Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differentiation of stx1A gene for detection of Escherichia coli serotype O157: H7 and Shigella dysenteriae type 1 in food samples using high resolution melting curve analysis

Abstract Escherichia coli serotype O157: H7 and Shigella dysenteriae type 1 as the Shiga toxin‐producing bacteria cause some acute gastrointestinal and extraintestinal diseases such as hemorrhagic uremic syndrome and bloody diarrhea in human. Stx genes are the key virulence factors in these pathogens. The aim of this study was to develop HRMA assay to differentiate stx1A gene for detection of E. coli serotype O157: H7 and Sh. dysenteriae type 1 and determine the prevalence of these pathogens in food samples using this method. PCR‐HRMA assay and gold standard methods have been carried out for identification of pathogens among 135 different food samples. We found HRMA method a sensitive and specific assay (100 and 100%, respectively) for differentiation of stx1A gene, consequently, detection of these pathogens in food samples. Also, the highest prevalence of E. coli serotype O157: H7 and Sh. dysenteriae type 1 harboring stx1A gene was observed in raw milk and vegetable salad samples, respectively. HRMA as a rapid, inexpensive, sensitive and specific method is suggested to be used for differentiation of stx1A gene to detect E. coli serotype O157: H7 and Sh. dysenteriae type 1 as the key pathogens for safety evaluation of food samples.
Innovation Relationships in the Emergence of Fintech Ecosystems

This paper explores the emergence of ecosystems in the context of Fintechs infusing digital technology into financial services. The rapid rise of Fintechs has changed the business landscape, challenging the established firms with novel solutions and services. As a result, the established firms are turning to new models of cooperation, replacing the hierarchically managed value chains with ecosystems that are modular and decentralized in their architecture. First, a bibliometric analysis was conducted to present the content and relationships in Fintech research in general. Then, a case study on two of the biggest retail banks in Finland and their innovation relationships in developing Distributed Ledger Technologies and related services was conducted. The results show how established players have established multiple innovation relationships, in different ecosystems as well as between them. These can be seen to demonstrate the emergence of Fintech ecosystems. The study contributes to previous literature by making the linkages explicit, particularly by examining the contextual elements that are crucial enablers or hindering factors in such relationships.
Optical simulation of charge conservation violation and Majorana dynamics

Unphysical solutions are ruled out in physical equations, as they lead to behavior that violates fundamental physical laws. One of the celebrated equations that allows unphysical solutions is the relativistic Majorana equation, thought to describe neutrinos and other exotic particles predicted in theories beyond the standard model. The neutrally charged Majorana fermion is the equation’s physical solution, whereas the charged version is, due to charge nonconservation, unphysical and cannot exist. Here, we present an experimental scheme simulating the dynamics of a charged Majorana particle by light propagation in a tailored waveguide chip. Specifically, we simulate the free-particle evolution as well as the unphysical operation of charge conjugation. We do this by exploiting the fact that the wave function is not a directly observable physical quantity and by decomposing the unphysical solution to observable entities. Our results illustrate the potential of investigating theories beyond the standard model in a compact laboratory setting.
A kinematic model for folds accommodating shortening in tips of reverse faults: an example from the southern Pyrenees (N Iberian Peninsula)

A kinematic model for fault-related folds is proposed based on a field example from the Pyrenees. A brief explanation of the model with remarks on its properties and why it was chosen to simulate the natural structure is given together with a detailed structural analysis. The structure consists of a meter-scale fold developed at the tip of a thrust fault with its backlimb dipping less than the fault surface and including a footwall fold. The suggested model presents an acceptable geometrical fitting to the studied structure and provides a reasonable evolutionary history for the fold. Graphs of shortening vs. slip along the fault can be obtained using the model’s equations in which a possible structural path followed by the structure can be depicted.
Emission of methane from tree stems in the Amazon basin A study to investigate short temporal and spatial variability of methane emission of tree stems in the Amazon basin

