Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distributional and seasonal patterns of ctenophores in Malangen, northern Norway

Annual cycles of abundance of the ctenophore species Bolinopsis ~nfundibulum and Beroe cucumls wel-e studied in the Malangen fjord, northern Norway, during 1992. The seasonal dynamics were characterized by alternating abundances of the 2 species A biomass increase of B infundibulum occurl-ed in April and May, I-eaching a peak of 2 to 7 m1 m-. ' wet volume in the surface layers in summer. The specles started to reproduce in the inner part of the fjord, and then propagated throughout the entire fjord system. Length frequency distributions indicated that B. infundibulum were reproducing continuously dunng the summer months. Biovolumes of B. infundibulum decreased in August, leaving a small number of individuals (<l ~ n d . per 5700 m" to overwinter in the water column. Small individuals of B. cucurnls occurred in the surface layers in spring B~ovolumes of this species were low during summer, but increased in the fall, and a large overwinterlng population (2 to 6 m1 m ' ) was present in the deep b a s ~ n s of the fjord (below 200 m) from September to April. The calculated predatory impact of B. cucunlls on B. ~nfundibulunl Increased during summer (from 6 to 501%)), and contr~buted to the autumn decrease in volume of R infundibulun~. The tvintelpopulation of B, cucurnls would be short of food ~f ctenophores were the only prey Poss~ble mechanisms contnbutlng to the observed patterns are discussed.
PROTOPLANETARY DISK SHADOWING BY GAS INFALLING ONTO THE YOUNG STAR AK Sco

Young solar-type stars grow through the accretion of material from the circumstellar disk during pre-main-sequence (PMS) evolution. The ultraviolet radiation generated in this process plays a key role in the chemistry and evolution of young planetary disks. In particular, the hydrogen Lyα line (Lyα) etches the disk surface by driving photoevaporative flows that control disk evolution. Using the Hubble Space Telescope, we have monitored the PMS binary star AK Sco during the periastron passage and have detected a drop of the H2 flux by up to 10% lasting 5.9 hr. We show that the decrease of the H2 flux can be produced by the occultation of the stellar Lyα photons by a gas stream in free fall from 3 R * ? > . Given the high optical depth of the Lyα line, a very low gas column of N H > 5 × 10 17 ? > cm−2 suffices to block the Lyα radiation without producing noticeable effects in the rest of the stellar spectral tracers.
Determinants of Bank Interest Margins in Russia: Does Bank Ownership Matter?

This paper analyzes interest margin determinants in the Russian banking sector with a particular emphasis on the bank ownership structure. Using unique bank-level data covering Russia's entire banking sector for the 1999–2007 period, we find that the impact of a number of commonly used determinants such as market structure, credit risk, liquidity risk and size of operations differs across state-controlled, domestic-private and foreign-owned banks. At the same time, the influence of operational costs and risk aversion is homogeneous across ownership groups. The results overall suggest that the form of bank ownership needs to be considered when analyzing interest margin determinants.
Sigmoidal-trapezoidal quadrature for ordinary and Cauchy principal value integrals

Consider the evaluation of If:= ^^f2 0 1 f(x) dx . Among all the quadrature rules for the approximate evaluation of this integral, the trapezoidal rule is known for its simplicity of construction and, in general, its slow rate of convergence to If. However, it is well known, from the Euler-Maclaurin formula, that if f is periodic of period 1, then the trapezoidal rule can converge very quickly to If. A sigmoidal transformation is a mapping of [0,1] onto itself and is such that when applied to If gives an integrand having some degree of periodicity. Applying the trapezoidal rule to the transformed integral gives an increased rate of convergence. In this paper, we explore the use of such transformations for both ordinary and Cauchy principal value integrals. By considering the problem in a suitably weighted Sobolev space, a very satisfactory analysis of the rate of convergence of the truncation error is obtained. This combination of a sigmoidal transformation followed by the trapezoidal rule gives rise to the so-called sigmoidal-trapezoidal quadrature rule of the title.
Brucella melitensis Methionyl-tRNA-Synthetase (MetRS), a Potential Drug Target for Brucellosis

