Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cloning and tissue-specific expression analysis of hepcidin gene in koi ( Cyprinus carpio )

Objective Our aim is to clone cDNA sequence of hepcidin gene (k-hepc) and find its expression pattern in koi (Cyprinus carpio). Methods In this study,the full-length cDNA sequence of hepcidin gene in koi was cloned by RT-PCR and RACE PCR and sequenced. The liver,spleen,kidney,intestine,brain,heart,muscle and gill were obtained 0,4,8,12,24 and 48 h after the koi were challenged with Aeromonas veroii and evaluated by real time PCR to find gene expression of k-hepc. Results The sequence of k-hepc cDNA (GenBank No. KC795559) is 755 bp in length,and ORF is 276 bp long. The deduced amino acid sequence of k-hepc gene consists of 91 amino acids including signal peptide,prodomain and mature peptide. The mature peptide contains 8 cysteines,and is able to form 4 disulfide bonds. The deduced amino acid sequence of k-hepc has 93% similarity to hepcidins of known common carp and 29%-93% similarity to hepcidins of other fish species. Expression of k-hepc is found in all the tissues tested by our lab. The relative expression levels in normal fish showed high basal values in liver and low values in gill. The expression of k-hepc mRNA was significantly increased in the liver and heart but not significantly induced in other tissues after bacterial-challenge. Conclusion The protein encoded by k-hepc is a member of hepcidin family. Expression of k-hepc is mainly affected by intrinsic regulation factors.
Simplified Bidding and Solution Mechanisms for VCG Combinatorial Auctions

Combinatorial auctions are very useful in theory, but their applicability in practice has been limited by the need for bidders to bid on an exponential number of bundles and for the auctioneer to solve an exponentially large winner-determination problem. We present a new auction mechanism to eliminate these challenges for a broad class of VCG combinatorial auctions. This mechanism, which yields equivalent results to a fully-enumerated combinatorial auction, eliminates the need for the bidder to explicitly compute and communicate bids on each bundle by exploiting the fact that true-cost bidding is a dominant strategy for these auctions. It also eliminates the need for the auctioneer to solve an exponentially large combinatorial optimization problem to select the optimal bids. Instead, the bidders’ true-cost types are explicitly incorporated within a mathematical program that is used to solve the winnerand paymentdetermination problems. A detailed example based on truckload procurement auctions is provided and several other applicable classes of problems are discussed as well.
Comparing the attitudes of recreational gamblers from Finland and France toward national gambling policies: A qualitative analysis

Survey data from several countries indicate that public attitudes toward gambling and its deregulation are negative, or at best ambivalent. However, comparative studies on the attitudes of gamblers themselves have not been conducted, despite the valuable firsthand experience with gambling institutions that these people have. Using qualitative group interview data from recreational gamblers in France and Finland, the study asked how players from two different gambling contexts experience their national gambling arrangements. The study found that although gambling is government regulated in both countries, the Finnish respondents were generally content with their national gambling system while the French were highly critical and supported greater protective measures. The way in which gambling is experienced, and the degree to which national gambling policies are accepted among players, depend not only on objective structures, but also on the institutional and cultural context in which gambling takes place.
Molecular Characterization of Bacterial Phylogenetic and Functional Groups at Terrebonne Bay along the Coastline of the Gulf of Mexico

The detection and quantification of bacterial phylogenetic and functional groups as well as community diversity at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in Terrebonne Bay along the Gulf of Mexico were carried out using nucleic acid staining, Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH) and 16S rRNA gene cloning and sequencing approaches. Results from the 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis revealed high occurrences of bacterial members belonging to the Cyanobacteria (28%), β- Proteobacteria (21%), Bacteroidetes (17%), Actinobacteria (12%) and the α- Proteobacteria (10%). Particularly, bacterial members identified within the clone library as belonging to the β- Proteobacteria subclass were mostly hydrocarbon degraders, including Methylibium petroleiphilum, Burkholderia cepacia, Hydrogenophaga taeniospiralis and Methylobacillus flagellates. Simultaneous analyses of both planktonic and benthic bacterial communities by FISH revealed the numerical dominance of members of the type I Methanotrophic Bacteria (MB) over the type II populations. The results from the study clearly reveal a shift in the bacterial community structure and composition in response to the tragic methane and crude oil discharges from the Deepwater Horizon rig along the Gulf of Mexico.
Mycorrhizal infection ameliorates chlorophyll content and nutrient uptake of lettuce exposed to saline irrigation