It is well known that methane (CH4) is emitted from soil, water and wetlands under anaerobic conditions through methanogenesis. CH4 is the final product of the anaerobic respiration of the microorganism methanogen. More recently, it has been shown that CH4 is also emitted by trees and if only the emissions from soil and water are measured the fluxes of CH4 in the ecosystem will be underestimated. Considering the emission from trees, the Amazon region greatly contributes to global emissions. To investigate if there is need for method development for measuring CH4 fluxes, the aim in this study was to statistically test the spatial and the short temporal variability of CH4 emissions from trees. This was done within and between two different seasons in three different plots in the Amazon basin during the year 2017. Samples of CH4 were collected using semi rigid chambers placed on tree stems. The samples were later analyzed in a laboratory environment using the Los Gatos Ultraportable Greenhouse Gas Analyzer (UGGA). For the statistical analysis non-parametric test were used, due to the non-parametric data. In this study, the result shows that the short temporal variability is not statistically significant in any of the three plots, but the short temporal variability is statistically significant between the two seasons. This tells us that it is of importance to collect samples during different seasons of the year when measuring CH4 emissions from trees. The spatial variability is statistically significant on all the three plots in both seasons. This tell us that it is important to collect samples from different heights of the tree stems when collecting CH4 samples regardless of the season. Nyckelord
Many-Server Gaussian Limits for Overloaded Queues with Customer Abandonment and Nonexponential Service Times

Extending Ward Whitt’s pioneering work “Fluid Models for Multiserver Queues with Abandonments, Operations Research, 54(1) 37–54, 2006 ”, this paper establishes a many-server heavy-traffic functional central limit theorem for the overloaded G/GI/n+GI queue with stationary arrivals, nonexponential service times, n identical servers, and nonexponential patience times. Process-level convergence to non-Markovian Gaussian limits is established as the number of servers goes to infinity for key performance processes such as the waiting times, queue length, abandonment and departure processes. Analytic formulas are developed to characterize the distributions of these Gaussian limits.
All 1371 is a polyphosphate-dependent glucokinase in Anabaena sp . PCC 7120

The polyphosphate glucokinases can phosphorylate glucose to glucose 6-phosphate using polyphosphate as the substrate. ORF all1371 encodes a putative polyphosphate glucokinase in the filamentous heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. Here, ORF all1371 was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli, and its purified product was characterized. Enzyme activity assays revealed that All1371 is an active polyphosphate glucokinase that can phosphorylate both glucose and mannose in the presence of divalent cations in vitro. Unlike many other polyphosphate glucokinases, for which nucleoside triphosphates (e.g. ATP or GTP) act as phosphoryl group donors, All1371 required polyphosphate to confer its enzymic activity. The enzymic reaction catalysed by All1371 followed classical Michaelis–Menten kinetics, with kcat548.2 s ”1 at pH 7.5 and 28 6C and KM51.76 mM and 0.118 mM for polyphosphate and glucose, respectively. Its reaction mechanism was identified as a particular multi-substrate mechanism called the ‘bi-bi ping-pong mechanism’. Bioinformatic analyses revealed numerous polyphosphate-dependent glucokinases in heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria. Viability of an Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 mutant strain lacking all1371 was impaired under nitrogen-fixing conditions. GFP promoter studies indicate expression of all1371 under combined nitrogen deprivation. All1371 might play a substantial role in Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 under these conditions.
Beam loading in magnicon deflection cavities

