Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Musa zaifui sp nov (Musaceae) from Yunnan, China

The center of diversity of the genus Musa (Musaceae) is in southeast Asia, a region not studied in detail and where new species and varieties are reported continously. Here, a new wild banana species Musa zaifui Hakkinen & H. Wang from Yunnan, China, is described and illustrated. These studies are based on observed morphological characteristics in the field and from cultivated plants in the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden. Musa sect. Rhodochlamys in west Yunnan and east Myanmar have a rich diversity caused by their hermaphroditic flowers in which self-pollination takes place before the bracts open. This habit has evolved in response to their isolation in different watersheds and the lack of proper pollinators. The seeds of these plants' fruits are dispersed in the local area by small mammals. Hybrids are very seldomly encountered due to self-pollination. Musa zaifui is only observed in a wet ditch covered with secondary forest on the eastern bank of Da Yingjiang River, on the way from Yingjiang to Longchuan (about 50 km from Yingjiang), Dehong District, west Yunnan. A key to M. zaifui and related taxa is provided.
Innovative Technologies for District Heating and Cooling: InDeal Project

The paper discusses the outcomes of the conference organized by the InDeal project. The conference took place on 12 December 2018 in Montpellier as part of the EnerGaia energy forum 2018. A holistic interdisciplinary approach for district heating and cooling (DHC) networks is presented that integrates heterogeneous innovative technologies from various scientific sectors. The solution is based on a multi-layer control and modelling framework that has been designed to minimize the total plant production costs and optimize heating/cooling distribution. Artificial intelligence tools are employed to model uncertainties associated with weather and energy demand forecasts, as well as quantify the energy storage capacity. Smart metering devices are utilized to collect information about all the crucial heat substations’ parameters, whereas a web-based platform offers a unique user environment for network operators. Three new technologies have been further developed to improve the efficiency of pipe design of DHC systems: (i) A new sustainable insulation material for reducing heat losses, (ii) a new quick-fit joint for an easy installation, and (iii) a new coating for reducing pressure head losses. The results of a study on the development and optimization of two energy harvesting systems are also provided. The assessment of the environmental, economic and social impact of the proposed holistic approach is performed through a life cycle analysis. The validation methodology of the integrated solution is also described, whereas conclusions and future work are finally given.
The putative impact of exploitation on rocky infratidal macrofaunal assemblages: a multiple-area comparison

The putative impact of subsistence foragers along the Transkei coast of South Africa was determined by comparing the community-level attributes of infratidal macrofaunal assemblages in three ‘no-take’ reserves with those at adjacent exploited localities. The objective of this study was to ascertain whether the differences in the assemblages found at exploited and non-exploited localities were consistent along this coast. Two-way ANOVAs indicated that the presence/absence of exploitation had no effect on univariate community measures. Macrofaunal biomass was the only measure which showed significant differences amongst locations and interaction effects. Abundance/biomass comparison curves revealed that all the exploited sites except one showed the configuration typical of moderately disturbed sites and that all the non-exploited sites except one showed the trend typical of undisturbed sites. Two-way crossed ANOSIM tests indicated that treatment and location both had significant effects on these assemblages and that there were also significant differences between each pair of locations. The latter probably reflects regional differences in species composition due to the fact that this coast lies at the junction of two zoogeographic marine provinces. The multidimensional scaling (MDS) ordinations derived from abundance and biomass estimates revealed two major clusters of sites, one representing sites in the southern region and the other sites within the central and northern regions. The non-exploited sites within each region were situated above and to the right of the corresponding exploited sites. Similarity percentage analyses (SIMPER) indicated that the major species contributing to the average dissimilarity between the exploited and non-exploited localities varied regionally. There was, however, a fair amount of consistency in terms of the functional groups highlighted by these analyses. Some of the species adversely affected by exploitation are dependent on primary substrata either for their food supplies or for attachment. Likewise many of the species which appeared to benefit from exploitation were phytal-associated forms.
AUDITORY SCENE ANALYSIS

frequency tuning, Xenopus must therefore be capable to compare and disentangle the wave superposition patterns at several lateral line organs. At 18 Hz, frequencies are distinguished that differ by only 0.5 Hz; that is, beats of 2-s duration can be compared between organs. The magnitude of the local differences between superposition patterns depends on the angle between stimulus directions. Correspondingly, we found that a reduction in the interstimulus angle causes a higher frequency discrimination threshold. The capability is undiminished when only four lateral line organs are left intact. In contrast to our stereo effect in hearing, simultaneous waves with equal frequency are individually localized by Xenopus. Furthermore, by presenting two such waves from different distances, it was found that Xenopus can distinguish between waves originating at distances of 10 and 11 em, respectively. The only cue for this distinction is the difference in the waves' curvature. Thus, a 10% difference in the curvature can be recognized in wave superposition. Finally, testing of discrimination of three simultaneous waves was started. Three waves of equal frequency are localized individually with full accuracy. Frequency discrimination deteriorates, however.
Telomere dynamics in chronic myeloid leukaemia

