⊙ yr^(−1) for the quasars; this result however, might simply reflect observational biases, as the quasars under study were one to two orders of magnitude more luminous than the various type 2 AGN. For the large majority of objects with 70 and/or 160 μm detections, an SB component was needed in order to reproduce the data points, implying that the far-infrared emission in AGN arises mostly from star formation; moreover, the SB-to-AGN luminosity ratio shows a slight trend with increasing luminosity.
Deleted in Colorectal Cancer Binding Netrin-1 Mediates Cell Substrate Adhesion and Recruits Cdc42, Rac1, Pak1, and N-WASP into an Intracellular Signaling Complex That Promotes Growth Cone Expansion

Extracellular cues direct axon extension by regulating growth cone morphology. The netrin-1 receptor deleted in colorectal cancer (DCC) is required for commissural axon extension to the floor plate in the embryonic spinal cord. Here we demonstrate that challenging embryonic rat spinal commissural neurons with netrin-1, either in solution or as a substrate, causes DCC-dependent increases in growth cone surface area and filopodia number, which we term growth cone expansion. We provide evidence that DCC influences growth cone morphology by at least two mechanisms. First, DCC mediates an adhesive interaction with substrate-bound netrin-1. Second, netrin-1 binding to DCC recruits an intracellular signaling complex that directs the organization of actin. We show that netrin-1-induced growth cone expansion requires Cdc42 (cell division cycle 42), Rac1 (Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1), Pak1 (p21-activated kinase), and N-WASP (neuronal Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein) and that the application of netrin-1 rapidly activates Cdc42, Rac1, and Pak1. Furthermore, netrin-1 recruits Cdc42, Rac1, Pak1, and N-WASP into a complex with the intracellular domain of DCC and Nck1. These findings suggest that DCC influences growth cone morphology by acting both as a transmembrane bridge that links extracellular netrin-1 to the actin cytoskeleton and as the core of a protein complex that directs the organization of actin.
The Role of the Annual Report in a Charitable Organisation: A 'Stakeholder' Perspective

Abstract In Australia, charitable organisations are important providers of a wide range of services and make an important contribution to the economy. The regulatory reform that has been occurring in the private and public sectors has not been felt by the nonprofit sector to the same extent. However, commentators and regulators around Australia in the various jurisdictions are turning their attention to various forms of regulation in an attempt to make the sector more accountable. There is scant research on the various facets of nonprofit accountability and appropriate mechanisms by which to discharge that accountability. This paper provides a case study of one large hospital foundation in a metropolitan city in Australia. A wide range of stakeholders were interviewed as to their understandings of the meaning of accountability and the role of the annual report in its discharge. The findings confirm prior research that accountability is a 'multi-faceted' term and also provide evidence that the annual report is a useful mechanism for discharging accountability. While exploratory, the research will be useful to policymakers as they investigate the most appropriate regulatory mechanisms for charitable organizations.
Post-common-envelope binaries from SDSS – I. 101 white dwarf main-sequence binaries with multiple Sloan Digital Sky Survey spectroscopy

We present a detailed analysis of 101 white dwarf main-sequence binaries (WDMS) from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) for which multiple SDSS spectra are available. We detect significant radial velocity variations in 18 WDMS, identifying them as post-common-envelope binaries (PCEBs) or strong PCEB candidates. Strict upper limits to the orbital periods are calculated, ranging from 0.43 to 7880 d. Given the sparse temporal sampling and relatively low spectral resolution of the SDSS spectra, our results imply a PCEB fraction of greater than or similar to 15 per cent among the WDMS in the SDSS data base. Using a spectral decomposition/fitting technique we determined the white dwarf effective temperatures and surface gravities, masses and secondary star spectral types for all WDMS in our sample. Two independent distance estimates are obtained from the flux-scaling factors between the WDMS spectra, and the white dwarf models and main-sequence star templates, respectively. Approximately one-third of the systems in our sample show a significant discrepancy between the two distance estimates. In the majority of discrepant cases, the distance estimate based on the secondary star is too large. A possible explanation for this behaviour is that the secondary star spectral types that we determined from the SDSS spectra are systematically too early by one to two spectral classes. This behaviour could be explained by stellar activity, if covering a significant fraction of the star by cool dark spots will raise the temperature of the interspot regions. Finally, we discuss the selection effects of the WDMS sample provided by the SDSS project.
Parameter Space of Quiver Gauge Theories

Placing a set of branes at a Calabi-Yau singularity leads to an N=1 quiver gauge theory. We analyze F-term deformations of such gauge theories. A generic deformation can be obtained by making the Calabi-Yau non-commutative. We discuss non-commutative generalisations of well-known singularities such as the Del Pezzo singularities and the conifold. We also introduce new techniques for deriving superpotentials, based on quivers with ghosts and a notion of generalised Seiberg duality. The curious gauge structure of quivers with ghosts is most naturally described using the BV formalism. Finally we suggest a new approach to Seiberg duality by adding fields and ghost-fields whose effects cancel each other.
On !-power languages

