Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Temperature, pH, and Salt on Amylase in Heliodiaptomus viduus (Gurney) (Crustacea: Copepoda: Calanoida)

An interesting α-amylase has been obtained in large quantity (2400 U/g of body weight) with specific activity (20.22 U/g protein) from a freshwater zooplankton, Heliodiaptomus viduus (Gurney). Partially purified enzyme showed activity up to 70 oC and demonstrated optimum activity at 30 oC. The enzyme was active between pH 3.5 and 8.5, with maximum activity at pH 6.0. It retained its full activity at 30 oC for 2 h, but became inactive at 60 oC after 2 h, and at 70 oC after 1 h. Enzyme activity was retained at 60% in 2 M NaCl after 24 h incubation, while full activity was found in 0.5 M NaCl for the same duration of incubation. Addition of metal ions like Fe2+, Ba2+, Co2+, Ag2+, and Mn2+ enhanced activity up to 130%-200% of the original activity, while K+ and Sn2+ caused a negligible increase in the activity. Addition of Hg2+ and Li2+ completely inhibited amylase activity, whereas Cu2+, Mg2+, and Pb2+ reduced activity to as little as 5% of original activity. Soluble starch, amylose, and amylopectin were completely digested by this amylase, whereas glycogen was hydrolyzed to a lesser extent. During hydrolysis of soluble starch, initially, maltose (G2) and maltotetraose (G4) were produced in similar magnitude, followed by a distinctly higher amount (> 80%) of maltose. Amylose was the most potential substrate with a Km value of 1.82 mg/ml. The molecular mass was 50 kDa in the Native PAGE and no multiple forms were observed.
Student-led action for sustainability in higher education: a literature review

Purpose Over the past few decades, universities have been recognized as ideal leaders for the development of policies and innovative solutions required to support the transition to sustainable societies. As a major stakeholder group, students play a significant role in moving this agenda forward; however, their actions remain understudied in the sustainability in higher education (SHE) literature. Design/methodology/approach In response, this systematic literature review was conducted to determine what research has been done on student-led action for SHE. Findings Findings demonstrate that while students are an understudied stakeholder group, there is a growing focus in the SHE literature on their contributions. The results suggest that students are working to increase the uptake of SHE through multi-stakeholder collaborations, collective action and interdisciplinarity. This review identifies a lack of engagement with intersectionality (interrelated environmental and social issues) and highlights the need to redirect future SHE research, calling for increased comparative research studies and research syntheses to provide greater depth to our understanding of student-led initiatives. Research limitations/implications This literature review is limited by the smaller sample size of articles; however, conclusions can nonetheless be drawn from these results to guide future scholarship. Implications exist for theoretical contributions to social movement theories and theories of organizational change for SHE. Originality/value This research provides insight into student-led action for SHE and how their efforts might better be supported to encourage the increased integration of SHE.
An exploratory study of subjective well-being in organizations–A mixed method research approach

ABSTRACT Subjective well-being (SWB) has been widely found to have a profound impact on the individual, yet the process of its occurrence in public organizations remains unexplored. So the primary purpose of this paper is to explore the determining factors affecting the process of employee’s subjective well-being in public organizations using mixed methods research. Qualitative analysis using the grounded theory methodology reveals the effective factors that affect the process of employee’s subjective well-being in public organizations. Quantitative hypotheses are then developed based on a qualitative investigation. Survey data were collected from employees of public organizations in one of the provinces of Iran. Analysis of Moment Structure is used for data analysis. The results of the research revealed that both individual and organizational factors (as causal factors) influence the employees’ subjective well-being process (life satisfaction and positive affect). This phenomenon leads to the use of strategies which are affected by intervening and contextual factors. The consequences of this process are to change the attitude and behavior of individuals and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. This paper is among the first known to examine subjective well-being in public organizations using mixed methods research. The mixed methods approach offers a better insight to understanding effective factors affecting subjective well-being compared to the use of either a qualitative or quantitative method alone.
Automatic Cloning of Recorded Sounds by Software Synthesizers

