Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Gamma Irradiation and Heat Treatment on the Immunogenicity of Five Epitopes of Pen a 1 H

BACKGROUND: Pen a1 is a major allergen in shrimp. It is a 284 amino acid protein member of the tropomyosin family with a molecular weight of 36 kDa. Irradiation and heat treatments have been previously shown to reduce the immunoreactivity of Pen a1, but since anaphylaxis is not induced by the whole protein but by epitopes within the protein, studying of the influence of these treatments on the epitopes of Pen a1 is helpful for understanding the sensitization mechanism. In this study, the immunoreactivity of the five epitopes of Pen a1 exposed to heat and irradiation treatments was detected by Ci-ELISA and western blot, using specific anti-sera generated from 5 synthesized epitope peptides of Pen a1. We examined the function of each epitope in the sensitization process by analyzing the variations of their immunoreactivity following irradiation, heat treatment, or a combination of both. RESULTS: Pen a1 was treated by gamma irradiation, heat at 100°C or a combination of irradiation and heat. The IC50 value for each of the five epitopes was detected. The IC50 value of epitopes 1, 2, and 4 decreased under all treatments, especially epitope 4; its IC50 value decreased sharply from 15.88 to 0.11 follwing 7 kGy irradiation and to 0.03 _ 0.04 under 10 kGy or 7 kGy irradiation and heat. The IC50 value of epitope 3 increased from 1.49 to 5.32 under 7 kGy irradiation and to 10.03 under 7kGy and heat, but mildly decreased after 10 kGy irradiation. In contrast, the IC50 value of epitope 5 hardly changed following any treatments. CONCLUSION: The variation in the IC50 values of epitope 3 was consistent with the IC50 values measured from the whole Pen a1 protein, while epitope 5 was stable following irradiation and heat treatments. Since the variation of immunoreactivity of epitope 3 was consistent with Pen a1, this suggests that epitope 3 is the determinative epitope in the allergenicity of Pen a1; epitope 5 was stable with all treatment conditions, suggesting that it could be used in immunoassay kits for the detection of treated shrimp.
USING A NONPARAMETRIC METHOD TO DESCRIBE DIAMETER DISTRIBUTIONS OF BIRCH (BETUlA PUBESCENS EHRH.) STANDS IN NORTHWEST SPAIN

In this study, the nonparametric k-nearest neighbour method was used to describe diameter distributions of birch stands in Northwest Spain. It was applied using the following essential steps: (i) estimation of the distance between target stand and reference stands (kth-nearest neighbours); (ii) use of weight function defined by estimated distance, for each reference stand (to enable construction of a linear combination that defines the diameter distribution of target stand); and (iii) identification of the optimum number of neighbours that minimizes the error associated with statistics used to evaluate the results (bias, mean absolute error, mean square error and relative error index). The best results were obtained by measuring the distance between distributions with a function defined by arithmetic mean diameter and quadratic mean diameter, with a weight function defined by inverse of the distance between distributions and with ideal number of neighbours equal to 8.
Contemporaneous spillover effects between the US and the UK

This paper investigates dynamic and contemporaneous spillover effects between equity markets in the UK and the US. We use high frequency data and the “identification through heteroskedasticity” approach of Rigobon (2003) to capture the contemporaneous volatility spillover effects. Our results imply that during the time when trading hours overlap, higher stock market volatility in the US leads to higher volatility in the UK. We demonstrate the relevance of taking into account the information present during simultaneous trading by comparing the dynamics of the structural VAR with the dynamics of a traditional VAR. Our findings establish that the bi-directional dynamic linkages between the US and simultaneous trading periods are overestimated in the traditional VAR. These results have major implications for risk management and hedging strategies. JEL Codes: C32; C58; G1.
Growth of Children with Persistent Asthma Taking Inhaled Corticosteroids

