Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decomposition Stages and Carrion Insect Succession on Dressed Hanging Pig Carcasses in Nan Province, Northern Thailand

– The principal colonizing insect species and their succession pattern on six dressed, hanging pig carcasses (Sus scrofa domestica) in Nan province, Northern Thailand, was evaluated along with the cadaver decomposition stages in the monsoon wet, winter and summer seasons during May 2010 – August 2011 at two different habitat types, mixed deciduous forest and suburban plantation area. At each site, a dressed pig carcass was suspended by its neck from a tree branch 1.2 m of pig’s feet above the ground. Carcasses were protected from carnivorous vertebrates, but not the ambient weather (wind, rain or sunlight), by ground fencing (enclosure). The ambient and internal carcass temperature, relative humidity, insect succession and rate of carcass decomposition were monitored in both habitats. From this preliminary study, 43–45 and 39–40 different cadaver-associated (nonaccidental) taxa were collected in the mixed deciduous forest and suburban plantation area, respectively. The observed insect succession pattern broadly conformed to those reported from other (mostly temperate) regions. The primary and dominant necrophagous colonizers were the calliphorid dipterans, Chrysomya megacephala (F.) and Achoetandrus rufifacies (Macquart), in both habitats. Unconfirmed (insufficient sample sizes) trends of interest for further confirmation included that: (i) the decomposition rate was potentially faster in the monsoon wet and summer seasons in both habitats than in winter; and (ii) that whilst the patterns of insect secession occurred in a predictable sequence, they varied in timing and species composition between the habitats.
Myrtucommulone from Myrtus communis Exhibits Potent Anti-Inflammatory Effectiveness in Vivo

Myrtucommulone (MC), a nonprenylated acylphloroglucinol contained in the leaves of myrtle (Myrtus communis), has been reported to suppress the biosynthesis of eicosanoids by inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase-1 in vitro and to inhibit the release of elastase and the formation of reactive oxygen species in activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Here, in view of the ability of MC to suppress typical proinflammatory cellular responses in vitro, we have investigated the effects of MC in in vivo models of inflammation. MC was administered to mice intraperitoneally, and paw edema and pleurisy were induced by the subplantar and intrapleural injection of carrageenan, respectively. MC (0.5, 1.5, and 4.5 mg/kg i.p.) reduced the development of mouse carrageenan-induced paw edema in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, MC (4.5 mg/kg i.p. 30 min before and after carrageenan) exerted anti-inflammatory effects in the pleurisy model. In particular, 4 h after carrageenan injection in the pleurisy model, MC reduced: 1) the exudate volume and leukocyte numbers; 2) lung injury (histological analysis) and neutrophil infiltration (myeloperoxidase activity); 3) the lung intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and P-selectin immunohistochemical localization; 4) the cytokine levels (tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β) in the pleural exudate and their immunohistochemical localization in the lung; 5) the leukotriene B4, but not prostaglandin E2, levels in the pleural exudates; and 6) lung peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid-reactant substance) and nitrotyrosine and poly (ADP-ribose) immunostaining. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that MC exerts potent anti-inflammatory effects in vivo and offer a novel therapeutic approach for the management of acute inflammation.
Altered ATP-Sensitive P2 Receptor Subtype Expression in the Han:SPRD cy/+ Rat, a Model of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease

