Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial microbial distributions of nitrifiers and heterotrophs in mixed‐population biofilms

Spatial microbial distributions of nitrifiers and heterotrophs in undefined mixed‐population biofilms were experimentally investigated using a microslicer technique and correlated with nitrification efficiency of the biofilm system. The general stratification of different bacterial groups in the biofilm was simulated using a one‐dimensional (1‐D) mathematical biofilm accumulation model (BAM) and compared with the experimental results. Biofilms were cultured at three C : N ratios of feed solutions in a partially submerged rotating biological contactor (RBC). It was shown that the biofilms were vertically stratified (from biofilm surface to substratum). At C : N = 0, heterotrophs and nitrifiers coexisted in the outermost biofilm and heterotrophs dominated in the innermost biofilm. At C : N = 1.5, heterotrophs outcompeted nitrifiers for dissolved oxygen and space; thus, heterotrophs dominated in the outermost biofilm and nitrifiers were present only in the deeper biofilm. Nitrifiers and heterotrophs coexisted in the innermost biofilm. An increase in the influent C : N ratio resulted in stronger stratification of microbial species, as well as inhibition of nitrification. In batch experiments, NH4N utilization rate (R NH 4N ) was almost the same at each substrate C : N ratio even though NH4 oxidizers were predominantly present in the deeper biofilm. The biofilm performance could not be sufficiently explained by the obtained microbial spatial distribution, suggesting that one‐dimensional description of microbial distribution was not good enough and three‐dimensional measurements of microbial spatial distribution is necessary. Total bacterial densities increased by a factor of 3–17 with biofilm depth. The metabolically active cell fraction decreased from 35 ± 13% in the outermost biofilm to 15 ± 4% in the innermost biofilm, presumably due to substrate limitation. The model predicted more pronounced stratification of nitrifiers and heterotrophs than the observed results. This discrepancy could be attributed to the real biofilms that were structurally heterogeneous (e.g., water channels), which could not be described by the one‐dimensional model. The results of this study clearly indicate the limitation of 1‐D biofilm models to describe the extent of stratification of nitrifiers and heterotrophs and suggest a 3‐D model is necessary. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Supplementing oregano essential oil to boar diet with strengthened fish oil: Effects on semen antioxidant status and semen quality parameters

Previous research has shown benefits of dietary fish oil supplementation on semen quality of boars. However, little is known about how antioxidant protects lipid peroxidation on spermatozoa from n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) addition. This study evaluated the effect of oregano essential oil (OEO) supplementation on semen antioxidant status and semen quality in boars fed a diet enriched with fish oil. Thirty‐four mature boars of proven fertility, received daily 2.5 kg basal diet top‐dressed with 45 g soybean oil and 15 g fish oil to meet the n‐3 PUFA requirement of spermatozoa, randomly allocated to one of four groups supplemented with 100 mg α‐tocopheryl acetate kg−1 (control), or 250 or 500 or 750 mg OEO kg−1 for 16 weeks. Semen was collected at weeks 0, 8, 12 and 16 for measurements of sperm production, motion characteristics, sperm α‐tocopherol content, antioxidant enzyme activities, reactive oxygen species (ROS), DNA damage (8‐hydroxydeoxyguanosine, 8‐OHdG), lipoperoxidation (malondialdehyde, MDA) and seminal total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Sperm production and motion characteristics were similar (p > .05) among groups throughout the experimental week 16, but increased (p < .01) with experimental week. Although higher α‐tocopherol content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were in OEO group spermatozoa, feeding diet with 500 mg/kg OEO resulted in elevation in seminal TAC, decrease in sperm ROS, MDA and 8‐OHdG than control group (p < .05). Overall, these results support the view that oregano essential oil has a positive effect on antioxidant capacity in boar when used fish oil.
Oil production cost, financial development, and economic growth in Russia

ABSTRACT The study investigates the causal relationship between fossil energy sources, the production cost of oil and financial development on economic growth in Russia. The results show that Russian companies’ production cost of oil and oil prices cause economic growth and the one-way causality is negative. We also find that there is one-way positive causality from natural gas price, financial development, and education to economic growth. The negative oil price effect supports the resource curse hypothesis, whereas the positive natural gas price effect does not. Russian policies should focus on lowering companies’ production cost of oil, improving financial development and investing in education.
rs10505474 and rs7837328 at 8q24 cumulatively confer risk of prostate cancer in Northern Han Chinese.