Telomeres are regions of tandem repeats at the ends of chromosomes ensuring chromosome stability or inducing replicative senescence when critically short. Telomerase extends telomeres and its catalytic subunit, telomerase reverse transcriptase is tightly regulated at multiple levels. Cancerous cells prevent telomeremediated senescence to attain unlimited proliferation, in most cases by enhancing telomerase activity. Chronic myeloid leukaemia is characterised by the translocation, t(9;22), in haematopoietic stem cells. The resulting fusion protein exhibits constitutive tyrosine kinase activity in the cytoplasm, promoting cellular proliferation, inhibiting apoptosis and impeding cell adhesion. Changes in telomere biology have been observed in chronic myeloid leukaemic cells. The current study aimed to investigate telomere biology in 18 chronic myeloid leukaemia patients at various time intervals from date of diagnosis. Although telomeres were significantly shorter in patients compared to controls, results point to complex telomere dynamics in the malignancy. Increased telomerase activity did not necessarily accompany telomere lengthening and increased transcription of the telomerase catalytic subunit was not necessarily indicative of telomerase activity. Ultimately the current study could not detect any trends between telomere length, telomerase activity and telomerase catalytic subunit expression in chronic myeloid leukaemia patients. Together with inherent patient-to-patient variation and the high cost per assay, measurement of telomere biology does not appear to hold prognostic value in chronic myeloid leukaemia and does not warrant inclusion into a routine test repertoire.
Effect of zinc substitution in hydroxyapatite coating on osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation under osteoblast/osteoclast co-culture

Abstract Zinc is an essential trace element required for bone remodelling process, but its role in such process remains to be elucidated. In particular, inconsistent results have been reported on the effect of Zn on osteoclastic responses, and supplement of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) factors has been commonly adopted. Co-culture is a suitable approach to elucidating the role of Zn in bone remodelling process, by better imitating the cellular environment as the presence of osteoblasts plays critical role in modulating osteoclastic functions. In this study, zinc-substituted HA coatings have been deposited using a liquid precursor plasma spraying process at two different concentrations (1, 2 wt.%). The effect of zinc substitution on osteoblastic and osteoclastic differentiation has been studied in vitro. In particular, a cultivation regime was designed to first induce osteoblastic differentiation of rat bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) for 14 days, and then induce osteoclastic differentiation of osteoclast-like precursor RAW 264.7 cells through the aid of the osteoblasts formed for additional 14 days, in the absence of the external addition of RANKL. The results showed that Zn substitution moderately promoted the BMSC differentiation into the osteoblasts and reduced the osteoclastic activity in early time (1 day co-culture). However, promotion of the osteoclastic activity were observed at later stages, as indicated by the significantly enhanced expressions of trap5b and IL-1 (8- and 15-day co-culture) and moderate stimulation of the nucleus integration and formation of the multinucleated cells (14-day co-culture). Such stimulating effect of the osteoclastic activity was absent under mono-culture of RAW 264.7 cell, with simple RANKL supplementation. The results suggest that both the zinc and the presence of MSC/osteoblast play profound and highly interacted roles on osteoclast differentiation and activity, which is critical in modulating the bone remodelling process.
Characterisation of the low-chromosome number grass Colpodium versicolor (Stev.) Schmalh. (2n = 4) by molecular cytogenetics

Abstract — Agenome size of 2C = 235 Mbp and the chromosomal positions of the 5S and 45S rDNA were determined for the perennial, low-chromosome grass Colpodium versicolor (2n = 4). Based on taxonomical and cytological data we suggested previously that C. versicolor represents a putative donor of one of the two parental genomes of the allotetraploid grass Zingeria trichopoda (2n = 8). To test this hypothesis sequence comparison of the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 -region (part of the 18S rDNA) and genomic in situ hybridization were performed. Although the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences of C. versicolor and Z. trichopoda are highly similar, genomic in situ hybridization of Z. trichopoda with labeled genomic DNA of C. versicolor did not result in a subgenome-specific labeling of Z. trichopoda chromosomes. Thus, the contemporary species C. versicolor is a closely related but not the direct ancestor of the allopolyploid species Z. trichopoda.
Feature Selection using Optimized Multiple Rank Score Model for Credit Scoring