Any audio recording can be turned into a digital musical instrument by feeding it into an audio sampler. However, it is difficult to edit such a sound in musical terms or even to control it in real time with musical expression. This does not change much if a more sophisticated resynthesis method is applied. Many electronic musicians appreciate the direct and clear access to sound parameters a traditional analog synthesizer offers. Can one automatically generate a synthesizer setting that approximates a given audio recording and thus clone a given sound to be controlled with the standard functions of the particular synthesizer employed? Even though this problem seems highly complex, we demonstrate that its solution becomes feasible with today’s computer systems. We compare sounds on the basis of acoustic features known from Music Information Retrieval and apply a specialized optimization strategy to adjust the settings of VST instruments, which is sped up using multi-core processors and networked computers.
Gender and ethnic differences in the post-liver transplant outcomes of patients with autoimmune hepatitis with acute liver failure at initial presentation: a case-control study

Introduction Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) may initially present as acute liver failure (ALF). The outcome of liver transplantation (LT) in patients with AIH and ALF is not very well defined. We determined the outcome of LT in UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) status 1 adult patients with and without AIH using post-MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) UNOS data. Material and methods For each AIH patient, 3 patients with non-AIH, matched for age ±5 years and donor risk index (DRI) ±5 years, were identified; 200 patients (50 AIH, 150 non-AIH) were found eligible for the study. Results Patients with AIH were more likely to be female (p = 0.003), non-Caucasian (p = 0.009), have higher bilirubin (p = 0.003), longer waiting time (p = 0.01), and lower creatinine (p = 0.019). African American patients with AIH were younger (p = 0.003), had lower bilirubin (p = 0.037), and were more likely to have had a prior LT compared to Caucasians (p = 0.02). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that 5-year post-LT survival was similar in those with and without AIH (p = 0.3). African American with AIH showed a trend for lower 5-year survival compared to Caucasians (55% vs. 80%, p = NS). Women had a better outcome, especially in those with non-AIH (p = 0.002). Conclusions Patients with AIH transplanted as status 1 have similar outcomes to those without AIH. Women with non-AIH-related ALF have better survival than their male counterparts.
Fast and effective online pose estimation and mapping for UAVs

Online pose estimation and mapping in unknown environments is essential for most mobile robots. Especially autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles require good pose estimates at comparably high frequencies. In this paper, we propose an effective system for online pose and simultaneous map estimation designed for light-weight UAVs. Our system consists of two components: (1) real-time pose estimation combining RTK-GPS and IMU at 100 Hz and (2) an effective SLAM solution running at 10 Hz using image data from an omnidirectional multi-fisheye-camera system. The SLAM procedure combines spatial resection computed based on the map that is incrementally refined through bundle adjustment and combines the image data with raw GPS observations and IMU data on keyframes. The overall system yields a real-time, georeferenced pose at 100 Hz in GPS-friendly situations. Additionally, we obtain a precise pose and feature map at 10 Hz even in cases where the GPS is not observable or underconstrained. Our system has been implemented and thoroughly tested on a 5 kg copter and yields accurate and reliable pose estimation at high frequencies. We compare the point cloud obtained by our method with a model generated from georeferenced terrestrial laser scanner.
Supercritical Extraction of Lycopene from Tomato Industrial Wastes with Ethane

