Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular characterization of an endo-type chitosanase from the fish pathogen Renibacterium sp. QD1

Renibacterium sp. QD1, a bacteria strain capable of hydrolysing chitosan, was isolated from the homogenate of small crabs. An extracellular chitosanase, Csn-A, was purified from the QD1 fermentation broth. The enzyme was purified to homogeneity, with a yield of eight-fold, 67% recovery and a specific activity of 1575 U/mg proteins. The molecular weight of Csn-A was estimated to be 26.1 kDa by SDS-PAGE. Unlike other chitosanases, the purified Csn-A displayed maximal activity at a pH range of 5.3–6.5, and it was stable in a broad pH range of 5.0–10.0. The optimum temperature for chitosanlytic activity was 55°C. The enzyme activity was strongly stimulated by Mn2+ but inhibited by Fe3+, Cu2+, Al3+, Zn2+ and SDS. TLC analysis demonstrated that Csn-A hydrolysed N-deacetylated polymeric glucosamines into chito-biose and -triose in an endo-type manner. The amino acid seuquence of Csn-A showed close identity with an uncharacterized chitosanase of strain ATCC33209.
Experimental study of train sanding

Train sanders are ubiquitous in remediating low wheel–rail adhesion. Sanders operate by taking sand stored in a hopper, pneumatically conveying it through a nozzle, then spraying it into the wheel–rail interface. In this research, the wheel–rail–sander system was simulated experimentally in a laboratory. The system was optically accessible, and Particle Tracking Velocimetry was used to observe the trajectory of sand particles approaching the nip. The percentage of sand conveyed through the nozzle that makes it to the wheel–rail nip – the deposition efficiency – was measured gravimetrically. The maximum efficiency was found to be 91% for 1.15 mm mean diameter silica sand with a proprietary coating, and the minimum efficiency was 59% for uncoated aluminum oxide with a 0.91 mm mean diameter, both at a simulated train speed of 18 km/h. Irregular particles were found to be less efficient when compared to spherical particles with a similar size and composition. Increasing the size of silica sand from 0.18 mm to 1.05 mm in diameter slightly decreased the sanding efficiency from 67% to 60%. There was no statistically significant dependence of the efficiency on the particle coefficient of restitution. The single parameter most closely correlated with the deposition efficiency is the expansion of the particle-laden jet downstream of the nozzle. Larger, round particles typically had the smallest jet expansion and the highest efficiency, whereas rough particles with large diameters were found to have a large jet expansion and lowest efficiency. Finally, the effect of train speed on deposition efficiency was studied. The deposition efficiency was found to be very low at low train speeds and asymptotically approaches a fixed value at higher speeds. A simple physical model is proposed that explains the low efficiency at low speeds.
Sensitivity of a Novel Biotin-Free Detection Reagent (Powervision+™) for Immunohistochemistry

Abstract One of the important goals in immunohistochemistry (IHC) is to achieve greater sensitivity with detection systems using the shortest possible incubation time. A second generation of polymer-based, biotin-free detection reagent, (PowerVision+™), was introduced by ImmunoVision Technologies Co. (Daly City, CA) in 2001. It is based on polymeric technology, which uses compact enzyme-antibody conjugates resulting in markedly increased penetrative ability of the reagent with improved detection sensitivity and efficiency. We evaluated the detection sensitivity and efficiency of the PowerVision+™ reagent in a comparative IHC study with the two currently available detection reagents: Super Sensitive Multilink® (BioGenex Laboratories, Inc.) and Envision™ (DAKO). The experimental design incorporated a panel of 20 primary antibodies. Immunohistochemistry was performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded archival tissues under identical conditions. The results revealed that the sensitivity of the PowerVision+™ reagent was significantly greater than other two detection systems. The polylabeling PowerVision+™ reagent had the advantages of amplification of staining intensity, better standardization of IHC protocols, and lower costs as a result of higher dilution of primary antibodies. In addition, it is a biotin-free detection reagent without the disadvantages of endogenous biotin reactivity. (The J Histotechnol 25:247, 2002)
The relation among tinnitus distress, psychoacoustic parameters and anxiety state in hearing-impaired patients with chronic tinnitus: a pilot study