Fraud identification and prevention is becoming the decisive challenge for any financial institutions and financial service industries. Majority of the banks use a credit score, a numerical or statistical value to estimate the customer’s creditworthiness based on their credit history. A credit score model will be built by employing training dataset and further, an analytical process will be conceded to estimate the credit score of each customer. Thus, for any credit score model, the lenders acquire various data about the customer from various external agencies. The collected data may encompass irrelevant parameters which will not help in making any decisions and also decelerates the global performance of the model. Accordingly, feature selection is an imperative process to eliminate less relevant attributes for any dataset, especially in credit scoring. This paper emphasizes on enlightening the performance of the attribute selection process using multiple rank score model. The proposed method accumulates the results using the optimized threshold algorithm and outperforms well in selecting the quality attribute for the underlying credit score model. The experimental evaluation has been carried out and it is proved that the accuracy and performance of the suggested method are comparatively better than the existing single rank techniques.
Probability to produce animal vaccines in insect baculovirus expression system

The insect baculovirus expression system is a valuable tool for the production of vaccine. Many subunit vaccines have been expressed in this system. The first vaccine produced in insect cells for animal use is now in the market. In this study, we reviewed recent progress of animal’s vaccine production for different expression levels and baculovirus genome stability, characteristic features of baculovirus expression vector system (BVES), virus link particles, baculovirus expression in mammalian cell and methodology of produce subunit vaccines. This review showed that BVES is a fantastic tool for vaccine development and it has wonderful feature for future animal vaccine development.
Phosphonate Analogues of α-Ketoglutarate Inhibit the Activity of the α-Ketoglutarate Dehydrogenase Complex Isolated from Brain and in Cultured Cells†

The α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGDHC), a control point of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, is partially inactivated in brain in many neurodegenerative diseases. Potent and specific KGDHC inhibitors are needed to probe how the reduced KGDHC activity alters brain function. Previous studies showed that succinyl phosphonate (SP) effectively inhibits muscle and Escherichia coli KGDHC [Biryukov, A. I. , Bunik, V. I. , Zhukov, Yu. N. , Khurs, E. N. , and Khomutov, R. M. (1996) FEBS Lett. 382, 167−170]. To identify the phosphonates with the highest affinity toward brain KGDHC and with the greatest effect in living cells, we investigated the ability of SP and several of its ethyl esters to inhibit brain KGDHC, other α-keto acid-dependent enzymes, and KGDHC in intact cells. At a concentration of 0.01 mM, SP and its phosphonoethyl (PESP) and carboxyethyl (CESP) esters completely inhibited isolated brain KGDHC even in the presence of a 200-fold higher concentration of its substrate [α-ketoglutarate (KG)], while .
Personal Values, Traveler Personality Type, and Leisure Travel Style. Robert Madrigal. Journal of Leisure Research, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 125-42. National Recreation and Park Association, 2775 South Quincy Street, Suite 300, Arlington, VA 22206. $40 annual nonmember subscription

1994 Las Vegas Visitor Profile Study. Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, 3150 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109-9096. N.d. Various paging. This profile study is conducted monthly during the fiscal year and is reported annually to provide an ongoing assessment of Las Vegas visitors and trends in visitor behavior over time. This report presents the findings from the 2,400 personal interviews conducted by GLS Research throughout the fiscal year and includes information on reasons for visiting, travel planning, trip characteristics and expenditures, gaming behavior and budgets, entertainment, attitudinal information, and visitor demographics.
Interoperability of different voltage source converter topologies in HVDC grids

This paper presents a detailed study of DC grid operation using a range of user-defined offline and real-time HVDC converter models which were rigorously validated against offline and real-time benchmarks. Provided that these models are destined for use in real-time hardware in the loop simulation and a wide range of offline system studies, this paper assesses their suitability for studying complex DC grids that consist of multiple voltage source converters which differ in their control range and fault ride-through capabilities. Detailed quantitative studies show that the offline and real-time DC grid models produce well matched results and provide efficient approaches to investigate DC grid operation during normal condition and AC and DC faults.
Animal models and intestinal drug transport

Background: Intestinal drug metabolism and transport are now well recognized determinants of drug disposition in humans. During the last decade, various animal models lacking drug transporters have been generated in order to investigate the role of transporters for drug absorption, distribution and elimination. Objective: In this review the use of the animal models for the investigation of intestinal drug transport will be discussed. Methods: Publications describing the use of knockout animals (e.g., P-glycoprotein, Bcrp, and Oct1) regarding intestinal drug transport and animals characterized by mutations in transporters genes (e.g., Mrp2) were mainly considered for this review. Results/conclusion: Knockout mouse models for ABC transporters are highly valuable tools to investigate the role of intestinal efflux transporters for the bioavailability of various compounds.
Pro-Motion: A Positive Way Forward for Clients with Severe and Enduring Mental Health Problems Living in the Community, Part 1