Supercritical fluid extraction of all-E-lycopene from tomato industrial wastes (mixture of skins and seeds) was carried out in a semi-continuous flow apparatus using ethane as supercritical solvent. The effect of pressure, temperature, feed particle size, solvent superficial velocity and matrix initial composition was evaluated. Moreover, the yield of the extraction was compared with that obtained with other supercritical solvents (supercritical CO2 and a near critical mixture of ethane and propane). The recovery of all-E-lycopene increased with pressure, decreased with the increase of the particle size in the initial stages of the extraction and was not practically affected by the solvent superficial velocity. The effect of the temperature was more complex. When the temperature increased from 40 to 60 °C the recovery of all-E-lycopene increased from 80 to 90%. However, for a further increase to 80 °C, the recovery remained almost the same, indicating that some E-Z isomerization could have occurred, as well as some degradation of lycopene. The recovery of all-E-lycopene was almost the same for feed samples with different all-E-lycopene content. Furthermore, when a batch with a higher all-E-lycopene content was used, supercritical ethane and a near critical mixture of ethane and propane showed to be better solvents than supercritical CO2 leading to a faster extraction with a higher recovery of the carotenoid.
An Early Feedback Prediction System for Learners At-Risk Within a First-Year Higher Education Course

Identifying at-risk students as soon as possible is a challenge in educational institutions. Decreasing the time lag between identification and real at-risk state may significantly reduce the risk of failure or disengage. In small courses, their identification is relatively easy, but it is impractical on larger ones. Current Learning Management Systems store a large amount of data that could help to generate predictive models to early identification of students in online and blended learning. The contribution of this paper is twofold: First, a new adaptive predictive model is presented based only on students’ grades specifically trained for each course. A deep analysis is performed in the whole institution to evaluate its performance accuracy. Second, an early warning system is developed, focusing on dashboards visualization for stakeholders (i.e., students and teachers) and an early feedback prediction system to intervene in the case of at-risk identification. The early warning system has been evaluated in a case study on a first-year undergraduate course in computer science. We show the accuracy of the correct identification of at-risk students, the students’ appraisal, and the most common factors that lead to at-risk level.
Query Answering in the Description Logic Horn-SHIQ ⋆

We provide an ExpTime algorithm for answering conjunctive queries (CQs) in Horn-SHIQ, a Horn fragment of the well-known Description Logic SHIQ underlying the OWL-Lite standard. The algorithm employs a domino system for model representation, which is constructed via a worst-case optimal tableau algorithm for Horn-SHIQ; the queries are answered by reasoning over the domino system. Our algorithm not only shows that CQ answering in Horn-SHIQ is not harder than satisfiability testing, but also that it is polynomial in data complexity, making Horn-SHIQ an attractive expressive Description Logic.
Ghrelin, Des-Acyl Ghrelin, and Obestatin: Regulatory Roles on the Gastrointestinal Motility

Ghrelin, des-acyl ghrelin, and obestatin are derived from a common prohormone, preproghrelin by posttranslational processing, originating from endocrine cells in the stomach. To examine the regulatory roles of these peptides, we applied the manometric measurement of gastrointestinal motility in freely moving conscious rat or mouse model. Ghrelin exerts stimulatory effects on the motility of antrum and duodenum in both fed and fasted state of animals. Des-acyl ghrelin exerts inhibitory effects on the motility of antrum but not on the motility of duodenum in the fasted state of animals. Obestatin exerts inhibitory effects on the motility of antrum and duodenum in the fed state but not in the fasted state of animals. NPY Y2 and Y4 receptors in the brain may mediate the action of ghrelin, CRF type 2 receptor in the brain may mediate the action of des-acyl ghrelin, whereas CRF type 1 and type 2 receptors in the brain may mediate the action of obestatin. Vagal afferent pathways might be involved in the action of ghrelin, but not involved in the action of des-acyl ghrelin, whereas vagal afferent pathways might be partially involved in the action of obestatin.
Simulation of fluid flow in hydrophobic rough microchannels

Surface effects become important in microfluidic setups because the surface to volume ratio becomes large. In such setups the surface roughness is not any longer small compared to the length scale of the system and the wetting properties of the wall have an important influence on the flow. However, the knowledge about the interplay of surface roughness and hydrophobic fluid–surface interaction is still very limited because these properties cannot be decoupled easily in experiments. We investigate the problem by means of lattice Boltzmann (LB) simulations of rough microchannels with a tunable fluid–wall interaction. We introduce an ‘effective no-slip plane’ at an intermediate position between peaks and valleys of the surface and observe how the position of the wall may change due to surface roughness and hydrophobic interactions. We find that the position of the effective wall, in the case of a Gaussian distributed roughness, depends linearly on the width of the distribution. Further, we are able to show that roughness creates a nonlinear effect on the slip length for hydrophobic boundaries.
Posture invariant correspondence of triangular meshes in shape space

