Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A consistent data set of Antarctic ice sheet topography, cavity geometry, and global bathymetry

Abstract. Sub-ice shelf circulation and freezing/melting rates in ocean general circulation models depend critically on an accurate and consistent representation of cavity geometry. Existing global or pan-Antarctic topography data sets have turned out to contain various inconsistencies and inaccuracies. The goal of this work is to compile independent regional surveys and maps into a global data set. We use the S-2004 global 1-min bathymetry as the backbone and add an improved version of the BEDMAP topography (ALBMAP bedrock topography) for an area that roughly coincides with the Antarctic continental shelf. The position of the merging line is individually chosen in different sectors in order to capture the best of both data sets. High-resolution gridded data for ice shelf topography and cavity geometry of the Amery, Fimbul, Filchner-Ronne, Larsen C and George VI Ice Shelves, and for Pine Island Glacier are carefully merged into the ambient ice and ocean topographies. Multibeam survey data for bathymetry in the former Larsen B cavity and the southeastern Bellingshausen Sea have been obtained from the data centers of Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO), gridded, and blended into the existing bathymetry map. The resulting global 1-min Refined Topography data set (RTopo-1) contains self-consistent maps for upper and lower ice surface heights, bedrock topography, and surface type (open ocean, grounded ice, floating ice, bare land surface). The data set is available in NetCDF format from the PANGAEA database at doi:10.1594/pangaea.741917 .
Antibiotic resistance pattern and its correlation to the presence of tdh gene and CRISPR-Cas system in Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains isolated from seafood

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a pathogen native to the aquatic environment. In this study, 46 environmental V. parahaemolyticus isolates were subjected to a correlational analysis to find the association between their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern, prevalence of CRISPR-Cas system and thermostable direct hemolysin (tdh) gene. Antibiotic resistance profiling against eleven antibiotics revealed the isolates to be multidrug resistant. Isolates exhibited highest resistance to vancomycin (97.8%) followed by ampicillin (91.3%), cefotaxime (69.6%), ceftazidime/clavulanic acid (54.4%), ceftazidime (45.7%) and gentamicin (39.1%). CRISPR loci and tdh gene were detected in 47.83 and 58.7% of strains respectively. No significant correlation was observed between antibiotic resistance to presence of CRISPR, except in the case of gentamicin wherein, a negative correlation was seen (r=-0.272, p<0.10). Similarly, tdh did not correlate to antibiotic resistance. Seventeen strains in this study harboured the CRISPR loci as well as tdh gene, the association of which was found to be statistically significant.
Numerical Solution of N-S Equations in the case of Unsteady Axisymmetric Stagnation-point Flow on a Vertical Circular Cylinder with Mixed Convection Heat Transfer

The unsteady problem of impulsive stagnation-point flow on a vertical circular cylinder along with mixed convection heat transfer is solved numerically for the first time. This is because of limitations of similarity solution techniques when we encounter various physical conditions such as time-dependent states. Initially, the fluid is considered to be at rest and with a uniform temperature . At t=0 this fluid starts flowing toward a vertical cylinder at the strength rate of and the cylinder surface's temperature rises to Tw, simultaneously. The Navier-Stokes and energy equations in cylindrical coordinate system have been descritized and solved in a 2-D domain by using a SIMPLE based algorithm. The solution has been obtained in three cases. Firstly, when cylinder's wall temperature Tw is constant. Secondly, when Tw varies linearly along cylinder's axis. And thirdly, when it has parabolic variations. Considering a sample case of incompressible flow with Re=1 and , the results of Nusselt number, wall shear- stress and dimensionless velocity and temperature have been obtained at different states of cylinder's wall temperature and for some selected values of Grashof numbers. An entropy generation analysis for the case of constant wall temperature is performed which is also for the first time in this subject.
An Age-Dependent Model for Dengue Transmission: Analysis and Comparison to Field Data from Semarang, Indonesia