This is the first part of a two-part article describing a clinical therapeutic intervention planned and organised by a senior occupational therapist and mental health nursing staff for clients with diagnoses of severe and enduring mental health problems. The six participants had a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder or bipolar illness. Four were receiving the atypical antipsychotic medication, Clozapine. One was receiving Olanzapine, also atypical, and the last was receiving traditional antipsychotic medication. These clients were all receiving long-term support from the mental health rehabilitation unit. Participation was voluntary and each client gave written consent to participation and publication later. The aims and objectives of the initial group, the selection criteria and the content and process of the group over a period of 6 weeks are described. The subsequent group, also held for 6 weeks, will be described in part 2, together with a brief overview of the further groups that have taken place since. The evaluation methods of the first group were the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) together with verbal and written evaluation. The BAI and the STAI were not repeated in the second group and the rationale for this is explained. The perceived benefits to clients are illustrated with two brief case vignettes. The benefits to other clients are also mentioned, together with the perceived drawbacks. The article concludes with the plans for the second group.
STUDIES ON THE REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY OF THE BROWN PRAWN METAPENAEUS MONOCEROS (FABRICIUS, 1798) ALONG THE KAKINADA COAST

Five ovarian maturation stages are recognised in Metapenaeus monoceros. Males and females attain size at first maturity at 96 and 116 mm total length (TL) respectively. Each female spawns at least four times in its life time with an interval of about 2 months between successive spawnings. After attaining maturity, males are sexually active throughout their life. Spwaning season is prolonged extending from January to October. The following linear relationships are obtained between fecvmdity and total length/ total weight/ovary weight. Fecundity (in thousands) = -507.1369 + 4.9593 x total length Fecundity (in thousands) = -25.4832 + 9.7134 x total weight Fecundity (in thousands) = -18.3825 + 96.6413 x ovary weight Ovary weight is a better index of fecundity than either total length or total weight. Fecundity varies from 51,684 ova in female of 113 mm TL to 402,378 ova in a female of 181 mm TL. The ratios of males to females vary from 1 : 3.21 to 1 : 0.29 in different months. These wide variations in the sex ratio are found to be associated with the sex-wise segregation in the fishing grounds. Annual sex ratio in the population is significantly different at P = 0.01 level from the usual 1:1 ratio.
Cover Song Recognition Using Machine Learning Techniques

The task of recognizing a song as a cover version of another is relatively easy for the human being, when the song is known. However, making a machine to do this job is complex because of the number of variables involved in the development of a cover; these include variations in tempo, instrumentation, gender, and duration with respect to the original version. A methodology that aims to identify covers from the application and analysis of machine learning techniques, sparse codification, signal processing and second order statistics, in order to obtain the best configuration, is proposed. Acoustic features such as pitches and timbres, as well as beat information of the cover songs were obtained from the Million Song, a metadata database oriented to music information retrieval. Along the experimentation it was able to try different analysis configurations on the metadata and to appreciate the effects on the comparisons between original and cover versions. According to the results, a system that integrates a frequency processing on the pitches with beat alignment, a sparse codification and a clustering technique was obtained with correct cover identification similar to the state of the art results. It was also possible to get information about learning techniques combinations with different metrics that allows future experiments to improve the results.
Power Factor Improvement in Modified Bridgeless Landsman Converter Fed EV Battery Charger

This work deals with the design and implementation of a new charger for a battery-operated electric vehicle (EV) with power factor improvement at the front end. In the proposed configuration, the conventional diode converter at the source end of existing EV battery charger is eliminated with the modified Landsman power factor correction (PFC) converter. The PFC converter is cascaded to a flyback isolated converter, which yields the EV battery control to charge it, first in constant current mode then switching to constant voltage mode. The proposed PFC converter is controlled using single sensed entity to achieve the robust regulation of dc-link voltage as well as to ensure the unity power factor operation. The proposed topology offers improved power quality, low device stress, and low input and output current ripple with low input current harmonics when compared to the conventional one. Moreover, to demonstrate the conformity of the proposed charger to an IEC 61000-3-2 standard, a prototype is built and tested to charge a 48 V EV battery of 100 Ah capacity, under transients in input voltage. The performance of the charger is found satisfactory for all the cases.