We find dense point-to-point correspondences between two surfaces corresponding to different postures of the same articulated object in a fully automatic way. The approach requires no prior knowledge about the shapes being registered. Furthermore, the approach does not require any user-specified parameters. We register possibly incomplete triangular meshes. We model the deformations of an object as isometries and solve the correspondence problem by aligning the intrinsic geometries of the manifolds in a suitable space. We apply the technique to segment the surface into near-rigid components.
Distinctly Different Sex Ratios in African and European Populations of Drosophila melanogaster Inferred From Chromosomewide Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Data

It has been hypothesized that the ratio of X-linked to autosomal sequence diversity is influenced by unequal sex ratios in Drosophila melanogaster populations. We conducted a genome scan of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of 378 autosomal loci in a derived European population and of a subset of 53 loci in an ancestral African population. On the basis of these data and our already available X-linked data, we used a coalescent-based maximum-likelihood method to estimate sex ratios and demographic histories simultaneously for both populations. We confirm our previous findings that the African population experienced a population size expansion while the European population suffered a population size bottleneck. Our analysis also indicates that the female population size in Africa is larger than or equal to the male population size. In contrast, the European population shows a huge excess of males. This unequal sex ratio and the bottleneck alone, however, cannot account for the overly strong decrease of X-linked diversity in the European population (compared to the reduction on the autosome). The patterns of the frequency spectrum and the levels of linkage disequilibrium observed in Europe suggest that, in addition, positive selection must have acted in the derived population.
Phase Estimation in Single Channel Speech Enhancement Using Phase Decomposition

Conventional speech enhancement methods typically utilize the noisy phase spectrum for signal reconstruction. This letter presents a novel method to estimate the clean speech phase spectrum, given the noisy speech observation in single-channel speech enhancement. The proposed method relies on the phase decomposition of the instantaneous noisy phase spectrum followed by temporal smoothing in order to reduce the large variance of noisy phase, and consequently reconstructs an enhanced instantaneous phase spectrum for signal reconstruction. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated in two ways: phase enhancement-only and by quantifying the additional improvement on top of the conventional amplitude enhancement scheme where noisy phase is often used in signal reconstruction. The instrumental metrics predict a consistent improvement in perceived speech quality and speech intelligibility when the noisy phase is enhanced using the proposed phase estimation method.
Identification and Characterization of EST-SSRs in Mungbean

Background: Mungbean has great nutritional sense over other cereal crops and supplements the need of protein and carbohydrates. Mungbean crop improvement programmes through marker assisted selection and gene mapping required molecular markers. In this regards simple sequence repeats (SSR) have great utility mostly because of high polymorphism, co-dominance nature, random distribution and ample availability. Methods: Conventional method for identification of SSRs through enrichment library and sequencing is labour intensive. Available nucleotide sequence data deposited in public domains is one of the major sources for identifying SSRs. Results: In the present study, nucleotide sequences available from NCBI database for mungbean including 829 EST (expressed sequence tags), 83 GSS (genomic survey sequence), and 2903 nucleotide sequences were searched for microsatellite identification and then the characterisation of these SSRs as di, tri and tetra, class I, class II and class III were carried out. The frequency distribution of SSRs concludes that ga/tc (518), ca/tg (238) among di nucleotide and caa/ttg (84) and gaa/ttc among trinucleotide are found most abundantin nucleotide sequence. Conclusions: Moreover EST-SSR markers are also useful to understand population structure and evaluation of genetic diversity which is requisite for the effective utilization of available genetic resources in Vigna species.
Learn Programming++: The Design, Implementation and Deployment of an Intelligent Environment for the Teaching and Learning of Computer Programming