The effects of extracellular ATP on fluid secretion and reabsorption by renal epithelial cells, as well as its known effects on cell proliferation and death, are potentially important contributory factors in the development and growth of renal cysts. In this study, we have investigated the protein and mRNA expression of several P2Y receptor subtypes (P2Y1,2,4,6), as well as the P2X5 and P2X7 receptors, in kidney tissue from the Han:SPRD (cy/+) rat model of polycystic kidney disease. All of the P2Y receptors tested for, and the P2X5 and P2X7 subtypes, were located on the cyst-lining cells of Han:SPRD (cy/+) rat polycystic kidneys; most immunostaining was cytosolic and we could not confidently localize it to one or other membrane. However, the staining pattern for P2Y6 was uniquely granular when compared with the other P2 receptors. P2Y2 and P2Y6 receptor mRNA was increased in both homozygote (cy/cy) and heterozygote (cy/+) rat kidneys when compared with unaffected littermates. The protein levels of P2Y2 and P2Y6 receptors were also increased, being undetectable or at a low level, respectively, in control tissue. Finally, P2X7 receptor mRNA was increased in cy/+, but not in cy/cy rat kidneys. Our results show that a number of P2Y receptor subtypes, as well as the P2X5 and P2X7 receptors, are clearly expressed in cyst-lining cells in the Han:SPRD (cy/+) rat model of renal cystic disease. Furthermore, P2Y2 and P2Y6 receptor mRNA and protein levels are markedly increased in cystic rat kidneys compared with normal rats of the same genetic background. Thus, the most consistent findings were an increase in the expression of P2Y2, P2Y6 and P2X7 receptors in cystic tissue. Given the widely reported effects of stimulating these P2 receptor subtypes in epithelial and other renal cells, they could contribute to the development and growth of renal cysts: extracellular ATP and its products ‘trapped’ in cyst fluid may activate P2 receptors expressed by cyst-lining cells, causing cyst expansion from increased fluid secretion and/or reduced reabsorption, as well as an increase in cell turnover (re-modeling).
Embankment Construction Over Reclaimed Land Using Pre-Fabricated Vertical Drains

Prefabricated vertical drains (PVD or band drains) and stage construction technique was employed successfully for a new railway embankment constructed across the Ennore creek in Chennai, Tamil Nadu where the consolidation of the very soft underlying marine clay was accelerated to complete the embankment construction economically and within the shortest time possible. The ground improvement was carried out to reduce the post construction settlement of the railway embankment as well as to increase the shear strength of the underlying soft clay in order to safely support the newly constructed embankment and thus avoid any shear failure in the very soft underlying clay during embankment construction and operation of the rail tracks. Indian Geotechnical Conference – 2010, GEOtrendz December 16–18, 2010 IGS Mumbai Chapter & IIT Bombay 1. LAND RECLAMATION Additional land had to be created from the creek by reclamation in order to construct the newly proposed railway lines. The area reclaimed was approximately 45m wide and about 1000m long. Earth fill embankment had to be constructed over the land thus reclaimed to a height of 4.0m before the additional railway lines could be constructed. Please see Figure 1.
Biofilm and flow regimes: developing a biological monitoring program for the Nymboida River, northern NSW

A well-designed monitoring program is critical for determining the extent of human impacts and the effectiveness of restoration activities in aquatic ecosystems. This project considers the Nymboida River, northern NSW, as a case study for developing a biological monitoring program. Water extraction from the Nymboida weir pool alters the flow regime to downstream habitats. Algal biofilms, which respond to local hydraulic conditions, are used in this project as biological indicators of response to the altered flow regime downstream of the weir. Longitudinal change on the Nymboida (the difference in biofilm assemblage attributes between upstream and downstream of the weir) was compared with longitudinal change on ‘reference’ rivers (rivers that do not have a weir and represent the desired condition for the Nymboida given current water and land-use constraints). This design allows us to determine if longitudinal change in biofilm on the Nymboida is greater than what we would generally find on equivalent rivers without a weir. The high variability in biofilm attributes (algal composition, biofilm mass, organic matter content and chlorophyll a at monitoring sites is assessed up-front in the design of the monitoring program so that optimum levels of sample replication can be determined. This will ensure that resources can be allocated efficiently while still providing enough information for managers to make informed decisions
Long-Term Effects of Armed Conflict on Trust and Behavior: Evidence from Northern Uganda