Medical statistics reveal a significant dependence of hospitalized dengue patient on the patient's age. To incorporate an age-dependence into a mathematical model, we extend the classical ODE system of disease dynamics to a PDE system. The equilibrium distribution is then determined by the fixed points of resulting integro-differential equations. In this paper we use an extension of the concept of the basic reproductive number to characterize parameter regimes, where either only the disease-free or an endemic equilibrium exists. Using rather general and minimal assumptions on the population distribution and on the age-dependent transmission rate, we prove the existence of those equilibria. Furthermore, we are able to prove the convergence of an iteration scheme to compute the endemic equilibrium. To validate our model, we use existing data from the city of Semarang, Indonesia for comparison and to identify the model parameters.
Transcriptional Dynamics of the Salicylic Acid Response and its Interplay with the Jasmonic Acid Pathway

The phytohormone salicylic acid (SA) is a central regulator of plant immunity. Antagonistic and synergistic actions between SA and other defense-associated hormones like jasmonic acid (JA) play key roles in determining the outcome of the plant immune response. To obtain a deeper understanding of SA-mediated transcriptional reprogramming and SA/JA crosstalk, we generated a high-resolution time series of gene expression from Arabidopsis leaves treated with SA alone and a combination of SA and methyl JA (MeJA), sampled at 14 time points over a 16-h period. We found that approximately one-third of the Arabidopsis genome was differentially expressed in response to SA, and temporal changes in gene expression could be partitioned into 45 distinct clusters of process-specific coregulated genes, linked to specific cis-regulatory elements and binding of transcription factors (TFs). Integration of our expression data with information on TF-DNA binding allowed us to generate a dynamic gene regulatory network model of the SA response, recovering known regulators and identifying novel ones. We found that 12% of SA-responsive genes and 69% of the MeJA-responsive genes exhibited antagonistic or synergistic expression levels in the combination treatment. Multi-condition co-clustering of the single- and combined-hormone expression profiles predicted underlying regulatory mechanisms in signal integration. Finally, we identified the TFs ANAC061 and ANAC090 as negative regulators of SA pathway genes and defense against biotrophic pathogens. Collectively, our data provide an unprecedented level of detail about transcriptional changes during the SA response and SA/JA crosstalk, serving as a valuable resource for systems-level network studies and functional plant defense studies.
Optimal DG sizing and siting in radial system using hybridization of GSA and Firefly algorithms

In order to improve the Voltage Stability Index (VSI), real and reactive power loss compensation, there is a solution in terms of Distributed Generation (DG). By incorporating DGs at proper location with suitable size, the power losses will reduce and there is an improvement of voltage profile. For this a new approach was introduced which is a hybridization of Firefly Algorithm (FA) with Gravitational Search Algorithms (GSA). After finding the real power losses using conventional method like Backward/Forward (BW/FW) sweep approach, the new approach was implemented to prove that it was the better algorithm than the other approaches. All these approaches have been implemented on standard IEEE-33 radial test system. MATLAB software was used to simulate the results and to find optimal DG sizing and siting on IEEE-33 test system.
Response to bidirectional selection for naupliar length in Artemia franciscana

Bidirectional mass selection for naupliar length was practised in Artemia franciscana from Great Salt Lake, UT, USA, with the aim of developing two divergent lines, namely small naupliar size (SNS) and bigger naupliar size (BNS). A random-bred control line was also maintained to quantify the environmental eiects. The mean naupliar length in the base population was 486.9972. 11 mm in males and 490.5871. 82 mm in females. Six generations of selection for smaller naupliar size in the SNS line resulted in a phenotypic response of ^45.32m ma nd ^37.52mm decreases in naupliar size in males and females respectively. In the BNS line, responses (increase in size) from ¢ve generations of selection for bigger size were 8.59 mm and 35.80 mm respectively. The cumulative genetic gain in males and females of the SNS were ^41.72 m ma nd ^38.76mm compared with 12.64 mm and 39.48mm, respectively, in the BNS line.
Ice shelf basal melt rates from a high-resolution DEM record for Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica

Abstract. Ocean-induced basal melting is directly and indirectly responsible for much of the Amundsen Sea Embayment ice loss in recent decades, but the total magnitude and spatiotemporal evolution of this melt is poorly constrained. To address this problem, we generated a record of high-resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) for Pine Island Glacier (PIG) using commercial sub-meter satellite stereo imagery and integrated additional 2002–2015 DEM/altimetry data. We implemented a Lagrangian elevation change (Dh/Dt) framework to estimate ice shelf basal melt rates at 32–256-m resolution. We describe this methodology and consider basal melt rates and elevation change over the PIG shelf and lower catchment from 2008–2015. We document the evolution of Eulerian elevation change (dh/dt) and upstream propagation of thinning signals following the end of rapid grounding line retreat around 2010. Mean full-shelf basal melt rates for the 2008–2015 period were ~82–93 Gt/yr, with ~ 200–250 m/yr basal melt rates within large channels near the grounding line, ~ 10–30 m/yr over the main shelf, and ~ 0–10 m/yr over the North and South shelves, with the notable exception of a small area with rates of ~ 50–100 m/yr near the grounding line of a fast-flowing tributary on the South shelf. The observed basal melt rates show excellent agreement with, and provide context for, in situ basal melt rate observations. We also document the relative melt rates for km-scale basal channels and keels at different locations on the shelf and consider implications for ocean circulation and heat content. These methods and results offer new indirect observations of ice-ocean interaction and constraints on the processes driving sub-shelf melting beneath vulnerable ice shelves in West Antarctica.
Determinants of Farm Labour Use: A Comparison between Ireland and Italy. Factor Markets Working Documents No. 60, August 2013

This paper examines the effect of the decoupling of farm direct payments upon the off-farm labour supply decisions of farmers in both Ireland and Italy, using panel data from the Farm Business Survey (REA) and FADN database covering the period from 2002 to 2009 to model these decisions. Drawing from the conceptual agricultural household model, the authors hypothesise that the decoupling of direct payments led to an increase in off-farm labour activity despite some competing factors. This hypothesis rests largely upon the argument that the effects of changes in relative wages have dominated other factors. At a micro level, the decoupling-induced decline in the farm wage relative to the non-farm wage ought to have provoked a greater incentive for off-farm labour supply. The main known competing argument is that decoupling introduced a new source of non-labour income i.e. a wealth effect. This may in turn have suppressed or eliminated the likelihood of increased off-farm labour supply for some farmers. For the purposes of comparative analysis, the Italian model utilises the data from the REA database instead of the FADN as the latter has a less than satisfactory coverage of labour issues. Both models are developed at a national level. The paper draws from the literature on female labour supply and uses a sample selection corrected ordinary least squares model to examine both the decisions of off-farm work participation and the decisions regarding the amount of time spent working off-farm. The preliminary results indicate that decoupling has not had a significant impact on off-farm labour supply in the case of Ireland but there appears to be a significantly negative relationship in the Italian case. It still remains the case in both countries that the wealth of the farmer is negatively correlated with the likelihood of off-farm employment.
DETECTING DOMAIN BOUNDARIES IN PROTEINS THROUGH PLOTTING OF THE ENERGY OF NON-BONDED INTERACTIONS (ENBI) AS A FUNCTION OF PROGRESSIVE IN SILICO TRUNCATION OF CHAINS IN NATIVE STRUCTURAL FORMAT

Several methods exist for the detection of domain boundaries in proteins. Different methods exploit different structural-biochemical characteristics distinguishing, and defining, protein domains. However, perhaps because 'domains' remain poorly defined, no single method has proved to be entirely satisfactory. Here, a new approach to defining and detecting domains is presented, along with some preliminary data from three proteins, in the form of a proof-of-concept. It is argued from first principles that protein domain boundaries may be identified through plotting of variations in the energy of non-bonded interactions of a naturally-occurring protein as a function of varying chain length (in native structural format). Such plots may be expected to show a broadly descending trend as a function of increasing chain length, marked by slope changes at domain boundaries. The approach is demonstrated with three multi-domain, single-subunit proteins, porcine pepsin (4PEP), thymidylate synthase (4TMS) and aconitase (5ACN).
Growth and Metabolic Responses of Rhazya stricta Decne to Habitat Diversity in Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia

