Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Construction of Recombinant Vibrio harveyi to Study its Adherence in Shrimp Larvae

Vibrio harveyi M, G 3 , and G 7 are shrimp-larvae pathogens which were isolated from different locations in Indonesia. Each of the three isolates demonstrated unique genotypes as shown by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The gene for green fluorescent protein (gfp) was inserted into a broad-host range plasmid pBBR1MCS2 to generate a recombinant plasmid pWG01, which was introduced into the three isolates of V. harveyi employing triparental mating. V. harveyi isolates carrying pWG01 resulted in green-fluorescent colonies and cells due to the production of GFP. Growth curve analysis showed that each of the recombinant V. harveyi exhibited almost identical profiles to that of the wild type parental strain. Introduction of pWG01 into the three isolates did not alter their pathogenicity. However, after 48 h of incubation in antibiotic-free medium, approximately 50% of the cells had lost their recombinant plasmid carrying gfp. Expression of gfp in V. harveyi will be presented. In addition, the application of the recombinants for the study of adherence will be introduced.
RETIRE : A DYNAMIC PROBIT EXAMINATION OF RETIREMENT

This paper estimates the propensity to retire and t he persistence of remaining retired once the decision to retire has been made i n the US labour market, using a dynamic panel probit model. The estimated income effect of higher ousing wealth is virtually zero and that of financial assets wealth is positive, thus increasin g the retirement probability. The substitution effect of paid employment income is negative, thus increasing the retirement probability, as human capital theory would predict. The retirement decision is found to be strongly state persistent for up to three years after the initial retirement decision. The paper examines the degree to which the estimated state persistence of retirement may be reinforced or not by financial and housing wealth and by earned income. W alth appears to leave the effect on persistence unchanged, higher earned income may mak e retirement less likely in the first instance, but may also make retirement more persist nt when it happens in the future. JEL codes: J14 J26
Decentralized H ∞ control of systems with information structure constraints

The paper deals with a class of continuous-time statedelayed uncertain systems considering H∞ control. The main objective is to design static output feedback controllers satisfying three requirements simultaneously: asymptotic stability for the closed-loop system, a minimum effect of the disturbance input on the controlled output, and the obtention of a gain matrix having an arbitrarily preassigned zerononzero structure. To solve this problem, a linear matrix inequality (LMI) delay-independent approach is derived. A numerical example illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed method.
ROBUST ALGORITHM FOR ESTIMATION OF PARAMETERS IN NON-LINEAR REGRESSION MODELS

The paper deals with algorithms for estimation of non-linear regression parameters. Stochastic population-based algorithm with competition was implemented and compared with standard gradient algorithm commonly used for least-squares estimates. The results show that this stochastic algorithm found the global minimum in most tasks where gradient algorithm fails. Such population-based algorithms can be used as a tool for estimation of non-linear regression parameters, especially in tasks of higher difficulty level or in tasks when suitable starting values for gradient method are not available.
Simulations of Present-day Tropical Cyclone Climatology and Their Temporal Variability Associated with ENSO with a 20km-mesh High-Resolution AGCM

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are among the most harmful weather phenomena. Recently, a number of studies have been conducted using global circulation models (GCMs) to explore the influence on TC activity of global warming. For example, Oouchi et al. (2006, JMSJ) evaluated TC changes in a warm-climate environment using a 20-km-mesh, high resolution Atmospheric GCM (AGCM). However, it is uncertain weather the GCM can reproduce the real TC climatology given the observational sea-surface temperature (SST) and sea-ice concentration (SIC). The goal of this study is to evaluate the TC simulation of seasonal variability of genesis position, interannual variability, and trend with the AGCM. The AGCM performance of the dependence of TC activity on the El NiñoSouthern Oscillation (ENSO) in the Western North Pacific (WNP) basin is also evaluated in terms of position of TC genesis and difference of accumulated cyclone energy (ACE).
7B.3 METHODS OF MITIGATING UNCERTAINTY IN CONTAMINANT DISPERSION IN A TURBULENT FLOW: DATA ASSIMILATION VS. MUTISENOSR DATA FUSION