Salinity is one of the most serious environmental problems influencing crop growth. Today, the use of microorganisms as biofertilizers in agriculture is quite diffused, and good results have been obtained in terms of induction of resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses in crops. The effects of inoculation with a mixture of the mycorrhizal fungi Glomus mosseae, G. intraradices and G. coronatum have been investigated on lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) cultivated at three different levels of salinity of the irrigation water (0, 1.5 and 3 g NaCl/l) and collected during three subsequent samplings. Dry mass production was significantly enhanced in the inoculated plants collected at the first sampling, and the effect was even more evident at the highest salinity; however, it was not observed at the latest samplings. The chlorophyll content and total foliar area were mostly enhanced by colonization with the mycorrhizal fungi. Moreover, mycorrhization significantly reduced Na and Cl plant uptake, and stimulated the absorption of K and P. The experiment suggests that mycorrhization can be a suitable way to induce salt-stress resistance in horti cultural crops, and that it can show its best effects at medium-high salinity levels of the irrigation water.
New Amine Reagents for X-Ray Determination of Expandable Clays in Dry Samples

Quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis of minerals can most readily be performed on dry powdered samples. Current methods for determination of expandable clays require either wet oriented samples treated with glycerine or glycol or dry, randomly oriented samples treated with amines. Trimethylamine has been used to expand the montmorillonite structure to a 13.3 A basal spacing. Unfortunately, this spacing is subject to considerable peak interferences.
Prediction of ecological niches and carbon export by appendicularians using a new multispecies ecophysiological model

We developed, calibrated and validated an ecophysiological model that represents food consumption, growth and production of faecal pellets and discarded houses during the life cycle of Oikopleura dioica, O. longicauda, O. fusiformis and O. rufescens, which are among the most abun- dant appendicularian species in the ocean. The forcing variables of the model are temperature (T ) and food concentration. We calculated the growth rates of the 4 species and predicted the dominant species as a function of environmental conditions on 3 ecological applications. Firstly, we used the seasonal changes in T and chlorophyll a (chl a) in the English Channel to predict the seasonal succes- sion of the 4 species. Secondly, using sea surface T and chl a data from the MODIS satellite, we deter- mined the dominant appendicularian species over the World Ocean, thus providing a first-ever description of appendicularian biogeography over the 4 different seasons. Thirdly, we applied our model to in situ observations performed with the Underwater Video Profiler during the POMME 3 cruise in the Northeastern Atlantic in 2001. In areas of high appendicularian concentrations (135 ind. m -3 ), the appendicularians grazed daily only 0.6% of the stock of total particulate carbon. Of this grazed material, 21% was used for growth, 14% was respired and 65% was lost as detritus. Based on our model predictions, we concluded that at 2 of the 4 sampling stations, the integrated mass of detri- tus produced by the appendicularian population equalled or exceeded the carbon flux recorded in sediment traps at 200 m depth. This indicated high rates of disaggregation and/or consumption of these particles during their transit to depth.
Change in Insurance Status and Cost-related Medication Non-adherence among Older U.S. Adults with Diabetes from 2010 to 2014.

Objective Cost-related medication non-adherence (CRN) is a persistent challenge in health care in the U.S. Insurance coverage is a key determinant of access to medical care. We seek to examine the CRN rates among the older diabetes adult population in the U.S. from 2010 to 2014 when the major provisions of the Affordable Care Act came into force. Research Design and Method Data from the 2010 and 2014 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were used for this study. CRN is identified if a respondent indicated taking less medication than was prescribed because of the cost, while diabetes is self-reported. We assessed the change in CRN rates by insurance status using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results A total of 4,741 and 4,505 diabetes adults aged 50 or older in 2010 and 2014 were included in the analyses, representing 18.8 million and 19.1 million older adults with diabetes respectively. Overall, the percentage of dual-eligible diabetes patients increased from 8% to 10% and the uninsured decreased from 6% to 4% based on weighted population estimates. The CRN rates decreased from 27% to 21% and from 12% to 10% for those between 50 and 64, and 65 or older, respectively from 2010 to 2014. Race (African American) became a less significant factor for variations in CRN rates in 2014 (p=0.24). Conclusions There is an encouraging reduction in CRN rates after implementation of the ACA. However, CRN rates among diabetes patients between 50 and 65 of age remained high.
Gauss Seidal Method to Detect the Lesion with Accuracy Time in Front of Student Test for MR Images

In this paper iterative method is proposed with Gauss Seidal (G.S) to detect the position of disease on MR image with less computation time than the statistical approach (student's t test). To solve linear systems, Gauss Seidal build a sequence of approximations that converges to the true solution on other side Student method adjusts a least square model by statistical estimating. Our results obtained with G.S are excellent with accuracy time in front of Student method. The images are obtained from radiology of KOUBA Hospital of Algeria. The software used here is Matlab. 
Wave Extremes in the Northeast Atlantic