The innnite or ! -power is one of the basic operations to associate with a language of nite words (a nitary language) an ! -language. It plays a crucial role in the characterization of regular and of context-free ! -languages, that is, ! -languages accepted by (nondeterministic) nite or pushdown automata, respectively (cf. the surveys St87a, Th90]). But in connection with the determinization of nite ! -automata it turned out that the properties of the ! -power are remarkable elusive; resulting in the well-known complicated proof of MacNaughton's theorem MN66]. Later work TB70, Ei74, Ch74] showed a connection between the ! -power of regular ! -languages and a limit operation (called here-limit) transferring languages to ! -languages. It was, therefore, asked in Ch74] for more transparent relationships between the ! -power and the-limit of languages. It turned out that this-limit is a useful tool in translating the nite to the innnite behaviour of deterministic accepting devices (cf. Li76, CG78, St87a, Th90, EH93]). As it was mentioned above ! -power languages play a crucial role in the characterization of ! -languages accepted by nondeterministic nite or push-down automata. In fact, they are useful in general for the characterization of ! -languages accepted by empty storage (cf. St77]). Therefore, a general relationship between ! -power and-limit could hint for instances where ! -languages accepted nondeterministically via empty-storage-acceptance could be likewise accepted deterministically. In contrast to the ! -power the-limit yields, similar to the adherence of languages, a transparent description of the ! -language derived from the language. Particularly remarkable are the facts that in terms of the natural Cantor-topology of the space of ! -words it describes exactly G-sets (This being also the reason for calling it-limit.) and, moreover, it allows for a speciication of the topological (Borel-) subclasses of G in terms of the underlying (preimage-)languages (cf. St87b]). No such properties, however, are known in general for ! -power languages. Except for the representation as an innnite product, the ! -power of a language W, W ! , is known to be the maximum solution of a linear homogenuous equation in one variable (see
CS21 positive multidrug-resistant ETEC clinical isolates from children with diarrhea are associated with self-aggregation, and adherence

Background: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) colonize the human intestinal mucosa using pili and non-pili colonization factors (CFs). CS21 (also designated Longus) is one of the most prevalent CFs encoded by a 14 kb lng DNA cluster located in a virulence plasmid of ETEC; yet limited information is available on the prevalence of CS21 positive ETEC isolates in different countries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of CS21 among ETEC clinical isolates from Mexican and Bangladeshi children under 5 years old with diarrhea and to determine the phenotypic and genotypic features of these isolates. Methods: ETEC clinical isolates positive to lngA gene were characterized by genotype, multidrug-resistance, self-aggregation, biofilm formation, and adherence to HT-29 cell line. Results: A collection of 303 E. coli clinical isolates were analyzed, the 81.51% (247/303) were identified as ETEC, 30.76% (76/247) were st+/lt+, and 25.10% (62/247) were positive for the lngA gene. Among the lngA+ ETECs identified, 50% of isolates (31/62) were positive for LngA protein. The most frequent serotype was O128ac:H12 found in 19.35% (12/62) of lngA+ ETEC studied. Multidrug-resistance (MDR) lngA+ ETEC isolates was identified in 65% (39/60), self-aggregation in 48.38% (30/62), and biofilm formation in 83.87% (52/62). ETEC lngA+ isolates were able to adhere to HT-29 cells at different levels. Two lngA isogenic mutants were constructed in the ETEC E9034A and ETEC73332 clinical isolate, showing a 77% and 98% reduction in adherence, respectively with respect to the wild type. Conclusion: ETEC isolates that have the lngA gene showed features associated with self-aggregation, and adherence to HT-29 cells, important characteristics in the human gut colonization process and pathogenesis.
Development of a rapid phenotypic test for HCV protease inhibitors with potential use in clinical decisions

Abstract Approximately 185 million people worldwide are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). The first-wave of approved NS3 protease inhibitors (PIs) were Telaprevir and Boceprevir, which are currently discontinued. Simeprevir is a second-wave PI incorporated into the Brazilian hepatitis C treatment protocol. Drug resistance plays a key role in patients' treatment regimen. Here, we developed a simple phenotypic assay to evaluate the impact of resistance mutations in HCV NS3 protease to PIs, using a protein expression vector containing wild type NS3 protease domain and NS4A co-factor. We analyzed the impact of five resistance mutations (T54A, V36M, V158I, V170I and T54S+V170I) against Telaprevir, Boceprevir and Simeprevir. Protein purifications were performed with low cost methodology, and enzymatic inhibition assays were measured by FRET. We obtained recombinant proteases with detectable activity, and IC50 and fold change values for the evaluated PIs were determined. The variant T54A showed the highest reduction of susceptibility for the PIs, while the other four variants exhibited lower levels of reduced susceptibility. Interestingly, V170I showed 3.2-fold change for Simeprevir, a new evidence about this variant. These results emphasize the importance of enzymatic assays in phenotypic tests to determine which therapeutic regimen should be implemented.