In atmospheric transport and dispersion (AT&D) there are two different methods of incorporating data into dispersion models: Data Assimilation (DA) and Multi-sensor Data Fusion (MSDF). These methods rely on the premise that sensors report concentration data, wind data, or both types within the same domain as the model. DA and MSDF both have the same goal: to incorporate data from sensors into a model to improve the prediction of an unknown (Hall 2004, Kalnay 2003). Although these methods share a common goal, their approaches to defining the unknown variables differ. In DA, the unknown is a field variable, while in MSDF the unknown is an entity. In some situations, one can pose the unknowns as either a field or an entity. In AT&D this is possible and one can implement either method because contaminant concentration can be considered a field variable or a contaminant filled puff can be considered an entity. The specification of a field or an entity changes the framework for incorporating data: with a contaminant puff, one takes a Langrangian approach to incorporating data, while for contaminant concentration one uses an Eulerian approach to incorporating data. While both methods have been used extensively in AT&D, it is instructive to directly compare and contrast their use for modeling a contaminant release in a turbulent flow, which is the purpose of this study. Both MSDF and DA include several techniques by which data is incorporated into dispersion models. While the frameworks for the methods are disparate, the techniques available to incorporate the data are strikingly similar. This overlap enables comparison, and here we compare the most basic DA technique, Newtonian Relaxation (Nudging), with the most basic MSDF technique, Alpha Filtering. These techniques are the most basic because model computation time increases marginally when augmenting the model concentration field prediction (DA) or puff characteristics (MSDF) with an observation.
Organizational Paranoia and Employee Performance: A Case of Nigerian Bottling Company and Seven Up Bottling Company, Benin Plants, Nigeria

The researchers observed that some employees of the companies in focus see their colleagues as unreliable. This by extension could impact the performance level of these employees. This has necessitated the determination of the effect of attribution bias on employee turn-over intention of Nigerian bottling company Benin plant and seven up bottling company, Benin plant. Survey research design was adopted for the study, a sample size of two hundred and thirty nine (239) was used for the study, Krejcie and Morgan, (1973) sampling technique was used for the study, the data collection tool employed by the researcher was the questionnaire, while the analysis of the data was done using the linear regression analysis. The findings revealed that that attribution bias impacts employee turn-over intention of Nigerian bottling company and seven up bottling company, Benin plant since (F = 974.986; R2 = 0.847; P <.05). The researchers therefore concluded that organizational paranoia impacts employee performance of the companies in focus. It was against this backdrop that the researchers recommended a close observation of the attitudes of employees by managers of the focused firms so that they can detect when employees begin to exhibit some negative behaviours and frequent manager-employee interaction should be encouraged as it could help managers get vital information from employees.
Mortality and Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution: Ongoing Analyses Based on the American Cancer Society Cohort

This article provides an overview of previous analysis and reanalysis of the American Cancer Society (ACS) cohort, along with an indication of current ongoing analyses of the cohort with additional follow-up information through to 2000. Results of the first analysis conducted by Pope et al. (1995) showed that higher average sulfate levels were associated with increased mortality, particularly from cardiopulmonary disease. A reanalysis of the ACS cohort, undertaken by Krewski et al. (2000), found the original risk estimates for fine-particle and sulfate air pollution to be highly robust against alternative statistical techniques and spatial modeling approaches. A detailed investigation of covariate effects found a significant modifying effect of education with risk of mortality associated with fine particles declining with increasing educational attainment. Pope et al. (2002) subsequently reported results of a subsequent study using an additional 10 yr of follow-up of the ACS cohort. This updated analysis included gaseous copollutant and new fine-particle measurements, more comprehensive information on occupational exposures, dietary variables, and the most recent developments in statistical modeling integrating random effects and nonparametric spatial smoothing into the Cox proportional hazards model. Robust associations between ambient fine particulate air pollution and elevated risks of cardiopulmonary and lung cancer mortality were clearly evident, providing the strongest evidence to date that long-term exposure to fine particles is an important health risk. Current ongoing analysis using the extended follow-up information will explore the role of ecologic, economic, and, demographic covariates in the particulate air pollution and mortality association. This analysis will also provide insight into the role of spatial autocorrelation at multiple geographic scales, and whether critical instances in time of exposure to fine particles influence the risk of mortality from cardiopulmonary and lung cancer. Information on the influence of covariates at multiple scales and of critical exposure time windows can assist policymakers in establishing timelines for regulatory interventions that maximize population health benefits.
Assessment of the Mars Helicopter Thermal Design Sensitivities Using the Veritrek Software

The Mars Helicopter will be a technology demonstration conducted during the Mars 2020 mission. The primary mission objective is to achieve several 90-second flights and capture visible light images via forward and nadir mounted cameras. These flights could possibly provide reconnaissance data for sampling site selection for other Mars surface missions. The helicopter is powered by a solar array, which stores energy in secondary batteries for flight operations, imaging, communications, and survival heating. The helicopter thermal design is driven by minimizing survival heater energy while maintaining compliance with allowable flight temperatures in a variable thermal environment. Due to the small size of the helicopter and its complex geometries, along with the fact that it operates with very low power and small margins, additional care had to be paid while planning thermal tests and designing the thermal system. A Thermal Desktop® model has been developed to predict the thermal system’s performance. A reduced-order model (ROM) created with the Veritrek software has been utilized to explore the sensitivities of the thermal system’s drivers, such as electronics dissipations, gas gaps, heat transfer coefficients, etc., as well as to assess and verify the final thermal design. This paper presents the performance of the Veritrek software products and the details of the ROM creation process. The results produced by Veritrek were utilized to study the effect of the major thermal design drivers and Mars environment on the Mars Helicopter in as little as 10 days, an effort that would have taken over 4 months using traditional thermal analysis techniques.
Testing halo assembly bias using galaxy clusters