We discuss the demand for intelligent systems to assist both teachers and students in the teaching and learning of computer programming, then describe the design, implementation of Nooblab, an integrated system offering instruction, a programming test bed and assessment for several programming languages, and its deployment in real university classroom situations. The system also logs every interaction which each student has with it, providing a rich set of data for analysis. Initial results from its use within real courses are presented and discussed, along with proposals for future developments involving incorporating machine learning paradigms into the system.
LMO1 Super-Enhancer rs2168101 G>T Polymorphism Reduces Wilms Tumor Risk

Wilms tumor is one of the most prevalent pediatric malignancies in childhood cancer worldwide. A genome-wide association study recognized that LIM domain only 1 (LMO1) increases the risk of oncogenic potential. An association has been found that LMO1 gene polymorphisms are associated with the susceptibility to Wilms tumor. One hundred forty-five children with Wilms tumor and 531 cancer-free children were included in this hospital-based case-control study. Five potentially functional polymorphisms in the LMO1 gene (rs2168101 G>T, rs1042359 A>G, rs11041838 G>C, rs2071458 C>A and rs3750952 G>C) were genotyped by the TaqMan method. The association between selected polymorphisms and Wilms tumor susceptibility was measured by calculating the odds ratio (OR) and the 95% confidence interval (CI). Only rs2168101 G>T polymorphism was found to have a significant protective effect against Wilms tumor (GT vs. GG: adjusted OR=0.58, 95% CI=0.39-0.88, P=0.010; GT/TT vs. GG: adjusted OR=0.67, 95% CI=0.46-0.97, P=0.034). Moreover, carriers of 3-5 protective genotypes had significantly lower tumor risk than carriers of 0-2 protective genotypes (adjusted OR=0.62, 95% CI=0.42-0.91, P=0.022). The stratified analysis showed that the protective effect of rs2168101 GT/TT was predominant in males, and rs2071458 GT/TT was predominant in females. Regarding the combined risk genotypes, the analysis indicated that the 3-5 protective genotypes collectively decreased Wilms tumor risk in females. These results suggest that LMO1 gene rs2168101 G>T polymorphism may help prevent Wilms tumor, but this conclusion should be verified in other populations and additional studies.
Executive functioning and daily functioning in older adults

This study investigated the relationship between measures of executive functioning and both observed and self-reported functional ability. It was hypothesized that performance on a direct assessment of functional ability would have a stronger correlation with performance on measures of executive functioning than a self-report measure of functional ability. Results supported the hypothesis, indicating that self-report measures may not be sensitive to early decline in functional ability. Results also provide evidence to support the use of measures of executive functioning to detect early decline in functional ability that otherwise may not be detected by the typical self-report measures used in clinical settings.
Market Integration For Oxen Prices Using Vector Error Correction Model (Vecm) In Ethiopia

This study attempts to analyse the degree of spatial domestic oxen market integration; and examines price adjustment and prices causality. The result of Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) test indicates that the three variables were non-stationary at their levels, and stationary at their first difference. The Johansen's co-integration test indicated that two co-integrating vectors implying that two oxen markets were linked together. The result of the VECM reveals that estimated adjustment vector coefficients have the correct signs (negative) at 1% significant level and imply moderate speed of price adjustment to ward equilibrium.
A Partial Sky Survey for Point Sources of 20 TeV Gamma Rays Using the HEGRA AIROBICC and Scintillato

A survey of the largest part of the northern sky in search of unknown gamma-ray sources is carried out using 2 years of data simultaneously recorded with the HEGRA scintillator and AIROBICC arrays. A special procedure is applied which retains the full sensitivity as obtained in searches for selected candidate positions. The used technique enables the search for integral flux excesses of single sources and source populations. Global flux limits for point sources are derived. In addition, tests on variable fluxes from arbitrary positions are performed.