Background: Growth of children with asthma treated with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) is usually assessed in randomized clinical trials. Methods: We conducted a hospital-based observational study to assess the growth of children with asthma. We recruited children with persistent asthma taking ICS and children with intermittent asthma who were not treated with ICS, matched by age. Child’s growth was measured by height (cm), height-for-age (stunted: <-2 Z-scores) and growth patterns (catch-up growth, suppressed growth, persistent stunting and normal growth). Results: Of 323 included patients, 217 had persistent asthma regularly taking ICS and 106 had intermittent asthma. The mean height at time of study was 120.4 ± 16.3 cm and 120.7 ± 16.7 cm in the persistent and intermittent asthma group, respectively (p = 0.89). Nine patients (2.8%) were stunted at time of study; five (2.3%) from the persistent and four (3.8%) from the intermittent asthma group (p = 0.48). Only four patients (two from each group) had suppressed growth pattern (normal birth length, but stunted at time of study). Most of patients who were stunted at birth achieved normal height-for-age at time of study in both groups (93.8% vs. 92.0%, p=1.0). No significant differences were observed between two groups regarding growth pattern.
THE MULTI-HOP CLUSTER TRANSMISSION OF INFORMATION METHOD FOR SOLVING THE LOW CONNECTIVITY PROBLEM IN WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS WITH NON-UNIFORM DENSITY

This study describes multi-hop cluster transmission of information (MHCTI). This method is an efficient approach for network modelling of sensor data transmission. In this framework, clusters of neighbouring nodes are formed. Collectively, these clusters can significantly improve the transmission of information. The method is based on network clustering and the coherent addition of transmission fields from closely spaced wireless nodes. MHCTI can improve the data transmission distance range and be used to address the problem of low network connectivity in cases of non-uniform wireless node density, consequently increasing the lifetime of the sensor network. To analyse the effectiveness of the proposed method, the network lifetime and connectivity of the MHCTI method were compared with those of previous approaches. Moreover, a simple adaptive algorithm was investigated. In this algorithm, phase shifts in the radiator are randomly selected, and the zone covering the sending cluster is controlled, resulting in improved network connectivity.
FERTILIZATION AND FEEDING REGIMES IN BROOD PONDS OF INDIAN MAJOR CARPS IN JESSORE AND MYMENSINGH REGIONS OF BANGLADESH

Hatchery and fish seed production is the rapidly growing industry in Bangladesh. It has specially been boomed in Jessore and Mymensingh regions. Presently about 99 percent of the Indian major carps seed is produced from hatcheries. The seed quality largely depends on brood fish management relating to feeding and fertilization regimes followed by the hatcheries. Feed with proper ingredients is a key factor for attaining desired brood quality. A survey was conducted on Indian major carp brood rearing techniques relating to feeding and fertilization practices in some hatcheries in Jessore and Mymensingh regions. Fertilization of the ponds was found to be done with urea, Triple Super Phosphate (TSP), Muraite of Potash (MP) and mustard oil cake at a comparatively higher rate in Jessore than in Mymensingh. Cow dung was seen to be used higher in amount in Mymensingh than in Jessore region. Percentages of rice bran and fish meal were higher in Jessore region; while wheat bran was used comparatively at higher percentage in Mymensingh region. Mustard oil cake and vitamin premix were found to be used closely similar in amount in both the regions. Some traditional food items were seen to be used in both the regions.
Nesting ecology, female home range and activity, and population size-class structure of the gopher tortoise, Gopherus polyphemus, on the Katharine Ordway Preserve, Putnam County, Florida

From 1989 to 1991, I conducted field observations on life history characteristics of the gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) on the Katharine Ordway Preserve in north-central Florida. Fourteen adult females were radio-instrumented for up to 505 days to determine home range size, movement, and activity patterns. Home range estimates varied greatly among individual females ranging between 0.002 and 1.435 ha Burrow densities ranged between 2.42 and 10.56 ha. The overall population size-class structure was skewed toward adults (> 210 mm carapace length), suggesting a stable or declining population. Over three consecutive nesting seasons, 2008 burrow aprons were checked for eggs. Less than two percent of the aprons contained nests and only two of 18 gravid females deposited their eggs at burrow entrances. The mean clutch size in 1990, at the height of a long term regional drought. was significantly different from 1991, when seasonal rainfall was near average. Clutch size was positively correlated with female carapace length although carapace length explained only a small amount of the variance. However, a negative correlation between burrow width and clutch size at nests located in burrow aprons suggests that these nests may have been deposited by nonresident females.
Hope and Hype of Adult Stem Cell Plasticity