Analysis of the beam-deflection cavity interaction in a magnicon is presented and compared with experiment. For a driven cavity a dispersion relation is obtained wherein the interaction modifies the cold-cavity quality factor and the resonance frequency. In terms of a lumped-parameter equivalent circuit the interaction corresponds to a complex-valued beam admittance Y/sub b/ in parallel with the cavity admittance. The response of the gain cavities is modified by the same admittance. In a magnicon, Y/sub b/ is a sensitive function of the solenoidal focusing magnetic field B/sub 0/, thus providing a convenient means of adjusting the cavity properties in experiments. When the relativistic gyrofrequency is twice the drive frequency, Im Y/sub b/=0 and the beam does not load the cavity. Analytical expressions of the variation of the detuning, instantaneous bandwidth (i.e., loaded quality factor) and gain with B/sub 0/ are derived. Simulation results are presented to verify the linear analysis with ideal beams and to illustrate the modifications due to finite beam emittance. Results of the magnicon experiment at the Naval Research Laboratory are examined in the light of the analysis.
Chemical composition, antioxidant and antifungal potential of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) and Eucalyptus globulus essential oils against oralCandida species

Eucalyptus globulus and Melaleuca alternifolia essential oils has been of interest to researchers because they are traditionally used for the treatment of fungal infections and especially candidiasis. The chemical composition of hydrodistilled essential oils were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and their antifungal activity was tested against 32 Candida strains including 15 species. The antioxidant activities (DPPH, reducing power, and superoxide anion radical-scavenging activity) were also investigated. Tea tree essential oil was particularly rich on terpinen-4-ol (40.44%), gamma terpinene (19.54%) and 1,8-cineole (95.61%) and alpha-pinene (1.5%) for the E. globulus oil. E. globulus oil was more efficient and had the best antifungal effect on oral Candida albicans and Candida glabratastrains comparing to the results obtained with Amphotericin B. Even at low concentrations, these oils drastically impair the maximum yield and growth rate of both C. albicans and C. glabrata on YPD medium. The Tea Tree essential oil displayed the highest DPPH scavenging ability with the lowest IC50 value (IC50, 12.5 µg/ml), the greater reducing power and bleaching of β-carotene (EC50, 24 µgml-1 and IC50, 42 µgml-1, respectively) as compared to E. globulusoil and BHT. These findings support the interest of E. globulus and M. alternifolia essential oilsas an efficient oral hygiene tool (anti-Candida spp.) and as a source of antioxidant compounds. Key words: Candida, Melaleuca alternifolia, Eucalyptus globulus, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, antioxidant, antifungal activities.
The demand for government housing : Evidence from lotteries for 200 , 000 homes in Ethiopia

Can the state improve the lives of slum dwellers by supplying formal housing otherwise not provided by the market? Or will state-built housing, priced at the cost of production, be beyond the willingness to pay of poor households or built in the wrong location? To answer these questions, I study a lottery for large-scale government housing in Ethiopia. Winners of the lottery are sold apartments on the outskirts of the city. They then have the choice to move in or rent out these units. By moving in, they pay a high implicit price in forgone rent determined by the market, which I show to exceed the cost to the state of producing the housing. I find that nearly half of lottery winners trade slum housing in the city centre for improved housing on the outskirts of cities. In addition, they make upgrades to their apartments, adding a number of amenities that they did not enjoy in their slum housing. I argue that this reveals unmet demand for improved housing and suggests that informal housing is a sub-optimal outcome for a large proportion of slum-dwellers in this setting. Moving to sites far from the city centre does not negatively affect labour supply or earnings. Although social lives are less vibrant in the new housing estates, lottery winners report significant reductions in conflict with neighbours and increased willingness to contribute to public goods. ∗London School of Economics (email: S.Franklin1@lse.ac.uk). I gratefully acknowledge funding from the International Growth Centre (IGC). For useful comments I thank Simon Quinn, Clement Imbert, Doug Gollin, Gharad Bryan, Robin Burgess, Vernon Henderson, Martina Kirchberger, Pascaline Dupas, Marcel Fafchamps, Henry Overman, Stefano Caria, Kate Vyborny, Julien Labonne, Kate Orkin, Sam Asher, Harris Selod, Girija Borker, Alexander Rothenberg, Mariaflavia Harari, and Julia Bird, and participants at the Stanford Development seminar, NEUDC, the LSE Labour workshop, LSE Geography seminar, CSAE workshops, and the Urban Economics Association Conference. Giulio Schinaia and Nolawi Tadesse provided valuable research assistance.
Individualist, Collectivist and Gender Moderated Differences toward Online Purchase Intentions in Jordan