We critically examine the methodology behind the claimed observational detection of halo assembly bias using optically selected galaxy clusters by Miyatake et al. (2016) and More et al. (2016). We mimic the optical cluster detection algorithm and apply it to two different mock catalogs generated from the Millennium simulation galaxy catalog, one in which halo assembly bias signal is present, while the other in which the assembly bias signal has been expressly erased. We split each of these cluster samples into two using the average cluster-centric distance of the member galaxies to measure the difference in the clustering strength of the subsamples with respect to each other. We observe that the subsamples split by cluster-centric radii show differences in clustering strength, even in the catalog where the true assembly bias signal was erased. We show that this is a result of contamination of the member galaxy sample from interlopers along the line-of-sight. This undoubtedly shows that the particular methodology adopted in the previous studies cannot be used to claim a detection of the assembly bias signal. We figure out the tell-tale signatures of such contamination, and show that the observational data also shows similar signatures. Furthermore, we also show that projection effects in optical galaxy clusters can bias the inference of the 3-dimensional edges of galaxy clusters (splashback radius), so appropriate care should be taken while interpreting the splashback radius of optical clusters.
Application of Neural Net Models to classify and to forecast the observed precipitation type at the ground using the Artificial Intelligence Competition data set

In our work, neural networks (NN) methods have been developed in order to classify and forecast observed precipitation type at the ground. Neural networks have become a popular tool for solving complex problems in diverse domains, such as environmental field. NN can work as universal approximators of non-linear functions and, consequently, can be used in assessing the dynamics of such systems. Among the complex systems, neural networks (NN) have become a useful tool either where correct phenomenological models are not available or when uncertainty in processes reproduction and input data complicates the application of a deterministic modelling. The NN parameters were obtained by a training procedure based on the use of an efficient unconstrained minimization algorithm.
POTENTIAL MECHANISMS FOR SEX RATIO ADJUSTMENT IN MAMMALS AND BIRDS

Sex ratio skews in relation to a variety of environmental or parental conditions have frequently been reported among mammals and, though less commonly, among birds. However, the adaptive significance of such sex ratio variation remains unclear. This has, in part, been attributed to the absence of a low‐cost physiological mechanism for sex ratio manipulation by the parent. It is shown here that several recent findings in reproductive biology are suggestive of many potential pathways by which gonadotropins and steroid hormones could interfere with the sex ratio at birth. And these hormone levels are well‐known to be influenced by many parameters which have been invoked in correlating with offspring sex ratios. Hence, it is argued that the significant, but inconsistent sex ratio biases reported in mammalian and avian populations are coherent with current knowledge on reproductive physiology in those species. However, whether such variations can be viewed at as a consequence of physiological constraint or as adaptive sex ratio adjustment, has still to be determined.
The Influence of Sea Surface Temperatures on the Extratropical Transition of Tropical Cyclones

Many tropical storms that form in the Atlantic Ocean migrate into the midlatitudes after they move into the prevailing westerly flow north of ~35N. Some tropical cyclones (TCs) simply weaken (spin down) over cooler water or over land, while many of these storms undergo a process known as extratropical transition (ET) whereby the TC evolves into an extratropical cyclone. Primarily thermodynamic processes through latent heat release in cumulus clouds provide energy for a TC over the warm tropical ocean waters. When the TC undergoes ET, the release of available potential energy through baroclinic instability processes begin to govern the cyclones’ energetics much like a typical mid-latitude cyclone. To conduct computer modeling and simulations of this process, variables from both the atmosphere and ocean are needed to develop a picture of the cyclone’s transition. The main objective of this project is to determine the influence of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) on TCs undergoing ET. We wish to answer the following questions: (1) What is the influence of pre-existing SSTs on the cyclone intensity and wind field? (2) Does the storm-induced SST change have an impact on the storm? (3) Do SSTs have any effect on the onset/duration of ET? We use an atmospheric and oceanic model to study the ET of particular historic events into the mid-latitudes such as Hurricane Michael of 2000 and Hurricane Juan of 2003. The ocean model is known as FLAME (Family of Linked Atlantic Model Experiments), and covers the entire North Atlantic Ocean basin. The atmospheric model is the MC2 (Mesoscale Compressible Community) model.
Identification of a Novel Multidrug Efflux Pump of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