We investigated Brucella melitensis methionyl-tRNA-synthetase (BmMetRS) with molecular, structural and phenotypic methods to learn if BmMetRS is a promising target for brucellosis drug development. Recombinant BmMetRS was expressed, purified from wild type Brucella melitensis biovar Abortus 2308 strain ATCC/CRP #DD-156 and screened by a thermal melt assay against a focused library of one hundred previously classified methionyl-tRNA-synthetase inhibitors of the blood stage form of Trypanosoma brucei. Three compounds showed appreciable shift of denaturation temperature and were selected for further studies on inhibition of the recombinant enzyme activity and cell viability against wild type B. melitensis strain 16M. BmMetRS protein complexed with these three inhibitors resolved into three-dimensional crystal structures and was analyzed. All three selected methionyl-tRNA-synthetase compounds inhibit recombinant BmMetRS enzymatic functions in an aminoacylation assay at varying concentrations. Furthermore, growth inhibition of B. melitensis strain 16M by the compounds was shown. Inhibitor-BmMetRS crystal structure models were used to illustrate the molecular basis of the enzyme inhibition. Our current data suggests that BmMetRS is a promising target for brucellosis drug development. However, further studies are needed to optimize lead compound potency, efficacy and safety as well as determine the pharmacokinetics, optimal dosage, and duration for effective treatment.
Effect of zinc application timing on yield formation by two types of maize cultivars

The yield forming response of maize cultivar to zinc (Zn) application depends on its timing. This hypothesis was validated in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 growing seasons. The zinc treatments as the first factor were: NPK; NPK + Zn applied before sowing; NPK + Zn applied to maize at the stage of 4th leaf. The second factor was the maize type: stay-green (modern cultivars) – Paroli, Veritis, Anamur; classical (old cultivars) – Inagua, Kirola. The grain yield of modern cultivars responded the best to zinc applied before sowing, whereas the old ones, when applied to foliage. The yield of the stay-green maize depended upon the number of kernels per row, whereas the classical one on all yield structural components. The zinc management in the modern cultivars should be oriented towards maximization of the number of kernels per row, whereas in the old one on its optimization with the simultaneous kernel weight increase. The positive impact of zinc application before sowing on dry matter translocation from vegetative tissues to growing kernels underlines its practical usefulness, especially in areas with frequent water shortage during maize growth.
IDEOLOGIES UNDERLYING THE USE OF PHOTOGRAPHS IN NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF BERSIH 3.0 RALLY: A SOCIAL SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS

BERSIH 3.0 rally that was held on 28th April 2012 has witnessed visual war among the mass media in Malaysia which had caused polarization among the Malaysian society. This study aims to analyze how the mainstream and alternative newspapers transfuse their ideology about the rally through visual depiction of the event. Three dominant newspapers namely Utusan Malaysia, The Star and Harakah were chosen based on their political economic background and their high circulations status. Based on the visual constructions of the two mainstream newspapers; Utusan Malaysia and The Star, it is found that both newspapers were critical towards BERSIH 3.0. Apart from that, both newspapers also embedded their own racial agenda in which it was found that Utusan Malaysia tries to associate the rally with the dark tragedy of 13th May 1969 while The Star tries to neutralize the involvement of the Chinese through positive imagery. In contrast, Harakah celebrated the revival and the unity of the people from all races in their struggle towards social justice as the main theme. At the same time, Harakah visually portrayed PAS as a political party that honoured pluralism, gain acceptance from young people and committed with the PR. The research has proved that photo has the capabilities to be a medium to disseminate ideology.
Dense molecular clouds in the SN 2008fp host galaxy