This study investigates the long-term effects of exposure to armed conflict on trust, trustworthiness, and real-life pro-social behaviors by using trust measures elicited from incentivized lab-in-the-field experiments in rural northern Uganda. Overall, unlike prior studies, we do not find that trust is fostered by exposure to armed conflict either at the individual-level (whether one was abducted by a rebel group) or household-level (whether a household was displaced to a camp). However, there is a heterogeneous impact among former abductees: those who were abducted when younger exhibit less trust and trustworthiness. Furthermore, those abducted seem to show higher mistrust when playing with partners in the northern region compared with other regions. On the effect on real life behavior, those abducted during conflict are more likely to engage in pro-social behaviors. To understand the seemingly contradicting findings between experimentally elicited trust and real life behavior, we investigate the underlying mechanism, which reveals that assistance received after the conflict and the experience of holding a leadership position while with the rebels are the main channels of fostering pro-social behavior.
Antimicrobial activity of Aspergillus sp. IBRL MP15 CCL, an endophytic fungus isolated from Swietenia macrophylla leaf against human pathogens

Aims: Endophytes are microorganisms residing in the living tissues of the host plant and may contribute to their host plant by producing a plethora of bioactive compounds that provide survival value to the plant. This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of Aspergillus sp. IBRL MP15 CCL, an endophytic fungus isolated from Swietenia macrophylla leaf. Methodology and results: The antimicrobial activity was evaluated with disc diffusion and a colorimetric broth microdilution test against 15 organisms comprising of 4 Gram-positive bacteria and 4 Gram-negative bacteria, 4 fungi and 3 yeast. On disc diffusion assay, the fungal extract was shown to inhibit the growth of 7 test bacteria and 3 test yeast. The antibacterial activity was more pronounced with extract from fungal culture with host plant extract supplementation with significantly larger inhibition zones on all susceptible test microorganisms. The minimal inhibitory concentration of the extract ranged from 250 to 4000 μg/mL indicating different level of susceptibility of the tested pathogens against the fungal extract. The killing kinetic study shows that antimicrobial activity of the fungal extract is concentration dependent and it can act as bactericidal at higher concentration. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: The findings of this study suggest that Aspergillus sp. IBRL MP15 CCL can be a promising source of antimicrobial agent to be further studied and developed.
Intergenerational Persistence in Education and Income : An Evolutionary View ∗

Despite the fact that education may increase one’s lifetime income, intergenerational persistence in educational attainment is widely observed. We develop a model to explain the natural formation of intergenerational persistence in education and analyze the evolutionary dynamics. While the gains from education are the same for different subgroups of the population, constant education costs generate higher disutility for lower-income families. Under competitive labor supply, where increasing the size of the educated population reduces the payoff, lower-income families will give up education, which leads to intergenerational persistence. In a simple setup we find neutral stability with perfect immobility of education levels, but the share of educated population may differ. The implications are: (a) intergenerational persistence exists naturally; (b) partial subsidy of one-price education leads to social efficiency, reduces inequality and promotes welfare, yet immobility still exists; and (c) social persistence could be solved by price discrimination.
A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY OF KNOWLEDGE , ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF MEDICAL STUDENTS ABOUT ORGAN DONATION

Background: In 1912 Transplant pioneer Alexis Carrell received the Nobel Prize for his work in the field. The French surgeon had developed methods for connecting blood vessels and conducted successful kidney transplants on dogs. Ukrainian doctor Yu Yu Voronoy transplanted the first human kidney, using an organ from a deceased donor. The recipient died shortly thereafter as a result of rejection (Bilgel et al., 2006). In 1982 on December 2, Barney Clark received the first artificial heart; he survived for 112 days (Taimur Saleem et al., 2009). In 2010 Spanish doctors conducted the world’s first full face transplant on a man injured in a shooting accident. A number of partial face transplants had already taken place around the world (Bilgel et al., 2006). Objectives: To assess the knowledge among undergraduate students about organ donation, their attitude and commitment towards donation of organs and various factors affecting organ donation. Methodology: A cross sectional study was planned for undergraduate students of Santhiram Medical College, Nandyal, District Kurnool, by developing a three part questionnaire in April 2014. Study was conducted and subjected for statistical analysis. Observation and Results: Study participants have heard of donation and have some knowledge of organ donation, but none have donated. No statistical association was found between age, sex, year of study, religion, socio-economic status to donate organs. Print medias were main source of information. Family person was first concern for donation. Student were reluctant to donate smokers, alcoholics addicts etc. Conclusion: Organ donation and transplantation curriculum should be included in undergraduate syallabus, looking to great need of organ donation in future.
Quasi-Separable Preferences ∗