Human embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines were first described in 1998. Their ability to reproduce limitlessly and differentiate into almost all cell types has generated a lot of scientific and media interest. Scientific research into human ESC has been proliferating steadily in the last few years. This has led to premature and unjustified expectations that embryonic stem cells will cure a host of diseases affecting the heart, brain, endocrines, spinal cord. However, there are ethical issues involved in the use of ESC and research on embryonic cells has been banned in many countries.
Prediction of Fibre Orientation and Stiffness Distributions in Paper – An Engineering Approach

The orientation of the ﬁbres in a paper directly inﬂuences many of its properties. The focus of this work was to predict the ﬁbre orientation distribution and tensile stiffness distribution of a paper. The predictions were based on a proposed link between the two distributions and physical parameters measurable on the paper, no ﬁtting parameters. The ﬁbre orientation distribution in paper was approximated by a probability density function. Both curve ﬁtting type of distribution functions earlier used in paper physics and physical based functions derived from Fluid mechanics, Orthotropic analysis and a simple Stress/strain analysis were evaluated. The physical based functions used one measurable physical parameter, the ﬁbre orientation anisotropy. The tensile stiffness distribution was predicted with a distribution function from the literature and functions derived from the Fluid mechanics and Orthotropic analysis approach. The predictions needed two measurable physical parameters, the MD and CD tensile stiffness. Predictions of ﬁbre orientation distribution and tensile stiffness distribution for restrained dried papers were compared with experimental data from restrained dried oriented handsheets with varying ﬁbre orientation anisotropy. General approaches valid for all papers were compared with experimental data from pilot made papers with different drying restraint history. Both the predicted results for ﬁbre orientation distribution and tensile stiffness distribution showed good agreement with experimental data.
ER 75 CATALYTIC DECOMPOSITION OF NITROGEN-CONTAINING POLYMERS MIXED WITH ZEOLITE CATALYSTS

Thermal degradation of nitrogen-containing polymers may produce broad product range and environmentally hazardous compounds; therefore catalytic pyrolysis was investigated as an alternative process solving these problems. In this work nitrogen-containing polymers (polyamides and polyurethane) and acidic zeolite catalysts were mixed and than pyrolysied at 500°C in a micro-pyrolyser on-line coupled with GC/MS. The analysis of pyrolysis products revealed the nature of chemical reactions taking place in the presence of zeolites. The experimental results show that most polymer segments cracked to gases and to compounds of gasoline volatility, moreover aromatization takes place. However, there are distinctive differences in the decomposition paths of polymers depending on the cation of zeolite.
The Nevada Play Fairway Project — Phase II : Initial Search for New Viable Geothermal Systems in the Great Basin Region , Western USA

Estimates suggest that the Great Basin region is capable of producing much greater amounts of geothermal energy than the current ~600 MW from ~24 power plants. Because most of the geothermal resources in this region are blind, it is imperative that the favorable characteristics for geothermal activity be synthesized and methodologies developed to discover new robust systems. Nine geologic, geochemical, and geophysical parameters were synthesized to produce a new detailed geothermal play fairway map of a large transect across the Great Basin region (96,000 km2) from west-central to eastern Nevada. These parameters were grouped into subsets to delineate rankings for local permeability, regional permeability, and heat, which collectively defined geothermal play fairways (i.e., most likely locations for significant geothermal fluid flow). The primary objective of this work was to reduce the risks in geothermal exploration and thus facilitate discovery of commercial-grade, blind geothermal fields. Two dozen highly prospective areas, including both known systems and previously undiscovered potential blind systems, have been identified across the region for further analysis, of which several will be selected for detailed studies. Multiple techniques, including detailed geologic mapping, shallow temperature surveys, detailed gravity surveys, LiDAR, geochemical studies, seismic reflection analysis, and 3D modeling, are being employed in the detailed studies. Initial work on the detailed studies has begun and will proceed over the next year.
The Role of PPAR γ in Min-Induced Tumorigenesis and Its Relation to Pla 2 g 2 a Christen McAlpine