Background and Aim: Anxiety and depression are prevalent psychological disorders accompany tinnitus that have adverse effects on quality of life of these patients and on the outcomes of rehabilitation programs. The goal of this study was determining and quantifying the relation among perceived tinnitus severity, its psychoacoustic parameters and anxiety symptoms in hearing-impaired individuals with subjective chronic tinnitus and residual inhibition (RI) by using Persian version of Spielberger's StateTrait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), tinnitus handicap inventory-Persian version (THI-P) and visual analogue scale (VAS) besides psychometric evaluations. Methods: Fourteen patients with chronic tinnitus were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Conventional psychoacoustic tinnitus evaluations (i.e. determining quality of tinnitus, pitch matching, loudness matching, minimum masking level and RI) were conducted for all subjects, and they also completed the Persian version of STAI and THI-P. For screening of tinnitus perceived loudness and distress, VAS was used. Results: There was no correlation among THI-P, VAS scores and psychoacoustic parameters. There was a positive significant correlation between THI-P and Persian STAI scores (r = 0.63; p = 0.01). There was not any significant correlation between tinnitus duration and VAS, STAI or THI-P. There also had no significant correlation between VAS and THI-P (r = 0.56; p = 0.2). Conclusion: The present pilot study showed that Persian version of THI and STAI are correlated questionnaires. Therefore, Persian version of these questionnaires are valuable tools for evaluation of patients with chronic tinnitus.
The Effects of Water Stress on the Growth, Sugar and Nitrogen Content of Cherry Tomato Fruit

Cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Piko) plants were drip-irrigated at four soil moisture levels (pF 1.5, pF 2.0, pF 2.5 and pF 2.9) from the 17th day before fruits on the first cluster reached the red ripe stage. Under high water stress (pF 2.9), the total dry weight and water content of the plant decreased, compared to other treatments. However, the proportion of fruit dry weight per plant gradually increased proportionately to the pF, but the proportion of the leaf and root dry weight decreased. The total sugar content of the fruit increased as the pF value rose, but that of sucrose was lower than that of glucose and fructose under all of water conditions. Starch content in the fruit was equal and decreased during its ripening in all treatments. Although the water content of the fruit decreased with higher water stress, the difference in concentration among the four conditions was within 3% so that the sugar concentration was barely affected. Total nitrogen content and the nitrogen content in the water soluble protein under water stress at pF 2.9 were lower than thoes at pF 1.5 which suggests that the low nitrogen content may account for the high sugar content. We conclude that the optimum pF value ranges between pF 2.5 and 2.9, within which is optimum tomato fruit quality without any reduction in yield.
Superoxide Dismutase in Plants

Abstract Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are metal-containing enzymes that catalyze the dismutation of superoxide radicals to oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. The enzyme has been found in all aerobic organisms examined where it plays a major role in the defense against toxic-reduced oxygen species, which are generated as byproducts of many biological oxidations. The generation of oxygen radicals can be further exacerbated during environmental adversity and consequently SOD has been proposed to be important for plant stress tolerance. In plants, three forms of the enzyme exist, as classified by their active site metal ion: copper/zinc, manganese, and iron forms. The distribution of these enzymes has been studied both at the subcellular level and at the phylogenic level. It is only in plants that all three different types of SOD coexist. Their occurrence in the different subcellular compartments of plant cells allows a study of their molecular evolution and the possibility of understanding why three functionally .
Zero-Voltage Transition Nonisolated Bidirectional Buck–Boost DC–DC Converter With Coupled Inductors

This article presents a new zero-voltage transition (ZVT) pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) bidirectional dc–dc buck–boost converter. The main features of the suggested converter are simple control, simple structure, and the reduction of stresses on the power switches. In this converter, only two auxiliary switches, two snubber capacitors, one diode, and one coupled inductor are used to create zero voltage switching (ZVS) condition for all switching components in both power flow directions. The limited number of elements and the ZVS condition make a high-efficient converter that can be applied in many industrial applications. The proposed converter has the efficiency around 97% at full load in both boost and buck modes. Hence, the suggested soft-switching cell is in such a way that it can be applied in other basic nonisolated bidirectional converters such as cascade buck–boost, buck–boost/buck–boost, single-ended primary-inductor converter (SEPIC)/Zeta, and Cuk/Cuk. The confirmation of the theoretical waveforms and analysis of the suggested topology is done by the experiments carried out on a hardware prototype of a 100-W converter.
Mobile Money Use and Healthcare Utilization: Evidence from Rural Uganda

Lack of cash on hand is a significant obstacle in accessing healthcare services in developing countries. Many expectant mothers in the least developed countries do not receive sufficient care during pregnancy due to financial constraints. If such hurdles in accessing healthcare can be overcome, it will contribute to reduction in maternal and newborn mortality, which is a key target of Sustainable Development Goal 3. This study reports the first assessment of the impact of mobile money services on maternal care utilization. We hypothesize that mobile money adoption would motivate rural Ugandan women to receive antenatal care and to deliver their children at health facilities or with skilled birth attendants. By receiving remittances utilizing mobile money, poor rural households may obtain more cash in hand, which might change women’s health-seeking behavior. We apply community- and mother-fixed effects models with heterogeneity analysis to longitudinal panel data (the RePEAT [Research on Poverty, Environment, and Agricultural Technology] survey) of three waves (2009, 2012, and 2015). The analysis uses pregnancy reports of 2007–2015 from 586 rural Ugandan households. We find suggestive evidence that mobile money adoption positively affects the take-up of antenatal care. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that mobile money brings a larger benefit to geographically challenged households by easing their liquidity constraint as they face higher cost of traveling to distant health facilities. The models failed to reject the null hypothesis of no mobile money effect on the delivery-related outcome variables. This study suggests that promoting financial inclusion by means of mobile money motivates women in rural and remote areas to make antenatal care visits while the evidence of such effect is not found for take-up of facility delivery or delivery with skilled birth attendants.
Effects of Various Items, Host Plants, and Temperatures on the Development and Survival of Macrolophus pygmaeus Rambur (Hemiptera: Miridae)