Advances in economic theory have made decision theoretic models increasingly complex. Utility functions often lack additive separability, which is a major obstacle for decision theoretic axiomatizations. We address this challenge by providing a representation theorem for utility functions of quasi-separable preferences of the form u(x, y, z) = f(x, z)+g(y, z) on subsets of topological product spaces. These functions are additively separable only when holding z fixed. We then generalize the result to spaces with more than three dimensions and provide axiomatizations for preferences with reference points as well as consumption preferences with dependence across time periods. Our results allow us to generalize the theory of additive representations to simplexes and surfaces.
Process parameters and pre-treatment methods influence on the drying kinetics and quality of sweet potato (Ipomea batatas L.) dried in the convective tray drier

The drying characteristics of sweet potato (Ipomea batatas L.) were investigated using a laboratory convective tray drier at different drying temperatures and pre-treatments. The drying temperatures were 50, 60, 70, 80 °C, and airflow velocity 2.8 ms-1. Different physical and chemical pre-treatments of sweet potato samples were applied as follows: hot water and steam blanching; dipping in: 0.5% ascorbic acid solution, 0.15% 4-hexylresorcinol (4-HR) solution, 0.3% L-cysteine (LC) solution. Pre-treatment with 0.15% 4-HR resulted in the most reduced drying time and high rehydration ratio, while pre-treatment with 0.3% LC solution resulted in the minimum colour change.
WETTABILITY , OPTICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PLASMA-POLYMERIZED D-LIMONENE THIN FILMS

In this study, organic based polymer thin films were obtained on various substrates using D-Limonene essential oil, which is an organic compound by radio frequency (RF) plasma polymerization technique. The optical band gap and absorption spectra of thin films were investigated by Uv-VIS spectra and depending on the increased RF power, the optical band gap of the thin films was found to be 3.19, 3.25 and 3.31 eV, respectively. WCA analyzes were also performed to determine the wettability properties of thin films and all thin films had hydrophilic properties and these properties were significantly affected by increased RF power. Considering both the morphological and optical properties of plasma polymerized (pp) D-Limonene thin films, it is thought that these films may be an alternative to those already used in current electronic applications due to their organic compound-based nature.
EVALUATE PERFORMANCE OF RUBBER DAMPER CONNECTOR IN STRUCTURES SUBJECT TO DYNAMIC LOAD

The beam-column joints are playing important role for the stability of moment resisting structures subject to dynamic loads. Application of damper device in beam-column joints can be considered as alternative techniques to dissipate vibration energy in the structures. In this research, an attempt has been made to design and propose special rubber damper device to be implemented in frame joints as beam to column connector. Considering of high potential properties of natural rubber to dissipate vibration effect, high damping natural rubber (HDNR) is used in the developed damper connector in order to dissipate vibration effect in structures. The finite element model for proposed damper connector is developed in order to perform nonlinear analysis of frame structure equipped with damper connector under cyclic loading. Also, the parametric study has been performed to evaluate the effect of rubber thickness and number of rubber layers on the functioning of rubber damper connector in reducing the vibration transferred from the beam to the column. The numerical simulation is verified by conducting of experimental test for steel frame by imposing cyclic displacements using dynamic actuator. The analysis result indicated that developed damper connector effectively enhanced dynamic performance of frame by increasing the energy dissipation capacity of the structure. Also, the comparison of the hysteresis loop for the frame furnished with damper connector with various rubber thicknesses proved the enhancement of frame stiffness by decreasing of rubber thickness up to 5mm which is led to high energy dissipation. The proposed damper connector device is applicable for new and existing structure as retrofitting scheme with low cost of fabrication and installation. Phd Student, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia, esmaeil.ebrahimi2000@gmail.com 2* Corresponding Author, Assoc. Prof, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia, farzad@upm.edu. my Prof, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University Putra Malaysia, Malaysia, msj@upm.my Ebrahimi E, Hejazi F, Jaafar M.S, Evaluate Performance of Rubber Damper Connector in Structures Subject to Dynamic Load for the 11NCEE. Proceedings of the 11 National Conference in Earthquake Engineering, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Los Angeles, CA. 2018. Eleventh U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering Integrating Science, Engineering & Policy June 25-29, 2018 Los Angeles, California Evaluate Performance of Rubber Damper Connector in Structures Subject to Dynamic Load E. Ebrahimi , F. Hejazi and MS. Jafar
Channel doping impact on FinFETs for 22nm and beyond