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ ) is a member of the PPAR family of nuclear receptor transcriptional activators. This family is important in body-plan specification, cell differentiation, and regulation of metabolism. PPARγ has undergone various experiments to determine whether it plays a role as a tumorigenesis suppressor. Some studies have found supporting evidence indicating that PPARγ is a tumor suppressor in B6 mouse strains. However, other studies found refuting evidence, labeling PPARγ as a tumor inducer in mouse strains mutant for the adenomatous polyposis coli (Apc) gene. Phospholipase A2 group IIA (Pla2g2a) gene is a component of the Modifier of Min-1 (Mom-1) locus found on distal mouse chromosome 4. B6 mouse strains of inbred mice carry a mutant non-functional version of Pla2g2a. In one study, a wildtype Pla2g2a gene demonstrated tumor resistance in the presence of a mutant Apc gene. Based on the results from the previous experiments, we designed a genetic experiment to determine if PPARγ is a tumor suppressor in the B6-Apc mouse line and to determine if PPARγ action in the Min-mouse genetically interacts with a wildtype Pla2g2a gene.
Effects of Hope, Grateful Disposition, Workplace Spirituality on Organizational Citizenship Behavior among Nurses

This study assesses the association of nurses' hope, grateful disposition, and workplace spirituality with the goals of providing human resource management plans that lead to efficient and competitive nurse structure by building a nurse organizational culture based on analyzing the influences affecting organizational citizenship behavior. Participants were 147 nurses working in four general hospitals in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. The survey data were analyzed by frequencies, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple stepwise regression via SPSS WIN 18.0. Results showed that organizational citizenship behavior is positively associated with nurse's hope (γ=.22 ∼.36, p<.001), grateful disposition (γ=.38, p<.001) and workplace spirituality (γ=.38∼.54, p<.001). The significant predictors of organizational citizenship behavior were workplace spirituality (β=.54, p<.001), hope of turnover (β=.12, p<.001), hope (β=.09, p<.001) and grateful disposition (β=.08, p<.001), which explained 41.6% of the variance in organizational citizenship behavior. This study systematizes a theory for workplace spirituality processing the early stage research in nurse structure. To improve organizational citizenship behavior among nurses, educational programs and supporting systems should be developed to increase nurses' hope, disposition of grateful disposition, and workplace spirituality.
School of Urban Studies and Planning 12-20-2018 Capturing the Built Environment-travel Interaction for Strategic Planning : Development of a Multimodal Travel Module for the Regional Strategic Planning Model ( RSPM )

Integrated land use and transportationmodels have evolved along a spectrum from simple sketch planning models to complex microsimulation models. While each has its niche, they are largely unable to balance the flexibility and realism of microsimulation and the speed and interactivity of simple models. e Regional Strategic Planning Model (RSPM) aims to fill this gap by taking a microsimulation approach while making other simplifications in order to model first-order effects quickly. It enables planners to consider the robustness of prospective policies in the face of future uncertainties by accepting a broad range of inputs and allowing rapid simulations of many scenarios. is paper introduces the RSPM and shows how new land use andmultimodal transportation sensitivities have been incorporated through the conversion to thenewVisionEval open-source framework. Land use and transportation interactions in the RSPM are reviewed, and the development of a new multimodal travel demand module with improved land use sensitivities is highlighted. e use of a unique nationwide dataset combining the 2009 NHTS, EPA’s Smart Location Database, and metropolitan transit and roadway data is explained. e paper concludes with the results of validation and sensitivity tests, and a discussion of future work. Article History: Received: October 31, 2016 Accepted: August 30, 2017 Available online: December 20, 2018
CD 68-positive tumor-associated macrophages predicts the survival of patients with stage I colorectal cancer