AbstractThe objective of this study is to compute 100-yr return value estimates of significant wave height using a new hindcast developed by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. This regional hindcast covers the northeast Atlantic and spans the period 1958–2009.The return value estimates are based upon three different stationary models commonly applied in extreme value statistics: the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution, the joint GEV distribution for the r largest-order statistic (rLOS), and the generalized Pareto (GP) distribution. Here, the qualitative differences between the models and their corresponding confidence intervals are investigated.
PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF ANHYDROUS

The preparation of anhydrous, pure, crystalline N-(3chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) trialkylammonium salts is disclosed by a process entailing reaction of epichlorohy drin with a trimethylammonium salt in an organic sol vent which is a solvent for the two reactants and a non-solvent for the reaction product. A fine crystalline, chemically pure, anhydrous N-(3chloro-2-hydroxypropyl) trimethylamine hydrochlo ride is produced by a process that does not entail an aqueous medium or the use of gaseous trimethylamine. The process comprises reacting trimethylammonium chloride with epichlorohydrin in an organic solvent which is a solvent for either of the two reactants and a non-solvent for the reaction product. Though a number of organic solvents may be used, it was found that chlo roform was particularly suited. The reaction proceeds readily at temperatures within the range of 0 to 50° C. and results, depending on the reaction conditions, in 80% to 97% yields of pure N-(3-chloro-2-hydroxypro pyl) trimethylammonium chloride with respect to the trimethylamine hydrochloride. The trimethylamine hydrochloride is the preferred starting material, how ever, the process may be applied to other trialkylamine hydrochlorides such as those containing alkyl groups with 2 to 12 carbon atoms, or those containing different alkyl groups. Furthermore, the process may also be applied to other trialkylammonium salts, such as other halides, nitrates, sulfates and perchlorates.
An asymptotic theory for the high-Reynolds-number flow past a shear-free circular cylinder

Abstract We present an asymptotic theory for analytical characterization of the high-Reynolds-number incompressible flow of a Newtonian fluid past a shear-free circular cylinder. The viscosity-induced modifications to this flow are localized and except in the neighbourhood of the rear stagnation point, behave like a linear perturbation of the inviscid flow. Our theory gives a highly accurate description of these modifications by including the contribution from the most significant viscous term in a correctional perturbation expansion about an inviscid base state. We derive the boundary layer equation for the flow and deduce a similarity transformation that leads to a set of infinite, shear-free-condition-incompatible, self-similar solutions. By suitably combining members from this set, we construct an all-boundary-condition-compatible solution to the boundary layer equation. We derive the governing equation for vorticity transport through the narrow wake region and determine its closed-form solution. The near and far-field forms of our wake solution are desirably consistent with the boundary layer solution and the well-known, self-similar planar wake solution, respectively. We analyse the flow in the rear stagnation region by formulating an elliptic partial integro-differential equation for the distortion streamfunction that specifically accounts for the fully nonlinear and inviscid dynamics of the viscous correctional terms. The drag force and its atypical logarithmic dependence on Reynolds number, deduced from our matched asymptotic analysis, are in remarkable agreement with the high-resolution simulation results. The logarithmic dependence gives rise to a critical Reynolds number below which the viscous correction term, counterintuitively, reduces the net dissipation in the flow field.
Machine Translation and Audiovisual products : A case study

Much has been said and written about the effects that machine translation (MT) is having on all kinds of published products. This paper discusses the introduction of MT in the localisation of audiovisual products in general and particularly voiceover documentaries. Incorporating MT into the translation of voiceover documentaries would boost the dissemination of non-commercial or minority products, and could enhance the spread of culture. While it might at first seem that MT could be easily integrated into translation for documentaries, some particular aspects make it difficult to use MT to translate for dubbing or for voice-overs. We therefore designed an exploratory study using a corpus containing different texts of a film, in order to compare the results of different automatic measures. The preliminary results show that different results are obtained for different types of speech and that the application of automatic metrics produces similar results. In this article, we will present furthermore the methodological design, which might be considered useful for other studies of this kind
COGNITO: Computerized Assessment of Information Processing

Most current neuropsychological batteries are pathology-specific and are unsuitable for research into multiple pathologies, longitudinal follow-up of pre-clinical changes or large general population cohort studies. Based on a comprehensive review of the literature, a neuropsychological examination, COGNITO was developed by psychiatrists and psychologists by reference to cognitive models of information processing. COGNITO covers attentional, linguistic, amnesic and visuospatial processes, with use of a tactile screen permitting recording not only of correct responses and error type, but also response latencies and qualitative aspects of performance such as perseveration, hemi-spatial field neglect and proactive intrusion. Designed for the detection of both normal and pathological cognitive changes from adolescence onwards, it was primarily developed for the study of brain ageing. A pilot study of retest reliability in adults showed acceptable levels for all sub-tests except the Stroop test. Immediate Recall and Name-Face Association both showed significant learning effects suggesting the need for alternative subtest forms if very short retest intervals are required.
Bioremoval of Azo dye Reactive Red by Bacillus spp. ETL-1982