THE PRESENT study is an attempt to clarify the effect of habitat (Mountain, plain and wadi) diversity on growth behavior and metabolic activities of one common perennial dwarf shrub (Rhazya stricta). Plain was attained the highest moisture availability and lowest salt stress while the highest content of coarse sand recorded in wadi which led to loss water, mountain holds in its notches an adequate amount of moisture for growth of some species. Leaf area, height of plant, crown diameter, and the biomass of above ground organs furthermore, abundance measurements (absolute density, frequency and cover) were significantly varied with habitat types. The favorable habitat types for the plant growth and productivity were plain and wadi as compared with mountain. Carbohydrates and proteins (total and soluble) in different phenophases of plant were significantly varied with habitat types. The highest essential elements in all studied habitats for the plant organs (root, leaves) were Ca and K. In mountain K/Na ratio is low in mountain compared with the other habitats. This result may indicate that the plant in mountain use sodium as osmoregulatory substance, while in plain and wadi the contribution of K to the osmotic balance is larger than Na. Total flavonoids, total phenolics and essential oil were accumulated more in the plant which grow under sever mechanical stress (mountain habitat type).
Hypermethylation of the SEPT9 Gene Suggests Significantly Poor Prognosis in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Aberrant hypermethylation of the Septin 9 (SEPT9) is an early event in several human cancers, and increasing studies have reported good performance of methylated SEPT9 (mSEPT9) in cancer diagnosis. Recent studies further focused on its value in cancer prognosis, but results are not clearly elucidated. Methods: A comprehensive search to identify relevant studies about the association between mSEPT9 and cancer prognosis was conducted through the EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases (up to January 2019). The main outcomes were overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). The hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for OS and DFS were extracted from each included study and pooled using a random-effects model. Results: Ten eligible studies comprising 1,266 cancer patients were included. Results demonstrated that mSEPT9 was associated with poor OS (HR = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.40–3.06). Specially, mSEPT9 detected in preoperative plasma predicted worse OS in cancer patients (HR = 3.25, 95% CI = 1.93–5.48). In addition, we also identified a significant association of mSEPT9 with decreased DFS of cancer (HR = 3.24, 95% CI = 1.81–5.79). Conclusion: Our meta-analysis supports that mSEPT9 is associated with reduced OS and DFS in cancer patients. Moreover, detection of mSEPT9 using plasma appears to be a convenient and promising way to predict long-term survival of cancer patients.
Iron Ore Pelletizing Process: An Overview

The iron ore production has significantly expanded in recent years, owing to increasing steel demands in developing countries. However, the content of iron in ore deposits has deteriorated and low-grade iron ore has been processed. The fines resulting from the concentration process must be agglomerated for use in iron and steelmaking. This chapter shows the status of the pelletizing process with a special focus on binders. Bentonite is the most used binder due to favorable mechanical and metallurgical pellet properties, but it contains impurities especially silica and alumina. The importance of many researches concerning alternative binders is also discussed in this chapter. Better quality wet, dry, preheated, and fired pellets can be produced with combined binders, such as organic and inorganic salts, when compared with bentonite-bonded pellets. While organic binders provide sufficient wet and dry pellet strengths, inorganic salts provide the required preheated and fired pellet strengths.
Effects of post-thinning density and repeated fertilization on the growth and development of young lodgepole pine

The effects of factorial combinations of post-thinning density and fertilization on the growth and development of young lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) were investigated in central British Columbia. The effects of density and fertilization (repeated every 5 years) on tree height were small relative to the effects on stem radial growth. Tree radial growth increased with thinning intensity, whereas per-hectare growth was greatest at the highest residual density. Fertilizer effects varied across the range of residual densities tested. Tree and stand volume gains following fertilization were less, in both relative and absolute terms, at 600 trees/ha than at 1100 or 1600 trees/ha. Vigorous response of understory vegetation to nutrient additions (and strong competition for water and nutrients) may have reduced the effectiveness of fertilization on tree growth at 600 trees/ha relative to higher stand densities. Results indicate that the combined positive effects of thinning.
Complete chloroplast genome of Reineckia carnea and its implications for the phylogenetic position within Nolinoideae (Asparagaceae)