Abstract Nymphal development and survival of Macrolophus pygmaeus Rambur (Hemiptera: Miridae) on various host plants, in the presence and absence of various insect prey, and on bee pollen and pollen from Ecbalium elaterium L. (Cucurbitaceae) in various combinations were studied. The effect of temperature on the development and mortality of M. pygmaeus nymphs was also studied. Experiments were conducted in temperature cabinets maintained at 65 ± 5% RH, 16L:8D h photoperiod, and constant temperatures, depending on the experiment. Results demonstrated that M. pygmaeus can successfully complete its development on tomato, eggplant, cucumber, pepper, and green beans in the absence of insect prey. In the presence of insect prey, M. pygmaeus had the shortest period of nymphal development on eggplant with Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) followed by Myzus persicae (Sulzer), Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas), Aphis gossypii Glover, and Tetranychus urticae Koch. Mortality of M. pygmaeus nymphs was relatively higher in the absence than in the presence of prey on various host plants but was not considered a factor restricting predator establishment. M. pygmaeus completed its development, even in the absence of prey, under a range of temperatures from 15 to 30°C on tomato, with optimum development at 30°C. Bee pollen and pollen from E. elaterium, when offered separately, were sufficient to support successful predator nymphal development and survival. Bee pollen contributed considerably to the development and survival of the nymphs when it was included in diets containing other food sources, like eggplant leaves and M. persicae.
Seedling recruitment on agriculturally improved mesic grassland: the influence of disturbance and management schemes

Abstract Question: Are the recruitment patterns of deliberately introduced wildflower species influenced by cutting frequencies and disturbance treatments? To what extent do these different treatments affect productivity and sward structure of an agriculturally improved grassland? Location: A mesic lowland grassland near Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Methods: Recruitment success of eight sown wildflower species was studied in a permanent grassland treated by a factorial combination of different pre-sowing cutting intervals (1, 3 or 9 wk), post-sowing cutting intervals (1, 3 or 9 wk) and disturbance (control, harrowing, removal of sward). Seedling emergence and survival, biomass production and sward structure were followed over two years. Results: For most species seedling emergence was highest in the harrowing treatment. The complete sward removal did not further increase seedling emergence. Seedling survival was strongly influenced by the post-sowing cutting frequency with highest mortality in the 9 wk cutting interval compared to one and 3 wk cutting intervals. Annual dry matter yield varied between 4.4, 5.9 and 9.4 t.ha−1 in the 1, 3 and 9 wk pre-sowing cutting treatment, respectively. In June, when the seeds were sown, the tiller number of the 1 wk cut plots was twice as high as for the 9 wk cut plots and five times higher than in the harrowing treatment. Conclusions: Disturbance by harrowing provided the optimal environmental cues to trigger germination, whereas seedling survival was facilitated by increased light penetration due to frequent cutting. The investigation revealed the overriding importance of frequent standing crop removal in the early phase of seedling establishment on agriculturally improved grassland. Nomenclature: Oberdorfer (1994).
Performance measurement and lean maturity: congruence for improvement

Abstract The presence of a performance measurement system (PMS) along with measurement practices has the potential to foster the planning and adoption of Lean practices in a production system. Literature also agrees that a higher Lean maturity status could be correlated to a higher level of operational performance. Thus, novel approaches are needed to identify improvement opportunities for organisational initiatives, such as Lean and PMS implementation practices. However, no studies were found that addressed possible links between Lean and PMS practices in an integrated model. Thus, this paper aims to develop a framework for assessing Lean and PMS maturity in organisations to leverage combined improvement efforts. Firstly, a literature review was conducted to map existent maturity models and parameters for performance management congruence. Then, a framework was structured to connect the findings and correlate Lean and PMS maturity levels. Finally, a pilot application in a company from the chemical sector was conducted to test the framework and gather practical implications and insights. Results illustrate how Lean and PMS can evolve based on congruent improvement efforts.
Sediment dispersal and redistributive processes in axial and transverse deep‐time source‐to‐sink systems of marine rift basins: Dampier Sub‐basin, Northwest Shelf, Australia