(abridged) We use observations of interstellar absorption features, such as atomic and molecular lines as well as diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs), towards SN2008fp to study the physical properties of extra-galactic diffuse interstellar clouds in the host galaxy, ESO428-G14. The properties of the intervening dust are investigated via spectropolarimetry. The spectra of SN2008fp reveal a complex of diffuse atomic clouds at radial velocities in line with the systematic velocities of the host galaxy (~1700 km/s). A translucent (A_V ~ 1.5 mag) cloud is detected at a heliocentric velocity of 1770 km/s This cold dense cloud is rich in dense atomic gas tracers, molecules, as well as diffuse interstellar bands. We have detected both C2 and C3 for the first time in a galaxy beyond the Local Group. The CN (0,0) band line ratios are used to derive an in-situ measurement of the cosmic background radiation temperature in an external galaxy; this gives an excitation temperature of T = 2.9 +- 0.3 K. The interstellar polarization law deviates significantly from what is observed in the Galaxy, indicating substantial differences in the composition or size distribution of dust grains in the SN2008fp host galaxy. C2 is used to probe the cold diffuse ISM density and temperature. The lack of variability in the extra-galactic absorption line profiles over a period of one month implies that the absorbing material is not circumstellar and thus not affected directly by the SN event. Also it shows that there are no significant density variation in the small-scale structure of the molecular cloud down to 100 AU.
Influence of Steel Fiber on the Shear Strength of a Concrete Beam

The shear failure in a concrete beam is a brittle type of failure. The addition of steel fibers in a plain concrete mix helps to bridge and restrict the cracks formed in the brittle concrete under applied loads, and enhances the ductility of the concrete. In this research an attempt was made to investigate the behavior and the ultimate shear strength of hooked end steel fiber reinforced concrete beams without traditional shear reinforcement. Four simply-supported reinforced concrete beams with a shear span-to-depth ratio of about 3.0 were tested under two-point loading up to failure. Steel fibers volumetric fractions that used were 0.0, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0%. Test results indicated that using 1.0% volume fraction of hooked steel fiber led to exclude shear failure and enhanced the use of steel fibers as shear reinforcement in concrete beams. The results also showed that a concrete beam with hooked steel fiber provided higher post-flexural-cracking stiffness, an increase in the shear capacity and energy absorption and an increase in the maximum concrete and steel reinforcement strains.
The afc antifungal activity cluster, which is under tight regulatory control of ShvR, is essential for transition from intracellular persistence of Burkholderia cenocepacia to acute pro-inflammatory infection

The opportunistic pathogen Burkholderia cenocepacia is particularly life-threatening for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Chronic lung infections with these bacteria can rapidly develop into fatal pulmonary necrosis and septicaemia. We have recently shown that macrophages are a critical site for replication of B. cenocepacia K56-2 and the induction of fatal pro-inflammatory responses using a zebrafish infection model. Here, we show that ShvR, a LysR-type transcriptional regulator that is important for biofilm formation, rough colony morphotype and inflammation in a rat lung infection model, is also required for the induction of fatal pro-inflammatory responses in zebrafish larvae. ShvR was not essential, however, for bacterial survival and replication in macrophages. Temporal, rhamnose-induced restoration of shvR expression in the shvR mutant during intramacrophage stages unequivocally demonstrated a key role for ShvR in transition from intracellular persistence to acute fatal pro-inflammatory disease. ShvR has been previously shown to tightly control the expression of the adjacent afc gene cluster, which specifies the synthesis of a lipopeptide with antifungal activity. Mutation of afcE, encoding an acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, has been shown to give similar phenotypes as the shvR mutant. We found that, like shvR, afcE is also critical for the switch from intracellular persistence to fatal infection in zebrafish. The closely related B. cenocepacia H111 has been shown to be less virulent than K56-2 in several infection models, including Galleria mellonella and rats. Interestingly, constitutive expression of shvR in H111 increased virulence in zebrafish larvae to almost K56-2 levels in a manner that absolutely required afc. These data confirm a critical role for afc in acute virulence caused by B. cenocepacia that depends on strain-specific regulatory control by ShvR. We propose that ShvR and AFC are important virulence factors of the more virulent Bcc species, either through pro-inflammatory effects of the lipopeptide AFC, or through AFC-dependent membrane properties.
Translating preventive chemotherapy prevalence thresholds for Schistosoma mansoni from the Kato-Katz technique into the point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen diagnostic test