Abstract Reineckia carnea is an important horticultural and medicinal plant in East Asia. Here, we determined the first complete chloroplast genome of R. carnea using genome skimming approach. The cp genome was 157,059 bp long, with a large single-copy region (LSC) of 85,474 bp and a small single-copy region (SSC) of 18,535 bp separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 26,525 bp. It encodes 132 genes, including 86 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and eight ribosomal RNA genes. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that R. carnea is close related to Rohdea chinensis.
Effects of Nitrogen Fertilization and Seed Piece Applied Fungicides on Establishment, Tiller Dynamics, and Sucrose Yields in Successively Planted Sugarcane

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) successive planting causes 25–30% yield reduction in comparison to fallow or rice rotation planting in a three-year production cycle on Florida Histosols. Field experiments were established to manage the yield losses associated with successive planting through nitrogen fertilization and seed piece application of fungicides in plant and first ratoon crops each at two sites. Nitrogen fertilization treatments included 0 (N0), 50 (N50), and 100 (N100) kg ha−1 applied in furrows at the time of planting, and one split application (N50+50) with 50 kg ha−1 applied at planting and 50 kg ha−1 applied at 90 days after planting as side-dress. Fungicides treatments were mancozeb at 2.5 kg a.i. (active ingredient) ha−1, mefenoxam at 0.57 kg a.i. ha−1, and azoxystrobin at 0.30 kg a.i. ha−1 applied to seed cane pieces laid in the furrows at planting. Nitrogen fertilization showed increasing trends of the tiller and millable stalks production in plant and ratoon crops. N response varied with the time of ratooning. Overall, N50+50 produced greater tons of cane per hectare (TCH) and tons of sucrose per hectare (TSH) compared to other N treatments in plant crop and late season ratoon crop (ratooned in March). N100 treatment enhanced tillering and TCH in December ratooned crop. In 2016 plant crop, mefenoxam produced higher TCH than others, but no carryover effects were observed in ratoon crops. Both nitrogen fertilization and fungicides seem to be promising cultural practices to minimize yield losses in successive sugarcane planting in Histosols.
Beneficial Effects of Ginsenosides-Rb1 on Immune Function of Rats During Strenuous Physical Exercise

Objective: the aim of the present study was to determine the effects of ginsenosides-Rb1 (GRb1) on immune function of rats during strenuous physical exercise. Methods: The rats were randomly divided into four groups: one control group and three different doses of GRb1 (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg) treated groups. The animals were intragastrically administered once daily for 28 days. The exhaustive treadmill exercise was conducted on the final day of experimentation, then the spleen and thymus index, and the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) were measured. Results: GRb1 increased the spleen and thymus index in exhaustive exercise rats. GRb1 also increased the levels of serum IgA, IgG and IgM, and decreased the levels of serum IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α. Conclusion: GRb1 have beneficial effects on immune function of rats during strenuous physical exercise.
Executive functioning and lateralized semantic priming in older adults

Abstract Normal aging is associated with a number of cognitive deficits, including changes in executive functioning. Research suggests that hemispheric asymmetry during certain tasks becomes less pronounced in the elderly, reflected in greater bilateral patterns of cortical activation among older adults. Forty-two younger adults and thirty-five older adults were administered a battery of neuropsychological tests sensitive to frontal functioning. In addition, they completed a lexical decision task to assess lateralized implicit priming at two stimulus onset asynchronies (50 and 750 ms). Results of accuracy and reaction time data support Cabeza’s model of reduced asymmetry in older adults completing a semantic priming task. Analysis of the contribution of executive functioning revealed its importance in semantic memory processing.