Current risk stratification for patients with stage I colorectal cancer is imperfect. The aim of this study is to determine whether CD68(+) tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is a predictor of the outcomes in patients with stage I colorectal cancer that undergo curative surgery. One hundred eighty-nine patients with stage I colorectal cancer that underwent surgical resection between August 2005 and December 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. TAMs were detected based on immunohistochemical staining of CD68. The optimum thresholds for CD68 expression was based on the maximal 2 value of the log-rank test for disease free survival (DFS). 5-year DFS and cause-specific survival (CSS) were compared between patients with low CD68(+) TAMs and those with high CD68(+) TAMs. The 5-year DFS and CSS were lower in patients with high CD68(+) TAMs than in those with low CD68(+) TAMs (87.6% vs. 92.5%, P=0.008; 90.1% vs. 94.2%, P=0.011). Cox multivariate analysis demonstrated that CD68(+) TAMs were independently associated with DFS (HR, 4.308; 95% CI, 1.296-17.524; P=0.008) and CSS (HR, 5.294; 95% CI, 1.021-35.437; P=0.012) in patients with stage I colorectal cancer. In conclusion, CD68(+) TAMs in tumor tissue is a prognostic factor predicting DFS and CSS in patients with stage I colorectal cancer that underwent curative surgery.
Comparison of the nutritive value of a native Turkish forages , tumbleweed hay ( Gundelia tournefortii L . ) , wheat straw and alfalfa hay using in situ and in vitro measurements with sheep

Hay from native-growing tumbleweed (Gundelia tournefortii L.) was compared with wheat (Triticum estivum) straw and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) hay in terms of chemical composition, in situ dry matter (DM) degradation in vitro gas production and in vitro DM digestibility (IVDMD). Chemical composition of tumbleweed hay was better than wheat straw but comparable to alfalfa hay. Crude protein (CP) concentration of tumbleweed hay was higher (P<0.001) than that of wheat straw but lower than that of alfalfa hay. Crude fibre (CF) concentration of tumbleweed hay was lower (P<0.001) than that of wheat straw but similar to that of alfalfa hay. Mineral concentrations varied among forages. Tumbleweed hay was high in phosphorus (P) and iron (Fe) compared with alfalfa hay and wheat straw. The in situ DM disappearance and corresponding estimated prediction equation parameters of tumbleweed hay were higher (P<0.001) than those of wheat straw but similar to those of alfalfa hay, whereas in vitro gas production at all incubation times and corresponding estimated parameters of tumbleweed hay were higher (P<0.001) than those of alfalfa hay and wheat straw. Metabolizable energy (ME) values of the forages varied between 7.1 and 10.5 MJ/kg DM. The ME value of tumbleweed hay exceeded (P<0.001) those of alfalfa hay and wheat straw. In vitro DM digestibility (IVDMD) of tumbleweed hay was higher (P<0.001) than that wheat straw but similar to that of alfalfa. It was concluded that the nutritive value of tumbleweed hay is better than that of wheat straw and comparable to that of alfalfa hay. Within the confines of this study, tumbleweed hay seems to have potential as a forage crop for smallholder farmers during periods of forage scarcity.
Studying the effect of drought stress on yield and physiological characteristics in genotypes of canola ( Brassica napus L . )

In order to study the effect of deficit irrigation on some physiological traits of genotypes of canola, a pot experiment was conducted in 2015-2016 in Fars province (Rostam). The pot experiment was examined in a factorial experiment form in a completely randomized design with three replications. The factors to be studied include 20 canola genotypes and drought stress in three levels (normal irrigation after 80 mm evaporation from pan class A, irrigation stop in flowering stage, irrigation stop at seed filling stage). Drought stress increases the activity of catalase and peroxidase enzymes, malondialdehyde, Cell membrane leakage, proline, and carbohydrates, and reduces RWC and chlorophyll a, b, and carotenoids.
The effect of carbon nanotube diameter on the electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties of polymer composites

1Korea Institute of Carbon Convergence Technology, Jeonju 54853, Korea 2Department of Machine Design Engineering, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Korea 3Department of Information & Communication Engineering, Wonkwang University, Iksan 54538, Korea 4Department of Chemistry, Seogang University, Seoul 04107, Korea 5Departmemnt of Machine System Engineering, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Korea