AIMS Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several risk variants for prostate cancer (pCa) mainly in Europeans, which need to be further verified in other racial groups. We selected six previously identified variants as candidates and to define the association with PCa in Northern Han Chinese. METHODS 749 subjects from Beijing and Tianjin in Northern China were included. Six variants (rs10505474, rs7837328, rs4242384, rs7813, rs486907 and rs1058205) were genotyped by high resolution melting (HRM) assays. The individual and cumulative contribution for of the risk of PCa and clinical covariates were analyzed. RESULTS Among the six candidate variants, only rs10505474, and rs7837328, both locating at 8q24 region, were associated with PCa in our population.rs10505474 (A) was associated with PCa (ORrecessive= 1.56, p=0.006); and rs7837328 (A) was associated with PCa (ORdominant= 1.38, p=0.042/ORrecessive=1.99, p=0.003). Moreover, we observed a cumulative effects between them (ptrend=2.58? 10-5). The joint population attributable risk showed the two variants might account for 71.85% of PCa risk. In addition, we found the homozygotes of rs10505474 (A) and rs7837328 (A) were associated with PCa clinical covariants (age at onset, tumor stage, respectively) (page=0.046, Ptumorstage =0.048). CONCLUSION rs10505474 (A) and rs7387328 (A) at 8q24 are associated with PCa and cumulatively confer risk, suggesting the two variations could determine susceptibility to PCa in the Northern Chinese Han population.
The Stochastic Firefighter Problem

The dynamics of infectious diseases spread is crucial in determining their risk and offering ways to contain them. We study sequential vaccination of individuals in networks. In the original (deterministic) version of the Firefighter problem, a fire breaks out at some node of a given graph. At each time step, b nodes can be protected by a firefighter and then the fire spreads to all unprotected neighbors of the nodes on fire. The process ends when the fire can no longer spread. We extend the Firefighter problem to a probabilistic setting, where the infection is stochastic. We devise a simple policy that only vaccinates neighbors of infected nodes and is optimal on regular trees and on general graphs for a sufficiently large budget. We derive methods for calculating upper and lower bounds of the expected number of infected individuals, as well as provide estimates on the budget needed for containment in expectation. We calculate these explicitly on trees, d-dimensional grids, and Erd\H{o}s R\'{e}nyi graphs. Finally, we construct a state-dependent budget allocation strategy and demonstrate its superiority over constant budget allocation on real networks following a first order acquaintance vaccination policy.
Histotripsy of rabbit renal tissue in vivo: temporal histologic trends.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Histotripsy is defined as noninvasive, nonthermal, mechanical (cavitational) tissue ablation. We previously demonstrated the predictable acute tissue effects of histotripsy in rabbit kidney and other tissues. We sought to characterize the appearance and natural history of renal tissue after histotripsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Following Institutional Animal Care Committee approval, the left kidneys of 29 rabbits were treated with 60,000 750-kHz, 15-cycle bursts of ultrasound energy from an 18-element phased-array transducer at a 1-kHz pulse-repetition frequency. The treated kidneys were harvested at 0, 1, 2, 7, 21, or 60 days; fixed in Formalin; then prepared for microscopic analysis with hematoxylin and eosin and trichrome stains. RESULTS For kidneys harvested acutely (day 0), a contiguous area of finely disrupted tissue was observed containing no recognizable cells or cellular components. Along the boundary of architectural disruption, a border several tubules wide contained cells that were not visibly disrupted but appeared damaged (pyknotic nuclei). At subsequent time intervals, an inflammatory response developed in association with a steadily decreasing area of cellular and architectural disruption. By day 60, only a small fibrous scar persisted adjacent to a wedge of tubular dilation and fibrosis underlying a surface-contour defect. CONCLUSIONS Histotripsy produces mechanical fractionation of cellular and architectural structures. The resultant acellular material appears to be readily reabsorbed within 60 days in the rabbit. This may prove to be a significant advantage for imaging assessment of residual tumor after ablation of renal malignancy.
Do different time horizons in the volatility of the US stock market significantly affect the China ETF market?