The purpose of this paper is to explore individualist and collectivist gender moderated differences toward online purchase intentions. Data were collected via questionnaires from 241 student in Al-Balqa’ Applied University in Jordan. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. In addition, factor and cluster analysis were used to group the sample according to individualistic and collectivistic cultural factors. Two-way ANOVA test was used to test the study hypotheses. The results of this study depicted that there was a significant difference between male and female toward online purchase intentions. The study also depicted that, there was a significant difference in the intention to purchase online according to individualist, mixed and collectivist cultural factors. Furthermore, the two-way interaction between gender and individualist, mixed and collectivist groups was significant regarding intention to purchase online.
Modeling Early Responses of Loblolly Pine Growth to Thinning in the Western Gulf Coastal Plain Region

Growth response to thinning has long been a research topic of interest in forest science. This study presents the first 3–4 years of response of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) growth to thinning at different intensities. Data were collected from the East Texas Pine Research Project’s region-wide loblolly pine thinning study, which covers a wide variety of stand conditions. Four treatments, light, moderate, and heavy thinning, respectively having 370, 555, and 740 residual trees per hectare after thinning, and an unthinned control, were included. Individual tree diameter at breast height (dbh) and total height were recorded annually for the first 3–4 years after thinning. Results indicate significant differences between treatments in dbh growth in each year after thinning, as well as for all years combined. Each thinning treatment had significantly greater dbh growth than the control in the first growing season with this positive response being more evident in the case of the heavier thinning or at the later years post-thinning. Conversely, the thinning effect on tree height growth was initially negligibly negative, then becoming positive after 2–4 years, with the heavier thinning becoming positive sooner. Tree size class, assigned based on prethinning dbh, had a significant effect on both dbh and height growth responses. Compared to the control, small trees had a greater response both in dbh and in height growth than the medium and large trees over the measurement period. At the stand level, the heavier thinning had significantly less stand basal area per hectare, but the difference in stand basal area per hectare between the thinned and the unthinned plots decreased with years post-thinning. Results from this study can improve our understanding in thinning effects and help forest managers make accurate decisions on silvicultural regimes.
Microscopic theory of spin relaxation anisotropy in graphene with proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling

We present a microscopic theory of spin dynamics in weakly disordered graphene with uniform proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling (SOC). A time-dependent perturbative treatment is employed to derive the spin Bloch equations governing the spin dynamics at high electronic density for arbitrary ratio ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{\mathrm{SOC}}/\ensuremath{\eta}$, where $\ensuremath{\eta}$ is the disorder-induced quasiparticle broadening and ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{\mathrm{SOC}}$ is the largest spin-orbit energy scale. Rich scenarios are predicted, depending on a delicate competition between interface-induced Bychkov-Rashba and spin-valley interaction. In the motional narrowing regime of weak SOC (${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{\mathrm{SOC}}\ensuremath{\ll}\ensuremath{\eta}$), the anisotropy ratio of out-of-plane to in-plane spin lifetimes $\ensuremath{\zeta}={\ensuremath{\tau}}_{s}^{\ensuremath{\perp}}/{\ensuremath{\tau}}_{s}^{\ensuremath{\parallel}}$ agrees qualitatively with a toy model of spins in a fluctuating SOC field proposed recently by Cummings and co-workers Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 206601 (2017). For well-resolved SOC (${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{\mathrm{SOC}}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}\ensuremath{\eta}$), the spin dynamics is characterized by fast damped oscillations with spins relaxing on the timescale of a single scattering event. In this regime, qualitatively different formulas for $\ensuremath{\zeta}$ are obtained, which can be useful to model spin transport in ultraclean van der Waals heterostructures.
Ultra Wide Band Radar Cross Section Reduction of a Perfectly Electric Conductor Sphere by the Application of Multilayer Metamaterial Coatings