Background Intervention guidelines against Schistosoma mansoni are based on the Kato-Katz technique. However, Kato-Katz thick smears show low sensitivity, especially for light-intensity infections. The point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) is a promising rapid diagnostic test detecting antigen output of living worms in urine and results are reported as trace, 1+, 2+, and 3+. The use of POC-CCA for schistosomiasis mapping, control, and surveillance requires translation of the Kato-Katz prevalence thresholds into POC-CCA relative treatment cut-offs. Furthermore, the infection status of egg-negative but antigen-positive individuals and the intensity-dependent sensitivity of POC-CCA should be estimated to determine its suitability for verification of disease elimination efforts. Methodology We used data from settings in Africa and the Americas characterized by a wide range of S. mansoni endemicity. We estimated infection intensity-dependent sensitivity and specificity of each test at the unit of the individual, using a hierarchical Bayesian egg-count model that removes the need to define a ‘gold’ standard applied to data with multiple Kato-Katz thick smears and POC-CCA urine cassette tests. A simulation study was carried out based on the model estimates to assess the relation of the two diagnostic tests for different endemicity scenarios. Principal findings POC-CCA showed high specificity (> 95%), and high sensitivity (> 95%) for moderate and heavy infection intensities, and moderate sensitivity (> 75%) for light infection intensities, and even for egg-negative but antigen-positive infections. A 10% duplicate slide Kato-Katz thick smear prevalence corresponded to a 15–40% prevalence of ≥ trace-positive POC-CCA, and 10–20% prevalence of ≥ 1+ POC-CCA. The prevalence of ≥ 2+ POC-CCA corresponded directly to single slide Kato-Katz prevalence for all prevalence levels. Conclusions/significance The moderate sensitivity of POC-CCA, even for very light S. mansoni infections where the sensitivity of Kato-Katz is very low, and the identified relationship between Kato-Katz and POC-CCA prevalence thresholds render the latter diagnostic tool useful for surveillance and initial estimation of elimination of S. mansoni. For prevalence below 10% based on a duplicate slide Kato-Katz thick smear, we suggest using POC-CCA including trace results to evaluate treatment needs and propose new intervention thresholds that need to be validated in different settings.
Bacterial diversity associated with the rhizosphere of wheat plants (Triticum aestivum): Toward a metagenomic analysis

El suelo rizosferico es uno de los reservorios mas gran - des de la diversidad genetica microbiana. Antes de realizar un estudio metagenomico a gran escala de un ambiente, tal como el suelo rizos - ferico, es necesario realizar un analisis previo de la diversidad genetica residente. Por ello, en este trabajo se detecto la diversidad bacteriana asociada a la rizosfera de plantas de trigo por medio de la amplifi - cacion de PCR, construccion de una biblioteca y secuenciacion de los genes 16S ribosomales. Se detectaron 30 OTUs, incluyendo las Clases Alfaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Deltaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobateria, Actinobacteria, Bacilli, Clostridia y bacterias no cultivables. Dentro de las Gammaproteobateria, los generos mas abundantes fueron Pseudomonas , Stenotrophomonas y Bacillus , ya que correspondieron al 40% del total de la biblioteca ribosomal completa. El analisis filogenetico demostro que la mayoria de las secuencias ri - bosomales se agrupan en los clados que pertenecen a bacterias comu - nes del suelo o rizosfericas. Para determinar si la muestra es bastante diversa se llevo a cabo una prueba de Shannon-Wiener, resultando en una tasa de 3,8 bits por individuo. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la rizosfera de plantas de trigo es muy diversa y resulta un candidato excelente para otro tipo de analisis metagenomico
Improving collaboration in construction: an opportunity for action research

One perceived constraint to more effective collaborative working in UK construction is the current practice whereby individual team members each insure for their respective liabilities. It is argued that this promotes risk avoidance and other non-collaborative behaviour among them. An innovative form of insurance, called Integrated Project Insurance (IPI), promises to help alleviate these constraints by insuring the design and construction team as a whole. An Action Research (AR) project is currently being designed to support the development and implementation of key IPI features on a live construction project from 2013 to 2016, with a focus on improving collaborative working among team members. This paper provides a critical review of AR with a particular focus on its recent application in construction research. It seeks to build on previous studies by introducing the key features of a proposed AR approach in terms of their methodological basis, the roles of participants and the nature of AR ‘interventions’ occurring over time.
Stimulation of Multiple Leader Formation in Some Genotypes of Acacia mangium and Acacia auriculiformis with 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP)