Bacillus spp. ETL-1982, with notable ability to decolorize the reactive textile dye Reactive Red, was isolated from the activated sludge collected from a textile mill. Phenotypic characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence indicated that the bacterial strain belonged to the genus Bacillus. Bacillus ETL-1982 showed a strong ability to decolorize reactive textile dye at pH 9.0 and 37°C and with 4 gL-1 glucose concentrations was considered to be the optimum decolorizing conditions. Bacillus spp. ETL-1982 grew well in a high concentration of dye (300 mgl-1), resulting in approximately 96% decolorization extent in 36 h, and could tolerate up to 1000 mg l-1 of dye. UV–Vis analyses and colorless bacterial cells suggested that Bacillus spp. ETL-1982 exhibited decolorizing activity through biodegradation, rather than inactive surface adsorption. High decolorization extent and facile conditions show the potential for this Bacillus ETL-1982 to be used in the biological treatment of dyeing mill effluents.
Performance Analysis of Image Segmentation Algorithm

Image segmentation is a classic subject in the field of image processing and also is a hotspot and focus of image processing techniques. With the improvement of computer processing capabilities and the increased application of color image, the color image segmentation are more and more concerned by the researchers. In this paper we have proposed one new approach for Image segmentation which is based on Watershed algorithm followed by JND colour Histogram Algorithm. The Algorithm is implemented over MATLAB 7.9. 0. Keywords— Digital Image Processing, Image segmentation, Image Retrieval, watershed, Histogram
Conceptualising Customer‐to‐customer Value Co‐creation in Tourism

The notion that tourists actively co-create value with organisations is increasingly acknowledged in tourism marketing. Yet, not much is known about the processes in play when customers co-create value with each other. This conceptual paper offers a theoretical basis for the study of customer-to-customer co-creation in tourism contexts, while debating the epistemological assumptions of value-related research in tourism. Proposed conceptual framework posits that value is socially constructed and embedded in tourists' social practices. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Diversification of rural livelihoods in Bangladesh

Diversification of livelihood activities minimizes households’ vulnerability to shocks by reducing income variability. Livelihoods of rural Bangladesh is encompass both farm and nonfarm activities. This study investigated the patterns and extent of diversification of livelihoods in rural areas of Bangladesh. The study drew a random sample of 500 rural farm households in Bangladesh through a multi-stage random sampling technique. The primary data were collected using structured questionnaires coupled with interview schedules and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Simpson index. Result revealed that remittance contributed highest to the household income followed by business and caste occupation, and rice farming. Furthermore results showed that rural Bangladeshi households have diversified their livelihood activities at medium level. The small and medium landholding households are more likely to diversify their livelihoods compared to the functionally-landless and large landholding households. The implication is that non-farm employment opportunities should be expanded to combat poor households’ vulnerability to shocks and income fluctuations. It is also suggested to give more attention to functionally-landless households for increasing and diversifying their income.
Utility in WTP Space: A Tool to Address Confounding Random Scale Effects in Destination Choice to the Alps

Destination choice models with individual-specific taste variation have become the presumptive analytical approach in applied nonmarket valuation. Under the usual specification, tastes are represented by coefficients of site attributes that enter utility, and the distribution of these coefficients is estimated. The distribution of willingness-to-pay (WTP) for site attributes is then derived from the estimated distribution of coefficients. Though conceptually appealing this procedure often results in untenable distributions of willingness to pay. An alternative procedure is to estimate the distribution of willingness to pay directly, through a re-parameterization of the model. We compare hierarchical Bayes and maximum simulated likelihood estimates under both approaches, using data on site choice in the Alps. We find that models parameterized in terms of WTP provide more reasonable estimates for the distribution of WTP, and also fit the data better than models parameterized in terms of attribute coefficients. This approach to parameterizing utility is hence deemed promising for applied nonmarket valuation.
Contracting Institutions and Development

The quality of contracting institutions has been thought to be of second-order importance next to the impact that good property rights institutions can have on long-run growth. Using a large range of proxies for each type of institution, we find a robust negative link between the quality of contracting institutions and long-run growth when we condition on property rights and a number of additional macroeconomic variables. Although the result remains something of a puzzle, we present evidence which suggests that only when property rights institutions are good do contracting institutions appear also to be good for development. Good contracting institutions can reduce long-run growth when property rights are not secured, presumably because the gains from the (costly) contracting institutions cannot be realised. This suggests that contracting institutions can benefit growth, and that the sequence of institutional change can matter.