ABSTRACT The impermeability of the outer membrane in combination with drug efflux are major determinants of the natural drug resistance of mycobacteria. β-Lactams are the most widely used antibiotics for treatment of bacterial infections. However, it is unknown how β-lactams enter Mycobacterium tuberculosis and whether efflux pumps exist that can export these drugs out of the cell. To identify the molecular mechanisms of M. tuberculosis resistance to β-lactams, a library of 7,500 transposon mutants was generated in the model organism Mycobacterium bovis BCG. Thirty-three unique insertion sites were determined that conferred medium or high-level (≥2,000 μg/ml) resistance to ampicillin. Three mutants in sulfolipid synthesis or transport were highly resistant to ampicillin, indicating an indirect effect of the lipid composition on the outer membrane permeability of M. bovis BCG to ampicillin. Mutants with insertions in genes encoding surface molecules such as PPE proteins or lipoarabinomannan were also completely resistant to ampicillin, thus suggesting a lack of transport across the outer membrane. Insertion of the transposon in front of bcg0231 increased transcription of the gene and concomitantly the resistance of M. bovis BCG to ampicillin, streptomycin, and chloramphenicol by 32- to 64-fold. Resistance to vancomycin and tetracycline was increased four- to eightfold. Bcg0231 and Rv0194 are almost identical ATP-binding cassette transporters. Expression of rv0194 significantly reduced accumulation of ethidium bromide and conferred multidrug resistance to Mycobacterium smegmatis. Both effects were abrogated in the presence of the efflux pump inhibitor reserpine. These results demonstrate that Rv0194 is a novel multidrug efflux pump of M. tuberculosis.
PREPARATION OF POLY-( LACTIC ACID ) SCAFFOLDS REINFORCED WITH BACTERIAL CELLULOSE NANO-FIBRES

Biopolymers are often used as biomaterials in tissue engineering, for example for tissue replacement and for organ transplantation. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is one of the few synthetic biodegradable biopolymers, and is widely used for manufacture of biodegradable tissue engineering scaffolds due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, good mechanical properties and processability. PLA also has been used as an FDA-approved biopolymer for clinical use, such as in the manufacture of surgical sutures [1]. However, poor hydrophilicity and the lack of natural recognition sites on the PLA surface are not ideal for cell adhesion to the substrate, which is the critical step for cell spreading, migration and differentiation [2]. Many approaches, such as plasma treatment [3], entrapment of a second functional polymer with the surface [4], and partial surface hydrolysis by both acid [5] and base treatment [6], have been applied for surface modification of the preformed PLA samples. Some disadvantages still remain. For example, diffusion is difficult with plasma treatment of thick samples, and the 3D structure will collapse for solvent dilution of the surface and the bulk structure. We show that the use of nano-sized hydrophilic bacterial cellulose fibres, added using acid hydrolysis, improves the cell attachment of PLA-based composites.
Radial cavity-fed spatial power combiner with retrodirective array behavior

This paper discusses the design and operational properties of a circular array of slot coupled active GaAs metal-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MESFET) rectangular microstrip patch antennas arranged for quasioptical power combining at X band. The active antenna radiating elements are injection locked by slot coupling to a radial cavity waveguide. Spatial power combining efficiency of 75% and dc to radio frequency (RF) conversion efficiency of 10% at 28 dBm EIRP was achieved at 10.38 GHz. Retrodirective action was also demonstrated by using the active elements as self-oscillating mixers pumped at 20.76 GHz.
High Velocity-Gradients in West Bengal Sedimentary Basin , India from Travel-Time Inversion of Wide-Angle Seismic Data and Multiples of First Arrivals

Based on forward modeling of first arrivals and wideangle reflections, Kaila et al. (1992) derived four/five layered sedimentary basin above the basement along three EW profiles (Beliator – Burdwan Bongaon, Gopali Port canning, Bishnupur – Palasi Kandi) and one NS profile (Taki Arambagh). The field seismograms along all profiles exhibit strong later arrivals which are arcuate in shape and have downward curvatures. These phases are nothing but the reflected first arrivals from the free-surface and are defined as multiples of first arrivals. The velocity model of Kaila et al. (1992) can not explain these multiples. Through synthetic seismogram and traveltime modeling of these phases, earlier several researchers (Sarkar et al., 1995; Reddy et al., 1998; Prasad et al., 2003) demonstrated that velocity-gradients of sedimentary layers play an important role for the generation of high-energy later arrivals. To exploit the advantages of semi-automatic inverse modeling, here we invert traveltimes of all phases along the Gopali – Port canning profile with a view to derive a better-constrained velocity model within limited time, and to provide a measure of resolution and uncertainties of the estimated model parameters along with an assurance that the data have been fitted according to a least squares norm.