ABSTRACT This article investigates the linear, nonlinear and time-varying Granger causality between different time horizons in the volatility of US stock market and the China Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) market. We find evidence of linear causality from the US stock market to the China ETF market, with a bilateral nonlinear causal relationship in the longer term. Bootstrap rolling causality analysis indicates high rejection rates of a noncausal relationship running from the US stock market to the China EFT market. The causality linkage from the China ETF market to the US stock market was determined to be time-horizon-dependent, and the null hypothesis rejection rate of non-Granger causality increased in the longer term.
What does career and personal success look like? Engineering students' projections for post-graduation plans

Micah Lande, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering programs and Tooker Professor at the Polytechnic School in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. He teaches human-centered engineering design, design thinking, and design innovation project courses. Dr. Lande researches how technical and non-technical people learn and apply a design process to their work. He is interested in the intersection of designerly epistemic identities and vocational pathways. Dr. Lande is the PI/co-PI on NSF-funded projects focused on engineering doing and making, citizen science and engineering outreach, and ”revolutionizing” engineering education. He has also been an instructor and participant in the NSF Innovation Corps for Learning program. He received his B.S in Engineering (Product Design), M.A. in Education (Learning, Design and Technology) and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (Design Education) from Stanford University.
Mammalian Vesicle Trafficking Proteins of the Endoplasmic Reticulum and Golgi Apparatus (*)

Vesicle traffic propagates and maintains distinct subcellular compartments and routes secretory products from their site of synthesis to their final destinations. As a basis for the specificity of vesicular transport reactions, each step in the secretory pathway appears to be handled by a distinct set of evolutionarily conserved proteins. Mammalian proteins responsible for vesicle trafficking at early steps in the secretory pathway are not well understood. In this report, we describe rat sec22 (rsec22) and rat bet1 (rbet1), mammalian sequence homologs of yeast proteins identified as mediators of endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi protein transport. rsec22 and rbet1 were expressed widely in mammalian tissues, as anticipated for proteins involved in fundamental membrane trafficking reactions. Recombinant rsec22 and rbet1 proteins behaved as integral membrane components of 28 and 18 kDa, respectively, consistent with their primary structures, which contain a predicted transmembrane domain at or near the carboxyl terminus. Recombinant rsec22 and rbet1 had distinct subcellular localizations, with rsec22 residing on endoplasmic reticulum membranes and rbet1 found on Golgi membranes. Studies with brefeldin A and nocodazole indicated that rbet1 function might involve interaction with or retention in the intermediate compartment. The distinct localizations of rsec22 and rbet1 may reflect their participation in opposite directions of membrane flow between the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus.
A group key agreement protocol using bilinear pairing

Multicasting protocols are widely used as efficient communication methods for group-oriented applications. However, the key management for such protocols remains a significant problem. In this paper, we propose a scalable, efficient, and secure group key agreement protocol for large and dynamic multicast systems. The proposed protocol is based on the use of bilinear mapping. The main advantage of our proposed protocol is the significant reduction in both the number of re-keying messages whenever a member joins/leaves, as well as the computation overhead for the members during membership changes. A preliminary security analysis for the protocol is also provided.
Synthesis and characterization of glycolide, L-lactide, and PDMS-based terpolymers as a support for cell cultures

Poly(lactic acid)/poly(glycolic acid)/poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PLGA/TEGOMER) terpolymers have been synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide and glycolide with α,ω-amine-terminated poly(dimethylsiloxane) prepolymer, using stannous octoate as a catalyst. The resulting terpolymers were characterized by various analytical techniques including size exclusion chromatography, 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The data showed that the terpolymers presented an amorphous structure. The glass transition temperature decreased with increasing TEGOMER unit content. For in vitro degradation studies, porous films were fabricated using a solvent-casting, particulate leaching technique. Degradation of the PLGA/TEGOMER terpolymer was studied in phosphate-buffered saline at pH 7.4 and 37°C. The degradation was followed by intrinsic viscosity, mass loss, and molecular weight measurements, and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The mass loss after 55 days was 76% for the PLGA/TEGOMER (71/24/5) sample. Cell growth experiments using Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts demonstrated that PLGA/TEGOMER terpolymer matrices allow the attachment and growth of cells.
A blueprint for data-based English reading literacy instructional decision-making

Making decisions about English reading instruction is as core a component to teaching as providing the instruction itself. When providing support to learners at risk for poor reading outcomes, for which currently there is a large percentage in South Africa, it is especially important to ensure that the decisions that are made have the highest likelihood of accuracy as possible and they lead to improving those reading outcomes. The learners with the greatest needs require the most accurate and effective decisions. Now more than ever, effective use of reading literacy assessment data to plan and critically review instruction is a fundamental competency for good teaching. The purpose of this article is to provide districts, schools and teachers with a blueprint for data-based English reading literacy instructional decision-making at a system-wide level.
Somatic Sovereignty: Body as Territory in Colombia's Legión del Afecto