A full-wave analytical method using the addition theorems and Hertzian potential functions are used to compute the radar cross section of a sphere coated by several layers composed of common materials and metamaterials. The minimization and maximization of radar cross section of a perfectly electric conductor sphere with such coatings are realized in a frequency band-width and in a wide interval of angles. One of the novelities of this contribution is, taking into dispersion relations of physically realizable metamaterials. So that the optimization procedure for RCS reduction is applied due to the coefficients describing dispersion characteristics. Â The method of least square is used for the design of a class of radar absorbing materials. The minimization of the error functions are performed by the combination of genetic algorithm and conjugate gradient method. It is shown that the proposed method of computation of radar cross section and its extremization effectively leads to the design of dispersive and isotropic metamaterials for the realization of radar absorbing materials.
Experiment and Analysis of Wedge Cutting Angle on Cutting Effect

In the process of tunnel excavation, large charge wedge cutting blasting is widely used to improve the effect of cut blasting and speed up the excavation rate, which is tantamount to increasing the construction cost. In order to save economic cost and improve cutting blasting effect, wedge cutting models with five different cutting angles were experimented and studied by using concrete materials on the basis of similarity theory analysis. The relationships among cutting depth, blasting volume, blasting fragment, and cutting angle are studied and deduced by the dimensional analysis method. The polynomial fitting of cutting depth, blasting volume, blasting fragment, and cutting angle is carried out according to the experimental data, and the corresponding fitting formula is obtained. The optimum cutting depth, hole utilization rate, blasting volume, and blasting fragment were obtained when the wedge cutting angle was 67° under the same charge. The values were 1.665 × 10−1 m, 92.5%, 8.390 × 10−3 m3, and 49.07 mm, respectively. With the use of TC4850N type blasting vibration meter, the blasting vibrations on the wedge in four directions are tested and analyzed. The results show that when wedge cutting inclination is 65 degrees, the peak vibration velocity is the minimum and the vibration intensity of the wedge cutting inclined side is generally smaller than that of the vertical side. Considering the cutting depth, blasting volume, blasting fragment, blasting vibration hazard, drilling error, tunneling construction cost, and other factors, the 65°∼69° wedge cutting blasting in engineering practice can improve the blasting tunneling rate and increase economic benefits. The experimental results show that the blasting tunneling rate is increased and the economic benefit is increased with the minimum construction tunneling cost, which has certain engineering significance.
Can Human Resource Management Improve Schools' Performance?

Using data for British workplaces, we compare the associations between human resource management (HRM) practices and schools' performance, comparing those effects to the effects of HRM among private sector workplaces. We do so using measures of workplace performance that are common across all workplaces. We find intensive use of HRM practices is correlated with substantial improvement in workplace performance, both among schools and other workplaces. Results are robust to panel estimates of the correlation between changes in performance and changes in HRM.
Optimal Induced Spreading of SIS Epidemics in Networks

Induced spreading aims to maximize the infection probabilities of some target nodes by adjusting the nodal infection rates, which can be applied in biochemical and information spreading. We assume that the adjustment of the nodal infection rates has an associated cost and formulate the induced spreading for susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) epidemics in networks as an optimization problem under a constraint on total cost. We address and solve both a static model and a dynamic model for the optimization of the induced SIS spreading. By numerical results in some artificial and real networks, we investigate the effect of the network topology on the optimal induced strategy with a quadratic cost function. In the static method, the infection rate increment on each node is coupled to both the degree and the average hops to the targets. In the dynamic method, we show that the effective resistance could be a good metric to indicate the minimum total cost for targeting a single node. We also illustrate that the minimum total cost increases much more slowly with the increasing fraction of targets in the SIS model than in linear control systems.