Acacia mangium Willd. and Acacia auriculiformis A. Cunn. ex. Benth. are two of the fast-growing tropical acacias which have received priority for genetic assessment and improvement. They were therefore proposed for timber production in a short rotation in Malaysia but were impeded by the multiple leaders (ML) formation which limited their value as sawn timber. This work attempts to investigate the causes of ML formation in four genotypes of A. mangium and A. auriculiformis as related to apical dominance, nutrition and plant growth hormones and their correlations. The effects of 6-benzylaminopurine and decapitation on ML formation of these genotypes were also investigated. 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) as a foliar spray and also decapitation did not stimulate ML formation. However, they significantly increased the number of branches and reduced all other growth traits including height. However, basal diameter was not affected by decapitation. The effects of BAP increased consistently with increasing level of application. BAP at 1500 mg·Lǃ resulted in mortality of A. mangium provenances while A. auriculiformis provenances survived and grew normally. Some of the BAP treated plants of both species developed juvenile pinnate leaves. Decapitation of the apical bud resulted in the activation of the lateral bud immediately below the point of decapitation.
On the origin and significance of subadiabatic temperature gradients in the mantle

[1] It is well established that the temperature gradients in the interiors of internally heated mantle convection models are subadiabatic. The subadiabatic gradients have been explained as arising because of a balance between vertical advection and internal heating; however, a detailed analysis of the energy balance in the subadiabatic regions has not been undertaken. In this paper, we examine in detail the energy balance in a suite of simple, two-dimensional convection calculations with mixed internal and basal heating, depthdependent viscosity, and continents. We find that there are three causes of subadiabatic gradients. One is the above mentioned balance, which becomes significant when the ratio of internal heating to total surface heat flow is large. The second mechanism involves the growth of the ‘‘overshoot’’ of the geotherm near the lower boundary where the dominant balance is between vertical and horizontal advection. The latter mechanism is significant even in relatively weakly internally heated calculations. For time-dependent calculations, we find that local secular cooling can be a dominant term in the energy equation and can lead to subadiabaticity. However, it does not show its signature on the shape of the time-averaged geotherm. We also compare the basal heat flow with parameterized calculations based on the temperature drop at the core-mantle boundary, calculated both with and without taking the subadiabatic gradient into account, and we find a significantly improved fit with its inclusion.
Oil Price Shocks and Domestic Inflation in Thailand

This paper employ monthly data to examine the empirical relationship between oil price shocks and domestic inflation rate during 1993 and 2013. The results show that oil price, domestic or international, does not have the long-run impact on consumer prices. However, oil price shocks cause inflation to increase while oil price uncertainty does not cause an increase in inflation. Furthermore, inflation itself causes inflation uncertainty. The findings of this study encourage the monetary authorities to formulate a more accommodative policy to respond to oil price shocks.
Synthesis, Characterization and Oxide Ionic Conductivity of Binary -(Bi2o3)1-x(Lu2o3)x System

In this study, after doping Lu2O3 to α-Bi2O3 in the range of 11% ≤ n ≤ 20% in a series of different mole ratios, heat treatment was performed by applying a cascade temperature rise in the range of 700-800 °C for 72 hours and new phases were obtained in the (Bi2o3)1-x(Lu2o3)x system. After 72 hours of heat treatment at 800 °C, mixtures containing 14-16% Lu2O3 formed a face-centered cubic phase. Mixtures containing 11– 13%, 17%, 18% mole Lu2O3 were subjected to a quenching process at 825 °C and face-centered cubic phases were obtained. With the help of XRD, the crystal systems and lattice parameters of the solid solutions were obtained and their characterization was carried out. Thermal measurements were made by using a simultaneous DTA/TG system. The total conductivity (σT) in the δ-Bi2O3 doped with Lu2O3 system was measured using the four-probe DC method. Keywords: Bismuth oxide; lutesium oxide; oxygen ionic conductivity; X-ray techniques; thermal analysis.