Responding to decades of conflict in Colombia, a social initiative known as the Legión del Afecto began in Medellín as a peacebuilding effort among academics, community leaders, and young activists. Attention to the body, particularly bodily feelings, sensations, and emotions, has been central to the peacebuilding methodology of the Legión. The initiative has used a focus on the body not only to produce alternative practices of territory that help keep people alive but also (and therein) to materialize the possibility of feeling differently within targeted spaces. What ultimately drives collective action in the Legión is the possibility for increased autonomy over spatial structures of feeling. The ways in which body and territory have been merged in the initiative echo wider trends regarding territory as a theme in Latin American social movements.
A directional current differential protection against CT saturation in two sides fed networks

A phase angle comparison method for detection of current-transformer (CT) saturation and stability against mis-operation on heavy external faults in numerical current differential relay is presented in this paper. The proposed directional criterion is based on comparison of line currents phase angle of two sides of the power transformer. Defined criterion can differentiate saturation condition from normal condition and various internal faults. The merit of this method is demonstrated by simulation of different faults and saturation conditions on a power transformer using ATP/EMTP software.
Population survival from childhood cancer in Britain during 1978-2005 by eras of entry to clinical trials.

BACKGROUND Inclusion in clinical trials is generally viewed as best practice for most newly diagnosed childhood cancers, but the impact on population-based survival has rarely been examined. PATIENTS AND METHODS The population-based data were analysed for 25 853 children (66% of all registered childhood cancers) diagnosed in Britain during 1978-2005 with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, medulloblastoma, neuroblastoma, Wilms tumour, hepatoblastoma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and germ-cell tumours. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves were compared by log-rank tests. Time trends were analysed by Cox regression. Separate analyses were done for children with ALL, medulloblastoma and neuroblastoma according to clinically relevant age thresholds. RESULTS Survival increased significantly during 1978-2005 for every diagnostic category; the annual reduction in risk of death ranged from 2.7% (rhabdomyosarcoma) to 12.0% (gonadal germ-cell tumours). Survival increased steadily between trial eras for ALL (age 1-14 years) and neuroblastoma (age 1-14 years), but changed little since the mid-1980s for medulloblastoma (age 0-2 years), osteosarcoma or Ewing sarcoma. CONCLUSIONS Changes in survival between trial eras parallel those reported by the relevant clinical trials. The increasing level of participation in trials, facilitated by the organisation of specialist care, has underpinned the substantial improvements in survival seen at the population level.
Does ISO14001 raise firms' awareness of environmental protection? The case of Vietnam

Abstract Environmental protection is an issue that all developing countries must cope with when inviting foreign direct investment (FDI). However, the high correlation between FDI and pollution does not necessarily indicate that foreign firms are to blame. In this study, we apply firm-level panel data from Vietnam and unique information on waste discharge to demonstrate that foreign firms are actually more proactive in acquiring ISO14001 certification. ISO14001 is a voluntary environmental standard, the adoption of which improves a firm's performance in terms of waste control, and increases its welfare and productivity level. This study provides robust evidence that firms' efforts toward corporate social responsibility eventually benefit them as well.
How News Evolves? Modeling News Text and Coverage using Graphs and Hawkes Process

Monitoring news content automatically is an important problem. The news content, unlike traditional text, has a temporal component. However, few works have explored the combination of natural language processing and dynamic system models. One reason is that it is challenging to mathematically model the nuances of natural language. In this paper, we discuss how we built a novel dataset of news articles collected over time. Then, we present a method of converting news text collected over time to a sequence of directed multi-graphs, which represent semantic triples (Subject ->Predicate} ->Object). We model the dynamics of specific topological changes in these graphs using a set of multivariate count series, which we fit the discrete-time Hawkes process. With our real-world data, we show that the multivariate time series contain both dynamic information of how many articles/words were published each day and semantic information of the content of the articles. This yields novel insights into how news events are covered. We show with the experiment that our approach can be used to infer from a sequence of news articles if the articles were published by major or entertainment news outlets.
Applying balancing techniques in traffic sign recognition

Traffic Sign Recognition systems aim to determine the meaning of traffic signs in highways for real-world applications such astraffic sign inventory or driver assistance systems. Traffic sign datasets are inherently imbalanced, i.e. some traffic signs appearmore frequently than others. One serious consequence of this imbalance is the low recognition rates of minority classes (classeswith fewer training cases). In this paper, we propose a new method for improving traffic sign recognition of minority classes, byapplying balancing algorithms. As a result, our proposed method improves minority class recognition rates up to 28% comparedto traditional methods.