Morphological scaling relationships between source‐to‐sink segments have been widely explored in modern settings, however, deep‐time systems remain difficult to assess due to limited preservation of drainage basins and difficulty in quantifying complex processes that impact sediment dispersals. Integration of core, well‐logs and 3‐D seismic data across the Dampier Sub‐basin, Northwest Shelf of Australia, enables a complete deep‐time source‐to‐sink study from the footwall (Rankin Platform) catchment to the hanging wall (Kendrew Trough) depositional systems in a Jurassic late syn‐rift succession. Hydrological analysis identifies 24 drainage basins on the J50.0 (Tithonian) erosional surface, which are delimited into six drainage domains confined by NNE‐SSW trending grabens and their horsts, with drainage domain areas ranging between 29 and 156 km2. Drainage outlets of these drainage domains are well preserved along the Rankin Fault System scarp, with cross‐sectional areas ranging from 0.08 to 0.31 km2. Corresponding to the six drainage domains, sedimentological and geomorphological analysis identifies six transverse submarine fan complexes developing in the Kendrew Trough, ranging in areas from 43 to 193 km2. Seismic geomorphological analysis reveals over 90‐km‐long, slightly sinuous axial turbidity channels, developing in the lower topography of the Kendrew Trough which erodes toe parts of transverse submarine fan complexes. Positive scaling relationships exist between drainage outlet spacing and drainage basin length, and drainage outlet cross‐sectional area and drainage basin area, which indicates the geometry of drainage outlets can provide important constraints on source area dimensions in deep‐time source‐to‐sink studies. The broadly negative bias of fan area to drainage basin area ratios indicates net sediment losses in submarine fan complexes caused by axial turbidity current erosion. Source‐to‐sink sediment balance studies must be done with full evaluating of adjacent source‐to‐sink systems to delineate fans and their associated up‐dip drainages, to achieve an accurate tectonic and sedimentologic picture of deep‐time basins.
Feeding ecology of black anglerfish Lophius budegassa: seasonal, bathymetric and ontogenetic shifts

The diet of black anglerfish Lophius budegassa is described for the Cantabrian Sea (North Atlantic coast of Spain) from seasonal samples obtained onboard commercial vessels from January 1993 to December 1994. The stomach contents of fish caught on the continental shelf were examined, and differences in the diet in relation to age-class, season and depth were studied. The age-classes were grouped according to a cluster analysis of diet composition. As a result, three groups were obtained: the first two corresponded to juveniles between 2 and 7 years old, and the third one corresponded to adults between 8 and 15 years old. Although Micromesistius poutassou was an important prey for all ages, the youngest black anglerfish fed mainly on small benthic fish. In contrast, large prey species such as Phycis blennoides and Merluccius merluccius were eaten almost exclusively by adults. The diet composition changed during the year. The changes in the diet of black anglerfish older than 3 years were more related to seasonal differences than to between-size differences. These seasonal shifts were mainly marked by the varying importance of Trachurus trachurus and M. merluccius in their diet. Feeding intensity also showed seasonal variations, with a significant decrease in autumn. An indirect effect of depth on the feeding ecology of black anglerfish was also found, since both age and diet composition changed with depth.
Elytral surface structure in Poecilus lepidus (Coleoptera: Carabidae): What about the nature of its inheritance?

The cuticle of the ground beetle Poecilus lepidus (Leske) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) displays a complex variety of colour morphs that are genetically determined. Besides the colour of the elytra, there is a remarkable intersexual dimorphic difference in its surface structure between males and females, as there is in most Poecilus species. At least in Central European populations of P. lepidus, all males exhibit a bright elytral surface, whereas all females exhibit a matt surface; this difference is due to a nearly plain surface in males but a knobbly sculptured one in females. At first glance, this phenomenon may be easily interpreted as being a result of secondary sexual character inheritance. However, P. lepidus specimens are known from two other regions that differ markedly: females display the same bright elytral surfaces as males in the Italian Apennine Mountain and all over Bulgaria. In the present study, crossbreeding experiments with German and Bulgarian specimens resulted in a dominance of matt over bright in the classical Mendelian F2 3 : 1 ratio, although only in females. All the males showed a bright elytral surface. These findings throw into question the interpretation as given above. Because classical modes of inheritance do not provide a sound interpretation of the data as here detailed, we discuss two forms of epigenetic mechanisms which might be responsible for the observed sexual dimorphism: (1) silencing of a gene by genomic imprinting, and (2) haplo-insufficient dominance of one allele to its counterpart. Ultimately, the observed pattern is interpreted by sex-limited inheritance that depends on the presence or absence of a particular allele.