The natural choice to achieve multiple threshold voltages (Vth) in fully-depleted devices is by choosing the appropriate gate workfunction for each device. However, this comes at the cost of significantly higher process complexity. The absence of a body contact in FinFETs and insensitivity to back-gate bias leaves the conventional channel doping approach as the most practical technique to achieve multiple Vth. This choice, however, introduces a variable that is usually not considered in the context of fully depleted devices. For the first time, we demonstrate a multiple Vth solution at relevant device geometries and gate pitch for the 22nm node. We investigated the impact of FinFET channel doping on relevant device parameters such as Tinv, mobility, electrostatic control and Vth mismatch. We also show that Vth extraction by the “constant current” method could mislead the DIBL analysis of devices with greatly different channel mobility.
Annotated checklist of the lichens and lichenicolous fungi of Bhutan

An annotated checklist is presented of the 287 lichens and lichenicolous fungi known from Bhutan. The vast majority (225) are new records for the country, based on recent collections of 264 species by the second author. Most species were previously known from the Himalayas, but some represent considerable range extensions. Noticeable examples are the rare Ropalospora chlorantha, so far only known from eastern North America, and the fITstreport from the Northern Hemisphere of Lepraria nigrocincta. Pyrrhospora bhutanensis is described as new to science.
Resampling Methods for Dependent Data

Durbin, B. P., Hardin, J. S. , Hawkins, D. M. , and Rocke, D. M. (2002), “A Variance-Stabilizing Transformation for Gene-Expression Microarray Data,” Bioinformatics, 18 (Suppl. 1), S105–S110. Huber, W. , von Heydebreck, A. , Sültmann, H. , Poustka, A. , and Vingron, M. (2002), “Variance Stabilization Applied to Microarray Data Calibration and to the Quantification of Differential Expression,” Bioinformatics, 18 (Suppl. 1), S96–S104.
SPECTRAL ANALYSIS OF SOURCE PARAMETERS OF THE 1999 KOCAELI AND DÜZCE EARTHQUAKE AFTERSHOCK SEQUENCES

Source parameters of the 1999 Kocaeli and Düzce, Turkey earthquake aftershock sequences are estimated by spectral analysis of acceleration data. Our data set consists of 484 strong motion acceleration records that correspond to 84 events with magnitudes changing between ML 1.93 and 6.04. The records were obtained between 21 August 1999-29 December 1999, from the permanent and temporary stations in the region. The seismological parameters are from a catalog compiled from the Kandilli Observatory and TUBITAK data. The records are uniformly corrected for distance, free surface and energy partition effects. The effect of whole path diminution is avoided by considering only records obtained within 40km of the hypocenter. We determine seismic moments (Mo), spectral corner frequencies (fc), source radii (r), stress drops (∆σ), slip (s), radiated energy (Erad) and source duration(T). We obtain these parameters by (1) eyefitting a straight line to the displacement spectra, and (2) finding the best-fitting theoretical spectra to the acceleration source spectra and compare the two methodologies. We systematically calculate κ, the near surface attenuation factor, and study its dependence on site conditions, distance and magnitude. We correct for site conditions by (1) accounting for the amplification in the low-frequency part of spectrum only, (2) using frequency-dependent site amplification factors. We discuss the differences that we observe in the source parameters introduced by utilization of different techniques for site effects.